Text: Psalm 1; Genesis 2:8–9, 15–17; 3:1–24; Deuteronomy 30:15–20
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Trees do many wonderful things for us.
They beautify our yards.
They shade our homes and outside space.
They give birds a place to live and rest.
They bear fruit that we enjoy.
Seasonally, they drop their leaves too, and that can be a time of frustration and work, both at home and at church!
Although we may not see them every day in the same way, the Bible’s trees are nonetheless relevant to us.
In fact, considering them helps us realize why we need a Savior, how God provided a Savior for us in the person of Jesus Christ, and how the saved lives of repentant believers look.
This repentant season of Lent, our special sermon series is themed:
Living among the Bible’s Trees.
We begin this series by considering the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
I. We do only evil.
Although the first chapter of Genesis narrates God’s creating fruit trees in general and mentions his giving all those trees to the first man and woman for food (Gen 1:11–12, 29), the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the second of two specific trees mentioned in the Bible, as we heard in the First Reading.
This particular fruit tree God’s Word set apart. Do not eat of it, under penalty of physical and spiritual death.
Tragically, the serpent tempted the woman to doubt God’s Word spoken to her by her husband regarding this particular tree. And tragically, Adam, didn’t step in to protect Eve his wife.
Since she considered the tree’s fruit good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise, she took the serpent up on his tempting and also gave some of the fruit to her husband – and he ate too!
They both disobeyed God by eating of it, and they both suffered the consequences for their sin, including being banished from the garden.
God banished them for their good so as not to eat from the tree of Life and live forever in their fallen state.
Certainly, before the man and woman ate of the tree, God’s Word revealed to them what was good and what was evil.
So, people knowing the difference between good and evil cannot itself be the problem.
Maybe all we can say for sure about the man and woman’s eating of the tree is that doing so changed for the worse their relationship with God and with each other.
As physical and spiritual descendants of Adam and Eve, we by nature suffer from those same consequences of their sin, and our sinful natures lead us to sins.
As sinners, we do what sinners do. Sin!
“For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” Gen 3:19
Unlike the first man and woman, we are not purely good to begin with, but by nature are dead in our trespasses and sins.
We are dead in our trespasses and sins regardless of our age.
From the womb to the tomb, so to speak.
Any so-called “age of accountability” is imagined.
ignorance of good and evil has never been an excuse, and no one is truly ignorant anyway.
God’s Word continues to reveal to us all what is good and what is evil, and so, like the man and woman, we all also are to honor God with obedience to his Word.
God’s word presents to us two ways to go:
1 the way of sinners, walking in the counsel of the wicked and sitting in the seat of scoffers, or
2 the way of the righteous, delighting in the “law” or “teaching” of the Lord and meditating on it day and night.
The righteous are like trees that do not wither, because they are planted by streams of water and bear fruit in its season; the Lord knows them and blesses them.
II. So by faith, we have life in Christ and every other good.
The righteous are righteous when, God enables, they turn in sorrow from their sin and trust God Him to forgive their sin for Jesus’ sake.
Jesus is the Seed of the woman, who bruised the head of the serpent to the point of defeat—and—since, even as the serpent bruised Jesus’ heel to the point of death on the cross, Gen 3:15
Jesus rose from the dead and lives forevermore.
Jesus perfectly honored God will with obedience to his Word, and on the cross paid the price for our failure to do so.
Jesus’ sacrifice is the once for all sacrifice for is!
As God’s Word set apart a particular fruit tree that ended up being the cause of the man and woman’s physical and spiritual death - so God’s Word now sets apart other ordinary things to be the cause of our physical and spiritual life – to restore what was lost.
Through the proclaimed word of Holy Scripture,
Through the water and the Word of Holy Baptism,
Through the words of forgiveness in Holy Absolution,
And through the bread and wine that is Christ’s true body and blood in Holy Communion.
These Means of Grace enable our repentance and faith, give us the forgiveness of sins, and result in our honoring God with obedience to his Word.
Considering the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we realize that, although we do only evil, we have life and every other good in Christ.
Praise God for that blessing!
In the Second Reading, God set before the people of Israel, whom he had delivered from slavery in Egypt, blessings of life and curses of death and called the people to choose life.
Likewise, God sets before you and me, whom he has given physical and spiritual life, and calls us to choose life and to live in him.
In that regard, it is largely the same for you us it was for the man and woman facing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
This tree is never mentioned in scripture again. But the damage had been done.
Thanks be to God, that he didn’t leave Adam and Eve or you and me in our sin but has made a way where there was no way so that in Christ, we have life eternal in his name!
All glory and honor to Jesus Christ our Lord!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Lent series, "Living among the Bible's trees" - modified
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