創世記結晶讀經(35): 生命樹與善惡知識樹_1
創二 9『耶和華神使各樣的樹從地里長出來，可以悅人的眼目，也好作食物；園子當中有生命樹，還有善惡知識樹。』約十五 1『我是真葡萄樹，我父是栽培的人。』 六 48『我就是生命的糧。』
神達成他目的之手續的第二步，乃是把受造的人放在生命樹跟前。生命樹表徵三一神具體化身在基督里，以食物的形態作人的生命。神把人擺在生命樹跟前，指明神要人借着生機的吃他並新陳代謝的吸收他，接受他作人的生命，使神能成為人所是的構成成分。
按照約翰一章一節、四節，生命是在那就是神自己的話裡面。這生命─神那神聖、永遠、非受造的生命─就是基督，他是神的具體化身。生命樹長在生命水河的兩邊，指明生命樹乃是一種藤蔓（葡萄樹）。因着基督是葡萄樹，又是生命，他就是生命樹。他經過了成為肉體、釘十字架和復活的過程，使人能得着生命，並借着吃他而活。
生命樹是在園子當中。我們研讀創世記二章的記載，可以看到，除了善惡知識樹以外，就只提生命樹，別的樹都沒有提。我們不知道別的樹的名字，但我們確實知道有一棵樹叫作生命樹。這顯示生命樹是中心。
生命樹是宇宙的中心。按照神的定旨，地是宇宙的中心，伊甸園是地的中心，而生命樹又是伊甸園的中心。我們必須認識，整個宇宙是以生命樹為中心：無論對神或對人，沒有別的比這樹更中心、更重要。你看見人在園子當中，站在生命樹跟前，這是非常有意義的。這樹使人能接受神作生命。
我們怎樣證明這事？聖經接下去的各卷書都啟示神是生命。因此，園子當中的生命樹，指明神要以食物的方式作我們的生命。根據約翰福音，有一天，神在肉體裡而來（一 1、14）。生命在他裡面（4）。創世記二章中由生命樹所顯示的生命，就是在耶穌里成為肉體的生命。耶穌就是在肉體裡的神。
主耶穌告訴我們，他自己就是生命（約十四 6）。再者，約翰十五章告訴我們，基督是樹，是葡萄樹。一面他是樹，一面他是生命。當我們把約翰福音這幾部分放在一起，我們看見耶穌就是生命樹。主耶穌說，他是生命的糧，意思就是說，他來到我們這裡是以食物的形態作生命樹。
耶穌是全能的神，乃是至高的，但當他來作我們的食物，他是低微的。他是一塊餅，甚至是桌子下的碎渣（太十五 21~27）。耶穌以食物的形態來作我們的生命，他不高，也不大。他是小的、低的。
我們所吃的任何東西，都必須比我們小，否則我們就吃不下去。即使食物比我們大，還得切成小片，才吃得下。因此，主耶穌以食物的形態來作我們的生命。他說，『我就是生命的糧』，又說，『那吃我的人，也要因我活着。』〔約六 48、57〕神在子裡是生命樹，好作食物。我們天天可以吃他，從他得餵養。
生命樹豫表將生命分賜給人，叫人喜悅滿足的基督。基督分賜神聖的生命到我們裡面，叫我們喜悅滿足。我們許多人都能見證這個。我們能說，『阿利路亞！耶穌已將生命分賜給我。他每時每刻都使我滿足。』這就是生命樹。
參讀：創世記生命讀經，第十一篇。
Gen. 2:9 "And out of the ground
Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good
for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil."
John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and
My Father is the husbandman."
6:48 "I am the bread of
life."
The second step of God's procedure in fulfilling His purpose was to
place the created man in front of the tree of life, which signifies the Triune
God embodied in Christ as life to man in the form of food. God's placing man in
front of the tree of life indicates that God wanted man to receive Him as man's
life by eating Him organically and assimilating Him metabolically, that God
might become the very constituent of man's being. According to John 1:1, 4,
life is in the Word, who is God Himself. This life─the divine, eternal,
uncreated life of God─is Christ (John 11:25; 14:6; Col. 3:4a), who
is the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9). The tree of life grows along the two sides
of the river of water of life (Rev. 22:1-2), indicating that it is a vine.
Since Christ is a vine tree (John 15:1) and is also life, He is the tree of
life. He was processed through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection that
man might have life and live by eating Him (John 10:10b; 6:51, 57, 63). (Gen.
2:9, footnote 2)
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden. If we study the record
of Genesis 2, we will realize that, apart from the tree of knowledge of good
and evil, no tree is mentioned by name except the tree of life. We do not know
the names of the other trees, but we do know that there was a tree called the
tree of life. This shows that the tree of life was the center.
The tree of life is the center of the universe. According to the purpose
of God, the earth is the center of the universe, the garden of Eden is the
center of the earth, and the tree of life is the center of the garden of Eden.
We must realize that the whole universe is centered on this tree of life:
nothing is more central and crucial to both God and man than this tree. It is
very meaningful to see man in the garden standing before the tree of life.
This tree enables man to receive God as life. How can we prove this? The
following books of the Bible reveal that God is life. Therefore, the tree of
life in the garden was the indicator that God intends to be our life in the
form of food. One day, according to the Gospel of John, God came in the flesh
(John 1:1, 14). In Him was life (John 1:4). The life displayed by the tree of
life in Genesis 2 was the life incarnated in Jesus, God in the flesh. Jesus
told us that He Himself is life (John 14:6). Furthermore, John 15 tells us that
Christ is a tree, the vine tree. On the one hand, He is a tree; on the other
hand, He is life. When we put together all these portions from John, we see
that Jesus is the tree of life. Jesus said that He is the bread of life,
meaning that He has come to us as the tree of life in the form of food.
As the almighty God, Jesus is high, but when He came to us as food He
was lowly. He was a loaf of bread. He was even the crumbs under the table
(Matt. 15:21-27). The very Jesus who came to us as life in the form of food was
not tall and great; He was small and lowly. Anything we eat must be smaller
than we are; if it is not, we cannot take it into us. Even if our food is
larger than we are, it must be cut into pieces small enough to eat. Thus, Jesus
came to us as life in the form of food. He said, “I am the bread of life,” and,
“He who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me” [John 6:48, 57]. God in the
Son is the tree of life that is good for food. Day after day we can feed on
Him. We can eat Him.
The tree of life typifies Christ who imparts life to man and who pleases
and satisfies man (cf. John 15:1; Exo. 15:25). Christ imparts divine life into
us, pleases us, and satisfies us. Many of us can testify of this. We can say,
“Hallelujah! Jesus has imparted life to me. He satisfies me all the time.” This
is the tree of life. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 140-141)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 11
- 未完待續
創世記結晶讀經(36): 生命樹與善惡樹_2
創世記結晶讀經(34):生命水的河
