创世记结晶读经(35): 生命树与善恶知识树_1
创二 9『耶和华神使各样的树从地里长出来，可以悦人的眼目，也好作食物；园子当中有生命树，还有善恶知识树。』约十五 1『我是真葡萄树，我父是栽培的人。』 六 48『我就是生命的粮。』
神达成他目的之手续的第二步，乃是把受造的人放在生命树跟前。生命树表征三一神具体化身在基督里，以食物的形态作人的生命。神把人摆在生命树跟前，指明神要人借着生机的吃他并新陈代谢的吸收他，接受他作人的生命，使神能成为人所是的构成成分。
按照约翰一章一节、四节，生命是在那就是神自己的话里面。这生命─神那神圣、永远、非受造的生命─就是基督，他是神的具体化身。生命树长在生命水河的两边，指明生命树乃是一种藤蔓（葡萄树）。因着基督是葡萄树，又是生命，他就是生命树。他经过了成为肉体、钉十字架和复活的过程，使人能得着生命，并借着吃他而活。
生命树是在园子当中。我们研读创世记二章的记载，可以看到，除了善恶知识树以外，就只提生命树，别的树都没有提。我们不知道别的树的名字，但我们确实知道有一棵树叫作生命树。这显示生命树是中心。
生命树是宇宙的中心。按照神的定旨，地是宇宙的中心，伊甸园是地的中心，而生命树又是伊甸园的中心。我们必须认识，整个宇宙是以生命树为中心：无论对神或对人，没有别的比这树更中心、更重要。你看见人在园子当中，站在生命树跟前，这是非常有意义的。这树使人能接受神作生命。
我们怎样证明这事？圣经接下去的各卷书都启示神是生命。因此，园子当中的生命树，指明神要以食物的方式作我们的生命。根据约翰福音，有一天，神在肉体里而来（一 1、14）。生命在他里面（4）。创世记二章中由生命树所显示的生命，就是在耶稣里成为肉体的生命。耶稣就是在肉体里的神。
主耶稣告诉我们，他自己就是生命（约十四 6）。再者，约翰十五章告诉我们，基督是树，是葡萄树。一面他是树，一面他是生命。当我们把约翰福音这几部分放在一起，我们看见耶稣就是生命树。主耶稣说，他是生命的粮，意思就是说，他来到我们这里是以食物的形态作生命树。
耶稣是全能的神，乃是至高的，但当他来作我们的食物，他是低微的。他是一块饼，甚至是桌子下的碎渣（太十五 21~27）。耶稣以食物的形态来作我们的生命，他不高，也不大。他是小的、低的。
我们所吃的任何东西，都必须比我们小，否则我们就吃不下去。即使食物比我们大，还得切成小片，才吃得下。因此，主耶稣以食物的形态来作我们的生命。他说，『我就是生命的粮』，又说，『那吃我的人，也要因我活着。』〔约六 48、57〕神在子里是生命树，好作食物。我们天天可以吃他，从他得喂养。
生命树豫表将生命分赐给人，叫人喜悦满足的基督。基督分赐神圣的生命到我们里面，叫我们喜悦满足。我们许多人都能见证这个。我们能说，『阿利路亚！耶稣已将生命分赐给我。他每时每刻都使我满足。』这就是生命树。
参读：创世记生命读经，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
- 未完待续
创世记结晶读经(36): 生命树与善恶树_2
创世记结晶读经(34):生命水的河
