THE SACRAMENT OF EUCHARIST II - TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
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[Genesis 2:15ff] "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and
keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "you may freely eat of every tree of
the garden; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you
eat of it you shall die.''
"Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creatures that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" And the
woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said,
'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you
touch it lest you die.' "But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. For God knows
that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good from
evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the
eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and
she also gave some to her husband, and he ate."
"Jesus said. . . "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this
bread he will live forever;" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the
flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;" God wants us to eat the
Body of His Son and drink His Blood so that we too might become "partakers in the divine
nature" [2 Peter 1:4].
[Galatians 3:13] "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us
- for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree".
We know in St. Paul's & St. Peter's mind, Jesus "hangs on a tree". 1 Peter 2:24 "He himself
bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to those sins and live for
righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."
[Lk. 1:42] "blessed is the fruit of your womb!" We can see a similarity with the idea that fruit
hangs on a tree. [Jn. 14:6] "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;"
Truth is knowledge.
HERE IS MY POINT!
Jesus is the new "fruit" hanging on the new "tree of knowledge". If we eat this fruit we will
become like God. We will know right from wrong and we will have life in us. Eating of the first
fruit brought death - eating from the new tree of knowledge. . . the true tree of knowledge . . .
brings forth life. . . . also making the Cross "the tree of life" [Genesis 2:9].
Rev 2:7 'Let the person who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To
everyone who conquers I will give the privilege of eating from the tree of life".
Jesus is the "Lamb" hanging on the tree. . . of the Cross. Unlike the first fruit which should not
be eaten . . . This fruit must be eaten. As Christ said; "when I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all men to myself." [Jn. 12:32] (Lifted up on a tree) - lifted up to Life! This tree is good
for food, and this tree is to be desired to make one wise!
Rev 22:14 How blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the
tree of life and may go through the gates into the city!
EATING HEALS US!