The Tree of Life: The Gospel Hidden in Eden

As I read the Gospel of John, one truth began to grab my attention like a blurry lens slowly coming into focus: Jesus repeatedly saying He came to give us eternal life. Verse after verse, chapter after chapter, the Spirit would not let me ignore it. I took a long pause and thought, “Yes, Lord, I know You came to give us eternal life, but what are You trying to tell me?” 

As I lingered on these words, eternal life, and the many different ways He said it, the Holy Spirit transported me back to the Garden of Eden, to that mysterious and guarded Tree of Life. My heart accelerated, and I immediately thought, “Wait! Is Jesus the Tree of Life?! No way!”  The question filled me with awe, and as the Holy Spirit’s presence washed over me, with a side of adrenaline, revelation began to unfold. 

In Genesis, after the fall (after Adam and Eve sinned), God expelled them from Eden and stationed cherubim with flaming swords to block the entrance. Why?

“Lest they reach out their hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22). 

What struck me is how the Spirit seemed to connect these two realities: Jesus offering eternal life in John, and God preventing eternal life in Eden. “But, wait,” I asked the Lord. “Why didn’t you just let them have eternal life in Eden if you were going to give us eternal life anyway?” As I meditated on it, the Spirit whispered: 

“Because I had something greater to give.”

The Tree of Life in Eden

Growing up, I was fascinated by the Tree of Life. I fantasized about finding this tree -enormous and golden, with glowing golden fruit growing sparingly around the tree. I’d have to climb at least 20 feet to reach one of its few glowy and plump fruits! I’d eat from it and become immortal, but not without first having to bypass the flaming sword and the scary cherubim! Never mind the destruction brought forth by the first tree, my 13-year-old self created an entire superhero fantasy I could daydream about all day! 

The reality is far deeper. The Tree of Life in Genesis was more than just a tree. It symbolized the possibility of unbroken life in communion with God. It was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. When Man fell, they lost not just a home, but access to divine fellowship. This raises the question: Why did God prevent Adam and Eve from eating in Eden, but now freely offer eternal life in Christ? Well, because God is merciful. 

See, when humanity fell, eating from the tree of life would’ve meant eternal life in a state of death. That would not be a blessing but a curse – unending existence locked in sin, pain, corruption, and separation. What seemed like punishment was actually mercy. God’s act of barring humanity from the Tree of Life was a protective act of love. He would not allow us to live forever in death. Instead, He planned to restore true life through redemption.

Jesus as the True Tree of Life

In John’s Gospel, Jesus announces again and again that He gives eternal life:

The Spirit impressed upon me that these are not mere metaphors. Jesus Himself is the reality to which the Tree of Life pointed.  What Adam and Eve were once cut off from, Christ restores. No longer is access guarded by angels with flaming swords; the veil is torn, and Christ Himself is the open way.

Where the fruit of Eden could only sustain unending existence, Jesus offers something infinitely greater: eternal fellowship with God, free from sin and death.

Our God, the Lord of Hosts, reigns supreme. He’s sovereign over all armies, both earthly and heavenly! Satan may have thought he’d won by using one of God’s creations, the Tree of Knowledge, to bring death to humanity. But God checkmated him with divine genius: by giving us Himself in the flesh as Jesus Christ, the true and living Tree of Life.

The Tree Restored in Revelation

This powerful story comes full circle in Revelation 22, where the Tree of Life reappears in the New Jerusalem. Its leaves bring healing to the nations, and its fruit is freely given to all who dwell in God’s presence. 

“On each side of the river stood the Tree of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit… And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” –Revelation 22:2

What was lost in Eden is not only restored, it is gloriously expanded. Between Eden and the New Jerusalem stands the Cross. The wood of the Cross becomes, in a sense, the bridge back to the Tree of Life. The curse of death is lifted because Christ bore it. The way is open again, not to mere immortality, but to eternal life in the presence of God!

Reflection and Response

As I reflect, I marvel at the Spirit’s gentle teaching. While I was simply reading John, He whispered: “Do you see the Tree of Life here?” And suddenly, the connections in Scripture unfolded. Jesus was not just offering me longevity; He was offering Himself as my eternal life. God found it important to answer a long-forgotten childhood question I’d had about the mystery of the Tree of Life and its purpose. That’s how important we are to Him!

This changes how I live today. Eternal life is not just future; it begins now, as I abide in Him (John 15:5). The more I “eat” and “drink” of Christ by faith, the more I experience life that death cannot touch.

The Tree of Life isn’t a symbol of what we lost; it’s a promise of what we have regained in Christ. The way is open. Come and live!