Can something dead be brought back to life? Devastated finances? A foundering relationship? A ruined life? A country wrought by civil war? A people sliding toward spiritual destruction?
One dead tree?
Many centuries ago, a tree grew in a forest, and it was alive. Then it was dead, harvested by the Romans in order to bring further death.
Yet that tree brought forth life.
Isaiah saw what was to come. In Chapter 52:13, the great prophet tells how Jesus would be raised high, and he would be exalted above all men.
1 Peter 2:24 tells us that Jesus bore our sins in his own body while hanging on a tree, that we, being dead in sin, should live unto righteousness.
How amazing is that? The Romans cut down that tree, and they meant it to bring death to one man. However, it brought life to an entire race of people. One dead tree. One wooden cross. One life sacrificed. One chance for all mankind to live forever.
Jesus’ sacrifice brought life to you and me.
There are stories of fence posts that when planted sprout new growth. If left unchecked, one simple log can grow into a great tree, spreading its branches, and shading all who walk by.
Jesus was planted in Calvary’s soil, and the power released through his death has spread across the entire world. He brings new life to all who believe in him.
John 11:25-26 describes Jesus as the resurrection and the life. If we believe in him, even though we die, we will live in him.
Dead wood held the Christ aloft, yet, unlike that fence post, the life it brought forth does more than shade the wanderer that happens under its branches. The life that came from that old wooden cross reaches across the world, offering hope to the hopeless, and salvation for the lost. That old wooden cross upon which Jesus died brought life everlasting to a world that was dying in its sin.
In Psalm 31:5 we hear echoes of Jesus’ anguish as he hung upon the cross: “Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”
His anguish turns into joy. One dead tree turns into shade for the weary. What was meant for evil turns into life. Our marriage is healed, and our relationship is repaired. Our life is restored, and we can go on. Our finances are returned to us, multiplied a hundredfold. Peace once again stretches her arms across the countryside. Humanity finds a path through the darkness that threatens to engulf her.
What should one piece of dead wood mean to us?
John 3:16 tells it best:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believeth in him should not die, but should have everlasting life.”
Thank God for dead wood. Thank God for the Christ.
All life stems from one source, the Christ that hung upon a dead tree. His sacrifice brought life to the world. His love brought life to you and me.
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