约一4　 生命在祂里面，这生命就是人的光。

　　　十五1 我是真葡萄树，我父是栽培的人。

　　在〔伊甸园〕里，最重要的东西就是树。圣经中对于树的观念是很重要的。圣经无论在开头或结尾，当它提到人的时候，也提到树。人究竟要得生命或死亡，要永远活着或灭亡，全看人如何对待树（参创二16~17，三1~3、22、24，结四七12，启二二2、14、19）。所以树的观念对人的定命是绝对重要的。……创世记二章九节说，各样的树好作食物。请注意，圣经不是说各样的树好出产材料，因为创世记的观念不是人的劳苦和成就，因此没有提到制造的原料。二章的观念完全集中于生命。因此这章说，各样的树好作食物；因为食物与生命有关。没有食物，我们就不能活。食物维持我们的生命，并使我们饱足（创世记生命读经，一七二至一七三页）。

　　John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 15:1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.

　　The most important item in the garden is the trees. In the Scriptures the

　　concept concerning the tree is crucial. When the Scripture mentions man, both in the beginning and at the end, it also mentions the tree. Whether man will have life or will die, will live eternally or will perish, all depends on how man deals with the tree (cf. Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-3, 22, 24; Ezek. 47:12; Rev. 22:2, 14, 19). The concept of the tree is absolutely vital to man’s destiny. Genesis 2:9 says that the trees were good for food. Notice that the Bible does not say that the trees were good for producing materials, for the concept of Genesis is not that of human labor or achievement. Thus, no manufacturing materials are mentioned. The concept of Genesis 2 is fully focused on life. Thus, it says that the trees were good for food because food is related to life. Without food we cannot live. Food maintains our life and satisfies us. (Life- study of Genesis, pp. 139-140)

　　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。……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。……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）。生命在祂里面（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，祂自己就是生命（约十四6）。再者，约翰十五章告诉我们，基督是树，是葡萄树〔5〕。一面祂是树，一面祂是生命。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，祂是生命的粮，意思就是说，祂来到我们这里是以食物的形态作生命树。

　　让我提个问题：生命树有多高？如果你这样问我，我要答说，它不比我高。……如果生命树长得很高，它的果子就采不到了。亚当和夏娃没有梯子或别的工具采摘树上的果子。因此我相信，生命树不会太高。……耶稣是全能的神，乃是至高的，但当祂来作我们的食物，祂是低微的。祂是一块饼，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，祂不高，也不大。祂是小的、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。祂说，“我就是生命的粮”〔约六48〕，又说，“那吃我的人，也要因我活着。”〔57〕神在子里是生命树，好作食物。我们天天可以吃祂，从祂得喂养。

　　生命树预表将生命分赐给人，叫人喜悦满足的基督（参约十五1，出十五25）。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。祂每时每刻都使我满足。”这就是生命树（创世记生命读经，一七四至一七六页）。

　　参读：创世记生命读经， 第十一篇。

　　The tree of life was in the middle of the garden. If we study the record of Genesis 2, we will realize that, apart from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, no tree is mentioned by name except 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…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 (1:1, 14). In Him was life (v. 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.

　　Let me ask you a question: how tall was the tree of life? If you turn the question to me, I will answer that it was not taller than I…If the tree of life had been of a great height, its fruit would have been out of reach. Adam and Eve had no ladder or other instrument to use in plucking the fruit of this tree. Therefore, I believe that the tree of life was not very tall. 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.” God in the Son is the tree of life, which 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