Abraham's Tree

Reflections on the Tree of the Cross (2)

In a recent post, I began an analysis of the wood which sweetens bitter waters in Exodus 15 by exploring the biblical references to trees throughout Genesis and Exodus. Trees are the raw material of the created order in the garden of Eden, and they are transfigured by the collaboration of divine and human agency in Genesis 6 to produce a glorified world in the sanctified space of the ark. The next time the word tree is used is in Genesis 18, when God visibly descends to proclaim the covenant of fruitfulness and to begin shaking the Canaanite world-order in inspecting and judging the cities of the plain. When Christ descends (as the Angel of the Lord) with two angels as witnesses, Abraham immediately makes food for his guests and provides them seating while Abraham himself “stands under a tree” (Genesis 18:8) as they eat. Abraham, like Noah, declares that the food is not his own, but belongs to God. He provides them food and a basin for washing their feet. There are three instances in Genesis where the washing of feet is mentioned (Genesis 18, 19, and 24) and in all three it is mentioned in the context of the setting of a table and providing rest. In Genesis 19:2, Lot bakes unleavened bread immediately before he escapes the city in a story which anticipates in a number of its details the story of Israel’s exodus. The unleavened bread is a type of Passover.