阅读经文 

今天，当我们思想耶稣的受死，我们有些人会想到耶稣死在十字架上，会注意到它是用木头做的，是从树上砍下来的。有人可能会想起耶稣的死应验了先知的话说：“凡挂在木头上都是被咒诅的。”（参加 3:13；申 21:23）耶稣死在十字架上，祂为我们承受了罪的全部咒诅，好使我们被赦免，获得新生命！

在今天读到的路加福音中，耶稣也提到自己是一棵树。祂说：“这些事既行在有汁水的树上，那枯干的树，将来怎么样呢？”这里耶稣将自己描述为一棵活的，葱绿的树，祂似乎在挑战人们去思想，如果这棵树被砍倒（枯干）——祂很快就会死在十字架上，将会怎样呢？

来自先知以赛亚的几句话可能会帮助我们理解这一点。以赛亚将救主——神受苦的仆人描述为“从耶西的树干”生出的一根嫩芽，（参赛 11:1）然而这位救主后来“从活人之地被剪除”，因为祂为众人的罪受了刑罚。（参赛 53:8）

尽管耶稣为我们的缘故被剪除，可我们仍应该充满喜乐，称今天是“好的星期五”（受难日）——因为祂受难后，“必看见光明”，复活胜过死亡。（参赛 53:11）耶稣为我们的缘故成就了这一切，好使我们拥有与神同在的新生命。

对耶稣来说，死亡不是最终的结局，因为祂乃是生命之道！

Today, as we reflect on Jesus' death, some of us will think of the cross on which Jesus died, noting that it was made of wood, cut from a tree. Some may also recall that in his death Jesus fulfilled a prophecy that said, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" (Galatians 3:13, NRSV; see Deuteronomy 21:23). In his death on the cross, Jesus took on himself the whole curse of sin for our sake, so that we can be forgiven and receive new life!

In our reading in Luke today, Jesus also speaks about himself as a tree. He says, "If people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Here Jesus is describing himself as a live, green tree, and he appears to be challenging people to think what it will be like when the tree is cut off ("dry")—as he soon will be when he has died on the cross.

A few words from Isaiah the prophet may help us to understand this. Isaiah describes the Savior, the Lord's suffering servant, as a shoot that has grown "from the stump of Jesse" (Isaiah 11:1), and yet the Savior is later "cut off from the land of the living" because he is punished for the people's sins (Isaiah 53:8).

Though Jesus was cut off for our sake, we can actually be filled with joy, calling this "Good Friday"—because after he suffered, he also saw "the light of life" and rose in victory over death (Isaiah 53:11). Jesus did all of this for our sake so that we can have new life with God forever.

With Jesus, death does not have the last word, because he is the Word of life!