In just about every depiction in Christian religious iconography our LORD and Savior is portrayed as having metal spikes through His hands and feet, arms secured by ropes and laid upright on a vertically-raised wooden stake whose beams are longer than the extremities of the legs and somewhat shorter in length under the arms. And this being the case as is passed down through Church tradition, then why do the Scriptures use two alternating terms for this particular item?
Acts 5: 30
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus [Yeshua] though you had Him killed by hanging Him on “the tree” [Heb. haEtz].
Acts 10: 39b
They put Him to death by hanging Him on “the tree” [Heb. haEtz].
Acts 13: 29
And when they had accomplished all that was written about Him [Yeshua], they took Him down from “the tree” [Heb. haEtz] and laid Him in a tomb.
1 Peter 2: 24a
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on “the tree” [Heb. haEtz].
Matthew 27: 39, 42
And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down from “the cross” [Heb. haEtz], and we will believe Him.”
Mark 15: 29-30
And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, “save Yourself, and come down from “the cross” [Heb. haEtz].”
COMMENTARY: It could be that each term has a specific theological and deeply spiritual meaning so utilizing the Hebrew language is most helpful into gaining a little bit more insight into this matter, as in Matthew 10: 38, which reads:
The one who does not take up “his cross” [Heb. etz shel mesiros nefesh=tree of self-sacrifice] and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Now, looking at the use of “tree” connotes the seriousness of Jesus as a substitutionary sacrifice and becoming essentially accursed by God for our sakes, as found in Galatians 3: 13, in the following:
Christ ransomed us from the curse of the Law [“Torah”] by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree” (Cp. Deuteronomy 21: 23b). In the Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) Galatians 3: 13b reads: KILELAT HASHEM is on NIVLATO TALUI AL HAETZ (the curse of God is on the NEVELAH {body, corpse}) being hanged on the tree. So, in effect, both of the terms [tree, cross] are appropriate in its usage in the Scriptures because of the context and what meaning is being emphasized in the narrative.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
November 30, 2010
Robertrandle51@yahoo.com
