The Tree

In a beautiful garden full of strong old oaks and towering plants one tree stands in the center. This tree thinks it to be so boring being just a tree. Nothing to do but sit and stand and watch. Unmoving sense planted.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Her wood was being chipped away. She was being ripped away from her feet, her roots.

What’s happening? She questioned the other trees around her.

Those trees sagged their branches and mourned. The innocent tree had no control over anything that was going on. She didn’t know what they were going to do to her. The others did. They were tall enough to see the large hill recently cleared of brush.

She was scared. She didn’t know what the humans were going to do with her. Burn her up? Build a house? The trees surrounding her knew, but they thought her not knowing was better.

She wanted to brake and bend against the hands that carried her. She wanted to know, but she didn’t want to either…

A crowd, screaming and angry and crying and weeping. A mash of people and emotions. The tree was scared… to afraid to sway with the winds.

She was dropped onto one beaten man’s back. He was bleeding. Everywhere. Thorns were on his head. Flesh was gone from his back. His knees buckled as he carried the tree to what she thought to be her doom. He fell.

Another man emerged from the crowd.

“I will carry it”

Why? Why would you want to carry me? Let this man who has obviously done something very wrong be punished!” She had no control, this other man trudged her up to the top of a hill.

The man was injured. Not like the other wearing a thorned crown, but he was in pain. His face disappeared in the crowd after laying the tree down.

The battered man was tied down against her. The people were shouting:

“Kill him!”

“He has done nothing wrong!”

“Free him!”

The tree knew the man was innocent like her. She wanted to stop the suited warriors from nailing 3 large metal nails into him, and her. The pain she felt was nothing compared to what he was going through, she imagined.

The warriors lifted her up high atop the hill and drop her in a small ditch to hold her steady. She wanted to knock herself out and free the innocent man. She hadn’t the power anymore.

Please let him go! She cried, Hurt me instead! Burn me! Shape me! Let me mold! Anything, just free him!

Her silent please went unheard. Then she listened to the conversation the thorned man was having with the neighboring trees. Those trees had men hanging from them too. Those trees were mean and angry and filled up with hate.

“I forgive you…” The thorned man let out a wind of air. The tree felt her pain disappear. He forgives me! She thought. She didn’t know he had been talking to the men also on trees. I love you! What is your name? She wanted to yell out in joy! No one had ever been so kind to her.

“Jesus! Release the King! Release Jesus!”

I love you Jesus! Thank you for what you have done for me! And the others crying below. I am sorry you have been through so much! Jesus…

Jesus never heaved his chest again while nailed onto her…

She cried bitterly inside, sad and remorse. The crazy men who had killed her King pulled the tree down to the ground and undid the nails from him. The body was left to be cared for and the tree was carried away to a man who had purchased her for wood.

She lay rotting next to an empty tomb. Then soldiers and women and men came carrying Jesus. They laid him inside the stone burial chamber.  I can watch my king! I can make sure no harm comes to his body! She rejoiced.

Three days she laid there watching, waiting. Nothing happened. She slept. In her dreams she saw angels ascending from above and scaring the men away from the tomb. She imagined the bolder being rolled away and a bright shining light emerging from inside she dreamed two women came and one angel said

“Do not be afraid. Jesus is alive! He has risen!”

My King is alive! Praise be to God in the highest my Jesus is alive!