Bitter Fruit vs. Delicious Fruit

In my chronological Bible reading , I am now in the book of Deuteronomy. In chapter 21, it gives laws for burying criminals, as follows in vv. 22 and 23:

"And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, an he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God); that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance."

As Christians everywhere are preparing to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ this Sunday, I could not help but think of how our perfect, sinless Saviour became a curse Himself, and was hanged on a tree. (see Galatians 3:13; I Peter 2:24)

The curse of sin came because Adam ate the delicious fruit of the tree of temptation; therefore, the Second Adam (Christ) became the bitter fruit on the tree of salvation to redeem the curse, and pay our death penalty

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned..........For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Romans 5:12; 18

As I look back over my own life, I am humbled as I think of how often I, just as my sister Eve, took of the delicious fruit of temptation, with no hope of redeeming myself from the inevitable curse of sin and death.

Jesus Christ, the Obedient Son, not only gave His life on the tree of salvation, but He went on to defeat death as well, giving us hope of eternal life, through His Resurrection.

"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.....If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.....But now is Christ risen from the dead.....For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead......For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." I Corinthians 15:17-22

Hallelujah to the Lamb!