Two Trees of the Garden

Here is a saying of Jesus according to the Gospel of Thomas. Even though it isn't in our Bibles, it is an ancient writing from Biblical times which shows thought from that time concerning the two trees of the garden.

(43) His disciples said to him, "Who are you, that you should say these things to us?"

Jesus said to them, "You do not realize who I am from what I say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for they (either) love the tree and hate its fruit (or) love the fruit and hate the tree."

Jesus is likening himself to a tree and his words to the fruit. As a tree, he would be the Tree of Life. On the other hand, Satan in the form of a serpent offered fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That fruit, representing words, would be his words. That tree would represent Satan, just as the Tree of Life represents Jesus.

The purpose of this saying is to show that there is confusion concerning the two trees. The disciples expected Jesus' words to be as those from the other tree. Remember, Adam and Eve ate from the other tree. They chose Satan's message. Jesus' message no longer makes sense to them, so they are put out of the garden.

If this is a parable, it isn't an event in time. It is a parable expressing spiritual truth.

The Lord God had told Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil

Since the fruit represents words, and the fruit of this tree is good and evil; that means that there is truth and falsehood in them. It doesn't take much falsehood to turn the truth into a lie. Remember, Satan is a liar and a father of liars. He offered the fruit (message) from that tree. The Lord God warned against eating of the error and falsehood from that tree.

God told Eve not to eat from the tree in the midst of the garden (the Tree of Life)

Notice that Eve said what God said rather than what the Lord God said. It was the Lord God who told Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God told Eve not to eat from the Tree of Life (don't even touch it). This makes perfect sense if "God" and "the Lord God" are two different things. It appears that "God" is God to Eve, and "the Lord God" is God to Adam.

If "God" and "Lord God" are not the same thing, Eve's answer was accurate as written; as it should be. Satan is a deceiver. But, if Eve's answer was accurate, who is being deceived?