Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Scott Tunseth.
To obtain my Master of Theology degree in Biblical Studies from Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, I had to successfully complete a master’s thesis. My first conversation about my thesis topic was with Old Testament professor Sibley Towner. I told him I wanted to do a thesis on “Preaching Apocalyptic Bible Texts.” In his gentle way, he discouraged me, saying, “That is an ambitious and worthy topic, but maybe for a whole book, not a master’s thesis” (which was to be about 100 double-spaced pages). ‘let’s see if you can narrow that down a bit.” Of course, he was correct. So, I thought about it and settled on doing a thesis about images that appear in some apocalyptic texts: the river of the water of life and the tree(s) of life.
Working on those images took me on a journey through ancient Near Eastern texts that preceded and likely influenced the Bible, through Genesis and its life-giving rivers, through Ezekiel’s vision of the river flowing from the new temple in Jerusalem and the great trees standing along its bank, giving food but also bearing leaves for healing (Ezekiel 47:1-12). And I was taken to deuterocanonical books such as 1 Enoch and its similar images:
And in that place I saw a foundation of righteousness which was inexhaustible. And around it were many fountains of wisdom. And all the thirty drank of them, and were filled with wisdom, and their dwellings were with the righteous and the holy and the elect. (1 Enoch 48:1)
And as for this fragrant tree no mortal is permitted to touch it till the great judgment . . . Its fruit shall be food for the elect: it shall be transplanted to the holy place, to the temple of the Lord, the Eternal King. They shall rejoice with joy and be glad . . . And in their days shall no [sorrow or] plague or torment or calamity touch them. (1 Enoch 25:2-5)
And, of course, I was taken to the Gospel of John where Jesus himself declares, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let anyone who believes in me drink” (7:37) and to the Samaritan woman said, “those who drink of the water I will give them will never be thirsty. The water I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (4:14).
These are just a few of the places in Scripture where this image of living water or healing trees make an appearance. The final place I was taken on this journey is (you guessed it) the book of Revelation, specifically 22:1-5:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lambthrough the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
It’s as if the whole Bible points to the breathtaking vision of the river of the water of life and the trees whose leaves bring healing for the nations. I suppose it’s not surprising that the most hopeful visions of God’s future are built on things so critical for human flourishing—water, trees with fruit, and light. How else could one come close to describing what God’s new creation would look like?
It’s hard to think of something that expresses hope and beauty more than a clear running river or waterfall and trees weighed down with ripe apples or pears or lemons. This also makes me think about the waters of baptism, where we are drowned to sin and raised to new life in Christ. This baptismal promise holds all the apocalyptic promises together because it is based on the ultimate promise of resurrection.
Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:3-5)
This promise helps us live in the present and face the future as it comes, not placing our trust in false predictions or burying our heads in the sand. We can live and love and serve with eyes and hearts wide open.
Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are living water to refresh us and healing balm to restore us. We rejoice in the promises of new and renewed life found in your Word. Amen.