22 And I said unto them: It was a representation of the tree of life.
I find it interesting that when Nephi asked the angel what the tree meant, he was shown a vision of Mary and the birth of Christ, then he was asked to draw his own conclusions. Then when Laman and Lemuel ask what if means, Nephi just tells them it represents the Tree of Life. My guess is that they already knew about the Tree of Life, or thought they did, because they did not ask any follow-up question. So now I’m curious to know more about the Tree of Life.
For instance, is this tree of life the same as the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden? One of the footnotes to this verse refers to Moses 3:9, which is a reference to that tree. However, when Nephi is first shown the vision back in 1 Nephi 11 he does not call it the Tree of Life. That seems to be something he either didn’t write down, or that he made the connection later on. So just what is this Tree of Life?
In the context of Lehi’s vision it doesn’t matter if the Tree of Life was an actual tree in the Garden of Eden, because it is decidedly symbolic here. As I said before, Laman and Lemuel recognized it, although I’m sure they didn’t have the depth of understanding to see it for much more than a story from the traditions of their fathers. I would like to explore briefly what the tree means in this dream.
When Nephi is first shown the tree, he describes it by saying, “the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.” The Spirit of the Lord then asked Nephi what he wanted, to which he replied that he wanted to know the interpretation of the tree. In answer he was shown the Virgin Mary. Here’s how he describes her: “she was exceedingly fair and white” (1 Nephi 11:13). When asked by an angel this time what he saw, he replied, “A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins” (1 Nephi 11:15). These are almost the exact same terms used to describe the tree. Nephi then saw the birth of Christ and is asked if he knew the meaning of the tree. He answered that it is “the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore it is most desirable above all things” (1 Nephi 11:22). So in one sense the tree could be representative of Mary, while the fruit is Christ, which we take into us and it becomes a part of us. That’s a bit like the sacrament.
Another direction interpretation of the tree could go is exactly as Nephi said, “it is the love of God” (1 Nephi 11:22). The fruit could then be the covenant that we make, allowing us to fully participate in that love. That seems to be the obvious answer, but then we have to ask if the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden also was a representation of the love of God. John 17:3 states, “And this is life eternal [which certainly has some relevance to a discussion about the Tree of Life], that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” In the imagery of the Tree of Life, coming to know God and Jesus Christ could be partaking the fruit, or internalizing it. If God is the personification of love, the Tree could represent him, then the fruit would be Christ.
So this interpretation Nephi gives is deeper than the first glance reveals. There could be any or all of several interpretations, in large part because Nephi identifies the tree in Lehi’s dream as the tree of life. My guess is that Laman and Lemuel didn’t understand the full significance of the tree, but were just responding to what they had heard in traditional stories about it as they grew up.
- 1 Nephi 11:21–22
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