拿撒勒的木匠之子，與一棵會“死而多結果”的樹 ...From Nazareth’s “Carpenter’s Son” to a Tree That Dies to Multiply Its Gifts ...

許朝良牧師在我們粵語組的查經班裡說：為什麼耶穌偏偏「長在拿撒勒」——一個小到常被人忽略、甚至被人看輕的地方？為什麼祂常被叫作「木匠的兒子」？(馬太福音 13章55節)

在福音書裡，原文用的是希臘字 τέκτων（tekton），意思更像「建造者／工匠／手藝人」——不只是做木工，而是能測量、切割、組裝、修繕、在現場解題的人。可是在當時的社會階層裡，這樣的身份往往不屬於被追捧的“上層”，於是人們很自然就用一句話把祂“壓回去”：「不就是那個……的兒子嗎？」彷彿在說：你不過如此。

但正是這種“被看輕”，讓我更看見上帝的心意：

神把榮耀藏在卑微裡，把能力放在日常裡。

而木匠／工匠的工作，古今其實都一樣——為生存而造、為生活而建：房屋的骨架、工具的把手、繩結與編織、運輸與木筏、橋樑與棧道……沒有工匠，我們很難想像人類如何延續與建立。

這也讓我想到「樹」。

一棵活樹，能遮蔭降溫、結果供食、長出堅果與種子延續生命；樹皮、樹藤能編織，樹液能成為飲品與甜蜜；倒木能漂浮成木筏，原木能順水運到鋸木廠；更不用說它為飛鳥提供棲身之所，也為野生動物供應維持生存的食物（果實、堅果、種子）；落葉分解又回到土壤，土壤再供養下一輪的生長——生命、死亡、更新、再生，週而復始。

因此我很想用一句話來做一個“核心認識”：

「按上帝的創造智慧，樹是祂賜給人類與大地的極其珍貴的禮物——它把食物、蔭庇、材料、燃料、土壤更新與生態棲地集於一身，成為地上生活的關鍵支柱之一。」

同時也有一個看似矛盾卻很深的提醒：

樹很多時候要“死去”，才能展開更多用途——成為木材、成為器皿、成為工具、成為承載與保護。

而基督也曾在「木頭」上捨身——十字架本是死亡的記號，卻成了救恩的通道。

死亡不是終點；樹有種子會繁衍，福音也像種子落在心田，叫人甦醒、成長，成為鹽和光，去宣告祂的好消息。

我把這份默想畫成一幅圖：

樹與人類及野生動物的精妙連結

—— 上帝供應的活循環：食物、蔭庇、工藝與棲地，按其設計交織成一體

如果你也曾覺得自己出身平凡、微不足道，或覺得信仰離生活很遠——也許，拿撒勒的主正想對你說：

我就在你日常的木屑與汗水裡；我能把被看輕的生命，建造成祝福。

#生命樹 #創造之美 #十字架 #鹽和光

From Nazareth’s “Carpenter’s Son” to a Tree That Dies to Multiply Its Gifts ...

At the Cantonese cell group, Pastor David Hoi asked: Why was Jesus raised in Nazareth—small, overlooked, even dismissed? And why was He labelled “the carpenter’s son”? (Matthew Chapter 13 verse 55)

In the Gospels, the word used is the Greek tekton—closer to “builder / craftsman” than a narrow modern idea of carpenter. A tekton measured, cut, joined, repaired, and solved real problems on site. Yet in a status-driven world, that identity wasn’t “impressive,” so people tried to reduce Him: Isn’t He just…?—as if insignificance could explain away authority.

But that’s exactly the point:

God often hides glory in humility, and places power in the ordinary.

That’s why carpentry—then and now—matters so much. It’s creation for survival and for life: the frame of a house, the handle of a tool, rope and weaving, transport by raft, bridges and piers. Without builders and craftspeople, it’s hard to imagine human life enduring or communities forming.

And it leads me to trees.

A living tree is a masterpiece of provision: shade and cooling, fruit and nuts, seeds for propagation, sap for sweetness, vines and bark for craft. When a tree falls, the story doesn’t end—logs can become tools, shelter, a pier, even a raft for transport. Not to mention it offers birds a place to nest and shelter, and provides wildlife with food for survival (fruit, nuts, and seeds); fallen leaves then decompose and return nutrients to the soil, and the soil gives life back to the next season of growth—life, death, renewal, and rebirth, woven together again and again.

Here’s a core recognition that frames it all:

“By God’s wise design, trees are among His most precious gifts to humankind and the earth—living systems that hold together food, shelter, materials, fuel, soil renewal, and habitat, making them a vital pillar of life on land.”

And there’s a paradox that keeps speaking to me:

In many ways, a tree must “die” to multiply its usefulness.

And Christ, too, gave Himself on wood—the cross, a symbol of death, became the doorway of salvation. Death is not the end: trees carry seeds, and the Gospel is a seed that grows in people—forming salt and light, proclaiming Good News.

That’s the heart behind this artwork:

The Intricacy of Trees for Mankind and Wildlife ---- A living cycle of God’s provision—food, shelter, craft, and habitat, woven together by design

If you’ve ever felt small, overlooked, or ordinary—Nazareth has a message for you:

God builds His greatest work through humble beginnings, and He can turn what the world dismisses into a blessing.

#TreeOfLife #Creation #TheCross #SaltAndLight