Christmas Tree 圣诞树

Christmas trees are commonly seen as decoration during this festive season. There are different traditions pertaining to the origin of Christmas trees. Likely, as Christmas happens in the winter in the northern hemisphere, the evergreen is used as Christmas tree since other trees are without green leaves during the winter. However, evergreen may also symbolise longevity and virtue.

Certainly, there was no Christmas tree at the first Christmas during the birth of Jesus who is Christ based on the narrative in the Bible. Nevertheless, the Bible does have a reference to green tree, but virtually it is not related to any recorded tradition of Christmas tree.

The reference to the green tree is found in the gospel account:
“For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?”
(Luke 23:31 WEB)

The above saying from the Bible is not found in the occasion of the birth of Jesus. Instead, it is a saying of Jesus during the time of his crucifixion. He was alerting the people who were crying for him that there would come a time of judgment. Those who crucified him were acting against the “green tree”, an imagery Jesus referred to himself. The “green tree” symbolises the “righteous”. In the same saying, Jesus mentioned the “dry”, which implies the dry tree. To him the “dry tree” symbolises the “unrighteous”. The unrighteous people are to face terrible judgement one day.

Indeed, it is difficult to ascertain the tradition of using the evergreen as the Christmas tree. It is appropriate to think of the green Christmas tree as symbolising Jesus Christ, the righteous one. He has come to be crucified so that the dry tree, the unrighteous people can be freed from judgment through his sacrificial death.

圣诞节期间，通常圣诞树会用作装饰。圣诞树的起源有不同的传统。或者在北半球圣诞节恰好落在冬天，所以常青树被用作圣诞树，因为在冬天其他树已经没有绿叶。据说常青树也象征着长久和美德。

当然第一个圣诞节並没有圣诞树，耶稣基督的诞生是来自圣经的叙述。虽然圣经有提到了青绿树，但它却没有与任何圣诞树传统有关。

我们可以在圣经福音书中找到青绿树的记载：

“他们在青绿的树上，既然这样作；在枯乾的树上，又会怎样呢?” 圣经新译本路加福音 23:31

这句话不是出现在耶稣诞生的时候；相反的这是出现在钉十字架的时候，这也是耶稣亲口说的一句话。当时，他提醒那些为他哭泣的人，将来人会面臨审判。那些要他钉在十字架上的人其实正在对“青绿树”耶稣采取行动，在此耶稣引用青绿树自称，而“青绿树”象征着“公义”。在同一句话，耶稣也提到了“枯乾”，並意指“枯树”象征着“不义”，而不义之人有一天将会面临可怕的审判。

事实上，很难确定使用常青树作为圣诞树的传统。然而若把青绿色的圣诞树联想到公义的耶稣基督是恰当的。他已经被钉在十字架上，以便枯乾的树，即不义的人可以透过他的捨命从將臨的审判中被拯救出来。