Sher Birmingham

The legend of the dogwood tree is that when Jesus walked the earth the dogwood was a tall and proud tree. Its trunk was as large around as an oak tree and its wood was hard and strong. When Jesus was to be crucified, the Roman soldiers choose the dogwood tree to make crosses. They made a cross for Jesus. The dogwood tree was very sad and ashamed to be put to such a terrible use. Jesus knew the tree was very unhappy and he felt sorry for it. He promised the dogwood that it would never again grow large enough to be used as a cross. And then, to give the world a reminder of the tree’s history, Jesus gave it a very special blossom. This blossom would be a sign of Jesus’ death. That is why the dogwood’s four white petals form the shape of a cross. On the outer edge of each petal there is a dark red stain, as a reminder that Jesus was offered on the cross for forgiveness of sins. And in the center of each bloom is a tiny crown of thorns.

The truth is the Bible does not tell us what type of wood the cross was made of that Jesus was crucified on. Roman history does not go into specifics as to how the crosses were made or what type of wood they used. We cannot know for sure what type of tree was used to make the cross.

The Bible says in Psalms 96:1-2 & 12 “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day” …. “Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;” (NIV) The trees sing for joy. I believe the dogwood tree reveals Jesus in the Spring with it flower petals in the shape of the cross. Each petal has a dark color and shape reminding us of the nails. The very center of the flower does look like a miniature crown of thorns. This very flower reminds us of Jesus’ work of salvation on the cross. Isn’t it lovely that God has designed it to be in bloom during the Easter Resurrection Sunday marking the resurrection of Christ after the Crucifixion.

In I Chronicles 16:28-36 it says, “Shout Bravo! to God, families of the peoples, in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength: Bravo! Shout Bravo! to His famous Name, lift high an offering and enter Jis presence! Stand resplendent in His robes of holiness! God is serious business, take Him seriously; He’s put the earth in place and it’s not moving. So let Heaven rejoice, let Earth be jubilant, and pass the word among the nations, “God reigns!” Let Ocean, all teeming with life, bellow, let Field and all its creatures shake the rafters; Then the trees in the forest will add their applause to all who are pleased and present before God He’s on his way to set things right! Give thanks to God—he is good and his love never quits. Say, “Save us, Savior God, round us up and get us out of these godless places, So we can give thanks to your holy Name, and bask in your life of praise.” Blessed be God, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then everybody said, “Yes! Amen!” and “Praise God!” (Message) Again the trees are proclaiming God! And again we see how the dogwood tree is proclaiming Jesus works on the cross the salvation story for us to see.

And again the Bible says in Psalms 19:1-4a “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (NIV) This is where God makes sure that every part of His creation tell of Him. Day after day in every language and speech in such away that no one can deny they heard of Him and His wonders! Each fall the dogwood produces blood red berries reminding us day after day of our Savior and all that He did.

God declares Himself in nature. I believe this is the truth of the dogwood tree. God wrote in the tree the salvation story. Not necessarily because of the tree’s use but because of His desire to reveal Himself to us. So that no living person can deny Him and what Jesus did…it was written the dogwood.

Sher Birmingham, wife to Bill. We have 7 children (ages 29 to 6 years old) plus 3 grandchildren (ages 5 to 1 years old). Encouraging moms that they can successfully run a business, school, and keep house at Home! If you enjoyed this article, please join my e-group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fruitfully. Or / and you may want to purchase my e-book “Passover & Jesus” (see the page entitled “Passover & Jesus Ebook”).