“The Tree… the Son of the Most High God”
Faith is not exercised in trees, and the Spirit was not simply inquiring into Nephi’s knowledge of a form of plant life. Indeed, it was not a belief in the tree which would qualify Nephi for the manifestation to follow. Nor was this the concern of the Spirit. The tree was obviously a doctrinal symbol, a “sing” of an even greater reality. Yet the tree was of marvelous importance, for it is the symbol, even from the time of paradise, of the central and saving role of Jesus Christ.References