Former NFL Star’s New Book Explores ‘Christ’s Biggest Sacrifice’ Through Unlikely Lens

Published: February 18, 2026

By India McCarty

NFL star Tim Tebow shares an often-overlooked part of the Crucifixion story in his latest book, “If the Tree Could Speak: The Story of the Cross That Saw It All.”

“I decided to go back to when this tree was just a seed,” Tebow told Fox News of the book, which explores the life of the tree that eventually became Jesus’ cross.

He continued, “It grew up, and it had dreams — and he dreams of being a door, a table or maybe even a throne. And then he hears about this carpenter that everybody’s praising, and he’s thinking, ‘Maybe that carpenter could turn me into a masterpiece.’”

However, those “dreams were dashed when he gets cut into a cross, and he’s thinking, ‘No, a cross — that’s for criminals.’”

“You fast-forward to his encounter with Jesus on the cross, and his perspective changes,” Tebow explained. “He sees the love of God, and how his life is transformed because of this encounter with Jesus.”

A press release about the book’s release shares more of the inspiration behind “If This Tree Could Speak” — “The book is inspired by a sermon Tebow heard on Luke 19:40, in which Jesus was told by religious leaders to silence the disciples for praising Him. Jesus responded saying, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”

It continues, “The passage sparked Tebow to think about how other objects would respond to the testimony of Jesus Christ, specifically the cross. This creative interpretation is for those who know the story of Jesus, but need to feel the weight, cost and wonder of Christ’s biggest sacrifice again.”

“Ultimately, now, when you look at what God has done, the cross — which in the past was only a symbol of shame, guilt and a place for the worst of the worst to hang and die — now means hope all over the world,” Tebow continued. “God could show up, and he can turn something that feels like only a mess into a message.”

The former football star said that’s “the story of the cross” but also “the story of our life — that if the cross is true, then the life, the death, the burial, the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus are true.”

“If you put your faith in Jesus, somehow he does something so miraculous and supernatural that he changes us from the inside out,” Tebow concluded.

In an Instagram post announcing “If This Tree Could Speak,” Tebow wrote, “I wanted this book to bring us face-to-face with the brutal, but beautiful love at the center of Easter, from the perspective of the tree that became the cross. My hope is that you’ll read it, share it, and give it to someone who needs to encounter that love.”