Gardens: Evergreen Faith in a Trustworthy Godનમૂનો

Trusting Christ’s Resurrection

At this point in our study, I hope you feel a bit of angst that the gardens we’ve looked at so far have not gone the way they should have. Adam and Eve should have chosen to trust the wisdom giver, to walk with him in the garden so they could learn what they needed for a fruitful life. King Ahasuerus should not have requested that Queen Vashti leave her party to parade in front of drunken men or demeaned or destroyed his relationship with her. The disciples should have stayed awake in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Judas should not have betrayed Christ there either.

Humans mess things up. We have been created for paradise, for gardens where the King dwells with his people and where men and women enjoy each other’s dignified presence as image bearers of God. But so far, what we’ve found in the gardens in Scripture is a sin cycle: Humans have a way of turning paradise into a pit of despair. I believe the Lord authored the Scriptures this way so that we would feel longing in each story. A longing to return to Eden, yes—but even better, a vision of a new and better garden that won’t ever be subject to the tyranny of sin and brokenness.

What I hope you notice in the text today is the unfailing love of Jesus. He just won’t give up on us. Even if he has to go to his death, he will redeem all the gardens and all the garden dwellers. He really is the good Gardener.

And, three days after his crucifixion, the good Gardener rose again—in the Garden of Resurrection. The first person to see him was Mary Magdalene, who—like many biblical women—has been misunderstood, vilified, and degraded. And yet, Jesus chooses her for his first conversation post-Resurrection. In doing so, he draws us back to what he has always wanted: for women to hear his voice, hear him calling their names, and go tell their brothers, their fellow image bearers, their counterparts, the true news about God.

Like Eve, Mary Magdalene encounters God in a garden. But unlike Eve, Mary Magdalene listens to the right voice—the voice of God as he walks through the garden and announces that death is defeated, the serpent is crushed, and paradise can be found.

Prayer: Dear God, How deep your love. Thank you for the power of the resurrection that proclaims no garden is too dry or desolate for you to bring growth. Help me to, like Mary Magdalene, heed your voice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.