Why a Garden?

“At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.” John 19:41

What do you think of when you think of a garden? I think of a peaceful place full of plants that have been cared for by a gardener. Often in a garden everything has its place and each plants adds beauty to the garden. The gardener carefully selects the plants that would best suit his garden. He plans where they will be planted and he waters and cares for the plants. He removes from the garden any unwanted plants that may take nutrients from the ones that He has planted and that may even choke them out.

When man was created God had already prepared a garden which was to be his home. He placed Adam and Eve in the garden and they were given the task of caring for the garden. The garden was a peaceful place but even in such a place there was sin. In such a perfect setting mankind committed his first act of rebellion against his God. The enemy of their souls came into the garden and caused them to sin against God. Even when we are in the right place doing the right thing the tempter can come and cause us to fall.

Jesus often went to a garden to be alone with His disciples. He took them there when he wanted time alone with them or His heavenly Father. The garden was a place of communion. However, even in such a place there was deceit and betrayal. Judas knew that Jesus often went to the garden to pray and so he took the soldiers to the garden to arrest Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethia took Jesus and buried Him in a tomb that was in the garden. There Jesus’ body lay for three days but the tomb could not keep His body and on the Sunday morning He came out of the tomb alive. The garden where Jesus was buried was a peaceful place and when He rose of the Sunday morning there was no one there to observe the miracle. After He rose a number of people came to the garden to visit the tomb but Jesus was no longer there.

As life began in a garden so does new life begin in a garden. When Jesus rose from the dead He was the prototype of all who would be raised from the dead to eternal life. Jesus rose from the dead with a new body, a spiritual body and someday we will rise with the spiritual body. Some day we will rise with Him and He will once again take us to a garden. This will be a new place prepared for those who love Him. In that garden there will never be any deceit or betrayal. No one will be there to tempt us to rebel against our God. God Himself will be in the midst of the garden and He will commune with us as one would commune with a friend.