Easter Sunday

A Tale of Two Gardens

John 19:41–20:18 ESV

41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

This message is called ‘a tale of two gardens.’ It’s no accident that the two biggest events in the story of humanity have taken place in a garden.

When God created the first human, Adam, He placed him in a garden called Eden, and there in Eden God created a partner for Adam, Eve and they came together as husband and wife. This garden called Eden was a paradise, a beautiful place where God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day.

But it was in this garden of paradise that disaster struck - Adam and Eve fell into sin. They were deceived by the serpent and ate from the tree which God had commanded them not to eat from. They chose the words of the serpent over the words of God and that decision, the fall as we know it, set the tone for humanity from them on.

How was it that the sin of Adam and Eve passed to every generation? River analogy - river humanity, two thirsty walkers look for a drink but upstream, Adam the sheep is relieving himself! Do the walkers still want to drink?

In the garden Eden, the first Adam fell into sin. But in a garden just outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago Jesus rose in righteousness. And just as Adam’s fall into sin meant that all humanity fell with him, so Jesus’s rising to life means that all who believe in Him will also be raised to life with Him.

Romans 5:19 ESV

19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

In Eden, it was from a tree that sin came, but it was on a tree in that garden outside Jerusalem where sin met it’s end!

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

In Eden, Adam and Eve hid themselves from God, and God called out ‘Where are you?’. At the garden tomb Mary Magdalene came looking for Christ and finding the tomb empty she asked the man she thought was the gardener ‘tell me where you have laid him.’

In Eden the woman eve was deceived and led her husband into the same deception, at the garden tomb the woman Mary Magdalene was the first at the tomb, and was given the job of proclaiming truth to the men, she became the first gospel evangelist!

In Eden God took a life to make clothing of animal skins to cover the shame of Adam and Eve, at the garden tomb God gave up the life of His son as a sacrifice for sin and covered the shame of mankind.

John 1:29 ESV

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

In the garden of Eden, angels guarded the way back to the tree of life, in the garden tomb angels guided Mary Magdalene to the one who called Himself The way, the truth and the life.

In the garden of Eden that intimacy that mankind had with God was shattered, in the garden tomb that intimate relationship with God was restored

Ephesians 2:13 ESV

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:19 ESV

19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Just as human life was first created in the garden of Eden, so too a new kind of life was birthed in the garden tomb! This new life isn’t like the old one, it’s much, much better and Jesus tells us how we must enter in to it:

John 3:3–7 ESV

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

John 3:36 ESV

36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

This tale of the two gardens is a tale of restoration - God’s perfect plan was to restore all that was lost in Eden in that garden where Jesus rose from the dead 2000 years ago. That is God’s plan for your life - to restore what is broken, to redeem you, to reconcile you to Himself.

If you want to enter in to God’s plan of restoration for your life today then look no further than the empty tomb - that is your hope! Set aside every other hope you might have in this life, whether it’s in more money, or a better relationship, or success in this world, set it aside. None of those things can give you what you really need, they’re all things of this world, which is passing away. The empty tomb is proof of a new life for mankind, a new life that goes beyond the grave.

The empty tomb is hope for new beginnings. All is not lost - however much you think you may have messed up your life Jesus rising from the dead to new life means that we have hope for new life too!