Resurrection Sunday (2)
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She Thought He was a gardener.
As I’ve been praying and reading in preparation for today, I was reflecting on how people perceive Christ. Like Jesus is quite wellknown figure around the world - and people perceive him and religions perceive him differently. This is especially true until they meet him, are saved. Then things can come into focus.
Like some consider him just a good teacher - some a social activist - a political revolutionary - a crazy guy - others think he’s a religious zealot to be avoided.
But She thought He was a gardener.
His followers thought he was the coming messiah - which for the earliest believers they thought the messiah would come as a king and physically establish the kingdom of Israel again. And what Jesus taught during his earthly ministry was challenging to them.
You see they kept wanting to build Israel back - and Jesus kept talking about the kingdom of God advancing to the nations.
And then the guy went and died. And they were shocked. They had no concept for a sacrificial savior.
What we celebrate today - is that Jesus didn’t stay dead. And as they interacted with Jesus risen again their perceptions of Jesus radically changed and came into alignment with the deeper reality of the Cosmos. That he is God - that he is the redeemer, the savior, and the king.
But one of the first perceptions of the risen Christ is different. In the Gospel of John, chapter 20, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb on Sunday early morning, and saw the tomb was opened. So she tells Peter John who then run to the tomb. And they find the tomb empty! They are confused and the men go back to where they were staying - but Mary goes out of the tomb and just weeps -
for they took away the body of her Lord - she’s distraught!
Look what it says in John 20:12-13
She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him.”
She’s distraught devastated, even in the presence of angels! She’s still just overwhelmed because her’s devotion to Christ was just so high - but then she turns around and sees someone. Verse 14
Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus.
She sees Jesus - but she isn’t able to recognize him - and yet he speaks to her:
“Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?” Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.”
She thought he was a gardener.
Now the ver next verse Jesus reveals himself to her, and then tells her to go preach the first message of the resurrection to the apostles - Cause Jesus is alive.
But at first Glance - she thought he was a gardener.
You know I’ve read this sections over the years I mean countless times - and that little phrase, that little detail is so easy to read past. I feels so random.
I wonder what it was about him that made her perceive gardener like qualities.
Was that just a throw away comment that John included, just a random detail? John includes LOTS of random details in his gospel.
Was she just so distraught that in her tears that she couldn’t tell who was standing there?
Or perhaps - she thought he was a gardener - because he is a gardener.
Perhaps there is something about the risen Christ that reveals gardener like characteristics.
And perhaps isn’t a random detail - but perhaps a key to the greater Biblical narrative.
What if it’s John saying that mission God originally intended for humanity to have has found it’s fulfillment and victory in the risen Christ.
The glorious and magnificent life with God that was promised in the beginning had found it’s Amen in this moment. Jesus defeated the grave and is alive.
In the beginning - when God made the heavens and the earth - On the sixth day God made man and women and he made them in the image of God. They were to reflect the realities and glory of God - his radiance and goodness - his cosmic reign - they were supposed to reflect that royalty throughout the whole earth.
He planted them in a Garden and gave them a command: Genesis 1:28
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
Adam and Eve were supposed to be fruitful, and to spread out around the world - filing it - and subdue it, have dominion, rule over it. Spread the image bearers of God - and bring it around the world.
Spread the garden of eden, which had rivers and trees, and brilliance. Three of life! Walking with God in the cool of the evening - and Adam and Eve were spread the reality of the presence of God and the rule and reign of God around the globe. Create with God.
God planted a garden, a place where he met with humanity on Earth. And Adam, the first man, was a gardener. His mission was to bring that presence of God around the world. Extend the garden - be fruitful and multiply.
But he failed - you see they were to do these things while relying on God, trusting his ways, and knowledge and wisdom - and instead they disobeyed God, and satan came - and they were deceived, and they were separated from God.
Instead of bringing the Garden to the world to bring all peoples to God - they were separated from God and kicked out of the Garden.
But God promised a deliverer. He was always after humanity - even if most humans didn’t desire him!
The rest of the Bible flows from this - Noah and his family are rescued from the flood on the Ark - surely now Noah will be able to fulfill the mandate - but he gives into sin almost immediately after they get off the ark.
Then God Chooses Abraham and promises to make his descendents fruitful and that he would multiply around the globe - as God has made a covenant with him.
And the patriarchs then started to make little sanctuaries that reflected the places where they met with God. They were like tiny little Garden of Edens. Though due to sin, as the generations passed they would forget of the promises of God.
Through Moses, God redeems Israel out of Egypt - and meets with Moses on Mt Sinai, and they make the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant - where God dwelled among the people - near, but still separated due to sin. And in the tabernacle was a lamppost with seven branches - that was to reflect the tree of life - an edenic outpost.
The Israelites were to be the people of God listening to his commands and to be a light unto the nations - welcoming others into the life and worship of Yahweh.
But time and time again they failed, choosing sin and making themselves great. And instead of wanting God as their King they asked Samuel for a king just like all the other nations.
God still pursues his people - Solomon builds the temple - where the glory of God filled the holy of holies. God was dwelling amongst the people - near - and yet still separate from the holy of holies, separate from the very presence of God due to sin.
But again - instead of being a light unto the nations - the nations influenced the people of God. There was sin, bad kings, and the kingdom of Israel divided, and was conquered and the people of God were taken into exile.
And around the time the exile - the prophets heard the voice of God - prophecying about how God will come again to rescue his people. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah - all talk about the covenant God made with his people - and how there would be a new Zion a new eden like reality that is contrary to the false edens Israel had created and failed.
Daniel talked about one like a son of man coming again and would be given dominion over all people - and that kingdom would remain forever. And this messiah like figure was dominant - a king who would finally bring the truth of Yahweh to the nations and where the kingdom of God would be firmly established forever.
God restored the Israelites out of Exile - and they rebuilt Jerusalem - and they even began rebuilding the temple again. The Israelites were expecting the glorious presence of God, the shekinah glory to again fill the holy of holies - however that didn’t happen.
His fullness and presence didn’t arrive in that form. No.
Time went on and the Jews were conquered again, and again. And then the Romans were over Israel.
And then something shocking happened - a virgin became pregnant and angels proclaimed that the time of fulfillment had come. The king of the Jews, the savior of the world, was born. This child - was Jesus. God in flesh. God incarnate. God dwelled again with his people.
And Then Mary and Joseph took this child to Jerusalem, to the temple to consecrate him, and for the first time in hundreds of years - the glory of God, the person of Jesus Christ was in the temple again - and prophets rejoiced.
And then Jesus grew up and began his ministry. He went out in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan - and where the first adam stood in the garden, and gave up the goodness of God for a lie and inherited wilderness, Christ, the second and new adam, stood in the wilderness, and stood firm in God’s goodness, and began to showcase the kingdom of God that was at hand. The life and light that was present in the Garden, the glory and the power and compassion of God began to break out.
The sick were healed, the blind received sign, the oppressed received freedom. Sins were forgiven.
And people started to gather - wanting the benefits of the kingdom. Others followed expecting that Jesus would save them from the romans. The kingdom of Israel would be fully restored, and the glory of God would fill back in the temple - but instead Jesus said things like this: John 4:23-24
“But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”
This wasn’t about just the temple - this wasn’t about just the israelites - this was about bringing the kingdom of God, the edenic rule and peace and light to all the earth.
God in Flesh declaring the presence and reign of God was here. Seeking and saving the lost - and bring new life to all who want.
Jesus was creating a new way to be human.
The command given to Adam to be fruitful and multiply - to sow the seeds of the garden and kingdom of God around the world as people in the image of God submit to him - was finding it’s yes and amen in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.
Sin came through Adam, and reigned. The garden mandate turned sour - but Christ is greater.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus came - perfectly upheld the law - knew no sin - never succumbed to temptation - and then took the full wrath of God on him - innocent on behalf of the guilty - righteous for the unrighteous - and then was killed, buried - but then defeated the grave.
Jesus defeated sin, defeated death - and made a way for the presence of God to dwell amongst men again.
Not just in temples and sanctuaries and mountains and gardens - but The Holy Spirit dwells again with people who are saved by grace through faith - we, those in christ, ARE the temple of God. And we are able now, to work with God in spreading the kingdom and image of God to all peoples, Nations, places.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Christ has made the dead things new. He has is sowing seeds of the Kingdom. And because of his victory of sin, death, and the devil, has brought his very presence with us forever.
And we now work WITH him, loving God, loving others, making disciples, teaching htem, in the presence of God - until he comes again - and lives with us in new creation. The Garden City - where the presence and goodness of God flows to everyone on earth.
That is a glorious thing.
She though Jesus was a Gardener - because Jesus is the gardener. He succeeded where Adam failed. He forgives when we failed. And he wants to make us new.
That is good news.
Sin is defeated, death has an end date - and we can be with God forever.
So What?
So What?
Friends - Through Christ, humanity can fulfill our created purpose. we can be the image bearers of God - live at peace with God and man, and be fruitful and multiply to all places WITH GOD. And there is no failure for us - for it’s Christ victory that we follow.
We then join with him, by grace through faith, confessing that he is lord - believing that God raised him from teh dead - and we receive salvation. And we then proclaim that message to all others.
So that the Garden of God - the presence of God the kingdom of God goes forth until he comes again.
And the way we do that - is by in faith - dying to sin and living in Christ.
Do you know him?
Friend - you can be reconciled to God, filled with his Holy Spirit and made new, this very morning. Would you confess that Jesus is Lord ad your need for him? Would you invite him to come make you new? And would you join with him as he seeks to reconcile the world to himself?
That’s what he was doing and is doing.
For after Mary sees him - All of the apostles com running - and he gives them the great comission, and then tells them this:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
God wants to give you life, abundant life, and to work with you to be witnessess and agents of reconcilltion to all the earth.
It is a glorious way to live. It’s the best way. And it’s the way to live in which we never die.
That is what we are all about.
And God gave us a symbol of this - in Baptism.
Here’s what paul writes in Romans 6:4-11
Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Baptism was given by Jesus christ at his ascension, and it marks as a symbol the beginning of the new life in Christ.
It’s a lot like a wedding Ceremony. It’s a time where the love and relationship which is already blossomed is made public for all to see. It serves as a vow-like time, where we say - it’s no longer I who live - but Christ in me.
And today we have many young people who, in faith, are being baptized.
*invite all the candidates up*
Baptism Questions:
Do you believe in God the Father, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only son and anointed King, and in the Holy Spirit the great advocate as co-equal and eternal members of the Trinity?
Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead to give you everlasting life?
Do you reject Satan and his works, the desires of the world, and do you repent from the sinful desires of your flesh?
• Do you affirm your commitment to live for Jesus, no matter the cost, without conditions, in the power of the Holy Spirit?
