While out in my rock garden trying to find a shady spot to work, I contemplated two gardens in the Bible. Afterall, the Bible is the story of these two gardens. Each one played a most significant and vital role in the history of our world. One garden, Eden, was the perfect setting for the begining of life for mankind. The second garden, Gethsemane, was the chosen setting where its Maker faced His death on behalf of mankind.
God’s command caused reality.
For six days, God commanded everything in the universe, seen and unseen, into existence by the power of His word. And it was so. God brought light into the darkness of the earth. God declared all to be good – a powerful word of God’s blessing.
The Garden of Eden was exquisite! Imagine its lush vegetation, flowers in a profusion of color, trees loaded with perfectly sweet and juicy fruit, bordered by two rivers of pristine water, temperature not too hot and not too cold with the just the right degree of humidity and dew point, and brilliant stars shining unhindered by city lights! It must have been greater than the grandest burst of spring beyond what man could have ever imagined!
I turned my attention back to my little rock garden. I look at the insignificant hoses lying about helter-skelter, the weeds that pop up overnight, the flowers fading and wilting from the hot, dry days. Above all, I am convinced that God intended the poplar trees to survive until the end of time as we know it the reason He gave these trees such an elaborate network of roots that defies extinction. I sigh and turn my thoughts back to the other prominent garden in the Bible. Gethsemane.
How ironic that the Garden of Gethsemane is only 4.4 miles east of Eden.
Gethesmane is a lovely garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives, just outside Jerusalem. It is host to some of the world’s oldest olive trees. Jesus and His disciples often met there.
After Jesus had His last supper with His disciples, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as an example of His love for them. He announced His betrayer, comforted the disciples, and spoke to them of relationships. After these things, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and went to the Garden of Gethsemane. After He told His disciples to “stay here and watch with Me,” Jesus went a short distance away to pray. Alone.
Jesus became immensely sorrowful. He fell on the ground and prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but You will.” “I have finished the work (the cross) which you have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” He prayed for His disciples to be as one as the Father and Son are one. Jesus prayed for all believers, including you and me, that we would be set apart by His truth.
Then Jesus was arrested. His journey to the cross began.
Gethesmane. Again, God brought light into a dark world when He sent Jesus to be the Light of the World.
Once more, I turned back to my little rock garden and mechanically pulled weeds while still contemplating the two gardens – Eden and the garden east of Eden, Gethsemane.