What’s your favorite Easter symbol? There is no shortage of options from which to choose. Among the secular choices, there are bunnies, chicks, colored eggs, jelly beans and all types of chocolate. On the purely sacred side, there is (of course) the empty cross and tomb. Then there are a few “hybrid” symbols: seemingly secular things that have taken on sacred significance, such as a sunrise; a butterfly; and a church full of lilies. But I wonder where “garden” ranks on your list? Though our unseasonably cool (read: cold!) Spring temperatures might not call gardening to mind this Easter season, the image of “garden” is perhaps the most appropriate of all the Easter symbols.
Humanity’s story (and thus the story of salvation) began in a garden. Adam and Eve dwelled in the garden of Eden, living blissfully and at peace until they ate of the forbidden fruit. At this point they were sent from the garden and ever since that day, humanity has been trying to find its way back in – or better put, back home. As St. Augustine so famously and poetically said, “Our souls are restless, O God, until they find their rest in you.” The garden is the place where we are closest to God and dwell without worry, sorrow or fear.
It should not come as a surprise, then, that in the Greek language of scripture, the word for “paradise” literally means “garden.” Thus, to be in paradise and dwell in the presence of God is to be in a garden. The use of the garden image in this way is a logical one from a practical standpoint. Recall that Adam’s curse for having eaten from the forbidden tree was that he would earn his living by the sweat of his brow. The ground would be so hard to cultivate, that it would only ever come with extraordinary effort. Having been to the Holy Land, I can attest to how rocky, dry and dusty parts of this territory are. It makes sense, therefore that the predominant image of paradise for one like Adam be a garden. A lush, wet, green, fertile garden that produces abundantly without much work or effort.
From a spiritual standpoint, the image of garden is just as significant. When Mary Magdelene meets the risen Jesus Christ on that first Easter, she mistakes him for the gardener (Jn. 20:11-18), which means that the first Easter took place in a garden. With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are back in the garden. The story is complete. We have found our way home. Or … as Tina emphasized in her sermon this past Sunday, we didn’t find our way home as much as God, in Christ, found us and provided the way back in. With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the story of salvation has come full circle. And all we have to do is believe that he is the one to provide us access back in.
Regardless of which Easter image or symbol you name as your favorite, may you from now on include “garden” from among the options.
Blessings – Michael
