Holy Week Reflection
Friday
“And it was very good.”
Have you ever tried to grow impatiens?
Impatiens are a specific type of flower requiring a dedicated gardener to ensure regular watering. Without consistent care, these flowers do not experience a gradual decline; they wilt immediately. When properly nurtured, impatiens are excellent for borders and planters, blooming vibrantly and adding a stunning array of colors to any garden.
The analogy of gardens is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, filled with rich symbolism relevant to our lives. We can think of ourselves as impatiens, flowers that require the Gardener’s nurturing touch to enhance our growth and help us thrive. However, unlike impatiens, we possess free will and often choose to refuse the Gardener’s care. Instead, we sometimes prefer to try to manage on our own.
The four main gardens mentioned in the Bible—the Garden of Eden, Gethsemane, the Tomb, and New Eden—are symbolic of an overarching theme of redemption for all as well as His handiwork in our personal stories. In the beginning, the Garden of Eden symbolizes God’s perfect creation. “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, NLT)!
A perfect Garden and a perfect Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve were unique compared to all of creation. They were made in God’s image and granted the gift of free will. Unfortunately, they chose to disobey God by doing the one thing He had asked them not to do: eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
They chose disobedience, and with it came death.
Full Circle | Eden to Gethsemane
God had a plan from the beginning in the perfect Garden He had created, knowing in advance the choice that would be made. The brokenness of humanity’s ability to have a relationship with their Creator began to take shape in an imperfect garden created by human hands.
After the Passover meal, Jesus and his disciples left the upper room and went to a familiar place, the Garden of Gethsemane, to pray.
Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!” And this is where we see Jesus moving into obedience
“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands[g] of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” (Matthew 26:36-46, 52-54, NLT)
Jesus chose obedience, and with it came the gift of life for all.
Jesus’ surrender and submission to His purpose in the Garden of Gethsemane laid the foundation for all full circle moments, and redeemed the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden.
Holy Week Reflection
Meditate: God gives life.
Reflect: Is there a place of disobedience bringing death and darkness into your life? Return to Christ and ask for forgiveness, ask Him to redeem you, and bring life and light back into your life.
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(Bible References: NLT – New Living Translation)
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