September 12, 2024 -- John 20:11-16 -- The Risen Jesus called a Gardener

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).
John 20:11-16 ESV

One of the great blessings of my job is the opportunity I have to listen to bible teaching as I drive to and from various prisons. In the last five days I drove around 1100 KM, so there was a lot of time to delight in hearing other preachers. Sinclair Ferguson noted the double meaning in this passage. The author of the Gospel of John often employs “misunderstanding”, or double-meanings to direct his readers to see something deeper than what is going on in the ordinary events.

Jesus was crucified. Buried in a tomb. On the third day He arose. Mary had joined a company of women looking for Jesus presuming He was still dead. He had risen. She couldn’t comprehend this. When Jesus appeared to her she thought He was the Gardener. Amazing. One the surface, that makes sense to our modern ears. There are groundskeepers or gardeners at cemeteries. But remember Who Jesus Is.

Jesus is the second Adam. The first Adam sinned. Adam was representative of the whole human race at the Garden of Eden. His initial work was to extend the Garden of Eden through out the whole earth. He was the original Gardener. He failed. He sinned. He was thrown out of the Garden of Eden.

Jesus is the New Adam. He is our representative in righteousness. He lived His entire life in whole-hearted obedience to God and therefore at His death, He became the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He had no sins for which He should die. Therefore, Jesus, is the New Adam and all who are united to Him in faith know Him as their righteous representative before the Father in heaven. In Christ, we are made alive. Then, Jesus also takes up the original Adam’s task. He is the Gardener. He will bring the blessings of Eden, the blessings of walking with God, to believers one by one, until all the earth is the New Eden. The glory of the original Eden was close communion with God, enjoying His nearness and love. In a very real sense Mary's misunderstanding was accurate: Jesus is the Gardener—the New Adam, Who can actually fulfil God’s first creation mandate to make all the world a place where the Father can meet with His people and bring to them the delight of His presence..

Those who are united to Jesus have had their lives upended and the ruin of their hearts transformed. What once was a barren waste, seeking pleasure like a banquet, while instead eating the sand and dirt of sinful living. Now  the life of a Christian is a garden, made beautiful in Jesus, so that our lives abound with blessings and the goodness of belonging to Jesus. In Jesus were are now His sent-ones, gardeners, who see the ruin in the lives of others around us and we cry, “Let me bring you to Jesus, He will make all things new, holy and beautiful”.
 

PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE AND BETTERMENT OF CHARACTER

ALMIGHTY and Everlasting God, by Whose grace Thy servants are enabled to fight the good fight of faith and ever prove victorious; we humbly beseech Thee so to inspire us, that we may yield our hearts to Thine obedience and exercise our wills on Thy behalf. Help us to think wisely, to speak rightly, to resolve bravely, to act kindly, to live purely. Guard us in body and in soul, and make us a blessing to our fellows. Whether at home or abroad may we ever seek the extension of Thy Kingdom. Let the assurance of Thy presence save us from sinning. O Lord our God, accept this prayer for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Divine Service Book for the Armed Forces, printed 1950, page 28

https://youtu.be/Jcl6WSNVcHM?si=QrE8v3YbNTvlD6Sd Christ the True and Better Adam

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