The challenging and seldom communicated reality of the Christian journey is that the road back to Eden leads through another Garden. It is the one our Lord traveled through to bring about our redemption, the Garden of Gethsemane.
This song invokes the idyllic imagery of the Garden of Eden. It is the symbolic space of perfect harmony; it is a place in which absolute happiness reigns. It is also symbolic of the dwelling God planned as the zenith of creation; it is paradise.
In Christian Theology, the idea of paradise is the place of human origin and also of our ultimate end. However, as a consequence of the fall of our parents, Adam and Eve, we have been banished from this Garden.
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
-Genesis 3:23-24
In our fallen condition, we no longer enjoy the benefits of dwelling in this place of beauty and peace. None of us is absolved from this unfortunate situation.
But the Garden has another more accurate interpretation in Scripture. And if we understand it and embrace it, we can return to the Garden each day.
The Garden in Scripture is a symbol of the center of our soul. It is an archetypal image of innocence and happiness. The term Garden represents the dwelling place of the human person before the fall, and, like Eden, it is the place where we encounter the presence of the living God. This is the place from which we have actually been banished, and our objective is to return there.
Humanity’s unfortunate circumstances, after the fall, are that we no longer live from the deepest center of our being. Instead, we live our lives on the surface. We are predominantly influenced by and evaluate the satisfaction of our lives based on what occurs outside the center of our souls, outside the center of the Garden God intended to be our dwelling place.
Deep interior prayer is about finding our way back to the center of this Garden, back to the center of our souls. It is there where we will encounter God dwelling within us.
Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
-John 14:23
The challenging and seldom communicated reality of the Christian journey is that the road back to Eden leads through another Garden. It is the one our Lord traveled through to bring about our redemption, the Garden of Gethsemane.
Now when Jesus had His experience in Gethsemane, His suffering opened the door to eternal life for all of us. His was the ultimate sacrifice as He was the only spotless lamb who could make a worthy offering to the Father. But the key to Jesus’ experience in the Garden was His acceptance of His Father’s will for His life. Jesus handed everything over to God in the Garden of Gethsemane.
“Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
-Luke 22:42
We are each invited to pass through our own Gethsemane in this life. What happened there is what happens to every single human person, albeit to varying degrees. There is no one who will avoid suffering in this life. Our Lord told us as much.
I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33
The question is what will we do with our tribulation and suffering? Few of us are called upon to do great things for God, but we are asked to offer everything in our life to God. The one thing people can offer to God is their suffering.
The message of Gethsemane is not simply about the reality of suffering. The message of Gethsemane is that our suffering is not without meaning. We suffer in our bodies both physically and psychologically, but it is our inevitable sufferings, when handed over to the Father’s will, that redound to our eternal spiritual benefit.
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
-Romans 12:1
Let us pray this week that we might have the courage to pray, “Thy Will Be Done.”
Copyright © Mark Danis
Image credit: Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
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