Week of Prayer 3 - The Gardens: Eden, Gethsemane and the Garden of the Tomb.

The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:12-13

He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him... Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” .. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. Luke 22: 39-44

Mary turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” 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.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”  (John 20: 11-16)

There are two gardens mentioned in the events of Holy Week, and yet a third garden is hiding behind the scenes. This hidden garden is the garden of Eden and the story of the fall of humanity. The "Apple" Moment" comes to each and every one of us sooner or later: the time when we stare temptation in the face, crumple under its glare and our Eden is destroyed. Those moments generally only bring grief and sorrow in their wake.

Yet in the second garden we see the unwillingness of Christ to die. He loves life, and yet is obedient to God’s plans, even if they cause him suffering. The garden also plays a crucial part in the arrest. It is a quiet place, where the guards can arrest Jesus without causing a riot in the city.

In the third of these gardens Mary hears the words of joy, her own name upon Christ’s lips. She mistakes him for the gardener, and yet, in a way he is the gardener. He is the one through whom the gardens of our world were made, and he is the one who also delicately tends our souls, like plants that are wilting and in need of extra care.

Pause for thought

Which garden do I most relate to?
Have I ever had something I could define as an “Apple Moment”?
What part of my soul needs the most tending from Christ the Gardener?

Turn these thoughts into a prayer of confession or help