The Ultimate Garden

                "Look deep into nature... and you will understand everything better."
                                                  Albert Einstein




Once upon a time, in a land far away, stood a garden named Eden that was arrayed in the most glorious fashion. The lilies were white and sparkling and the roses beamed brightly in the deepest of crimson colors. Dew glistened on every flower and tree in such a way that you could almost see yourself in the greenery as the sun reflected off of them in a way that was completely breathtaking. The detail of every plant and piece of fruit looked like it had been crafted by the most skilled of artisans and the backdrop looked like a mosaic of every beautiful color that was ever created. It was a garden that lacked no good thing and there was not a thorn or thistle to be found.

There was a man and a woman who lived in this garden, along with the Artisan that had created every beautiful detail of it. This couple was happy and complete and they also lacked no good thing. The Artisan had given them one stipulation, however, and that was that they were not to eat of one of the trees that the Artisan had named "The tree of good and evil".

Life was perfect in this idyllic place until one day a serpent crawled up to the woman and convinced her that the Artisan was trying to keep them from the best experience of all. The woman believed the serpent and the man did nothing to stop the travesty that was about to occur. She carefully took a bite and then this couple's world came crashing down around them.

The couple was evicted from their beautiful garden and curses began to fill the earth as a result of their rebellion. Work became difficult and thorns and thistles began to sprout up everywhere. When the woman delivered her children, intense pain and agony consumed her body, which was an experience she had never had before. In an instant, their world was filled with darkness and suffering and even death. The beautiful plants and trees that had once lived forever turned brown and decay set in. Their minds reeled as to what they had done and they ran and hid from the Artisan.

Fast forward several hundreds of years. There was a man named Jesus who was the Son of the Artisan and He was standing in a different garden, called Gethsemane. Jesus was in this garden with some of His followers and He began to pray. The scenery that He viewed was rows of olive trees which only served as reminders to Him of the pressing He would imminently  endure. He knew that the pressing would be so great that His very life would soon be taken from Him. His distress was so intense that He began to sweat drops of blood. His blood drops reminded Him of the price that must be paid because of what the first man and woman did within their garden.

Jesus asked His followers to help Him watch and to pray so that they would not fall into temptation. They all fell asleep, however, and Jesus was left alone in the presence of the Artisan. At first, Jesus asked the Artisan to take away His burden but then the Artisan reminded Jesus of a better garden that would one day come as a result of His obedience. When Jesus surrendered His will completely once again to the Artisan, the garden of Gethsemane got even uglier than it was before.

Jesus glanced up to look his betrayer, Judas Iscariot, in the eyes. Judas glanced down but then looked around to the soldiers, Pharisees, high priests and others who had marched in with him to arrest Jesus.
There was an unwanted kiss and a follower of Jesus who fell into temptation by attacking a man named Malchus and many unbelieving hearts as they watched Jesus perform yet another miracle. Jesus was arrested and dragged out of the garden which means "oil press".

That very night, Jesus was interrogated, and beaten, and mocked, and spit upon He was found guilty. After this mock trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus was sentenced to death and handed over to Pontius Pilate the next morning for execution. Pilate acquiesced to the pressure and Jesus was crucified that very day.

John tells us, "At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid" (John 19:41). Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrapped Jesus' body and prepared it according to Jewish burial customs. Today, in Israel, this place is called the Garden Tomb and is located just outside the old city walls of Jerusalem.

On the third day, Jesus was resurrected and reunited with with His body that is now incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). This is how Jesus could actually show His wounds to Thomas (John 20:27-28). And, it is also a picture to us as believers of what is also to happen to us when we die. Our spirits will instantly go to heaven to be with the Lord and then when Jesus comes to the earth, we, too, will be reunited with a new incorruptible body that will live forever.

Because Jesus was willing to go to both the garden of Gethsemane and the Garden tomb (death and resurrection), those of us who are in Christ have the perfect garden that we can look forward to. In Paradise, the Artisan (God) will one day restore the perfection of the Garden of Eden but this time it will be even better. It will be just as meticulously crafted for beauty and serenity as the first one was but this time both the Artisan and Jesus will physically dwell among us. Their glory and Spirit will fill the garden of Paradise and no other light will be needed because Their light will radiate throughout the world.

So, today, if you prick your finger on one of this earth's many thorns or thistles or if your body or soul is filled with indescribable pain, remember, there is coming soon a garden that will be devoid of all these things. The Bible tells us that in this garden, the Artisan "will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things [will] have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). This will be the Ultimate Garden, the creme de la creme of God's Masterpiece, and for those of us who are found in Christ, there really will be a happily ever after!


"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will se His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever."
                                                   Revelation 22:1-5