SUMMARY

Springtime is a favorite season for many people. The dormancy of winter gives way to the vibrance of Spring. The brown turns green again, and what had looked dead now springs forth with new life.  Springtime also brings planting! If you are a gardener, you know that this is the time of year when you are planting and cultivating the plants that you hope will produce a harvest of flowers or vegetables in the coming months.

In the beginning, God created the Garden of Eden as a place of beauty and harmony. It was a paradise where man and woman walked in perfect fellowship with God. Everything was “very good.” The garden was full of life, with trees and plants bursting with food and fruit. There was no pain, no death, and no sorrow—just intimate communion with God.

Yet, this garden also marks the beginning of humanity's fall. Adam and Eve, in their innocence, chose to listen to the voice of temptation, eating the forbidden fruit and breaking the relationship with God. Sin entered the world, and with it came death, suffering, and separation from God. The gate to the garden was closed, and humanity was exiled from paradise. The garden, once a symbol of peace and perfection, became a reminder of what was lost.

Jesus was buried in a tomb in a garden. On the third day, a woman named Mary Magdalene visited the tomb, only to find it empty. When she encountered Jesus, she thought he was the gardener. This seemingly small detail carries deep significance. In the garden of the tomb, where death had once seemed victorious, Jesus emerged alive, ushering in a new creation.

The contrast between the Garden of Eden and the garden of Jesus’ tomb is striking, yet the beauty of God's redemption story is clear. Through Adam, sin and death entered the world; through Christ, life and grace were restored. Just as Adam’s disobedience in Eden brought separation from God, Jesus’ obedience in the garden of the tomb brought reconciliation. As believers, we now live between these two gardens—remembering the fall but rejoicing in the resurrection. We look forward to the ultimate restoration, when God will make all things new, and we will once again walk with him in a garden not of death, but of eternal life.

BIBLE READING PLAN

Monday, APRIL 20

Tuesday, APRIL 21

Wednesday, APRIL 22

Thursday, APRIL 23

Friday, APRIL 24

saturday, APRIL 25

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Take a few minutes and discuss what it is that makes Springtime so appealing to so many people. What makes it appealing to you?

  2. Eden represents so many things—the perfection of God’s creation as well as what was lost in the fall of man. Talk about the comparison and the contradiction that those two dynamics show.

  3. Considering Jesus’ death and resurrection, how does it shape our faith to view the Garden of Eden as both perfection and perfection lost?

  4. Adam’s sin brought separation, but Jesus’ sacrifice brought restoration. Compare Adam’s fall in Eden to Jesus’ resurrection from the garden tomb. How can this comparison bring us to rejoicing in our relationship with Jesus?

  5. Jesus was planted like a seed into the earth but sprang forth victorious over death, hell, and the grave. Take some time to reflect on the significance of Easter in your life. Reread the Holy Week narrative from the Gospels. Looking at this story through the lens of the gardens, how does it shape or reshape our relationship with God and with others?