Hosanna in the Garden

Hosanna! Jesus is alive! On this Easter morning we celebrate that God has defeated death, bringing forth in its place new, abundant life. 

Have you ever received a huge shock, news too unbelievable to sink in? Well, imagine the women, disciples of Jesus, arriving this morning at the tomb. Their dear friend was recently laid there, having been brutally killed on Friday. There had been no time for them to complete the burial before Sabbath. 

Listen to John’s account: 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. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:41-42)

This is a sad part of the story. But there’s a phrase that catches my ear: there was a garden. 

We heard that phrase before, in the opening pages of the Bible where we meet God working as a gardener. He was kneeling down to plant the first trees and flowers, and forming the first humans from the dirt. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east. … (Genesis 2:8) 

Fast forward through time to just a few days ago, in Jerusalem, as Jesus taught His friends and prepared them for what would come. I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24). 

And now, the women are here, looking for Jesus’ body so they can finish the burial task. Only He isn’t here. A man approaches them, and who do they think it is? Not Jesus, of course. Jesus is dead, wherever He is. This man must be the gardener. The women are, after all, in a garden, the place where seeds are sown in the ground that they might create abundant life. The place where new life springs from death. The place where God first showed Himself back at the beginning of all things. 

This morning is the new beginning of all things. This morning, death is conquered and eternal life bursts forth. This morning, God is in the garden again. The man says her name, “Mary.” And Mary startles; she knows his voice. This is Jesus, alive, talking to her, to them, His friends, in the garden. 

Can you hear the music carried forward two thousand years, with an invitation for us to join in today? Hosanna! God has saved us! Death is defeated and Jesus is King. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!