The Bible teaches us about two important gardens with drastically different outcomes: the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8) and the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1).
- In the Garden of Eden was the first Adam (1 Cor. 15:45). In the Garden of Gethsemane was the last Adam, Jesus Christ.
- In the Garden of Eden, Satan possessed the serpent. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Satan possessed a man, Judas (Luke 22:3).
- In the Garden of Eden, Adam took the fruit from Eve’s hand (Gen. 3:6). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ took the cup from His Father’s hand (John 18:11).
- In the Garden of Eden, Adam proudly chose his will over God’s (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:6). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ humbly chose the Father’s will (Matt. 26:39,42).
- In the Garden of Eden, Adam disobeyed God (Rom. 5:13). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ obeyed God (Phil. 2:8).
- In the Garden of Eden, God sought Adam (Gen. 3:8-9). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ sought God (Matt. 26:36).
- In the Garden of Eden, Adam’s decision affected all who are related to him (Rom. 5:12-14). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ’s decision affects all who are related to Him by faith (Rom. 5:15-19).
- In the Garden of Eden, Adam partook of a tree that led to death (Gen. 2:16-17). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ was arrested and willingly went to a tree that led to life (1 Pet. 2:24).
- In the Garden of Eden, Adam’s rebellion brought sin, death, corruption, and suffering into the world (Rom. 5:12). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ’s submission to the cross will bring deliverance and liberty from the curse to the world (Rom. 8:2,19,21).
After our Lord died on the cross, His body was placed in “a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre” (John 19:41). Through Christ’s death and resurrection (in a garden), He has triumphed over sin and death, and over all that Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden brought to this world. Our Savior has “abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10).