Jefferson Vann shares a devotional thought about the resurrection from John 19:41-42.
John 19:41-42
John 19:41 There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been laid down in it.
John 19:42 They laid Jesus down there because of the Jewish day of preparation and since the tomb was nearby.
two gardens
Chuck Smith says this about the garden tomb:
“…if you will go today to Jerusalem, and you see the skull on the side of the mountain at the top of Mount Moriah, just adjacent to it there is a lovely garden that is an ancient garden, because you can see the cisterns that are still there from ancient days that were used for the watering of that garden. And there happens to be in that garden, a very interesting tomb that has a little trough in front of it that shows that at one time, there was a stone rolled along that trough to cover the door of that tomb. I am of the personal deep conviction that that is the very tomb where Jesus’ body lay.”1
I think it quite significant that Jesus was laid to rest in a tomb within a garden. The story of death began in a garden called Eden.2 This garden John mentions is where the story of new life begins. Our Lord’s resurrected life came out of that tomb in a garden. Our ancestors were banished from the garden of life because of disobedience. Our Lord was restored to life in a garden of death because of his obedience.
Lord, thank you for your obedience, making new life possible for us.
References
- Smith, Chuck. “C2000 Series on John 18-19.” The Word for Today. Blue Letter Bible. 1 Jun 2005. 2018. 24 Nov 2018. [↩]
- Genesis 3:1, 3. [↩]
About Jefferson Vann
Jefferson Vann pastors Piney Grove Advent Christian Church in Delco, North Carolina, USA. He is a teacher, Bible translator, and avid blogger. "My hope is that everyone who reads my writings will have an opportunity to understand the gospel, and will know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior." He has written books on theology and Bible commentary. You can read more of Jeff's writing at Devotions | Jefferson Vann | Commands of Christ | Learning Koine Greek Together
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