Meditation on Genesis 3 for Good Friday

In the Garden of Eden, the first sin brings fear of God, consciousness of nakedness, shame, curse, exile, exclusion from the blessings of God’s presence and death.

Jesus will be crucified, naked, shamed for us, facing the terror of God’s wrath. He went into the exile of death, abandoned by God, shut out from his loving presence. As Jesus was hung on a tree he bore the curse for us. He wore a crown of thorns, thorns that were a sign of the curse of sin. Jesus died the death that sin deserved, that we might live.

As Adam chose rebellion in the Garden of Eden, so the Lord Jesus, the Second Adam, chose obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane.

In the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden. As Adam ate the forbidden fruit in the garden, so Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath in a garden.

Jesus was placed in a tomb in a garden. Adam begins to die in a Garden, and Jesus rises to new life in a Garden.

As we face our sin, we praise the Lord Jesus for his victory, his obedience.

Already in Genesis 3, hot on the heals of the first sin, there is the promise of the Gospel. God puts enmity between the serpent, Satan, and the woman and between the serpent’s offspring and hers. The offspring of the woman will crush the serpent’s head, and the serpent will strike his heal. On the cross, Satan strikes Jesus with what appears to be a fatal blow, but Jesus crushes Satan’s head. Jesus is the long-promised serpent-crusher. Jesus’ victory is full and final. Jesus is afflicted for a time, but Satan is crushed for ever.

We thank God that his promise is fulfilled, the ancient battle is won.

From the very beginning God’s judgement is mixed with mercy. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. As soon as Adam and Eve sin, the shedding of innocent blood is required. The Lord provided for their nakedness through a death.

We praise God that the spotless, innocent Christ has died for guilty sinners like us. We praise God that he has clothed us with the perfect righteousness of Christ – that the Father sees us united to his beloved Son with whom he is well pleased. On Good Friday, Jesus endured the terrible frown of God, that we might enjoy the Father’s smile.

(With a debt to Revd Pete Jackson's thoughts on gardens)