The opening of John’s Gospel introduces a staggering concept: the infinite Creator God, immutable and all-powerful, chose to enter our world, marred by corruption and mortality, outside the idyllic Garden of Eden. This act, described as God “tabernacling” among us in human form (John 1:14), signifies a profound choice – a choice to not only be with humanity but also to experience death itself. In essence, Jesus’s death becomes intertwined with our own mortality.
To grasp the depth of this sacrifice, we must look to the Hebrew Bible, specifically the early chapters of Genesis. These foundational texts reveal that reunification with God and a return to eternal life within the Garden necessitates confronting death. The symbolic guardians, cherubim and a flaming sword, underscore the gravity of this passage. Re-entry isn’t merely physical; it’s about surrendering our flawed, human-centric understanding of good and evil, the very definitions that led us away from life in the first place. Through the ancient rituals of animal offerings in the tabernacle and temple, God communicated his intention: to restore communion with his people and offer a path to life through death.
Dying Our Death: God’s Solidarity with Humanity
God, in becoming truly human through Jesus, willingly subjected himself to this very death. The Apostle Paul articulates this powerfully in 2 Corinthians 5:21, stating that Jesus, “who knew no sin,” was “made to be sin for us.” This isn’t to say Jesus became sinful, but rather, he took upon himself the consequence of sin – the pain and death inherent in our corrupted human condition. He embraced the mortality shared by all humanity, despite his own sinless nature. This act reveals the profound meaning of the cross: it is God, in human form, laying down his own life out of immeasurable love, for our benefit and on our behalf.
Death as a Gateway: Returning to the Garden of Eden
Through Christ, God bridges the gap between himself and humanity outside the Garden. Crucially, through death, Jesus transcends the lethal barrier guarded by the cherubim and the flaming sword, paving the way back to divine presence. The symbolic culmination of this occurs during Jesus’ crucifixion in Jerusalem. At the very moment of his death, the temple veil, richly embroidered with cherubim and separating the holy of holies from the rest of the temple, was torn in two, from top to bottom. This dramatic event signifies that access to God’s presence, once restricted, is now restored for all. In this sense, Jesus’ death serves to open the path for humanity’s return to God (John 10:9-10, 17:20-23).
Resurrection Revelation: Death is Not the End
Jesus’ resurrection, his return to life as the same human being, unveils a hidden truth about death. While we naturally perceive death as the ultimate end, Jesus’ resurrection declares otherwise. It signifies that we are truly his brothers and sisters, destined to share in his resurrected life. His death and resurrection, taken together, proclaim: “The finality of death you fear is an illusion! Let love for God’s enduring way of life supplant your fear!”
Fear of death is presented as a deceptive lie, akin to the serpent’s deception in the Garden. This fear subtly manipulates us into hoarding and self-preservation, rather than living generously and openly. It breeds conflict and fuels the creation of instruments of destruction. Living outside the Garden means living with this ingrained, fear-driven instinct for self-protection at any cost. It feels inescapable, until a true human demonstrates that death is temporary, not ultimate. Another critical reason for Jesus’ death is precisely to reveal this truth. By paying attention to Jesus’ life and teachings, his path of love gradually dispels the fear of death that grips us.
Overcoming Fear: Living Generously in Love
With the diminishing grip of death-fear, we are liberated to choose forgiveness and love over hatred and judgment. We can embrace blessing instead of cursing, transforming our “violent swords into fruitful garden tools” (Isaiah 2:1-4). Jesus’ life and death reveal that while death is undeniably tragic, it is not the definitive end. Our lives gain strength and purpose when we dedicate them to learning and embodying Jesus’ way of life – a way characterized by love, generosity, and communal living. This “garden-style” existence, rooted in love for God and others, becomes the true and lasting legacy of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
