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The March weather was warm and beautiful this weekend, and I took some time to be out in my garden.  I don’t have a vegetable garden – those take far too much intensive work for me.  I have flowers and I have worked to design them so there is something blooming for most of the season, with little maintenance required.  I actually found a book that was called something like The Lazy Gardener, thus I have lots of bulbs and perennial plants, slow growing shrubs and trees.  With little or no effort on my part, there are beautiful blooms and splashes of color in my gardens.

You know what else is amazing to me.  How the plants multiply, and produce more plants just like them.  I planted a few crocus bulbs, and now there is a carpet of them.  The same is true of the daffodils and the iris.  And the Bachelor Buttons…they are so prolific I have to keep giving them away!  But this should not surprise me, because God created them this way.

 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.  The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. Genesis 1: 11-13

I recently heard a sermon from Ligonier Ministries conference on The Gospel that pointed out an interesting connection with this idea, that plants and trees yield fruit that contains seeds that produce the same kind of vegetation.  The Apostle Paul points out in his letter to the Corinthians,  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.  Jesus is the firstfruit, who will produce others like himself.

We are told in Romans, that those who are born again will be made to be like Jesus.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29.  And if you look back to the Genesis account, do you notice which day God created fruits on?  The third day. And when was Jesus raised?  The third day.  How absolutely amazing it is to see God’s plan, in place from before time, unfold.

If we look at John’s account of the Resurrection, he was inspired to give us this detail. Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” John 20:14-15.   “Supposing him to be the gardener” , Mary was actually right.  She was speaking to Jesus, the Gardener from Creation, who designed fruit to replicate itself, a perfect picture of what He would do for His people.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Diane