Greetings,
When we think about a garden, we envision a lush green landscape inhabited by vegetables, fruits, herbs, and various beautiful plants and trees. Have you ever thought about what creatures may be living in the Garden and their role in balancing the Garden? Everything in life is about balance. Balance creates the tension needed for all inhabitants to thrive as a single unit. So, would you expect to find a snake in a garden? And if so, why or why not?
The Bible speaks about a Garden, the Garden of Gethsemane, described as full of beautiful Olive trees, making it a great place to seek solitude. As a reminder, The Garden of Gethsemane (setting) is where Jesus sought solitude and rest with the urgent cry of asking His eleven disciples (characters) to stay alert and pray before his betrayal by Judas.
Some might conclude that Judas was a snake. One can analyze a garden as we would a story.
A story has these elements: characters, setting, plot, conflict, point of view, and theme. Comparatively, so does a garden.
Would you expect something so sinister as a betrayal (dark) to occur in a place of solitude and rest(light)? But that happened; Judas, one of the twelve disciples, agreed to betray Jesus (plot) for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16). Matthew also records that thirty pieces of silver are the price of an enslaved person (Exodus 21:32).
Judas wanted to betray Jesus because Judas, as treasurer, believed that this position in Jesus' new government would guarantee his status. However, he soon realized Jesus' Kingdom was not physical or political but spiritual, and his assumed status for money did not fit in Jesus' Kingdom (read thoroughly Matthew 26:6-13).
Although Judas' treachery in the Garden, his betrayal is the conflict that will bring the disciple's denial of Jesus and subsequent arrest. Without Judas' betrayal of Jesus, the crucifixion death, and resurrection of Jesus would not have happened.
The Garden story needed Judas (theme). God used the greedy character of Judas to betray Jesus. Take a moment and think about your Garden story, have there been snakes in your Garden that have helped you become the person you are today? A garden with vegetables, fruits, herbs, and various beautiful plants and trees also needs snakes (point of view). Reminder, some snakes are harmful, and others are not.
Do you know the difference?
Scripture records several occasions individuals and groups were betrayed. The tragedies caused by these violations of trust are a powerful lesson about the importance of keeping our commitments.
Delilah betrayed Sampson to the Philistines-Judges 16:16-21.
Absalom betrayed David, his father-2 Samuel 15:10-16.
Jehu betrayed Joram and killed him-2 Kings 9:14-27.
Officials betrayed Joash and killed him-2 Kings 12:20-21.
Judas betrayed Jesus-Matthew 26:46-56.
Committed to God,
Minister Sylvia Joyner
Garden of Gethsemane
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