What an event! The birth of new creation marked by the raising from the dead of the ‘firstborn of all creation’, closely followed by a whole group of saints in Jerusalem also being resurrected (only Matthew records this, but it indicates a major time warp). Then the first appearance and being identified as the ‘Gardener’ highlights the connection back to the former garden… and then.
The road to Emmaus.
If not a married couple, Luke records it in such a way that we are to think it is a married couple… but a married couple I strongly consider it is: Cleopas and his wife Mary. The man is revealed as Cleopas (Lk. 24:18), and we have his wife identified in John’s Gospel (variant of name Cleopas is used Clopas, variants not being unusual also where Aramaic and Hebrew languages being similar are quoted):
but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (Jn. 19:25).
The parallels (explicit and implicit) are incredible. Imagine the two leaving Eden. The discussion, the heavy hearts, the disappointment. The road to Emmaus and also the heavy discussion, perhaps even the ‘he let us down in the end’ discussion.
- Then the day is closing, the evening is drawing in, as they walk with a ‘stranger’. Just like that other Garden when God came to visit at the ‘cool of the day’, certainly a stranger to them.
- Their action in Eden caused their eyes to be opened (to shame); he breaks the bread and their eyes were opened.
- They leave Eden with the ‘death’ consequence ringing in their ears; they talk to the stranger informing him that the one who carried the hope for the future had been ‘condemned to death’.
- Behind them was a cherubim with a flaming sword that stood guard so that access to the tree of life was banned to them; but the flame no longer external but burning now within them (Lk. 24:32).
I am sure there are more parallels, but here on resurrection morning, with the birth of ‘new creation’ that changes sight (2 Cor. 5:16,17 – kaine ktisis -‘new creation’, not new creature… see up to date translations) there is so much to see.
Sight all the way back to the beginning. The original commission is re-established; the future placed in the hands of humanity again. Placed in the hands of humanity for when they were expelled from Eden a stranger walked every step with them. Unrecognised, unrecognised even by the righteous who could (as did Jesus) quote Psalm 22 ‘My God, My God why have you forsaken me’. They might have left with the sound of ‘death’ in their ears but the Living God left Eden also carrying the consequence of death in his heart, trudging through the dust with them.
(And as we continue to read in Psalm 22
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help (Ps. 22:24).
We realise that God did not turn away from Jesus on the cross. Far from it, he was ‘in Christ reconciling the world to himself’. Even the final words of Jesus on the cross ‘it is finished’ are likely to be a response to the last words of Psalm 22 – ‘he has done it’. The idea that God turned away from Jesus on the cross does not bear up – there is no split in the Trinity, not even a ‘creative dispute’!)
The path from Eden for God was the path to the cross; the path for humanity was to the tree of Life. The cross was indeed the final door closed to the tree of knowledge of good and evil that religion in particular has always sought to cultivate. Right / wrong are such sub-criteria in Scripture, the overriding criteria being that of life and death.
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deut. 30:19).
The resurrection.
- Tells us God was with us and never left humanity. He walked from the Garden, determined that he would restore not a Garden but the whole of creation for and with us, where we could invite his permanent presence to be with us (no going to heaven then).
- It tells us that we cannot flee from his presence; that he does not hide his face from us.
- It tells us that the restoration of gender equality is essential for the way forward (and also what lies beyond gender, for there is not ‘male and female’).
- It gives us sight back – to Eden and original purpose, and forward – to new creation; a creation that appears in contrast to this one as feminised, incomplete but to be explored (with the eschaton as both and end and a beginning).
- It gives us new lenses to see others. Not through the lenses of categorisation but the lens of ‘image’, the ultimate lens being the Jesus’ lens.
Little wonder the couple did not sleep that night but made their way back to Jerusalem to tell the others. We live in that flow. The flow of resurrection.
New Creation! Well, climate change certainly is giving us that. It is here. It is new. Most of us don’t want it. Some scattered thoughts:
1. I teach resilience for climate change. Resilience is about learning from one’s shifted context and then adapting to it. I am so struck by how radical Jesus was in opposing the patriarchal structures of his day of imperial Rome but mostly as enforced in the religion. Alas, we see so much of the official Christian church did not learn from the shift in context, resisted adaptation, and has reverted strongly to patriarchal structures and support of empire. A failure to learn, adapt and live in the new creation.
2. The New Creation is not necessarily the one we thought we wanted. It might/will look different from what has made us comfortable. It will challenge us. I have been shopping for a site online to build a house on. Due to the pandemic, I have only seen the site on google earth. I wanted a level, cleared site without obstacles. I would make a lovely garden on it. That was the plan. Instead, through a bit of dishonesty at the other end, I have a site that is all slopes, going different directions, some quite steep. Finding that out, 2 days after closing, was a punch to the gut. However, after sitting for a day and staring at the walls, I wrote an email to my contractor – ’embrace the curves’. We have a feminized site. The site plan was revised to nestle in the bowl between ridges. The soft peak was embraced to become a resting place to enjoy the view. The steep down-slope will be left alone with its trees. The garden and house will sit on the lower, sort of level area to the south. Ground has already been broken.
So yes, a new creation, feminized, flexible, adaptive and it will be beautiful, just not in the way we are accustomed to or thought we wanted. Its time to learn from what is coming, not what has been.
It’s such a redemptive story that you turned what could have been a massive disappointment and problem into something which sounds as if it will be really beautiful and impressive. I hope you enjoy living in your new home and it gives you a lot of pleasure. It’s difficult to see how the new creation can come in this world sometimes but maybe it is by our actions bit by bit making a difference in any way we are able as you have done.