Years ago, in the margins of my Bible in Ephesians, I wrote, “Paul is obsessed with the Gospel!” I wrote it a little confusion—I couldn’t relate. I’d heard the message my whole life, and it was stale.
But over the past few years, God’s cracked open my ideas about the Gospel. It has become a mystery—a multi-faceted gem. Where I once thought it was straightforward and dull, now I think I will never fully understand. And I am captivated!
Recently, while preparing for a small group discussion, I was thinking again about ways to explain what Jesus has done for us. This picture came to mind, and it’s helped me.
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DISCLAIMER: metaphors are always flawed and incomplete - this is meant to help think in pictures… take from it what you will! 😅
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When we sin, we turn away from God. We leave the garden—the place we were created to dwell with Him—just like Adam and Eve did. I believe that garden is in our own hearts, but more on that in another post. It’s the place where we were meant to walk and work with God in intimacy.
When we leave, we begin walking the path of pain. And yet—just like when they left Eden—God comes with us. I imagine Him right behind us, always speaking, always calling us.
But we can’t turn back on our own. Our sin deceives us. It tells us He’s not really there. That we’re unworthy. Unwanted.
So Jesus came to walk beside us on the path of pain. And not just beside us—ahead of us. He walked it all the way to the end: death, the full weight of separation from God. He went where we were heading. And then—He turned. He walked out of the grave.
And now, because we’ve seen Him do it, we can turn around too.
When we turn, God is right there—like the Father running to welcome the prodigal son. We realize He was never far. He was always with us, even when we couldn’t see it.
And so we follow Jesus away from death. Back toward life. Back toward the garden.