For a few years we lived in Spokane, Washington and our home was close to a wonderfully designed garden, Manito Park. There were ponds, rolling hills, large evergreens, a Japanese garden and a magnificent flower garden. At one time the garden had been the home of a small zoo.
Our daughters and granddaughter skated on the pond in the winter and sledded on the manicured hills. In the Spring and Summer the flower garden was brilliantly dressed in every shade of red, purple, yellow and blue. The walking paths were welcoming to all who came.
But the garden didn’t just come into being on its own. This 90-acre public park was designed in the early 1900’s and completed by 1912. A famous landscape architectural firm was commissioned to design the garden grounds. Since then the city of Spokane has kept the grounds as it was designed.
On any given day there are numerous grounds keepers and volunteers through out the park tending to the plants. The grounds keepers became the focus of my attention last night as I heard a discussion on the resurrection of Christ.
A woman named Mary went to the tomb, where Jesus had been laid, early on Sunday morning after the crucifixion. She was startled to find that Jesus body was no longer there. She was weeping in the garden and she encountered a man she presumed was the gardener and asked if he had taken Jesus body somewhere. She didn’t recognize Him as Jesus.
“The angels asked Mary, “Why are you crying?” She answered, “They have taken away my Lord’s body! I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 As soon as Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know who he was. 15 Jesus asked her, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener and said, “Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go and get him.” 16 Then Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni.” John 20:13-16 CEV
Here was the One who had created all that was in this garden and she assumed He was just a grounds keeper. The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus laid aside His reputation when He came to earth. Jesus said that He came to minister to the needs of people and not to have the people minister to Him. This is certainly proof of that.
Can you imagine? The master designer of all of creation – sun, moon, stars, planets, oceans, waterfalls, flowers, trees, mammals, fish, birds – Creator of All and He took on a form so common that He could be mistaken for a gardener.
How often are we like Mary and don’t recognize Jesus working in our lives? We get caught up in our daily struggles, trying to fix things on our own when we have the Master Designer, Almighty God, our heavenly Father waiting to help us in any circumstance.
None of us could create the flowers we see in a garden. However, we can know the Creator personally. We can call Him Father and we can trust the plans He has designed for our lives. His plan for us is much greater than a flower’s design.
“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 ERV