A.W. Tozer says, “What comes to mind when you think about God, is the most important thing about you.” Chances are, when you think about God, you’re not thinking about a garden. As a matter of fact, the majority of modern “Christians” rarely think about the garden God created in Genesis unless they’re in the Bible App’s “Bible in a Year” plan. But the Garden called Eden isn’t just a story or a simple metaphor, it’s a message about design. The picture of Eden was God’s original design for humanity. The original Hebrew translates the word "eden" to delight, or paradise. 

The source of this eternal “delight” was found in the design of the garden; human beings were to live in an intimate community with the Father. What a beautiful picture. Sadly, as you know, this place of delight, soon became the scene for death. Human beings, as a result of disobedience, found themselves cut off from their creator and disconnected from the design of their Father. The consequences of this divorce are seen all around us: famine, war, greed, depression, loneliness. The darkness of our world comes as a result of the disconnect that happened in the Garden. 

The imagery Jesus uses to describe himself throughout his time on Earth holds so much significance. He’s found time and again saying things like, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. Or we see his command in Matthew 7 to, “enter through the narrow gate.” 

Early disciples of Jesus even called themselves followers of “The Way.” the question then must be asked... the way to what? The common answer if you were to ask Christians would probably be “Heaven.” And while we believe Jesus is the way to eternal life, this answer is missing the imagery of the New Testament.  What Jesus is saying time and time again is that He is the way, not to anything per se, He is the way back to connection with the Father that has only been seen one other time in scripture: the Garden called Eden.