The Third Day

The Johannine resurrection account contains the visit to the tomb by the Magdalene (St. John 20), in which she supposed that Jesus was the gardener. Behold, He is the Gardener, and the Seed, in the renewed garden.

For the first garden was ruined when another woman ate of forbidden fruit; not only did she and her husband bring ruin to the whole human race; they brought ruin upon the earth itself. For the ground was cursed because of their sin, and so it has borne thorns and thistles ever since. And pain, and sorrow, and evil, and trial, and terrors, and death.

Now the earth had come out of the seas as dry ground on the third day of creation, a harbinger of a greater third day to come. For a greater third day was needed, since the earth was cursed, and all its inhabitants have ever suffered for its curse.

See, the demise of the earth is the fault of man; but not because he has been burning too many fossil fuels, or driving SUVs, or failing to be environmentally conscious. It is because of the inbred sin in every man that the earth is so twisted and ruined. And this is a fault so deep that no Kyoto Protocol or other political charlatans can correct it. Man is ruined, and cannot save himself.

But now behold the mercy of God: the Creator has come to his earth as Man, in order that He might Himself repair the ruin and renew the earth; in order that He might swallow the sin and its curse in Himself, and emerge from the grave, on the third day. Behold the fulfillment of the third day on this glad Easter! And behold the renewal of creation in the Resurrected Lord! The Seed has emerged from the earth; the Gardener has tilled His soil; the earth is restored; the curse is removed; Eden is refashioned; and by the blessed laver and water of Baptism, new shoots arise and grow in this Garden.

So the children of their Creater are glad to cry again Hallelujah! (which means "Praise God!"). So now they praise Him as they were created to do; now they sing to Him as they were redeemed to do; now they exult in Him as they have been sanctified to do. Thus now in their renewed Garden with Him, they cry aloud to Him, saying, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!