In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned, they had a change of perspective. Previously, they had been with God, having a pure perspective, until they became aware of their shame, and their eyes opened to the flesh and to sin.

Instead of heavenly perspective, Adam and Eve gained fleshly, carnal perspective, acknowledging their nakedness, and their need for covering.

Through the Scriptures, we see signs and promises of the ultimate Covering, fully manifested in Jesus.

He is our Covering, our invitation back into the Garden; back into heavenly perspective under the blood of Jesus.

Here’s something fascinating:

When Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day, he appeared to Mary Magdalene in a garden, and she perceived him to be the gardener.

This is the only place in all of Scripture where this word, κηπουρός, appears, describing Jesus as He appears to Mary after the resurrection.

κηπουρός means “the keeper of a garden”.

Suddenly, we see something incredible happen! Jesus speaks Mary’s name, and she recognizes Him for Who He really is! Suddenly, her perspective shifts and she has an awareness of truth! In a powerfully prophetic moment, Jesus, the Gardener, shows up to restore to us what Adam and Eve lost in the garden of Eden. The fall brought us a perspective of shame and separation from God, but Jesus has brought us back to a heavenly perspective of relationship with the Father.

Jesus shows up in that moment restoring our sight back to purity, welcoming us back into Eden, inviting us into communion with Him.

It gets even deeper still.

While we don’t have a description of the moment Mary recognized Jesus in John’s Gospel, we find a very similar event in Luke chapter 24. In this passage, Jesus meets two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. The disciples don’t recognize Him, however.

Jesus started showing them, starting from the Law and Prophets, that all the Scriptures reveal Christ, His suffering, and entrance into glory. They invited Him to stay with them and when they sat down to eat, He broke the bread and blessed it. In that moment, something miraculous happened! They suddenly recognized Jesus for Who He was. He vanished from their sight and they spoke to each other, saying, “…did not our hearts burn within us while He was talking with us…”

So, here we have another moment where Jesus is suddenly recognized. Wonderfully, this instance is described to us, and the wording used by Luke is incredible!

It says, “their eyes were opened and they knew Him.” Now, we need to go back to Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve brought upon all mankind a sin-stained perspective. In that passage it says, “the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked.”

Ok. Already, in the English translation, that’s pretty wild. But it gets crazier when we look at it in Greek.

Using the Greek Septuagint (LXX), the common Scripture in the first century, and often referenced by Luke in His writings, we find Genesis 3:7 written like this:

Genesis 3:7 — καὶ διηνοίχθησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῶν δύο καὶ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι γυμνοὶ ἦσαν καὶ ἔρραψαν φύλλα συκῆς καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς περιζώματα

This is very significant when compared to Luke 24:31 in the Greek New Testament:

Luke 24:31 — αὐτῶν δὲ διηνοίχθησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ καὶ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτόν καὶ αὐτὸς ἄφαντος ἐγένετο ἀπ’ αὐτῶν

Both passages, Genesis 3 in the Septuagint and Luke 24, use the same wording:

“The eyes were opened”

διηνοίχθησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ

It uses the EXACT same wording for both moments: the fleshly perspective shift brought by the fall and man’s rebellion against God, and the true heavenly perspective brought by the revelation of Jesus, and His invitation of us back into relationship with the Father.

Not only is it the SAME wording in both passages, we find even more significance when reading the word “knew” in both passages.

In Genesis 3, the word used for “they knew that they were naked” is γινώσκω (ginosko).

However, in Luke 24, the word used for “they knew Him” is ἐπιγινώσκω (epiginsoko).

There is in fact a difference, and it’s a radical difference.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “…now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am also known.”

When Paul talks about knowing in part, he uses the word, “ginosko”.

When he then states that he will know even as he is known, (knowing fully), he uses the word, “epiginosko”.

“Ginosko” refers to a general understanding in knowledge, whereas “epiginosko” speaks of a perfect and whole knowledge, discernment, and full recognition.

That’s powerful! What that means, is that when Adam and Eve were given a fleshly perspective in the Garden, they had their eyes opened and had a general understanding of carnality.

But the revelation of Jesus, the Gardener, brings us a full and complete knowledge and recognition of Christ and the true heavenly perspective He invites us into, welcoming us back into the Garden and into restored relationship with God.

Jesus opens our eyes to know Him fully — the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Light of the world, the Lamb of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

When we hear Him walking in the garden in the cool of the day, we won’t need to run and hide. He has hidden us in Himself, and He welcomes us with open outstretched arms.

Lord, open our eyes to the Garden Keeper, to be known by Him and know Him fully. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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In Christ