St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 5:19

Jesus came to the garden the night before His death. It was cool and silent there, away from the confusion and noise of the great city across the valley of Kidron. While His friends slept, Jesus entered into a moment of high drama: a duel with Satan.

A Biblical scholar casts an interesting new light on this scene when he notes that the Gospel of St. Luke portrays Jesus as the New Adam. The Old Adam had jousted with Satan and lost. Now Jesus, the New Adam, dueled with Satan and won.

Satan had already challenged Christ in the desert at the beginning of His public ministry. In describing this encounter, St. Luke draws a threefold contrast between the Old Adam and the New Adam.
1. Adam was tempted by food and ate it; Jesus refused to turn stones into bread.
2. Adam wanted to be like God even though he had been given the earth; Jesus refused the kingdoms of the earth.
3. Adam risked death to eat the fruit; the New Adam refused to tempt God by throwing Himself from the temple pinnacle.

Defeated in this first encounter, Satan withdrew “until the opportune time” (Luke 4/13). Now, in the garden, the opportune time had arrived and Satan came back; and the struggle began anew. The stakes? The world and the race that Adam had lost. Thirty years later, St. Paul described, very well, the scope of the victory:
“Just as all people were made sinners through the disobedience of one man, in the same way they are all put right with God through the obedience of one man” (Romans 5:19).

Christ was obedient and loyal to His Father when He first dueled with Satan in the desert. The same traits dominate the struggle in the Garden. “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, let Your will be done, not Mine.”

Christ’s words in the garden elaborate the contrast between the Old Adam and the New Adam. Adam died in punishment for his disobedience. Christ died, faithful and obedient to His Father. With Adam’s sin, paradise was closed. With Jesus’ death on the cross, paradise was regained.
“This day you will be with Me in paradise” Jesus told the thief on the cross (Luke 32/43).

Fr. Hugh Duffy

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