Joseph said, “I asked you to remove these plants from the front of the house! Why haven’t you done this?”
The gardener was baffled, “Sir, this is a lily. It will bear beautiful flowers.”
“Do you see anything now?”
“No, but…”
“Remove it. Anything that does not serve its purpose must be done away with!”
The gardener cleared the beds and put down seeds of flowering plants. He gathered the lily bulbs, put them in his barrow and wheeled them away. He knew that they would flower one day and the blooms were known to be beautiful. He was loath to discard them.
Then, he remembered that the forgotten tomb at the bottom of the garden. He decided to clear the patch around the tomb and plant the bulbs there. “My master rarely, if ever, comes down there. This is the best place for the lilies,” he said to himself and trundled off.
Once he had planted them, he was happy. His master, Joseph, was also happy that he now had flowering plants in front of his house. He had forgotten the plants that he had asked his gardener to remove.
Months later, the region was going through some tumultuous times. The gardener heard that Jesus of Nazareth was being crucified.
One evening, he saw Joseph and his friend, Nicodemus, making their way down to the tomb. He did not know that his master had brought Jesus’ body to be buried in that very tomb. He wondered if he would get into trouble for not having thrown away the lilies. But his master was preoccupied and did not notice anything. The gardener was relieved.
On the third day after the gardener had seen Joseph at the tomb, Mary came to the same place. In the early morning light, she saw beautiful white flowers everywhere. They lent an ethereal charm to the place. A light perfume filled the air.
Mary went to the tomb where Joseph had placed the body of Jesus. She was surprised to find that the tomb was empty. She went away, puzzled. Later, she brought more people with her. All of them were amazed that the tomb was empty. But they were also charmed by the sight of the white lilies that adorned the place. Unspoken, the lilies sent them a message: Jesus had risen.
On hearing that the tomb was empty, Joseph came rushing out of the house. He stood still when he saw the little garden around the tomb was blooming with white lilies.
The tomb was empty and the body of Jesus was not found. But, for the people around, the sight of the white lilies was a beacon of hope.
Easter lilies are also known as ‘white-robed apostles of hope’. They symbolise the purity and innocence of Christ. The white signifies peace, hope, and purity and act as a reminder to celebrate this joyful season of renewal and rebirth.
