Written by Justin S. Holcomb |
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Ecclesiastes describes the meaninglessness of living without God. We see that God created the world and called it “good.” But despite this original goodness, humanity fell into sin, and all creation was subjected to the curse of God. This brought into the world meaninglessness, violence, and frustration. Graciously, God did not leave his creation to an endless round of meaninglessness.

Vanities of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.Ecclesiastes 1:2
All is Vanity
Ecclesiastes begins with “All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) and ends with the same declaration (Ecclesiastes 12:8). The book states powerfully and repeatedly that everything is meaningless (“vanity”) without a proper focus on God. Ecclesiastes reveals the necessity of fearing God in a fallen and frequently confusing and frustrating world.
People seek lasting significance, but no matter how great their accomplishments, they are unable to achieve the significance they desire. What spoils life, according to Ecclesiastes, is the attempt to get more out of life—out of work, pleasure, money, food, or knowledge—than life itself can provide. This is not fulfilling and leads to weariness, which is why the book begins and ends with the exclamation “All is vanity.” This refrain is repeated throughout the entire book.
No matter how wise or rich or successful one may be, one cannot find meaning in life apart from God. In Ecclesiastes, the fact that “all is vanity” should drive all to fear God, whose work endures forever. God does what he will, and all beings and all of creation stand subject to him. Rather than striving in futile attempts to gain meaning on our own terms, what truly is significant is taking pleasure in God and his gifts and being content with what little life has to offer and what God gives.
Meaningless without God
The Preacher says that everything is meaningless without a proper focus on God. This theme is established and explained in Ecclesiastes 1:4–11, with verse 4 providing the thesis: “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.” People are temporary, but the earth is lasting. Ecclesiastes 1:5–7 gives examples of systems or aspects of the earth that demonstrate this truth. Verses 5 and 6 establish two central metaphors that run through the rest of the book: the wind and the sun. They appear throughout the book in the phrases “striving after wind” and “under the sun.” These metaphors emphasize two things: the lasting significance of the earth, and humanity’s ephemeral nature by comparison.
People would like to do something new, to be remembered for making a significant contribution to the world; they long and strive for lasting significance but cannot attain it (Ecclesiastes 1:8–10). Our efforts are like striving after the wind—attempts for immortality that inevitably fail. One cannot catch the wind—it is here one minute and gone the next, just as fleeting as a human lifespan. All that is done “under the sun” suffers the same fate. We labor under the sun, but will never have the significance or impact that it has. No matter how great their accomplishments, humans will not achieve the lasting significance they desire. Ecclesiastes 1:11 drives home this conclusion when it says that few people make any significant impact on the course of world history, as most live and die in obscurity. Verse 11 drives home the point introduced in verse 4.
In Ecclesiastes 1:3 the Preacher asks, “What gain is toil?” This question is repeated throughout Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 3:9; Ecclesiastes 5:15; Ecclesiastes 6:11; Ecclesiastes 10:11). The Preacher questions the significance of people’s work and asserts the pointlessness of life and creation. His pronouncements are not meant to leave us in despair, unless, of course, we are try to finding meaning in life apart from God. Rather, these pronouncements are meant to jolt us out of futility and to long for grace and to enjoy an ultimate and lasting significance.
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The groaning creation will then be set free into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Romans 8:21). Its resurrection will follow ours, just as its fall followed ours. No more hints, previews and echoes on that day. But face to face, unveiled glory.

I love our local bazaar in the fall. A gentle and steady wind blows down from the mountains, stirring the tree branches and their yellowing leaves. The summer heat has passed, and the buildings, the people, and earth itself seem to sigh contentedly in the cooler weather. Some trees and plants even celebrate the lower temps with a second, mini Spring. Pomegranates are ripe, piled high on carts, red and crunchy. Olives are ripening also. The autumn sun, lower and playfully angled to the south, shines through the swaying branches. Street musicians play classic melodies on stringed instruments and traditional flutes.
Every believer likely has certain places where they feel eternity bleeding through into the present. Places where the beauty of this world awaken some kind of deep memory – or prophecy – of another world. Eden that was lost, or Eden to be remade. These longings, as Lewis pointed out, can be sweeter than the deepest pleasures realized in this life. As penned by The Gray Havens, we “can’t find something better than this ache.”
I wonder what kinds of scenes awaken this inner longing for eternity in other believers. Is it something we all experience?
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We can expect new life to spring up in a new garden. And we can anticipate the coming restoration of all things someday in that Garden City, New Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22 ESV). Isn’t it ironic? The death of death emerged in the life-giving environment of a garden! The ultimate new human, the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-49 ESV) was raised to life, and not just anywhere. In a garden. 

Bright daffodils and green grass are rising. Spring has eagerly sprung where I live. People in our region are buzzing about this upward emergence of warm, plant life from previously cold, dead ground. Neighbors are already mowing and mulching. Springtime is rising in tandem with Eastertime. It’s truly glorious!
I am compelled to revisit ancient words, God’s inspiring story of resurrection. Easter’s true meaning supplies more than all the feel-goods of bright baskets, eggs, and flowers. Travel biblical trails and encounter solid answers to age-old questions puzzled over by humans.
Why are we here? What are we made for?
Is death really the end? If not, what can we anticipate after death?
Might resurrection have any real implications for daily tasks and business endeavors?
There is an oft-overlooked detail in the resurrection morning story. It’s a curious inclusion that holds potential for answering these questions. It might also bolster our faith at work.
Christ’s Grave & Resurrection in a Garden
Appearing only in John’s Gospel, we might readily miss it: “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid” (Jn. 19:41 ESV).
It’s tempting to say, “No big deal, really. The Apostle John was just setting the stage.” However, he very intentionally emphasized the garden, mentioning it twice. Biblical authors were quite purposeful. Whenever we encounter repetition in their stories, we should pause to consider why. In addition to mentioning the garden, Mary Magdalene initially mistook Jesus for “the gardener” (Jn. 20:14-15 ESV).
John’s worldview and his faithful following of Jesus was deeply affected by Genesis. Opening lines in John 1:1-5 (ESV) include picturesque language, like in the beginning, darkness, light, and life—key terms and themes first used in Genesis’ early scenes.
So why would John spotlight the tomb in a garden on resurrection morning?
Garden and Graves at the Beginning
God deliberately planted Adam and Eve in a garden. In Eden, the first humans were responsible for working in the garden (Gen. 2:15 ESV). Following their fall into sin, the curse delivered ugly consequences for daily labors (Gen. 3:17-18 ESV). These consequences culminated in death. Humans would now return to the dust, the same earthy soil from which they were formed. There would be graves. A further devastating outcome included the humans being expelled, barred from that place of flourishing (Gen. 3:19-24 ESV).
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