THE FALL AND RISE OF OUR HUMANITY
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7/Matthew 4:1-11
First Sunday in Lent, Year A
Analysis by Mark A Marius
15The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” 4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
This mosaic panel representing the Fall of Adam and Eve once formed part of a much larger mosaic decorating the floor of an early Byzantine church in northern Syria. Here, Adam and Eve are portrayed sharing the forbidden fruit while covering themselves with large leaves. At the top of the panel, a Greek inscription reads, “And they ate and they realized they were naked” (Gen. 3:7), highlighting the two moments in the biblical narrative of the Fall that are depicted here.
From Wikimedia Commons
“ we come out of hiding to trust God’s voicing of promises to love, forgive and save us from ourselves.”
Editor’s note: The wilderness of our temptation stretches from our fall into sin, and the remedy from our Lord in his own temptation in the wilderness. The author has connected both narratives from the lectionary for our text study here.
DIAGNOSIS: Naked and Ashamed
Step 1: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem) – The Revelation of Temptation
We were created as humans, together with all of our human imperfections. But God declared us good. Even with the presence of evil in our midst, we didn’t know better until we could no longer resist the knowledge of good and evil. The opening of our eyes allowed us to see our imperfection, our limitations, our selfish desire. And with it came shame. Unable to live with shame, we tried to hide our imperfection from God and one another under the blanket of blame. Eden, we have a problem.
Here ever we are, whatever we do, temptation is there. Whether we find ourselves in a wilderness lacking everything, or in the garden needing nothing more, we will be tempted. And the temptation is always for a false promise which asserts ourselves over our relationships, namely with God and with one another. We are wired to want anything that we think will give us satisfaction.
Step 2: Advance Diagnosis (Internal Problem) – Covering Up
Blame became a way to deal with our shame. But it wasn’t just fig leaves that were used. We created a whole system to deal with what we considered inadequate and inferior. Blame produced judgment. And with judgment came power. And with power came control. And control created division. And our hearts no longer trusted that our imperfection could be deemed good by God. So we took things into our own hands and became self-righteous at the expense of all of God’s creation.
Step 3: Final Diagnosis (Eternal Problem) – Wilderness of want
Knowledge is power and power is an uncontrollable problem for humans. So God sent us packing and into a world of our own choosing. God did not abandon us, but we now found it impossible to choose God over ourselves. And so we wander in a wilderness of want, seeking a temporal goodness instead of God’s infinite goodness.
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”
11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
PROGNOSIS: Clothed and Affirmed
Step 4: Initial Prognosis (Eternal Solution) – The Way Out of Our Wilderness
Jesus was born into this world as we are – and as fully human, with all our human weaknesses and imperfections. But God declares him beloved and good. And so the Spirit sends him straight into our wilderness. He feels the hunger, the vulnerability, the suffering, the seduction of power and glory like we do. But he does not give in or give up, nor run and hide from such temptation, but meets it head on. He trusts God’s declaration of goodness in the face of the world’s evil. He suffered and died leaving it in the hands of the One who declared him beloved and good – for our good and becoming God’s beloved. God sends angels today and resurrection later.
Step 5: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution) – Clothed in God’s Grace and Christ’s Righteousness
God has given us a way to embrace the goodness of our imperfection. The Grace given in the sacraments and the Garment of Christ’s righteousness are ours to wear and trust. We come out of hiding to trust God’s voicing of promises to love, forgive and save us from ourselves.
Step 6: Final Prognosis (External Solution) – Led by the Spirit
We embrace our imperfection in God’s affirmation of us. And we are no longer afraid to let other see our own vulnerability and suffering. And when we truly embrace and wear the clothing God gives us, we are tempted, or rather led by the Spirit to wander into the wilderness that others experience. Listening to Christ’s call, following his light, we declare God’s love and goodness for a world in need.
