And So It Begins - 1st Sunday of Lent

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11


“In the beginning …” begins the story of salvation. Many have suggested that the creation story of the Bible is actually the beginning of humanity as we know it. And as the arguments persist regarding creationism vs. evolution, I cannot help but to wonder if the Bible story is offering to us the beginning of a particular civilization rather than the “first man” or “first woman” such as Cro-Magnon or Neanderthal, the existence of which cannot be reasonably denied, the so-called “cave man”.

Civilization may not even be the appropriate term since it can probably be argued that “civilization”, at least according to some, may have already existed. “Culture” may come closer to describing what was intended to exist in Eden, and it would seem that a culture was beginning to take shape before the serpent introduced a “counter-culture” that was designed for and intended to be opposed to a culture which had really yet to be established. However, if it is true that any sort of culture or civilization existed before the time of Eden, then Eden itself may have been the “counter-culture”.

The “culture” which may have been envisioned for Eden was one of utopia, a perfect society in which all needs were to be provided for by the hand of YHWH. It was, in perhaps one word, “heaven” on earth. There were no worries, no cares, no concerns, no credit, no debt, no mortgages or taxes to be paid; just living. What may have been intended for later can only be speculated since the serpent made his move early on.

While it can be argued that it was the serpent (aka, the “evil one”) who disrupted this culture, the fact remains that Adam and Eve were completely and solely responsible for their own actions. They were deceived, of course, into believing that they would become “god-like” once they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but their sin, their mistake, was one of deliberate disobedience maybe because of pride itself; Eve even quoted what they had been told by the Lord, so she could not claim to have forgotten. They had perfection at their hands and yet by their own hands and the actions of their hearts, it was over … but not completely gone.

Maybe it was at the point of eviction from Eden that the salvation story begins even if it does not seem so. After all, we cannot believe that man was in need of redemption while existing in the Garden. It could not have gotten much better than it was. Somehow, though, it was not good enough.

Throughout all subsequent generations from Adam until the time of Jesus, man has been reaching for something that seemed just beyond his grasp. What we have been reaching for has been illusive, though, because even though we want utopia, we want that perfect society, we don’t quite know how to define it because we don’t quite know what it looks like or even what it should be like. And because we are unsure of what it is we are seeking, we reach. We reach, we strive, we contend, and we seek. We are looking for something that will help to bring meaning, fulfillment, and contentment to our lives. Always seeking, reaching, and striving will sooner or later take its toll, and we will still come up short of what we truly need as long as we seek it in this world.

Additionally, we tend to confuse “need” with “want”, and sometimes our desire for something can become so intense that we can easily rationalize that intensity with bona fide “need” even if we can reasonably put that intense desire into its proper perspective and come to realize that we can actually live without it. It’s not easy, but it can be done.

Even from the time of Eden it was the Lord who had knowledge of our actual “need” and He provided for those needs, but the blessing/curse of that gift of “free will” soon created a conflict in which “need” and “want” were at odds; a decision soon became required, and man made a bad decision.

The whole purpose of Lent is to prepare. It is a time of reflection and introspection. It is a time in which we examine our lives and our ministries, and it should be an honest assessment of what we are because of Whose we are. To be completely honest with self will be difficult and, perhaps, painful because we can easily see ourselves partaking of the forbidden Fruit of the Tree because we lack vision and maybe even faith.

It is entirely appropriate to examine Eden and Jesus’ time in the wilderness on the first Sunday of Lent. Both were created in Godly Perfection, and both faced a challenge of temptation. Both had the “escape hatch”, but only One chose to remain faithful and obedient; and make no mistake – it was a free will choice and not a compulsion. Only One chose to live by the Word which sustains us and nurtures us. It is the Word which gives us the strength to look beyond mere self and see a much bigger picture. It is the Word which shows us the way Home.

Let this be for us a season of Lent like no other, a time when we will finally be enabled to resist the “Tree” which appears pleasing but is actually a means by which we are separated from the Holy One who has, since the time of Adam, continually reached out to provide, to comfort, to heal, to sustain. Let this be the season when we finally and completely reach back … and hold on tight.