New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but 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.”
Genesis 3:1-7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Birth of Self-Consciousness
3 Now 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’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but 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.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,[a] knowing good and evil.” 6 So 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. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
The Testing of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying 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.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Adam walked and talked with God in the coolness of the day. How cool is that?
I want to walk and talk with God in the coolness of the day! I’d like to change the phrase, “this is the day the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” to, “this is the day the Lord has made, and it is pretty cool!”
Adam and Eve were declared good by God. God loved what was brought into existence. There was only one rule to follow in the garden. One stinkin’ rule! Don’t eat the fruit from that one tree.
But Adam just couldn’t resist. The knowledge of good and evil tree was off limits, but the luscious fruit spoke to him like a test of will. Adam and Eve ate the fruit.
This was the birth of self-consciousness. The onset of an illusion of separation between us and God, which is an impossibility, because the breath of God is what keeps the soul alive. Separation is an illusion.
I too am dominated by self-consciousness. Self is at the center of the garden. I’m naked and ashamed. I often do not see the intermingling of all things but instead the separation of good and evil, black and white, heaven and hell and it is an occasional pre-occupation. It is a psychological vulnerability to the gods of the world that battle for my allegiance.
In a nutshell, I forget who I am. I am Good. Good is still my core because Neshamah, my breath and God’s breath together, sustains life. Nevertheless, shame and guilt attempt to rule the day. Anxiety and fear dominate thoughts of the future.
Perhaps we all long for the garden. The coolness of the day. But in our naked self-consciousness we cover ourselves with fig leaves from TJ Maxx.
Adam and Eve had been declared good and all they needed in the garden. But they forgot and failed a test.
Jesus also heard a declaration of his identity, “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”
Then there it happened again. A test, but this time not in a garden, in a wilderness. Jesus did not eat fruit, he fasted. He did not have weapons he had a God-given identity, Jesus knew who he was. He was God’s son and already had God’s pleasure. There is no greater title. No greater power.
Instead, Jesus emptied himself of everything he needed and relied on except the words that had been previously revealed to him. Jesus could have turned stones into bread, but it would require a misuse of power.
He could take control of an oppressive empire and rescue its victims. But it would require him to misuse his power. Jesus chose to reserve his power to be used for transformation and good. There must be a way for us to use power for good.
What can evil offer a person who has everything? A person who knows their identity? A person who thirsts for the coolness of a God-consciousness over self-consciousness.
Anything evil had to offer was beneath Jesus. Like actually beneath the mountain and the wilderness of his testing.
Adam and Jesus were offered temporary pleasure for their misuse of power.
Adam and Eve could not resist, but Jesus did. Jesus gave himself to temporary suffering in exchange for long term joy. Adam gave himself to temporary pleasure and received long-term suffering.
No wonder we became addicted to the theology of sin separating us from God. When we feel naked and ashamed we become vulnerable to that which will clothe us, rather than transform us.
Our religion becomes nothing more than fig leaves.
We fall in love with rules, functions and power. We sell out to a culture of “me” instead of “we.”
It is tempting to be in a culture whose battle to be at the center of my universe. Like a “reality” show where there is only one left at the top.
Only one survivor.
Only one American idol.
Only one best actor.
Only one most valuable player.
Only one iron chef.
Only one top of your class.
Only one G.O.A.T, greatest of all time.
When I was a masked performer, I was able to command the attention of thousands at one time. Stand them up, sit them down, make them cheer and make them laugh. It was intoxicating. But post the career I crashed. I was at my lowest. I was emptied of everything. It did not feel like a test, but it was. I no longer commanded crowds, my money was gone, and my personal life was a mess.
One day I wandered into my sister’s church on a Wednesday evening and listened to a guest teacher. I was looking for a miracle, something to rescue me from my situation and depression.
The only words I remember the man say were, “great ministry is born out of barrenness.” Hey, I thought, my life is barren!
It was like an angel coming to me in my barrenness.
Richard Rohr says “maybe the angels can’t come until we pass these tests. Unto you recognize who you are, and what you don’t need.”
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