February 10, 2008
First Sunday of Lent
Pastor Lynne Lorenzen
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
First Sunday of Lent
Given I am teaching Feminism and Christianity at this time, these texts jolted my suspicious reading of the Bible into full gear. Also being aware that the Romans text although badly translated by Jerome into Latin from the Greek was the basis for Augustine’s doctrine of original sin which he then read back into this Genesis story has not helped lessened my suspicion. Plus being very familiar with the Eastern tradition of Christianity gives me a different perspective especially on this Genesis text. This text and its interpretations in other New Testament passages have been the root cause for the mistreatment and suspicion of women in the Christian church down through the ages. The claim that all women are Eves who bring evil into the world and cause men to sin is still taught in some churches. A feminist reading suggests that Eve patiently listened to the snake and thoughtfully considered the goodness of the fruit, and how wonderful it would be to become wise. Granted she disobeyed the command not to eat it, but she at least thought about it, which Adam did not do. This story is really about trying explain why things are the way they are. Why is childbirth painful, and why do men need to work so hard to grow food? It also supports patriarchy as the structure for the culture, which it was already. This is not about change from good to bad but an attempt to figure out how things became the way they are and so we have a description of the society of the time of David when this text was written.
One of the most curious things is that it is very bad to become like God. It is bad for us to be wise and know the difference between good and evil. I do not think so. If we were wise we would not make so many stupid mistakes and hurt each other as we do. We would not make wars and condemn people simply because they are different from us. Perhaps if we were wise we would not be fearful and allow ourselves to be manipulated by fear mongers. As a parent I remember many times longing for the day that my children would be better at telling good from bad and become wise. As an educator, I honestly believe that wisdom is to be cultivated more that learning facts which change so frequently. I realize this story is usually referred to as the fall in Western Christianity but in the East it is part of the process of becoming fully human and thus moving in the direction of becoming like God which is the vocation of every Christian, or if you prefer Luther’s words, becoming little Christ’s to our neighbor. It helps when we think about who we are that we begin with the first creation story and remember that we are created in the image and likeness of God.
So why is it that we do so many things that we wish later that we had not and miss opportunities to do things that we could have done but did not? I think Paul Tillich has a better handle on this than Paul, the apostle, did. Paul seems to say that we are all sinners and so break the law and this is why we die. I think he has it backwards. To use Tillich’s words we suffer from finitude, the realization that we die and there is motivation to leave some mark that says, “I was here or Kilroy was here.” The push to claim our fifteen seconds of fame is rooted in our finitude and this causes us to hurt others and try to be first or best at something and step on others in the process so that we are in the paper or become famous. We sin because we are fighting against the reality of death which as far as we know only humans realize. Death is not the result of sin, a penalty for breaking the rules. Rather sin is the result of death, and death is the affirmation of living.
As we begin the Lenten journey this year, once again we enter into a period of introspection that faces up to the death of Jesus forty days from now. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he fasted for forty days and nights and so was very hungry. Thus he was tempted to forgo his humanity and do magic in order to turn the stones into bread so he could eat, but he did not.
Like wise he was tempted to throw himself down from the temple, but Jesus knew that God does not intrude into our humanity in a way that removes the laws of nature, so it was not as tempting as the devil thought.
Finally, Jesus was tempted by the prospect of becoming a world emperor and rule many kingdoms. Yet if John Dominic Crossan is right, Jesus spent his ministry offering a different way of living that was the opposite of ruling emperors who ruled with might and violence.
Christians claim that Jesus tells us who God is and how God relates to the world. If God is one who coerces people and rules the universe with an iron will that makes God look like Caesar, then Jesus would have accepted the temptations as appropriate. The God of Jesus is also the God of Moses who is greatly disappointed many times, but who continues to forgive and keep the covenant with Israel. The God that Jesus reveals is as Joel and Jonah both say, one who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
This very human Jesus faces all of the same fears that we do including fear of death, yet he seems to have trusted God to such a degree that he could live without violence or fear of others. He sided with the outcasts and the poor, the widows and the orphans, the ill in body, mind and spirit. He seemed to understand that accepting and loving who we are as God does, frees us from self concern and is the beginning of overcoming the fear of death and thus the ability to reach out and live for the sake of the world, and thus to acquire wisdom.
Pray with me. Gracious God accompany us as we once again take this Lenten journey with Jesus. Be our guide and comfort as we learn your wisdom to love others as you have first loved us. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.