the church of the
ascension
in the city of
new york
Sunday, February 10, 2008
First Sunday in Lent
by Gretchen Dumler
Psalm 32
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11
Why did he do it ... and how? How did St. Paul get from the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden (Genesis 3:1-7) to the conclusion (Romans 5:12-19) that because Adam sinned we are all therefore sinners? He acknowledges there was no concept of sin before the Law came into being; and the word never occurs in the creation story. Presumably, it was out there, floating about, but it was not defined until the Law pinned it down, at which point sin went crazy and multiplied until Christ came to conquer it in us.
Now, wait a minute. Why do we get no account of the origins of sin and the Law in the creation story? All we get is a snake and a tree. Adam and Eve disobeyed; God punished them. He never let on they were rotten to the core. On the contrary, after each act of creation, God pronounced it "Good." Whassup, God? Paul, what were you on?
Enter the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Now who created him? The scene is the desert, where Jesus went after his baptism. The devil tries to tempt Jesus away from God. Is this a reiteration of the snake tempting Eve? Eve flunks; Jesus passes. He then goes on to try to teach us how to behave, so we can get into that Really Big Garden.
The psalmist is instructive. He depicts the sickness we endure when afflicted with sin, the relief upon confession, and prayers for mercy. Having achieved this himself, he thanks God with a lightened heart and a "shout for Joy."
What would have happened -- or not happened -- had Paul not afflicted us with original sin? Would God have sent us a different messenger of doom? Or not? Or am I just listening to another snake? (n.b.: the New Oxford Bible notes that in the ancient world "snakes were symbolic of wisdom. ... Only later on was the snake in this story seen by interpreters as the devil.")
Psalm 32
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11
Why did he do it ... and how? How did St. Paul get from the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden (Genesis 3:1-7) to the conclusion (Romans 5:12-19) that because Adam sinned we are all therefore sinners? He acknowledges there was no concept of sin before the Law came into being; and the word never occurs in the creation story. Presumably, it was out there, floating about, but it was not defined until the Law pinned it down, at which point sin went crazy and multiplied until Christ came to conquer it in us.
Now, wait a minute. Why do we get no account of the origins of sin and the Law in the creation story? All we get is a snake and a tree. Adam and Eve disobeyed; God punished them. He never let on they were rotten to the core. On the contrary, after each act of creation, God pronounced it "Good." Whassup, God? Paul, what were you on?
Enter the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Now who created him? The scene is the desert, where Jesus went after his baptism. The devil tries to tempt Jesus away from God. Is this a reiteration of the snake tempting Eve? Eve flunks; Jesus passes. He then goes on to try to teach us how to behave, so we can get into that Really Big Garden.
The psalmist is instructive. He depicts the sickness we endure when afflicted with sin, the relief upon confession, and prayers for mercy. Having achieved this himself, he thanks God with a lightened heart and a "shout for Joy."
What would have happened -- or not happened -- had Paul not afflicted us with original sin? Would God have sent us a different messenger of doom? Or not? Or am I just listening to another snake? (n.b.: the New Oxford Bible notes that in the ancient world "snakes were symbolic of wisdom. ... Only later on was the snake in this story seen by interpreters as the devil.")
