Genesis 3:1-24: "1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" 12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." 13 And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" -- 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."
We also begin the season of Lent, on the first Sunday, by hearing about the fall of Adam into sin. And notice that even though Eve is the one that is deceived by the serpent, it is Adam who is charged with the sin. He did not have to eat of the tree, when his wife offered it to him. Moreover, we learn from this pericope that Adam was there with Eve, during the conversation with the serpent, and he did not speak up, and correct his wife, nor rebuke the serpent for his cunning and wiles. No, Adam was a willing participant in his own downfall, and the fall of mankind into sin.
The serpent told them that they would have knowledge. But having eaten the fruit, what did they learn? They learned they were naked. They realized their loss of innocence, they realized they had sinned. And having fashioned fig leaves to cover themselves, our Lord God came to them. But the bond that existed between Creator and the created was already severed, and because of their unholiness, they could not bear to be in the presence the Lord God, therefore, they hid themselves.
They chose the darkness, over the light. They chose the secret places, instead of the freedom and openness of our Lord. And this has been the condition of mankind, ever since.
This is our condition. A condition of separation from the Lord God. But here at the advent of Lent, we see the beginnings of our Lord's plan of deliverance and rescue from this condition of lostness through His battle with the serpent. But no longer does it take place in a Garden, but it takes place in the desert. Our Lord Jesus, enters into the place where the devil's and sins power has grown strongest, and battles that serpent the devil, for us. And unlike Adam and Eve, and unlike us, He conquers temptation, He conquers the devil.
Our Lord begins His journey to the cross in a desert, but He ends His journey in a garden, and in that garden is a tomb, freshly cut, never used. It is the tomb that Adam created on account of distrust and disobedience to our Lord. However, our Lord occupies that tomb that was set apart for Adam and his sons, and breaks the bonds of death, once and for all, by His resurrection.
Therefore, let us lay our sins, at the foot of the cross of our Lord Jesus, and let Him bury those sins in that tomb forever, so that with Him, we may have eternal life.
God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
