Our Human Freedom

The story in the Book of Genesis about the tree of knowledge and the narrative in Matthew’s gospel about Jesus' temptation in the wilderness share a common theme.  The accounts of Adam and Eve in the garden, and Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness are stories about us.  Do we live as God desires, or do we yield to temptations and fail to live purposeful and responsible lives?

In the Genesis story, God watered and planted a garden.  It was an extraordinary garden for Adam and Eve.  From the very beginning the story implies that human beings have shared in God's creativity.  The work of gardening is good work and Adam and Eve were "put in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it."

Near the end of the Genesis story, there is a theological discussion between the serpent and the woman.  God had said, "You may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but 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."  But then a crafty serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 

This manipulation by the serpent led Adam and Eve to view God's prohibition as an option, and their act of eating the fruit resulted in their eyes being opened.  They knew the tree was good for food, that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desired to make one wise, so they devoured its fruit.  With this act Adam and Eve turned from faithfulness and trust to sin and alienation.  God's intention for a life of harmonious relationship was set aside by their free choice of knowing both good and evil.

As a consequence of their behavior Adam and Eve met with disappointment and frustration.  While theirs was an act of disobedience, it was also a time of growth and liberation.  They were free to go against God's command, setting the stage for the themes of sin and alienation, forgiveness and redemption that runs throughout the Bible.

Thousands of years later following his baptism Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."  Just as Adam and Eve had been tempted by the serpent in the garden of Eden, so was Jesus tempted by the devil.  His first temptation was about turning stones into bread.  Jesus responded by quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy: "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."  He pointed to the fundamental nourishment and direction provided by God's word. 

The devil was not satisfied so he took Jesus to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple.  This time the devil urged Jesus to force God's hand by throwing himself down, trusting that God would protect him.  But Jesus refused the temptation and again quoted Deuteronomy, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."

Then, for a third temptation, the persistent devil took Jesus to a very high mountain where he could survey all the kingdoms of the world.  It was a place of revelation and teaching.  Here, he promised everything to Jesus if he would only fall down and worship him.  Had Jesus succumbed to this temptation his role as God's Son would be completely negated.  So Jesus forcefully declared, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve only him."

In these stories Jesus repeatedly refused to manipulate God or to rely on anyone other than God.  Feeding the hungry was a primary responsibility for Jesus and his followers, but not by miraculously turning stones into bread.  Jumping from the top of the temple would have been a spectacular act, but it would only result in a cult following and would not have glorified God.  Turning to the easy way of idolatry might have resulted in personal power and prestige, but it would not have resulted in faithful service and honor to God. 

In Matthew's day the early Christians found comfort from the sustaining power of God's Spirit.  They also found courage for their own struggles because of Jesus’ victory over the devil’s temptations.  In our day, what it means for us to follow Jesus by refusing to give in to temptation, and refusing to exercise power and control over others, is to live by God’s word and to worship and serve God in all that we do.  It is our ministry and mission of restoring all people to unity with God and each other.

We are members of the human family of God.  We share the same DNA with all other human beings.  Adam and Eve are our ancestral parents and we are given to the same temptations as they and Jesus were by failing to listen to God and working for his intention of restoring all people into a harmonious relationship of love and service.  As Jesus’ disciples did so can we through prayer and service find the sustaining power of God’s Spirit in our lives.

To aid us in this ministry there is enclosed with your worship leaflet an insert of “Reflections from the Center for Reconciliation.”  It is the first of a series we shall use each Sunday during this Lenten season.  In today’s Reflection the question is asked, “what do you think is the human family that God dreams and intends?”  It states, we are all brothers and sisters, a family of God’s dream that we would work to build a world where we all truly live as a family defined by love.  As St. Paul said in his Letter to the Corinthians, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and he has now given to us the ministry of reconciliation.”

To be fully human, to live a life of faithful service, to honor God in all that we do, to resist temptation for selfish gain, personal power or prestige, to use our knowledge responsibly -- these are the challenges we face every day.  May this season of Lent be a time for all of us to grow more fully into the nearness of God’s Spirit as the human family worthy of God's love.  Amen.