God's Word on Sunday: Christ’s power breaks the bondage of sin

First Sunday of Lent (Year A) Feb. 26 (Genesis 2:7-9, 16-18, 24, 3:1-7; Psalm 51; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11)

Lack of trust in God is at the root of most human evil. In the ancient teaching story of the Garden of Eden, the man and the woman were placed in the midst of an abundant garden with all of their needs met. But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was strictly off-limits. The day they ate from that tree was the day that they would die. 

We might ask what is wrong with knowing good and evil? Would this not be helpful? As long as they remained united with God in mind and heart, it was not needed. But this “knowledge” enabled them to operate independently of God. The serpent — nowhere in the text identified with the devil — sought through sly and specious arguments to introduce mistrust in their relationship with God. You will not die. You will be like God. In other words, God won’t like it — and God does not want competition. Here God is portrayed as a rival rather than a parent or friend. 

As soon as Adam and Eve assert their own consciousness and ego apart from God, disaster strikes. The special relationship they had with God was ruptured. Their sudden awareness of their nakedness and the shame they felt symbolized this dawning of self apart from God. Their sin should be seen as self-assertion and the attempt to play God. Trust is another word for faith and is not doctrinal or dogmatic in nature, but relational and existential.

Is only one man responsible for the sin in our world? In the story, one man — Adam — is responsible for all of the darkness of sin, but in reality, all humanity shares in this collective rebellion from God. The legacy of darkness and sin is passed on from generation to generation. Negative thoughts and actions spread like a contagion throughout human societies. They can influence others by negative examples and peer pressure. 

The “education” of the young plays an important role in this contamination. But we must not shrug our shoulders and claim that we are helpless. The power of Christ has broken the power and bondage of the legacy of sin and given us both the means and the grace to return to the primordial unity with God. Humans are not totally depraved or corrupt as some theologies claim, but they do bear a heavy burden that causes them to stumble often.

The same tension between human and divine consciousness is evident in the account of the temptations of Jesus. As a stand-in for humanity itself, Jesus had to stare down and overcome the temptation — and it was a very real temptation — to think and act in predictable human ways. The “forbidden fruit” in this case was similar to that of the Garden of Eden. The devil tried his best to convince Jesus that God was not enough and could not be trusted. The temptations were predictable and played on human fear: survival; assurance of God’s love and care; and power. Quoting Scripture all the while, the devil tried to entice Jesus to turn stones into bread. If you want to survive, you have to make it happen. Go ahead, use your power now — no need to rely on God. Also quoting Scripture, Jesus affirmed the life-giving power of God. 

The second temptation concerned God’s love and care. Throw yourself down from the temple, God and His angels will save you. Jesus replied that God’s love needed no proof and should never be put to the test. 

The third and final temptation concerned having the power to control people and to impose one’s will on all and to bask in glory. The devil offered it for a price: homage to him, rather than to God. Jesus refused. He was ready to begin His mission and ministry. 

We are constantly faced with the same temptations, although they may come in different forms. We can take matters into our own hands according to our own wishes or we can accomplish things in God’s way and God’s time. How we respond to the challenges of daily life is a good indicator of how closely and intimately we walk with God in mind and heart. To trust God in all things is the definition of faith.