Wednesday’s Thoughts
I think the end of the story in Genesis 3 presents some interesting ramifications. “To the woman God said, “I shall give you intense pain in childbearing and you will give birth to your children in pain.” “To the main god said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, accursed be the soil because of you. Painfully will you get your food from it as long as you live.”
Was there ever a paradise time in our lives when things were perfect? Do we look back with longing at the way things were once upon a time? It seems to me the Adam and Eve story has some dimensions to it that need to be considered. For example:
1. Is there a time when our needs are taken care of that is really better than when we have to struggle to survive and thrive?
2. Aren’t we moving forward when we discover our own will and have the opportunity to use it even if we may choose to be disobedient?
3. Is our ultimate aim in life to lapse into a state of paradise or would we rather live in a world in which we have the responsibility for the consequences of our actions and words?
The Adam and Eve story is a parable on life as it could be. I don’t think most scholars believe it is to be taken literally. But it is important to take it seriously. It does speak to us. It says something about our ambitions and our hopes. It speaks to the consequences of thinking ourselves less than we are and thinking of ourselves as more than we are. We are not gods and we are not puppets. We are made in the image of God and are full of potential. Sometimes we have to become disobedient in order to determine our better/best nature.
How do you interpret the Adam and Eve story?
Do you understand the consequence for what they had done to be a blessing or a curse?
If you have thoughts you’d like others to read respond by marking the “comment” box. If you’d like to respond to me directly write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles
