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Morning Devotion for the Season of Epiphany
February 14, 2025
Reading: Genesis 3:1-8
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “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 the 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.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
I am reminded of an early childhood occasion in which one of my parents had directly told me not to do something and, yet, when one of my friends said I should go ahead and do it, for some reason, I was more taken by what my peer said, than constrained by my parent’s instruction. Of course, when my misbehavior was discovered, I was appropriately disciplined… to my surprise. This passage is somewhat reminiscent of that type of disobedience.
Of course, I was unaware at the time of the notion of the development of the prefrontal cortex. I can now easily imagine throwing myself on the mercy of my parents and saying that this lack of development at this stage of my life is adversely affected by ability to plan, to make appropriate decisions about my behavior and, therefore , my decision making ability. - a not so cleverly disguised method of avoiding any personal behavioral responsibility or recognition of and respect for parental responsibility. And then finally, accounting for future bad decisions, with potentially graver consequences.
In a sense, behaving my parents is far easier than behaving in a fashion that testifies to one’s faithfulness to God. It seems this comes quickly to the fore in today’s passage. The humans in the garden are moving beyond a childlike state of naiveté, their loss of innocence associated with growing up and facing the realities of life in a grownup world. This ancient coming-of-age story now speaks of the importance of humans embracing their roles as adults who are prepared to take responsibility for their actions as well as for those around them.
The opening of this passage speaks of intimacy; of a God who is present with God’s people. God’s presence, though, may be viewed as a mixed blessing—serving as a source of comfort, but also and particularly in this account as a rather ominous reminder that despite their best attempts, the man and woman in the garden are unable to hide from their God. No coy response or clever repartee alleviates them of their responsibility, nor does it make them more cognizant of the full implications of their behavior. And without such recognition, they and we are far more likely to make the same mistakes. Being, or becoming “fully human,” thus implies that one is willing and able to embrace one’s vulnerability. Failure to do so has led all too often to individuals who think and act stronger than they really are. However, being or becoming a responsible and mature human being also implies that one takes responsibility for one’s actions. In this reading, it is evident that it is all too human to seek a scapegoat when things go awry. The man blames the woman, who in turn relegates the blame for transgressing God’s commandment to the snake. That the blame game worked is evident from the fact that the serpent has been demonized, considered the epitome of evil, and the rightful recipient of the curse inflicted on the snake, which resulted in perpetual enmity between the snake and humans who will look for every opportunity to hurt or kill one another.
We take solace in the fact that Genesis reminds us of God’s continual presence with the flawed, vulnerable human beings in this story. This text suggests that God will continue to walk with people and engage with them amidst their flawed endeavors as they learn to become the responsible, caring adults they are meant to be. But there are consequences and, more importantly, the ongoing work of remaining faithful to God. Let us not lose sight of that.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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