I had a particular friend ask a question concerning Genesis 3 and if there was an apple mentioned and if so why an apple. The following was a response to that:
Genesis 3:1-10
"The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: "Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?"
The Woman said to the serpent, "Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It's only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'Don't eat from it; don't even touch it or you'll die.'"
The serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil."
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Immediately the two of them did "see what's really going on"—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.
God called to the Man: "Where are you?"
He said, "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid..." "
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Here is the Hebrew word used for fruit in those passages:
pĕriy
possible translations:
1) fruit
a) fruit, produce (of the ground)
b) fruit, offspring, children, progeny (of the womb)
c) fruit (of actions) (fig.)
At no point does the Bible say anything about an apple. For those thinking of an apple (about 97% of the Western population) are thinking of Paradise Lost...which according to my favorite English professor, Dr.Cole from college, was the second most popular book in the South during the Civil War (the first being the Bible).
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That said I feel the need to bring up one of my general rules of theology:
Please, please, please do not under any circumstances get your theology based off of a popular novel, a movie you see or from reading what I write. Do your own research and find the Truth, it is out there waiting so get to work already!
I digress.
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For a Western audience an Apple is a good symbol, fruit of knowledge and whatnot,but the apple didn't have the same meaning to a Hebrew audience.
This article tidbit explains a bit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple#Christianity
Rabbi's have speculated that it was possibly a (wait for it) pomegranate..but that is just Midrash and speculation. But ultimately no fruit is actually named.
Was it a literal fruit?
Possibly.
In the same sense that the first few chapters of Genesis could be literal historical fact, simply a creation myth Moses recorded or a mixture of the two.
Ultimately it doesn't matter which is true because the story itself is the point.
The point of the story is that Eve knew God in a literal sense that we can only fumble at. We Christians have a connection because of the Holy Spirit and we can feel God...but she could be hugged by God and told how beautiful she was. She had literal access to the physical presence of God (ie. think possibly Jesus, these Old Testament appearances of Him were called theophanies...a lot of the time the term 'Angel of the Lord' is used and commonly thought by Christian Biblical scholars as being appearances of the pre-incarnate Jesus) and this deep intimate love is something we can only paw at.
I think this is part where the oft used title of calling God Father has some deeper implications. The term "Personal relationship" with God is thrown around as a colloquial term so often that I don't even know what it means anymore.
I like to think that Christianity is not about trying to be so good that you get some sort of tacky and stupid gold plated mansion in heaven that belongs better on MTV's Cribs. If that is heaven I want nothing to do with it. This world sucks and the last thing I want to do is have a part two that will go on forever.
As far as I can gather heaven has nothing to do with our material greed and everything to do with being passionately in Love. My idea of heaven isn't me walking on streets of gold as much as it is me spending an absurd amount of time hugging God.
But...what about now?
This whole reason I can't hug God is because of a separation, because of THIS separation. Forgive the unintentional pun but this passage is the genesis of that sin, that root reason why this world is in so much disorder and why we have separation from each other and God.
The only thing Eve and Adam had to do was avoid doing something. I do not think it was a test because I do not think God gives us tests, He gives us choices and it is up to use to decide what to do with it.
He gives us choices and with those choices come questions:
Who do we love more?
Whose judgment do we trust?
Is it possible for this mess of a life to be made into something beautiful?
Lucifer makes an appearance in this. He can take on the appearance of an angel of light when he wants to but he took on the form of a snake and talked to Eve. This is strange, she didn't bat an eye at the thought of reptile talking to her. Did other animals in the Garden of Eden talk? Or is this just another image?
Regardless of how this scene may or may not have played out, I do believe in a literal Satan/devil/Lucifer and that he has a host of fallen angels (demons) who do his work. I would really recommend everyone to read 'The Screwtape Letter' if you haven't...CS Lewis puts this whole Lucifer thing in proper perspective, that he is more than a red devil in horns with a pitchfork but a twisted and demented egomaniac being who called himself the star of the morning and who decided he would no longer kneel before God.
Which this arrogance, this pride is a running theme in this passage.
Lucifer did help push Eve and Adam to eating the fruit...but ultimately all three has this relationship to God we can't imagine. It feels like I'm just fooling around in the dark hoping that I'll bump into God and all three of them were there with God.
Literally there with God.
Throw a rock and hit God close.
What does this say about our natures?
It is a terrifying prospect.
If beings created as perfect can't stand God...where do we stand?
Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, those who partook in the Rwanda genocide, Lord Voldemort...they were babies once. They grew up and then did horrible, terrible things. Sure part of was an environmental influence, humans are naturally selfish (anyone who doesn't think so should work in a daycare for a few months) and it takes something special for people to get to the point where human lives are meaningless...but it IS possible.
The taking of another human life is so profane...so against the order of things that it destroys a person until they either go crazy and kill themselves or they start to kill so much that they no longer have feeling. The 'lucky' ones I have met (war veterans among others) either drink heavily or barely hold onto their sanity because of how horrible it is.
One of the best mentors I ever had was a platoon commander in Vietnam. He only talked about his experince in Vietnam once and that was more than enough. It was like he was in another realm and although he barely spoke the look of horror on his face...it is something I can never forget.
And what does this mean?
Even those with good intentions can't hide from the twisting that sin does to their soul. This isn't about a moralistic crusade as much as it is realizing where we stand in our broken lives.
Is this it?
Is this all there is?
We live on this burned out hunk or rock and then what?
Humans have unlimited potential but we are limited by ourselves. By the darkness that is in our hearts. I feel the point of this world sometimes isn't a social experiment or big chess game but for us to see who we really are and realize we can't make it on our own...we need each other and we need Jesus.
If you want to read a better take on all this by someone who actually knows what he is talking about then please go pick up "Sex God" by Rob Bell. He doesn't swear like Anne Lamott but he knows how to pull a lot of ideas together and makes many good points concerning Jesus, personal identity and sexuality.
http://www.amazon.com/Sex-God-Exploring-Connections-Spirituality/dp/0310280672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250744230&sr=8-1
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Midnight Music With Dance
It's not an issue of age...it's an issue of the feelings of being rocked and buffeted by time. The times of sand swirling around my feet and making a picture perfect reflection of everything I miss and regret.
It is something special...to know when you are lost.
I can't pretend to be something I'm not.
Things are falling in place...becoming something else.
The night is dark, the lights are dimmed.
It's just the two of us here and whoever else that is looking in.
Is this infinite really here and out there?
Did You speak and allow the rose of love to flourish and blossom?
I hate being in this darkness...could You move closer?
I feel the music moving through me...seconds ticking past.
The sands moving faster in rhythm.
I don't care about music or writing right now.
All of this is dying.
Like a tooth ache they just make me long to forget.
Would it be possible to live apart from my ego?
Wrap Your hand around my heart,
keep it warm.
Keep the blood pumping
just so I can feel.
The night is late
but I'm not ready to depart.
I'm not praying to transform
but to sooth this aching
that I might heal.
And maybe to lessen how great
this divide is between us.
It is impossible to run from everything
but hope yet lives.
It is something special...to know when you are lost.
I can't pretend to be something I'm not.
Things are falling in place...becoming something else.
The night is dark, the lights are dimmed.
It's just the two of us here and whoever else that is looking in.
Is this infinite really here and out there?
Did You speak and allow the rose of love to flourish and blossom?
I hate being in this darkness...could You move closer?
I feel the music moving through me...seconds ticking past.
The sands moving faster in rhythm.
I don't care about music or writing right now.
All of this is dying.
Like a tooth ache they just make me long to forget.
Would it be possible to live apart from my ego?
Wrap Your hand around my heart,
keep it warm.
Keep the blood pumping
just so I can feel.
The night is late
but I'm not ready to depart.
I'm not praying to transform
but to sooth this aching
that I might heal.
And maybe to lessen how great
this divide is between us.
It is impossible to run from everything
but hope yet lives.
C.S. Lewis quote
I keep trying the source of this quote but I simply have had no luck.
Drat.
"Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink, sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
Drat.
"Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink, sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
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