Genesis and Matthew IX

Is it not thus: If you intend good, bear-it-aloft, but if you do not intend good, at the entrance is sin, a crouching-demon, toward you his lust - but you can rule over him.


Let your way of talking be "yes" and "no"; anything more than that comes from the Evil One.

The path to God is the simple one. Yes, I know all about the narrow way, easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle, etc. The difference between "simple" and "easy" could not be more distinct than in this case!

Look at what God says to Cain, ages before Moses, and the Law, and the Ten Commandments: it is, pretty much, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ! "If you do not intend good . . . "

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount was all about intentions! It's not so much the act, as what we're thinking. For, our thoughts lead to actions, if we are not careful to bring them under our control. God's first lesson in morality, (since the Garden of Eden incident), is to the sinful, prideful son of Adam and Eve. Cain is the prototype of all the great opponents of God that will follow him. But it is early in human history, and God provides some one-on-one to Cain.

Consider, Cain was jealous of Abel's offering to God, the first-born and choicest meats from his flock. God preferred Abel's offering (which required a sacrifice, i.e. the death of a living thing, thus more precious), to Cain's, which were some amazing fruit from among his garden. Where Abel had to sacrifice a lamb, Cain brought forth from his produce, and this is important. Cain's garden would continue to yield good fruit. But Abel's lamb was gone forever.

But imagine the hard work that went into producing such fine fruits and vegetables. Compare that to Abel's task, which was to watch a herd of sheep. One worked and sweated (the works paradigm), while the other waited and watched, reflected and pondered (the grace paradigm). Maybe Abel even wrote music and poetry, while tending his sheep.

The story goes on to talk about the great cities built by Cain, and his descendants, that invented many fine forms of craftsmanship. There is no question that the Western culture today would consider Cain the more valuable of the two brothers! So it is with people that put work over relationships!

I can also find it easy to imagine God being present while Cain worked. Did they engage in conversation? Was their relationship friendly? Cain's offering may not have been accepted - but at least God cared enough to talk to him about it! We do not see this type of relationship between Abel and God!

Adam and Eve were cast out. And now Cain is cast out. Is this the same as the casting down of Lucifer? Are the events one and the same?

Cain's lifestyle was one of work and sweat. He had the chance to commune with God. God offered friendship to him. But once his intentions got darkened, sin moved toward him. Sin is treated like an actual person here. And the word "toward" denotes a physical, almost sexual attraction. The person moving away from God becomes an easy target for sin. Our dark intentions create a magnetic attraction to sin.

Christ shows us the simple way. "Yes" and "no." Train our thoughts, and our words, not to be so analytical. Too many words can confuse things. Those that talk too much, or think too much, are just providing a welcome to sin, or the "Evil One."