Genesis and Matthew VIII 2.1: HIDE YOUR FACE

The original form of this post was published on Monday, January 17, 2011. It has been edited to more closely align with current events in 2021. The changes are not highlighted. This is Part Two of the edited version. 

Here, the human has become like one of us, in knowing good and evil.

Seeing the crowds, he went up the mountain, and as he sat there his students came to him, and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying . . .

Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Their eyes were opened. This is equivalent to so many things that we still do today, in every phase of our lives. A new idea, or book, opens our eyes. We can have our eyes opened by some new form of music. Charismatic leaders can open our eyes to injustices, as Martin Luther King, Jr., did. 

One of the main purposes of Jesus Christ, among many others, was to open our eyes. Before your eyes can be open, you have to want them open. You must have presence of mind, humility, a "teachable" spirit. You cannot let anything, even perceived expertise, blind you to the truth presently hidden from us. 

We used to be quite open, in society, about the narcotic effects of sex and sexuality. We did not hide from discussing the topic, candidly. In the 1990s, there was a flowering of quite godly concepts, even in secular society, like "The Road Less Traveled," Emotional Intelligence, the servant attitude, and even, godly love, or, love that is truly unconditional and not at all based on sensual favors The Other can grant us. 

Arguable, the fruit offered by the serpent to Adam, was wanton sexuality. It is, indeed, considered to be an eye-opening experience, when one loses his or her virginity. You can almost tell when a child has crossed that bridge (if done before marriage). Often, a break is formed between child and parent. A mystery once only known by adults, by our parents, is now known by us. We know it all, now, we think. A sense of equality or even superiority over our parents emerges. We have done the one thing they told us not to do, and not only did nothing bad happen to us, it was actually a great experience! We became "like" our parents. We became like God . . . and our new parameter of moral good versus evil now seemed as thought we possessed all the knowledge we needed, in order to function as mature adults. 

It is only later that we understand why it is better to wait. We would not listen to our parents, and we do not listen to God!

So harsh penalties were required. A noble race does not go off and disobey God! So death entered in. Death (not sin) became the thing from which we needed to be saved!

The approach changes now, in the New Testament. Humanity has been battered around for eons, with the consequences of sin. Death reined since the dawn of time, but not just Death: violence and cruelty became Death's chief attendant! Violence, and even war, all seem closely linked to human sexuality. 

Along comes Christ.

In Christ, we have a scene more like a college professor teaching a group of young adults. This was God's relationship to us at the time of Christ. The world was ready now, to listen to God. And the time had come for God to teach us, mentor and coach us.

This was the sense of the world, in the 1990s. Humanity was ready now, to move forward, to progress, to base the next wave of reforms on listening to one another, and considering all points of view, including God's.

But since then, there has been a rebuff; a resistance; a recoiling. The serpent-side of humanity has made a counter-offer: more knowledge, more wealth, more power, more sex . . . more safety.

In 2020, the longed-for Year of Vision, we found ourselves, running away, emphasizing safety, avoiding each other as vermin, ignoring the sick and dying as soulless creatures of the field. We stayed away from church, and from each other. 

And we hid our faces from God.