Lent 1 – Invocabit February 26, 2023
Genesis 3:1-21
Delicious Forbidden Fruit
v.6 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.
Dear friends in Christ, this day marks the first Sunday in the season of Lent: a season of repentance, self-sacrifice, self-discipline, and prayer. These activities of piety are very important to the Christian because of sin. And today in our Old Testament reading, we recounted, once again, the first sin against God by our first parents, which has had such drastic consequences for all mankind ever since. For here in this text, we see Satan's great cunning in that he doesn't first try to tempt Eve by the loveliness of the fruit, but rather first goes after her and Adam's greatest strength—faith in the Word. We see that the root and source of all sin is unbelief and a turning away from God—a rejection of Him and His Word. This Fall then brings forth death, destruction, depravity, pain, and suffering to the whole world.
Because of our fallen estate, it is important for Christians to engage in rigorous self-discipline, in an effort to curb our sinful passions and desires. So, Lent is an opportune time for us to be strengthened in acts such as fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Practices that help us put a leash on our sinful flesh, and work to serve our neighbor in love, while focusing on the gifts of God in Christ.
This is important for us to do, beloved, because we face temptation each and every day. Temptation that arises from our own sinful hearts, or from the world around us, but truly originates from the devil, who desires all people to be damned as he is, and to delight in rejection of God and His Word of truth and salvation. These daily temptations lead us to sin, as we saw in Genesis 3.
For we see in this account that the devil isn't a fool. That is, he doesn't tempt us with things that are easy to reject, but rather with things that are pleasing to us—that already conform to our broken natures and desires that are contrary to God's Word. For example, Satan will not ordinarily tempt a person in our society to run over a box of puppies with our car—because we would be outraged at such a blatant and evil act. He's not so foolish. He will, however, often tempt people to pay more attention to their pets than to their families. Indeed, we often see it today where people will treat having animals on a par with having actual children, calling them their "fur babies." Though this may sound cute on the surface, it actually indicates a devaluing and debasing of human nature as the pinnacle of God's creation—lessening the intrinsic nature of human beings so that it eventually becomes easier and easier for us to do our neighbor harm.
Indeed, some years ago a survey was conducted at a university campus, asking a hypothetical question as to whether a person would elect to save a drowning dog, whom they loved, over a drowning person, whom they disliked. A significant percentage of people chose to save the animal over the human being. Why? Because animals are now often viewed as being on a par, or even of higher value, than human beings.
So often in our temptations, dear friends, we are faced with choices between things we find attractive according to our broken natures, over and against what God's Word says. "You find people of the same sex more attractive than the opposite sex? Fine. Love is love as they say. Your girlfriend has become pregnant and neither of you want to be burdened with that kind of responsibility? No problem. Just get an abortion and be free to live your live as you please. That's really the highest good. Feeling uncomfortable in your own body? Don't worry, simply undergo major surgery and drug treatments and you can change who God made you to be." You see, the devil uses those things that appear to be delicious—leading us to think these things can't be THAT bad. As long as we feel good, that's all that matters, right?
Wrong. And you see, here is the biggest problem. For Adam and Eve had sinned before Eve ever reached out her hand to pluck the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and Good and Evil and eat. No, indeed, the devil gets Eve to question God's Word first. "Did God actually say….?" Eve responds by quoting God's Word back to the devil, but already begins to add to what God has said, "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 midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then Satan plunges the dagger of doubt and unbelief into Eve's heart when he outright rejects God's Word, "You will not surely 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."
So, you see, beloved, the sin occurred before she reached out her hand. She is tempted to a knowledge beyond God and sound reason. For she and Adam already possessed firm knowledge of good. They lived and worked in the Garden of Eden—a perfect paradise prepared by God for them. No pain, no suffering, no death marred this place as they dwelt in the goodness of God's presence. But during her conversation with the devil, she is tempted to go beyond all this. Indeed, she wants the knowledge of evil to be added—she wants insight beyond what God has given. This wisdom looked so good, so right. Yet this wisdom was death, and was hostile to the wisdom of God which was given to her.
And this, beloved, is the way in which the devil brings about all his temptations. Before he can actually get you to reach out your hand and embrace the temptation to sin, he must first get you to reject God and His Word—to act in unbelief. And the farther human beings draw away from the Word of God, the more deeply we fall into sin and temptation, without even realizing it, for we think we are more learned and wise. "We KNOW people can change their sex. We KNOW that our love/lust for anyone and anything is the highest good. We KNOW that unborn children have no rights when their existence threatens our comfort. We KNOW all these things to be true, and God's Word be damned."
Now, these matters of morality are certainly important for us to consider. And we ought always to be guided by the clear Word of God in all these matters. But the devil works even more insidiously at times to bring doubt to the most important matters of all—those that are the root cause of our salvation. For Jesus says in John 17:3, "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." And yet, we are daily tempted to disregard this wisdom, and replace it with our own, turning to our own thoughts. "My salvation must include some little things that I do. Being nice to my neighbor. Fasting during Lent. By my Baptism declaring to God that I am His." Beloved, by departing from the Word of God, which clearly indicates that God works to save us by the blood of His Son, even pouring out His forgiveness upon us in the waters of Baptism, we join in sinning with all our senses: by seeing, thinking, desiring, and by doing.
Adam and Eve's greatest sin was not eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree. That was merely the outgrowth of sin already at work in their hearts. St. James notes this in his letter (1:14-15), "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."
So, Lent is indeed a time of deep reflection and repentance for us as Christians. We even begin the season each year by "clothing" ourselves in ashes, as an outward mark of our contrition and sorrow for our sin. Adam and Eve, terrified of God, tried hiding from Him in the garden, to no avail. You cannot hide your sin from God. He knows. He always knows. He knows your sin better than you do. But He is gracious. He promised to send a seed of the woman who would crush the serpent's head, thus delivering His children from the sin and death that resulted from Satan's temptation.
Jesus has gone into death for you. Jesus has overcome every temptation in your place. Jesus has shed His blood on the cross so that you may be redeemed from your every sin, and may receive forgiveness and life through faith in Him. For on the cross Jesus, by dying in your place, crushed the head of Satan, denying him his greatest weapon against us: guilt and shame for our sin. For Jesus' blood has wiped it all away. Just as God went on to clothe Adam and Eve with the skins of animals, covering up their nakedness and shame, so God has clothed you in the robe of Christ's own righteousness, which you received freely by His hand in your Baptism.
The Lord fills your heart with His Spirit of wisdom and strength that we might ever turn to His Word in time of temptation, even as Jesus did when tempted in the wilderness. For we have received forgiveness and mercy from Christ Jesus not to continue in sin—to embrace temptation—but to resist it, by His grace, looking ever and always to the cross of Jesus whereby we partake of the Tree of Life. The fruit of life that is found flowing from the side of Christ in blood and water on the tree of the cross that forgives, redeems, and restores us to our loving God. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Genesis 3:1-21
Delicious Forbidden Fruit
v.6 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.
Dear friends in Christ, this day marks the first Sunday in the season of Lent: a season of repentance, self-sacrifice, self-discipline, and prayer. These activities of piety are very important to the Christian because of sin. And today in our Old Testament reading, we recounted, once again, the first sin against God by our first parents, which has had such drastic consequences for all mankind ever since. For here in this text, we see Satan's great cunning in that he doesn't first try to tempt Eve by the loveliness of the fruit, but rather first goes after her and Adam's greatest strength—faith in the Word. We see that the root and source of all sin is unbelief and a turning away from God—a rejection of Him and His Word. This Fall then brings forth death, destruction, depravity, pain, and suffering to the whole world.
Because of our fallen estate, it is important for Christians to engage in rigorous self-discipline, in an effort to curb our sinful passions and desires. So, Lent is an opportune time for us to be strengthened in acts such as fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Practices that help us put a leash on our sinful flesh, and work to serve our neighbor in love, while focusing on the gifts of God in Christ.
This is important for us to do, beloved, because we face temptation each and every day. Temptation that arises from our own sinful hearts, or from the world around us, but truly originates from the devil, who desires all people to be damned as he is, and to delight in rejection of God and His Word of truth and salvation. These daily temptations lead us to sin, as we saw in Genesis 3.
For we see in this account that the devil isn't a fool. That is, he doesn't tempt us with things that are easy to reject, but rather with things that are pleasing to us—that already conform to our broken natures and desires that are contrary to God's Word. For example, Satan will not ordinarily tempt a person in our society to run over a box of puppies with our car—because we would be outraged at such a blatant and evil act. He's not so foolish. He will, however, often tempt people to pay more attention to their pets than to their families. Indeed, we often see it today where people will treat having animals on a par with having actual children, calling them their "fur babies." Though this may sound cute on the surface, it actually indicates a devaluing and debasing of human nature as the pinnacle of God's creation—lessening the intrinsic nature of human beings so that it eventually becomes easier and easier for us to do our neighbor harm.
Indeed, some years ago a survey was conducted at a university campus, asking a hypothetical question as to whether a person would elect to save a drowning dog, whom they loved, over a drowning person, whom they disliked. A significant percentage of people chose to save the animal over the human being. Why? Because animals are now often viewed as being on a par, or even of higher value, than human beings.
So often in our temptations, dear friends, we are faced with choices between things we find attractive according to our broken natures, over and against what God's Word says. "You find people of the same sex more attractive than the opposite sex? Fine. Love is love as they say. Your girlfriend has become pregnant and neither of you want to be burdened with that kind of responsibility? No problem. Just get an abortion and be free to live your live as you please. That's really the highest good. Feeling uncomfortable in your own body? Don't worry, simply undergo major surgery and drug treatments and you can change who God made you to be." You see, the devil uses those things that appear to be delicious—leading us to think these things can't be THAT bad. As long as we feel good, that's all that matters, right?
Wrong. And you see, here is the biggest problem. For Adam and Eve had sinned before Eve ever reached out her hand to pluck the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and Good and Evil and eat. No, indeed, the devil gets Eve to question God's Word first. "Did God actually say….?" Eve responds by quoting God's Word back to the devil, but already begins to add to what God has said, "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 midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then Satan plunges the dagger of doubt and unbelief into Eve's heart when he outright rejects God's Word, "You will not surely 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."
So, you see, beloved, the sin occurred before she reached out her hand. She is tempted to a knowledge beyond God and sound reason. For she and Adam already possessed firm knowledge of good. They lived and worked in the Garden of Eden—a perfect paradise prepared by God for them. No pain, no suffering, no death marred this place as they dwelt in the goodness of God's presence. But during her conversation with the devil, she is tempted to go beyond all this. Indeed, she wants the knowledge of evil to be added—she wants insight beyond what God has given. This wisdom looked so good, so right. Yet this wisdom was death, and was hostile to the wisdom of God which was given to her.
And this, beloved, is the way in which the devil brings about all his temptations. Before he can actually get you to reach out your hand and embrace the temptation to sin, he must first get you to reject God and His Word—to act in unbelief. And the farther human beings draw away from the Word of God, the more deeply we fall into sin and temptation, without even realizing it, for we think we are more learned and wise. "We KNOW people can change their sex. We KNOW that our love/lust for anyone and anything is the highest good. We KNOW that unborn children have no rights when their existence threatens our comfort. We KNOW all these things to be true, and God's Word be damned."
Now, these matters of morality are certainly important for us to consider. And we ought always to be guided by the clear Word of God in all these matters. But the devil works even more insidiously at times to bring doubt to the most important matters of all—those that are the root cause of our salvation. For Jesus says in John 17:3, "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." And yet, we are daily tempted to disregard this wisdom, and replace it with our own, turning to our own thoughts. "My salvation must include some little things that I do. Being nice to my neighbor. Fasting during Lent. By my Baptism declaring to God that I am His." Beloved, by departing from the Word of God, which clearly indicates that God works to save us by the blood of His Son, even pouring out His forgiveness upon us in the waters of Baptism, we join in sinning with all our senses: by seeing, thinking, desiring, and by doing.
Adam and Eve's greatest sin was not eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree. That was merely the outgrowth of sin already at work in their hearts. St. James notes this in his letter (1:14-15), "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."
So, Lent is indeed a time of deep reflection and repentance for us as Christians. We even begin the season each year by "clothing" ourselves in ashes, as an outward mark of our contrition and sorrow for our sin. Adam and Eve, terrified of God, tried hiding from Him in the garden, to no avail. You cannot hide your sin from God. He knows. He always knows. He knows your sin better than you do. But He is gracious. He promised to send a seed of the woman who would crush the serpent's head, thus delivering His children from the sin and death that resulted from Satan's temptation.
Jesus has gone into death for you. Jesus has overcome every temptation in your place. Jesus has shed His blood on the cross so that you may be redeemed from your every sin, and may receive forgiveness and life through faith in Him. For on the cross Jesus, by dying in your place, crushed the head of Satan, denying him his greatest weapon against us: guilt and shame for our sin. For Jesus' blood has wiped it all away. Just as God went on to clothe Adam and Eve with the skins of animals, covering up their nakedness and shame, so God has clothed you in the robe of Christ's own righteousness, which you received freely by His hand in your Baptism.
The Lord fills your heart with His Spirit of wisdom and strength that we might ever turn to His Word in time of temptation, even as Jesus did when tempted in the wilderness. For we have received forgiveness and mercy from Christ Jesus not to continue in sin—to embrace temptation—but to resist it, by His grace, looking ever and always to the cross of Jesus whereby we partake of the Tree of Life. The fruit of life that is found flowing from the side of Christ in blood and water on the tree of the cross that forgives, redeems, and restores us to our loving God. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.