"Man is the only animal that blushes--or needs to."
A blush, a sudden, unexpected reddening of the face in response to embarrassment or shame. It is an involuntary response caused by the same system in your body that triggers your "fight or flight" response but as far as I can tell it has no protective value. In fact, it seems to offer only exposure, no protection.
At the beginning of Genesis 2 we find Jehovah , The Creator God, wrist deep in dirt. Don't be tempted to read this and move on. Every thing else God created with a word. The most complex Universe was brought into being by the slightest utterance from the lips of the Almighty, but when it came to making humankind, God chose to get his hands dirty.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7 ERV
Body of clay meets breath of God.
The breath of God that activated the lungs put life into motion. And God put this newly created man and woman in paradise. They had it all: food, fresh water, uninterrupted fellowship with God. They had everything. Everything that is, except shame.
The breath of God that activated the lungs put life into motion. And God put this newly created man and woman in paradise. They had it all: food, fresh water, uninterrupted fellowship with God. They had everything. Everything that is, except shame.
One-hundred and eighty three words, seven verses, and one sin later they felt it.
"At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness.
So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves." Genesis 3:7 (NLT)
Their innocence had been stripped off.
They had never needed a protective layer of clothing because they were not ashamed.
There was "nothing in them, or on them, or about them, that caused shame; nothing sinful, defective, scandalous or blameworthy; no sin in their nature, no guilt on their consciences, or wickedness in their hands or actions." (Gill's exposition of the Entire Bible)
And now seven verses later the mortal body goes to war with the immortal soul. The house is no longer worthy of that which indwells it and shame, and sin, and death enter the picture. They had an immediate need to duck and cover. They covered their nakedness. Not because they were embarrassed by cellulite, love handles, or imperfect bodies but because they now were vulnerable. They were no longer protected from heat and cold. Now every rock, every blade of grass was a threat to their dying flesh. They sought protection because now they were exposed. Exposed to the elements, exposed to each other, exposed to God.
And for the first time in history the "fight or flight" response kicked in. There was no outside threat to fight against, and there was no where to run and hide, so their bodies did what their bodies were created to do: they blushed. And all of creation saw their shame.
These are the things nightmares are made of. Standing naked in front of your class, cheeks glowing as red as a stoplight. What a relief it is to wake up and find that it was only a dream.
But what about the dreams you can't wake up from? The moments of humiliation that occur in real time. What does God do in the moments of our shame? When we are caught red handed taking the fruit from the serpent. When our fig leaves are coming apart at the seams? Where does God stand when we are exposed before our accusers? He doesn't! God doesn't stand for it at all! In fact, He stoops.
Fast forward from Genesis to the Gospel of John, from the Garden of Eden to the City of David. In the Garden it was Adam and Eve, crouched among the vegetation, foolishly fancying that the bushes and trees could hide their sin from the eyes of God, yet keenly aware of their mortality and the well earned wages of their sin: death.
In the temple court it is a nameless woman, probably naked (the Bible says she was "caught in adultery, in the very act." John 8:4 NKJV) with noway to run and nowhere to hide. The flesh-hungry vultures are circling, stones in hand. The same flesh that she satisfied in the night was, in the light of the morning, her condemnation. And death stood by awaiting his prize.
In that moment, this woman stood, quite literally between death, and LIFE. The time for repentance was behind her. The time for judgement was upon her. And her next breath, her next heartbeat all hinged on this lowly Carpenter from Nazareth.
And once again, we find God with His hands in the dirt. Elohim, God our Creator, stooped low to the Earth on the sixth day of creation. Holy hands mingled with dusty Earth and brought forth life. Flesh and Spirit, Heaven and Earth, put together in the image of God. Man, formed from dust and raised to life to bring honor and glory to God.
Fast forward from Genesis to the Gospel of John, from the Garden of Eden to the City of David. In the Garden it was Adam and Eve, crouched among the vegetation, foolishly fancying that the bushes and trees could hide their sin from the eyes of God, yet keenly aware of their mortality and the well earned wages of their sin: death.
In the temple court it is a nameless woman, probably naked (the Bible says she was "caught in adultery, in the very act." John 8:4 NKJV) with noway to run and nowhere to hide. The flesh-hungry vultures are circling, stones in hand. The same flesh that she satisfied in the night was, in the light of the morning, her condemnation. And death stood by awaiting his prize.
In that moment, this woman stood, quite literally between death, and LIFE. The time for repentance was behind her. The time for judgement was upon her. And her next breath, her next heartbeat all hinged on this lowly Carpenter from Nazareth.
And once again, we find God with His hands in the dirt. Elohim, God our Creator, stooped low to the Earth on the sixth day of creation. Holy hands mingled with dusty Earth and brought forth life. Flesh and Spirit, Heaven and Earth, put together in the image of God. Man, formed from dust and raised to life to bring honor and glory to God.
As Jesus knelt between that adulteress and the pious religious leaders with His hands in the dirt did He remember the unblemished image of that first man? Did He think back to the beauty of innocence when our souls were satisfied in Him? As His finger wrote in the sand did He look back through history and remember when his finger blazed the covenant law into the stone? The same laws that the religious leaders were using to condemn this woman were inscribed by not by an angel, or some instrument or creature, but by the heart and the hand of God, the "man" stooping in the sand before them.
Oh, how we have defaced His image. Oh, how we have broken our covenant with Him. We wallow in sin and think we can mask its stench with fig leaves. Like Eve, in the garden, the serpent has convinced us that God is withholding something from us. He has convinced us that God created the appetite of sin in us therefore, we should satisfy it. And while the fruit tastes sweet in the mouth it is a parasite that will destroy the very fiber of our soul.
Like the adulteress woman you stand in the midst of your accusers, clothed in shame, starving, destitute, death drawing near. The crowd is relentless in its condemnation. Where does Christ stand in the midst of it?
He is bent low to the Earth. In that moment did his mind go back to the times that He had bent low? Did He remember the time He bent low enough to sleep in a manger, or work in a carpentry shop, or sail on a fishing boat? Did He think of times He bent low enough to dine with thieves or touch a leper? Did He look into the future and think of how low He would have to bend to spend a night shivering in a prison cell? To be slapped, to be spat upon, and nailed to a cross? Did He think of how low His body would have to bend to lay in a grave?
If we are ever able to stand blameless before God it is only because He was willing to stoop. If we are ever able to be clean it is because God was willing to get His hands dirty.
When you think you are at your lowest, look down. See the Carpenter bent low with His hands in the dirt. And though you may be tempted to look away--keep your eyes on Him. Because He's getting ready to stand up. . .
Like the adulteress woman you stand in the midst of your accusers, clothed in shame, starving, destitute, death drawing near. The crowd is relentless in its condemnation. Where does Christ stand in the midst of it?
He is bent low to the Earth. In that moment did his mind go back to the times that He had bent low? Did He remember the time He bent low enough to sleep in a manger, or work in a carpentry shop, or sail on a fishing boat? Did He think of times He bent low enough to dine with thieves or touch a leper? Did He look into the future and think of how low He would have to bend to spend a night shivering in a prison cell? To be slapped, to be spat upon, and nailed to a cross? Did He think of how low His body would have to bend to lay in a grave?
If we are ever able to stand blameless before God it is only because He was willing to stoop. If we are ever able to be clean it is because God was willing to get His hands dirty.
When you think you are at your lowest, look down. See the Carpenter bent low with His hands in the dirt. And though you may be tempted to look away--keep your eyes on Him. Because He's getting ready to stand up. . .
"Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation." (St. Patrick ca. 337)
No comments:
Post a Comment