Lectionary Lesson for June 7, 2015 “Did the Devil Really Make Me Do It?”

Focal Point: Don’t get distracted by “side issues;” stay

focused on the will of God.

First Reading (Hebrew Scripture)

Genesis 3:8-15

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the

evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of

the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the

man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of you in

the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 He said,

“Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I

commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to

be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God

said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The

serpent tricked me, and I ate.” 14 The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you among all animals

and among all wild creatures;

upon your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will strike your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

Background We have here the “capstone” of the story of temptation in the Garden of Eden

– also known as the Story of the Fall of humanity. In what has gone before, the

serpent – one of the Creator’s living creatures – has entered a dialogue with the

woman, Eve, about following God’s directions concerning eating and not

eating fruit from the trees of the Garden.

Of course, as the story famously outlines, the first humans are free to eat of any

tree in the Garden, with the exception of one: the tree of the knowledge of

good and evil. (Oh, but inquiring minds want to know!)

Also, as we know all too well, the human weakness when it comes to resisting

temptation comes into play, and both the woman and the man eat of the

“forbidden fruit.” Now, in our passage, as the Lord God comes to pay a visit (as

God was apparently wont to do,) it’s time to “pay the piper” and assign some

blame for the transgression.

Notice how “sin” brings an immediate sense of guilt and shame; the humans’

first reaction is to hide from God. The man self-assigns shame to being naked,

where the Creator had imposed none (see chapter 2, verse 25.)

Not far behind shame comes blame; the man is quick to point the finger at the

woman, who was, indeed the first to eat the fruit. (Be sure to note that the man

was there the whole time – he can’t really play the “I didn’t know any better”

card! See chapter 3, verse 6.)

The woman passes the blame on to the serpent, who has nowhere else to turn

and must accept the wrath of the Lord God.

Interpretation has long identified the serpent of this story with various other evil

characters mentioned in scripture: Satan, the Devil, even Beelzebub (who

appears next in our gospel reading.) Does the text in Genesis ever identify the

serpent this way?

Gospel Reading Mark 3:20-35

20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even

eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were

saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from

Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out

demons.” 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How

can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom

cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be

able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he

cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s

house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then

indeed the house can be plundered.

28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies

they utter;29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have

forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they had said, “He has an

unclean spirit.”

31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him

and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your

mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he

replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat

around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does

the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

All scriptures from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.

Background Fast forward to the time of Jesus, and we still have the sticky problem of “the

devil” tampering in the affairs of decent, hardworking men and women. Here,

the chief prince of mischief is named Beelzebul – an old Chaldean word that

literally meant, “lord of the flies” or “the god of dung.” (Snakes, flies, dung…are

we getting the idea here?)

The mythos behind a “prince of demons” was alive and well during this time, as

evidenced by the comments of the religious leaders (scribes, or “learned ones.”)

Other folks just thought Jesus was out of his mind – including, it seems, his own

mother and family members.

Jesus certainly was willing to confront the “powers of evil” in his day; the

immediate action before today’s reading sees Jesus healing a man in the

synagogue, touching hundreds or thousands of diseased people in the great

crowds that came to see him, and hearing “unclean spirits” confess that he was

the Son of God!

Hence, the claims by the authorities that Jesus must be using the power of the

devil to fight the power of the devil. (And we thought that politicians of our own

times must have invented the circular argument!)They couldn’t imagine any

other motive – such as compassion, or respect, or desire to restore dignity.

Jesus points out the preposterous nature of their claim – Satan wouldn’t last very

long if he fought against himself. Abraham Lincoln would later seize on the

power of Jesus’ “house divided” statement in one of his most famous speeches,

delivered long before his rise to the Presidency and urging an end to the “half-

slave, half-free” status of America.

(http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/house.htm)

In the end, even though his mother pleaded with him to come home and take it

easy, Jesus surmised that such speculation was really just a distraction from what

mattered most. Repeatedly, Jesus claimed doing the will of God as his highest

priority. He even goes so far as to place those who would follow him in this task

in the status of his family.

Evidently, neither Satan nor Beelzebub nor even the Serpent could make the

choice to deter him from his appointed rounds. Jesus’ choice to remain

obedient to God’s call was his own.

Questions for Discussion 1. Why do you think the story of the serpent and the tree appears in the

beginning of the Bible? What is this story really about?

2. Is God really a God who is out looking to punish people for their sins?

3. Are we accountable for our actions? Do our actions have consequences –

either good or bad?

4. Ultimately, who controls the decisions that you make every day?

5. Can “the devil” – or anybody else – really make you do anything?

Making the Bible Practical What kinds of things do you think are included in the “will of God” that Jesus

describes in the gospel?

If you are one of Jesus’ “brothers or sisters,” what will your life look like?

Suggest one or two (or a few) decisions you might be faced with this week that

will give you an opportunity to do the “will of God” in this way. If you’re brave

enough, write them down and share them with another person.