The 3,000+-year-old book of Genesis contains a thought-provoking story about the beginning of all fine messes into which we human beings are still constantly getting. The created man and woman were strongly warned. What persuaded them to go their own way?
Eve saw three things about the fruit of the prohibited tree: (1) “the tree was good for food”; (2) “it was a delight to the eyes”; (3) “the tree was to be desired to make one wise”. She and her husband desired what they thought was missing: the [prohibited] tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They wanted to be autonomous, to choose for themselves what was good or evil. The LORD God was good when he warned them.
In the first century AD John, a follower of Jesus wrote to Christians about desire. All that is in the world—(1) the desires of the flesh and (2) the desires of the eyes and (3) pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. |
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That sums up my problem in a nutshell. Are you like me? Do you also have (1) desires “to eat” including “to experience” leading to addiction, cheating and lies; (2) desires “to own” including “to be seen to have”, leading to palatial loneliness, greed and pain to others; (3) desires “to get ahead” including “to be the one who decides that what I’m doing is right”.
At the very beginning of his public ministry in Israel, Jesus was put to the test about his desires. Jesus, being terribly hungry and in a wilderness, was encouraged by his accuser to change stones into bread. (1) “The tree was good for food.” Then he was told he could have all the authority and glory of all the world’s nations. (2) “It was a delight to the eyes.” Finally he was taken to a high precarious place to see if he, by jumping, would force his Father to save him. Will he be autonomous? (3) “The pride of life.” Unlike Eve, it was, for him, all the way, “my Father first”, “the things of God”.
Take a look at the extract in bold above from Mark’s first century biography of Jesus. Jesus is setting out what life holds in store for him. Does life for him promise the fulfillment of the same earthly desires which I hold dear? He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly.
On my behalf, Peter intervenes to protest. Peter doesn’t want that – for him (Jesus) - or for himself. When Jesus turns around and sees his other followers listening, he must respond to Peter’s desires – and their desires. “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Peter’s mind set - his desires – are the “things of man”. In that case, do they need to be changed? To God’s things?
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It’s not only Peter’s desires but also the desires of the other disciples and the desires of the crowd which need changing. Calling the crowd to him with his disciples, Jesus says to them, “If anyone would come with me, then (1) deny self and (2) take up your own execution stake and (3) follow me.”
(1) “Deny self”? But what about having enough to eat (1) “the tree is good for food”? (2) “Take up your own execution stake”? But what about taking up every item of which I can say (2) “it is a delight to the eyes”? (3) “Follow Jesus”? But what about my autonomy, my wisdom, my getting ahead through (3) “the tree is to be desired to make one wise”?
What John wrote in the first century AD remains true today: the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. What shall EYE do? |
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