A Genesis Koan

The Text

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ 2The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ 4But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; 5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ 6So 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. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

A Commentary

I suspect those who look to this ancient story to place blame on a gender for all the ills of our lives are seriously missing anything of value here. Some people feel a need to set out on a journey to find that original home. Those who pull out maps and set up archeological expeditions are likely to be disappointed. But those who turn to the desert of their own hearts and minds may well find traces that will take them home.

The issue is not who tempts whom or how far from the Tigris the old garden might be, but the reality of our lives. Most of us are aware somewhere deep in our bodies that something is wrong. That sense of dislocation, which lurks in so many hearts, is a hint that we have somehow strayed far from home. Here’s an ancient Western story of why.

The turning point is that moment of eating the fruit.

What was it that made people “like God,” or in other translations, “like gods?” here we see the secret of human domination of the planet, of all our many successes in a worldly sense. That ability to see good and evil is the ability to slice and dice information. This binary function, on and off, up and down, light and dark, good and ill, plays out endlessly as the inquisitive mind. Some animals are strong. Some animals are fast. We are the smart animal.

So, somewhere along the line we ate the fruit that allowed us to divide the world. And it made us like gods. And in a heartbeat it threw us out of the garden, out of our original home.

And now we long for that home.

Some think the way home is found through rejecting the world. Here the stories of a pure spirit chained to the mud begin to find their expression. The way of world rejection is very popular.

And it is not our way.

Here, here, among the snares and tares, where is Eden?

Here, here, at this moment, can you see it?

Not one.

Not two.

Just this, reaching up, taking the apple, and biting.

Any questions?

A Verse

Biting the fruit
forgetting one’s home
Where is Eden
when you’re naked?