Tag: gospel

The Gardener

Posted on by jovial_cynic

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:15 (NIV)

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
John 20:15 (NIV)

If you study Genesis first, the Gospels will make more sense.

The Midrash has a saying: when God made Adam in His Image, the angels suddenly couldn’t tell which one was God and which one was Adam. It wasn’t until God made Adam fall asleep that they knew which one was God.

Forgiveness is Greater than Vengeance

Posted on by jovial_cynic
When Jesus tells Peter to forgive 70 times 7 (or 77, depending on translation), He is countering the vengeance in the story of Cain and Lamech.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)

Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
Genesis 4:23-24 (NIV)

Cain’s Mark

Posted on by jovial_cynic
In the story of the woman caught in adultery, perhaps the mark Jesus draws in the sand is the same mark God draws on Cain. Perhaps the miracle here is that the men in the story walk away because they suddenly don’t remember her sin.

Perhaps it’s a story of a fresh start.

“I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.
Genesis 43:25 (NIV)