Genesis 3:1-13

            {Prayer}

            A couple of weeks ago I brought up two masterpieces, “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt and the “La Pieta”, by Michelangelo. Both pieces had been severely damaged and had to undergo major restoration in order to make them look as close as possible to what they originally looked like. And while both masterpieces have been restored, upon close examination of them, you can still see the flaws, you can still see where they had been fixed.

            Unlike these masterpieces that have been around for hundreds of years … normally when something breaks, especially if it is a dish, a vase, a plate … what do we normally do with it? … We throw it away right? It’s broken, it doesn’t serve any good purpose anymore, time to get rid of it.

            This morning we have Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. At the end of Chapter 2 it says that they “were both naked, and they felt no shame” (2:25). Everything is perfect. At the end of day six, God stepped back from all He made and said it wasn’t good, but that it was very good. Nothing to be ashamed about. No brokenness. Everything was complete.

            In Genesis 3, we have Adam and Eve, taking a stroll in the Garden when they come upon a talking serpent. Normally, most people would run away from the serpent, but this is the Garden of Eden. Everything is perfect. So Adam and Eve have this little conversation. A conversation about which fruit from which tree they were not allowed to eat from. Eve says, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die’” (3:2-3). Now let’s look at what she said.

            God did give them trees to eat from. Genesis 2 tells us “the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (2:9). Later, God specifically commanded Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (2:16-17).

            So Eve isn’t totally wrong in her statement to the serpent. They are allowed to eat fruit from the trees but just not from the one in the middle of the garden. But Eve said that they weren’t allowed to touch because if they did they would surely die. What about that statement? I don’t remember that being part of what God had said. So the serpent, being more crafty than any of the wild animals, slithers up to the tree and uses that statement against her and Adam.

            “Oh, you will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (3:4-5). So looking good, which everything in the Garden is good, and pleasing to the eye, something else God said existed, Eve reached up, grabbed a juicy fruit, bit into it, gave it to Adam, who was there with her, he bit into it, and together their eyes were opened. Their eyes were opened and they realized what they did that they shouldn’t have done. They realized they are naked and are ashamed, so they make loincloths and hide.

            At this point, God could have very easily said, “You disobeyed me! You’re broken! You’re no good to me anymore!” God could have easily abandoned them, discarded them, filed them in the trash can, and start all over. But notice what He does.

            God calls out to them. “Where are you?” (3:9). Now God knew very well where they were, He’s God. But He calls out to them to bring them out of hiding and back to Himself. He brings them back to Himself and helps them confess what it was that they did. Yes, as we’ll hear next week in more detail, God does punish them and He does give them a promise of redemption. But here, God simply calls them to Himself so that He can restore them.

            Here’s the thing … out of God’s grace, God picks up their pieces, puts them back together, and protects them. God gives them clothing, He gives them a place to live, and He rightly bars them from the Garden so that they will not eat from the Tree of Life and forever live in their sin. These are all things which God didn’t have to do.

            You know, there is another form of art out there, that I think is really cool, that does something different in regards to the restoration process. Instead of trying to fix the brokenness to where it can’t be noticed, like with Rembrandt’s painting or Michelangelo’s sculpture, the brokenness is much more evident and is actually the central focus of the item.

            This particular form of art is called Kintsugi. Kintsugi means “join with gold”. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken objects, usually pottery or glass, using lacquer mixed with powdered gold, but sometimes with silver, or platinum. Instead of throwing the pottery away, Kintsugi encourages one to fix them, thus, turning the broken pieces into valuable works of art.  

            God could have really easily thrown Adam and Eve out and started over. God really easily could have drowned Noah and his family with the rest of humanity and started over. God really easily could have destroyed the Israelites when they started worshipping the golden calf and started over a new people. But He didn’t. Instead, God restored them. Through God’s grace, He forgave them, He put them back together, He continued to provide for them their daily needs, He promised them an ultimate restoration where they would be a far better, a more beautiful, a more magnificent version of themselves.

            This is what Kintsugi art reflects. The plate, the pot, the vase or glass, once broken, it could easily be tossed away. But Kintsugi art put its back together and with the gold lacquer filling the cracks, the piece looks even more amazing than the original.

            There is no doubt about it … you and I are broken. You and I suffer the side effects of sin. Broken relationships with our neighbors, our friends, our family members. Broken bodies suffering from aging, arthritis, cancer, disease. Shattered dreams of not having the lifestyle we had hoped for, not working the job we really want, not being able to have or raise a family. With this come shattered hearts filled with anguish, pain, regret, guilt, and emptiness. There’s no doubt about it … you and I are broken.

            But you know … just as God didn’t just discard Adam and Eve and start over … God doesn’t discard you. Like Adam and Eve, God comes and calls you to Himself. God deeply cares about you and wants you to be with Him. God was there, knitting you together in the dark depths of your mother’s womb. God proclaims that you, singular you, not ya’ll, but that you are His. In the shepherd parables we hear how Jesus is willing to leave the 99 sheep in order to go and look for the one who is lost. Jesus is willing to leave the 99 sheep there on the hillside, out in the open where they can be attacked and scattered, in order to go and search for one, to search for you.

            Psalm 23 ends saying, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (23:6). As great and as comforting as that verse is, a more literal translation is even more comforting. A more literal translation sounds like this … “Surely goodness and mercy shall purse after me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” God doesn’t follow us like we are leading Him, no, He pursues us. Our sin wants to make us run away from God, but because of God’s deep desire to have you with Him, He pursues after you!

            We heard that in the gospel reading too. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16-17). God comes to us. He comes to us through His Word, He comes to us through His Son, through the very same Son who willingly gives us His body and blood to eat and drink in, with, and under this bread and wine. God comes to us through the Holy Spirit who lives and dwells within us. And Jesus will come again on the last day. And when He does, He will raise these bodies up from their graves, bodies that are broken, rotten, and worth being discarded, Jesus will raise up these bodies and restore them to perfection, to something better than they originally are now.

            Like Kintsugi art, Jesus, through His blood shed and by His resurrection, He binds us back together. In binding us back together … like the brightness of the gold in Kintsugi art, the brightness of God’s loves shines forth. May we live our lives in ways which bring glory and honor to Him so that others may see the beauty of His love. Amen.

            The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.