by Amy Rasmussen (copyright, 2009)
I was thinking, recently, about what happened when Paradise went up in smoke. What came to mind were two people clutching fig leaves in front of their genitals.
“Hello! Where are you?” A friendly voice called through the Garden.
God rounded a bush and burst out laughing over the absurdity of the man and woman attempting to cover their shamed consciences with fig leaves. It had to have been awkward—their embarrassment in the Presence of the One who had never intended embarrassment. Did the couple laugh nervously, reaching their free hands for more leaves from a nearby branch? I have wondered if, prior to that, their eyes opened, similar to stumbling upon skinny-dippers on a Sunday stroll through the woods. And did they shield their eyes as their differences spiraled into an embarrassing vortex?
“Who told you that you are naked?” God inquired, probably through tears.
“It was the woman’s fault,” he said. “Incidentally, you gave her to me…”
“Well, it was the serpent’s fault,” she said.
Both stared at their feet.
Genesis doesn’t tell us everything that transpired prior to that conversation. “This looks good!” she might have said, fingering the fruit. “You should try some and see what happens!”
But curiosity had to have gotten the better of them. I have often wondered if the first temptation was less about eating fruit and more about treating each other like guinea pigs.
“No, really,” he might have responded with a smile, “Ladies first!”
“Well, if you put it that way…” Maybe she blushed before delicately sinking her teeth in the fruit.
In that moment, I have wondered if he wasn’t waiting to see if she would melt or blow up! There’s a lot we don’t know about those moments. But obviously the woman was confused over the snake’s deceptive advice and, for whatever reason, the man watched her– maybe even hoisted her up the tree– before taking a bite.
