IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH SEX

There are those who maintain that the first sin had something to do with sex, given the fact that the writer says that they, Adam and Eve, were born naked and not ashamed and once they were caught in their sins, they became embarrassed and had to clothe themselves, especially their sexual organs. Such an assertion makes some sense, if we think putting on clothes somehow shields us from the embarrassment of admitting to our sins and discretions.

Yet, as the story goes, Adam’s and Eve’s sin had nothing at all to do with sex; nothing. If you don’t believe me, read the story again. Besides, and more importantly (and it should go without saying) by its very nature sex is good because without it none of us would be here today to reflect on that biblical story and its implications and meaning.

Rather, I think, the very first sin was the one from which all other sins flow. The serpent in the story, sky and crafty creature that he was, understood human nature better than the humans themselves did. The serpent did not need to tempt these humans to do something so much as it had to just scratch the surface of that which spurs humans to eat too much, drink too much, misuse our sexuality and desire more than we need. That first sin was the sin of greed.

Think about it: these two people were living in Paradise. They had all their hearts could desire. They were never sick, never in pain, had all the food they ever needed or wanted. They had everything but it wasn’t enough. They were not satisfied. They thought or were induced to believe there was something missing that needed to be sated. They wanted more than enough.

Then when they were caught in the act, they put on clothes to hide themselves, not because they were embarrassed by their nakedness but because they were embarrassed because of the fools they had just made of themselves. Their greed had gotten the better of them and led them down a primrose path that was now and forever would be covered with thorns, thorns aptly called “greed”.

As with Adam and Eve in the story, so with each and every one of us: all greed has to do is scratch the surface and all hell can break loose. We know the stories, and they are legion, stories about people whose lives have been ruined and who, in the process, ruined the lives of countless others all because greed took over and sanity got submerged under a ton of lies.

Greed is so powerful because it is so insidious. It masquerades as somehow good. It convinces us that we need what we now desire, that we deserve what we now want. It convinces us that what we are doing is good and is good for us and is good for others and will do no one any harm. But, in truth, greed is the Father and Mother of all lies. It is only after learning the hard way, after we are suffering the consequences of our greed and seeing the harm that it has done to others, especially those whom we love, that we rue the day we gave in to it --- and we want to hide but cannot, especially not from ourselves.