I continue walking with the Lord in the forty-day Wilderness journey. The unpacking of parallels between Adam and Jesus uncovers temptation number two.
Flash Back to the Garden...
They "saw the fruit of the tree was...pleasing to the eye..."
As the Tempter continued the assault on the creatures' trust in their Creator, our First Parents now notice how beautiful the fruit looks. Maybe they shyed away from this place like a forbidden zone around the forbidden fruit. (Eve did have a misunderstanding of the command. God only said not to eat. She incorrectly attributed a command not to even touch it to God.) More likely they just had only explored a small part of the Garden world and never been this close to the tree. They might have never noticed this before as the fruit of the tree grew on high branches above their line of sight. Maybe the serpent's body weighed down a branch, bending it close to their faces. However, they became suddenly aware of its intrinsic attractiveness.
The beauty of the fruit. How many acclaimed masters have painted that bowl of fruit? Why our fascination with the shapes, textures, gloss and coloration of fruit? The human heart craves what the human eye captures -- beauty. Sometimes just the look of the fruit satisfies.
The Tempter brought the beauty, the perfect fruit-ishness of the fruit, to their attention. God made it. Everything was in prototypical perfection. He had, in absolute Divine wisdom and insight, observed then declared this and all vegetation good on the Third Day of creation. I see no indication from the narrative that this fruit tree distinguished itself from others astheticly.
Fast Forward to the Wilderness...
"The devil...showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said...'I will give you all their authority and splendor...'"
Again the Tempter appeals to the visual effects of the world in an effort to mislead Jesus. The world of men glows with beauty. Recently I was overwhelmed by the warmth and charm of a little Victorian town nestled in the hills of Virginia. The joy of driving through those mountains with the many vistas and rustic beauties, pulled at my heart. We have created works of architecture and enginering that truly amaze and inspire. What wonders they have wrought!
The splendor of the kingdoms -- their eye-catching, jaw-dropping splendor -- motivated many a leader to conquest. Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, vandals, Vikings, Goths, Mongols, Spaniards, Frenchmen, Brits, Nazis, Japaneze, Russians -- each empire or empire busters sought to possess the splendor of the world of men. The glow of gold, the shine of cities, the marvel of manufacturing moved many a man to take and try control.
Back to Life...
Jesus sees behind the beauty of the fruit to the the trap of the Tempter. The devil promises unhindered access to the splendor IF He will worship him. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6.13: "Worship the LORD your God and serve Him only." The appeal of the beautiful cannot compare to the Beautific Vision. God intends the wonders of nature and the splendor of human creativity to point mankind back to Himself -- the Creative Maker of heaven and earth.
May we all like Jesus, "Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness..." Psalm 29.2. May our prayer be
"Be Thou My Vision!" Bernard of Clairvaux
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light
Be thou my wisdom and Thou my true word I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I , Thy true son Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one
Riches I heed not nor man's emptly praise Thou mine inheritance now and always
Thou and thou only first in my heart High King of heaven my treasure Thou are
High King of heaven my victory won May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun
Heart of my own heart whatever befall Still be my vision O Ruler of all
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