Everyone wants this to be about sin. Two texts – from the beginning of the Old Testament and the first (canonically) of the Gospels – that, when taken together underline our need for Jesus.

First humans were tempted…and didn’t pass the test. Then… well, you know the story.

But what if sin didn’t ‘enter the world?’ What if ‘sin’ – that tendency to choose something other than an idealistic perfection – is just built into our human nature?

The warning in Genesis is cryptic. Don’t eat – don’t even touch – the fruit of that one tree in the middle of the garden. The challenge is to leave the mystery a mystery. There is something that is too much for you to understand, so leave it alone…but humans can’t resist a challenge. That is built into us.

The promised punishment for human disobedience is not immediate, and given the circumstances, that is a little odd. Exile is the punishment (which is bad enough) and with that, our story begins.  The description of human hardship (later in chapter 3) outlines the problems of life that, by and large, most humans seem to survive. You might hear it as an inventory of the skills needed to navigate life – granted by God as a parting gift.

The Genesis story reminds us that humans have made their way in a hard world, all the while wondering, hoping and eventually praying that God might grant a better way.

So, what if this is a story about how challenging it can be to engage with God?

The faithful have always struggled with the idea that, while God is a presence larger and more magnificent that we can truly imagine, it does occasionally feel like that presence goes missing from time to time.

Faith is the journey to make sense of that cycle of Divine absence and presence. Our garden story is the beginning of that cycle, and it is foolish to assign blame because of how the story is told. So, let’s forget, for the moment, about ‘original sin.’

Let’s consider instead that our first ancestors in faith were determined. Curious. Trying to adapt to a fabulous reality that offered – not many small challenges to be overcome, but one massive challenge to be overcome: our need to be ‘engaged.’

A life of ease – while it sounds like fun – is not very fruitful (if you’ll pardon the pun) the portion of chapter two that we did not hear this morning describes God’s efforts to ensure this ‘new creation’ was not ‘alone.’ Humans need diversion – they need engagement. We thrive when we are challenged. God’s efforts to find the man a helper introduce a variety of relationships to the human experience. Curiosity drives interaction (with one another and the world around) Sure, there seems to be only one rule, but it’s no surprise that humans would challenge the rules – The two essential human questions are ‘why?’ and ‘why not?’

No one – Not even God – could be surprised by a journey into forbidden territory. Humans are determined and defiant by design. And isn’t Jesus – the model for our faithful behaviour – ‘fully human?’ Of course he will be tempted. We should not be surprised that this episode produces a kind of determined defiance as well.

And what does the Tempter promise?

Satisfaction, safety, and power – everything needed to rest in contentment. A ‘modern’ paradise. And, just as the first humans turned their backs on the garden with their defiance, Jesus says no to all of it.

There are different impulses at work, to be sure. But the refusal to settle for ‘perfection’ under terms that deny our full humanity – that is where the two stories align.

The Genesis story became the story of ‘sin’ because of another human impulse: the need to place blame. But in the gospel version – with Jesus tired and hungry and utterly dependent – the point is made that promises of perfection are not in our best interest.

Our ‘Holy Purpose’ is to find our way in spite of the obstacles that are part of living.

We are told that the lesson of Eve and Adam is that you should not abandon God. I suggest that the real lesson is that no matter how we behave, God seems reluctant to abandon us.

Jesus’ ‘temptation’ is another way of showing that the things we think we want (instant satisfaction, constant protection and unlimited power) are not in our best interests. Jesus work in the world will go on to illustrate why. Relationships, reaching out to those who are wounded, damaged and different. Feeding and healing the hungry and sick – not for the power it might convey, but simply because people deserve to be fed and healed. Dignity is the goal, but it comes at a cost.

In Genesis, that cost is paradise. Two defiant, determined humans turn their backs on perfection and face the challenges of the real world…still with God’s help.

Jesus dismisses the Tempter, and returns to the work of engagement with the unpredictable, the messy, the imperfect world full of unpredictable and imperfect people in God’s name.

Engagement is the key. A willingness to accept the challenges that come with living – a desire to test and prove ourselves against the worst and best that the world has to offer. And the knowledge that even in our defiance God continues to be part of our story…