“What is this you have done?” (Genesis 3:13).
The other day, someone close to me told a lie. It was not a serious lie, and was not a terrible lie. It was not a lifechanging lie. And it was not worse than the millions of lies that I, myself, have told during the course of my life. The thing that was so difficult for me when I discovered the lie was that I had to discover it. This person did not come to me and tell me that they had lied. Instead, I had been observing behaviour for some time and finally – after observing that behaviour – I was able to make my own investigations, and as a result of those investigations, I was able to see exactly what the lie had been.
And it was not the deed itself that upset me that day – it was the lie. The deception that assumed that I would be unable to uncover the truth… And the fact that the truth had been concealed from me for some time…
And I have been thinking about that today. When Eve and then Adam committed the first sin – Original Sin – in the Garden of Eden, they hid from God. That hiding was the first sign that God observed of their sin. The fact that they experienced shame indicated to Him that they had committed some sin. Then, when God saw them, He saw them wearing clothes, and that was the other sign that something was wrong.
And then He asked them what they had done, and they told Him. And how sad He must have been that they waited for Him to enquire? How sad God must have been that they thought they could hide their sin from Him – He who is everything…?
And I have been thinking about that. Because in God’s response, “What is this you have done?” (Genesis 3:13) is contained all the sorrow in the world. For if I could be heartbroken by a little lie that I uncovered where I, myself, lie and lie often, how terrible was the heartbreak of God of the Universe, when He knew that His plan for the world was destroyed in a moment of weakness and a lie. How terrible the pain of a God who knew in that moment that His only Begotten Son would be sacrificed for the sins of the world.
And I have been reflecting on that today, because it seems to me that God has suffered too much for my sins. And it seems to me that His pain and heartbreak is so overwhelming that my tiny human mind cannot comprehend it. And today, I feel such shame for the sins of the world – and the sins of my soul, killed the Son of Man. I feel such shame… For my God says to me, “What is this you have done?” (Genesis 3:13).
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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