In anticipating Jesus’ birth something clouds our vision and our understanding as we look to see the glory of the eternally existent Son of God, creator of all things. More than our finite inability to comprehend the infinite, there is a darkness which distorts our understanding.
John 1:3-5 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (4) In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (5) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:9-10 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (10) He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
This darkness had it’s beginning in the garden of Eden. When “the serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan”, “a murderer and liar from the beginning,” was “more cunning than any beast of the field” and he “deceived Eve by his craftiness.”
Gen 3:1-12 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (2) And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, (3) but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (4) But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. (5) For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (7) Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (8) And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (9) But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (10) And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (11) He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (12) The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
Satan tempted Eve and through her Adam to question God’s good character and to question his good word. He had himself tried to usurp the throne of God and now he convinced Adam and Eve that they could be like God and determine for themselves what is good and evil. They believed this lie. They saw it was good and took and ate. They disobeyed the word of the Lord. And darkness entered the world. Immediately those who walked with God in the garden found themselves distanced from him, hiding from him in their guilt and shame. They might try to justify their sinfulness, but they could not escape the reality that they had been exposed. There was nowhere to hide.
They were now at enmity with the Holy God who had made them…
