First Sunday of Lent [A]

 


FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT [A]


While the devil has success in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:4-7), he goes on to fail in Matthew chapter four. How do we explain this? It needs to be understood that in Genesis chapter three the devil is operating on the original Adam; in Matthew chapter four he is contending with a new and improved Adam. That’s how Jesus gets portrayed in Romans chapter five: as a kind of New Adam. The Old Adam sends us into a type of deficit situation; meanwhile, through the New Adam, we actually come out ahead. Or, to put it another way: it’s a disadvantage being affiliated with the Old; and it’s an advantage when we choose to be affiliated with the New. St. Paul’s point is that the advantage seriously outweighs the disadvantage (Rom. 5:15-17). 


By way of analogy, consider the case of Tony Stark. He is a damaged individual who eventually becomes a superhero. He starts off as a wounded prisoner being held behind enemy lines. An explosion leaves him with pieces of shrapnel embedded dangerously close to his heart. He is being kept alive by a fellow prisoner, a scientist named Ho-Yin-Sen. Yin-Sen fashions a magnetized armor plate that can be fitted over Stark’s upper body. By employing magnetic force, the shrapnel can be pulled further away from the embattled heart. Working together, they develop the idea of moving forward, building a full transistorized suit of armor. Enhanced in this way, Stark will be able to fight back and regain his freedom.  


However, the soldiers begin to suspect that unauthorized work is being carried out. As they pursue their investigation, Yin-Sen creates a distraction. He buys enough time so that the suit can take on a full charge. Tragically, the scientist ends up dying a sacrificial death. As for Stark, he avenges the death of his friend by springing into action as “Iron Man.”  And thus, a new super-hero can be added to the comic book universe (see Marvel’s Tales of Suspense, #39). Initially, Stark is burdened with a severe disadvantage. But by the end of the story, he has gone from disadvantage to advantage. He is more than he was previously. The advantage, in this instance, surpasses the disadvantage. 


Now the focus can shift back to us, and the disadvantage that we face. In effect, we are wounded by what happens in the Garden of Eden. We receive badly needed help from somebody who has the willingness to sacrifice himself—namely, Jesus, the New Adam. Where does this leave us? We come out ahead. We exceed our original status. The truth is that we are blessed far more than we are cursed. It is true—at least to the extent that we are affiliated with the person of Christ. And if we’re not sufficiently affiliated? Then, we revert back to our default setting. If we’re not going to affiliate with the New Adam, then it means that we are settling for the Old Adam. We’re forsaking the advantage so that we can continue to struggle with the disadvantage. 

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