From The Beginning
Although Jesus consistently proved that he couldn't be
trapped, the Pharisees barraged Him with
carefully calculated questions throughout His ministry.
On one occasion in Matthew 19, Jesus was asked whether a man could divorce his wife for any cause. Rather than chasing
rabbit trails and diving into tangled
arguments, Jesus simply went back to the original purpose and design of marriage.
Twice in the text, in vss. 4 and 8, He instructed the Pharisees about what God wanted "from the beginning."
Among
other things, Jesus teaches us in Matthew 19 that difficult and controversial issues (like
marriage and divorce) can only be properly understood if we have a clear understanding
of our Creator's original purposes. In the first chapters of Genesis, we also read about other subjects that can more
easily be understood by going back to the
beginning.
Consider, for example, the issue of modesty. Amongst
Christians, there is
a wide range of opinions concerning what kind of clothing is appropriate for public dress, and I've seen many
articles and Facebook discussions about this issue. When I reflect on these
Internet discussions, I worry that some Christians are becoming like the Pharisees
in their approach to Biblical matters - arguing about side issues and missing the
original focus of the Biblical text. Some will point their finger at the
lustful eyes of men and highlight their need for selfcontrol. Others will argue that women really need to be sensitive to the Godgiven
wiring of men's minds and dress themselves accordingly. While both points have their place in the discussion about
appropriate dress, neither idea strikes
at the heart of what God was primarily concerned about "from the beginning."
In Genesis
2-3, the original purpose of clothing was quite clear: to conceal the shame of
nakedness caused by rebellion against God (Genesis 3.7). Prior to
Eve's conversation with the serpent, both she and her husband had no need for clothing (Genesis 2.25). After their
eyes were opened, however, they desperately scrambled to try to cover
their sin with fig leaves (Genesis 3.7), which
God considered woefully inadequate. Before banishing them forever from the
garden, the Creator of life killed animals and covered both Adam and Eve with their skins (Genesis 3.21 ). By this action, God visually
portrayed two fundamental Biblical principles: we cannot fix our own sinful
problems and something (or someone) has to
die to cover up our sins.
With this
rich Biblical tapestry in our minds, how should we think about clothing our nakedness? The
issue goes far beyond the importance of men keep their eyes to themselves or women making sure
their skirt line isn't too short. "From the beginning," clothing was a gift from
God to women and men to remind them of the sinfulness of
their decisions and the incredible mercy of their Creator. Keeping God's original
purposes in mind will go a long way towards helping us to resolve our thorny arguments. May He help
us to base our Biblical discussions in
passages that teach us what God wanted "from the beginning." Nathan