Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, May 15, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
So Adam opened Pandora’s box, and Jesus closed it again. That’s essentially what Paul is saying here. Personally I think that’s giving Adam a little too much credit. Yes, I know the story of the fall isn’t literal, though it was believed to be so for many centuries and still is by some. I think blaming all the evil in the world on one person lets us off the hook for our own bad behavior. “Don’t blame me—Adam shouldn’t have eaten that fruit.”
There is a certain poetry to Paul’s assertion, but he also believed Christ’s return was imminent and therefore Adam was at the beginning and Christ was at the end. We’re a couple thousand years past that, now, and there’s still plenty of evil to go around. So as it stands, at least in my brain, humans just have a tendency to want things to be easy, so we’re often tempted to bite deep into whatever fruit promises us security, power, good looks, and the like without considering the consequences. It’s not Adam’s fault. It’s ours. But—and this is huge—Jesus’ action still “leads to justification and life for all.” It’s my job to keep seeking after the fruit that is Jesus as best as I can one day at a time. And even if I don’t find it, Jesus will always find me.
Am I able to hold myself responsible for my less-than-stellar actions? How do I make amends?
