Genesis 2:4-25: formed by God

Immediately after the story of creation comes…another creation story?  Some say that these are two different accounts of creation, because what other reason would there be for the story to repeat itself?

I would argue that rather than simply repeating an account of creation, Genesis is focusing in on a specific part of the story in order to elaborate on some very important truths as evidenced in the change in language.  For example, the narrative begins by speaking of the “earth and heavens” rather than the “heavens and the earth”.  The perspective has changed from cosmic, to very much down to earth.  This shift in perspective, considered together with the sudden addition of “Lord” before God, signals that the story is moving to a relational level.  Each part of creation will no longer exist in isolation, but instead in relationship with one another.  That relationship is demonstrated not only in the fact that humankind was created, but how humankind was created.  “Formed”, the word used for God’s creation of humankind, is more intimate than simply “created”.  It brings to mind a potter sitting at his wheel, carefully and painstakingly fashioning something.  However, this is no mere ornamental, inanimate object, but something that is very much alive.  Humans are said to have the very breath of God in their bodies.   This is likely the reason why they are referred to as living beings, or souls.  Humanity is placed in a garden possessing that which is both good for food, and delightful to the eye.  Work is part of humanity’s lot even before the fall, and was given as a blessing.  The fullness of humanity is described as both male and female.  God’s statement that it was “not good” for man to be alone is set in the emphatic position, so that man’s need for companionship is stressed.  It is for this reason that God creates Eve.  While our culture has conditioned us to see the word “helper” as pejorative, here it is meant to signify woman’s essential contribution.  Without the help of women, humanity’s task could never be complete.  This is confirmed by the Hebrew word for suitable, which actually means “equal and adequate”.  The Bible makes it clear, here and elsewhere, that true marriage is the equality of the husband and the wife, as they work together to fulfill their vocation.  Woman may be taken from man, but that means that she is forever a part of man, their destinies being entwined.  This is certainly the way the Apostle Paul sees it, when he tells the Ephesians that “husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.” (Ephesians 5:28-30)   There is something beautiful, something divine even, when a man and woman decide to invest as much in one another, as they do in themselves.  Bruce K. Waltke would say it this way, “a man and woman are never more like God than on their wedding day when they commit themselves unconditionally to one another.”  It’s not random, that the covenant commitment made in marriage is used to depict God’s relationship with His people on more than one occasion.  It’s the deepest expression of love possible between a man and a woman, and our greatest way of relating to God’s love for us. 

What does this story teach us about humanity?  First of all, it reaffirms what each one of us already knows deep down inside, that we are unique among God’s creation.  God does not just “create” humanity, God “forms” us.  We also learn that we bear the breath of God.  Finally, we learn that we can only find true companionship in other humans. 

We don’t just learn about humanity from this story, we also learn about God.  We are told of a God who takes great care in forming humankind, specifically because of His desire to have a relationship with us.  We are told of a God who gives to man not only the gift of creation, but specifically the gift of the ideal companion to work alongside him. 

Finally, what we learn of humanity and what we learn of God come together to teach us something about marriage.  In the Biblical view of marriage, husband and wife are shown to be equal.  An adaption of Matthew Henry’s words has often been quoted, that woman “is not made out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near to his heart to be beloved.”  Henry’s statement is a reflection of what the Apostle Paul would write to the Ephesians, particularly the Ephesian men:

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” – Ephesians 5:25-27

What a beautiful thing, that God creates us not alone, but to live in communion with one another.  While that communion can come in diverse forms and have many functions, it reaches its zenith when a man and a woman surrender a part of themselves, in order to become one.  

Mark 5:21-43: The Story of Two Women

This is the story of two women.  One is helpless to act on her own behalf, while the other is legally prohibited from doing so.  How does faith impact the lives of these two women?  What can we learn from their stories?  If our eyes and ears are attentive to the grace that they received- one through her own boldness, and the other through the boldness of another- then we will learn something not only about their own experience, but also about the possibilities of our own future with a generous and loving God.
The first thing that strikes us is the combination of humility and boldness exhibited by both Jairus, and the woman with the issue of blood.  Here is Jairus, a synagogue official, falling at the feet of Jesus, who has no officially recognized station or position.  In this moment, his own pride matters very little, when placed on a balance with the health of his little girl.  More than likely some of his friends in the religious establishment would have whispered among themselves at his willingness to approach this Jesus fellow, whose "official" credentials were non-existent.  And yet, in this moment the circumstances of Jairus' life have forced him to come to the realization that he needs help, and so he bows, before the only one who seemingly has the ability to deliver his little girl.  If Jairus' actions are humble with a touch of boldness, then the actions of the woman with the issue of blood are quite the opposite, being characterized by a boldness that causes her to defy the rules her community lives by.  According to the law, she shouldn't even be in the crowd (see Leviticus 15: 25-30), as her medical condition makes her ritually unclean.  And yet, here she is, bold enough to break the law because it has become obvious to her that it is the only chance she has at receiving healing.  Faith is recognizing our own limitations, knowing when we need help, and boldly approaching the only one capable of providing the grace and forgiveness we need to desperately.
A second thing we learn from Jesus' interaction with the woman, and with Jairus' daughter, is that we are not defined by those around us.  On the contrary, we are defined by Jesus Christ, the one who created us.  In the eyes of society the woman was physically ill; impoverished, because doctors charge whether they are successful at healing you or not; and ritually unclean.  This is how others saw her.  Jesus' saw her in a very different way, as witnessed by the act that He calls her "daughter".  By referring to her in a way that demonstrates her intrinsic value, Jesus is granting her not only physical healing, but also binding up the spiritual and psychological wounds see has suffered because of her long illness.  In a similar way, Jairus' daughter was labeled by those around her as being dead, and understandably so.  Their fault lies not because they saw the little girl as dead, for that was in reality her situation.  Their failure was in failing to understand the scope of Jesus' power, and it's ability to defeat even death itself.  Their laughter calls to mind other instances of people laughing in the Bible.  Both Abraham and Sarah laugh at the thought of a couple their age having a child (Gen. 17:15-17 & 18:9-15).  The soldiers and those present for Jesus' crucifixion mock Him and make light of His death.  In both instances, that of Abraham and Sarah, and that of the soldiers and crowd that mock Jesus, the laughter and mockery is over-whelmed by the power of God to accomplish His plan on the earth, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  If God can cause the old to bear children and the dead to rise, surely He can accomplish His will in each of our lives, despite what others may say or think.  The opinions of others are shown to be beyond insignificant in the presence of our resurrected Lord.
A final lesson that we can learn from this story is perhaps the most important one of the three, and that is that nothing separates us from the love of Christ.  We typically place a lot of pressure on ourselves to "get things right" when it comes to our religious life.  While it is an admirable goal to want to rightly understand God's will for us, and one that I think is worthy of pursuit, at times in our zeal to pursue that goal we buy into the idea that a failure to properly understand on our part will become an impediment to God's grace.  Consider the instance of the woman with the issue of blood.  Her desire to touch Jesus' garment was almost certainly related to a prevalent belief at the time that the garments of powerful figures were themselves imbued with power.  Is this actually how it worked?  No.  However, even in her misunderstanding the woman recognized Jesus as a powerful figure, and thus sought Him out.  Notice that despite her failure to understand the process, she is still healed.  It is after she is healed that Jesus takes the time to correct her thinking, telling her that her faith has made her well.  What does this mean?  It means that perhaps we should spend less time dissecting the process, and more time studying and reflecting on the one who empowers the process.  Faith comes with a certain degree of mystery, elements of belief that lie beyond understanding.  It's not misunderstanding that leads us astray, but our efforts to explain the inexplicable.  It's a manifestation of God's grace that even when we don't get everything right, He still imparts healing, just as He did for the woman with the issue of blood.  For Jesus' part, it's also worth noticing that in healing the woman, Jesus subjects Himself to ritual impurity.  It may be a little odd to think of Jesus' as being ritually impure, but then again it is also a little odd to think of a crucified Messiah.  If we are impressed by Jesus' willingness to cross the boundaries of ritual purity, how much more impressed will we be when we see Him cross the boundary between life and death?  Jesus' willingness to die is His own way of defining, or shall we say redefining who we are, and at the same time demonstrating the boundless love of a God who goes anywhere, and does anything necessary to reconcile us to Himself.