Made for Community - Naked

by Michelle

In scripture, we do not have to look far to find an example where someone has been manipulative (Adam and Eve), filled with rage (Cain and Abel), or heartless (Joseph’s brothers). Not to mention, all of these stories are found within the first book of the Bible, Genesis. Genesis is filled with people acting poorly, hurting one another, lying to each other, cheating one another, and taking advantage of each other.

The book of Genesis opens with the words “In the beginning” (1:1) and goes on to describe how God created the heavens, earth, and man. However, most of the first chapter is dedicated to describing how God created the heavens and earth. The writer uses dramatic and moving words to illustrate how God did so. We read that God hovered over the waters (1:2), He separated light from darkness (1:4), and He created great sea creatures (1:21). It reminds me of clips from Inception, where things hover in mid air; images from the Matrix, where lights suddenly illuminate a space; and scenes from Big Fish showing unusual people and creatures. Personally, I love images, thus all the movie references. Images that make me feel small and wrapped up in another world. And in Genesis chapter one, we are taken to a place that is awe-inspiring, perhaps a little frightening, and wonderful. We also understand from this same chapter that God is a powerful creator and the world is perfect.

Now, enter man. We are told man is made in “God’s image” (Genesis 1:27), which might be a hard thing to swallow at first considering people tend to do some pretty awful things to each other. Thankfully, Genesis chapter two offers a longer account of the creation of Adam. In this chapter, we read, “It is not good for man to be alone” (2:18), the solution to this dilemma is the creation of Eve (2:22), and “The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame” (2:25). The last verse is perhaps the only place in the Bible were two people are living together in perfect harmony. There is no bickering, jealousy, shame, or deceit. They are naked in the sense that they have nothing to hide. The world is perfect and people are at peace with one another.

Of course, we know this is not our world today. In fact, it is a far cry from what we see on an everyday basis. We live in a place where we are too often confronted with hate, greed, and insensitivity. Not to mention, what we might consider lesser evils, such as lies by omission, road rage, and individuals trying to get ahead at the expense of others. We all have so much to hide, whether it is big or small. No wonder we wear clothes.