The Japanese have a similar myth. A series of gods and goddesses arise from the blob that is earth. Eventually a pair begin to have children, each of which is one of the islands of Japan.
In Australian aborigine creation myths, particular landmarks are often created from the body of different animals. All of creation occurred in the “Dreamtime”, a time far before history began, which gives a vague timeline to creation. It was “long ago” That’s all the Australian stories say.
These creation myths around the world are quite common, often claiming that parts of the world are actually the bodies of specific gods, goddesses, or animals. And of course, there are scientific explanations for why the world is the way the world is today. And many people do not look toward Christianity because they have been taught that science and Christianity are completely at odds. I and many other Christians disagree. In fact, when all the facts are discovered and when we interpret the Bible understanding how and why it was written the way it was, it is likely that we will not find anything in disagreement, for both Christianity and science are attempting to find and discover Truth – and there can be only one Truth. Our disagreements are generally a matter of interpretation of the facts and the text. So if you or a friend or relative have been avoiding following Christ because of these issues, listen up – perhaps today you’ll find something that will help you or your friend or relative understand the beauty and Truth of Christianity better. You may already have settled things in your mind – if so, consider this and how it may help your friends and relatives who are still searching.
In the Book of Genesis, we find a particular story. As I read this, I’d like you to notice the poetic repetition – and notice the order of creation. I’d like you to consider how the order of creation in the Genesis story matches up to the way scientists believe creation happened. And I’ll make some comments along the way.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
We have God the creator, the “I am that I am”, the creative principle itself causing creation. There is no need for a creator for God, because God is the creative principle as seen in the name God gave Moses at the burning bush. God is creation itself.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
There is a related player who appears, the Spirit of God, which may equally be translated as the ‘wind” or “breath” of God from the ancient Hebrew. The breath of God was hovering over the water.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Notice that God spoke and creation happened. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, John tells us that all that was created was created through the Word of God, who is Jesus Christ. Notice as we go on all is created by God’s speech. After this, we’ll talk about how speech can create reality.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Did you notice the poetry? “And God said”…It was so…And God saw it was good, and there was evening and there was morning, the blank day.
Earth, heaven, the deep, then a general light called day and a general darkness called night, then the sky; then dry land and seas; then plants and trees. Next the sun and moon and stars become visible, then fish and birds. Next are the animals and humans. It is in the order that scientists claim – and this was written down approximately 1600 BC, 3600 years ago, well before scientific research had begun.
Some people object that the creation story doesn’t talk about a Big Bang or such. I look at the biblical creation story and compare it to the other creation stories around the world and I am simply amazed at how accurate Genesis chapter one is.
In fact, the only thing I really need to do to match up Genesis Chapter One with current science is to take the days of creation as long periods of indefinite time and it matches just fine. And since Genesis Chapter One was written in a poetic style, it is not hard for me to read it as the six or seven time periods. After all, Moses was not trying to write a science text for biology majors, Moses was trying to help us understand that God caused things to be created in a specific order, that we have a purpose in life, that we did not simply happen. You and I have a purpose in this Universe.
God speaks – and realities are created. How? Walk up to a random man in your neighborhood, someone you do not know, and say, “I just threw a brick through your front window!” You will quickly create a reality – It may involve you running from the police. Tell a woman politely that she is beautiful and it will create another reality – she will probably feel good toward you unless you look like a creep. Tell neighborhood children to leave your property alone and look scary when you do it and those children will not become your friends. On the other hand, take nicely to them, and they may become your friends. Even when humans speak, realities are created – how much will happen when God speaks?
Jesus understood this. Remember that His student John later wrote that Jesus was the Word of God. And after Jesus had called His first disciples, He taught in a synagogue, a Jewish religious meeting place. He spoke and began to change our reality. Leaving the synagogue, this rabbi, this teacher went with his four disciples to Simon Peter’s home, where Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Jesus went to her, and helped her up, probably saying a few words at the time. Her fever left her and she began to wait on them, probably preparing a late lunch. Word spread.
That evening after sunset, the people of the village brought the sick to Jesus; Jesus healed many of them. They also brought people who were demon-possessed – that’s what the Gospel of Mark says. He drove out the demons.
It is clear from reading the Gospel of Mark that Mark and the people of the time believed in demon-possession. Most Americans of the twenty-first century don’t, but I have met missionaries who have worked in Haiti and Jamaica. My friends the college-educated missionaries left their nice comfortable homes here in America and spent a decade or two in Haiti or Jamaica, and now believe in demon -possession. And it is not epilepsy – it appears as though it were an extreme form of mental illness. Perhaps a mental illness, perhaps truly possession by an evil spirit. Terrible dreams, nightmares, odd behavior. According to Mark, Jesus drove out these demons.
After the evening of healing, Jesus got up before dawn and went to a quiet place to pray. Simon and the others finally woke up and hunted all over for him, finally finding him. Jesus told them He wanted to go to nearby village to preach there, also. And so he traveled throughout the region of Galilee in northern Israel, preaching in the synagogues and, according to Mark, driving out demons.
Who is this guy Jesus? That is the question that Mark poses for us to begin to answer. Some of the answers are known, but are incomplete or puzzling.
We know Jesus lived in Israel from about 4 BC to 33 AD. He was raised by a carpenter named Joseph and his mother was named Mary. As an adult he had several siblings, full or half-brothers. As a twelve-year old, he was known for a deep knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, what we call the Old Testament today. And at the time our detailed story begins, he was about 30 years old and still single.
But let’s take a look at the world He lived in, 2000 years ago in Israel.
Just like today, Israel of Jesus’ time was mainly settled by Jews. But there were also many Greeks who lived in the area and some Arabs. The Romans ruled the land through a puppet king named Herod who was building a beautiful temple for God from the taxes he collected. So it is important to understand what the Jews of the time thought about God.
To the Jews, God was the all-powerful creator of the Universe. God’s name, when asked by Moses at the burning bush was YAHWEH – I Am that I am”, which speaks completely of the existence and self-creation of God. God was the one who spoke the world into existence. The prophet Isaiah wrote in the Old Testament about God (Isaiah 40:21-31):
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not considered the foundations of the earth?
God is enthroned above the circle of the earth;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
He reduces princes to nothing
and makes judges of the earth irrational.
Isaiah wrote much more about God about 700 years before Jesus.
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth.
He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding.
He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.
Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall,
but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint.
This passage was central to Jewish life – good people understood that Yahweh God was the creator, all powerful, all understanding, and who gave strength to those who trusted in Him. Jesus emphasized this in His ministry. God must be the center of all we do.
It was recognized that God was served by angels – a word which means “messengers”, and that there were some of the angels who had rebelled against God. These rebels were known as demons, some of whom could take control of a man or woman or child, tormenting the victim.
You know, I have found it interesting that some people who believe there is no God are quite likely to believe in demons and devils and ghosts and evil spirit. What is it about our souls that leads us to believe in and sometimes choose to follow evil supernatural creatures – yet keeps us from believing in and following the good Creator of all? Is it because we have heard the call of these demons? Is it because we have heard the call of the demons pulling us back to the alcohol, the painkillers, the drugs that make us feel good for a while, yet slowly destroy our lives?
Perhaps it is our desire for independence that leads us to reject God and yet accept the evil supernatural. And that desire for independence is driven by our deep disappointment when we found that the adult or adults we trusted, we looked up to, we put our faith in were just people like ourselves. Do you remember the day when your trusted adult became a person?
Do you remember when you were very young? Mom, Dad, Grandma, or Grandpa were huge people, they were giants! You looked up just to see their stomach! They put you on their knees and rocked you or carried you and tucked you in at night. They were your source of love, of warmth, of food, of safety. When you were scared, you turned to your Mom or Dad or Grandmother or Grandfather. And they protected you, every day, took care of you every day… until the day they couldn’t protect you.
For you had gone to school, or you met the bullies or you were made fun of by the other kids or you stubbed your toe or a dog chased you. The teacher was angry at you or the bus driver. Or something awful happened to you or something awful happened to your protector, and that day you realized that you’d have to find a new protector. And so you began to rebel, to pull away, to become independent.
And we looked around to find another protector or another person to trust, another source of love – and sometimes we did, and other times we found out that we were the protector, we were the trustworthy one, we were the source of love for others. And so we began to trust in ourselves more than in others.
And so we became skeptics, not believing that there was One out there who truly would always protect us, who would always be trustworthy, who would always love us no matter what we had done wrong. But every person we’d ever met put conditions on their love for us, so it became very hard, almost impossible to believe that there was a God who loves us no matter what we do, if we will only turn to God, accept that God is there, believe that God will be there for us.
For you see, we had begun to feel that our worth was only in what we did for others, whether paid work or simply service. We felt – many still feel, that no one can love us unless we do something in return for that other one. And there is nothing wrong with serving others, nothing wrong, much is good with service.
But God doesn’t need us to do anything. God already has everything. God simply wants us to learn from and follow God’s Son, the One God sent to earth to deliver this message and heal us – Jesus Christ.
This is the character of the God who said, “Let there be light” and light sprung forth. This is the character of the God who created all things, including us. This is the character of the God who created the whole Universe for us – not because God needed us, but because God thought a world like ours would be good for us. Because God loves us – you and me. Consider that the next time you see a beautiful sunrise or sunset, a tree covered with snow, an ice cycle, a bird flying in the sky. This was all created by God for us. Remember?
God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God loves His creation – and we are part of that creation.
God loves us. God loved us so much that God sent the Son, the Word of God, Jesus Christ to die for us. Amen?
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