If you ask me, the most heroic in all of the bible was performed by the serpent, when he shared the fruit of knowledge with Eve. Surely he understood God well enough to know that his plot to gift mankind with understanding would be uncovered--and that he would be punished--but he still delivered the goods. He gave mankind the ability to know right from wrong, the ability to understand ourselves and the world around us in the same way the gods do, and the ability to dream and create. In short, he saved us from being mere automatons. In addition to this, what a brilliant revolutionary move. When your opponent is omnipotent, to score a victory like this--however Pyrrhic--is noteworthy.
The second most heroic act in The Bible, I think, is still Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. I know the concept of vicarious redemption is evil--and evilly flawed--but when you are playing one of Jigsaw's death-games, you play by his rules if you care about the outcome, even if the rules are insane. Jesus was a helpless captive of a mad god's evil plan, and he must have truly loved mankind in order to suffer such an absurd fate for such absurd creatures as us.
The second most heroic act in The Bible, I think, is still Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. I know the concept of vicarious redemption is evil--and evilly flawed--but when you are playing one of Jigsaw's death-games, you play by his rules if you care about the outcome, even if the rules are insane. Jesus was a helpless captive of a mad god's evil plan, and he must have truly loved mankind in order to suffer such an absurd fate for such absurd creatures as us.
Does the bible ever specify what happened to the serpent? Was he punished? Embarrased to say I dont know.
ReplyDeleteGenesis 3:14: And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
ReplyDeleteor, as I recently posted on Facebook:
"So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life...and, just as a bonus, for some reason your zipper will always be down, especially when you are speaking to large groups, even if you're pretty sure you zipped the damned thing back up the last time you used it." - Genesis 3:14
I've always loved Lot's wife for turning to look back at Sodom and Gomorrah. She's by far my favorite biblical character because it's just such a human thing to do, looking back, even in the face of terrible consequences.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I forgot about her. You posted a really great poem about her on your tumblr awhile back...it really inspired me.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Lot's wife should knock Jesus out of the number 2 spot...