阅读经文 

昨天我们已经看过，神把人类安置在一个安全的园子里，在那里神与他们一同生活和工作，好叫他们和所创造的世界一同得以兴旺。

可是，人类被蛇所迷惑，他们受到试探去违背神、吃了那禁果。他们渴望“如同神能知道善恶”。然而，他们却不了解一个事实，就是人类和神不同，他们知道恶的唯一途径，就是让人自己因混淆善和恶而破碎。吃了那个果子之后，罪便藉着破碎损伤侵占了他们整个人。

《创世记》形容这种破碎为一个“咒诅”，特别是指关系上的咒诅。人类与自己、与其他人、与自然界和与神的关系都被破坏了。然而，在这个时候，神宣告有一天，蛇和罪恶与死亡的咒诅，终将会一同被击败。

因着耶稣在十架上受死和藉着祂的复活所成就的工，这一切都已经成为事实。现今，这咒诅已经被消除了。当我们吃耶稣所设立的主餐时，我们便开始修复破碎了的关系；我们领受神在我们生命中的医治和喂养，我们又在主餐中彼此分享交接。此外，在这曾被咒诅的土地上，我们仍然能够栽种收获美好的粮食。神就是这样向我们彰显祂的慈爱和看顾。

As we noted yesterday, God placed human beings in a garden sanctuary where God could live and work with them to bring about the flourishing of his world.

But through the deceit of the serpent, humans were tempted to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit. They desired to be "like God, knowing good and evil." But the hidden reality was that, unlike God, human beings could only know good and evil by becoming a mingled mess of good and evil. As they ingested the fruit, brokenness moved into every part of their being.

Genesis describes the brokenness that followed as a "curse," especially in relationships. Humans' relationships with themselves, with one another, with nature, and with God became damaged. At the same time, though, God pronounced that someday the serpent, along with the curse of sin and death, would be defeated.

And in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and by his resurrection, all of that became true. Now the curse is being undone. And when we eat the Jesus-meal, the Lord's Supper, our damaged relationships can begin to mend. We receive God's restoring nourishment in our own lives, and we share the meal with one another. In addition, from the cursed ground we can still grow good food by which God communicates his love and care for us.