“And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And God saw that the light was good. … And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse…’ …‘let the dry land appear… vegetation fruit’… ‘let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens’ … ‘let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens’ At the end of each day, the Genesis account says, “God saw that it was good.” When God made the first human being, He made him in His own image—“in the image of God He created him, male and female he created them.” And after all His creative acts, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Gen. 1:3-31) Sin had not entered the world. Animals were not preying upon eachother. There was no drought. Mosquitoes had no appetite for blood. Our planet was a garden of paradise. God said it was “good” multiple times and then “very good.”
And then God says that something is not good—“It is not good that the man should be alone.” Even in a perfect world—the uncorrupted paradise of Eden—even in that blissful state of sinlessness—it was not good to be alone. Human beings are not meant to be loners. Adam may have not been completely aware of what he was missing. He did not know any different. But God’s observation was that it was not good for Adam to be an ineligible bachelor for the rest of his life. God has created to be social beings. We need relationships, companionship, friendship, and family. When we live our lives before God without meaningful human interaction, God looks upon us with compassion. As He looked on Adam alone in the Garden of Eden—He looks at us in our solitude and loneliness and He says, “It is not good.” It is not good for us to live out our lives in isolation. It is not good for us to journey through this life on our own.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that 36% of Americans are lonelyover 1 in 3 Americans. A recent study came out in March that suggests loneliness contributes to greater depression and poorer health. Even science is telling us that it is not good that we should be alone. It is at this realization that God says of Adam, “I will make him a partner fit for him.” Human companionship was God’s idea. Family was God’s design. Marriage was instituted by God. As a divine anesthetist God causes Adam to undergo a deep sleep. As divine surgeon, God removes bone and flesh from the side of Adam and as genetic engineer, He creates a woman. She is partner, companion, friend, family, and wife.
The first words recorded out of a human’s mouth is recorded here in our text. And they are astoundingly beautiful words—romantic, poetic—a prayer of thanksgiving to God: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” For Adam, Eve is not just another creature to help tend the garden—she is his flesh and blood. She is family, his companion, and his true love. And, according to Jesus, this work of Him finding us a cure for our loneliness still goes on. Of marriage, Jesus says, “What God has brought together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:9). God brings us together. For Adam and Eve, God brought together our first parents—great grandparents of humanity. Eve was a gift to Adam and Adam was a gift to Eve. Adam and Eve were gifts, companions, family, and parents to their children. Their children were gifts, companions, and family to them.
I don’t believe that either Genesis or Jesus’ words promises marriage for each individual—or that we all make the best choices in our relationships. But what it does say clearly is that God is at work in our relationships—and He is at work to draw us together and keep us together. Marriage is not the only institution that God has created for our benefit. He has given us parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents—all part of our network of bone and flesh—not just a genetic bond—but life companions with a shared heritage bonded in love. God gives us friends that become our family—as the proverb says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). And for the church—God has given us one another—sisters and brothers in the family of faith. Scripture calls us “the body of Christ”—we are the bone of Jesus’ bone and flesh of his flesh—we are connected to one another in a profound and real way. We are given the privilege, joy, and charge to uphold one another in prayer, companionship, and love. We are the family of God. No one should be left behind. No one should feel alone.
For this reason, God sent His Son. Just as Eve was created from Adam’s flesh and bone, so Jesus became human through Mary’s flesh and bone. In His coming to us as our Savior, His actions speak louder than words—“You are bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh” On the cross of Calvary, your bone and flesh—my bone and flesh were crucified—for us He purchased forgiveness, life and salvation. Our flesh and bone are lifted up in the resurrection, and He says, “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Like Jesus, the best way to find companionship is to offer ourselves as companions, friends, and family to others. We offer it to one another in faith—believing that what connects us together is thicker than blood—we are bound to one another in the flesh and bone of Jesus, the Body of Christ. In our marriages, families, church life, and friendships—we relate to one another in faith—we believe that our relationships are a gift from God—what we need to have a sense of belonging, support, companionship, love, and family. We ought to be able to look at our husbands, wives, children, parents, friends, and church family and say, “You are bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.” What happens to you matters profoundly to me—just as what happens to us matters profoundly to God. And he has assured us of forgiveness and an eternal home.
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