In Genesis 1-3, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, grasping after the knowledge of good and evil out of self-justifying, divided motives. They wanted to serve God, but on their own terms.

This led to division — between God, creation, other humans, and our very selves — yielding the kind of world where the Beatitudes are shocking observations.

But, in Matthew 5-7, Christ calls us back to wholeness. Single minded obedience — especially in “secret,” vs. public attempts to earn both God’s favor and human admiration (double-minded religion!).

Will we receive this knowledge of good and evil as enough? Or will we use our usurped “knowledge” to try to get behind and beyond the word of the Lord?