The Blame Game

Genesis 3:18-15

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

It’s a favorite game the world over. Everyone plays it. It’s millennia old. If it came in a box, it’d say something like, “For ages 0-∞.” You’ve played it. I’ve played it. It’s the Blame Game.

The Bible records the first time people played the Blame Game. God told Adam and Eve they could eat from any tree in the garden of Eden. Except one. They were not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.

Satan disguised himself as a serpent. He tempted Eve to eat. She took the fruit and both broke its flesh and God’s command in one fell swoop. Adam, who silently stood beside her through this whole ordeal, received the fruit from her hand and too broke God’s command.

Instant guilt (They had sinned). Instant shame (They were naked). Instant fear (They hid).

God comes looking for them. “Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?” God asked Adam.

Adam knows God knows. He skips over admitting his own guilt and passes the blame to his beloved wife. “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Don’t miss it. Adam is already a Blame Game champion. Two attacks in one shot. His wife. And God. “The woman you put here with me.”

God plays the long game. He moves on to Eve, “What is this you have done?”

She, too, can pass the blame. “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

And thus began a classic game played in homes, in schools, at jobs, just about anywhere.

It’s almost our first instinct when we’ve done something wrong. Is it totally someone else’s fault? Can I at least get someone else to share the blame and lessen my responsibility?

But we don’t limit our blame-passing to just covering our wrongs. We even blame when we haven’t done what’s right!

“Why didn’t you help them?” “They’ve never helped me.”

“Why didn’t you speak up for your friend?” “No one else was.”

“Why don’t you come to church anymore?” “Somebody said something I didn’t like.”

Like Adam, we can even blame God!

“If you hadn’t taken my loved from me, I’d know you still loved me.”

“If you gave me more time, I could serve you better.”

“If you hadn’t made me this way, this wouldn’t have happened.”

No one wins the Blame Game. The blame can’t truly be passed. The burden isn’t lightened no matter how many shoulders carry it. The blamer eases their conscience but strains their relationships.

No one wins the Blame Game.

Except God.

You see, God knew all along that the way to win the Blame Game was not to keep passing the blame. It was to accept it. He told the devil, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

And then, he sent the one and only Son of God to take the blame of the whole world. Even though everyone else was to blame, God blamed Jesus. He sent Jesus to the cross. He sent Jesus to hell. He sent Jesus to the grave. And by taking on the blame on himself, Jesus, the Son of God, won! He crushed the serpent’s head!

He won forgiveness for your guilt. He covered over your blame. He wrote your name in the book of life.

For Jesus, winning the Blame Game didn’t only mean winning for himself. It meant winning the game for everyone. It meant winning the game for you.

He removed the blame instead of passing it on. He lightened the burden by taking it all himself. He renewed your relationship with God.

Do you want to pass the blame? Pass it to Jesus. He willingly accepts it for you. Repent of the wrong you have done and the right you have not. And trust—yes, trust—that he has removed all blame from you forever.