Genesis 2:16-17 records God’s word: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” This verse is the most terrifying warning. Eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil means consuming—absorbing—something not from God into the human mind. There were many fruits to eat physically, but this fruit of knowledge speaks of the contents of thought. When Adam and Eve absorbed something that did not come from God’s truth, they failed to reach the standard of holiness God required. The first human beings were unable to become those who bore God’s image and likeness.
Genesis 3:19 affirms: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This state is the most tragic of all events. Just imagine: the first humans lived in a perfect world, for God created the earth in a state that was “very good.” Humanity was never meant to experience death, for God did not design humans to die. But when humans failed to reach the standard of holiness God desired—they were unable to bear His image and likeness—and death became inevitable.
The eternal beauty once given to humanity was lost, and this is profoundly tragic. Life itself became tragic. Whether strong, beautiful, wealthy, honored, influential, titled, or highly positioned—everyone must die. Even if a person were granted one thousand years, ten thousand years, or even a million years of life, if there is an end, it is still dreadful. Life on earth, where death is inevitable and the world grows ever more corrupted, is a tragic reality. Yet many people do not truly perceive this tragedy. Intellectually, they know life is sad, but they cannot internalize it. As a result, they fail to prepare themselves adequately, rightly, and proportionally for life after death.
Why can’t people perceive the tragedy of life? First, because they lack sufficient understanding of the truth. Second, because they have already acquired a taste for the world, their lives are chained by obsession and desire to gain as much of this world as possible for the sake of completeness and happiness.
Honestly, many of us still want this and that, hoping that if we obtain them, life will feel more complete and happy. But this is where we fail to see the tragedy of life. The greedy cannot perceive life’s tragedy. Those who still crave the world will never be able to grasp it. As a result, such people fail to prepare themselves for eternity. More tragically, almost all people are enslaved by love for the world, and so they do not realize just how tragic life truly is.
When can someone finally perceive life’s tragedy? First, when they are at death’s door, on their deathbed. Second, when they lose things they love most—parent, child, or spouse, third, when they fall into poverty, suffer from an incurable disease, are oppressed, treated unjustly, or live in misery on earth. Typically, this awareness arises only through negative experiences. But we do not have to wait for such things to happen before realizing it. If we study God’s Word, gain sufficient understanding, and experience a transformation of taste, then we will no longer be obsessed with the world and its beauty. Only then can we perceive life’s tragedy. It is not easy, but only by perceiving it can we prepare ourselves rightly for the eternal life to come.