Did you every play the Broken Telephone Game? In the game, all the players sit in a circle. The first person comes up with a phrase. It can be anything at all. It is usually best if the phrase is a bit on the longer side. That person then whispers it into the ear of the next person who then whispers it into the ear of the next in the circle. They only get one chance to repeat it before the message continues its travels around the circle. As the last person receives the message, it is compared to the original version. Often there is little similarity to the two communiques.
While Broken Telephone is a fun game, not communicating well to one another can have disastrous consequences. Loss of friendships, siblings not speaking, teammates not working well with each other, or countries possibly going to war. In researching today’s readings I came across a guide to effective, accurate communications. There were 5 important points to consider according to the author:
- Think BEFORE you speak. I recall a poster which stated “Be sure your brain is engaged before putting your mouth in gear”
- Get their attention. Be sure the person is listening to you before making a statement. I would call this the “be sure there is not a football game on before discussing any important matter”. For me it would mean closing my laptop before Elise brings up a crucial topic.
- Check your assumptions. I was speaking to someone the other day about one of Fleetwood Mac’s songs, making some point about the content of the verse. When her eyes seemed to be vacant I finally asked, “you don’t know who Fleetwood Mac is, do you?” She did not.
- Be courteous. I always told my daughter, “it doesn’t matter how right you are on a subject. If you anger the other person, there will care little about what you have to say.” Advice I frequently ignore, I might add.
- Check for understanding. Question the other person to see if what you said is what they heard. The original Saturday Night Live TV show had the news skit they did every week and a frequent contributor was Gilda Radner’s character Emily Litella. One episode had Emily railing against why they wanted to ban Violins on TV. They are such beautiful instruments after all. She was interrupted and corrected that the issue was VIOLENCE on TV. Not VIOLINS.
I mentioned above some examples of what could happen if you get the message wrong. But what about if getting it wrong meant that the whole world was doomed and eternal life was no longer a given? That God had to send His Son into the world to redeem those lost without a way back to The Father?
Of course I am talking about the Fall. Adam and Eve disobeying God by eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Our parents being sent out into the garden to face a world of struggle and sin. At least a portion of the disobedience of Adam and Eve can be chalked up to miscommunication. To a game of divine Broken Telephone.
Today’s first reading is from Genesis Chapter 3. But let’s look at two verses from Chapter 2 first. Verses 16-17:
The LORD God gave the man this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die.
Now, let’s look at what Eve told the serpent about what God said. Be aware that Eve was not in existence when God spoke the above command to Adam. Which means that Adam had to relay God’s words to Eve. This verse was just ahead of today’s portion, but it sheds some light on what occurred in the verses slated for today. And here is the version that Eve spoke to the serpent:
“it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.’” (Genesis 3:3)
Did you catch the difference? In Eve’s version she adds the phrase, “or even touch it.” Some ancient rabbis when reflecting on this speculate that the devil pushed Eve against the tree proving to her that, “see, you touched the tree, and you did not die.” Thus disproving not only the part about touching but also discrediting the part about eating the fruit. Eve was now free to test Satan’s admonition that she will surely not die in eating the fruit and tricking her into disobeying God. This then serves as proof that allows Adam to do the same.
It is said to never enter into a debate with Satan. You will lose. Best to focus on the words of the Lord and let Him do all the work. The devil used the error of Eve to find, and exploit a crack…a weakness. Maybe it was due to Adam explaining God’s words poorly to Eve or because Eve was not listening well. So, if you want to save the world…listen! I remember a commercial for the stockbroker company called EF Hutton. It was about listening to the advice of a stock broker. Substitute the word God for EF Hutton at the end when the actor speaks the tag line:
