Guilt and shame

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

The first shame in the Bible is about being seen rather than about being caught. They sew coverings, then hide among the trees, and the question "Where art thou" is put to people already hiding. Guilt over a deed and shame at exposure sit together here.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

The end of Nathan's confrontation with David over Bathsheba and Uriah. David says one sentence and is told the sin is put away, while the rest of the chapter leaves the consequences standing. Pardon and fallout are not treated as the same question.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

The psalm the tradition attaches to David after Nathan came to him. It asks for mercy and washing instead of arguing anything down, and its "against thee, thee only" is a startling claim from a man whose sin plainly wrecked other people.

And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

The day of atonement. Aaron lays both hands on a live goat, says the nation's sins over it, and the goat is led out into the wilderness. The ritual is about wrongdoing being carried somewhere else, not about anyone feeling lighter.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Two measurements: the height of the sky over the earth, and the distance between east and west, which unlike north and south never meet. The claim concerns what God does with wrongdoing, removing it, not whether the person still remembers it.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Said to a nation the prophet has just charged in detail with violence and hollow worship, so the offer is made to people who are guilty and have been told so. Reasoning together is not a softening of the charge but an invitation extended alongside it.

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

The book closes by asking what sort of God this is and answers in three pictures: anger not held forever, iniquities subdued, sins thrown into the depths of the sea. Subdued is the word to notice, since it treats sin as something still needing to be overpowered.

And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Peter's failure told with no comment at all. The cock crows, Jesus turns and looks at him, and he goes out and weeps bitterly. Nothing in the scene resolves it, and the narrative moves straight on to the trial.

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

After the resurrection, three questions over breakfast to match three denials. Peter is not asked to explain himself or to promise better, and what he is given is work. His grief at the third question is recorded and not argued away.