Eve
Genesis 2 & 3, 2 Corinthians 11:3, John 15:1-8
The creation narrative in Genesis culminates in a moment where man meets the helper made for him. “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man” (Genesis 2:23). If you are anything like me and enjoy a podcast, sermons, and books about theological matters, you may have some preconceived thoughts about how to view Eve. Perhaps solely as the principled example of 1 Timothy 2, or maybe even the central figure in debates between complementarian and egalitarian perspectives on how men and women should interact. Possibly to your disapproval, my endeavor is not so much as to trek through such waters but to consider more deeply her place in the much broader narrative of the bible.
After the tragic fall and a gut-wrenching encounter with the Lord where (for humanity's protection) we are cast out of Eden, Adam decides it's a good time to give his wife her name. Her name, as given to her by Adam, likely means ‘living’ as Adam recognizes she is the one who is “mother over all living things'' (Genesis 3:20). As the chapter concludes, the author reveals to us there is another tree, the tree of life, which God sees best to ensure man doesn’t eat of, that they wouldn’t gain eternal life… just yet. See, within the judgment that would curse humanity and this serpent we now know as the devil (v.14-19), we are given prophecy. A prophecy that foreshadows the work of our Messiah, King Jesus, who comes from a corrupt line of family members, coming back all the way to this moment in the garden.
In the Bible Project YouTube video “Tree of Life,” Tim Mackie and John Collins beautifully tell this narrative and how it culminates with Jesus. From a tree, Adam and Eve ate and entered into the dying age. Yet from this dying age, Jesus came. And in being exalted up onto a tree we now know as the cross, He was brutally executed and killed only to be raised to life again! “... He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel” (Genesis 3:15b). Now, we find ourselves to be the branches, as He is our vine. Therefore the fruit we produce with our lives is of Jesus, of life itself! God withholds our access to eternal life, yet we are given no explanation, no indication that He was just so frustrated with His creation that He held out on us. Instead, we are given this prophecy of what we hold as the sweetest name we know.
How were Adam and Eve to know this? Did they even know what prophecy was? Valid questions, but maybe this isn’t the right place to look just yet. There was a tangible need exposed in the narrative of humanity now, that mandated a savior. Not on our terms, though. God has been and is working in ways our human eyes struggle to see. After all, our eyes were changed from the time we took off the fruit (Genesis 3:7), which provides us with a radically different perspective than God’s. In the time we remain steadfast in Jesus, this world is full of deception from the only path that leads to life.
Considering Eve’s perspective, though, we see she and her husband had no choice but to trust God and live into what they were made to do, yet they separated from their creator. It was the terrible curse: Eve now has to endure the pains of childbirth on top of the internal pain and dilemma of being separated from her creator. Yet within the pain of loss and separation, there is hope. This is an act of God protecting the broader narrative of His people to be reconciled back to Himself ultimately. Through a mother's womb, our savior comes, and Eve is the first of what would become many generations leading up to our Jesus.
Prayerfully consider the following reflection questions with the Lord:
If we know the enemy’s schemes are active and ongoing in this world, where are we being slowly drawn away or deceived from the path of Christ?
If Jesus is the life our souls need, what does it mean to abide in Him that we would bare such fruit and be His branches?
In challenging seasons of life and ministry, how do we keep our eyes fixed on the overarching narrative God has made His people a part of?
Meditate on this moment in Eden. In the midst of judgment, God graciously lays out a plan for His people: to inherit eternal life through a relationship with Himself. Praise God!
