***
Genesis: 3: 1-8
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
“Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”
The woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
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, lest you die.’”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.
When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden
at the breezy time of the day,
the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.
The Word of the Lord.
***
***
The opening chapters of the Book of Genesis provide the foundation for a Judeo-Christian understanding of the world. Here we are introduced to themes like: creation, humanity, good, evil, suffering, and death. All of which remain, to some extent, mysteries.
However, there are many parallels between Genesis and the Gospels, helping us to understand the deeper dimensions of Christ’s public ministry.
Consider two examples today.
***
First, God creates Adam, then he gives Adam one commandment: “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” (Gen. 2:17).
This gives the impression that God already knows Adam will disobey him. Yet, in the very next verse, God decides to create Eve. The universe continues to unfold.
Adam and Eve live peacefully in the garden until Satan, the ancient serpent, slithers around the tree of knowledge, convincing Eve to eat from it, as we hear in our first reading today.
This act of disobedience breaks humanity’s relationship with God.
Jesus reverses this curse thousands of years later in John’s Gospel by telling the crowds: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:54).
Thus, communion with God was lost – and is now restored – by eating.
Adam and Eve ate disobediently from the tree of knowledge, while Catholics now obediently consume Christ’s flesh and blood in the Eucharist.
***
Secondly, Jesus’ public ministry stands in stark contrast to the evil actions of Satan.
Whereas Satan ruptured humanity’s ability to see God and to hear his voice in Eden, Christ restores the faculties of a man – and by extension all of us – in today’s Gospel, allowing us to see Jesus as Lord, and to listen to his voice.
***
While themes like creation, suffering, and redemption are ultimately mysteries, as we study the scriptures, we begin to make sense of them. As it’s written: “Wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will be at home in your soul” (Proverbs 2:10).
****
***
Image credits: (1) Security Sales and Integration (2) Micha Redding (3) Hillspring Church