We continue our series on the telling of stories to evoke the imagination for Christ.
The serpent in the Garden of Eden, described as the most crafty beast of the field, is able to talk. We do know that the serpent does not move around on its belly until God curses it later. What this animal looks like requires much imagination. The story is replete with the fabulous–a talking serpent; a tree of extraordinary fruit that, when eaten, has spiritual consequences; and God’s walking in the Garden in the cool of the day.
The serpent speaks to Eve, the first woman, with words of temptation: “Did God actually say ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden.'” God really said,” You may surely eat of every tree in the garden, but 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.” The serpent misrepresents what God said. Eve responds to the serpent by saying that God allows them to eat of any tree except the tree of good and evil. Eve adds that they may not touch it. The serpent says that God disallows eating from the tree; because, the couple’s partaking of it will open their eyes so that they would be like God, knowing good and evil. The fruit of the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and would make one wise.
Eve gave Adam some of the fruit, and they both ate of it. Their eyes were open; but, the immediate consequence was that they realized they were naked. (Perhaps a bit of humor). They covered themselves with fig leaves. One could assume that the forbidden fruit on the tree of knowledge were figs. The apple tree in western art represents a common fruit tree in that area. God then curses the man, woman, and serpent. The snake will crawl on its belly and bruise the man’s heel as the man will bruise the serpent’s head. The woman will have pain in childbirth, and the man will draw food from the earth by the sweat of his brow. The final curse on humanity is that dust we are and to dust we shall return. Death had come into the world. Adam and Eve were cut off from the tree of life. The couple is thrown out of the Garden, guarded by the cherubim with a flaming sword.
In Romans Paul interprets this story in his own explanation of the justification of the sinner. Sin came into the world and with sin death. The sin of the man brought condemnation, but the free gift given by Christ leads to justification. Death came through Adam; life came through Jesus Christ. The contrast is between a life-giving Christ and a death-dealing man. Our righteousness and life come from the saving work of Jesus Christ.
In Isaiah 27 the serpent is called Leviathan or the dragon. Leviathan is the sea monster who opposes God and reflects an old myth about the Sea battling the gods. It appears that this late Old Testament section is moving toward the identity of the serpent with the devil.
The serpent, mentioned in the first book of the Bible, is also an antagonist of God’s will in the last book. John, the seer, refers to war in heaven where Michael and the angels fight the dragon and his angels. The dragon, who is called that serpent of old, is cast out of heaven with his host. Here the serpent of the Garden of Eden is identified with the devil or Satan.
The talking serpent in the Garden represents opposition to God’s intentions for the world. Christ overcomes the devil in his attempt to overturn Christ’s mission. Christ’s victory is most particularly represented in His death and resurrection.
Christ’s victory is the focus of our witness. The serpent of old has been defeated and will in the end be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur. We have a message of hope and life to take to the people. Let’s do it.
Michael G. Tavella
October 29, 2024
