Redeeming Eve: An Honoring of Mary
A conviction I have had for the past couple years now is to really meditate and take in what it means to be a new creation in Christ. Paul states numerous times that when a human is saved by Jesus, they are no longer a member of Adam’s race, but a member of a new race, Christ’s. (Romans 5:12, 1st Corinthians 15:22,45) Jesus talks about this in His famous dialogue with Nicodemus in John 3. When one is saved by Christ, they are born again.
This understanding of our salvation in Christ was discussed further in one of the earliest theories of Atonement in the Christian Church. It is called Recapitulation, and it’s detail is most commonly credited to second century church father Irenaeus.
The idea is somewhat an elaboration on statements like 1st Corinthians 15:22, “For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive”. (CSB) It emphasizes how Christ takes us out of the doomed and broken human race of Adam, and restores our purest humanity by being under Christ. Therefore, being born again, Adam is no longer the head/root of a Christian’s humanity, but Jesus is.
“Irenaeus brings out parallels between Adam and Christ to show that Christ has reversed what Adam had done. In part due to the disobedience of one woman, Eve, sin came into the world. Yet due to the obedience of another woman, Mary, salvation came into the world. Though Adam was conquered by the serpent, Christ conquered the serpent. Through disobedience by a tree, Adam died; through obedience upon a tree, Christ conquered death.”
With Christmas coming up, I wanted to spend this blog focusing specifically on how Christ “recapitulates” Eve through His mother, Mary. Yes, Christ alone is our Savior and Lamb. But we should not overlook how God used Mary for His plan to save humanity. Mary’s humble submission to God is crucial, and we must all imitate it in our own walks with the Lord. And I believe, looking at the birth of Christ through the lens of Recapitulation, we might find some very interesting parallels between Eve and Mary.
“He (Jesus) became man by the virgin, in order that the disobedience which began with the serpent might receive its destruction in the same manner in which it derived its origin. For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, brought forth disobedience and death. But the virgin Mary received faith and joy when the angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her.”
Comparing Genesis 3:1-6 with Luke 1:26-38
With all of this mind, lets do a brief comparison of the interaction the Serpent has with Eve and the angel Gabriel has with Mary.
1. The Women are approached before the Men
It is commonly known and addressed that the Serpent in Genesis 3 speaks directly to Eve, not Adam. However, a parallel not always addressed is that God tells Mary the Good News about Christ first before going to Joseph. Considering Matthew 1:18-20 mentions Joseph finding out about Mary’s pregnancy before being told by an angel, it is safe to say Gabriel’s telling to Mary in Luke 1:28 had already happened. So while Eve was the first to be deceived, Mary was the first to receive the Good News and believe.
2. Eve is introduced to doubt, Mary is introduced to assurance
The first thing the Serpent says to Eve is, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1) From his introduction, the Serpent has already twisted and misworded the original command from God (Genesis 2:16-17) to creep doubt and uncertainty into Eve’s heart.
Gabriel, on the other hand, first assures Mary that the Lord is with her, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28) Where the Devil brings doubt and manipulation, the Lord brings encouragement and assurance.
3. Eve was told she would be like God, Mary was told God would rule over her
The Serpent implies to Eve in verses 4-5 that God is holding her and Adam back. If they ate the forbidden fruit, they would be like God. It is this very desire that haunts the human race. All through the Scriptures, history books, and present day we see people desperately try to fulfill their inner need for God by substituting Him with an idol of some sort. Oftentimes, this idol is ourselves, our pride and vanity.
When Mary asks Gabriel how it will be possible for her to be pregnant since she’s a virgin, Gabriel says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Luke 1:35) Mary has an important role in this, but the angel makes it quite clear who is in control here. This is in the hands of the Most High, our Creator.
4. Eve saw the forbidden fruit as appealing for personal gain, Mary humbly submitted
It is interesting how Genesis describes Eve’s temptation to eat the fruit as, “desirable for obtaining wisdom.” I remember Tony Evans once saying in a sermon on Genesis 3 that the issue of Adam and Eve eating to seek knowledge wasn’t that they wanted to learn. Rather, the issue is that they went out to learn independently from God. God wants us learn. He created our minds to learn. But it is when we think we know better than God, or try to seek truth separately from Him that we fall into trouble. After all, He is the Truth!
It is an understatement to say that the virgin birth of Jesus is a mystery. How can God, the Lord Most High, not only be born of the human race He created, but be born a baby? A great mystery indeed!
Mary herself recognized this mystery, and yet trusted Gabriel’s response that, “…nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) Despite the incredible trials and cultural denouncement she was about to face, despite whatever unanswered questions and doubts still crept in her heart, Mary’s response was, “See, I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38)
Instead of seeking knowledge elsewhere, instead of trying to figure it out on her own, Mary humbly accepted this mystery that breaks all logic and reason from the human perspective. Why? Because she was the Lord’s servant, and nothing is impossible with the Lord.
Conclusion
There are many more parallels and discussions to be had on Recapitulation and how Jesus saved the human race. My hope is that as we celebrate and remember His incarnation, we recognize that Adam was not the only human from the Garden redeemed. Eve was also redeemed by Christ, and God used Mary’s humble trust and obedience as a piece in fulfilling His grand plan.
So it was that the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith. -Irenaeus (1.455)
Bibliography
1. Cook, C. (2016). A Second Adam: How the Doctrine of Recapitulation helps make sense of the Atonement. Cantus Firmus Media.
2. Bercot, D. (1998). A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Peabody, MA. Hendrickson Publishing.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
For Further Reading
1. Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals by Gavin Ortlund, Chapter 5: Substitution as Both Satisfaction and Recapitulation: Atonement Themes in Convergence in Irenaeus, Anselm, and Athanasius.
Thumbnail Image: “Mary and Eve” by Sr. Grace Remington