“Take and eat” comparison between the serpent and Jesus

There are some parts of the Bible that are so familiar that we skip through them and don’t notice what we should. I have found myself doing that too often; it is easy to assume you’ve seen all there is to see in a certain passage. Yet as I have started preaching through Genesis, I have found all kinds of things I haven’t seen before.

One of them seems so obvious but I have never made the connection. It was an observation that the commentator Derek Kidner made in his commentary on Genesis. (By the way, I recall Tim Keller noting that there was often more wisdom in a single paragraph in a Kidner commentary than some have in a whole chapter! He wrote so simply and yet had so much to say. I highly recommend any commentary you can find that Derek Kidner has authored).

When the serpent tempted the woman in Genesis 3, there is a discussion about God’s word and what it really said. Afterwards, the woman stopped and considered the forbidden tree prior to deciding to sin. When she sinned, the verbs used are “take” and “eat”. She took of its fruit and ate (Gen 3:6).

A very long time later, just prior to his death on the cross, Jesus ate a last supper with his disciples. At one key point in the meal, he said to them, “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matt 26:26). These are the same verbs used in the Genesis 3 passage. The serpent led Eve to take and eat that which would bring death; Jesus led his disciples to take and eat that which would bring life. In Jesus, the effects of the fall into sin are reversed.

The Bible has all kinds of connections, some of which are obvious and some which we don’t notice right away. It is yet another piece of evidence of the beauty of God’s word, and the centrality of Jesus.

The world continues to call to us to take and eat from that which God forbids. We are told that seeking things that bring us selfish pleasure are commendable. Things that dishonour God and ourselves call us all the time. Yet, just like with the serpent, these things lead to death.

What Jesus offers is so much better. And it cost so much. Jesus gave his body and blood so that people like us could eat and drink, not only now, but into eternity. We can look forward to the unity of eating and drinking with other believers and with the King who died for us.

Take and eat. Simple words. But be careful who it is that tells you do them.