Take and Eat!

 

	“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
	—Genesis 3:6

That old serpent, the Devil, or Satan, used his appeal to Eve’s lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life when he tempted her to eat of the forbidden fruit. She liked the thought of the taste of such a beautiful fruit, and the beauty of it tantalized her even more. But, when she heard the serpent tell her that she would gain wisdom too, she couldn’t pass up the chance.

With that bite, and more so with the bite of her husband, the human race “fell” away from God’s perfect design for them. The whole line of humans after them became tainted with the same poison of sin that became Adam’s and Eve’s undoing.

They were the first, but we join them with our own sinful natures in a pathetic, irreparable path of corruption that leads to death, as the Scripture tells us in Romans 6:23:

“For the wages of sin is death.”

And, in Romans 3:23, the Apostle Paul reminds those in the church at Rome:

“ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Not only did mankind “fall,” but God cursed the entirety of His creation. He told Adam in Genesis 3:17-18:

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you.”

That could have been the end of the matter. But, God had a “Plan B.” In His astounding love for those He had created, He gave His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Holy Ambassador to this world.

Jesus would come to earth as a human and live a perfect life in front of all mankind. He suffered sickness, disappointment, sorrow, temptation, the whole range of human experiences. And then, Jesus was deserted, accused of wrongdoing, and killed in the most gruesome manner imaginable.

Remember those thorns with which God cursed the earth? Wicked men wove a crown with them and placed them on Jesus’ head. He willingly submitted to God’s plan and gave His life for us. On that glorious Easter morning—the time we move toward during this Lenten Season—Jesus rose from the grave, conquering sin and death. He lives, sitting at the right hand of His Father and making intercession for us.

When we receive Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and acknowledge that He is our Savior and Lord, we become reunited with God and may now live our lives knowing, loving, and serving Him.

Thank God during this Lenten Season for His unspeakable gift of mercy, grace, and love. When you hear the “Words of Institution” at the Lord’s Supper from Matthew 26:26, “Take, eat; this is my body…,” allow these words to transport you in your mind back to Eden, and to remember all the sin that caused our Lord to suffer and die.

Praise Him for His plan to give His body for us that we may receive God’s forgiveness for our sins.

“Take eat,” indeed! This is life to us!