The Daughters of Eve and the Son of Mary: A Christmas Reflection
Reflections on the Virgin Mary and Eve
This is one of my favorite images during the Christmas/Advent season. It is “Virgin Mary and Eve,” a crayon & pencil drawing by Sr Grace Remington. I loved it so much, I bought a copy of it for myself that’s sitting on top of my piano.
As a Christian, I’ve always felt at least a tiny tingle of guilt for being a woman. After all, it was a woman who sinned first in the Garden.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)
Her sin led to Adam’s sin, and we know how that ended — The Fall. And the consequences (and the blame) ripple out from her to the rest of our gender.
Now this may not be explicitly taught (although, in some cases it has been explicitly taught), but there have been plenty of indirect teachings from the world and even church cultures that have made me think that being a woman is a flaw. That as a woman, I am incomplete, subhuman, and inferior to men.
I mean, how do these (out-of-context) verses make you feel? (Emphasis added)
2 Timothy 2:11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
So then it makes sense that I became ashamed of being a woman. Wouldn’t you be if it were your sins that carried the whole world down into hell?
In fact, we women are responsible for so many things that are wrong with the world, aren’t we? We are told that we are active contributors to the downward spiral of our society. “Why are you wearing that? You’ll make someone stumble.” “Why don’t you dress nicer to get his attention so you can finally get married?” “You speak up too much; be quiet.” “You should’ve spoken up before — since you didn’t, it’s probably not a real problem.” “Why don’t you wear more make up?” “Why do you wear so much make up?” “Why are you so hormonal?” “Why are you so emotional?” “Stop making it such a big deal.”
But many women, including myself, never argued back against these contradictory questions. We felt like this was the price we had to pay for our sins. It was our penalty for damning the world as the daughters of Eve.
Look at Eve. Do you see the shame and guilt that she carries? She covers as best as she can with her hair, but she knows she is naked underneath and nothing can truly cover her sins.
Do you see what Eve is holding? It is the forbidden fruit. She doesn’t throw away that thing that made her fall. Instead, she clutches it and holds it close to her chest. It has become part of her identity — sinner, the deceived, the fallen one.
And she is constricted by the snake, which shackles her ankles and trips her up at every turn. She cannot free herself from its coils, so she stumbles along with no one to help her or lift up her head.
Do you see yourself in Eve?
Mary has always gotten the short end of the stick in Protestant circles. Because the Reformers have tried to hard to avoid the deification of the mother of Jesus, they often ignore or her make her role very small. Recently, there has been a revival in Protestant circles about the faith and role of Mary, and it is so needed — because look at her.
Look at Mary’s posture. Look at her face. She is compassionate. She is not judging, but she is loving.
Look how closely Mary stands next to Eve. Mary does not ask Eve to fix her hair or to wear some clothes. She doesn’t even tell her to throw away the fruit before allowing her to touch her stomach, which holds a growing child.
Instead, Mary takes Eve’s hand and places it on her pregnant belly. She takes her other hand and puts it on Eve’s cheek. The woman who has not yet given birth to the child is mothering Eve. She comforts her. She extends an invitation to Eve and to us.
“There is hope here,” she seems to say. “There is something new here. And if you really see what this thing is, it will change your life.”
It’s same sentiment given to Israel in Isaiah 40, which looks to a future time when God will restore the world back to his goodness.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the LORD's hand
double for all her sins.
The mother of Jesus is confident in all of these things because she knows who is in her womb. She knows that the victory is here. Mary feels whole, complete, and loved — her identity is not in her sins but in the one she carries — the son of Mary, who is Jesus.
We see under Mary’s own feet the foreshadowing of that ultimate victory over the serpent, over sin, over death. The snake is trampled under her feet.
Now some might say that this picture is not a correct depiction of the curse God puts on the serpent in Genesis 3:15 —
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
But in this case, I think this artistic license is acceptable. Clearly it’s Jesus who is in the womb, and we all know that is he who will ultimately defeat Satan.
I think the power of this picture is this: to represent how God is redeeming women.
God loves women. God loves that I am a woman. He made us beautifully and intimately. Though we were first deceived, God does not hold that against us.
Creating woman was not just an afterthought for God. In fact, God called us very good. And he proves it to us when Jesus chose to enter the world through the body of a woman, of a weaker vessel, of a sinful vessel.
The first few months of his life, Jesus was literally attached to his mother. Her body was his home. Her blood was his blood. He fell asleep to the whooshing of blood in her vessels. He was surrounded by the vibrations of her heartbeat. The perfection of God lived in the womb of a woman.
No longer is the identity of woman bound up in the fact that she ate the forbidden fruit. No, our identity is that of a chosen vessel used for God’s glorious purpose. Mary carried the image of God in her womb. Her body was literally a living temple.
So you see, sisters, our bodies are not instruments of seduction, but life. Our hormones are not annoying, but rather they are a part of a rhythm of life that is beautiful and holy. Our physical bodies may be weaker, but they were strong enough to carry the fragile life of a baby boy named Jesus.
And so we have two women. Many of us are Eve, stuck in our sin and trapped in an identity that we can’t seem to escape. But would we remember Mary and her invitation?
Yes, we are sinners, but now we are redeemed saints. We are able to hold our heads up and show people the hope we have in Christ and Christ alone. We can look at the world with true compassion. We can be Mary, inviting people to Jesus’s table, telling them to taste and see that the Lord is good.
We do not have to be perfect to come before the King. We are already loved. We can feel God’s hand on our cheek and his gentle call to just come and see. Come and see that goodness that is coming and know that the victory has been won.
God sees that we are women, and he loves us for being women. As we move towards Christmas, as we move towards the birth, may we see that God created us female purposefully and beautifully. He does not see us as less worthy. But he sees us truly, wholly, fully.
And so to end, let us remember Mary’s beautiful praise to God after she found out she would be with child. From Luke 1:
The Magnificat
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”