Jacob Chanikuzhy

Eve’s reply to the question of the Serpent whether God told them not to eat from any of the tree is interesting. She answered the serpent that they are not allowed even to touch the forbidden fruit. Actually God did not tell them that they should not touch. Eve was exaggerating… The exaggeration of the divine laws continues…. Yahweh gave Ten Commandments; but some exaggerate certain commandments even to the total neglect of others.

The punishment stipulated for eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil seems to be very inappropriate. Is eating a forbidden fruit so grave a crime to be punished with death?! The point is not eating a particular fruit but violating the command of God. God’s laws are inviolable. The death threat indicates the seriousness of violating the divine command. The point is that we cannot violate God’s commandments without risking our own life.

After having tried to confuse Eve about the divine command, in a second step the serpent assures Eve that no harm would take place if she eats the fruit – “you will not die.” The tempter continues to trap his victims insinuating that “nobody will see,” “you will not be caught,” “nothing will happen” … Though the word of God tells us that the “wages of sin is death,” Satan goes on whispering that sin has no consequences. Moreover, Satan adds to the lure of sin by portraying the advantages thereof – “your eyes will be opened… will be like God!” The serpent is not offering any carnal pleasures or gratifications; he is offering them nobler and higher good. Knowledge of good and evil indicates omniscience. Like God, they too will become omniscient. Only the omniscient God can determine what is good and evil, and what is right and wrong. Once they become omniscient they can decide for themselves what is right and wrong. The serpent is offering them the moral autonomy. Man has always wished to have the right to decide what is good and evil; man has always resented God’s prohibiting the fruits man would like to enjoy.

Chatting with the serpent ended up in her being cheated. The suggestions of the serpent made her to crave for the fruit. She saw that the “The tree was good for food….” The garden was full of trees good for food and pleasant to the eyes…In spite of all those fruits, Eve was greatly impressed by the forbidden fruit – stolen waters are sweet! She was so impressed by the fruit that she disregarded the instruction of God regarding the fruit. She followed her impulses than the instruction of God. Sin is going after our impulses and impressions. In a second step he ate the fruit. When she looked at the fruit she may not have intended to pluck and eat it. But, the process of sinning is like falling down. Once the process begins, it is very hard or even impossible to stop the midway. It simply ends up in hell. The fact that she took it and ate suggests that she did it voluntarily. The serpent could only tempt her; it could not force her to sin. Eve had to do it personally and she did it.
The next thing Eve did after eating the fruit was to give it to her husband also. A sinner never wants to be alone; he/she wants company and looks for friends. A sinner immediately becomes a tempter and tries to join as many people as possible in the sinners’ club. But, Adam had also a choice. He could decide whether to listen to the voice of his God or his wife. He chose to listen to the word of his wife and ate the fruit.

Generally men take initiatives and women follow. But, here in the story of sin it is a woman who leads a man astray. Why does the sacred author portray woman as leading man to sin? May be the history of Israel had its sway in the formation of this story. In the history of Israel it was the women who led Israelite men to idolatry (Num 25:1-5). Even King Solomon, the wisest king ever ruled Israel, was seduced by his foreign wives and committed idolatry.

The fact that women are capable of turning their husband and children to God or from God finds its expression in the bible in the very first story of the fall.