Did You Know Jesus' Birth Was Predicted to the First Human?

The Good News for Adam and Eve

Contrary to what the chart in your high school's biology classroom may have told you (see attached picture), your oldest ancestor was not an ape-human transitional creature. It was a man named Adam (whose name means "Mankind" in the original language). 

Though God created Adam and his wife, Eve, good, they quickly disobeyed against God and fell from grace. This was brought on by a devilish snake, who enticed the couple to eat of that infamous forbidden fruit (which is where that expression comes from, by the way). To read the story, click here.

Part of Adam and Eve's punishment was to be cast out of God's favorable presence. But while God was meting out their (and the snake's) consequences, he made the first humans an incredible promise. Here is what he says to the snake (understood to be Satan) in Genesis 3:15:

"I will put enmity between you [the snake] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

The Lord was doing more than merely predicting that girls would say "ewww!" whenever they saw a slithery serpent. He was promising to send a savior to mankind.

The offspring of the devil (which is what Jesus called the religious elites of his day who opposed him) would oppose a certain offspring of Eve--a human who was to come. The devil (notice God goes back to talking about the snake, rather than its offspring) would strike the savior's heel, but the savior would strike the serpent's head. In other words, the snake would injure the savior, but the savior would deal a fatal blow to the snake in the process. 

The Prophecy Fulfilled

Now take a look at today's Scripture reading: Luke 3:23-38. Did you read it? It is the genealogy of Jesus, tracing his family lineage back through his ancient ancestors, to Adam, the first man. 

Very few people get excited about genealogies (except perhaps Mormons), but Jesus' genealogy actually is exciting, once you realize what it says. 

See, the family history of Jesus is more than a list of names. It is a record of all the people to whom that original promise was passed down. Let's start from the bottom of the list and work our way back:

Adam (verse 38), "the son of God," was the first to receive the promise of the coming savior. 

Noah (verse 36) kept the promise alive by preserving the human lineage through the worst destruction the world ever saw, i.e. the global flood. 

Abraham (verse 34) was told by God that the coming savior would bless all peoples on the earth. 

Isaac (verse 34) was the son miraculously born to Abraham, who's near-death experience taught that it would be through faith that the savior would save. 

Jacob (A. K. A. Israel, verse 34) was the forefather of the twelve tribes of Israel, through which the savior would come. 

Judah (verse 33) was the father of the specific tribe through which the savior would come. 

David (verse 31), Israel's greatest king, was promised that the savior would be a mighty king like him, and would descend from him. 

Zerubbabel (verse 27), who was "chosen" by God and a forerunner to the savior-king who was going to come.

The list continues, all the way down to Jesus, "the son (as was supposed) of Joseph...." Incredibly, the promise was kept alive through the annals of history. Jesus, the savior, the king, the actual Son of God, had come into the world!

A One-of-a-Kind King

So, the king has come. The Lord has kept his promise. This is what we just got done celebrating at Christmas. As we continue on this journey through the Gospel According to Luke, the author is going to show us exactly how Jesus was "bruised on the heel," and how he dealt the death-blow to the devil. 

God's Plan and Your Choice

Isn't in awe-inspiring to see how God has kept his promise? This is why, when people ask why there cannot be multiple ways to God, all one needs to do is look at what God has done. He has taken incredible measures to shape and bend the course of history, all with the purpose of getting Jesus Christ to earth, so he could die as a sacrifice for mankind's sins. H

Adam and Eve were promised a savior, but they were evicted from God's paradise. Because you are their descendant, you were born evicted from God's goodness--born with a tendency to sin. But you are not separated from God because of your genealogy; you are separated from God because of your sin. 

There is only one way to be reconciled with the God who is capable of bending history itself to rescue you, and that is to become a willing subject--and a friend--of King Jesus. 

If you would like to know more about how to be reconciled with God, please contact me today!

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Joel Settecase is the Associate Pastor of Evangelism and Student Ministries at Grace Pointe Plainfield, located at 143rd St. and Route 30.