Mary vs Eve

As I lay in the arms of my wife this morning I thought how filled with joy and love I am. I wondered what Adam and Eve would have been thinking after they made love. They are in Paradise. God is fully present with them. They would be happy, fulfilled. How is it possible Eve would feel unsatisfied, that she needed something more? What could this “more” be? 

I for some reason want to compare and contrast with Jesus and Mary. I think there is a connection between the wedding at Cana and the Garden of Eden. I think the connection has to do with how men and women interact.

At Cana, Mary comes to Jesus and points out something needs to be done. He reacts with “It is not time”. He disagrees with her timing. But I think this is the moment when we see the wisdom of women. She somehow “knows” now is the time. And she was right. 

Did Eve know somehow it was time for a change? How long were they going to stay in the Garden? It’s interesting that in the Book of Revelation the very first Church, when it returns to it’s first love, shall eat of the Tree of Life. Why was something that was forbidden, in fact they were pushed out of the Garden “lest they east of the Tree of Life” now given as a gift? Were they intended to eat of the two Trees at some point? 

Does not Jesus tell us “to become perfect, even as the Father in Heaven is perfect”? If the objective is to become perfect would not we at some point eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? So was it a matter of timing? Or was it something else?

At Cana, Mary knew the time was right, let’s assume that Eve knew the time was right for them to eat and leave the Garden. That was in fact their mission.

I am making the assumption that knowing now is the time is a peculiar gift that women have. That they know it is time to move on, time to change, time to do something different. The crucial part is how do they get men to change. So the question becomes how did Mary do that versus how Eve and so many other women throughout history get men to do what they are supposed to do.

Abraham was supposed to have descendants as numerous as the stars. It wasn’t happening. Sarah knew it was supposed to happen and hurried it along. She did not trust with God or Abraham so she nagged Abraham into having a child with Hagar.

Abraham wants a wife for his son Isaac so he finds Rebecca. How does Rebecca get her way? She tricks Isaac when she cooks a meal for Abraham so he gives Easu’s blessing to Jacob and then she nags Isaac into sending Jacob to Laban.

Then Jacob goes to Laban and falls in love with Rachel, but Laban tricks Jacob into sleep with the older daughter Leah. After another seven years he finally wins Rachel. Leah has given Jacob more children and both Rachela and Leah nag him into having children through their hand maids.

All of this trickery, deception led to disasters in the future. Trickery from wanting to get their way and lack of faith. Lack of faith that the right thing would happen.

So Eve I think knows it is time to go, to stop the vacation and get to work. Does she talk to Adam about this? Does she talk to God about this? Maybe both. But, in the end she decides she has to trick Adam into eating of the Tree. 

How does Mary handle her situation? She points out to Jesus it is time. They need a miracle. He rebukes her, but she has faith in her timing, in her wisdom, God’s will and Jesus. She turns to the servants and simply says “Do as he says.” No nagging, no trickery, she walks away. She has faith Jesus will do the right thing. As he does his first miracle, starting the path to the resurrection. 

What if Eve had done the same thing? What if she talked it over with him, told him it is time to go and placed an apple in front of him and moved on to do something else?