What appeal did the apple have for Eve, and what is the basic appeal of all sin?

Friday, 2/13/15

What was it that made the fruit appealing to Eve? Genesis says, "The woman saw that the tree was good for food, appealing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom."

We are surprised by that last part. A tree that is seen to be desirable for gaining wisdom would be an oddity. Where did that come from?

Well, it relates to something the serpent said, in tempting the woman. He said, “Your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who knows what is good and what is bad.”

The serpent implies that the gods arbitrarily decide what actions are good and what ones are evil, and if the woman ate of the tree she would be like a god, able to decide for herself what was good and bad.

It was that aspect of the woman’s sin that has it relating to all our sins. We sin by deciding we are gods who can make our own Ten Commandments.   

 Stretching the point a little, we can see how the Gospel story could relate to the woman’s sin. The man couldn’t speak right until after Jesus touched his ears to make him hear right. When we can’t hear Jesus, we talk gibberish.