ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Sapate Sanuali 15, 2023 

The Mother of All Living

Ko e Fa’ē ‘a e kakai kotoa

GENESIS 3:20

THE MAN CALLED HIS WIFE'S NAME EVE, BECAUSE SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF ALL LIVING.

SENESI 3:20

Pea fakahingoa ‘e he tangata hono uaifi ko ‘Ivi [ko Mo‘ui‘anga]; koe‘uhi ko e fa‘ē ia ‘a e kakai kotoa pē.

Eve's name is Chavvah in Hebrew, Zoe in Greek. Her name reflects the word for life, chai (think of the common Jewish toast, l'chaim! "to life!"). In a dark and dismal chapter, this is a welcome ray of light. In fact, one might say it's a name of faith, for Chavvah hasn't even had a baby yet. God has promised she will, however, so Adam's name-bestowing and her name-bearing are confessions of faith in the God who always sticks to his word. Just as the Lord will, in the next verse, clothe them with better garments, so Adam wraps a new name around his wife.

Chavvah is the mother of all living in more than one sense. Yes, her womb is the origin of all humanity; all people trace their lineage back to her. In a more profound way, however, she is the mother of life itself, for it will be her seed who crushes death and resurrects life for all (Gen. 3:15). Indeed, the Messiah is "the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (1:4). His biological mother was Mary, but his primal mother was Chavvah, the mother of the seed who is the life of God himself.

Christ Jesus, "with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light" (Ps. 36:9).