Have you ever had a big trip to look forward to? Last year, the director of my work team planned a surprise one-day trip for our team of thirty people. We knew very few details about the trip beforehand. What we did know is that we’d be flying on a plane, we needed to wear walking shoes, and the weather would be hotter than normal. The day of our trip, we were asked to arrive at our meeting spot at 4:30 a.m. Talk about anticipation!
All summer long my coworkers and I racked our brains trying to figure out what work had planned. Would we be hiking in the Colorado mountains? Might we tour museums in Washington D.C.? Spend time relaxing on a California beach? The anticipation consumed us and left us exploring every idea imaginable.
In a much more extravagant way, Genesis 3:15 reveals the greatest anticipation in all of Scripture. In the beginning of Genesis 3, the serpent is introduced as a crafty creature. From the start, he questions the boundaries God has given man and woman and deceives them into sin. As soon as Adam and Eve eat from the tree, their eyes are opened, and they realize they are naked and ashamed. God calls them out of hiding and addresses the consequences of sin. God speaks directly to the serpent, saying that He will create strife between the serpent and humankind. He also says Eve’s offspring will “strike the serpent’s head, and the serpent will strike His heel.” As believers who have access to the entirety of Scripture, we know this statement clearly points to Jesus as the serpent-crusher.
Genesis 3:15 is known as the “protoevangelium” or “first gospel”. This verse is the first Messianic promise of a Savior who would crush the serpent once and for all. What’s beautiful about this passage of Scripture is that God doesn’t just look at Adam and Eve and punish them for their sinful choices; He looks at them out of love and reveals His ultimate plan of salvation. God clearly gives boundary lines to Adam and Eve that they willingly ignore. And because God is holy, there are consequences for those actions. If the story stopped here, it would be a tragedy. But in Genesis 3:15, God promises redemption for His people. This serpent-crusher wouldn’t just battle with Satan; He would crush Satan.
And that’s exactly what Jesus did. Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died a terrible death, and rose from the grave, conquering sin and death once and for all. Christ’s resurrection from the grave proves His deity as the Son of God. Man, whose sin separates him from God, now has a way to be in relationship with God. Jesus bridges the gap. And if we believe in Him as our Savior, we have the best gift ever been given—freedom from sin and eternity with God.
Remember my work-related story of great anticipation? Well, the surprise was bigger and better than we ever expected. Our director had planned a one-day trip to New York City for our team, and we had an amazing time. All throughout the Old Testament, God’s people waited with great anticipation for the serpent-crusher to come. Today, we have the privilege of knowing Jesus has fulfilled Genesis 3:15 in a bigger and better way than anyone could have expected.
Yet, we still wait with anticipation for Jesus to come again. God has promised that one day sin will be no more, and we will meet Jesus face to face to live with Him forever. God’s love has rescued us in Christ, and God’s love has promised us an eternal home where we will dwell with God forever.
