Who is the Snake Crusher?

Then the Lord God said to the serpent…
"And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:14-15

In the church year,  my favourite service is Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas eve. The first of the Nine Lessons is from Genesis 3. The message is that the seed or offspring spoken about in Gen 3:15 is the baby in the manger. Jesus is the one who picks up the promise that the snake, who induced the chaos which resulted when the man and woman chose to define what is good and bad for themselves, will be overcome. The promise is there right from the beginning, that God in Jesus will undo the serpent's actions. In the battle, the ‘seed’ of the woman will crush the head of the snake. Though wounded in the struggle, the woman‘s ‘seed’, Jesus, will be victorious.

So there is a struggle between the forces of rebellion that carry on the legacy of the snake and the seed of the woman. God’s promise here is about the offspring of the woman: humans brought the problem into the world and humans have to be involved in undoing the trouble. Genesis 3:15 looks forward from the very beginning full of questions and mystery but equally full of hope. Jesus in the gospels picks up snake imagery. The final fatal blow to the head of the snake will come from one human, Jesus on the cross. 

There are many seeds of the snake out there bringing chaos and misery into the lives of the people we meet. The snake brings chaos and pain to society. For people to gain freedom there must be a struggle. Our friends, family and neighbours will remain in their chains to the snake unless the people of God get out and join the struggle. 

The snake is out to hurt us, he will strike at our heels. There will be pain when we seek to liberate people from the snake's grip. Expect liberating prisoners from the power of the snake to leave scars.