“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17). When Adam and Eve were first placed in the Garden of Eden, they were immortal. They did not know sickness or weakness or fear or sorrow, or any of the other afflictions or hardships that are so common to our mortal experience. But after they ate the forbidden fruit in that garden, they were changed. Death was no longer an abstract concept for them but a cold, hard certainty. All because of something they ate. But isn't is so interesting how the Lord's remedies are so often nearly identical to the original harm? When the Israelites were stung by serpents, the Lord commanded them to look at a bronze serpent. When Goliath made even the mightiest warriors feel like little kids in comparison, who did God send to defeat the giant? A little kid. And what was one of the first things that God commanded Adam and Eve after confronting them about eating the forbidden fruit? Eating! In Genesis 3:17-19, the Lord commands Adam and Eve three times to eat. Soon after He commands them again to eat. This time it was part of a sacrifice of the firstlings of their flocks. A huge part of ancient worship revolved around eating, down to giving out exact recipes and meal plans for things like the Passover feast. And it's not so different today. Whether it was in the time of Moses where they ate pieces of the burnt offerings or in our day when we eat of the bread and drink of the water of the Sacrament, it all points to Jesus Christ. Just as Adam and Eve partook of something forbidden and thus through the Fall brought on mortality to them and all of their descendents, it would require Jesus partaking of something once more in a garden to secure for all of God's children immortality once more. Over and over Christ referred to the Atonement as a cup that He must ingest. As dearly and fervently as He prayed for His Father to forbid Him to drink from that cup, He nevertheless drained it to the dregs. He ate and swallowed up the sins and sicknesses and heartache of every single person that ever has or ever will come to this Earth. He did it so that we too may eat something and have just as much of a change as Adam and Eve experienced when they ate the forbidden fruit. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.” (John 6:51-58). Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and were promised that they would surely die. If we will weekly partake of the Sacrament and in all other ways seek to abide in Christ that He may abide in us every moment of our lives so that in this way we eat of the Bread of Life, then we shall surely live for all eternity.
