Adam and Eve

Consider the story of Adam and Eve.

God created Adam from the dust of the ground, along with all the other pairs of animals, and he brought them before him to see what he'd call them. When it was all done, there was no companion found for Adam, even though all the others came in pairs.

Ever thought about why? Why didn't God create Eve at the same time as Adam? I think it's because he wanted Adam to experience a bit of the same longing in his heart that Jesus had in his. C.S. Lewis noted that hunger, regardless of whether or not it's satisfied, is an indication that food exists. The fact that Adam knew he was incomplete demanded a fulfilling reality somewhere. This did not come from Adam's experience for he had no prior experience of having had this completion. Rather, this ache in Adam was a reflection of God's chosen longing to have a counter-part for his Son.

Once Adam had fully experienced this longing, God put Adam to sleep, took a rib from his side and fashioned Eve. This is a bit odd, compared to the previous way of creating creatures. Why not create Eve the same way? I think it's as a foreshadowing of the church and Christ, where the last Eve also comes forth from the riven side of the last Adam. The blood and water which spilled from Jesus side symbolizes redemption and cleansing. He went through this in order to have a bride, without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless, a partner with a heart like his.