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July 30, 2025 17 mins

The first man, filled with untapped potential to subdue the world and cultivate God’s perfect will… Adam represents all of us. Teeming with potential, but hindered by pride. But where Adam failed, Jesus prevailed. 

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As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel.

They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history.

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To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ 

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray for as in Adam all die, so
also in Christ all will be made alive. First Corinthians
fifteen twenty two. Dear Lord, you are the author of life.
The closer we are to You, the closer we are
to truly living. Sometimes I can get caught up in

(00:22):
patterns of brokenness and sin. This is the old me,
the pattern said by Adam and Eve. I do not
want to follow in their footsteps by rebelling against you.
I want to walk the path of Christ and be
led by the spirit to resist temptation and live a
life of purpose. Empower me, Lord, and may your kindness

(00:43):
continually lead me to repentance in Jesus's name. Amen, thank
you for praying with me today. Stay tuned now for
another episode of Stories of the Messiah with Rabbi Schneider.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Adam, where are you?

Speaker 3 (01:09):
The voice that spoke earth and sea into existence? Called
out to him, and instead of feeling comforted, he felt terrified.
Adam's legs shook and he immediately ran through the forest
to escape his creative shame is what drove him away.
Shame is what caused him to flee like a deer
from a lion. Adam no longer felt safe. Whatever greatness

(01:31):
he was destined for dissipated, he leaped into the bushes
and curled into a ball. He covered his ears, unable
to escape the resounding voice booming from the trees.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Adam, where are you?

Speaker 4 (01:47):
Welcome to the Stories of the Messiah podcast. I'm Rabbi
Schneider with discovering the Jewish Jesus here to guide you
through the season Jesus the Greater. This would be an
epic adventure through the the New Testaments. I am constantly
blown away by the greatness of Jesus interwoven into the
fabric of scripture. This series will showcase cinematic settings of

(02:11):
the most prominent heroes of the Bible. We will listen
to the highs and lows of their lives, then unpack
what they mean. Together. As we dive into their stories,
we'll discover one abiding and never ending truth. Jesus is
the greatest hero of all. Noah, Moses, David, and Daniel

(02:31):
are all but fractured images of the long awaited.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Speaker 4 (02:37):
Today's episode begins well at the beginning. God formed Adam
and Eve and gave them a purpose to partner with him.
In unity, tend to creation and multiply the earth to
fill it with God's image bearers. But God gave Adam
and Eve a choice. They could follow in his ways
or seize autonomy and live for themselves. Choice was tempting,

(03:01):
and an enemy lurking in the shadows made it all
the more enticing. Let's jump into the story of Genesis three,
when Adam and Eve made a strange creature seeking to
lure them away from God.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
The morning was enveloped with a refreshing coolness. The forest
mist carried different scents of wild berries and blooming flowers.
As Adam and Eve walked in the garden, something caught
Eve's eye near the forbidden tree. She approached it slowly,
all the while admiring its mesmerizing beauty. Its fruit was gorgeous,

(03:36):
perfectly ripe for the picking. Eve's head cocked to the
side as she scanned the tree. Coiled around the trunk
was a brilliantly colored serpent. Eve wasn't afraid, she didn't yet.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Know how to fear.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
Instead, she approached the snake and innocently gazed.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Up at it. What are you, she asked.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
The creature responded with an indecipherable hiss. His voice was
like the echoes of a thousand whispers. Eve watched as
the serpent's body slithered up the trunk and into the leaves,
then slowly and methodically, its head emerged from the top.
His eyes were filled with cunning and deceit. His long

(04:17):
tail draped over the branches and caressed the fruit. Did
God really say you couldn't eat any fruit in this garden,
the serpent asked, innocently, masking his sinister and crafty plot.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Eve thurrowed her brow.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
No, we can eat of every tree except this one.
We can't even touch this tree, or we will die.
The serpent scoffed, Ah, you will not surely die. The
Creator knows that if you ate this fruit, your eyes
would be opened, and you would.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
Be like him.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
The serpent coiled his tail around one of the branches
and bented closer to Eve. She looked at it for
a long while, pondering the serpent's words.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
Adam had caught up.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
To Eve and watched her from a distance. He inched
his way forward, silently. Enticed by the serpent's words. Eve
looked at Adam, then back at the fruit.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
She raised her hand and touched the fruit. Nothing happened.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
She didn't die when she felt it.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
It must have been a lie, after all, she whispered.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
Deception and doubt coiled around her heart. She plucked the
fruit from the tree and held it.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
In her palm. I can be like God, she whispered.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
Then, as a decisive act to claim autonomy from a creator,
Eve took a bite of the fruit.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
Dark red juices dripped out a chin and hands. It
was the sweetest fruit she had ever tasted.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
She did not realize that the bitterness would come after her.
She looked back at her husband, who was meant to
care for her soul and help her live in God's will.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
She held the fruit up to him.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
It's delicious, she said, with a crimson stained smile. Taste
and see for yourself. Adam approached Eve, then peered up
at the serpent. He gently raised the fruit to his
lips and took a bite. Adam knew what he was doing.
God had made himself clear. This was a deliberate act
to be like God. They had been deceived into thinking
God was holding back from them, and perhaps something better

(06:13):
awaited them, and they separated themselves from him.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
They were tragically mistaken.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
It came shortly after he ate it. It felt like
a tightened grip on Adam's heart, as something invisible was
squeezing the divinity from him. What followed was the immediate
feeling of overwhelming and soul crushing shame. Adam didn't just
feel naked, He felt vulnerable. He looked at his bride
and saw the same terror and sadness in her eyes.

(06:39):
They cowered from each other, taking leaves from nearby trees
and wrapping them around themselves. They didn't want to be exposed.
They no longer felt naked and unashamed. There was another distance.
They felt, a distance between them and the one who
had fashioned them. God's presence used to feel just as
close as their own heartbeats, but now they didn't quite

(07:00):
know where he was. Until Adam heard the gentle whisper
echo within forest.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Adam, where are you?

Speaker 3 (07:07):
The voice that spoke earth and see into existence, called
out to him, and instead of feeling comforted, he felt terrified.
Adam's legs shook and he immediately ran through the forest
to escape his creator. Shame is what drove him away.
Shame is what caused him to flee like a deer
from a lion. Adam no longer felt safe whatever greatness

(07:28):
he was destined for dissipating.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
He leapt into the bushes and curled up into a ball.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
He covered his ears, unable to escape the resounding voice
booming from the trees.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
Adam, where are you?

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Adam's chest was heavy, his whole body shook in fear.
He knew there was no escaping God's gaze. He raised
his head from the bushes and replied, here I am.
Adam emerged from his hiding place.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
He looked at Eve.

Speaker 3 (07:56):
Fear had overtaken her as well.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
I heard a sound approaching, and I became afraid because
I'm naked and vulnerable.

Speaker 2 (08:04):
Who told you that you are naked?

Speaker 3 (08:06):
God replied, but he knew the answer. He had seen
it all. In an attempt to draw repentance out of
his image bearers, God asked.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
Did you eat the fruit I commanded you not to eat?

Speaker 3 (08:18):
Adam was faced with another challenge of character. Would he
bow before God and beg for forgiveness, or would he
choose the cowardly way out.

Speaker 2 (08:25):
With a mouselike voice, he pointed to Eve.

Speaker 3 (08:28):
And said, the woman that you gave me offered me
the fruit.

Speaker 2 (08:32):
And there it was betrayal.

Speaker 3 (08:34):
Adam was supposed to be Eve's covering and lover, but
sin had already sunk its teeth into him. Rather than
take responsibility, he passed it on. God turned to Eve.
Disappointment and sorrow were in the air.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
Eve, What have you done? He whispered.

Speaker 3 (08:50):
Eve's knees crumbled, and she looked up at the branches.
The serpent hid in the tree shadows. The serpent lied
to me, she said, with a frantic voice.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
The Lord's power howled.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Like a mighty wind, and shoot the tree. The serpent
fell to the ground and writhed in pain. The Lord's
voice descended upon the enemy and declared.

Speaker 5 (09:10):
Because you have done this curse it are you. You
shall eat dust all the days of your life. I
will put enmity between you and the woman, between your.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
Offspring and hers.

Speaker 5 (09:23):
A sun will be borne from her, and he will
crush your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
God turned to Adam and Eve from proclaimed curses over them.
Child Birth would be painful, and tending the ground would
be arduous. The land would no longer yield food easily.
Then the two were banished from the garden. So they
would not seize the tree of life and live eternally.

Speaker 2 (09:45):
In sin and shame. God slew an animal and clothed them.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
And the rest of the days was spent pining after paradise.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yet there was still hope.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
A promise of a future son who had crushed the
head of the serpent.

Speaker 4 (10:02):
The tragedy of Adam and Eve matches our own. They
gave into temptation and shows a path apart from God.
We too find ourselves east of Eden, pining after Paradise again,
but hindered by our sin. We search for Eden everywhere, relationships, substances, careers,
and technology. But they all fall short, don't they. The

(10:26):
false Edens never give us what they promise, and the
pain of separation from God only grows within us. Adam
and Eve fell for the serpents, lie that they could
be like God. They thought they could be the masters
of their own destinies. They were gravely mistaken. It's easy
for all of us to fall into this trap, isn't it.

(10:46):
We want to be the masters of our own lives
and seize control over God, Yet every attempt only draws
us further away from Paradise. Our ministry discovering the Jewish
Jesus has been dedicated for years to searching out for
the hope of Christ in these stories, and we see
that hope here in the Tale of the Fall, hidden

(11:07):
within this tale of tragedy as a kernel of hope,
a whisper of redemption. Did you notice it? God promised
that one day Adam and Eve's son would crush the
serpent's head. This was the first prophecy of a promised
hero greater than Adam. As generations passed, mankind contentedly gave

(11:28):
into the same temptation as Adam and Eve. Humanity descended
further into darkness, struggling to return to God. But then
one day a new figure appeared in Israel, proclaiming truth, love,
and unity with God. The Serpent would visit this hero
just like he did Adam and Eve. He wanted to

(11:48):
draw him away from his purpose. Would this new hero
give in like his forefather Adam? Let's look together.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
The midday sun shone hash upon the barren wilderness. Jesus,
prompted by the Holy Spirit, trod alone, his silhouette, casting
a long shadow across the sands. He'd been fasting alone
in the wilderness for forty days, and the hunger nodded
his stomach. Suddenly, the wind picked up again, carrying a cold,
unsettling presence. Jesus paused, eyes scanning the dunes until they

(12:22):
rested on a figure slithering from dried out trees. His
eyes filled with cunning and deceit reflected the relentless sun.
He spoke with an indecipherable hiss. His voice was like
the echoes of a thousand whispers. If you are the
son of God, the devil began a small, cruel smile,

(12:44):
playing at his lips.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
Command this stone to become bred.

Speaker 3 (12:49):
The devil gestured at a desolate rock, its surface hardened
and weathered by the elements.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
Jesus met the devil's gaze with quiet strength. He glanced
at the rock, but made no move towards it. Man
shall not live by bread alone.

Speaker 3 (13:04):
He quoted, his voice, carrying authority despite his apparent physical weakness. Undeterred,
the devil raised his hand, and the arid desert transformed
into a mountain top, revealing all the kingdoms of the
world bathed in the twilight. All this authority and their
glory can be yours. The devil proposed, his voice hissing

(13:25):
across the landscape.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
All you need to do is worship.

Speaker 3 (13:29):
Me again, Jesus stood unyielding. You shall worship the Lord
your God, and him alone shall you serve. He retorted
with the swift gesture. They were transported atop the pinnacle
of the Temple and Jerusalem. Persistent in his temptation, the
devil quoted scripture, using it.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
As a weapon.

Speaker 3 (13:49):
If you are the son of God, throw yourself down
from here, for.

Speaker 2 (13:54):
It is written, if God will command his angels.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
To guard you their hands, they will bear you up
lest you strike your foot against a stone. Jesus remained
unswayed by the devil's theatrics. His voice was firm and
unyielding as he counted.

Speaker 2 (14:11):
It is said, you shall not put the Lord your
God to the test.

Speaker 3 (14:17):
The devil fell silent, his dark eyes narrowing as he
scrutinized Jesus. He did not have the sway with Jesus
as he once did with the ancestors of old.

Speaker 2 (14:27):
He stepped back. Then without a word, he vanished.

Speaker 3 (14:31):
Now a gentle breeze, the wind carried the devil's defeated
energy away as it swept over the land. He would
return But Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, remained steadfast,
ready to resist his cunning temptations and crush his head
under his heel.

Speaker 4 (14:50):
Where Adam and he failed, Jesus succeeded. He did not
give into the temptation of the serpent. Instead, Jesus brought
the perfect will of God to earth. He tended to
the hurting and broken. He spoke truth to the souls
of men and women. And finally, after living a perfect life,
he set his eyes towards the serpent, seeking to crush

(15:12):
his head. But just as the prophecy foretold, he would
not defeat the serpent without first being bruised. He was
crucified to rid humanity of sin and shame. He endured
the cross with joy to undo what Adam did long ago.
He did what Adam failed to do. He chose the
providential path toward peace with God, even if it meant suffering.

(15:36):
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul described Adam as
the first man who represents the old Us, caught up
in sin, shame, and brokenness. Yet Jesus is the second
man who overcame sin death in chaos. Adam brought death,
but Jesus brought life because he rose above evil instead

(15:57):
of succumbing to it. Those who haven't trusted in Jesus
share Adam's fate, doomed to walk the path east of Eden,
always searching for paradise but never attaining it. However, anyone
who trusts Jesus gets to share in his victory over sin, shame,
and darkness. They get to be ushered into Heaven, restore

(16:17):
to Eden. Have you been living in the pattern of
the first Man, Adam. Have you tried repeatedly to find
purpose and union with God but failed. I've got good
news for you. The second Man is greater than the first.
Jesus is the greater Adam. Thank you for joining me
today in this journey. Join us next time as we

(16:38):
go forward one generation to Adam's sons, Cain and Abel.
We'll go through the tragedy of Abel's life and the
corruption of Cain's heart to see that Jesus is not
only the greater Abel, but the greater Cain. If you
want more resources on Jesus and the Old Testament, visit
us at Discoveringthejewishist dot com. Another resource you might findful

(17:00):
is my new book Messianic prophecy revealed seeing Messiah in
the pages of the Hebrew Bible, which can be found
in my website, Discovering the jewishiast dot com. If you've
enjoyed today's podcast, leave us a review and share it
with a friend. We want the story of the Bible
and the hope of Jesus to be spread to the
whole world. To make prayer priority, and hear more stories

(17:21):
that inspire hope, visit pray dot com.
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Host

Rabbi K. A. Schneider

Rabbi K. A. Schneider

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