Eve & Mary compared and contrasted

Eve and Mary compared
1. Here are two women in the Bible who are well known to us.
2. Here are two women who were both sinners. (After Jesus' birth Mary makes sacrifices for her cleansing so acknowledging herself to be a sinner. In her song she rejoices in God my Saviour, Lk 1:46,47)
3. Here are two women who gave birth with the Lord's help. (Cf Gen 4:1 With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man Lk 1:54, 55 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful etc )
4. Here are two women who knew Genesis 3:15 and so gave birth with both pain and hope. (Gen 3:15 gives the first hint of how God was going to redeem from the Fall And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel)
5. Here are two women who knew their hearts pierced as their firstborn sons grew up. (Lk 2:35 a sword will pierce your own soul)
6. Here are two women who also gave birth to other sons of some importance. (Abel, Seth; James, Jude)
7. Here are two women who both had a conversation with an angel.
Eve and Mary contrasted
1. Eve was the first of women; Mary is the most blessed of women. (Lk 1:48, 49 From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name).
2. Eve is remembered for her proud, disobedient unbelief; Mary for her humble, obedient faith. (Lk 1:38 I am the Lord's servant, May it be to me as you have said).
3. Eve believed a fallen angel, Satan; Mary believed an unfallen one, Gabriel.
4. Eve conceived Cain in the ordinary way; Mary conceived Christ in a supernatural way. (Cf Gen 4:1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain Lk 1: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God)
5. Eve acknowledged the Lord briefly after Cain's birth; Mary acknowledged the Lord at greater length before Christ's birth. (Gen 4:1 and Lk 1:47-55)
6. Eve gave birth to a sinner, a murderer; Mary gave birth to the sinless Saviour.
7. Eve thought she had given birth to Messiah; Mary really gave birth to Messiah. (This is how some commentators understand Eve).
8. Eve was the Mother of all the living; Mary gave birth to the Saviour of the World.
9. Eve was barred from the Tree of Life; Mary saw Christ die on the cross – the tree of life to all who believe