Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Seed of the Woman — “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). “The suffering and death of the virgin-born Son of God, by which Satan would be robbed of his authority to condemn sinful man, is predicted by this riddle. This passage is often called the first promise of the Gospel. It promises redemption from the power of Satan (the serpent) by Jesus (the Seed of the Woman). How does one kill a serpent? By crushing its head. In the process, one’s heel is bruised. Jesus was bruised in His suffering and death, but by it He won the victory over Satan. The power of Satan was the power to condemn sinful man by the authority of God’s own word: “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Since man rebelled and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan had authority from God’s command to demand man’s death and separation from God. The Seed of the Woman (the Son of God becomes man to suffer and die according to the word of judgment attached to the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thereby bruising (or crushing) the serpent’s head (or Satan’s authority to condemn). Satan entered the creation in the form of a serpent to deceive and destroy; the Son of God entered into creation in the form of man to suffer man’s death, redeem the creation, and reconcile man to God.” (Excerpt from Lutheran Catechesis: Catechist Edition, p. 86b)CP231217