Cain and Abel

In this week’s reading, we see both the consequences of sin, and the manifestations of sin, grow. Cain introduces the sin of violence and murder into the world. He inverts God’s first command to humanity – they were told to be fruitful and multiply, and instead Cain removes life from the earth. Like his father and mother before Him, Cain’s sin is confronted by God, and again God shows that He is faithful to punish and faithful to preserve.

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REFLECTION

Am I your favorite?
by Andrea Taphorn 

 

Do you have a desire to be favored over and above someone else, maybe even from God? Why is it so easy to fall into this trap? We see in today’s bible story, living in God’s world on God’s terms is hard enough for the parents of this story, Adam and Eve. We now see their children. We see brother’s looking to worship God together. Cain and Abel have two different vocations and from their labors, bring an offering to God. 

Cain’s offering is rejected, and the text doesn’t outright state why. For the Israelites, the first-born male is the favored status in the family, so the listeners of this text would have wondered how would God favor Abel’s offering over firstborn Cain?

Maybe this story exposes Cain’s heart, that he truly saw himself as better than his brother and this news from God about his offering doesn't create humility in Cain. It is offensive. But, from this vertical relationship, God and Cain, horizontal consequences leap forth, with grave and longstanding consequences. Sin is described as a character in this story. Sin is not a breaking of the rules here. It is an aggressive force ready to ambush Cain.

How Cain handles his rage and depression over this news from God has lasting consequences for Cain and for his family. Cain’s rage overpowers him, and he murders his brother, which is the antithesis of God’s command to be fruitful and multiply. God confronts Cain. Cain counters God with questions of his own, dismissing the point raised and limiting his scope of responsibility. God judges Cain’s heart rightly for his response. Upon hearing this judgement, Cain has nowhere to go, but back to God, the giver of life and mercy. The sin in this story doesn’t just have present consequences, but it marks and shapes Cain’s future. And yet, God limits the consequences of his sin. God meets Cain with accusation and judgement, but also with surprising grace.

This story reminds me of the verses in gospel of Matthew, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”

It seems like God is asking everything of us, right? How is this even possible? How is my reconciling to my sister or brother tied to my worship of God? As I confess that without Christ, I am in bondage to this aggressive force called sin, that is ready to ambush me, in my relationship with both God and my brother, and I cannot free myself, then Christ delivers me a most beautiful word of promise: forgiveness. This forgiveness is a gift. In worship God gives way more than we can ever offer up, right?

This story seems to have something important to say about worship. When we receive from God in worship, the news that we are sinners that have been forgiven by a generous and merciful God, it sets us free from the idea that we are either favored above or over our brother or sister. It also sets us free from the idea that I am less than someone else because I hear the news that I am a dearly loved cherished child of God, who will give everything, including himself for me. This creates possibilities for reconciliation with one another because we see both God and each other with different eyes. There is no more worry or concern over my favored status.

It’s news to our ears that God is not a God of favorites, but a God of generous giving. It is only here that I can feel and experience how good and pleasant it is when brothers live in unity. (Psalm 133). Now that sounds like worship worth running to and worth experiencing over and over again in my life.

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