Jesus, the Second Abel

                It seems like everywhere you go today there is competition. Athletes compete to be the best in their sport, singers go head to head on televised talent shows, employees race to be the employee of the month…etc. You can’t get away from competition. But while some competition is good, sometimes it really distracts us from the point.

                At my church, and at many others, there have been times where the music is the focus of the worship service. Perhaps it’s unintentional, but the fact remains that Christians tend to see singing songs about God as their primary act of worship. Being on the music team myself, I’ve also seen team members strut around with a bit of an ego, as if to say, “without me, you couldn’t sing these songs to God.” Evidently, with strong egos comes competition. Vocalists argue over who gets to sing lead, guitarists try to outmaneuver each other on the strings, and pretty soon it’s not a team anymore; everyone is playing their own solo show. I honestly think it comes from a place of insecurity about your own abilities. Speaking from my own experience, I have felt threatened when someone new comes on the team and I feel like they’re a better musician. Honestly, it’s startling just how consuming a little jealously can be if you let it manifest. And all this happens on a team devoted to worshiping God! Is it just me? Surely no one in their right mind would be so twisted in their hearts while performing an act of worship to God, right?

                Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

                Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’

                Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. – Genesis 4:2-8 NIV

                Did you notice that this whole story began with an act of worship? Both Cain and Abel were going to worship God, yet Cain couldn’t focus on God because of his own pride. The first murder was committed because of an ego, jealousy, and the inability to defy temptation. But I also think that part of the problem is that Cain saw this single sacrifice as his act of worship. In truth, worshipping God is daily living your life in a way that is pleasing to the LORD. It’s not just offering him your finest possessions, or singing songs in church once a week, it’s an all-consuming lifestyle. Whenever the LORD is absent from our minds we tend to become more self-focused, which doesn’t allow us to worship God.

                Some theologians believe that Cain’s offering was rejected because he did not offer the best of the best, like Abel did. My guess is that Cain knew he did what was wrong, but instead of doing the right thing like God said, he got rid of his perceived enemy. What Cain learned later is that Abel wasn’t his enemy, but rather he was his own enemy. He couldn’t overcome his own pride in order to worship God, so he placed the blame on an innocent bystander.

                In my own life, when something goes wrong, my reaction is to blame someone else for the mistake. But in reality, I know it’s my fault. I know that I mess up – A LOT – but I’m too fearful to take the blame because I don’t think I can handle the punishment. Cain blamed his brother. Adam blamed his wife and God (“That woman you gave me” Gen. 3:12), Eve blamed the serpent. When we mess up, we shift the blame. And the truth is we do it because we can’t handle the punishment. We can’t. And God knows that. He knows our minds wander. He knows that we’re not strong enough to live in eternal shame, eternal death, eternal separation from our creator. So He sent someone who could handle it: his son. Jesus, like Abel, became the scapegoat for all who cannot bear their own burdens. Because of Jesus, we can now live without shame, without fear, and without regret. If we let God carry our burdens, we no longer face death, but instead find eternal rest in His sanctuary.