Today the gentleman who gave the sermonette said something that caught my attention in one of the most effective ways ever, by talking how a blogger went to jail for criticizing a religious tradition, in this case the Muslim tradition of sacrificing a goat in honor of the abortive human sacrifice of Isaac (the Muslims corrupt this to refer to Ishmael instead) that was stopped by God, and recorded in Genesis 22. The blogger called it a nightmare and was highly offended at this killing going on in contemporary society. Although I have never had any particular longing to participate in slaughtering animals or butchering or anything of that nature, as a confirmed meatatarian I know that my meat comes from some sort of slaughtering and I accept that as part of the process, so long as it is done correctly. Even so, my attention was piqued when the speaker gave an account of how the meaning of Genesis 22 is fought over, with three reasons given, all of which may apply, to why the command to sacrifice Isaac is worthwhile for Christians to pay attention to, even if many have as their first instinct a desire to downplay stories that seem barbaric.

And while I am glad that animal sacrifices, within Christianity, are something that no longer has to be undertaken, for it is not possible that the blood of sheep or goats could take away sin, at the same time there is a sensitivity towards sin that is easy to have if one knows that an innocent lamb or dove or some other animal has to die because of our sins. In our world, the relatively innocent often suffer from the sins of others without people caring a great deal over it. We may think it is barbaric for sheep and goats to be slaughtered as a sacrifice, but we slaughter innocent children in the womb by the millions without pity, simply because they are inconvenient. We do not have much credibility in calling others barbaric in light of our efforts at coercive population control. But if one does not reflect on the meaning of the deaths, or our culpability in them, then all of the slaughter is simply killing, without any sort of redemptive value for us at all. It was not the slaughter of animals that was pleasing to God. Indeed, trespass and sin offerings were not a pleasing aroma to God. It was not the death of animals that was pleasing for God, but a reflection on the fact that for sin to be forgiven the innocent must die, a fact that ought to lead us to reflect, and eventually to repent, so that we break the cycle of sin in our lives.

When Romans 12:2 says that we should be living sacrifices, I’m not sure we recognize just how uncomfortable that is. While a burnt sacrifice was burned up quickly and turned into crispy (and likely tasty) roast, being a living sacrifice is suffering through torment and anguish and awkwardness on a regular basis. For some of us, awkwardness comes even easier than breathing. What are we sacrificing when we seek to live godly lives, to be at peace with others to the extent that it depends on us, even if that is not nearly far enough of an extent? Is the difficult we have in having uplifting interactions with those around us due to the scars we carry a worthy daily sacrifice to God? It is not my place to say. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, having faith that God would raise him back to life so that they would return home once again. We all have a different burden to bear [1], and most of us have little enough reason to appreciate the burdens we have been given, that have been placed however unwillingly on our shoulders, whether for a brief season for for our entire lives. We are not asked to enjoy such burdens–we are asked to grow from them, and to learn from them. Let us hope that we do.

In reading Genesis 22, it is easy to see the sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as being parallels. Abraham was a loving father, but obedient to God, even when it was hard to understand and even when the way out of the dilemma he was in was not clear. He walked in faith, and was rewarded for it, at the last instant. Do we do so well in our own sacrifices? Most children are not sacrificed because their fathers are being obedient to God. They are sacrificed to their parents’ lusts, to their parents convenience, to the immaturity of people who are simply thinking about themselves and not understanding the repercussions their behavior has on other lives outside of them. Perhaps we are not to be blamed for being near-sighted, as that is a part of our human condition, but it doesn’t make it easier to be the sort of sacrifice that comes from the carelessness and immaturity and selfishness of others. That’s no genuine sacrifice at all, merely a waste of an innocent little one, and there is too little innocence and goodness around us as it is to be wasted.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/some-write-to-remember-some-write-to-forget/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/between-how-it-is-and-how-it-should-be/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/the-crushing-weight-of-castles-in-the-air/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/speak-now/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/through-the-fire/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/01/10/thy-word-is-truth/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/12/29/mysteries-of-the-bible-what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-pillar-in-the-temple-of-god/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/a-tour-of-the-logistics/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/a-different-weight-to-pull/