Abraham's Offering

The first reading last week on the Offering of Isaac led to some very interesting conversations in our home.  Our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level III (9-12 year old) atrium happens to have just finished our study of Abraham this year, so there was a lot of fodder for discussion.

Sacrifice of Isaac by Rembrandt (1635)

In the atrium, we have walked (figuratively, anyway) with Abram from his home in Ur to "a land I will show you" and have seen Abraham's incredible trust and faith in the promise of this voice: to give him a land and descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky who will bless ALL nations.  Abraham was already 75 years old when he received this promise.

Fast forward 25 years.  Now the promise is seen with Abraham's own eyes: a SON.  Abraham holds the promise in his arms.  It kind of reminds me of Simon, in the Presentation in the Temple, who holds the Christ Child in his arms and says in effect, "Now you may let your servant go in peace! I've seen the promise!"

But Abraham's faith, made strong through 25 years of hope realized, is put to the test. This promise... this EVERYTHING of Abraham's... God asks him to offer as a sacrifice.  

It is striking and maybe shocking to us that the same Abraham who intercedes so beautifully for the Lord not to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah would not intercede for his son! It's almost like Abraham was expecting this, and indeed, if we look at the history of the peoples surrounding him, sacrifice of the first-born son was indeed a common practice.  Do you give your god the sickly and weak animal? Do you offer your leftovers to him? No.  The idea that led to this practice was that to prove your love for your god, you must offer your best--your everything.

But Abraham was not like the other people of his time, and the God who revealed Himself to Abraham was not just another god among gods.  He is the One, True God: the God of Life. 

Abraham's offering was total obedience and trust to this God of Life.  He trusted in a God who would not lie.  Isaac was the son promised, the beginning of an explosion of blessings through Abraham's descendants.  The author of Hebrews saw in Abraham's offering a New Testament faith: 

"By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, 'Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.' He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol." Hebrews 11:17-19  Abraham obeyed God because he trusted in His promise.

As incredible as Father Abraham's faith is in this story, I hope you don't miss how God totally flips the sacrifice on its head.  For so much of human history, we see human beings wishing to prove their love and devotion to their god or gods.  They gave their best for the love of their god.  Yet, the One, True God says, "Do not do the least thing to him... I know now how devoted you are..." and provides his own Lamb for the holocaust.  In offering His only begotten Son,  the Father in Heaven reveals the unfathomable reality that He offers His Best for love of us.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." John 3:16