I find it hard to relate to Jesus on the cross. I mean, it’s almost too great to grasp: The suffering of it all, being nailed to a cross, left to die in agony, taking on the sins of the whole world, yet being totally without sin. I have a hard time to relate to it on a more personal level. Somehow I feel it is easier for me to understand Mary’s pain in this. I can relate to her sufferings, because I can put myself in her shoes, kneeling by the cross, crying for her son. But I can’t grasp the suffering of Christ himself.
Another part of the bible that is difficult to comprehend is when poor Abraham are asked to sacrifice his only son. Everybody with children can relate to this tremendous proffer. I doubt I would be able to do what Abraham was prepared to do. I have asked myself how God could ask this of him, and why. I can’t understand how a loving God can ask this of a parent.
In the passion I can understand why, but I can’t really relate to the emotional side. In Abraham’s sacrifice I can relate to the emotional perspective, but I can’t understand why. And yet, Abraham’s sacrifice and the Passion of Christ is very similar parts of the bible: The father sacrifices his only son.
When I think of God’s great sacrifice for us in these terms, I can suddenly grasp what God have done and how he could ask this of Abraham. But God, in his great compassion gave Abraham a way out: He let Abraham keep his son and further let him have many more. God could ask this of Abraham because He could do the same for Abraham. He asked for Abraham’s sacrifice but did not fulfill his request. In the end Abraham did not sacrifice his son, but God did sacrifice his. The question should not be how he could ask this of Abraham, but how he could ask this of himself. And then the answer is more evident: For the love of us.
It is in this context, someone simpleminded as me, actually can grasp the passion of Christ and the endless love God has for us. God actually sacrificed his only son for us, for his people, for my family, for me…
The universal bias of God for each and one of us is important here. “Dieu nous aime d’un amour universellement partial” - God loves us with a love which is universally partial, as Gabriel Marcel puts it. The personal bond which He has, with each and one of us. The greatest sacrifice is universally done for us as individuals. The son of God died upon the cross for my sins, for your sins, for the sins of Abraham and his son. For all our personal sins, individually.
There you have it. How could one be indifferent for this great sacrifice? Someone has given us his only son to help us gain our lives.
- How, on earth, could we not take him up on his offer?
April 22, 2007 at 10:21 pm
going back to abrahams days, scrafing your only son means to put an end to you bloodline. people always wanted to have sons instead of doughters, because they kept your bloodline alive and the existance of your clan (kin). correct me if i am wrong, but abraham is called father of israel. abrahams sacrifice is even harder.
about jesus and sacrifing himself for mankind. well, in the garden gezemane he prays to his father not to hang him at the cross. jesus fears his early death, but in the end he fullfils his fathers death. same with abraham. both are willing to serve god on a greater level.
April 23, 2007 at 2:17 am
God didn’t ask Abraham to do that. Lucifer did, cloaked in the robe of God. The God of the OT is Lucifer, not the true God.
Good one huh.
April 23, 2007 at 2:39 am
The son of God died upon the cross for my sins, for your sins, for the sins of Abraham and his son. For all our personal sins, individually.
There you have it. How could one be indifferent for this great sacrifice? Someone has given us his only son to help us gain our lives.
- How, on earth, could we not take him up on his offer?
“If Christ be not risen from the dead, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:14
See that is what I would be asking myself.Does God need a “blood atonement”?
April 23, 2007 at 12:55 pm
I had never really thought about the passion reflecting Abraham’s (near) sacrifice. Thanks for your thoughts on it.
April 23, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Thanks all for taking your time to read and comment my pondering. It is always nice when someone read what you wrote.
- Neither have I before, Therese, I think it is a very fruitful comparison.
As lounge404 pointed out there are other aspects too, I thank you Lounge, for the input, I will surely contemplate this.
Sheree I don’t know if you are serious, but if you are, it’s a dangerous path. To me, Gnosticism is very close to elitisms. And honestly, elitisms is quite unattractive.
Ummadam, I’m afraid I do not really understand your comment. St Paul said this in a context: To believe in the scriptures without believing that Jesus died for our sins is a faith in vain, but St Paul was very firm in the belief of the resurrection of Christ, as I’m sure you are aware of. However, I feel this is somewhat a different discussion (If I interpret you correctly).
May 18, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I sometimes think about Abraham. And my conclusion is that I am weaker. I couldn’t offer my son. Hopefully God didn’t want me to, like He didn’t want Abraham to kill Isaak.
May 18, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Yes, it’s so hard to comprehend how strong Abraham was in his faith. He put all his trust in God.
Hug Luukas from me.
February 15, 2008 at 6:39 am
Actually he didn’t sacrifice his son. We just went over this in my church last week in fact. God needed to test Abrahams faith so he told him to take him to a mountain which he directed him too along with a donkey a servant some rope and wood to make an altar for the sacrifice. Right before Abraham did it God basically told him to stop and in a thicket there was a ram with its horns caught in the thorns and God told him to sacrifice the lamb instead. Thats all right and you can quote me on that and read the bible if you dont trust me
February 15, 2008 at 6:57 am
I dont think i explained that very well lol. First of all God made the ram appear, second of all its not like God told him to sacrifice his son because he had nothing else to put on the altar, and third of all that has to be true because from Abraham came two nations. One from Isaac and the other Jacob (later renamed Israel). Jesus was a different case anyway. God gave him to as a gift (the greatest one in fact). Since back in the times of the old testiment, before jesus, forgivness wasn’t granted unless a burnt offering (thats right burnt not burned) or a ram or lamb or calf was sacrificed to the Lord. The more valuable the offering the more forgivness that was granted. The logic is when Jesus came around he died for us and was basically our ram. Since he was infinately pure (being the son of God) he pretty much had infinate value. Because of this infinate value he basically gave us a never ending well of forgivness. This is the reason why every human being is forgiven and no matter how many times they sin they are forgiven. Its basically a “season pass” for forgivness rather than a “one time ticket”…. Hope I could help everyone, im pretty confident im right about this. And thanx for reading this long thing lol
February 15, 2008 at 10:47 am
Thanks for you concern Avery.
I wrote this because it’s interesting comparing these two parts of the Bible.