Abraham and Isaac
Genesis 22:1-14
April 2, 1995
It is a strange old story, this account of voices in the night, the lonely walk of the father and the son, and the staying of the knife at the very last moment.
It’s not surprising that this story of Abraham and Isaac has been the subject of widely different interpretations across the years.
Some who read the story are horrified, for it seems to condone the ancient practice of sacrificing the first-born child, lamb, goat, or calf – an account to appease an all-consuming God. Others have seen the story as a test of whether Abraham will acknowledge that the child is a gift from God. And that God, and God alone, is the ultimate source of good fortune.
But there is another interpretation upon which I wish to focus today. This understanding speaks to us of a Lenten theme. It takes us back to basics. Beyond all our theologies and psychologies – beyond all our theories and speculations -stands the fact that sacrifice is the very essence of life. Sacrifice is at the very heart of all loving relationships. Sacrifice is what the Christian faith is all about.
In this dramatic scene about to be acted we can glean the secret of the Christian religion. Even if clergy speak about it from the pulpit, it rarely connects with our hearts: ‘ And it is a shame because sacrifice is the key to Christianity. Sacrifice is the key to a relationship with God.
About the only time we hear sacrifice mentioned is around canvass time. But hardly anyone listens to sermons at that time of the year. We all know that the clergy are just trying to separate us from our hard-earned money. But today, let me declare, in as forcible way as possible, that without sacrifice, you can’t have an honest relationship with God. Without sacrifice, all relationships are’ at best superficial and at worst hypocritical. Without sacrifice, we are onlookers in a story and not participants in the love story between God and the world.
Our lesson today declares that he or she who tries to hold on to life will lose it. Only those who are willing to give it away, let it go, sacrifice will ever be able to live life to the fullest. This is the secret built into the very foundation of life. Many people hear the message, but few are willing to take the risk and act upon it. Sacrifice is the great Christian Secret. It is the very key to living the Christian life. Yet many who call themselves Christian will skip this part of the faith and go on to an easier and more palatable conviction. Kierkegaard once wrote: “Christianity is not hard to believe because it is hard to understand. It is hard to believe because it is hard to obey.”
But moving back to the ancient story. I ask you to identify with Abraham and see his dilemma as your own. Do you obey – or do you not? Do .9ou say yes to God’s command? Are you willing to sacrifice that which is precious to you?
Or do you look for some other God who is less demanding? Do you look for another God who is more concerned with comfort and security and less into sacrifice as an ingredient for love? That’s the issue for Abraham alone on the mountain.
Loren Eisley speaks of a wise woman he met in Bimini. She said to him, “Those who hunt treasures must hunt alone and go out in the dark, and when they’ve found it, they must leave a little bit of their blood behind.” If you seek a treasure in life, you must leave a bit of your blood. You must be willing to sacrifice to receive the crown. No cross, no crown is the secret built into life. No sacrifice, no treasure, no blood, no salvation. Letting go, giving back — that’s what it’s all about.
The very bread you take this morning is nothing until it is broken, given up. And so it is with yourselves. You are nothing until you are willing to be broken, given away, sacrificed on love’s altar.
But wait, you say. God asks too much. More than you can give. Deep within us is a fear. Suppose we’re left with nothing? Suppose our sense of preservation will not allow us to make a real sacrifice? Suppose it is just too hard? What then?
The Abraham and Isaac story has a postscript. God says, “I will be the substitute for you. I will furnish a ram which will be the symbol of myself. I will demonstrate that sacrifice is at the heart of love. I will be the sacrificial victim for you
Four hundred years ago, the wife of the great reformer Martin Luther listened as her husband read the story of Abraham and Isaac. She then turned to him and said, “How could a loving God ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son?” “Why, Kate,” Luther said, “he did it himself.”
Sit, listen, let God speak to your soul through this ancient story sung for us. Let the crucified one say: “I did it for you. Will you not do the same for me?”
Amen