WE BELONG TO GOD

II SUNDAY OF LENT - Mark 1:12-15

In the Bible, we can find stories that seize our attention and force us to reflect upon ourselves in relation to God, to others and the world. Some stories leave us perplexed, forcing us to ask questions for which there seems to be no clear answer. The sacrifice of Isaac is such a story.

What kind of god is this God who demands the sacrifice of one’s son as proof of faithfulness? Indeed, we are baffled by God’s demand that Abraham sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son. In which way is Yahweh different from so many other gods who demanded human blood to be appeased?

Many of the biblical stories must be approached from different angles to be able the grasp their meaning. Thus, the sacrifice of Isaac must be heard in the religious and social context of the times. Abraham was a Chaldean living in a foreign land, the land of Canaan, where human sacrifice was common. In difficult times. to appease the gods, they would sacrifice even their firstborn son. It is well possible that Abraham went through difficult moments and even a crisis of faith, which led to the conviction that God was demanding the sacrifice of his son. In the end, God presented Abraham with a substitute to offer in place of his son. Later, in the Law given to Moses, God forbade the offering of a son in sacrifice, considering that to be an abomination: “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way” (Dt 12:31).

According to the Law, the firstborn belongs to God: “... all the firstborn are mine.” (Numbers 3:13). Abraham was called to give back to God his son. There is a Bemba proverb that says: Umweo wa nkoko waba kuli cibinda (the life of the chicken is in the hands of the owner). Only God is the centre of everything. Only He is supreme and everything else is relative and exists anchored on him. That is something that we must never forget. Many times, parents behave as if they took for themselves God’s place. I remember hearing many times people saying: Abafyashi ni baLesa wa cibili (parents are a second god). However, that is not true. As human beings, they have in them the image of God, but they are not God. They are at the service of life and the service of their children. The moment will arrive when they must cut their children loose and let their children go. They become adults and must assume responsibility for their lives. And this applies to everybody. There are moments in life when to go forward, we must relinquish what is dearest to us.

Isaac represents Jesus, the beloved Son, who accepted to carry the cross and be sacrificed for us. Through his death on the cross, we find life and salvation.