COULD ANYONE ACCUSE THOSE THAT GOD HAS CHOSEN?

II SUNDAY OF LENT - Genesis 22:1-2,9-13,15-18

There are stories of the past that leave us puzzled, raising questions that are difficult to answer. However, they are very profound, full of meaning and implications. They express graphically fundamental questions and attitudes, which help us to make sense of life. To grasp the deep meaning of these stories, we must approach them from different angles.

One of these stories is the sacrifice of Isaac, the son of the promise. He was the most precious gift that Abraham received from God. This child was the living proof of God’s friendship with Abraham and was the guarantee of a future and a blessing to the nations. Isaac became his father’s delight, bring joy and peace in his old age. Then, how could God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? What does it mean about God? Is he a God thirsty for blood? Can he be so cruel as to demand such an insane act? And what does the story mean about the relationship between father and son? Why was Abraham willing to kill his son? Should we obey any kind of commandment, even if it implies committing a crime?

In many cultures of the past, even on different continents, there were human sacrifices. Slaves, prisoners of war and even children from de family could be sacrificed to the gods. For instance, among the Bemba (and other groups), the chief should not be buried alone, He had to be accompanied by "ipaki". In the Ancient Middle East, human sacrifices were common and, in difficult times, parents would sacrifice their children (2 Kg 17:31). Having grown up in that culture, Abraham would not find the demand from God to sacrifice his son to be completely out of place. However, his faith and his friendship with God were pushed to the limit. The reader is warned that God was putting Abraham to the test, which would prove to be a very extreme one. God had made a promise to Abraham and sealed it with a covenant. Was God breaking his covenant and being unfaithful to his promise? Or has He other ways known to himself alone?

Like Abraham, all of us pass through difficult times and are put to the test. And the most difficult trial are the ones that touch us on what is dearest to us. The people of Israel wandered in the desert, god tired and lost hope, ending up blaming God. They suspected God’s intentions and decided to turn their backs on him. When they face many hardships in the desert, they should have looked to Abraham and learn from his attitude of total obedience, made possible his complete trust in God’s wisdom, power and love.

Like Abraham, we must learn that only God is supreme and that his lordship over everything must be recognised. Nothing belongs to us and we must give it back to whom it belongs. Abraham needed to learn that his son Isaac did not belong to him and should be ready to let him go. Jesus’ mother had to pass through a similar experience and Jesus reminded her of that when in the temple he told her: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” (Lk 2:49). And Jesus makes a similar demand from his disciples: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10:37).

The law given by God to Moses forbade human sacrifices, considering them an abomination: “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way” (Dt 12:31). And so God did not allow Abraham to sacrifice his son and gave him a substitute to offer as a sacrifice (Gn 22:13).

Paul read the story of the sacrifice of Isaac as a prophecy of the sacrifice of Jesus. Like Abraham, God was ready to give up his Son and offer him in sacrifice. As Isaac carried willingly the fire for the sacrifice, Jesus carried the cross to the calvary. According to Paul, Jesus’ sacrifice is proof of God’s love for us. “God did not spare his own Son but gave him up to benefit us all” (Ro 8:32). We must not look at God as being a sadistic God, who can only be satisfied with the shedding of blood. The Father accepted to give up his Son when the Son offered himself to come in human flesh and subject himself to the human condition, which would lead him to be rejected and killed on the cross. We see God’s love revealed in Jesus’ sacrifice, and his sacrifice becomes a guarantee that God “will not refuse anything he can give” for us to reach salvation.

“Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.” (Ro 8:33-34)