Readings– Genesis 4: 1 – 16; Mark 3: 7 – 19
The story of Cain and Abel, rather like the story of the Tower of Babel, which we heard at Pentecost just a fortnight ago, is one of the most ancient and multi-layered stories in the Bible. It’s also probably one of the most familiar – and yet at the same time one of the most enigmatic. Two brothers, one murders the other, the remaining brother punished by God. It has been suggested that this story is an aetiology, or an explanation of the origin of animal sacrifice, or perhaps that the story embodies ancient enmities between those who raised animals and those who tilled the ground. But I think it has more to teach us than either of these.
The story comes in the book of Genesis immediately after the story of the Fall. Adam and Eve have just been expelled from the Garden of Eden. God recognises that they have now become like him in respect of knowing good and evil (Genesis 3: 22). We could see this story as demonstrating the continuing downward moral progress of humanity once they have taken the first steps of disobedience. But it may be more helpful, and it’s certainly more interesting, to see it more as a stand-alone story and to pay close attention to the detail. It then becomes more like another separate take on the human predicament, our constant battle with sin and evil. Rather than calling it the story of Cain and Abel, we might even re-name it ‘Cain’s choice,’ because one of the points of the story is precisely this. Cain makes a choice when he murders Abel.
I’m going to re-tell the story now, paying close attention to its strangeness.
Eve had two sons, first Cain and then Abel. When they grew up Abel was a shepherd and Cain worked the ground for crops. In due course each brother brought a sacrifice to God from their produce; for Cain this was some of his crops; for Abel the sacrifice was from the first of the lambs to be born from his flock. God accepted Abel’s offering, but did not accept Cain’s. This made Cain very angry so that his face fell. God asked Cain, ‘Why are you angry and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is like a wild animal lurking at your door. It desires to have you, but you must overcome it.’
Cain went out to the field with his brother, and he killed Abel. Then when God asked where Abel was, Cain lied, saying that he didn’t know and trying to claim that he had no responsibility for his brother’s whereabouts. God was not taken in and put a curse on Cain as a punishment; his farming would not be productive and he would lead a wandering life. This made Cain afraid that he would be killed by those seeking vengeance for Abel’s death. So God, in His mercy, said that he would put a mark on Cain to show that he must not be killed and that anyone who did kill him would suffer a sevenfold vengeance. Then Cain left the presence of God.
You may have noticed from that re-telling that the narrator is not really interested in Abel at all, who is entirely passive, or in the details of the murder. Indeed, Abel’s very name means ‘vapour’ or ‘nothingness’ suggesting a lack of substance. Instead the narrator focuses on the relationship between Cain and God. There is no explanation in the text as to why God does not accept Cain’s offering. It appears to be simply caprice – or God’s prerogative to decide what He will do. The nub of the matter is in God’s discussion about this with Cain in verse 7. Something which simply appears to be unfair has happened. Abel has an obvious advantage. But Cain still has a choice. He can accept his fortunate brother and continue to live in harmony with him, or he can allow his jealousy to rule him and let it lead him to sin. If he does well in this respect God suggests that he will be accepted. If he does not, he runs the risk of being over-mastered by sin which is portrayed as a predator lurking outside and ready to pounce.
Two siblings in a family may have very different life trajectories for no obvious reason. The same applies to friends and colleagues. I had a lovely friend called Suzanne who I trained with a theological college. She was a little younger than me – not much – very bright, very lively, a much-loved mother of grown-up children, and she had a great deal to give to the church. She died from cancer last autumn. It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t reasonable, but all through her illness she had a choice. She could be jealous of other people like me whose lives were not falling apart and angry with God at so much wasted potential, or she could face her illness with courage and generosity so that in itself it became a ministry to others. She did the latter, although she didn’t understand, and she did say that she would be having some discussions with God about it when she met Him.
Cain had a choice. If he had stood back and reflected he might have realised that he was really angry with God, not with his brother. He could have been magnanimous to his fortunate brother, but he chose to allow his jealousy to lead to murder. The older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son also had a choice. We don’t know what choice he made and whether he was ever reconciled with his younger brother.
Every time we pray the Lord’s prayer we say the words ‘lead us not into temptation’. Jesus told us to. Just saying those words admits the possibility that God may allow difficult things to happen to us. We may not understand why, any more than Cain understood why God did not accept his offering. We may find ourselves in situations which seem unfair and where we say ‘Why me?’ As it says in Genesis 3 we are like God in that we know good and evil and can discriminate between them. So we have a choice. We can allow our anger and jealousy to devour us and damage others. Or we can choose to do well. To take the path of generosity and peace. Let us pray that we may choose well.
Amen