3. Christ in Genesis (1) Cain and Abel

3. Christ in Genesis

 

(1) Cain and Abel

 

When comparing Cain and Abel, we can draw a parallel between the Pharisees and Jesus. Jesus was the Son of Man, but he was also the Son of God. The Pharisees and scribes charged him with blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God, demanding the death penalty from the Roman governor Pilate, and he was crucified.

Therefore, Cain, who symbolizes the Pharisees, is a murderer, and Abel, who symbolizes Jesus Christ, is a mortal.

Genesis 4:2-5 “And she gave birth to Abel his brother. Abel was a shepherd, but Cain was a tiller of the soil. In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the ground. Abel also brought an offering of the fat portions of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. Cain was very angry, and his face fell.”

The sacrificial system according to the law began after Moses, but if we look at it in reverse through the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, it is said that Cain offered the fruits of the land as an offering to Jehovah.

The grain offering symbolizes gratitude to God for providing for the necessities of life by offering all the grain harvested from the land. It is also called a bloodless offering or a supplementary offering. This is because animals are not slaughtered or sprinkled with blood. Furthermore, the grain offering is offered after other blood sacrifices. Without the blood sacrifice, this grain offering has no effect. Grain offerings were offered when appointing priests, at the construction and dedication of the tabernacle, and after lepers were healed.

Therefore, it can be assumed that Cain served as a priest, but God did not accept his offering because he offered a grain offering without a sacrifice. The Pharisees of Jesus' time had desecrated the temple, turning it into a den of commerce. The prophet Malachi tells us that God would not accept the people's sacrifices.

The Pharisees and scribes symbolize those who believe they can achieve righteousness by diligently observing the law. Their sacrifices at the temple were merely formalities, and they were seen as evil, seeking only their own self-interest. Yet, they crucified Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

"Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock, some of their fat portions." Offering the firstborn of his flock to God means offering himself to God. Hebrews 9:14 says, "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

"He offered the fat." Fat and blood represent life. Therefore, God commands us not to eat it, telling us to burn the fat and drain the blood onto the ground. Ultimately, it goes to God. Therefore, humans are forbidden from eating other living creatures. Leviticus 3:17 states, "You shall not eat fat or blood. It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations in all your dwelling places."

Leviticus 7:11:22-25 says, "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: You shall not eat the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat. The fat of one that dies of itself, or the fat of one torn by beasts, may be used for any other purpose; you shall by no means eat it. If anyone eats the fat of an offering made by fire to the LORD, that person who eats it shall be cut off from his people." The life that humans must eat does not come from other living beings, but from heaven. Therefore, believers must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man to obtain heavenly life.

Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus Christ means uniting with Him and offering my flesh and blood in Him. This means I don't offer myself to God on my own. If we are in Christ, we offer ourselves to God through Christ. Therefore, becoming a spiritual living sacrifice isn't about striving to live a life of hard work. Rather, dying with Jesus on the cross is precisely what constitutes offering myself in Christ.

Abel's offerings to God included the widows, demon-possessed, blind, and sinners whom Israel had abandoned. God accepted those offerings. Cain's offerings were not accepted. God does not accept the righteousness that humans can achieve on their own. God accepts the offering of those who offer themselves in Christ. God does not accept the idea that humans can do something on their own, because hidden within that idea is the greed of becoming like God.