Abraham and Isaac - a good question!
Genesis 22: 1-14 Matthew 10: 40-42
Rabi responded: “My mother made me a scientist without ever intending it. Every other Jewish mother in Brooklyn would ask her child after school: ‘So? Did you learn anything today?’ But not my mother. She always asked me a different question. ‘Izzy,’ she would say, ‘did you ask a good question today?’ That difference – asking good questions – made me a scientist.”
I think we could say that living in a relationship with God – which for us means following Jesus Christ – is based on the same principle.
Did you ask a good question today?
What might our ‘good questions’ be as we read the scriptures today?
Let’s look closely at the story of Abraham, being told by God to sacrifice Isaac.
Perhaps we’ve heard it so often we have lost sight of how awful it sounds on first hearing.
The story of Abraham has been weaving in and out of our lectionary readings through the past few weeks.
Now God tests Abraham “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”
The fact that we know that this story ends with Isaac saved and a ram being offered as the sacrifice instead shouldn’t blind us to what a terrible episode this is.
It starts with “After these things” – we must read this chapter in the context of the whole story.
Abram was promised by God that he would be the father of many nations (Abraham) – and God told him to travel from his home in Haran to the land of Canaan. On the way, he kept meeting God, God kept promising to bless Abraham and his children: and finally a son was born, Isaac – to Abraham and Sarah.
Now God tells Abraham to take that precious, God-given, child - who is the hope for the nation God has promised Abraham – and kill him.
We are told that God tests Abraham.
What is the test? Does God intend Abraham to mindlessly follow his command – or after all “these things” is Abraham meant to know better, and question God? Should Abraham ask a good question?
Abraham has shown that he is ready to question God about other things: when God offers Abraham a covenant (in Ch 15), Abraham asks “What can you give me seeing that I am childless?”.
When God promises that Sarah will have a son (in ch 17), Abraham laughs “Can a son be born to a man who is 100 years old? If only Ishmael may enjoy your special favour?”.
When God is about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (in Ch18) Abraham queries why innocent and guilty must perish together, which is why Lot is spared.
As Abraham’s relationship with God has developed, Abraham has learned to trust God, but he also sometimes questions what God is about to do.
A number of years ago, my friend Kate asked “What are you preaching about this Sunday?” – it was this reading from Genesis. She was appalled as I outlined the story and asked “What sort of God wants a child to be sacrificed?”. I tried to explain that there are some scholars who think the story is told in Genesis precisely to stop the practice of child sacrifice – but I could tell Kate wasn’t convinced. “But what were Abraham and Sarah thinking?”.
What a good question! Looking at the passage the answer has to be we don’t know what Abraham and Sarah were thinking.. we’re not told what Abraham is thinking – and Sarah doesn’t even appear in this story.
Way back in Chapter 12 when God appeared to Abram and said “Go from your country to the land I shall show you” – Abram just went – be obeyed God.
Now, in chapter 22, God says “take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering”. There’s the same command “go” again.
And Abraham just sets out early the next day and does what God has said.
Only Isaac has questions “we have fire and wood – but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”. That’s a very good question, Isaac.
But Abraham unquestioningly does what God has told him to do – and only at the last moment – as the knife is at Isaac’s throat – does the angel of God call out and stop Abraham.
So why doesn’t Abraham question God when God tells him to sacrifice his only son Isaac, whom he loves?
Why can’t know the answer to that…but we might notice that when Isaac is bound in the woodpile and Abraham’s knife is raised, it is not the Lord God who speaks to stop Abraham, but the angel, the messenger of the Lord who calls out and stops the sacrifice.
The other thing we might notice as we read on to chapter 25 and the death of Abraham is that God never speaks to Abraham again.
God tests Abraham – but could it be that Abraham fails the test – because he fails to question God when he is told to sacrifice Isaac – something that God never wanted to happen…
After all that his growing relationship with God had shown him, Abraham almost falls at the last hurdle and destroys his own son and his future family. But God sends an angel to step in and save Isaac. Abraham’s faithfulness and obedience are held up to us an example –
but for me the story of Isaac’s near-sacrifice makes me ask the question whether God wants blind obedience from his people, or a faith that is ready to question and test what our life feels like at its hardest against all that we know of God’s loving care of us.
I wonder what a good question might look like for each of us this morning?
“How can I live faithfully with the pain I am carrying?”
“Why do I sometimes slip into a place of darkness and hopelessness despite my faith in God?”
“When will we see peace and justice triumph and the meek inherit the earth as Jesus promises?”.
You have your own questions, I’m sure.
I don’t believe for one moment that we are meant to hide those questions from God, our heavenly Father.
Jesus shows us in his teaching that he welcomes questions, he often answers them with other questions, and he never turns away the uncertain or the questioning person whom he meets.
Today we have heard his words to the twelve first disciples, as he sends them out to heal and proclaim the kingdom of God. Jesus has warned the that they will face opposition and persecution, but then he says :
“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me …whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
If we ask the question ‘how do we stay true to following Jesus despite all that might happen to us?” – a good question! – Jesus tells us to be welcoming to others in his name. And part of truly welcoming is to ask what that person most needs – like a cup of cold water to the thirsty, or time to the lonely, or patience to the one with questions.
And the one who does those things, says Jesus ‘will not lose their reward’. Jesus speaks of his followers inheriting their reward rather than earning or deserving it. We are not here because we are good people who deserve God’s love – we are here because we dare to claim the promise that God loves each one – however much we question, however much we fail.
As we come to communion, we sometimes use the adapted words of another questioner – the Centurion who came asking for healing for his servant: “Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed”.
We come to this table with questions and Jesus welcomes us as the host here – ready to heal our hurts and never turning us away.
And we go out from this worship in God’s name to share with others the questions we have and the answers we might find, so that all God’s children may ask good questions as we find, explore and enjoy God’s love together, as Jesus showed us to do. Amen.
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