And to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel. Hebrews 12:24
The story of Cain and Abel is a sorry tale of a jealous brother’s rage that led him to murder. There is nothing to commend Cain in that account. He violated the requirements for an offering to God, and then resented his brother for obeying what God expected of them. Nothing justifies Cain’s behaviour, and he stands forever condemned by his words,’Am I my brother’s keeper?’ So we turn to Abel and commend him for his worthy sacrifice and obedience. In no way did he deserve the mistreatment he received from Cain. And there is not a shred of evidence that he provoked his brother in any way. We read in the previous chapter that his sacrifice was excellent and that he was righteous. That same verse (Hebrews 11:4) tells us that Abel, being dead, continues to speak. How is he speaking? God told Cain how Abel was speaking: The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground (Genesis 4:10). Abel’s blood was crying for justice and vengeance. And it was crying in despair. But our text speaks today of blood that speaks better things than the blood of Abel did.
God heard the cry of Abel’s blood. Justice was served and vengeance was exacted. And Abel’s despair is turned to rejoicing, and he is forever commended for his faith. ‘It might not have looked like justice and vengeance for awhile. God did not strike Cain dead on the spot; in fact, He placed a mark on Cain to preserve his life. But unprotected by an acceptable sacrifice, Cain is now bearing the punishment that he insisted was greater than he could bear. He suffers in hell, awaiting the judgment of the Great White Throne where he will receive just punishment for all his crimes, including the murder of Abel. Before we condemn Cain too harshly, we must look at ourselves and discover that we are little better than him. For years, we failed to accept God’s acceptable Sacrifice. For years, we rebelled, we hated, we disobeyed. And we are only hypocrites for our criticizm of Cain. But the blood that cried out for us was not crying for justice and vengeance but for forgiveness. Because the blood that cries out for us is that of our loving Saviour.
We are just as guilty of the death of the Lord Jesus as Cain was of the death of Abel. No, we were not on site for the rejection and crucifixion of Christ, but our representatives were. And it was our sins that caused Him to be there. How touching then to hear the cry from the Cross ‘Father, forgive them… (Luke 23:34). Where Abel’s blood cried for justice and vengeance, Jesus’ blood cries for grace and mercy. Where Abel’s blood cried in despair, Jesus’ blood cries in hope and victory. And we love to sing the chorus of that grand old hymn: Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow, no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What a glorious message the blood of Jesus Christ has for us today! Be sure to share that message with everyone you meet. -Jim MacIntosh