253 Red Letter Answer - 6

As we continue our series of frequently asked questions we discuss the question of didn't God require Abraham to sacrifice his son? We take a care full look at the times Jesus talked about children and discover the reality that children are very important to him and he will defend them to the end. It is therefore impossible that it was God that gave Abraham that request.

Click on the link below for the pdf.

SHOW NOTES

The Red-Letter Answers.

Jesus’ Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s).

In some bibles Jesus’ words are in red. These are then the Red-Letter answers to FAQ’s.

Why focus on Jesus’ answers? Because Jesus is the Creator and the Maintainer of the Universe.

He is the exact representation of his father (Hebrews 1:1-3), and the only eyewitness who is close to the father’s heart (John 1:18).

6. Didn’t God require Abraham to sacrifice his son?

This story is seen in retrospect as an enacted prophecy of God sacrificing his son. Here is part of the record of Jesus’ relationship with children. Jesus makes clear his love and compassion for children with this statement.

Matthew 19:14 NLT But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For

the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

Jesus demonstrates the consequences of harming children as follows.

Matthew 18:6 NLT But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into

sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be

drowned in the depths of the sea.

Jesus reveals his compassion for an unknown woman and her dead boy in the following

narrative.

Luke 7:11-17 NLT Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain,

and a large crowd followed him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as he

approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart

overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin

and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get

up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his

mother.

Notice that no one requested Jesus to resurrect this child. The initiative sprang from his heart of love and compassion. Here is another example of the love of God for children.

Mark 5:21-43 NLT Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the

lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his

feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come

and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”

35 While he was still speaking to her (woman with the bleeding), messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”

36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter,

James, and John (the brother of James). 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”

40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her

hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 42 And the girl,

who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were

overwhelmed and totally amazed. 43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.

We return to Matthew 15:21 NLT for another example of Jesus care for children.

21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A

Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son

of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her

away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” (The

unstated reason is that she is a Gentile woman)

24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

26 Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

27 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall

beneath their masters’ table.”

28 “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her

daughter was instantly healed.

In this episode Jesus is role playing the thoughts of the disciple. He wants them to understand that God loves Gentiles as much as he loves Jews. Jesus goes to a foreign land to heal a Gentile daughter. This healing by Jesus confirms the love of God for all children, even Gentile children.

The above healings demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus for all children. It is

inconceivable that God would have asked Abraham to sacrifice his own child of promise.

Jesus makes this claim in the context of the death of Lazarus.

John 11:25 NLT Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes

in me will live, even after dying.”

Jesus is admonishing his hearers that he is in the “abundant life” business. We may die the first death now but he will resurrect us to live eternally. Jesus did not heal all the ill in Israel during his three and a half years of ministry but he healed all he encountered.

This is Jesus’ signature song, his theme song: “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Any stealing of life, any killing of life, any destruction of life is the work of the thief (John

10:10).

For all the above examples of the way Jesus related to young people it is impossible that he could have called Abraham to sacrifice his son. Human beings have been able to sacrifice their children to appease angry, unpredictable, hard hearted Gods but we cannot place this conception of God on the father Jesus represented.