Am I my brothers keeper? Genesis 4:9 (NIV)
What Makes Us Human – Keepers – Series 1 – Part 2
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6
(Go to Series 2)
Most of us can say that we’ve fantasized about the demise of a sibling now and then; nothing more than an emotional reaction to the frustration often brought on by the actions and words of family members.
But Cain acted on those thoughts. He took his brother to a field and killed him. It was premeditated, cold-blooded, conscious murder.
If you’ve watched as much Law and Order as I have (doong-doong), you’ll know that jealousy is considered a motive for such a heinous crime. And much less has put in motion actions that have destroyed lives and families and communities throughout history. Is that the case in Cain and Abel's story? One brother was jealous of another, and violent rage won the day?
Is the moral of the story to bring a proper sacrifice, don’t get jealous, and don’t kill your bother or sister?
Or is there more to it than that?
When you start to dig into the Hebrew-ness of this story, you start discovering the gold buried deep in the heart of it. For the mothers and fathers of our faith, it wasn’t just the words used that told the whole story. The particular meanings of words especially names and places; the stories that precede and follow; details included and excluded; all these things help tell the story, too.
They didn’t put stories together chronologically as much as they did meaningfully. The links between juxtaposed Biblical stories often run far deeper than the incidental fact that one story happened right before or after another.
Stories that appear next to each other in the Bible often shed light on each other in surprising ways. For the many biblical writers, they placed stories in order of meaning and importance, to draw out the lessons of a tale, rather than record the exact historical timing of an incident. Which didn’t make the stories less factual, but more “true” to the heart of the matter.
The story preceding Cain and Abel's is, of course, Adam and Eve's. There are some incredible similarities between the two. If you can, take some time to read both stories side by side and see if you can spot the commonalities.
Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But as it would happen, one day Eve found herself the audience of a persuasive serpent who convinced her to eat the prohibited fruit. After which, she in turn convinced Adam to taste it, too. They instantly (at least after Adam ate the fruit… that's a point for another time), became aware of their nakedness and hid from God. When God called to them and discovered (that which he already knew) what they had done, he banished them from the garden.
So what does this tale of forbidden fruit have to do with sibling rivalry and murder apart from the family connection? When you read the stories you see that:
– Both Adam and Cain hear the Divine question: “Where?”
– Both Adam and Cain express fear and hide from God.
– Both Adam and Cain suffer exile.
– Both Adam and Cain are condemned to experience difficulty in farming.
Is this story about obedience and sacrifice? Is it that simple?
Or does it go deeper than that? Are these two stories together trying to tell us something?
Cain and Abel's story is filled with the imagery, language, and ideas that animate Adam and Eve's exile from the Garden. Somehow, Adam and Eve's experience in Eden is gone but not forgotten.
Somehow, the silent presence – or absence of – the Garden continues to dominate and define the lives of those who have long since left its borders.
Because the deeper question underneath eating forbidden fruit and jealously killing a brother is one of unbridled drive and passion. It’s a question of what makes us human.
Go to Most Wanted One – Keepers – Series 1 – Part 3
Written by Liz Milani
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