As we sat in church Sunday morning and heard story of Abraham and Isaac many of us wondered: "What kind of God would ask a father to take a knife and sacrifice his own son?" Good question – one which most homilists avoid. If we place the question in a modern context and interpret the word sacrifice broadly, we find that the gods we now serve are deceptive and harsher than Abraham’s God.
Christian Classics Ethereal Library at Calvin College has posted Soren Kierkegaard’s magnificent Panegyric on Abraham Any serious reflection on Abraham and Isaac should start there. Suffice it to say 1) that child sacrifice was a custom in he ancient Middle East; 2) that Abraham was trusting a God who had promised and performed miracles over seven decades of Abraham’s life; and 3) that his story would make him the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
As the husband and father of teachers, I hear many stories about children and their parents. Many of these are stories about children who are hostile and unmotivated. Teachers quickly learn that the classroom behavior reflects the previous night’s experience at home. Children do not become angry, tired or upset just from stepping into the classroom. They carry these attitudes from home.
Parents do not, as a rule, deliberately send a child to school angry, tired or upset. They overlook a child’s needs because they are preoccupied serving some other purpose. This may be job, career, power, pleasure, possession of great wealth or some other form of perceived satisfaction. When purposes such as these interfere with a parent’s primary responsibility they become what St. Ignatius called “inordinate attachments”. The late psychologist addressed the deceptive and powerful course of attachments in his book Addiction and Grace.
Parents can easily rationalize ignoring a child’s needs by saying to themselves that some sacrifices have to be made in order to meet a deadline or serve a client. The promises of power, pleasure and possession are deceptive. Many of them never know that they are bloodlessly sacrificing thier children's future on the altar of success.
Teachers do not know what concerns are driving a parent’s behavior. They only know that the challenge of teaching an ill-prepared child.
Abraham took Isaac up Mount Moriah knowing what he had to do and trusting that Yahweh would somehow make good on His promise. Abraham knew what he was about to do. Parents serving the gods of career, power or other attachments do not consciously know that they are sacrificing their children’s futures. If they do realize it, the language of dedication and service will help them to rationalize. The gods of success, power, and prestige, however make false and deceptive promises. In their language sacrifice is a good thing.
The story of Abraham still horrifies us after three millennia. As a reward for his faith Abraham was able to keep Isaac and received this blessing.
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (Gen 22:17-18)
The gods of this world offer much, but their promises are deceptive and in the end, they can't deliver.
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