When do you call a sacrifice big, and when do you call a sacrifice small.
Sitting in front of my computer screen, I joined a Bible discussion with squares of people, looking back from that dull, flat monitor in front of me. We discussed the term sacrifice. These virtual meetings are rarely wonderful, but our soft conflict stirred some thoughts after the session ended.
One square opened the discussion with a story, a jaw-dropping story of sacrifice. Hearing the tale, I thought we tend to celebrate the spectacular. And why not?—as Christians, we speak of the most important sacrifice of all. However, something that morning bothered me. I felt such wowing stories distract from the value of sacrifice in general. They shoot over small offerings, removing small everyday gifts from the sacrificial category.
Little gifts, how do I speak of them? I saw the participants had trouble considering near-effortless gifts as a sacrifice. Reaching for an example, I talked about getting up in the morning and putting on my socks. One square asked what getting-up to put socks on had to do with sacrifice. Then the next square said yes, getting up in the morning can be a sacrifice. I took a breath. Sometimes, fast-shot illustrations fall flat.
Then another picture square questioned my sacrificial value. This square said that sacrifice turns more into pleasure after becoming Christian. In Christianity, sacrifice becomes less sacrificial as we grow. How could I argue with that?—but yet, my point wasn’t materializing. I’m trying to say a comfort scale is not the measure. I think ranges of sacrifice, from easy to hard, all become necessary for a thriving community. For that, we struggle for a prize, a treasure, A Spirit-Defined Heaven.
Therefore, sacrifice is a vital member of the toolbox of life. (In your holster or purse, you’re tooled-up with mace spray). Let’s say you had a group of good friends; you’re committed to keeping them—friends (This sacrifice seems no-big-deal, easily carried out). Then somebody does or says something stupid, making your blood boil. Inside, you feel obliged to give the jerk some reprisal. But then, you don’t. Let me tell you: holding back retaliation hurts like mace spray. It’s one of those everyday sacrifices, running the gamut of easy to painful—all for the sake of friends getting along.
In preserving an ideal neighborhood, sacrifice proves a long term necessity. I would say sacrifice is like a short-term payment giving long-term dividends, pennies for the cause. Seemingly, the scope of small gifts looks trivial when overshadowed by the sensational ones. Yet, in reality, the little gifts contribute to the bulk of the overall harmony of life. Sacrificed is more than wowing observers: it’s typically small drops of glue holding a day in heaven together. Those droplets are small but crucial.
Of course, during the virtual meeting, I didn’t have these propositions ready. Ideas take time to work out. Now it seems clear to me: sacrifice is forgiveness. How so? Describing the vision of Revelation’s throne[i], worshipers surround it, an uncountable number. Such a vast population cannot freely live together without knocking heads to some degree. Sacrifice enables forgiveness for a “head knock,” the secret to maintaining paradise, even in heaven.
For this idea, I have another illustration. Allow me to repeat a well-known story[ii] with unusual explanations. The way it came together surprised me.
A long time ago, God required something from two kids, brothers, living outside the walls of Eden. The oldest brother, Cain, an excellent gardener, brought vegetables to the Lord, the first fruits of his labor. The other brother, Able, a shepherd, brought the first of his flock. When the two brothers presented their gifts, God accepted Abel’s but rejected Cain’s. The rejection did not stem from the produce: Cain was a gardener. Cain’s rejected offering stemmed from what lurked in his heart. At the time, only God saw the beast, a creature festering in anger. But soon, it came out into the open: Cain killed his brother.
So what was the issue with Cain? It was a family matter. He thought his mother did something unbelievably stupid. That act, which had nothing to do with him, affected everyone’s lives from then on. Cain was good at gardening, but it was hard, backbreaking work. Because of his mother, God had banished the family line from the ultimate garden, a spectacular garden, not planted by human hands.
Added to that, Cain’s dad continually ticked him off. Why didn’t he keep the woman under control?[iii] Why didn’t he keep her away from that tree? If that wasn’t upsetting enough, dad stayed with her[iv]. The whole episode was disgusting. Every time the sweat ran down Cain’s brow, it reminded him of the debacle.
And then there were thoughts about Abel. He was too naive to appreciate what happened. He had no idea what was lost. The haunting beast in Cain’s mind stirred these thoughts, made forgiveness impossible.
In reality, Abel, the slain brother, knew their situation. Abel and Cain’s difference was the sacrifice: Abel forgave his mom and dad despite the continuing crisis. That was the point of Abel’s acceptance and Cain’s rejection. For Cain, God’s reproof was the last straw.
When Abel’s blood cried up from the ground, the boy’s mother’s love for Cain never failed. Losing them both, she couldn’t bear it. Before the eyes of men, a mother’s love for all her children is quieting. Reaching beyond a child’s behavior defines the span of a mother’s love—a love uniquely female.
From Creation, Humans came forward in the image of God, male and female. God is the source of female love. When the heart of a mother breaks, the woman finds relief in this Divine One, the one like her. God let Cain go to live his own life, and still, Cain’s refusal to sacrifice brought no peace. Cain became the father of the sons of men. The sons of God were those not of Cain’s line until marriage became acceptable between the two clans[v].
The way of restriction and force fell on the Cain clan women, exampled by Adah and Zillah.[vi] Cain’s authoritarian methods grew with communities, raising powerful kings using the command, “Off with your head!” and later on, horrific dictators claiming citizens under their jurisdiction and whim.
In the heart of Cain, forgiveness and sacrifice did not emerge. However, personal sacrifice is a characteristic of God’s people, the citizens of his kingdom. The sacrifice value was foundational in the Hebrew sanctuary service, placing the spectacle under Love’s Flag. The flag became a rag when pagan cults made it into a penalty, corrupting into appeasement or obligation. For those who seek his spirit, God is the source of love, motivating whatever sacrifice necessary. I believe such motivations are the secret to the promise of heaven. Without sacrifice, no one, no people, no government will succeed. For the sake of success, our Lord and king endured the mother of all sacrifices. The lamb that looked slain showed his position worthy[vii] as our leader and teacher, now and forever. That’s the difference between a dictator who requires sacrifice and a leader that shows the way.
[i] Revelation 7: 9
[ii] Genesis 4: 1-16
[iii] 1 Timothy 2: 11-15
[iv] Genesis 3: 6
[v] Genesis 6: 1-4
[vi] Genesis 4:23
[vii] Revelation 5: 1-5
