Like I Have Time For This

Love and Murder, Cain and Abel

(1 John 3:11-12, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 2, 2016)

[11] For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. [12] We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.

We should love one another

Psalms 42 and 43 go together. They share this memorable refrain: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Hoping in God takes time. Are we too busy to hope?

One day, all of those who hope in God will find Him to be their first attention and their continual joy. John seems to write so many verses in this epistle from the view of that perfectly secure future day. He insists that this is who we really are even now. But we find it hard to follow even the most delightful commands. We grasp so firmly to the fleeting twenty-four of this day that we do not think we have the time to enter into the rest of God's eternal seventh day.

The Lord has given us one day in seven as a day to worship and rest in Him, but we are not always sure that we are at liberty to do that. He tells us to put our hope in Him, but we can easily imagine that hope is a hill too far for us to climb. If we have trouble with rest and hope, how will we fair with the command in 1 John 3:10—the command to love?

Love goes beyond feelings. Anything that is supremely displayed in the cross (John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this ...”) is not painless. Love costs. Cost only makes sense in a mindset of scarcity. Time... People who love are willing to give time to others. It becomes second nature to willingly give time to others when we enter into the mindset of eternity. John knew that the church would one day live in a world of perfect love, and so he called them to that good life during the present fleeting lives of his ancient hearers, now long gone.

What is the Christian ethic?

This is the Christian ethic. All of the Ten Commandments and all of the Law and the Prophets are summed up in what John tells us to do in this passage: “We should love one another.” Our anxious world has a different ethic—personal autonomy and choice are most important, taking the place of God and His choices. Technology has expanded our choices, and yet twenty-four hours in each day won't budge even a second. The result? Unsettled people created in God's image who are furiously stuffing more items into the finite bag of time.

Remember the old TV show Supermarket Sweep? “There's hardly any time left. Hurry up!” Eventually the bell sounds in our lives and the game is over. Who wins in the game of a life well-lived? Not necessarily the person with the highest cash value shopping basket, but the one who has learned the Master's love, and freely shared it with others.

Aside from the obvious fact that love is costly, why would anyone ever say “No” to the Lord's directive that we should love one another? We may imagine that we just don't have enough time for the Lord of the universe. But there is a deeper problem. It turns out that people have rejected God's command that we should love one another “from the beginning” because we have rejected God as the One who has the right to tell us what to do. That rejection of the Light has led us into some pretty thick darkness. Only the Lord can lead us out.

What's our problem? We won't agree to someone being over us with any ethical absolutes until our disposition toward the Giver of divine Law has been changed. If we reject the concept of a loving God who is above us, we will even reject His command to rest and to hope lest our obedience might be viewed as bowing the knee to Him. We are not sure we should trust anyone with the power to command us—even God. What might His next command be. Now we know: “Love one another.” Like we have time for this? We would reject the gift of loving God and others around us because we have grown accustom to trusting our own choices above His.

Cain and Abel

To understand love better, John gives us a very horrifying contrary example from the first book in the Bible, We are told that this account of the attack of one son upon another son was not love. Immediately after the fall of mankind in Genesis 3, we learn about the first death—a death that was not from natural causes, but by the anti-love of murder.

Genesis 4:1-10

[1] Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” [2] And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. [3] In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, [4] and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, [5] but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. [6] The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? [7] If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

[8] Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. [9] Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” [10] And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.

This is a story “from the beginning,” but it is not a story of sacrificial love, but of hate and murder.” Why did Cain murder Abel, even after he was warned by God? John tells us that like the evil one that Cain was following in that awful moment, Cain did what he did because his own deeds were evil, and his brothers were righteousness. Cain did not like that. He took action, and “sin” mastered him and took action through him. The result was devastating.

The history recorded in the Old Testament teaches us about the depths of human sin and our need for a great work of divine love within us. The New Testament assures us that divine Love has come. Jesus gave His life as a ransom. His blood speaks. (Hebrews 12:24) We who have received His gift are called and empowered to love in the midst of a murderous, frantic world.

What would love have looked like in the case of Cain and Abel? Receiving God as a good father. Resting. Hoping. Loving. Taking the time to listen and to learn from a brother. What would love look like for you and me? Our Brother's death and resurrection tell us about something worthy. Will we listen? God will lead us if we let Him. If we humble ourselves before the God of heaven and earth, we will find the time to take in this news: Jesus has given us the kingdom.

Old Testament Reading—Esther 5 – Esther's Banquet – Part 1

Gospel Reading—Matthew 5:1-3 – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.