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I’d like a new brother.
Ok, I actually have two really great brothers and I’m not looking to trade either of them in. My sister Rachael and I are sandwiched between two brothers, Ben and Sam. When we were growing up my parents used to say over and over and over and over, “You are each other’s best friends. Friends will come and go but your siblings will always be in your life.” My mom even had a video that we watched regularly with a Christian family that sang songs. Their theme song was called “Best Buddies” and went something like this:
“We’re going to be the best buddies, this world has ever seen,
We’ll be loyal to each other, and we’ll share everything!
I know it sounds like a miracle, and that’s just what we’ll be,
Because with Jesus, He’ll make buddies out of YOU and MEEE!”
My sister and I were obsessed. My brothers, not so much. I can (obviously as seen above) sing the whole song from memory 30 years later and I know Rach could too!
This past Sunday we heard about two brothers that definitely were not best friends. Cain and Abel really could’a used this song in their lives. Ha! Their story is a tragic tale of how living a life with ourselves at the centre is a lethal path of darkness. At the same time, it also reveals the incredible mercy and grace of God and how He is contending for our souls no matter where we are in our lives. Cain, the older brother, chose the path of darkness; giving into temptation, and allowing pride and anger to consume him. But the story didn’t end there.
From the moment that Adam and Eve chose autonomy of self, God set into action the plan for our redemption; a better, complete plan that would once and for all destroy the distance between Him and us, giving us a direct line back into His presence. He gave us Jesus, the Better Brother. Let’s look at how Jesus compares to these two brothers, Cain and Abel.
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