4 Cain and Abel Genesis 4

4

Cain and Abel Read Genesis 4

Am I my brother’s keeper? Genesis 4:9

Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel’s story shows the deepening effect of sin.

The story is simple. Cain and Abel both offer God the best they have in sacrifice. Abel’s offering is accepted. Cain’s offering is not, and he is angry and discouraged. While early Christian writers describe Abel as being more righteous than Cain, Genesis does not say this. God accepts the offering of the younger brother for his own reasons. This pattern is repeated in the Bible with the choice of Abraham over his relatives, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and Joseph and David over their older brothers.

Cain’s hurt feelings turn into deep hatred of Abel. Cain believes God has insulted him. God tells Cain to continue living in relationship with him and others. Unfortunately, sin is like a beast lurking at the door, ready to master the heart of Cain. Cain refuses to make the choice of mastering this beast.

Cain goes into the field with Abel and kills him. We see here the growing effect of sin. It begins with blame in the story of Adam and Eve. It now advances to murder in the story of Cain and Abel.

Cain hopes his actions will be a secret, but nothing is secret from God. God, looking for Abel, calls on Cain. Baldly lying to God, Cain replies, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” God punishes Cain for his actions.

Cain’s punishment is to become a restless wanderer. He complains that he is without protection. God listens and responds to his prayer, setting a mark upon him so that he will be safe. Note that this “mark on Cain” is a sign of God’s mercy and protection, not a mark of shame.

We are all tempted by the thought that the good fortune of others means a failure on our part. This can lead, as it did with Cain, to jealous criticism and envy. This not only hurts others but also, as with Cain, leads to self-destruction.

CCC, 401: The universality of sin