The Crimson Thread – Cain and Able

Greetings Dear Reader,

There is so much subtext in this story that I think we miss something so obvious.  God is still talking directly to us.  What I would not give for that.  Then again it would leave me without any excuses in the belief department.  Still, this is so important to an understanding of who God is in the picture.

Late on God will explain that without blood there is no remission of sin.  I do not get to why God chose that blood is the key to redemption.  It is, however, what he chose.  It is horrid that Cain kills his brother.  It is tragic that the one who did good is the victim.  It is also our nature. 

What I must learn is that once again it is God who is at the center of this.  It is the Father who sees his creation slipping further away.  It is death claiming another victim.  It is the echo of Adam’s sin reverberating in his children.  It is Abel’s blood crying out from the ground for justice. 

The crimson thread is seen in the way God deals with Cain.  He offers Cain a way to live.  He provides a way of redemption.  This is how God deals with us.  There is always a way back to him.  There is always hope.

I just heard someone say yesterday that “hope” is a four letter word.  It is what I cherish.  In the midst of every tragedy faith gives us hope.  If I see that even the worst events lead us toward the eventuality of redemption I can follow more closely. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."