Abel - Still speaking to us

Every year thousands of Christians are put to death purely because of their Christian faith. We cannot say exactly how many, because many deaths take place unnoticed and unreported. In just one country alone, North Korea, there are 100,000 Christians in labour camps; and many of them will never come out alive. Every year, for 2,000 years, there have been Christians martyred for their faith - which is what is predicted in Revelation 12:17.

What has this got to do with Abel, the fourth human being on earth? He was not a Christian, because Jesus Christ had not been born when he was on the earth. But he was the very first of the many, many thousands of people who have been killed for their faith. Is there something that we can learn from him that will help us to respond to the many stories of Christian martyrdom that we read about today?

All that we know about Abel’s history is in Genesis 4: he was the son of Adam and Eve and became a shepherd; he offered the Lord a sacrifice from among his flocks, and the Lord was pleased with his sacrifice but not with his brother Cain’s. Cain became angry and lured his brother to a lonely place, where he attacked and killed him. That’s it! Not a lot to work on.

Fortunately, the New Testament sheds more light on Abel. Jesus calls him righteous (Matthew 23:35) - that is, he had a good relationship with his God. The writer to the Hebrews backs this up, telling us that it was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain (11:4). So it was not the quality of Abel’s sacrifice that caused it to be accepted rather than Cain’s, but the quality of his heart - an important lesson for us when we are offering something to God.

The writer to the Hebrews has two other very interesting things to tell us about Abel: Firstly, by faith he is still speaking, even though he is dead (11:4). 6,000 years after he was murdered by his brother, he still has something to say to us - which is why it is worthwhile us looking at his life today. Secondly, it is the blood of Abel which is still speaking to us (12:24). What does this mean?

The context of Hebrews 12:23-24 will help us understand this. It says, You have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Now, the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7) - it has a powerful effect on us today, 2,000 years after Jesus’ death. The blood of Abel (and the other martyrs) also has an effect on us today, though nowhere near as powerful as Jesus’. What is it?

To understand that, we need to transport ourselves to Oxford on 16 October 1555. On that day, in front of Baliol College, Bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burnt at the stake for supposed heresy. As the flames began to burn, Latimer turned to his friend and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Ridley; and play the man. We shall this day, by God’s grace, light up such a candle in England as, I trust, will never be put out.’  And his words have been fulfilled. Despite the talk of ‘post-Christian’ England, despite the steady decline in church attendance for over a century, the Christian faith is still very much alive and well in this country.

Abel was the first martyr for his faith; and his example, together with the words of Scripture, tells us that those who are killed for the sake of Christ do not lose their lives in vain. If God lists every one of our tears in his scroll (Psalm 56:8), then he will certainly take careful note of the death of those close to him. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones (Psalm 116:15).

This will be a great comfort to us if ever we should be called to lay down our lives for Jesus. And for all of us, now, it gives a massive encouragement to pray with confidence. Have there been people martyred for their Christian faith in your country (do some historical research to find out, if necessary)? If so, then their blood is still speaking today.

So plead with God that their death light a candle in your country, and ask him to send a spirit of mercy and grace upon your nation, so that many will turn to him, as they have done for the last 460 years in England.