Sermon: "The Agony of Abraham"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

Mark Twain offered us interesting - and often unique - perspectives on life. For instance, at one point, he indicated a desire to find out more about his family and their history. Therefore, according to him, he spent twenty-five dollars to research the background of his ancestors. And then, again as he tells it, he had to spend fifty dollars to cover up what had been discovered!

Perhaps other families can identify with that situation, for we all have rotten limbs on our family trees. However, one group - one extended family - that should certainly not be ashamed of its heritage is the people of Israel … those of the Jewish faith. Even though they are often maligned, discriminated against, and made fun of, the Jewish people possess a very important tradition, as the song of that title indicates. Theirs is a proud heritage - a Godly heritage. And, further, we Christians owe our own precious faith to the faith of the people of Israel.

In one part of the Letter to the Romans (chapter 11) - later in the letter than our reading today - St. Paul writes about the significance of the heritage of the people of Israel. He expresses clearly that the forefathers of the true faith - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - are like roots of a tree. We should also remember Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel as supports for this tree as well. And by these ancestors - men and women - the tree of faith is sustained and given life.

St. Paul compares those outside the Jewish faith to a branch from a wild tree, which is grafted onto this tree of the true faith. And thus, the ancestors of the Jewish faith - the roots of the tree - become the ancestors of others also. So it is that we ourselves claim our heritage as well. We Christians have been grafted onto the Jewish tree of faith.

I once knew a bishop of the Diocese of Virginia who was known to be a good man but not such a good preacher - not an unfamiliar situation for bishops. Now, most Episcopalians I know believe that other people deserve the benefit of their opinions. And Episcopalians in Virginia are certainly not exceptions to that belief. Therefore, this particular bishop learned of his less-than-stellar reputation as a preacher. But his response was remarkable. This man was a very fine gardener, and in fact, he spent much time and energy in his apple orchard in western Virginia. Therefore, on his visitations, he began taking along small apple trees. During the sermon time, he would graft several branches onto a small tree - all the while talking about baptism and confirmation as occasions of grafting people onto the tree of the Church. Then, following the service, he would help plant the tree somewhere in the churchyard.

That image conveys the message of St. Paul to us about the tree of faith and our place on it. Our tree is rooted in Judaism - our ancestors in the faith. We are grafted branches on the living tree of faith precisely because of our Jewish roots.

One very significant chapter of our tradition - our tree of faith - involves a Jewish man named Abraham, who is for us an example of faith and obedience. Abraham's faith and obedience surely become clear to us in the episode described in our Old Testament reading today.

The story of Abraham being prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice in response to God's command has been called "the profoundest personal experience in all the recorded history of the patriarchs", our forefathers of the faith (Anchor Bible: Genesis, p164). This episode describes a fearful testing of Abraham's faith. As we reread the story, we suffer with this man for whom God and his son are the two primary allegiances in his life. Yet, apparently, he must choose between them. What a terrible choice to have to make!

Remember all that Isaac represented to Abraham - a son miraculously given in his old age, the potential for fulfilling God's promise that Abraham would be the father of a great nation. Yet that fateful day came … the day that Abraham heard God say, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering (22:2).

As we read the story, we agonize again with Abraham. The drama becomes more and more intense as each little detail is accomplished - getting up early in the morning, saddling the pack animal, giving orders to the servants, splitting the necessary wood, and journeying to the prescribed place. Probably very few words were spoken on the trip. The old man must have suffered greatly in his isolated agony.

As the climax approaches, the pace of the story quickens. Abraham and Isaac go up ahead, leaving the servants behind. They construct an altar. Then, Isaac is tied to it. Abraham clutches the knife, and his hand is in midair when he is stopped from slaying his son. Another sacrifice is provided, and all of us are relieved … but nothing compared to the relief of Abraham - and, surely, of Isaac, as well!

Abraham named the place, "The Lord will provide." And, we remember, that had been a theme all through the story. That is what Abraham said to Isaac when the son first noticed that they had no animal to sacrifice. And then - wonderfully and with much relief - that is what did indeed happen. "The Lord will provide."

Now, as in many Bible stories, we sometimes get hung up on questions that are not central to the primary message. "Why would God do this?" probably is the most obvious one. But this story is not about God's motives. Rather, the story deals with Abraham's faith - and it indicates that faith quite graphically indeed. In addition, this faith of Abraham provides a preview of the faith of another father, in terms of his relationship with his son.

Later on, God had such faith in human beings that He was willing to sacrifice His Son. God must have felt the agony of Abraham many times over. He must have watched in pain as the road of Jesus' life led to the cross - his place of sacrifice. God must have suffered terribly as He saw His Son - His only Son - crucified. And perhaps God remembered, "The Lord will provide." God did provide a sacrifice for the whole world.

God Himself believes that love is worth the pain and the agony of the death of a son … an only child. God Himself believes that human beings are worth this ultimate sacrifice. God has said and has shown that He will sacrifice anything - anything - in order to indicate His love for us and His faith in us. That's the kind of Father God is. That's the kind of Father we have in Him.

Therefore, for God's love, for His faith in us, and for His sacrifice, may we give continual thanks and praise - in this season of Lent and always. Amen.

Copyright © 2006 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee