The Obedience of Abraham and Jesus

02-25-2018Weekly Reflection

God tested Abraham by asking not for an ordinary sacrifice, which would have been a partial burning with the meat divided between God and the people and eaten by those who sacrificed, but for a holocaust, a total burning of the sacrificial animal. This type of sacrifice consecrated the entire offering to God alone.

This is what God was asking of Abraham in offering his only son, Isaac. When Abraham demonstrated his obedience, that was enough. This story from today’s scriptures foretells the completion of the blood sacrifices of the old covenant in the new covenant: the blood of God’s own Son, offered to us on the cross and in the Eucharist.

Abraham’s obedience foreshadows the obedience of Jesus to God’s promise of salvation. The obedience of Abraham is rewarded in the birth to him, through Isaac, of many nations. The obedience of Jesus is rewarded in the salvation of all people for all time.