Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis
Weird – “of strange or extraordinary character.”
Normal – “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern”
Question: “Since when do people answer questions with questions?”
Answer: “Have you read the Book of Genesis?”
Ever since there have been human beings on the face of the earth, people have been answering questions with another question. We see it in our day four question. Cain has killed his brother, Abel, and God comes to Cain and asks, “Where is Abel your brother?” Just as in the day two question (“Where are you?”), the Lord does not ask this question because of a lack of information. God knew the answer to God’s own question. So, why even ask it? I believe God asks this question for the same reason that Jesus used questions…to provoke thinking and learning.
What did Cain need to learn? Responsibility… That actions carry consequences… The cleansing that comes from owning our sin and truly repenting and then receiving God’s forgiveness… But Cain’s answering a question with a question shows that he was not ready for any of those lessons. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We can almost taste the defensiveness in those words - the desire to avoid responsibility.
But let’s entertain Cain’s question. Is Cain his brother’s keeper? I guess it depends on what it means to be a “keeper.” I am a word nerd…I love to dig into the meaning of words. The Hebrew word for “keeper” in Genesis 4: 9 is shamar. It means “to hedge around something” (like a house, or a garden) …or, to “keep watch over” (as a shepherd) …or “to guard and attend…” On one hand, Cain is not responsible for building a hedge around his brother, like he would his vineyard. He is not responsible for watching over Abel, like Abel had watched over his flocks. On the other hand, Cain was responsible to “attend” to his brother…to love his brother, as he loved himself.
The apostle Paul wrote these words to the Philippian church: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but humility consider other better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” (Phil. 2: 3-5)
Cain was responsible to attend to not only his own interests, but also to Abel’s. Cain and Abel were connected, and not just because they had the same parents. They were connected in the way one part of the body is connected to another. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” (1 Cor. 12: 21)… We are all connected!
Reflection: What does it mean to you to be our brother’s keeper?
Action: Call and check on someone who has been sick or who is homebound.
Normal – “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern”
- Merriam Webster
Question: “Since when do people answer questions with questions?”
Answer: “Have you read the Book of Genesis?”
Ever since there have been human beings on the face of the earth, people have been answering questions with another question. We see it in our day four question. Cain has killed his brother, Abel, and God comes to Cain and asks, “Where is Abel your brother?” Just as in the day two question (“Where are you?”), the Lord does not ask this question because of a lack of information. God knew the answer to God’s own question. So, why even ask it? I believe God asks this question for the same reason that Jesus used questions…to provoke thinking and learning.
What did Cain need to learn? Responsibility… That actions carry consequences… The cleansing that comes from owning our sin and truly repenting and then receiving God’s forgiveness… But Cain’s answering a question with a question shows that he was not ready for any of those lessons. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We can almost taste the defensiveness in those words - the desire to avoid responsibility.
But let’s entertain Cain’s question. Is Cain his brother’s keeper? I guess it depends on what it means to be a “keeper.” I am a word nerd…I love to dig into the meaning of words. The Hebrew word for “keeper” in Genesis 4: 9 is shamar. It means “to hedge around something” (like a house, or a garden) …or, to “keep watch over” (as a shepherd) …or “to guard and attend…” On one hand, Cain is not responsible for building a hedge around his brother, like he would his vineyard. He is not responsible for watching over Abel, like Abel had watched over his flocks. On the other hand, Cain was responsible to “attend” to his brother…to love his brother, as he loved himself.
The apostle Paul wrote these words to the Philippian church: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but humility consider other better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” (Phil. 2: 3-5)
Cain was responsible to attend to not only his own interests, but also to Abel’s. Cain and Abel were connected, and not just because they had the same parents. They were connected in the way one part of the body is connected to another. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” (1 Cor. 12: 21)… We are all connected!
Reflection: What does it mean to you to be our brother’s keeper?
Action: Call and check on someone who has been sick or who is homebound.
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Lenten DevotionalsWeird is the New Normal: Day OneWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisDay 5: Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: Day SixWeird is the New Normal: Day SevenWeird is the New Normal: Day EightWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis Day NineWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis: Day TenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day ElevenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day Twelve
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