The story of Cain and Abel is known among believers and non believers alike, intriguing them and horrifying them at the same time. An act of murder is hard to fathom, let alone against a family member (i.e. fratricide as in Cain and Abel’s case), but what is unique about this narrative is that it is also the first documented case of murder. The story has gone beyond church, even inspiring movies and TV shows, one, for example, called “Supernatural”, where one of the main characters inherits the Mark of Cain and begins to commit acts of unspeakable violence. Though there have been numerous interpretations and portrayals of this story, it is crucial to see what it really is about, and that is offense.
In Luke 17:1-2, Jesus warns the disciples about offense, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.”
Offense by definition has two meanings, according to the Oxford dictionary, the first meaning given is that it is “a breach of a law or rule; an illegal act” or an “annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one’s standards or principles.” In James Strong’s Concordance, the word “offense” comes from the Greek word “Skandalon”, which means the trigger of a trap (the mechanism closing a trap down on the unsuspecting victim); (figuratively) an offense, putting a negative cause-and-effect relationship into motion. Strong published his Concordance so that we have a greater technical understanding and a deeper knowledge in the word of God. With this translation, we can see that Jesus was warning the disciples about falling into this “trap.”
To understand this further, we can look at Cain and Abel and what led to Abel’s murder. The two brothers were required to make an offering to God and when Cain sees that God looks more favorably to Abel’s offering, he is angry. God, noticing this asks Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7) It’s important to note here that God notices that Cain has become offended and He tells him that he has authority over the offense, and does not need to succumb to it, he warns Cain against falling into the trap of offense. But, Cain does not heed God’s words and he kills Abel. Then, when God asks where Abel is, he replies with the famous line “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) After the murder, God puts upon Cain a “mark”, as it says in Genesis 4:15 “And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.” This “mark” carried on through Cain’s bloodline, continuing a cycle of bloodshed and violence, passing down the offense through the generations.
The origin of Cain’s anger is the same as our anger, it is the same offense that we carry that leads us to do hurtful things to our fellow man. It is important to ask the question why and how did it get to this point?
The origin of offense comes with the first men, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel’s parents. The fall of Adam and Eve is what brought offense to all mankind when doubt sown into their hearts by the Serpent and they questioned God’s word. Offense was the original sin. “Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5) God had wanted Adam and Eve to trust in His knowledge of good and evil, but they chose to define good and evil on their own terms by listening to the serpent instead. The serpent raised suspicion in Adam and Eve against God.
The consequence of this act of disobedience was death, and Adam and Eve knew this before, as God had warned them, ‘“God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Genesis 3:2) “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12)
Since the fall, we have been caught in the cycle of offense, sin and death, and there was so much offense and sin that the law was given so that there was a way for us to measure the amount! The law not only measured the amount of offense we now had, it added to it, as we now had a way to judge people according to their offense, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound.” (Romans 5:20). Before the law, there was death, people were dying anyways, what the law did was quicken the cycle of sin and death because we now had a way to measure it and accuse our fellow man.
If we think that we are unlike Cain, that we are not offended, we would be wrong. If we break down what Jesus says to the disciples in Luke 17, “It is impossible that no offenses should come,”, i.e. there is no way that we will not be offended as believers or non believers, we all get offended, “but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” In this last line Jesus explains that what is crucial, that we do not pass on our offense to others. A simple example would be if someone has done something to hurt you, and instead of talking to the person who hurt you, you tell someone else. “Do you know what ****did to me the other day?” And now the person you have told is scandalised and offended, just like you.
When the disciples heard what Jesus had to say about offense in Luke 17, they were afraid, they said “Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5), to which Jesus replies “So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6).
Jesus uses a beautiful metaphor here, comparing offense to a mulberry tree. Applying context here helps us understand what He was trying to say. Though in the New King James it is referred to as a mulberry tree, the tree Jesus is referring to is actually a sycamine tree, which is the same family as a mulberry tree. These trees are very common in Israel and Palestine, so the disciples would have understood what Jesus was trying to say. The mulberry/sycamine tree has very deep roots, as it has to go deep in search of water, and it is therefore very hard to kill. Because it was hard to kill, it also grew everywhere, and as a result was the most common wood used to make coffins at the time. Its fruit is also very bitter.
Likening offense to this tree would have helped the disciples understand that like a sycamine tree, offense takes deep “root” in our hearts, causing bitterness, unforgiveness and eventually death. It is also not a coincidence that Jesus uses the metaphor of a tree to describe offense, as it all links back to the original sin where Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, instead of the tree of life.
With this understanding, Jesus explains that we need to “uproot” this tree that has been planted in us, and that we have the power to do so because of the gift of his grace, “So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6).
Because of Him we have been set free from death caused by sin and offense, “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.” (Romans 5:15-16)
Now we who have been given this free gift have the power to end this cycle of death and it is our duty to exercise this power. This power, quite simply, is forgiveness. Jesus demonstrates this power when he heals a paralytic by saying, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 5:20). The scribes and the Pharisees who see Jesus do this accuse him of blaspheming against God, saying, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:21). Jesus replies, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (Luke 5:22-24)
Jesus says to the disciples that the only way to break this cycle of offense, sin and death is through forgiveness. “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4) This same power that lives in Christ lives in us and it is our duty to exercise and demonstrate it to others.
This was the downfall of Cain, he could have authority over his offense and could not forgive, and his heart was defiled against both man and God. But unlike Cain, we have been given something much more powerful, and that is the grace that has come to us through Jesus Christ when he died on the cross for us. Forgiveness is not easy, but it is possible because of the cross. If someone offends you, tell them, confront them with love, and forgive them. That’s all there is to it. We must do our duty and not pass on our offense to others so that we end the cycle of sin and death and instead bring life to others through His Spirit that lives in us, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)
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