This is part 9 of a series exploring how the Bible teaches that Jesus was greater than all who came before him.  This series is not intended to be exhaustive.  The topic of Jesus as “greater than” or “better” than those who came before him is inexhaustible.  Libraries could and should be written on this subject.  But we have attempted in these pages to explore what such a rich subject would look like. (Each entry is excerpted from There Is No Greater Love)

Christ Greater than Abel

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And he said, “What have you done?

 The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground” (Gen 4:9-10).

God announced in the garden to Adam and Eve that He would put a great and lethal enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15).  The beginning of this grand conflict that would drive the history of redemption forward is seen quite early in this quarrel between the two brothers.  Abel represented the beginning of the line of Adam—those who had faith in God (Heb 11:4).  He was the spiritual progenitor of the seed that through his brother Seth would ultimately give us Christ (Luke 3:38).  And Christ is the Seed of the Woman, who has waged war against the serpent of old (Rev 12:1-12).  Abel’s brother, Cain, however, was born of the seed of the evil one (1 John 3:12).  The enmity between the brothers was unto death, and Cain’s murderous hatred for his brother represented the way of life of those begotten of the seed of the serpent (Jude 11).

Jesus belongs to the spiritual line of Abel.  We are told that Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain (Heb 11:4).  His sacrifice was better than his brother’s because it was offered with faith that was pleasing to God (Heb 11:2).  But as great as Abel’s sacrifice was, Jesus’ sacrifice was better (Heb 12:24).  Like Abel, Jesus was a priest—a priest who offered Himself as the sacrifice.  Like Abel, Jesus was hated out of envy (1 John 3:12; Matt 27:18).  Like Abel, Jesus’ blood cried out after His death.  But, while Abel’s blood cried out for justice, Jesus’ blood cried out for mercy.  Jesus’ better blood speaks a greater love—offering mercy to all of us who are like Cain because our sins have murdered Him (Heb 12:24). Jesus’ blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel because Jesus is His brothers’ keeper.