Back of the Envelope

On a superficial level, Judaism looks a lot like other ancient tribal religions. Why would the real God, someone wholly different from the tribal gods which so many cultures created for themselves, deign to interact with humans in that way? Unless, perhaps, it was to make a point. We spend a lot of time demanding that God deal with us on our terms. We ask questions like, "Why doesn't he just reveal himself to us directly, with clear and undeniable revelation? Set up our government, and tell us exactly what he wants us to do? Give us clear rules and judges to rule over us? Provide for us and destroy our enemies?" We ignore the fact that the story of Israel is the history of him doing exactly that. He chooses Abraham, makes him into a tribe to compete with all the others, and promises him that he will prove that he's greater than all those other gods. Then, in the time of Moses he calls the Israelites from bondage, demonstrates his power through plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, gives clear instructions as to what he wants, physically dwells with the Israelites in the form of cloud and fire. And the Israelites reject him anyway. They complain and whine, they're fickle and hard-headed. Despite all they've seen, they don't trust that he'll fulfill his promises: on the threshold of the Promised Land they turn away, fearful that they can't beat the Canaanites living there, even though God has already demonstrated his ability to defeat the far more powerful Egyptians. God doesn't give up, though. He gives them chance after chance, as a tribe, as a nation, as a kingdom, as two kingdoms. He gives them prosperity and hardship, judge and prophet, king and priest, making sure they have every opportunity to see that he's faithful, that he's good. And time after time, we see that this sort of relationship doesn't work. Obedience predicated on punishment, the type which the ancient world so indoctrinated, had a hard enough time getting strict obedience: it could not draw out love. Belief based on proof is not the same thing as faith, and will soon find excuses to revert to disbelief anyway. The story of Israel isn't the story of one nation's rejection of God, but rather a demonstration of all humanity in a microcosm.

And that's where the new covenant comes into play. When God called on Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, he was doing more than testing Abraham's faith. He was teaching something as well. Love is demonstrated through sacrifice. And for Abraham to sacrifice not just his firstborn son, but his only son, the long awaited fulfillment of God's promise miraculously given to him and Sarah in their old age, was an amazing act of love and faith in God. But why demand it at all, even if it was turned away at the end? Wasn't it cruel? It was hard, but it was a lesson. At the foundation of the Jewish religion is the story of the painful sacrifice of the son averted. At the foundation of Christianity is the story of the painful sacrifice of the son carried out, not as a sacrifice to God, but as a sacrifice by God for us. I won't attempt a full explication of the Crucifixion here, except to note that the son went willingly, every bit as committed to saving humanity as the Father. This sacrifice changed the covenant between God and Man. No longer was God demonstrating his power and asking for our obedience; instead, he was demonstrating his love and asking for our love in return.