The way of Cain

Jesus the epitome of love and character didn’t go around blessing people with words. He didn’t bless the religious and political leaders of His day but cursed them. ‘Woe to you’ doesn’t mean something good is going to happen to you especially when spoken by God incarnate.

He called them all kinds of names including hypocrites, murderers, serpents, brood of vipers, liars, blind guides, sons of hell, etc. He told them they would not escape the condemnation of hell (Matthew 23:15, 33, Luke 11:24-25, 23:38-31) and they didn’t!

But when it came to the poor and needy Jesus attitude and approach to such as these was completely different. The bible says of Jesus ‘A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust’ (Matthew 12:20-21). He demonstrated His love for them by His miracle deeds. He healed the blind and cleansed the lepers. He was and is very kind and compassionate towards those who are poor and needy and need a miracle. When he saw a bereaving widow whose only son had died, he had compassion and brought the son back to life and presented him to his mother (Luke 7:12-15). When He saw a great multitude, He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick (Matthew 9:36, 14:14). When the blind men asked for healing, He had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him (Matthew 20:30-34).

The Word of God tells us in Isaiah 11:1-5 that Jesus was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, direct, help and anoint Him, as well as to do the miracles. The power of the Lord was present to heal all (Luke 4:18, 5:17). Everyone who came to Jesus was healed by Him! He had a perfect track record in the area of healing. He unlike others never made an excuse why some were not healed. He didn’t collect the names of people who were healed to show them off or to build a mass mailing list, or see and use them as usable commodities as some Christian ministries do? Jesus’ anointing was unlimited or without measure for the purposes of healing and delivering all that came to Him. And we can all have the same anointing for all that belong to Jesus belongs to the Father, and what belong to the Father belongs to Jesus and what belongs to Jesus belongs to us (John 16; 14-15)? And this includes Paul, Apollos and others.

Yes Jesus Christ, the epitome of love or Love personified, called his antagonists fools, blind guides, hypocrites, blind Pharisees, brood of vipers, sons of hell, dead men, etc. He didn’t say nice things about them publicly? And Jude the half brother of Jesus talks about certain men” have gone in the way of Cain and also said Woe to them! David Guzik, the director of Calvary Chapel Bible College, Germany, in his commentary on the book of Jude and 'woe to them' states:

a. The way of Cain: Cain’s story is found in Genesis 4. There, we find that each of the sons of Adam and Eve brought an offering to the Lord. Cain (being a farmer) brought an offering from his harvest. Abel (being a shepherd) brought an offering from his flocks. God accepted Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s.
i. Many people assume that because Abel brought a blood sacrifice and Cain brought a grain sacrifice, that the difference between the two offerings was sacrificial blood. But the real difference was between faith and unbelief.
ii. Hebrews 11:4 makes this plain: By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
iii. Cain’s sacrifice was probably more pleasing to the senses than the carcass of a dead lamb. But his sacrifice was offered without faith, and therefore it was unacceptable to God. You can give to God whatever you have, or whatever you are, but you must offer it in faith.

b. Genesis 4:5 says that after God rejected his sacrifice, Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. He became angry because he knew he was rejected by God. In a fit of anger Cain murdered Abel, and then he lied about it to God.
i. 1 John 3:12 tells us that Cain murdered his brother because Abel’s works were righteous (by faith), while Cain’s own were wicked. Cain’s lack was not in works, but in faith.

c. The way of Cain: Jude says that Cain typifies a way that the certain men follow in. It is the way of unbelief and empty religion, which leads to jealousy, persecution of the truly godly, and eventually to murderous anger.
i. There is no greater curse on the earth than empty, vain religion; those having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:5) No wonder Paul added, and from such people turn away!
ii. Many Christians are deathly afraid of “secular humanism” or atheism or the world. But dead religion is far more dangerous, and sends more people to hell than anything else! These certain men were in the way of Cain.

It appears the both Jesus and Jude disliked certain men who followed in the way of unbelief and empty religion, which leads to jealousy, persecution of the truly godly, and eventually to murderous anger causing Jesus and Abel to be murdered. Jesus warned these certain main that they would pay for their foolishness even in the current time of life. The bible records:

Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. "For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!' "Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ' "For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"
There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots. Luke 23:26-34

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