Jesus the new Abel

< Back

Hebrews 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

	Abel	Jesus
Shepherd	keeper of sheep (Gen 4:2)	the good shepherd (Jn 10:11)
Offered the best to God	a first-born lamb (Gen 4:3)	himself who without blemish (Heb 9:14)
Killed	by his brother Cain because of envy (Gen 4:8)	by his brethren the Jewish leaders because of envy (Mt 26:3-4) and by us because of our sins (1 Cor 15:3)
Bloodshed brought justice	his blood cried out from the ground to God for justice for his murder (Gen 4:9-10)	his blood atoned for the sins for the whole world (Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:17-19); 1 Jn 2:2)
God's mercy to the killers	a mark on Cain so no one would attack him (Gen 4:15)	forgiveness to the Jewish leaders (Lk 23:34) and to us (Eph 2:4-5)