“Is there nothing he cannot ask of you?”

The scene is familiar if you remember the movie.  The quote is not directly from scripture, but it reveals a truth we all must embrace and that embracing doesn’t come through mere intellectual assent but through experiencing its reality.  I’ve been listening to a lecture series taught by Tim Keller and Edmund Clowney in which they reminded me of a scene from the movie The Bible. In the movie, George C. Scott portrays Abraham.  The biblical account of Abraham’s trek to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac is itself gripping; the account depicted in the movie is made even more so by the compelling extra-biblical dialog that I feel adds significant weight to the realism of this historical event and the truth of God’s essential dealings with mankind – his acts of grace, his acts of kindness, the revealing of himself such that his children understand his magnificence.  I am normally troubled when people, script writers or otherwise, add elements to biblical accounts not found in the source material, but oftentimes in the interests of expressing massive truths expediently, perhaps, I feel it can add much value in the space of seconds when traditionally one could spend years grappling with the seeming ineffability of such truths.

This scene does this for me.  Abraham, servant of God, bearer of the weight of a call as yet unrealized, travels with his only son Isaac to Mount Moriah to accomplish a most heart-wrenching task.  Up the hill they climb, father and son, lambless and yet called to make a sacrifice on the mountain – the son inquires regarding a lamb.  Of course, faithful Abraham assures his son that God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.  I cannot imagine the pain with which he uttered these words, aware of the act he was about to commit, perhaps playing it out in his mind with the agony already deep-set in his soul, uncertain of what the next few minutes would reveal.

Father and son reach the mountain’s peak.  Abraham intently searches the landscape for God’s provision of a lamb.  The quiet of the hilltop is disturbing, forcing Abraham to realize what must be done.  They proceed to build the altar; a few shots of Isaac’s puzzled face reveal the confusion he must have felt.  They add the kindling to the top of the altar and the moment for which they are unprepared has reached them.  There is no lamb.  Abraham looks both reassuringly at his son and yet with a hint of fearful determination.  He binds Isaac’s hands, then his feet, and finally places him on the altar.  A look of resignation washes over Isaac’s face but his eyes plea for an explanation.  From his bound feet to his bound hands his eyes travel finally to his father’s face, a million questions in his mind, and yet only one seems like it will provide an answer.

“Father, is there nothing he cannot ask of you?”

Raising the knife high into the air, Abraham peers straight into his son’s eyes, praying he understands the significance of this act of faith.

“Nothing.”

Nothing…  I said above that one cannot merely embrace this as a matter of intellectual assent.  How many of us really agree, embrace, believe that “Nothing” is the answer?  How does one experience the reality of such an answer?  Personally, I believe that answer.  I have reasons to lovingly embrace that answer in a way that gives a remarkable amount of comfort.  But, how is this more than a subjective experience to which you or others might object?  It is more than that, and I hope you see it.