The Other Brother
February 1, 2010
Not long ago, I prepared a confirmation class on the story of Jacob and Esau from the Book of Genesis. For the class, much of the focus was on Jacob, and how through him, God’s promise to Abraham was continued. But it was the story of Esau that struck me and I would like to discuss here.
Esau was the firstborn twin, and traditionally, the elder son would receive the lion’s share of the inheritance. But as we know, that was not what happened. God did not want it to happen, it would seem, and as we often find in the Bible (and I would add, right up to our time), he used the people and their cultures to accomplish what he wanted, even when those people did not always perform his tasks in the most righteous of ways. God is steadfast and true, but we are not, something that becomes painfully obvious as the story of Jacob and Esau unfolds.
Early on, Esau was forced to give up the older son’s share of the inheritance to Jacob in order to receive nourishment when he was starving (Genesis 25:19-34), and later, he was tricked out of God’s blessing by his mother and brother working together (Genesis 27:1-40). Esau was angered, dispirited, and anguished by these events, and even vowed to kill his brother for what had been done to him. But Jacob was warned of this by their mother, and sent off to his mother’s family in Haran, where he would be safe. Jacob lived there for many years, and went through a number of hardships and trials of his own. But eventually, he had to return to the land where his father had lived, the Promised Land, and it was on this return trip that something momentous happened.
You would think, when the reunion came between Esau and Jacob, that Esau would still hold his grudge, and would try to accomplish his vow. That was what Jacob thought, at any rate, for he sent gifts ahead on the return trip, and felt great trepidation when his brother arrived with four hundred men (Genesis 33:1-3). But what happened next was very different than what Jacob had anticipated:
But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept (Genesis 33:4).
In the end, Esau let go of his grudge, and showed his brother love, regretting all the years lost. He forgave his brother, even when Jacob himself did not believe he deserved it. In this way, he acted much like God did for us, when God forgave us our sins, through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ, even though we do not deserve it.
As Christians, we should hold this story dear to our hearts. When a slight is perceived, when our anger cries out for vengeance, we should remember what Esau did, even when such a great thing as God’s blessing had been stolen from him, and do the same. We should rise above the evil that was done to us, and show the true spirit of Christianity: forgiveness and love.
Peace be with you, my friends.
