Reconciliation

Wow, 20 years is a long time to be separated from a brother or any other family member. My brothers and I never really got along growing up and we still have our differences today, but I could not imagine being apart from them for 20 years. However, that is what happened to Jacob and Esau. Esau had reason to be mad and Jacob had reason to fear his brother, but in today’s reading we see reconciliation take place between the two and his fears are put to rest. Jacob expected to have to beg for mercy and perhaps even beg for his life for the pain and heartache he had caused in his brother’s life. However, when Esau saw his brother he ran to him. Esau offered to give Jacob all 550 of the animals back to his brother but Jacob insisted that he take the gift. I was reading this in the Hebrew today and the word Jacob used was birkati. By using this word, Jacob literally says, “accept my present”. Jacob wanted to share his blessing with his brother Esau to make up for the past. Esau says all is forgiven and you don’t have to give me you animals, but the custom of the day required that he accept the gift and so he did. A miracle was worked in the life of Jacob and Esau that day. God brought two brothers who had been separated, back together again. God had changed Jacob’s heart, and we see this in his acts of humility and generosity. He had changed the heart of Esau as well from seeking revenge to wanting to restore the relationship with his brother. At the end of the reading we see these two grown men together for their fathers funeral, as a family once again.
Do you fear forgiveness and reconciliation? I believe we all have someone in our lives we need to reconcile something with. Are you Jacob or Esau in your story? Do you need to humble yourself and be generous, or perhaps quit seeking revenge and just get over your issue with another person? Don’t let 20 years pass, don’t let another day pass, do whatever you can to bring reconciliation into your broken relationships. Life is too short to spend so much time divided and separated from those we love and care for.

Pastor Pete