How different we are from each other, even members of the same family. These two brothers are even twins, but they are very different.
Twenty years before, Jacob had seriously wronged his brother Esau, and Esau had vowed to kill Jacob when he got the chance. In the years that have passed, God has blessed both of them with wealth and family. As far as we know, there has been no contact between them, but somehow Esau has found out that Jacob is coming his way.
Jacob remembers very well what he did to Esau and what Esau swore to do to him. He is afraid. Perhaps that fear has never left him. Perhaps he has even felt sorry for what he did so many years before.
Esau, on the other hand, seems to have let go of the past. He certainly would have the power to take vengeance on his brother, and yet there is no hint that this was in his mind. Some people are like that. It doesn't take long until they have forgotten the negative things and have move on. For others it is far more difficult. I know a woman who remembers in detail every insult, large or small, real or imagined, that she received from her family and friends during the last seventy years.
Now comes the time for Esau and Jacob to meet again. The night before, Jacob has had an encounter with God that will change his life, but he is still trying out a few tricks to make things work out in his favor. As they approach each other, Jacob bows humbly seven times, while Esau ignores all the show and simply runs up to give his brother a big hug and a kiss.
Yes, Jacob was making an effort to be reconciled to the one he had hurt, and that was a good thing. Esau, for his part, had simply chosen to forgive and forget.
May we do all that we can to be reconciled to those from whom we are alienated, and may we learn to forgive and to forget those wrongs that have been done to us.
- 11 NOVEMBER -