Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, September 25, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
At no time does giving someone a gift make up for a harm done—the only thing that can heal that sort of thing is an amends, including humility, genuine remorse, and a commitment to changing the behavior in the future so as not to cause the same harm again. Jacob has a serious amends to make to his brother, and no gift is going to take away the pain he’s caused Esau by stealing all that belonged to him.
That being said, a gift can open the door to the opportunity to make an amends. It can be an expression of generosity, an acknowledgment that you know you caused harm to the other person, and a sign of willingness to begin a conversation. Whether the gift is accepted is not up to us. Just as whether the amends is accepted is not up to us. Sometimes we are received with skepticism, others with open arms, and still others with hostility or not received at all. Our gifts might be returned to us with a nasty note. All we can do is extend the olive branch and trust that whatever the outcome, God knows our heart and knows we want to make things right.
Thus Jacob sends gifts to his estranged brother in the hope that when they meet again, Esau might have softened his heart enough not to kill Jacob on sight, as he once planned to do. But ultimately, it is not the gift that will heal the wound, but the intentions behind it and the actions to follow it up.
When have I given someone a gift by way of an apology? How was it received?
