Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, September 26, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
All that worry for nothing. After all that Jacob had done to him, Esau proved himself the bigger person. When at last they meet after their years-long estrangement, Esau runs to his little bratty upstart thief of a brother and hugs him with all he has. It’s truly a beautiful thing. I wonder what softened Esau’s heart toward his brother in the time they were apart. Maybe he figured he didn’t want all the responsibility of Isaac’s blessing. Maybe he was content with this wives and his hunter’s life and grateful not to have the pressure of being the first born and carrying on some kind of legacy. Or maybe in Jacob’s absence, Esau remembered all the good times—all the laughter and fun of their childhood and how much he really did love Jacob, even if they never had much in common. Who knows. What I do know is that time has a way of wearing down the sharp edges of our resentments and griefs.
The best example I can think of from my own life is that of my 20-year high school reunion. I hated high school. I felt alienated and disliked by the majority of my peers. When my best friend suggested to me that we put together a multi-year reunion (we were in different classes) I looked at her like she’d grown a second head. But the idea took root and we reached out to some folks who were still back in our hometown, and they put the whole thing together. When I showed up, I saw all those people I thought disliked me and whom I disliked at the time and my heart just melted. These were my siblings. Of course we’d had conflict and strife—we’d grown up together through our adolescence, which isn’t easy for any of us! I loved these people in a way I couldn’t not describe, and I was incredibly grateful I went to the reunion, so I could experience this kind of healing and re-framing of my past. I think maybe that’s what it was like for Jacob and Esau.
How has time changed my perception of past events for the better? Where have I found healing through the passing of time?
