|
Hello friends!
I did not grow up with brothers. I have one sister who is younger than me by three years - and frankly, she adored me for no discernible reason at all. She continues to be a gift to me as a sibling. Perhaps it was our age difference, perhaps it was our gender difference, but there was no rivalry between us. No constant bickering or fighting. No "Mom! Tell Casey to leave me and my friends alone!" vibe. I mean, there were the times I hit her in the chest with a hammer (blunt end, not claw), and the time I rocked over her in a rocking chair - but those were accidents, man! The worst of it was probably when I was a senior in high school, and she a freshman. After being a bus-rider for 13 years (I believe "cheese-wagon jockey" is the preferred nomenclature), I finally had my own crappy car and could drive myself to school. Naturally - my little sister expected that she would also benefit from my station in life. However, like all the worst people in the world, I decided that nobody but me would benefit from my privilege. I declared that she could ride the bus just like I did until she got her own car - she wasn't riding with me. It was cruel, it was un-generous, and it probably developed a character in her that she appreciates today. She can thank me later.
All that being said - I'm thankful that I did not grow up with male siblings. As the father of two boys, I feel like it can only make your life worse - and I mean that in the most proud, loving, exhausted, exasperated way. Ever notice how many stories in scripture are about a man who has two sons? For starters, Adam - the first man - had two sons. One of them famously killed the other, but I'm sure that's not a statement about the inevitability of sibling rivalry, right? Abraham had two sons, despite what you may have sung at VBS. Abraham's son Isaac had two sons - twins, actually - Jacob and Esau. Jacob actually had 12 sons, but when it came time to divide their inheritance between them, he took his son Joseph's two sons (Ephraim and Menasseh) and included them in place of their father, effectively giving him a double share! According to the book of Acts, Moses actually had 2 sons. I bet you've never heard of them! 1 Chronicles 23:14-15, and Acts 7:29 mention Moses's sons Gershom and Eliezer, two boys with big shoes to fill who are never heard from again.
Jesus himself is recorded telling at least 2 stories about a man with 2 sons. One of them, The Parable of the Two Sons, we read a couple of weeks ago as part of our lectionary texts. Can you think of the other one? That's right - The Parable of the Prodigal (or Lost) Son from Luke 15.
Of course, Jesus might have been lucky to grow up with just one brother. The gospels record him having as many as FOUR brothers - James, Joseph (or Joses), Simon, and Judas (Jude). Yikes! Not only that, he had an undetermined number of sisters as well! In the same passage that names his brothers (Matthew 13:54-58) someone asks, "Are not all his sisters with us?" Sounds like he had at least two, and possibly a whole bunch of sisters!
Famously, one of Jesus's brothers doubted all of his claims, and was skeptical of his divinity while he was alive. Can you imagine? Not only is this guy your older brother - people are saying he can do no wrong, that he performs miracles, and that he might actually be the son of God? This may have been the most difficult sibling relationship of all time! I've always said that the hardest place to be a Christian is at home among those who know you best. Jesus's brother James seems to have found that to be truer than any of us. He was decidedly NOT a believer.
READ MORE HERE...
| 
