Text: Genesis 33:1-12
“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” —1 John 4:12
A driver in Kentucky was in for a rude awakening after trying to run over a 9-foot-tall snowman only to hit a massive tree stump underneath. Cody Lutz built the huge snowman in his front yard and after leaving for work, a would-be vandal decided to run it over with his car. Little did he know that the base of the snowman was built around a rock-solid tree stump that served as its foundation. Let’s just say that Frosty didn’t go down but the driver did experience “instant karma,” said Lutz. Imagine that driver’s surprise at the revelation that there was more to Frosty than meets the eye. He wasn’t just… snow. He was something more substantive.
It seems that Jacob was a bit surprised in his reunion with Esau in Genesis 33. Having spent twenty years away from the brother he once tricked and cheated out of a birthright, Jacob fearfully wondered if Esau was still intent on serving up revenge for the wrongs Jacob had perpetrated. After all, Esau had threatened to kill him. Will the bitterness remain, or has it subsided?
The moment of truth arrives. Esau runs to meet Jacob. Embracing him, he throws his arms around Jacob’s neck and kisses him. They weep together. Tension has been broken and Jacob must’ve breathed a sigh of relief. Reconciliation has prevailed. Then, like that bewildered driver in Kentucky, Jacob gets a striking revelation. It’s the kind of revelation that should change the way we all approach reconciliation. Jacob says:
“For to see your face is like seeing the face of God…” (Genesis 33:10)
In the past Jacob had been a conniving schemer, seeing his brother as nothing more than a superficial pawn to be manipulated for selfish gain—used then discarded to get ahead in life. He’s just in the way of Jacob’s passion and pursuits. He’s the annoying hindrance to progress. In a drastic and dramatic turn of affairs, Jacob now sees his brother much differently—he sees God in his brother—certainly more than a mere human obstacle to be conquered.
It’s noteworthy to consider that Jacob can’t come home without going through the gritty work of reconciliation with his brother. Esau is not just an obstacle—he is essential to God’s bigger picture of redemption and Jacob’s own spiritual maturity.
How might it change us and the dynamic of our lives to begin seeing Jesus in every person with whom we have had strife or tension? It’s so natural to see Christ in ourselves and not so much in others—especially those who seem to be in our way. No matter the person—a spouse, a sibling, a coworker, a neighbor, a political adversary, even an enemy—the more we see Christ and his exhaustless grace intentionally at work in their lives (all of creation), the more we will seek out the scriptural mandate for reconciliation with others.
Jesus is so adamant about us seeing Himself in others that he gave this stunning command: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). When was the last time you actually saw someone do that on a Sunday morning?
Perhaps there are people around you that you have only esteemed as superficial “Frosties” when God wants you to discover that He is the unseen, under-the-surface reason for their existence. They’re not just here to make life difficult for you—though it may feel that way sometimes—no, they exist because God loves them and has a plan for their lives. Seeing people through the lens of His creative and redemptive purposes will ultimately change the way we value others and seek out reconciliation as people of the cross, and “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).
Are you seeing Jesus in those people who are a thread of tension in your life? Perhaps you can do that this week as you seek to abide in Him.
PRAYER
God, life is messy. Relationships are difficult. We are all prone to offenses—being offended and doing the offending. It is humbling to recognize that I have been a difficult person in someone else’s life. As much as I would want mercy from those I have wronged, am I willing to extend that same measure of mercy toward those who have offended me? This is what it means to live as people of the cross—to forgive because we have been forgiven, to love because we have been loved, to offer grace because we have experienced grace. Jesus, help me to see you in others—even those who have yet to recognize that you are at work in their lives. Teach me how to flesh out the ministry of reconciliation with others and to live in your peace, as far as it depends on me. In your name, Amen.
Questions for Reflection and/or Family Discussion:
- Why are people intrigued by stories of “instant karma”?
- Why is it easier to receive mercy than to offer mercy?
- What is most striking to you about Jacob and Esau’s reunion in Genesis 33?
- Why is it difficult to reconcile broken relationships?
- Is there a difficult person in your life of whom you need to see beyond the surface? How will you pray for them? How will you shift to see them through the lens of God’s grace and mercy this week?
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