Jacob and Esau had had a fight and had each set off on his own. Much later (Genesis 33) they came to meet each other on the road. Jacob had mistreated Esau and was fearful of their meeting once again lest Esau hold a grudge against him. Indeed, Jacob had had his hip put out of joint by an angel with whom he wrestled (Genesis 32) in seeking to come to terms with his guilt for having earlier disrespected Esau. So, when they were about to meet once more on a common road Jacob divided his family so as not to allow Esau to destroy it all at once out of revenge.

                There was great and strong negative history between the two brothers. As he approached Esau on the road Jacob repeatedly bowed humbly before Esau his brother. However, surprisingly when Esau saw Jacob at a distance he ran to embrace him: “He threw his arms around him and kissed him and they both wept”. (Genessis 33: 4) When Esau saw the size of Jacob’s family, he asked who all these people were. Jacob answered: “The children whom God has graciously given to your servant.” Esau asked who all and why Jacob had come to him with all these people and gifts, Jacob replied: “They were meant to win your favor, My Lord”. When Esau replied that such gifts were not necessary, Jacob replied: “Not so my Lord. I come into your presence as into that of a god and you receive me favorably. Accept this gift that I bring you; for God has been gracious to me and I have all I want. Thus, he urged him, and he accepted it.” (Gen. 33:10-11).

            Earlier on Jacob had wrestled with the angel of God and had been told that his named would now be “Israel” because he had wrestled with God and had won. Sometime after his reuniting with his brother Esau, Jacob was once again confronted by God and the promise to change his name from “He who strives with men” to “He who strives with God (Israel)”. Be fruitful and increase as a nation. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I give to you and to your descendants after you.” (35:12) When Isaac died, he was buried by his two sons Esau and Jacob. (35:29)

Later on, Jacob’s son Joseph was left in a deep pit by his brothers to die because they were very jealous of the favoritism that their father Jacob showed to his youngest son. This adventure will lead us to the next installment of these tales of the Hebrew Patriarchs. What is of special interest to me here is the powerful yet tender dynamic between these two brothers, Esau and Jacob. Jacob had mistreated Esau earlier on by grabbing him by the heal and promising to take his birthright from him. Esau had never forgiven Jacob for this treachery and the two grew to be enemies, especially because their father had blessed Jacob ahead of Esau the first born.

Throughout the years after this ill-fated beginning, the two brothers had been deeply estranged from each other. The story we read in the foregoing paragraphs brings us to the conclusion of their estrangement. Such enmity is not uncommon among brothers and/or other siblings in any family even today. I have always found this story of how Esau and Jocab overcame their hostility through mutual forgiveness extremely powerful. I never experienced this sort of filial enmity myself, but I have seen it in the lives of others. To openly express and accept the forgiveness of a family member is a deep expression of love and humility. This story, like so many in the Old Testament, focuses the depth of such human pain and love so common to us all.

Perhaps nothing is harder to do than face up to one’s mistakes and hostility toward another person, especially when that person is a family member. I so well remember the day my grandfather overturned a card-table out of the anger which I had provoked by horsing around with the cards while we were playing a game of poker. It took several hours for us both to offer and accept the appropriate apologies. To err is human, but to forgive is often as painful as it is divine. This dramatic reproachment between Esau and Jacob speaks loudly of this truth.