There once was a little boy who had a big brother. As they grew up they did not always get along. The older brother picked on the little boy until the little boy began to outgrow his older brother. Now it was time for revenge. At every opportunity the embittered younger brother attempted to overshadow his former persecutor. He would push him down just to watch him fall. He would call him names and mock him. Feeling truly self-righteous because of past indignities, the younger brother humiliated & hurt the older brother with deep-rooted anger.
When they grew up and moved out into the world these two brothers went their separate ways, rarely interacting. Occasionally the younger brother would hear of the struggles of the older but often turned a blind-eye to these hardships, thinking himself not to be his brother’s keeper. But then it happened. The younger brother one day happened upon a disturbing scene. A ruthless and blood-thirsty man was viscously attacking someone in an alleyway of a dark ghetto. Enraged by this sight the younger brother stepped in to defend the bloodied victim. After soundly defeating the aggressor and watching him run off into the darkness, the younger brother looked down to see that the man on the ground was older brother.
At that moment the younger brother woke up to the reality of what was actually happening. Though they had many disagreements, they had the same heritage. Though they had different beliefs, they had the same enemies. Though they had many differences, they also had many things in common. Though they had hurt each other in the past, they could help each other in the future. The younger brother made a commitment before God that he would, from that point forward, defend his older brother from their many common enemies.
Their father had left the older brother a very large estate in his will. The land that had been promised to the older brother happened to be in the younger brother’s portfolio. Determined to do that which was right, the younger brother returned the title deed of the land to it’s rightful owner and promised to defend the land should any of their common enemies attempt to steal it away.
This simple story is meant to foreshadow this Sunday’s sermon: Friend to Israel.
I hope to see you there this sunday at 8:00am, 9:45am, or 11:30am.
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