This week, I was at our annual Mission Assembly. I wrote this devotion, which was read by a congregation member during worship on Sunday.
+ INJ +
The Rev. Kathi Johnson
Easter 5, Year C – 28 April 2013
Devotion for John 13:31-35
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas
“The Two Brothers”
There is a surprising quality to love, be it the love of God or that of
his people. This Jewish folktale links the surprise of love to an old Temple
legend.
There were once two brothers who farmed together. They
shared equally in all of the work and split the profits exactly. Each had his
own granary. One of the brothers was married and had a large family; the other
brother was single.
One day the single brother thought to himself, “It is not
fair that we divide the grain evenly. My brother has many mouths to feed, while
I have but one. I know what I’ll do, I will take a sack of grain from my
granary each evening and put it in my brother’s granary.” So, each night when
it was dark, he carefully carried a sack of grain, placing it in his brother’s
barn.
Now the married brother thought to himself, “It is not fair
that we divide the grain evenly. I have many children to care for me in my old
age, and my brother has none. I know what I’ll do, I will take a sack of grain
from my granary each evening and put it in my brother’s granary.” And he did.
Each morning the two brothers were amazed to discover that,
though the had removed a sack of grain the night before, they had just as many.
One night, the two brothers met each other halfway between
their barns, each carrying a sack of grain. Then they understood the mystery.
And they embraced, and loved each other deeply.
There is a legend that says that God looked down from
heaven, saw the two brothers embracing, and said, “I declare this to be a holy
place, for I have witnessed extraordinary love here.” And so it is said that it
was on this spot that Solomon built the first Temple.
(From the book, Stories for Telling – William R. White)
This legend does a beautiful job of telling us about two
brothers’ deep love for one another. Each wanted to sacrifice for the sake of
the other. Each wanted to help care for the other. And I believe this is the
kind of love that Jesus is referring to in the instructions he gives the
disciples in today’s Gospel lesson. He says, ”I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.”
It seems simple enough, what Jesus is commanding – just love
each other, and then others will see your love, and will know that you are my
followers. So simple, right? Except we know that sometimes it’s not so simple –
sometimes we are called to love even the ones we don’t like very much.
I read recently that someone was having some struggles with
two co-workers and so she decided to begin praying regularly for them. Over
time, her view of her co-workers changed so that – even though they weren’t
best friends – she was at least able to view them with love and compassion and
to treat them with more kindness.
It is this kind of love that Jesus calls us to – the kind of
love that calls us to pray for and care for everyone – not just those we like,
or those who are like us. But the kind of love that calls us to pray for and
care for those with whom we struggle, or those who are different than we are. And
in this kind of love, others will see and know that we follow Jesus.
Amen.
+ SDG +
What a beautiful story of the two brothers. And your challenge "to pray and care for those with whom we struggle," is a difficult but important way to let Jesus work in us.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, thanks for commenting! I love the stories in that book...so rich!
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