What a wonderful thing when brothers live together in
unity. And yet, how often do we
not? Oh, we can laugh about sibling
rivalry. Lots of folks had fun this past
weekend with the Super Bowl and the family rivalry of having the opposing head coaches
be actual brothers. I’m sure there has
been, and probably will continue to be, a little tension in the Harbaugh
family.
And of course, it’s nothing new. The first recorded sin,
other than of course The First sin, was the crime of one brother murdering his
brother in a jealous rage. Sibling
rivalry taken to he extreme.
Down through the years, the pattern repeats. Jacob and Esau. Joseph and his brothers. Jealousy, sibling rivalry, call it what you
will, so often brothers (and sisters) don’t live together in unity.
Sadly, it’s no different in the family of God. It should be.
But it’s not. We are told that we
are one in Christ, united in Him, and that we ought to be eager to maintain
that unity. (Ephesians 4:3). Oneness in Christ is a major theme, unity in
diversity, seeking the good of one another, bearing one another’s burdens, on
and on.
And yet, so often we see within the family of God the
whining and bickering of baby brothers and sisters. Why is this so hard? Is it just selfishness and immaturity? Is it a case of too many unconverted church
members? Is it just that my expectations
are too high?
Again, it’s not like this is anything new. There was rivalry and squabbling among the
twelve while Jesus still walked the earth.
Paul often had to step in and referee church fights (as did countless
other church leaders, no doubt). But why
is this? And, then, why is it such a big
deal?
Well, how about this for a reason to be a big deal. In His great priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus
prayed this: "I do not ask for
these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that
they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they
also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John
17:20-21)
Jesus prays that we would be one, so that the world would
believe. Our testimony is affected by
our oneness, or lack thereof. The poor
Harbaugh brothers had their sibling rivalry broadcast on national
television. While our squabbles with our
brothers and sisters may not reach that scale, trust me that the effect can be
nearly as far reaching.
How many local coffee shops are passing gossip that started
with one supposedly Christian brother/sister talking about another
brother/sister? And how many
non-believers here that gossip, hear how we treat one another, and are lead to
doubt the reality of our entire testimony about God? If it’s true that we are known by our love
(John 13:35), then it’s true that we can also be known by our lack of it. It’s true in our relationships with our
Christian brothers and sisters of all kinds, and especially true if our
brother/sister happens to be our spouse (how sad to see so many Christian
marriages falling apart because of this same selfish and unloving attitude).
I don’t know anything about the Harbaugh brothers. I’m sure they love each other and that much
of the “rivalry” stuff out there just comes from the media playing up a fun
angle for the Super Bowl. But the truth
is, folks are like that in most situations.
They see something, and whether it reveals a true underlying issue or
not, the perception is going to go far in forming opinions. If we seem to not like each other, if we
speak ill of one another, if we gossip and tear one another down, then I don’t
think too many folks are going to believe we truly love one another and seek
each other’s best, and bear one another’s burdens. How very sad.
Truly, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in
unity. May our desire always be to see
that unity maintained so that the world will believe. And may we put our effort daily into seeing
that desire become reality, always ready to follow Paul’s command to “Do
nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant
than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)
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