It is interesting to me when we look at family dynamics that we can find ourselves in the scriptures. Here we have Jacob's family. The brothers defend their sister's honor when she was shamed by Shechem, mind you not in a way that is right or ethical. At the same time in today's reading the same siblings when they were annoyed and jealous of their own brother Joseph they think about killing him and then decide to sell him to the Egyptians. It is that old adage that as a sibling you can complain or criticize your own siblings but when it comes to someone else doing it you will defend them to the end. I am that way with my sister, I can complain about her and be mad at her, but no one else can.
In a sense I can see we do this with our body of faith as well. We might complain about certain things among ourselves that annoy us or upset us, but if someone from the outside complains we almost always immediately come to the church's defense. Think about it and you will realize we do. It is interesting is it not?
Why is that? I am not sure I really have an answer. It is just what came to me as I was reading today's scripture reading. The reality is the "church" is a big family in many ways. We can be just as dysfunctional as any other family, we celebrate the joys in life, and grieve with each other through the sorrows. Yet at the same time there should be something different that sets us apart from an ordinary family, God's grace. How should it set us apart? Does it? Is it evident in how we relate and treat one another and the "outsiders" that come in? What do you think?
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