Brothers

I have always found Psalm 133 a little strange. What does "It is like the precious oil ... upon ... Aaron's beard" got to do with   "See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity"? None of the commentaries really satisfied my curiosity regarding this unusual juxtaposition.

Then I thought about brothers in the Bible and how seldom they related to one another in love. Moses and Aaron served God together for 40 years. I am not aware of any other such connection between brothers in the Bible. On the contrary, the relationships between brothers were often acrimonious.

The very first man born of a woman murdered his brother (Genesis 4:8). When God found a man with whom he could start a nation, his eldest son had to leave home while in his teens (Genesis 21:9-14). Jacob feared for his life because of his twin brother (Genesis 27:41). Jacob's sons came very close to killing their brother, but sold him into slavery instead (Genesis 37:18, 28).

Psalm 133 was written by David. His brothers did not treat him kindly when he went to bring them food while they were at the battle front (1 Samuel 17:28). But his greatest heartache must have been the toxic relationships among his sons. Absalom killed Amnon because he had raped his sister (2 Samuel 13:28). Even Solomon put one of his brothers to death because he had made a grab for the throne (1 Kings 1:5; 2:25).

On which relationships David was reflecting we can only wonder. But he must have found comfort in reading about Moses and Aaron, even though their relationship had also gone through an unhealthy patch (Numbers 12:1).

God's love

Paul wrote a whole chapter on love. His motivation for writing this timeless portion of literature can be inferred from where he placed it in his letter to the Corinthians. The chapter before and the one after it both deal with spiritual gifts. He wanted to make the point that good works without love have neither meaning nor value.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 can have a rather depressing effect on the reader. It seems remote from the human experience and impossible to attain to. I used to lump it together with "be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" and "love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 5:48; 22:39).

Lately I have come to see these four verses in another light. God is personified by love. His love for me is therefore demonstrated by 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. That is a thought worth meditating on.

Christian in the 21st century

One can be forgiven for being confused about Christians, Christ followers, the Emerging Church and other phrases and buzzwords used to describe those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Bible commentators have spotted in 1 John certain tests which one can apply to decide if a person is a true Christian. They can be sorted into three main groups, namely moral (keeping God's commands), social (loving one another) and doctrinal (believing Jesus is the Christ).

There are other Bible passages which back up the claim that God expects his people to have those three traits. Paul wrote that faith, hope and love will remain even after knowledge passes away. (1 Corinthians 13:13) According to John we overcome the world by our faith (1 John 5:4). He links our hope to having good morals (1 John 3:3) and love is at the heart of his letters. Those who are “of the devil” are marked by their evil deeds and lack of love. Liars and antichrists deny that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a human being. (1 John 2:22)

On the one hand John wrote his first letter to encourage Jesus followers that they can know they have eternal life. On the other hand he did not want those who are deceived to be soothed by a false sense of security. Everyone reading it can ask the question: “Do I believe in Jesus, do I keep God's commands and do I love other believers?”

The letter also serves the purpose of recognising false teachers. Those who teach are judged more strictly. (James 3:1) Every believer must ask the question: “Whom do I listen to? Are they walking like Jesus walked?” In a world where information is available at the touch of a screen or keyboard these questions are of the utmost importance.

We were made to have company. Before the second human being was created Adam had only the company of animals. God said Adam was alone until Eve was formed out of his rib. It is God's will that his children love one another. No normal father would enjoy the company of children who are fighting each other.

In the post-modern world bad relationships among members of families have become common. Jesus predicted that it would happen. (Matthew 10:21 & Luke 21:16) Biblical marriage is not the norm in our society. To be self-centred is not regarded as wrong. Paul predicted that that would be typical of the last days. (2 Timothy 3:2) But it is common sense that any two or more self-absorbed people are unlikely to get along well. A person who must always have his/her own way is likely to end up alone. In some cities of Europe more than half the population live in a household of one person.

The gap which arises because of the absence of flesh and blood company is mostly filled by phones and screens. These can be switched on or off so that one's independence is assured. The lack of intimacy is often made up by voyeurism because the human soul longs for companionship. This pastime creates unrealistic expectations which further eat away at relationships.

In stead of changing the prevailing culture many influential leaders are propagating the acceptance of values which mirror this broken community. That is why abortion on demand and same sex marriages have become acceptable, even common place. Morality is regarded as relative to the occasion and the people involved. Absolute values and objective truth are not acceptable to someone who is used to making his/her own rules. 

The popular culture accepts as fact those ideas which can be “scientifically proven”. The rest is regarded as speculation. The leaders of this world are opposed to a Christian world view in which sin and salvation are accepted as objective realities. Against this background John uses two Greek words which are translated “know” 40 times in his 3 short letters.

We know objectively that our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life because of the witness of John and and the thousands of Christians who lived before us. Subjectively we have the witness of the Holy Spirit and have come to know the Father and the Son. We are in a relationship with our Creator. We are responsible for our actions and there are no secrets to attaining power over sin or sickness.

Against the pressure of the dominant culture to compromise our values John urges his readers to love one another. It is not our mission to bash other Christians. (James 4:11-12) If they confess Jesus they are on our side. (Luke 9:49-50) He warns his readers against idolatry, that is loving the pleasure, pretty things and prestige of this world. Idolatry will damage one's faith and make one insensitive to those in need. (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

Babies

Someone said, "God is an artist" and someone else said, "He is a mathematician" etc. All these are true but he is also a copier (not a copycat). God created man in his image.

The image of God in man was not complete after the creation of Adam. This is because the essence of God is love. Without someone to love Adam could not 'mirror' the image of God. For him to love the animals would not be enough, it had to be someone his equal. Hence the creation of Eve from Adam's rib.

The trinity makes sense when we analyse the concept of love. How could God create in us the capability to love if he had no experience of it himself? When God refers to himself as 'us', it is because he is not just one person. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have had a love relationship since before the world began.

Not only are we humans capable of love, but also of duplicating ourselves. The image of God in us enables us to carry on this copying process, often with disastrous consequences. Of course God is really the one 'making' the child in its mother's womb but he gave humans the power to start the process.

I am therefore a copy of a copy of ... of a copy of Adam who was a copy of God. That is why I have so many flaws. The earlier copies were better and lived longer (some over 900 years).

Another aspect of God's image involves the ability to choose. This has been the subject of a multitude of books, debates and theological arguments over many centuries. To probe the real meaning of 'free will' is to explore the nature of God himself.