Real People and Real Families

The Biblical Characters typically have a lot of depth (compared to other literature of antiquity).  One of the reasons for this depth of Character is that the Bible doesn't keep many secrets.  Characters are revealed in all of their complex splendor.  No one is all good -- Except Jesus, and even Jesus struggled. Although a few are portrayed as being all bad (for contrast purposes), even they have a human side.  So Pharoah is affected when the first born of Egypt dies rather than the first born of the Hebrew people.  And the Pharisees don't all wear black hats.  They have one among their number like Nicodemus who comes to Jesus wrestling with honest questions, genuinely wanting to understand.

Joseph and his brothers are a good example.  Joseph will prove himself to be a man of honor and a great leader.  But he was once a snotty, arrogant, little brat.  Judah will become a great tribe that produces the Messiah. But he once was part of a plot to kill his own brother.  Reuben is the only brother who steps up to try and do the right thing.  When his brothers unanimously vote to kill their young sibling, Reuben steps in to say, "Let's be rational."  Later, however, he will vote to execute his own daughter-in-law for a crime that he helped her to commit.  Once his hypocrisy is exposed he admits, "She is more honorable than I."

These patriarchs are real people.  Like all of us, they are a mixture of good intentions and bad judgment, loving action and angry thoughts, kind regards and bitter resentment.  Real life is rarely like your fantasies.  That can be quite disappointing.  There is often an expectation of the home as a haven of love and good feelings. So it comes as a great disappointment to many when it proves not to be so for them. For the home is also a place where the ugliest and most destructive emotions are experienced, where there is disturbing interpersonal conflict, which can fuel a raging angst. Families are formed of people and people are not perfect.  If the Bible teaches us anything, it teaches us this: No one is perfect.

So what do we do about it?  I'll write a little about that and what I mean by giving your children "The Blessing" ... tomorrow ...
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