Readings: Psalm 90; Numbers 17:1-11; 2 Peter 3:1-8
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelites, and get twelve staffs from them, one for each ancestral house, from all the leaders of their ancestral houses. Write each man’s name on his staff, and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each ancestral house. Place them in the tent of meeting before the covenant, where I meet with you. And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout; thus will I put a stop to the complaints of the Israelites that they continually make against you.. (Numbers 17:1-5, NRSV)
Sibling rivalry, perceived favoritism, someone getting away with something – the basics of most of the fights I had with my siblings. Whenever possible, my parents let us resolve it without intervention – a good way to learn how to deal with conflict and get on with life. When it wasn’t possible, they stepped in. The matter was resolved for us and the outcome not up for further discussion.
This story from Numbers is sibling rivalry gone awry – complaints of injustice and favoritism, an unwillingness or inability to resolve the issue, resentment building. Judgement in the form of a sprouting staff put an end to the fighting (at least for the moment), the outcome not up for further discussion.
As individuals and as communities, we can take our fighting to the point where we cannot resolve the issue without intervention. Tempers flare, old resentments and slights are rehashed, and there’s no resolution in sight. This is understandable among children, but tragic when those of us long past our childhood days cannot or will not do the work to resolve the matter in a respectful, thoughtful way.
What better way to show our love for the Prince of Peace than to seek peace in our own time and place, among this human family, in God’s great creation.
