Reflecting the Image

Scripture:

Genesis 45:24

Then he sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Do not quarrel along the way.”

Observation:

Joseph has revealed himself to his brothers. Now he is excited to send them home to bring back their father. He sends them with gifts and provisions for the journey, but then gives them this final word of instruction:

“Do not quarrel along the way.”

Some translations convey the idea of not becoming agitated with one another.

Why would Joseph give them these instructions? Was he accustomed to their quarreling when he was younger? Did he anticipate that this was still their behavior? Had he seen something in the way they interacted with one another that made this a concern?

We don’t know.

But for whatever reason, it was on his mind.

Don’t quarrel along the way.

Maybe there is something of a heart cry for unity within his family. So much has happened. There has been jealousy, betrayal, guilt, fear, confession, forgiveness, and now reconciliation.

The time for fighting with and becoming agitated at one another needs to be left behind.

There is a new journey ahead.

Application:

There is something about peace and unity within the family of God that reflects the presence of the Lord.

Maybe that’s why this little phrase struck me. Quarreling along the way can become destructive to the witness of God’s people in the world.

Think about the unity found in the Triune God. The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father, and the Spirit draws us into this eternal communion of holy love. The holy love found within the Triune God is to be reflected in the lives of God’s children.

As we participate in this holy relationship, we begin to reflect God’s holy love to the world.

Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What if holiness is reflected in the ways we learn to love one another?

We rarely talk about holiness as a reflection of the unity found in God. But if this is God’s character, why not?

Maybe we have become so focused on personal holiness that we have forgotten that we are part of a body. Holiness is deeply personal, but it was never meant to be merely individual.

Life in the Spirit draws us more deeply into the holy love of God, and that love must shape the way we live with one another.

That doesn’t mean we will never disagree. Even faithful believers see things differently. But people who are being shaped by the Spirit cannot become comfortable with division, bitterness, and broken relationships. Holy love keeps drawing us toward one another—toward forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation.

We are all traveling along the way.

Don’t quarrel along the way.

Instead, let us become people who reflect the character of our holy God.

Prayer:

Lord, please shape and form us by Your holy character. Fill us with Your love so deeply that it transforms the way we live with one another. May Your children, walking in the Spirit, become agents of healing and reconciliation both inside and outside the church. Amen.