In the Bible we read about the two brothers, Jacob and Esau.  Even though they were twins, Esau was older by a few minutes and therefore had the birthright given to the oldest son.  Genesis 25:29-34 “Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.’ Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright as of this day.’ And Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’ Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day. So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”  As their father Isaac became old and approached the time of his death, he desired to give a blessing to his oldest son, Esau. He sent him into the field to hunt game and then make savory food as he loved, so that he might eat and then bless his son.  Their mother Rebekah heard this request from Isaac; after Esau left, she spoke to her son Jacob and encouraged him to deceive his father Isaac that he was Esau and therefore obtain the blessing.  Jacob did so and received the blessing from Isaac.  When Esau returned and learned that Jacob had deceived his father and had received the blessing, he hated his brother. Not only had Jacob stolen the blessing but he had previously taken the birthright. Esau determined in his mind to kill his brother after their father died.  When Rebekah learned of Esau’s intent, she convinced Isaac to send Jacob to her brother Laban in Haran.  So, Jacob went to Haran, married, had children, and gained livestock.  He was there for twenty years before he decided to return home.  But one thing troubled him.  Before he left, his brother Esau had threatened to kill him.  When Jacob returned home, might not Esau kill him as he previously intended? As Jacob came closer to home, he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men.  So, Jacob prepared gifts to appease his brother; he was very much afraid.   Genesis 33:4 “But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.”  Esau had forgotten his previous threats and was now happy to see his brother.  Instead of being enemies, they were friends.  They were reconciled to each other.

I tell you the story of the enmity between Jacob and Esau and their reconciliation because there is a parallel between their story and our relationship with God. Before we were saved, we were enemies of God. James 4:4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Romans 8:6-8 “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Because of the enmity between us and God, we were by nature children of wrath. Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” He promises to take vengeance on those who do not know Him.  2 Thessalonians 1:7b-9 “When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”  For those who are not saved, they are enemies of God and subject to his vengeance.

God had a plan to reconcile us to Himself.  Romans 5:6-11 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”  Jesus Christ died for you to reconcile you to God.  He paid the price; He took your punishment.  As a result, you are no longer an enemy of God; there is no enmity between you and God.  You are now His beloved child.  Colossians 1:19-23 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.  And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight — if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Praise God for His great gift of Jesus Christ that we might be reconciled to Him!  We have this great gift.  But what about those who have not obeyed the gospel and accepted the reconciliation?  They are subject to the wrath of God.  It is up to us to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We have the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”  Tell those you know that they are subject to God’s wrath.  Help them understand that they need to be reconciled to God.

Thank God that we are reconciled to Him.  I encourage you to tell others the good news that they also can be reconciled to God. We have the ministry of reconciliation.