One of the greatest reconciliation stories in the Bible is the story of Esau and Jacob, which serves as a model for reconciliation today.

The human desire for endless vengeance continues to be quite visible in the world today. The Scripture story calls us away from vengeance to the forgiveness of Jesus.

The main characters in the Genesis story are all very imperfect and make major blunders; but God is steadfast and continues to be gracious — a pattern that comes finally to its climax in Jesus, who “gave his life for us while we were yet sinners.”

The story of Esau and his bowl of soup illustrates how people easily squander their spiritual inheritance in the interests of instant self-gratification. The Scripture urges us to take hold of what is of true value and lay claim to our inheritance as “heirs of God”.

The stories of Abraham and Isaac give us a powerful picture of the promises of God, how they unfold, and how we are called to trust.

The tower of Babel is an image of the continual human effort to make ourselves “like God.” God does the reverse in coming to us in Jesus.