There once were two brothers. The older was a quiet, generous and wise man named Able. He had many talents and many friends. His younger brother was a disgruntled shrubbish man named Sam. Sam was usually spying one jealous eye on his brother’s girlfriends and possessions instead of seeking out his own place in the world. Despite his brother’s subversiveness Able loved Sam as brothers should.
At a young age their father died and because the will had not been updated since Sam had been born, all of the money and assets went to Able. Able always offered to help Sam in any way but Sam was too prideful to receive charity.
At one point Able had a girlfriend that Sam particularly liked. She was elegant and kind and Able liked her very much. But she was gullible and when the Sam saw the opportunity he told the girl about all of his brother’s flaws and selfish intentions with her, which were twisted half-truths. But it was eventually enough for Sam to win the girlfriend away from Able to be his own.

The scandal and the lies spread and spoiled and polarized Able’s friends. Half of them now despised their formerly kind, wise, generous friend.
One day Able came upon his brother with the girlfriend in the park. Sam, sensing a showdown sent his girlfriend to the car and stood up before his elder sibling.
Able smiled sadly and said, “How are you?”
“Never as good as you, brother, but getting closer.”
Able shook his head sadly and looked back to his brother with love and sorrow in his eyes, “She IS a good girlfriend, isn’t she?”
“Oh, yes,” Sam replied, “She’s the hottest. All my friends wish they were with her. Every bit as good as you said she was.”
“So you’re happy?”
Sam twisted his head and shot a skeptical eye at him. He assumed that all people were as devious as himself. “Well, I can say I have what I want now at least.”
“Do you have everything that you NEED? How is your job going? Have you been able to pay the rent?”
“Not really. Things aren’t as easy for me as they are for you. My job is a little bit rocky.”
The older reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stack of twenties and started to count them. “How much are you short?”
“You know I can’t pay you back.”
“That’s ok. Here- just take it all. I hope that’s enough.” He held them out to Sam. A few intense moments and gazes passed between them but Sam took the money.
Able looked off toward the car. “I miss her, you know. But if anyone can have her, I’m glad it is you, my brother.”
“You aren’t going to get her back by your manipulations, you know. I know you too well.”
“You do?” He looked sadly at his younger brother. He wished Sam understood the forgiveness and love he felt for him. “Sam, if you want anything that I have, just ask. My money, my car. I’m sure all my friends would be cool if you wanted to hang out with us.”
The younger glared at him skeptically, and then looked back at his beautiful girlfriend in the car. He realized his brother deserved everything that he had, and even deserved the girlfriend that Sam had taken from him. That’s when Sam got scared that he might lose the small amount he had to Able and he walked away.
“Have a nice life,” Sam said.
Their next encounter, months later was through a window in a prison.
“I didn’t know who else to call.” Sam said with his head down.
“I’m really glad you called me.”
“What were you going to use this money for?” Sam asked, ”It’s a lot of money.”
Able replied, “Hmmm. I was about to put a down payment on a new house.”
Sam looked up. “Can you still get the house?”
“Probably not. But it’s ok. Do you have a place to stay? Why don’t you come and stay with me at my old house.”
So Able bailed Sam out and gave him the master bedroom for as long as he wanted to stay. Even this “old” house was beautiful.
When Sam had seen the beautiful house and as he looked out the back window over the beautiful LA cityscape all that he could say was, “You even have a pool. I’ve always wanted a pool.”
But after seeing all the beautiful things that his brother owned he realized he had never had anything he really wanted. Jealousy took over him again and he decided to steal away with the most expensive things. He took the keys to his brother’s pickup and during the night quietly loaded up the Stereo, and TVs and anything he could trade for good money.
He left a note with his big brother that said, I see you still have much more than I ever will so I feel it is my right to even the score. I don’t even have a house but with these things and the money I found in your safe I may be able to start a home of my own, like I’ve always wanted.
Sam escaped cleanly and bought a small hacienda in the desert near New Mexico. He was secluded there and felt safe from being found and safe from theives. But one day he answered a knock on his door. There was a very official looking man who asked his name.
Sam replied, “Why?”
“Because, sir,” he looked at Sam like it was obvious, “we have a delivery for you.”
They backed up to the house and several men installed the hot tub that had come directly from Able’s house. The note that came with the delivery said. “Dear Sam. I want you to have what you’ve always wanted. You can have anything that I have. I want to bring you into our father’s will if you’ll just receive it. We share the same blood.”
I’m thinking that maybe the gist of this story is replayed and represented every time we take communion, but on a much grander scale. Jesus gives himself for us to take. And when we take and don’t give back, he continues to say, go ahead keep crushing my body and drinking my blood. I want you to have everything that I have. I want you to be in my father’s will.
Mat 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins.
The part that just kills me- just breaks my heart- is that he asks us to kill him, over and over every sunday! Go ahead, chew me up good and keep chrushing me until I’m broken enough to eat. Sip the blood from me. I can bear the pain. I have an infinite reservoir to draw from. I am God. But you are the only thing that I really want. You are the only thing worth possessing. You are my love and the reason I came and lived was for you.
But then is when the strangest thing happens. This is how the rules of our God trump all others. By dying, by bleeding, by losing all of himself to us, he takes root inside of us. His body goes to work rebuilding ours. And his blood thins and spreads and contaminates every bit of our own with himself. By giving all of himself to us we become one with him in a sense. When I kill him we both live, and live more abundantly.
this is how marriage is supposed to work. Each sacrifices entirely for the other and in the process both become one, and stronger together than they were apart. (see is He a he or a she)
And I do kill him over and over, but not just on Sunday! That is just the symbol of what I do to him. Every time I make a joke about a coworker behind his back, or I suppose even when I pirate software, or fantasize about a girl on the bus, they help put the splinters in Jesus’ back and help to stub his toes as he walked up calvary. Each one adds to the weight he had to lift as he pushed himself up on his feet cleaved to the cross to take a breath.
Shel silverstien’s children’s book, The Giving Tree just kills me in the same way because the tree is so happy to give the boy her apples and to let him cut down her branches to make a boat and her trunk for his house. The tree just wants to make the boy happy. But she is only really happy when the boy comes back as an old, old man having used up everything that she had given him, and decides to just be with her. To sit on her barren stump because she was the only one that was always there for him.
And I think that is what Jesus’ whole hope is. The hope that in the end, when he has given all to us, and we have pandered all the gifts he has given us, when we have no other friends to bail us out of jail and no other resources left that will bring us happiness, we will remember that really, he was the only one that never left us out to dry. And he is hoping that we will return to him and be content to just be with him, and rest in his will for all of eternity.
September 29th, 2008 | Category: stories | Leave a comment