Brothers and mothers

Sunday June 22nd, Genesis 21: 9-10 One day Sarah saw the son that Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, poking fun at her son Isaac. She told Abraham, "Get rid of this slave woman and her son. No child of this slave is going to share inheritance with my son Isaac!" 11-13 The matter gave great pain to Abraham—after all, Ishmael was his son. But God spoke to Abraham, "Don't feel badly about the boy and your maid. Do whatever Sarah tells you. Your descendants will come through Isaac. Regarding your maid's son, be assured that I'll also develop a great nation from him—he's your son, too." At first it was Sarah’s idea to have a son through Hagar, then it was Sarah’s idea to get rid of them. Such is the way of humanity. For Hagar to hang around with Ishmael would be a threat to the power and prestige of Sarah and Isaac. What is played out today on the world stage is played out in a microcosm in this story. God will set things right in the end, but here in the “mean” time, power, prestige, status and inheritance all come into play. In Jerusalem today there is the conflict over the possession of the Dome of the Rock, holy site for both Jews and Muslims. God is still waiting for the brothers to grow up and recognize each other and put aside the animosity.