Nicole’s e-Pistle “Brother’s Birthday”
June 3, 2026
Greetings, Friends!
Today happens to be my brother Tyler’s birthday, so I thought I would talk to you today about Biblical siblings. Just as Disney movies are notoriously cruel to mothers (there are few movies in which the mother is not dead and some evil step-mother is trying to run the show), the Bible does not often paint a kind light on sibling relationships. Just look at some of the most famous examples: Cain and Abel, Essau and Jacob, Joseph and his brothers! Thankfully, my brother has never tried to murder me, steal my birthright or sell me into slavery. (We won’t get into what I may or may not have done to him over the years!)
Just as in life, there is a good deal of sibling rivalry in Biblical stories. The worst case scenario, of course happens with the first pair of siblings in the Biblical narrative – Cain and Abel. Cain was the older brother and farmed the land. Abel, the younger brother, cared for the livestock. Both brothers offered their sacrifices to God, but Abel’s was preferred. This made Cain so jealous of his little brother that he killed him. Similarly, though not quite as bloody, Joseph’s ten older brothers were jealous of the favor that Jacob gave to Joseph. Jacob was most in love with Joseph’s mother Rachel, rather than his other wives who fathered the other ten sons. In anger and resentment, the brothers plotted to kill Joseph but changed their minds, selling him to traveling slavers instead.
My own brother and I have had our share of sibling rivalry. When we were little, I was jealous of how close he was to our Dad. They did Boy Scouts together and went on camping trips. Meanwhile, he was jealous of how close I was to our Mom. She and I grew to be very close, especially during my teenage years when other girls my age were rebelling and pushing their mothers away. We were inseparable. There was also a fair share of the usual sibling scuffles – he followed me around constantly and wanted to do everything I did… I bossed him around constantly as though I was his mother… we both sat too close together on road trips and annoyed each other royally! However, we also had amazing times together growing up as well. He learned not to ask me for help on his math homework when he failed an assignment based on how I tutored him. I learned that if we were wrestling playfully, spitting in his face could mean sudden death. I can’t even recount how many vacation memories we have shared over the years, like holding a funeral for Leroy the Crawfish on a Mississippi River cruise, simply because the poor creature gave its life to be a garnish on Tyler’s plate. Those were good times!
Amazingly, not all the Biblical sibling relationships were dysfunctional. Moses, Aaron and Miriam, plus Mary, Martha, and Lazarus come to mind. In the case of Moses with his brother and sister, they shared much of his burden of leadership. Moses was the leader of God’s people during the Exodus, but Aaron was a strong spokesperson, and Miriam was a prophetess. Even when Aaron and Miriam disagreed with Moses or when tensions arose, they never lost sight of the goal in guiding the people to the Promised Land. Similarly, while Mary and Martha sometimes had their spats about household roles, they loved each other and their brother Lazarus dearly, yet they all three loved and trusted Jesus even more. Even when they doubted Jesus’ motives in not arriving soon enough to prevent Lazarus’ death, Jesus loved them enough to weep at the sight of their pain and grief before restoring their brother to life.
Over the years, my brother and I have loved and supported each other through some difficult times. Such times are inevitable in any family… or in any life for that matter. We have loved each other through the loss of family members, failed relationships, hopes deferred, and goals realized. I have always known my brother is far smarter than me – he can run circles around me in a match of wits, which is why I rarely give him the opportunity! He and I both know that, though we live quite a distance from one another now, loving support and a listening ear are just a phone call away. Plus, even at our age, we still take family vacations together – five adults and two children pack up in a motorhome each summer to venture out on the open road. This summer, we will be exploring the exotic land of Alabama, where “Uncle Tattoo,” as the kids call him, will join them on a sunset safari in the Birmingham Zoo, explore the International Space Station and Saturn V at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, and float on a lazy river at the Alabama Splash Adventure in Bessemer. These are memories with their uncle that will last a lifetime!
Sibling relationships can never be perfect – not while they are all made up of human beings. However, despite the rivalry of youth, the struggles of adolescent adulthood, or the tensions brought about by differing ideologies or opinions, a sibling such as mine is a gift from God. No matter how they come to be in your life, by blood or by love or both, treasure the people who love you no matter what and will always have your back when you need them the most.
Happy birthday, brother!
