When it was all over, the elder daughter had left the attorney’s office in tears and the son had stormed out in a huff. The younger daughter simply sat dumbly and stared at the attorney. They had been discussing the disposition of their father’s worldly goods and it had not gone well, to say the least. He had died only a month previously, following their mother who had passed away some years earlier. Now the adult children had gathered to discuss the well-planned trust their father had left for them and the remaining miscellaneous property which he had not felt the need to divide in writing. The elder daughter has said that she wanted their mother’s diamond ring that, she claimed, their father had promised to her. The son said that it should be sold and the proceeds divided equally among them. His sister thought this idea was ridiculous and the argument was on. “All you care about is money!” she cried. “And all you care about is getting whatever you can grab,” he retorted. And the meeting ended.
How many times have we heard similar stories? Stories of seemingly happy families torn apart by inheritance issues, stories of siblings arguing to the point of angry silence that lasts for years, even lifetimes. And more to the point, how many times have we ourselves resented our siblings or other family members for insisting on or getting more than their share? Even if we’ve never said it aloud, few of us can say that we haven’t thought we deserved more of the family treasure.
It is not so easy, then, to dismiss the brother who calls out to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance
