As Iron Sharpens

The blood of those betrayed or killed by their brothers darkens our past.

Rome traces its origins back to the mythological brothers Romulus and Remus. After a dispute over where to build their city, divine intervention and mockery led to Romulus killing Remus and coronating himself as the first king of Rome.

In Genesis, Joseph is first left in a dried-up well and then sold into slavery by his jealous brothers who believed he was their father Jacob's favorite son.

Upon the passing of the 3rd-century Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, his sons were supposed to reign side by side. They proved incapable of working together, and the elder, Caracalla, ordered the praetorian guard to murder his brother Geta.

When the Duke of Bohemia, Boleslaus II, died in the year 999, his three sons fought for the throne. Eventually, the eldest triumphed. He expelled his brothers and his own mother from the lands.

It seems the list of brothers turning on each other and families being torn apart in the name of greed, power, or jealousy is as long as the annals of history itself. It even continues to this day.

How often has the passing of grandparents or parents driven a wedge between siblings over their inheritance?

How often have small arguments led to feelings of contempt which linger on long after their cause has been forgotten?

How often are siblings used as footstools to elevate oneself in the eyes of parents, friends, society, or even oneself?

So often, it seems we see those closest to us as rivals to prove ourselves against rather than brothers we want to strengthen.

So often, we prioritize our desires and our goals over our love for one another.

So often, we sacrifice relationships in order to acquire worldly treasures.

Where is Proverbs 27:17 in this behavior?

Where is sharpening one another as iron sharpens iron?

Nowhere – It is nowhere in such actions that reek of selfishness, cowardice, and pride: Whether I raise a sword or throw a hurtful comment, I have failed as a brother.

So then, instead of decapitation, banishment, and slavery, what should I wish to receive from my brothers so that we may continue forging a stronger bond?

I wish for them to continue challenging me … intellectually, physically, and spiritually. If iron sharpens iron, they must challenge me - my ideas and ways of thinking, my strength and stamina, my faith and the nuances that lie within it. It is through this that I can grow wiser, stronger, and more faithful.

How weak would a brother be who expresses agreement with me on every opinion I voice, despite believing otherwise? Would he not be letting me down by doing so?

How dull would a brother be who allows me to win every wrestling match before I am winded? If I never even break a sweat, would I ever improve?

And what if he does not engage with me in discussions of God, the soul, and the world? Would I not be left thirsting for deep conversation and true connection?

By challenging me, my brothers make me a wiser man, a stronger athlete, and a better servant of Christ.

I wish for them to continue forgiving me … for I have not always been the most selfless and honorable man I could be. This is no surprise. I, like all of us, find myself on the path which meanders on its way toward moral excellence, and I am still travelling. If we had no faults, there would be no journey at all. But the commonness of sin does not negate its need for forgiveness.

Grudges, unexpressed hurt, and lack of repentance are perhaps among the primary culprits inhibiting depth in sibling relationships.

Forgiveness is the thread that mends broken bonds and solidifies existing ones.

I wish for them to continue loving me … that is all.

From that love, all else springs – the challenge, the forgiveness, the strength, the support – it must come from love.

Then, iron sharpens iron.

Then, truth is upheld.

Then, virtue is gained.

In the same way they continue to do these things for me, I expect myself to do them for my brothers as well. That is the nature of relationships: effort must be put forth from both sides. Both must challenge, both must forgive, and both must love … so that no wedge can be driven between us, no lie can tear us apart, and no greed finds a foothold with which to turn us against one another.

And from whom else should we expect all this if not from our brothers?

"Battle Tested" - the best swords are forged of curtain rods and duct tape