Day Seventeen..."Reconciliation and Forgiveness is Better than Fear"

The long awaited day of Jacob having to face up to Esau arrives. Has it not been at least fourteen years of guilt, dread, and fear churning inside of Jacob? This turns out much like the prodigal son story. As Jacob in deep humility, bowing down seven times, fears the worst reception, Esau runs and greets him with a hug and kiss. Is this not a life lesson of reconciliation? Why carry a grudge? Why live life with fear churning on the inside? The fear is often worse than the process of forgiveness and reconciliation. Genesis 34 offers little forgiveness and reconciliation and is very unexpected. I did not expect the rape to be forgotten, but then again, I did not expect the violence of killing all males and the conquest of the city. Jacob had his hands full in maintaining order. I like the passage from Psalm 17..."Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings." Is this like the hymn we sing... "and God will raise you up on Eagle's Wings?" Matthew 8 begins with varied healing stories of Jesus the great physician. The message in 8:4 of not telling anyone is the "Messianic Secret." Was this to keep crowds down? A statement to keep from becoming a "sideshow." Or are there other possibilities? We will read more of this in the Gospel of Mark.