Biblical Families as a Challenge for Contemporary Education

The Bible tells us not only about God, but about human beings and anthropological relationships. By reflecting on relationships of some biblical families, we can gain the potentials of overcoming different kinds of deep relational conflicts. In this way we might learn how to approach Jeremiah’s prophetic oracle: No longer will anyone go around saying, “Sour grapes eaten by parents leave a sour taste in the mouths of their children” (Jer. 31:29). According to the stories about Abraham and his family, Isaac and his family, Jacob and his family, and Josef and his reconciliation with his brothers in Egypt, we see that the “taste of the grapes” from the previous generations undoubtedly affects the next generation. To overcome the negative consequences and to prevail over the compulsive repetitions of the past generations, the biblical stories have lessons that cannot be ignored, lessons that are didactic even to contemporary men and women, especially in the context of the crisis which family life is experiencing today. By accepting the history and in learning from it, which includes at least some levels of forgiveness and reconciliation with the past, the next generation can potentiality cultivate the ability to “live different” and to “do better”. In that context God is giving the chance for a “new life” to each new generation.