Ordinary Time Week 8

Psalm: Psalm 17:1-7, 15 

Old Testament: Genesis 32:22-31 

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21 

Epistle: Romans 9:1-5

We are now in the month of August, or Ordinary Time week 8. Eight weeks have passed since Pentecost Sunday.

It has been awhile since we have focused on the Old Testament passages, but the scene from Genesis 32 is a crucial one in the life of the Israelites. Jacob goes into Chapter 32 known as Jacob and comes out of it known as Israel. Jacob is alone sleeping by the Jabbok (yabboq) and then and he and God wrestle. (ye’abeq/ya’aqob) All throughout Genesis and the Old Testament, we get these little word plays that we miss when the language is translated. I am not sure if we can/should make exegetical insight out of these or if the authors were doing what we still do today by playing with literature and put thought into how writing is structured.

Getting back to the story, God comes to Jacob as a man and after wrestling all night, a couple things happen. First, God touches Jacob’s hip so he now walks with a limp and the Israelites no longer eat the sinew of the hip on their livestock. Second, Jacob shows his stubbornness by holding onto God and basically bringing the fight to a stalemate in human terms. He does this and then demands a blessing from God. This bring to mind the episodes of him stealing Esau’s blessing and birthright and even of him struggling stubbornly for 14 years to marry Rachel and Leah. Jacob doesn’t mess around in getting what he wants. Finally, Jacob has his named changed from Jacob (one who takes the heel) to Israel (he struggles with God). Both of these are descriptive and, in the case of Jacob, describe both incidents.  He is wrestling with his brother even as they are born and his leg/hip is touched by God as they wrestle. Jacob’s life seems wrought by strife; both before and after this scene are incidents involving his brother and potential conflict.

On the surface, this is a tale about how Israel got his name, his limp, and why Israelites don’t eat the hip sinew. But on a deeper level, it represents God’s people, Israel, who always seem to be wrestling with God. They never seem to live at peace and follow God. They are typically somehow trying to hold on to God and begging for blessing. The story also shows that God is willing to come to earth and interact with his people and provide a blessing for those whom he chooses. Remember, the blessing and birthright is supposed to go to the oldest son. Jacob has now essentially stolen a blessing from his dad and now God.

I am not going to discuss the New Testament passages as much this week. This section of Matthew 14 is the feeding of the 5,000 after Jesus tries to retreat after John the Baptist execution. In the Romans reading, it seems like we get half a thought in this small 5 verse section. Paul writes about his grief and desire that his kinsmen, the Jews, would accept Christ as the Messiah, but it is not very explicit. In these 5 verses, Paul describes how the Israelites were the ones to whom God gave the Law and temple practices and even the one from whom Christ came. He even goes so far as to say that if he could be “accursed” or lose his place in the Kingdom of God, and his kinsmen would be saved and believe in Christ, he would do that.

But I think the word this week for us is this: Are we trying to wrestle with God and hoping we can force him to bless us? This question is for us individually, corporately as the local church, and even as the Church universal. Are we struggling with God or are we living at peace with him? Jacob received a blessing, but ultimately the people of Israel never moved from wrestling with God to living into the blessing. They just kept struggling. God wants to bless us and use us. We are called to be his ambassadors and bring Christ to the world. But this gets harder when we are constantly wrestling with him. This week let us strive, if you will, to not strive with God. Let us seek to live at peace and under his desires.

Grace and Peace.