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Readings (click here for full text of the readings): How much of the story of Jacob do you remember? When you know it, how come this guy, a con-artist in many ways, (and that is being polite) is a patriarch? When you think about it, none of the patriarchs had model nuclear families that were beyond reproach. With whom did Jacob wrestle, and how does wrestling fit into our lives today? Always remember that the Old Testament is a weaving together of threads of oral history, written down after centuries of telling. Keep in mind the children’s game of “telephone”. The one where the sentence starts on one side of the circle, and by the time it has passed through the ears and the minds of 10 people, the final report is usually very different from the original version. Also keep in mind that there a variety of traditions, and when the rabbis compiled the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, they tried to honor and come to consensus on several versions of each story. Keep the bulletin insert, and read it again, when you get home, not now. Try to pick out the overlapping facts. On which side of the Jabbok did the wrestling take place? In ancient times, a blessing was a powerful, irreversible force. Words had a life of their own, as soon as they were spoken. They could not be taken back. Jacob had given food to Esau, his fraternal twin brother, in exchange for their father Isaac’s blessing, Esau’s birthright. Theoretically, Jacob had Esau’s “permission” to usurp. Not their father Isaac’s. Obviously, Jacob and Rebekah, who always favored the younger twin, did not feel “permission” was enough. According to Jacob, it was Rebekah who contrived a scheme to have Isaac bless Jacob, who then emerged with the blessing. Even though it was the result of intrigue, a blessing could never be rescinded, and it promised property and offspring. In anguish, Esau assessed his own loss. Known for his temper, Esau threatened to kill Jacob, who fled his homeland, blessed but bereft and penniless. We know the story of Jacob’s infatuation with Rachel, the trickery of her father Laban, and the ensuing birth of 12 sons, who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. We have read of Jacob’s animal husbandry skills. He, who had stolen a blessing, found himself subjected to the scoundrel father-in-law, Rebekah’s brother. Turnabout is fair play. After 20 years, Jacob had enough and set out toward Canaan with family and flocks, pursued by his uncle Laban, who just wanted his household gods returned. This time, it was Rachel who deceived her father, and he returned home, empty-handed. Jacob and his property and family pressed on until they reached the river Jabbok with its steep banks and swift waters. Meanwhile, Esau had married and become prosperous in Edom, and Jacob was worried, with good reason, about crossing through Edom to reach Canaan. He sent word to Esau by way of messenger, not asking forgiveness, but announcing his approach. After all, Isaac’s blessing had included a portion indicating that Jacob would be served by his brother. The messengers returned. Esau was indeed coming, but he was coming with 400 men. That was not the type of welcoming party that was expected, and Jacob, reinforced perhaps by his guilt, perceived it as a retaliatory threat. Once again, Jacob schemed. In his plan, if Esau attacked, only one half of his wealth would be lost. Perhaps he could escape with the other half. Jacob also reminded God that the plan to leave was not Jacob’s in the first place; it was God’s idea. Jacob was just being obedient, so, obviously, it was up to God to intervene and save him. Today’s reading skips over the elaborate plan for decoys and deception, for lies and appeasement. In an attempt to ingratiate himself to his brother, Jacob tried to convey the impression that he was offering a gift. Still, Jacob was worried. Did he flee? Did he place himself between his family and the coming peril? Neither. He sent his family, wives, concubines, and children on ahead and waited for the night, for the coming of Esau, for daybreak. Did he still hear the sounds of children’s voices when he suddenly found himself struggling with an unknown and unnamed force? There are many theories as to the identity of the assailant. Was it an angel, God, the spirit of the Jabbok, his conscience? Even Esau has been suggested. Or was it just another dream? The wrestling match seemed to go on all night, and with daybreak, the force asked Jacob to release his grip. In the ancient world, spirits vanished in the daylight. Some of us have had joint replacements. Can you imagine the pain of wrestling with a dislocated anything, let alone a hip? Jacob, determined to get something out of the situation, asked for a blessing, and then asked for a name. It was believed that to know someone’s name was to gain power over that person. Separated from all that gave comfort, his family and his material wealth, having alienated his uncle and facing an uncertain reception from his brother, the only certainty was that he had hold of a powerful force which might work for him. Jacob emerged from the confrontation with a new name, a changed destiny. He was a cripple, but he was a blessed cripple. In this time and this place, why do we wrestle? Sometimes, it is our choice. Years ago, a little, skinny, curly headed boy competed in a local tournament. He was just 9, and he was, as they say “pretty chill” or “laid back”. His matches never lasted very long, because he was an athlete, and a good wrestler, who pinned his opponent quickly, with little flourish. Except for his last Championship match, late one Saturday afternoon. There were 3 periods, and in the end, he won by points. Afterwards, he sat by his parents, crying softly. Later, x-rays showed that he had a buckle fracture of a neck vertebrae. He did not know how to yield to his opponent, and his perseverance and determination had been beyond that of the strength of his bones. He emerged victorious, but marked. I might add that he started playing basketball soon after… If our faith and our relationship with God continues to grow, we wrestle throughout our lives with questions and choices. In this place, and in this time, we are God’s instruments in accomplishing the coming of the kingdom of God for our children, our community and world, and for ourselves. We have choices, but to pretend that we know God’s will without some spiritual wrestling is presumptive at best. Conventional wisdom about nursing homes is that the residents have lived beyond much purpose or usefulness, and that they merely exist and wait. All of that is a myth of society. Engage a resident in a discussion of their faith. They may tell you that they feel abandoned by their faith community, but that their spirituality remains intact. Some residents wrestle long and hard with faith issues, and who and what they are called to be. A very fragile resident in her nineties from a faraway state was admitted to a long-term care facility. Her children had begged her to move closer to them, and her second husband, suffering from end stage Alzheimer’s stayed behind, with the unrealistic hope of his family that he might join her. While she waited, she became more and more depressed. She had lost home, spouse, community, her church, and her independence all at once. She spent long hours, alone, but obviously deep in thought. Unwilling to engage in activities or conversation with staff or her very verbal roommate, she appeared to be and was isolated. I knocked on her door, entered, and knelt next to her chair. She turned toward me, holding me with her clear blue eyes. “I know what I am supposed to do,” she said. “I thought my life was over, but I know that God wants me to visit others who have no friends, no family. I can make their days a little better.” All that time alone, she had been wrestling, trying to find her answer to the question “Why?” Some residents who had felt abandoned, found a friend. In her answer, others were offered a glimpse of the Divine and the Kingdom of God. Jacob wrestled with his destiny that night by the Jabbok. Jacob was a child of the blessing. He was before the covenant between God and the chosen people. Jacob was the bridge between that covenant, and the God of the blessing, the God of Abraham. We have entered into the new covenant with God through our baptism. We have promised to serve our neighbor, but also to seek out those neighbors who do not appear directly in our paths. We have promised to respect the dignity of every person. We cannot do that without engaging, without wrestling. We wrestle daily with decisions about what to wear or fix for dinner; whether to put money aside for retirement, a trip, or college tuition; whether to buy medications or heating fuel. In the days and weeks to come, we will be called, as faith-filled individuals, as a Diocese, as a nation, to respond to situations and make choices which will affect generations to come. Who will represent us at General Convention? What will we say about the Eames Report? How will we vote in local and national elections? Jacob who had believed in a god who could deliver prosperity and posterity, found himself named the father of a nation in fulfilling God’s purpose, not his own. If we feel the wrestling is important, and engage in the conflict, we must then act on and have faith in the resolution of the conflict. Can we, as Christians, live with our questions and wrestle with them and the answers, determined to be God’s instruments? Can we be the agents for God’s purpose, for bringing about the coming of the kingdom, today? We can if we remember who we are. We can if we remember whose we are. It is worth the wrestling match, each and every day. Amen. |
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