August 6-Gen. 32:22, In the second volume of his political biography of Lincoln Sidney Blumenthal has the title Wrestling with his Angel” and even uses the Scripture as an epigraph.Jacob is returning home, but he does so after tricking Laban and was pursued by him. He is preparing to meet the brother whom he cheated. He sent out messengers, and they report Ea sau is coming with a party of 400 men.Jacob’s encounter wrestling with a man/angel/God is a stage in transformation. Jacob will not let go, as the light threatens the struggle. Barbara Brown Taylor says that in the nocturnal struggle he catches a whiff of heaven. she holding on to something he deserves, something he was given? Jacob emerges with a limp-he will have a constant reminder of it being dislocated, but still he is able to push on-if he could prevail in that mysterious wrestling, he can face Esau, his wives, and most difficult himself. plays with the name of the stream as liminal space with the nocturnal struggle and the limp but he prevailed-is this a rebirth? Is a false self displaced? Prelude to encounter with his past and the brother he cheated and sought to overtake. Hebrew puns off the name repeatedly-rebirth perhaps-shall it be built around flaws or strengths?is it a mask, a script of it-is it seeing his true self?- (see the real me, the Who) displacement is going on- Jabbok and emptying out as negative or positive? So Jacob gets the new name Wrestler with god, but also a title the One who Prevailed. His new name will the name of an entire people- a people who contend/wrestle with god, a most close relationship. Jacob moves toward his future; he no longer hides or tries to trick his way out of a quandary.He prevails as he will not let go of a blessing.
Mt. 14:13-Jesus wrestles with issues of anxiety and scarcity in our passage.This is right after he is told that Herod has killed John the Baptist. Jesus want to go out by himself, but the crowds pursue him..We continue from last week’s reading a small start cvna be the source of astonishing results. We move from enough bread of 125 people to enough to feed 5,000.You can tell that the gospel is directed at the needs of the poor with its repeated notes of concern for having enough to eat, most notably in the Lord’s prayer itself: give us this daily our daily bread , or enough bread to make it for today.
traditions concerned with the establishment of God’s empire in all its fullness depict this coming age in terms of abundant food and feasting for all. Ezekiel envisages an age when “the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase. They shall be secure on their soil … when I break the bars of their yoke, and save them from the hands of those who enslaved them … I will provide for them a splendid vegetation so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land … ” (Ezekiel 34:27-29). This age of food supply comes when God breaks the self-satisfying rule of imperial powers.Jesus wrestles with the force of nature. Jesus wrestles with the cherished belief of scarcity and anxiety.Jesus d maps his assets before attacking the problem.Jesus wrestles with the desire of others to send them away. Jesus wrestles with his need for self care and care for others.Next week we have communion. Again we bless break give a little bit that becomes a spiritual feast.
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