Reflection on the readings for 31st July 2011

Year A Proper 13 31 July 2011
Genesis 32: 22-31 Psalm 17: 1-7, 15 Romans 9: 1-5 Matthew 14: 13-21

Earlier this week I put a status post on my facebook that read, “The biggest struggle is the one within”. This week’s readings are about struggle and persistence.

There are always options when we face obstacles; face the difficulty and work through it or avoid the difficulty. Our Old Testament reading follows on from last week’s story of Jacob, but jumps ahead a little. Jacob had worked many years to gain his wives and he had also worked for his father-in-law to gain his flocks. Over these years his father-in-law and he himself seemed both to be playing deceptive games to stay a step ahead of each other. Jacob’s very name implied deception and the story of his life involved one deception after another. This trait had not left him endeared to his brother through whose territory he was passing by on his journey into the land where God had called him.

Our reading this week, about Jacob, tells of Jacob alone at night after sending his family and all his possessions across the stream. Through the whole night long Jacob wrestled with a man. Each time I read this I get the feeling that Jacob was wrestling with more than just a man... indeed we find out that this is true... but I feel that Jacob may have been wrestling with the consequences of his life and the various obstacles and difficulties.... a struggle within.... and a battle to continue on the path that God had called him into.

In each of our readings there is a sense of this struggle to continue in God’s call. St. Paul expresses his agony over the chosen people of God, Jacob’s descendants. So many refused to acknowledge Jesus and St. Paul says, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:2-5).

The promises of God were first and foremost for this chosen race and still are, but we all are called and chosen and have free will, and we need to freely accept the gift of God in order to receive it.

The struggle of St. Paul was a struggle to properly proclaim the truth and good news about Jesus Christ to a people for whom the gift of eternal life was offered – even more than that- for a people loved by God. St. Paul felt the burden of life or death was on his shoulders and if this people did not accept God’s gift the responsibility was his.... I need to qualify this statement because the responsibility for the eternal life and death of God’s chosen people (those he calls us to minister to – i.e. those around us) is also ours if we do not proclaim the good news and make Jesus known. Once we have proclaimed the message and done what God has called us to, the responsibility to accept or reject then falls on those to whom we were called to minister.

St. Paul agonized over the people, but I feel that we are rather blasé. There may be a few of us who agonize over the fact that so many people do not properly understand the message of Jesus, but mostly it is a struggle that most of us have decided to avoid rather than work through. Perhaps we do not realize that it is our responsibility or perhaps we feel discouraged and need some divine encouragement.
Jesus understood discouragement and struggle. In our Gospel reading this week it begins with Jesus going away to a solitary place. What we might miss in the text is the emotions that Jesus was struggling with at this time.

John, the Baptist, had just been beheaded. This is why Jesus was withdrawing to a solitary place. No doubt this was a sad time for Jesus and I’m sure that he was aware that in some form this was a passing from one leader to another. With John’s ministry ended the people who followed would be now looking to Jesus. Not only that, but there must have been a fear among the followers about speaking out the truth – such things get you beheaded.

Even today, speaking the truth clearly can get you into a lot of trouble. In some countries it will get you killed, but even in Australia there are some things that will get you into trouble as we become more and more supposedly “tolerant” and politically correct. At present Scripture Union is battling a court case because someone is objecting to the presence of Chaplains in our state schools. How is it that a body responsible for doing such good and vital work is now being brought before the legal system like a criminal? Our tolerant society is not tolerant of Christianity in its true form; though they don’t mind the feel good “God is love and loves everyone” bit... they just don’t want to hear anything else. And whatever you do don’t tell anyone that they are a sinner because this deeply offends them! Reality bites!

And now I’ll try to get down off my soap box and focus back on the story of Jacob. Jacob’s life had a past history of deception. He knew that he had the call of God but he struggled. He struggled and didn’t give in. That fateful night Jacob even struggled and wrestled with God. Jacob did not give in and let go of God, but instead demanded a blessing..... It was at this point that God changed his name to Israel, which means “He struggles with God”.

This name change signified a confirmation of God’s call on Jacob’s life and a change from the past.... no longer was Jacob the deceiver, but instead he was one who struggled with God. His name and future was united to God. This call of God and blessing then shaped the future of the Israelite nation.

It is our call of God at our baptism that should have shaped our future. For many of us it was so long ago that it may not have been made conscious or forgotten as the business of life presses in. At baptism we are named. Jacob was named Israel to signify his future. Whatever our name, through baptism we too are united in our future to God and we have the responsibility to shape the world around us through the gifts that God has given to and through us. Are you feeling overwhelmed at that thought?

I love the story of the loaves and fishes that we find in the Gospel reading. Here was Jesus struggling with his own emotional battle. The grief and the weight of responsibility must have been wearying, but when Jesus sees a crown he is moved with compassion. He knows his call and even though battling with his own struggles he strives to make God properly and fully understood.

Matthew 14:14-16 “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

It was evening and the disciples were tired. They wanted to be alone and they had nothing else to give but Jesus says, “You give them something to eat”. What?????

I’m sure you’ve been there..... maybe you are there now. “How can I give? I struggling with my own problems.... my financial problems, my family issues, my health, my depression”. We’ve become a very “Me” society and everyone is quick to tell you that you need to look after yourself first. But is this the way that it should be? It doesn’t seem to help at all but leads to more and more introspection and more and more self needs.

Ah... but I hear you say, “I have nothing to give”.

The disciples had nothing to give. But someone willingly offered what little they had. Many people have commented about this passage that maybe it wasn’t a miracle but that when someone was unselfish in their offering others all followed suit. When we look at the rest of the reading and note the response of the people, who wanted to make him king by force, we can only assume that these people truly witnessed an amazing miracle.

The same can be true in our lives. We don’t feel that we have anything to give - we just can’t do it. But because we sense the call of God we put one foot in front of the other and find that we not only can do the things we thought we couldn’t, but in fact we actually gain a lot of life in doing so. I once heard an international speaker put it this way: “our limited resources willingly offered and blessed by God are more than adequate to achieve divine purposes.”

What we learn in these readings is that the struggle is common to all. If we will hold tight to God and not let go of Him and His call, we will walk in a future of destiny, shaping the world around us, being blessed and being a blessing to others. Miracles happen and God will provide all that we need but we do need make an effort to willingly offer what we have and give it to God for His blessing. We too are Israel. We struggle with God. We struggle and wrestle with him and like Jacob did on that night sometimes against Him, but the important thing is to never let go and in our struggles of life God struggle alongside with us.