9 February 2012

Psalm 146; Gen. 27:30-45; Rom. 12:9-21; John 8:21-32

This scene is incredibly emotional.  When Isaac hears Esau’s voice he “trembles violently.”  When Esau hears that his father has already bestowed his blessing he “cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry.”  Esau hated his brother and planned to kill him as soon as his father died, apparently he cared enough for his father not to put him through that grief.  Cain and Abel all over again but this time both brothers are to blame for their plight, there is no innocent one, the Fall has eradicated innocence.  Rebekah hears the plan and again tells Jacob to obey her voice and flee to Laban until Esau “forgets what you have done to him.”  Nice.  Rebekah isn’t taking responsibility for her part in the deception, just like Adam and Eve.  The family will be torn apart from stem to stern because of desire.

“Who are you?”  What a question!  How could Jesus possibly answer that question?  Just before this question He has said, “unless you believe that I am he.”  The name Yahweh is indeed that very thing and no one there could imagine that He meant that He was indeed the incarnation of Yahweh.  The creeds try and get at the fullness of Jesus’ identity with the words, of one being with the Father, whatever the Father is, so is Jesus.  Some, it seems, genuinely wanted to know and were prepared to believe in Him.  To those genuine seekers Jesus promises life and also that by abiding in His word they would be true disciples, that they would know the truth and the truth would set them free.  Free from what?  Free from the kind of seeking after the things of earth that cause us to act like the people in the first lesson for one thing.  That particular freedom would change the character of all our relationships wouldn’t it?  If we no longer cared so passionately about the things of the world many of our problems would cease.  Whose blessing truly matters?

The results of the transformation of our minds is that we understand Paul’s admonitions here as not putting a smiley face on difficulties but having a different way of thinking about all things.  Many of the things Paul encourages the believers in Rome to do are counter-cultural and even counter-intuitive.  How can I be expected to bless those who persecute me?  Associate with the lowly, that isn’t the way to get ahead in the world.  Finally, Paul says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Sounds a bit like what God said to Cain when he was upset in Genesis 4, “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”  Jesus is our model brother, not Cain.  Jesus never repaid evil for evil, blessed those who persecuted Him, associated with the lowly (and we are all far more lowly compared to Him than to one another), rejoiced with those who rejoiced (wedding at Cana), wept with those who wept (Lazarus’ tomb), and all the other things Paul commends here.  If we have the Holy Spirit, we have the capability to live this way. 

Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
   I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

The LORD will reign forever,
   your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!