There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason as to when Jacob
is used and when he is referred to as Israel.
They have finished the grain they bought the first time they went to
Egypt, Simeon is languishing there and yet even now Jacob has reservations about
allowing them to take Benjamin. He surely
loves this boy more than the rest because he is Rachel's child, the wife he
always loved. Judah steps up and is
willing to stand surety for Benjamin's life, he offers to bear the guilt
always. His father can turn him out of
the family if required, dis-inherit him and take away his blessing, just as
happened to Esau. As always, hunger wins
the day, Jacob consents to allow them to go because the famine is severe. Jacob does what he did with his own brother,
sends a gift in order to appease the man, in hopes it will go well. Does he ever learn to trust the Lord?
There is much irony in this Gospel reading. Jesus is asleep on the cushion in the boat and
the disciples have to awaken Him in the midst of a raging storm. If you look at Jonah
1.4-6 you will see a close parallel with this story, complete with the word
"perishing." There, the issue
is a disobedient prophet who ultimately must be sacrificed to bring peace on
the boat. Here, Jesus simply does what
the Father did in creation, speaks to the elements and they obey Him, but He
will later say the only sign given will be the sign of Jonah. The disciples ask a panicked question,
"Don't you care that we are perishing?" Jesus' response could easily have been, "far
more than you realize." He bids, or
better, commands them to have peace and not fear and yet the result of His
actions is that they now are greatly afraid.
They realize that He who commands the wind and waves is far more greatly
to be feared than the wind and waves. A little
glimpse into identity goes a long way.
Paul is giving opinion here with respect to marriage. He says it is a concession not a command to
remain single, as he has. With respect
to other things, however, he is perfectly clear, sex outside of marriage is
sexual immorality. He understands the
human condition and the need for sex, we were created with the command to
procreate. Paul is no prude or scold on the
matter of sex, he accepts is as normal and natural. It is wrong to deny those passions within the
bonds of marriage, and the equality he proposes for men and women here would
have been striking in his day. Like the wind
and waves of the Gospel, nature has a purpose but it must not overstep its
bounds. Sometimes God uses nature to
display His glory and accomplish His will.
Do you think the famine had anything to do with restoration of the family,
among other things, in our first lesson?
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