Wrestling with God

Often I turn to the scripture readings from the Common Lectionary. Over and over they are helpful to me. The Old Testament reading for August 2 is the story of the wrestling match between Jacob and God. The story is found in Genesis chapter 32. It is imbedded in the longer story of Jacob’s relationship with his brother Esau. It is a critical story in our understanding of the relationship between God and those who are chosen to serve Him. It is a story that has had a profound impact on my own life as a servant of God.

According to the story, both Jacob and Esau were successful herders. They both had developed large clans and large herds. However, Esau had been even more successful than Jacob. Jacob was afraid of his older brother. Esau had a much larger clan than Jacob. Since they roamed the same territory, a meeting of the two clans was inevitable. Avoidance was not possible. Dilemma! Jacob was convinced that he had been chosen to lead a special people to serve God.

Jacob was afraid of both Esau and God. Jacob and his clan had been camping near the Jabbok River. One night he could stand the tension no more. He sent his entire clan with all his possessions across the river, but stayed alone on the bank of the Jabbok. A man (or was it an angel or God himself?) joined Jacob on the river shore. The greatest wrestling match of all time took place. It lasted all night. The man tried to leave, but Jacob would not turn loose. Jacob cried out “I will not turn you loose unless you bless me!” The man touched Jacob with the touch of a blessing. However, Jacob was left with an injured leg. Jacob limped the rest of his life. His limp was Jacob’s reminder of God’s blessing and calling. He also acquired a new name. His new name was Israel. The world has never been able to get rid of the Israel name. And Israel still limps like no other nation in history.

Since childhood I have identified myself as a devoted follower of Jesus from Nazareth. I have believed that God was in Jesus in some unique way reconciling Himself with His world. The Churches’ attempts to define the presence of God in Jesus Christ have all fallen short. I have not embraced the absurdity of the Trinity since my four years in seminary. The Churches’ creeds make no sense in a modern world. Yet there is Jesus, God’s special messenger. Jesus, the messenger from Nazareth will not go away. For me, Jesus makes sense and makes sense now in a troubled world.

While I enjoy the comfort and the joy of the presence of God, I have also had my wrestling matches with the Almighty. In my wrestling, I hear the voice of my Lord Christ. “My ways are not your ways. My ways are higher than your ways.” Jesus was incredibly committed to doing things God’s way. This is what sets Jesus apart from ordinary human beings.

After his baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness to spend time with God. 40 days is the tradition. Jesus wrestled with his calling to serve God. The ways of the world were his adversary. Jesus knew he was someone special in the establishing of God’s kingdom on earth. How was the will of God to be achieved in this world? In the process of his long tortuous wrestling match, Jesus rejected the world’s obsession with self (narcissism), the world’s addiction to wealth, and the world’s thirst for power. Instead Jesus returned to his every day life totally committed to truth, justice, peace, love, kindness, healing and service to all in need. He insisted that greatness was to be achieved through service to all. His willingness to wrestle left him a marked and driven man.

Jesus’ life and teachings confronted those with power and wealth. Jesus was brutally killed as an insurrectionist.

People still do not take kindly to the teachings and actions of Jesus from Nazareth.

Jesus’ disciple, Paul, follows the pattern. After his dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road, he went into seclusion. He went through a significant change of mind and heart. I believe he had to do a good bit of wrestling with the Almighty before he was ready to take on the role that he played in the spread of the Jesus Gospel.

The history of the growth of Christianity is filled with women and men who have wrestled with God and with God’s higher ways. They have wrestled with the world’s demons. Renunciation of the world’s ways, values, standards and goals became part and parcel to their decision making. Love and kindness became central to their motivations. In the process of shaping their lives, they did a lot of wrestling.

I have used “wrestling” as a figure of speech. In every day speech wrestling is an apt description of an intense struggle. Today’s world is being dominated by thirst for power and wealth. Jesus calls us to an intense struggle to establish justice, wholeness, peace, and salvation with love and compassion.

The wrestling match is real.

The End

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. He is pastor emeritus of Church of the Covenant. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.