Genesis 32:22-32

Jacob was a wrestler. It was part of his character. Even before he was born he wrestled with his twin brother Esau in their mother's womb. The Lord even told their mother that there were two nations at war in her womb. Esau was born first, but Jacob was right behind. In fact he was holding Esau's heel. That's how he got the name "Jacob." It means "One who takes by the heel." It also means "One who takes the place of."

"The Wrestler" was a good name for Jacob. All through his life he was constantly pulling at Esau's heel trying to take his place. You see Esau was the first born; if only by a few seconds. In the ancient world that position gave him certain rights and privileges which Jacob didn't have. He had a birth right to a larger portion of his father's wealth and name. So Jacob wrestled Esau's birthright away from him. He bought it for a mess of pottage. Later Jacob also tricked him out of his father's blessing. Jacob had finally taken Esau's place, but Esau was so mad that Jacob had to flee for his life. It was during that escape that Jacob had his famous dream of a ladder to heaven. And God spoke to him and promised to make a great nation out of him.

You might think that once Jacob got away from his brother that his wrestling would end. But it had only just begun. You see, Jacob fell in love with a girl named Rachel and Rachel's Father Laban was a wrestler too. Jacob offered to work for seven years to marry Rachel. But when the wedding night came they slipped Rachel's older sister Leah in. In the morning Jacob found himself married to Leah. Jacob then had to work another seven years for Rachel. But his father-in-law kept changing his wages so finally Jacob had to wrestle Laban for his pay. To make a long story short Jacob and his family ended up fleeing from Laban. Laban caught up with Jacob and they made a covenant to never come near each other again because each was afraid the other would attack.

Jacob had wrestled with people and won. He coulda been a contender. In fact he was. He had wrestled with Esau and won. He had wrestled with his father-in-law and won. He had become a rich man with a large family. But there he was once again stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one side was his brother who might still want to kill him. On the other was his father-in-law who would kill him.

But God had told Jacob to return to the land of his birth, to the land which God had promised him, to the land where his brother Esau lived. Needless to say, Jacob was frightened. Who wouldn't be? He had wrestled Esau's birthright and blessing away from him. Esau wanted to kill him. To make matters worse Jacob heard that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Was this a welcoming party? Or was it a war party? Jacob was scared and he prayed for God to be true to the promise and spare his family so that they would become a great nation. Then Jacob took precautions. First he divided his company into two groups so that if one was attacked the other would survive. Then he sent some of his flocks ahead of him as a gift to his brother Esau.

Then Jacob sent his family last. He exposed his vulnerability to his brother as a gesture of peace. He knew that if he sent his armed men first, Esau would take it as an attack and would attack in self defense. So he sent his flocks and family on ahead of him. And Jacob was left alone. Jacob was not used to the silence of aloneness. He was used to hearing the clattering of pans from the women's tent, and the noise of the livestock with bells around their necks. He was used to being surrounded by the sounds of his eleven children playing and working. He was used to being surrounded by servants who asked his will and took his orders. But now he was alone with just the sound of the brook. He didn't even know if his family and servants were alive or dead. For all he knew his brother might have killed his entire family. He didn't know if Esau had fed them dinner or fed them to the vultures.

Jacob was alone; or was he? It was during this lonely night that Jacob the wrestler, met his match. Once again Jacob was alone and afraid for his life as he tried to sleep under the stars; when a stranger came and wrestled with Jacob. They wrestled so hard that they wrestled until daybreak. The stranger could not prevail so he struck Jacob in the thigh and dislocated his hip so that he could get away. But Jacob wrestled on. He knew this was no ordinary man he was wresting with, but he wrestled on. Then Jacob asked for a blessing. And the Angel, as most supposed it to be, changed Jacob's name to Israel. No longer would he be Jacob, which means "One who grabs the heel," but he would be called Israel, which means "One who prevails." He was no longer Jacob the wrestler, but Israel the champion for God.

But why did God send an angel to wrestle with Jacob? Didn't Jacob have enough problems not knowing whether his family was alive? The last thing he needed was an angel to wrestle with him. The last time he had been in this situation God had sent angels to comfort him not to dislocate his hip. But God had a plan for Jacob! God planned to make a great people out of him. A nation of people whom, God would use to bless the world. The ultimate fulfillment of the blessing was the coming of Jesus who would bless all by offering them forgiveness and eternal life. Throughout his life God was preparing Jacob for his part in the wonderful plan. God had known that Jacob would strive with people. God had been the one to tell him to leave his home land and now to return to it.

Why did God send the Angel to wrestle with Jacob? I believe it was to prepare him for the responsibilities God had for him. As Jacob approached the land of his brother Esau, he was afraid. Even though God had promised Jacob that his descendants would be like the dust of the earth he still feared that God might forget and let Esau utterly destroy him. You see Jacob wasn't so much wrestling with the angel as he was wrestling with his own faith. Would God preserve him as God had said? Would God let him be destroyed? Had he really seen a ladder from heaven so many many years ago or was that just a dream? Had God really spoken to him and promised his descendants would be like the dust of the earth or was that just wishful thinking? God needed to show Jacob that he could trust. So God waited until Jacob was alone and at his most vulnerable, then God pushed him right to the limit but no further. By doing that God strengthened Jacob just as metal is strengthened by heating it then cooling it. I also believe that God sent the angel to bless Jacob. God wanted Jacob to know that he would not perish without God's promises for him being fulfilled. So the angel blessed Jacob and changed his name to Israel. In that name change God was telling him that he was now ready to become the father of a great nation. The angel was saying "you are no longer 'Jacob the wrestler' but 'Israel the champion' and the father of a nation."

Have you ever wrestled with God? Oh, I'm not asking if God ever sent an angel to dislocate your hip and change your name. I am asking if during your faith journey, you have ever wrestled with a belief that you were not sure of? I am asking if, in your personal life, if you have ever struggled to be true to God? I am asking if there were times you were not sure what path God had chosen for you?

If you have, you are not alone. Many faithful Christians have struggled. In one of his hymns Charles Wesley spoke of his own struggle to know God. He had known God as a God of judgment that demanded justice and righteousness but he had not experienced the gracious forgiveness of God. As a result he like his brother John tried to save himself through his sacrificial good works. It wasn't until his heart was strangely warmed that he came to know God as a God of Love. As the hymn says, "'Tis love! 'Tis love! Thou diest for me!"

God had a plan for Jacob. And God prepared Jacob to fulfill that plan. Part of that plan was to make him wrestle so that he could gain strength and confidence in God and maybe to humble him too. God made Jacob wrestle so that he could receive the strength from God that the children of Israel needed, to see them through even greater dangers.

Sometimes in life things get hard. And we pray for God's help and guidance and things get even harder. Like Jacob we pray for God to deliver us and instead an angel is sent to wrestle with us. If things seem to get harder, take heart. You are not alone. God is watching over you and has a plan for you. Take heart because the harder things get the greater the plan God has for you and the more your faith will be strengthened. Just wrestle on like Jacob. Oh, I am not saying it will not hurt. Like Jacob you may walk away limping. But just like Jacob God will bless you and say, "You are my chosen people, whom I have prepared to be a lighthouse to the nations."

Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus fed over 5,000 hungry people with five loaves and two fish. This is one of the most important miracles that Jesus performed. This is obvious from the fact that it is recorded in all four gospels. This miracle played an important role in the early Christians' understanding of communion.

There is a lot to be learned from this parable. There is the attitude of the disciples in the face of the people's needs. There is the role of the small boy, who John tells us about, who gives what little he has. There is the ability of Christ to supply the needs of the hungry masses with plenty left over.

There are a lot of ways to understand this miracle. Some people say that we are like the disciples who are concerned for the people's hunger and yet feel helpless. Some say we are like the crowds fed by Christ the bread of life. Some say we are like the little boy who gives all he has even though it is so small. But today I want to say that we are like the bread. Like those 5 barley loaves we who have given our lives to Christ are taken, blessed, broken, and given.

When the boy gave those loaves and fish to Jesus, he took them and then blessed them. He broke them and gave them to feed the hungry people. Like those loaves we are taken. Like that small boy, we who have given our lives to Christ have given all we have. And Jesus accepts that gift. Someone lesser than the Son of God would disdain such a small gift. They would sneer at it and say, "Don't you have anything more?" "How do you expect to heal the suffering of the masses with only this." But Jesus just smiles and accepts the gift.

Once we have been taken, Jesus blesses us. When we come to Christ we are just sinners. We are dirty from a life of sin and spiritual neglect. But Jesus cleans us up. He blesses us with forgiveness. Like a potter he remolds our distorted wills into a usable shape. And he gives us the Holy Spirit, God's living presence with us, as a counselor and provider.

Then Jesus breaks us. Christians used to talk about being broken, but we don't do that much anymore, because people already feel broken so they don't want to hear that God will break them. But this is an important part of the process of being used as part of Jesus ministry. If Jesus had not broken the loaves they could not have been distributed to the hungry people. In order to be tools for God's kingdom we must be broken. Our spirits and pride must be broken. We must be brought to our knees. Because the truth is that we can't minister by ourselves. Like the Disciples we don't have the resources. It is only when we are on our knees, looking to Christ, that we can be useful to God.

Once we are broken, Jesus gives us. He gives us in service. Some people have the mistaken conception that just being saved is the sum total of the Christian life. It is a very important part, an indispensable part, the beginning of the Christian life. But Jesus didn't save us to make us forgiven bumps on a log. He saved us so we could follow him. And Jesus is always going out to minister to the sick and needy and lost and oppressed. We are not what we once were. Jesus has drastically altered us by blessing us and breaking us. And because of what Jesus has done we are useful tools.

Look around you. We are surrounded by hungry people: people starving for love and companionship. They need the love of their Heavenly Father. People are hungry for forgiveness of their sins. People are dying for lack of bread, and medicine, and justice. And there are so many lost and hungry souls and their suffering is so great.

Why don't you help them? Begin by giving yourself to Christ. "But how can someone like me make a difference. Jesus can't do much with little old me. I barely have enough to live on myself." Just come as you are to Jesus. Come as a weak helpless individual. You may be much like those who are lost and dying around you.

I promise you Jesus will accept you. And he will bless you. He will bless you with his love. He will bless you with forgiveness. He will give himself to you as spiritual food and drink. And then he will break you. As you follow him as a disciple you will learn. You will learn that the way to be larger than your foes is to fall on your knees. You will learn that the greatest disciple is the one who bends the lowest to help another. And Jesus will give you. A new you: new and improved by the hands of God's Son. And God will use you to minister to others.

You may not be moved by the suffering in our world, in our very community. If you aren't, I pity you and I pray for you, because your heart is indeed hard. But if you are moved and wish you could do something, listen. Give Jesus what little you have: yourself. And let him transform you, then God can make a difference through you.

top of this page