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Proper
11: 7th Sunday after Pentecost
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The Old Testament
Lesson from Last Sunday…
These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of
Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel
the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because
she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah
conceived. The children struggled
together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and
two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the
other, the elder shall serve the younger.” When her time to give
birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a
hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. Afterward
his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful
hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game;
but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once when Jacob
was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red
stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to
Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and
lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Genesis 25:19-34
New Revised Standard Version
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Today I am going to do something slightly
different than what I normally do in preaching.
My intent today more so that most times is to share what Paul Harvey
would call “the rest of the story.” Last
Sunday, in our Old Testament Lesson, we heard of the birth of twin boys, Esau
and Jacob, born to Rebekah and Isaac. Following
Mass last weekend, someone shared with me that they were lost by this
reading. Today I want to go back to this
passage and dive deeper into these words of Scripture.
The portion of this story that I want to focus
on the most is these two grandsons of Abraham.
As we look at these two brothers, I want to remind you that their story
speaks volumes to the amazing relevance of the Scriptures even in our own
generation. At the beginning of the
story of these brothers, we find Rebekah pregnant with twin brothers. We should not be surprised by this, but even
in the womb these brothers are already making ruckus. And we shall see in much of their shared
story that this will mark their relationship for the greater portion of their
lives. Now let’s be honest: there is
something comforting in seeing this from a generation so far removed from us in
time and place. If I simply shared the
story of these two brothers competing with one another, attempting to outdo one
another and becoming angry with one another, we could all easily believe that I
am describing two brothers I have seen recently.
There are some other pieces to this story that
could appear to fit our generation. Each
of these brothers is the favorite of one of his parents. Esau is favored by Isaac; Jacob by Rachel. There are some other pieces that are a bit
foreign to us. The generations of the
patriarchs were so caught up with concern for the supremacy of the eldest son
that even in the case of twins, the first of the twins to exit the womb was
considered the firstborn. The firstborn
son, even among twins born of the same pregnancy, was the recipient of two intertwined
statuses. The firstborn enjoyed a
birthright that assured him of a blessing to come when the time drew near for
the father to die.
Let’s talk about the birthright first. This birthright impacted the role of the
eldest son in the family. He enjoyed a
special place of honor during the life of the father, who groomed this son to
take his place in times to come when the father would die. And when the father would eventually die, the
son who held the birthright would receive a double inheritance; twice the value
received by any others.
This birthright is mentioned at the end of
last Sunday’s reading. We find the
brothers in their typical places. Esau
had been out in the field. Jacob was in
the house with his mother. When the
brothers come together, Esau discovers that Jacob has made a meal. Esau is very hungry. Jacob takes advantage of his brother. When the eldest brother asks the younger to
feed him, the younger twin makes a condition: give me your birthright. And Esau, in a moment of exaggeration,
believes that he is so hungry that he will die without the meal. Therefore, he reasons, of what use is his
birthright. If he dies, Jacob will get
it by default anyway. Therefore, Esau
sells his place of honor for a meal, only to realize with a full belly what he
has done and how foolish he has been.
And when he realizes what he has done, Esau becomes angry, not with
himself, but with his brother, Jacob.
Here is where the rest of the story
begins. Esau holds a grudge against his
brother, but he keeps this somewhat restrained in the days when Isaac and
Rebekah were alive. But the subtlety will
come to an end. I said earlier that the
one who held the birthright would receive the blessing of the father when the
time drew near for the eldest son to take the father’s place as the protector,
defender and leader of the family. When
we read on in Genesis beyond where last Sunday’s reading ended, we find Isaac
preparing for his death. He invites Esau
to go and hunt in order to bring him a meal at which the father would give the
blessing that would be the passing of the mantle from the father to the
son. Esau goes out in obedience to the
command of the father. Rebekah hears
this command, and contrives in her heart to trick her husband for the benefit
of her favored son, Jacob. Isaac is now
blind, and his hearing is compromised also.
Rachel prepares a meal that she knows her husband will enjoy, and she
sends Jacob to give him the meal and thus to receive the blessing. She takes the fur of the animal she has
prepared and puts it on Jacob, in order that he might feel hairy, and thus
trick Isaac. Recall from last Sunday’s
reading that we were told that Jacob was smooth and fair, but Esau was a hairy
man.
Rebekah’s plan works perfectly. Jacob feeds his father receives the
blessing. In that moment, it is now
Jacob who is the firstborn. A reversal
has taken place. The younger has
purchased the birthright and stolen the blessing. The mantle of leadership goes to him. Jacob will receive a double portion of all
that belongs to his father. He is now
the master even of his eldest brother by birth.
And when Esau discovers what has taken place, he is so angry that he
plots to repeat the sin of Cain. Esau
prepares to kill his brother after the death of their parents. And this comes to the attention of Rebekah
first, and through her, to Isaac.
The parents’ response to this plan is that
they send Jacob to the distant land from which Rebekah came to find a wife from
among her people. With his departure, we
find a time in which there is separation between the brothers. It is an extended period of time of
separation. We know this because we find
that at some point when Jacob is in that land, he asks for the hand of
Rachel. Her father was already dead, and
her eldest brother was in the place of the father as Rachel’s protector and
overseer. This brother, Laban, tells
Jacob that if he works for him for seven years, he can have Rachel as a
wife. Jacob gladly accepts. At the end of seven years, a marriage feast
is kept. Only there is a problem. Rachel has an older sister who is still
without a husband. Laban, the eldest
brother, tricks the master of trickery.
After the wedding feast has ended, and Jacob has entered the wedding
chamber with his new wife, he discovers in the light of the morning that his
new wife is not Rachel, whom he desired, but rather her sister. And when Jacob confronts Laban, he is given
Rachel also, in exchange for another seven years of service. Once more Jacob accepts these terms. He stays for a period of time beyond that
second term of seven years. We are not
told how much longer Jacob and his family remain in the land. Eventually he and his family return to the
land in which he was raised.
At least 14 years have passed. Isaac and Rachel are no longer alive. Esau hears that Jacob is returning. Jacob discovers that Esau is aware and is
coming to him, and he is filled with fear.
His concern is that his brother’s anger persists. Jacob begins sending wave upon wave of gifts
to give to his brother in the hopes that this will appease his brother. Finally, the brothers come face to face with
one another. And in that moment, a
remarkable thing happens. Jacob, the
brother of blessing, presents himself in humility as a servant. Esau picks his brother up from the ground and
embraces him in brotherly love.
Reconciliation wins! God has
softened the hearts of both brothers, and their quarrels are no more! I imagine that if Isaac and Rebekah would
have witnessed that moment, someone would have needed to pick their chins up
from off the ground.
My friends, this gives us great hope! I say that because there are Jacobs and Esaus
in our world even in our generation. The
Scriptures give us the hope that God can do all things, even bring brothers
from contention to peace. And how many
people there are in our midst who need to be reminded by this amazing and
relevant Word of God that such a hope is always real, even when we cannot
envision it through human eyes and human wisdom.
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Father Timothy Alleman
Rector of The Church of the Holy Cross
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