God works with what he’s got

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070823.cfm
Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29
Matthew 9:14-17

You might think that those living in Isaac’s day would have had a more effective ‘cancel’ program. Yet, here we are reading the beginning of Jacob’s life story and finding him to be as duplicitous as his mother, Rebecca. The two conspired together so that Jacob, the younger of two brothers, could deceptively receive his aged father’s blessing.

When that was accomplished, knowing the potential for his brother’s anger, he slipped away to hide out among his mother’s brother’s family. But Uncle Lab’an was also a con artist, true to the family heritage. Nevertheless, Jacob was a quick understudy; and by the time they separate Jacob had become the Master of deception, besting his uncle and becoming rich in the process. This conniver was the third of Israel’s Patriarchs.

Let me repeat that: This conniver was the third of Israel’s Patriarchs.

Time and again, throughout the Old Testament, and to a lesser extent the New, we find the Lord identified as the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Time and again they are spoken of in words that go beyond either respect or reverence. These were the original recipients of intimate, personal interaction with mankind. How could the attitude of their descendants be any less? All the more cause for wonder as we read of Jacob’s life. We may not think of Abraham or Isaac as men of great holiness, but, most assuredly, they were men of great faith. Contrast that with the self-serving efforts of Jacob (and his mother) who rely exclusively on their own nefarious abilities. Neither Abraham nor Isaac were men of Jacob’s duplicity; why should the Lord include him in their august company?

Now I suppose we could account for the inclusion in a variety of ways: Jacob repented and became a ‘new man’ after he wrestled with the Angel. God liked the idea of working with twelve tribes and Jacob was the only one with twelve sons. Other propositions might be equally inane, but the most likely one is that God works with what he’s got; and Jacob, the third in the line of the Patriarchs, was what he got.

So this was the beginning of the church of the Old Testament — two old men well past their prime and a youthful swindler. We might appropriately wonder why it lasted. All of which generates its own question for our time.

It is not uncommon to find that people who have reviewed the history of the papacy are scandalized. It is not uncommon to find judgments that the Church is greedy and self serving. It is not uncommon to find people shocked at the clerical sins in our own day. 

Christians are referred to as hypocrites. All these and more are both true and problematic, which is why Jacob’s life story is so significant. Again, God works with what he’s got; and a sinful, broken people is what he’s got.

Thus it is that we come to our final observation: be careful where you root your faith. I can look back to the day when my faith was rooted in Church and liturgy. My mistake. Neither Church nor papacy nor clergy nor holy grandmothers are appropriate as faith foundations. Neither are liturgy nor doctrine nor the Latin Mass. There is only one place and that is in Jesus Christ and him crucified.