Author: Administrador

Believers, take heart! This is the Sunday for those of us who do not exactly match the picture of submissive sainthood on the holy cards. This is “Demanding Believer Sunday!” The readings provide refreshing corrections to the mistaken idea that faith is the same as passive acceptance. Here faith is defined as the stubborn refusal … Continue reading “Genesis 32:22-31 Commentary by Corrine Carvalho”

The character of Jacob is deeply enigmatic for many Christian readers. Throughout the stories of Genesis 25- 31, we have seen Jacob con, cheat, deceive, and manipulate virtually every member of his family and then run off when the tension was about to explode into full conflict. The fact that Jacob seems to get away … Continue reading “Genesis 32:22-31 Commentary by Amy Merrill Willis”

What does it mean for God to wrestle with a human being and have the human opponent “prevail”? What does it mean to have God commend Jacob for his success with God? What kind of God is this? Wrestling raises issues of bodily contact and power. The Godness of God seems to be compromised. Hence, efforts have often been … Continue reading “Genesis 32:22-31 Commentary by Terence E. Fretheim”

The story of Jacob’s encounter with a stranger at night belongs to the larger Jacob and Esau cycle (Genesis 25:12-35:28). Jacob was the younger of twins born to Isaac and Rebekah. His life had been replete with acts of duplicity. Jacob’s deceit deprives his brother Esau of his birthright as the firstborn son and his … Continue reading “Genesis 32:22-30 Commentary by Vanessa Lovelace”

Our text for this week is a continuation of the story of Jacob. Last week, we heard about Jacob at Bethel and the promise God made to him there, the same promise God made to his grandfather, Abraham, (Gen 12:1-3, 7) and to his father, Isaac, (Gen 26:1-5): land, offspring, and blessing. God also said, … Continue reading “Genesis 29:15-28 Commentary by Kathryn M. Schifferdecker”

Genesis 29:15-28 is small slice of a much larger story. This is the story of the Mothers and Fathers of Israel and their descendents, the people of Israel. Rebekah and Isaac have sent their son Jacob to his mother’s brother Laban, with instructions to marry one of his daughters, (the as yet unnamed Leah and … Continue reading “Genesis 29:15-28 Commentary by Wil Gafney”

Love stories in the Bible, such as this First Lesson where Jacob marries his beloved Rachel (and unexpectedly her sister Leah as well!), reveal how much has changed since biblical times. Yet, aspects of this family tale with its strong emotions, sibling rivalry, deception, and loyalty continue to resonate, challenging us to think more deeply … Continue reading “Genesis 29:15-28 Commentary by Esther M. Menn”

In the lectionary reading for today, we encounter Jacob on the way. Jacob is portrayed as a fugitive fleeing for his life; a vagabond somewhere between a conflict-ridden past and an uncertain future. At exactly this point of limbo, landless, rootless and with no real prospects for the future, God meets Jacob at a place … Continue reading “Genesis 28:10-19a Commentary by Juliana Claassens”

Jacob’s surprising encounter with God at Bethel leads to reflection about where we as individuals and as congregations meet God unexpectedly on life’s journey. In Genesis 28:10-19a, God appears to Jacob en route, as he escapes from his brother Esau’s hatred (Genesis 27:41-45). Jacob, always a “schemer” and “usurper” (meanings of this Hebrew name), has … Continue reading “Genesis 28:10-19a Commentary by Esther M. Menn”

Biblical scholar Renita Weems has described Jacob as “the first real human being” in the Book of Genesis. She goes on to say that with the appearance of Jacob on the scene, “we finally have someone with adjectives we can use — deceptive, clever, shrewd.”1 Before Jacob, she notes, characters seem to be more one-dimensional … Continue reading “Genesis 27:1-4, 15-23; 28:10-17 Commentary by Karla Suomala”