Sunday: 21st Sunday after Pentecost 24C
Reading: Genesis 32:3-8, 22-30; Luke 18:1-8a
Preacher: S. James Steen

We have just heard two fascinating stories that serve as reminders of the value of assertiveness and persistence when we're seeking to accomplish goals that are worthy of the struggle. They bring to mind the old adage I can still hear my parents quoting to their lazy son, "A pearl of great price is not to be had for the asking."

The first story, which we might call a grand metaphor for the spiritual journey, concerns the struggle of Jacob to become whole after stealing his brother Esau's most prized possession, his birthright as the first-born son of Isaac. He did this by fooling the old and almost blind Isaac into believing that he was Esau. Then, learning that Esau planned to kill him, Jacob fled. After an eventful time, he decided to return home to seek reconciliation with Esau. This brings us to the famous nighttime experience of Jacob at the ford of the Jabbok River, which still flows east of the Jordan.

Jacob is filled with dread at the prospect of meeting the brother he has so grievously wronged. Yet he knows that only going back and seeking forgiveness can make him whole. If you have ever looked back with shame at an episode of your behavior, you know what Jacob is feeling. If you have ever been haunted by what you did or failed to do in such a situation, then you know exactly what Jacob is going through. And the dread of the impending encounter with Esau is adding further to his anxiety. We know this because he had gone to an enormous amount of trouble to communicate to Esau by messenger that he is coming on a mission of peace. Jacob is hoping against hope that Esau is ready to forgive him. But just in case he is not ready, Jacob has also taken every possible action to protect himself and his household.

It is against this backdrop that the celebrated nocturnal wrestling match takes place. We can't be sure whether this was a nightmare or a wakeful time in the middle of the night, fueled by an exaggerated sense of fear and dread, or a combination. But whatever happened to Jacob, what the narrator describes is a flawed man - rather like all of us - wrestling his demons to the mat in pursuit of salvation. This story of transformation is about gaining the courage to look fear in the eye and to resist the temptation to flee, resist it with such determination and perseverance that finally Jacob is able to receive the blessing of God.

God's blessing was there all along; but Jacob had not previously evolved to a point where he could recognize or accept it. In a sense, Jacob has just repeated his former journey, but with a profound difference. After stealing his brother's birthright, he chose the way of a coward - who could really blame him - and fled for fear of losing his life. This time, refusing to give in to fear, he perseveres, facing that which haunts him, and in the process he gains his life and redeems the former experience.

Whereas he had gained his father's blessing through deceit and cowardice, Jacob gains God's blessing through integrity and courage. In the process he becomes paradoxically wounded and whole, reminding us that so often the path to wholeness opens up when we reach a point where we are willing to become vulnerable to the point of being wounded.

The icing on the cake comes when the two brothers meet and Jacob finds Esau ready for reconciliation. But, in truth, Jacob had already found salvation when he said to his wrestling companion at daybreak, ""I will not let you go unless you bless me"....And there he blessed him. And Jacob said, "...I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."" What an amazing moment of grace! Having resisted his desire to flee and having persevered, Jacob recognizes the gift of transformation he has received. He is literally a different person, signified by his new name, Israel, meaning "upright with God."

Then there is the second story about the importance of perseverance, the parable of the judge and the widow. "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out...'"

Like the story of Jacob, this parable is about perseverance; and this time the focus is on justice, justice achieve by one poor woman who succeeds because, in spite of all odds, in spite of the resistance she encounters from the person who has power over her, she is bold and persistent in the pursuit of justice. We should note that there is nothing preachy here. There is no "You should persevere!" Jesus just lays out the story and allows the hearer or the reader to draw her own conclusions.

Luke's judge doesn't give a hoot about justice, especially for this widow. Widows were among the most vulnerable people in Palestine, and a constant theme in the Hebrew Scriptures is the need for those in authority to fulfill God's own purposes by caring for widows and orphans. The standard should be even higher for a judge; but this fellow is so corrupt that he doesn't even do his job by granting her justice.

We can add laziness to his list of sins. He doesn't want to deal with the woman. She's a nuisance - how many people do we know like her? So he finally gives in. He says, "I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out..." But that's an amazingly bland translation. Here's a more literal rendering: "I will grant her justice, so that she doesn't give me a black eye." What he's really concerned about is his reputation. The shameless judge has no scruples; but he doesn't want to lose face. It's all about appearances with him.

Parables were - and still are - intended to give the hearer a fresh and surprising view of a familiar scene, to reorder our perspective and shatter our stereotypes. Today, we have a great example. In this parable of Jesus, the judge, the pillar of society and symbol of integrity, is actually a scoundrel whose main concerns are a light workload and an impressive résumé. It is the marginal widow, respected by virtually no one and reduced to doing God-knows-what in order to earn enough to survive; it is she who cries out for justice. And guess which one personifies the values of the Kingdom Jesus proclaims.

I love both of these stories - Jacob and Esau, the Widow and the Judge - so much that I couldn't bring myself to choose only one to address. They are bound by more than their emphasis on perseverance. Both are wonderful examples of the richness to be found in the scriptures if we approach them openly and are willing to do a little digging. Both are stories filled with hope. If the flawed Jacob could summon the courage to face his greatest fears and emerge a transformed person, think of the possibilities for you and me. If the vulnerable widow could actually shame the dishonest judge into granting justice, think what we at St. Paul & the Redeemer might be able to do to further Justice in our neighborhood. There's so much in these stories, and I've just barely scratched the surface.

Amen.