Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

I see some suspicious looking jumping around in the text this week, but I’m going to leave it to your discretion to look into that. We skipped chapter 23 and are now skipping bits of 24. You can look back to see who’s talking, or just figure it out from the given context. It’s hard to miss the bigotry of not wanting your son to marry some “local girl”, and that is supported by earlier text. This is something that persisted even into the middle of the last century in the United States. Equally anachronistic is the story of a woman who is selected simply because she offers water to the stranger, and with no discussion, accepts the marriage proposal.

What you might miss, is our bride’s brother steps in just before this scene to size up the stranger, and is impressed by his gold jewelry. We will see more of these characters and other family members. To some extent, this is just an introduction to the longer story. Throughout, we see the thoughts of the characters and their very human, sometimes self-serving ways. All the while, God’s plan plays out with no resistance.

Song of Solomon 2:8-13

This book is almost out of place in the Bible. It contains little theology. It is a celebration of a love affair in the form of a conversation with some choruses. Some have imposed Christian interpretation over it, but I think they are just, imposed. It's a nice little read.

Romans 7:15-25a

This is a problematic passage from Paul. In typical fashion he denigrates himself, and therefore the rest of us, for being human. We don’t get details here about exactly what is or isn’t sinful, but he’ll get to that. I covered some of that last year. There is much speculation about just what Paul didn’t like about his body, and if you’ve read this sermon helper, I usually avoid entering into that. Rather I just point out that it is there and let you find it.

Instead, I’d like to examine the metaphors. He is talking about that internal dialog of wanting what is good and desiring what is evil. He calls one the law of God and the other the law of my mind. We all know the struggle, and those listening to Paul would have known the images of “sin” and “evil” that he evokes, and of course his solution, which is Jesus. He’s racking his brain because he wants to be a helpful productive person, but he knows he’ll head for the strip club when that paycheck hits the bank (or something, if he's not going to be specific I can).

Even before he invokes the Jesus escape clause, he’s already saying “it is no longer I”, instead, it’s the sin. He sees thoughts and feelings that he has as something like an infection. There’s an “inmost” self that has it all figured out, but out there in his “members” trouble lurks. Perhaps he pantomimed his own hand trying to reach for a drink while he grabbed it with his other hand and fought with it. I don’t mean to trivialize this struggle. The desire to express our higher goals in our everyday words and actions is no easy task. But Paul fails us from the outset by not owning his own mind and blaming his nervous system for the inability to get work done.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

John the Baptist is in prison. Things are not going well for this fledgling movement. But healings are happening, lepers are being cleansed, maybe something good is coming. Jesus speaks, and tells us the problem is this generation. Almost everyone hears this once or twice before they turn 20. The world was doing just fine until you and all your friends were born. The problem is, until you hear someone your age say it about their kids, it’s hard to realize what a bankrupt statement it is. He compares them to children, who, no matter if you play happy tunes or sad ones, they don’t want to play along.

I’ve spoken to the problem of denigrating wisdom before, or philosophy as in Colossians 2, so I’m not going to dwell on it this time. I’ll be generous and say he’s alluding to the religious leaders who preach too much about the details of law and not enough about justice and mercy. It’s my preferred interpretation of what he meant then and the interpretation I wish more preachers would use today. The infants then symbolize the meek, the ones in need of care and healing. This is in keeping with the theme of Jesus turning the system of power on its head.

Jesus is trying, and as we know succeeding, to rally the troops. They need a replacement leader. Jesus is saying he was ready to do that all along. He mixes the “get off your butts” type of Knute Rockne speech with some “I’ll take care of you weary folks” mothering. Last week, Jeremiah used the “yoke” symbol as one of a burden from an oppressor, but here it is used with positive connotations. Being yoked with God means your burden is shared. He even says it is easy, easier than those burdens you are now carrying. It’s still work, but it’s work that brings joy.