The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation

West Point, Mississippi

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 9](A)

Gen. 24.34-38, 42-49, 58-67         Ps. 45.11-18           Rom. 7.15-25a            Mtt. 11.16-19, 25-30

 

Genesis 24.34-38, 42-49, 58-67

 

1)      This lesson is taken from the longer story of Abraham procuring a proper wife for Isaac (Gen. 24.1-67).  He has sent his servant back to his homeland to find a wife for Isaac, so that Isaac shall not marry a Canaanite woman.

a)      God’s promise of progeny to Abraham has been fulfilled in Isaac.

b)      His promise of land has been fulfilled in the purchase of the burial site for Sarah (at Machpelah), which is a pledge of the entire land.

 

2)      The servant here repeats the sign and fulfillment of that sign to Rebekah’s legal guardian, her brother Laban.

a)      Laban immediately notices the jewelry bestowed on Rebekah, foreshadowing his meanness in his later dealings with his brother-in-law, Isaac.

 

3)      The sections of the story included here include Rebekah’s fulfillment of the sign, her confirmation that she is Abraham’s kin, and the welcome of the servant into the household.

a)      Divine guidance here is not through the speech or direct action of the Lord, but by the specific fulfillment of a sign.

b)      Note that while the servant bestows gifts both to Rebekah and to her household, to cover the bride price, her consent is necessary:  “I will go” (v. 58).

 

4)      The mention of camels is an anachronism, reflecting later redaction of this story.  Camels were first encountered by the Israelites in the Midianite raids of the 11th or 12th centuries, B.C. (Judg. 6.5).

 

5)      The meeting of a bride at a well reflects ancient practice, and is a motif found also at Gen 29.1-14 and Exod. 2.15-22.  This explains the consternation of Jesus’ disciples when they return to find Him speaking with a Samaritan woman at a well at mid-day (John 4).

 

Psalm 45.11-18

 

1)      From a royal wedding song, which extols the strength and honor of the king.

 

2)      The reference to the king’s “name” (v. 18) is one to his descendants.

 

Romans 7.15-25a

 

1)      Paul continues his argument regarding the freedom of life in Christ, here speaking of freedom from the Law.  He now focuses on how the problem is not with the Law, but with human beings.

a)      In v. 14, Paul has just characterized the Law as “spiritual” and humanity as “carnal”.

 

2)      When Paul says he does not understand his own actions (v.15), he is getting at the heart of the matter.  There is a fundamental conflict between that which reason (and even love) prompts us to, and what we do.

a)      When Paul refers to the “flesh” he is not just talking about sexual or sensual desire, or mere hedonism.  He is speaking of that which is corporeal as opposed to spiritual; that which is focused on this world alone.

i)        The conflict between flesh and spirit is one of frame-of-reference:  Are we focused on ourselves only, or on God’s will for us?

(1)   In this passage, Paul argues that despite our focus, we cannot do what God calls us to do absent the grace of God.

 

3)      The principles (here described as “law”) at war within us are those of the reason given us by God and the sin that dwells in us secondary to our fall from grace.

a)      We cannot save ourselves, and can cry with Paul, “Wretched man that I am!”  But we can cry with him also that we are saved by grace, grace given through Jesus Christ.

 

Matthew 11.16-19, 25-30

 

1)      This lesson is taken from the longer section in Matthew which focuses on the rejection of Jesus by His generation.

a)      In vv. 1-15 of this chapter, John the Baptist perceives who Jesus is.

 

2)      Jesus tells a parable in speaking of His judgment on His generation.  The “children” are John and Jesus, rejected by the bystanders as either too severe (wailing for a funeral) or not serious enough (piping for a wedding).  The people have rejected both John and Jesus, and yet the wisdom revealed in them is vindicated.

 

3)      The lesson passes over a woe pronounced against the cities, and restarts with a cry of thanks to the Father, followed by a revelation of God’s will.

a)      God’s will is revealed uniquely in and through Jesus.

b)      When Jesus calls the crowd “Come to me ...” this is a play on the traditional personification of Wisdom (Prov. 8)(wisdom as revealed in John and Jesus).

c)      Jesus offers His yoke, His interpretation and fulfillment of the Law.

i)        His yoke is easy for He does not lay a heavy burden (as do the Pharisees in their focus on the Law as a series of “do’s and don’t’s”).