Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Jacob Wrestling with the Angel”
by Eugene Delacroix, 1854-61

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 32:23-33a
 
In the course of the night, Jacob arose, took his two wives,
with the two maidservants and his eleven children,
and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
After he had taken them across the stream
and had brought over all his possessions,
Jacob was left there alone.
Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.
When the man saw that he could not prevail over him,
he struck Jacob's hip at its socket,
so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled.
The man then said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob said, "I will not let you go until you bless me."
The man asked, "What is your name?"
He answered, "Jacob."
Then the man said,
"You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel,
because you have contended with divine and human beings
and have prevailed."
Jacob then asked him, "Do tell me your name, please."
He answered, "Why should you want to know my name?"
With that, he bade him farewell.
Jacob named the place Peniel,
"Because I have seen God face to face," he said,
"yet my life has been spared."
 
At sunrise, as he left Penuel,
Jacob limped along because of his hip.
That is why, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat
the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket,
inasmuch as Jacob's hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle.
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Commentary on Gn 32:23-33
 
In this passage we find Jacob in a wrestling match with an angel of God (while it is not stated in this passage that it is an angel, Hosea 12:5 makes that clear). The match ends in a draw but Jacob takes injury. This mythic battle gives rise to one of the dietary laws regarding eating the sciatic nerve of animals. In the end Jacob receives his blessing and is given the name Israel.
 
"In the context of the narrative the sacred writer explains what the name Israel means -"he who has striven with God". This shows one of the key features of the personality of the father of the chosen people - his struggle to hold on to God, trying to discover his name and obtain his blessing. This is also a defining feature of the religious nature of the people of God." [4]
 
CCC: Gn 32:25-31 2573
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 17:1b, 2-3, 6-7ab, 8b and 15
 
R. (15a) In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
 
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
 
From you let my judgment come;
your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night,
though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
 
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee from their foes.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
 
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 17:1b, 2-3, 6-7ab, 8b and 15
 
Psalm 17 is an individual lament. The psalmist sings for God’s help in distress, having been firm in faithfulness. The Lord is called upon for justice. The psalmist asks for this help in spite of the tests undergone, proclaiming that God alone is the just judge. In the Lord and in his justice the psalmist is content.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 9:32-38
 
A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
"Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
But the Pharisees said,
"He drives out demons by the prince of demons."
 
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."
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Commentary on Mt 9:32-38
 
In this selection Jesus continues his healing practice as he travels from town to town. We see growing opposition from the Pharisees as he does so. In contrast, Jesus looks with compassion upon the people ("his heart was moved with pity for them") as he sees that the religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees, have not led them to God but abandoned them, seeking instead their own selfish ends.  The Lord recalls the prophecy of Ezekiel, predicting someone from the line of David as a new shepherd. This prophetic statement was fulfilled in himself (Ezekiel 34:23). And, using the same language we heard in Luke 10:1-9, Jesus prepares to send out the disciples to proclaim the Good News; the disciples are to become laborers.
 
CCC: Mt 9:38 2611
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Reflection:
 
There is a cliché that says: “If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs, you’ve probably misjudged the situation.”  Today Sacred Scripture teaches us the lesson of discernment.  In the reading from Genesis we are given the story of Jacob contending with what is defined in Hosea as an angel or messenger of God.  The purpose of the initial conflict is not mentioned nor is the identity of the antagonist explicitly stated.  It is presumed to be an angel of God because it blesses Jacob in the end and, in godlike fashion, changes Jacob’s name to Israel.
 
In the Gospel, we see similar confusion on the part of the Pharisees.  They are not able to accept that Jesus is of God and incorrectly assume, because of his authority over “unclean spirits” or “demons,” that he was an agent of the evil one: "He drives out demons by the prince of demons."
 
In this passage, St. Matthew does not describe Jesus correcting these misconceptions.  Rather he continues the story of Jesus’ ministry, describing how he spread the good news on his own.  At the very end of the passage the Lord states, almost it seems with a sigh of regret, that there is much work to do in spreading this good news and, in a very human expression, he states that he cannot do it alone.
 
Back to the lesson we take away from this pair of stories.  How did Jacob know that the one with whom he wrestled was an agent of God?  Could it not have been an agent of the devil?  The story never names the messenger.  Jacob’s opponent is called simply “the man.”  We assume that Jacob recognized him because, when “the man” asked to withdraw because it was nearly dawn, Jacob told him he would not release him until he received a blessing.
 
The story allows for ambiguity.  We presume that an agent of the devil could not have given a blessing.  In the same way, the Pharisees should have seen that Jesus could not have been what they presumed.  In their blindness, they could not see God’s love incarnate.
 
In both these situations we have our own challenges pointed out.  We are daily beset by situations in which we must determine if it is the will of God that something either happens or does not happen, or if it is an attempt to defeat God’s purpose placed there by the evil one.  Our choices in real life are often not black and white but many shades of gray.
 
How then do we discern if it is God or the devil that places these choices in front of us?  The true answer is in many cases we do not know.  Unlike the Lord we do not have the power to see into the hearts of people to know their intentions.  We do not have the ability to see past the illusions of good the evil one is so fond of creating.  All we can do is depend upon our developed image of God’s will for us and for the world. 
 
It is like a work of art we have created through our prayer and study of the Word.  We have developed a picture of God’s love of his creation and, through his Son’s revelation, his love of us.  When we are challenged by choices in the world, we must, like a puzzle we are putting together, see if either of our choices fit into that picture of God’s will we paint with our faith.
 
Today we are reminded that the difference between God’s will and the devil’s will are sometimes difficult to distinguish.  We are reminded that we need to have developed a clear picture of how the Lord operates in the world so that when we are confronted with difficult choices, we always make the right choice.  In this we offer our constant prayer for guidance.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture is “Jacob Wrestling with the Angel” by Eugene Delacroix, 1854-61.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 166-67.