We might not grapple with God physically but, for most people, prayer can feel like a wrestling match.
Our text comes at the end of a unit in Genesis which deals with Jacob and Esau (25:19-33:17). After all the ups and downs and twists and turns of Jacob’s story, it finally comes to a head at the Jabbok River. After twenty years Jacob will have to face Esau, but before he does, he will wrestle with an Angel, he will have to wrestle with God.
It is interesting to note that sometime during this grappling match Jacob realizes he is wrestling the Lord. What was he doing? There was no chance he would prevail against the Creator! God is allowing Jacob to fight on and does not need Jacob to stop grappling with Him (32:26). Instead, God wants Jacob to continue to grapple, to wrestle, to hold on to Him. So, Jacob persistently cries out, “I will not let You go unless You bless me” (32:26).
Jacob has spent his whole life trying to grab anything that is not nailed down, grabbing every blessing he can get his hands on. But what did that get him? It got him into trouble and trial and at times wealth and blessing. However, this time he is grappling with God while constantly asking for a blessing. So, God teaches him about a different kind of blessing. He dislocates his hip (32:25) and teaches him the blessing of walking with a limp (theology of the cross). Each time Jacob walked he would remember to submit to the Lord (32:28). This persistent reminder would be the ultimate blessing, living with a constant remembrance of the Lord, His mercies, and grace to him.
I often wonder if the pain in his hip led him to moments of prayer. Did his persistence in seeking a blessing from the Lord lead to a more consistent prayer life? Now, we all know Jacob did not defeat God in a physical contest, but he did “prevail” upon Him by demanding over and over again that God do what He had promised (32:9-12). This is instructive to us as Christians so that we always pray and never give up (Luke 18:1). We might not grapple with God physically but, for most people, prayer can feel like a wrestling match.
This ties nicely to our Gospel lesson for today from Luke 18:1-8 where the widow is persistent in prayer until she prevails upon the unjust judge. Jesus teaches this parable to the effect that “they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (18:1). But the comparison of God to the unjust judge may seem a little strange. Jesus is not comparing God to the wicked judge except to say that a lowlife like this eventually will do the right thing, “Will not God give justice to His elect?” (18:7). Jesus says, by comparison, “He will give justice to them” (18:8). God answers prayer and though He will not be worn down by us, we may feel like the widow sometimes or even Jacob. We pray and wrestle and persist and all the while hold on to God as He is really the one holding on to us. The blessing we get in the midst of this is the blessing of the cross. The nail scarred hands and feet of Jesus are a source of pain on account of our sins, but they are also reminders to pray and give thanks to God for the mercy and grace He has given us and the blessing of a cruciform life in His resurrection.
We pray and wrestle and persist and all the while hold on to God as He is really the one holding on to us.
The Multiple Story Structure will provide a way to make meaningful moments of development on the teaching of persistent prayer as the sermon progresses through both readings.
“In this structure, the sermon communicates a central teaching or experience for the hearers by offering a series of stories that have been strategically placed next to one another to form the sermon. The strategic placement of the stories allows them to interact with one another, reinforcing experiences or themes for the hearers (for example, a contemporary story introduces the hearers to an experience that is then repeated in the biblical story) or qualifying these experiences or themes (for example, a biblical story might call into question the “resolution” of a contemporary story and thereby invite the hearers into further consideration). The multiple-story structure has two primary challenges for the preacher: The way each story is told and the way in which the stories are linked to one another.
In telling each story, the preacher seeks to maintain a specific and strategic focus in experience or thought for the hearers. Each story has the potential to distract the hearers from the intended experience or theme of the sermon. Therefore, the preacher uses narrative techniques (like a refrain) to implicitly direct the experience of the hearers within the telling of the story. Also, such direction can be explicit as expository material is used to clarify the meaning of the story (for example, saying, “The reason I tell this story is...”).
As the preacher moves from story to story, he needs to be aware of the experiential or logical connection that holds the stories together (for example, the first story raises a problem for which the second story provides a solution). Multiple story sermons often have an unstated propositional structure (for example, the first two stories depict two ways of encountering Jesus and the third story contrasts this with a depiction of how Jesus encounters us). Sometimes the preacher uses expository material to clarify these connections for the hearers.”[1]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Genesis 32:22-30.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Genesis 32:22-30.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
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[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/textual/genre/narrative/multiple-story-structure/
