Sermons from Pastor Jeff: Sermon Mt. 14:13-21, Gen. 32:22-31 Wrestling With God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon Mt. 14:13-21, Gen. 32:22-31 Wrestling With God

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

August 3, 2008

Every now I then I can’t sleep. I toss and turn in bed with my mind racing ahead thinking about some matter or another which keeps me up all night. We all experience this inability to sleep at one time or another. It usually happens at important transitions in our lives. In today’s scripture lessons both Jesus and his ancestor Jacob experienced sleepless nights when they were confronting enormous issues. Today we will see that during these times of distress both came closer to God.

Father in heaven our minds are often troubled. We grieve the loss of family and friends. We fear what the future has in store for us. We ask that you be with us though whatever may happen in our lives. And we place all of our hope on a glorious future with you, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, amen.

Matthew 14:13-21 - 13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 Jesus said to them, “They need not go away you give them something to eat.” 17 They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus just heard some really bad news. His friend, cousin, and ministry partner, John the Baptist was dead, brutally murdered by the Tetrarch himself, Herod Antipas. John had been in one of Herod’s prisons because he had dared to criticize the king for his adulterous relationship with his brother’s wife, Herodias. John would have been executed a long time ago, but the king was fearful of what might happen if he killed someone the people considered to be a prophet. So John stayed in Herod’s prison until Herod’s birthday. At the birthday celebration Herodias’ daughter danced beautifully and the king offered to give her anything she wanted. Her mother urged her to request John’s head on a platter, and it was immediately done.

When Jesus heard this story he wanted to be alone. He got into a boat and went off to a deserted place to be by himself, think and grieve. We don’t know how long he was there, but it could have been a long sleepless night when Jesus wrestled with God over this injustice done to John.

Jacob also spent a sleepless night worrying about meeting his brother, Esau. As a youth Jacob had been a schemer and a cheater often at the expense of Esau. But now Jacob had two wives, twelve children, great wealth and the only thing he still needed to do was to repent and ask Esau for forgiveness. But when he heard that Esau was coming with 400 men he divided his caravan into two parts and sent them into the hills. Jacob spent the night alone. During that night Jacob couldn’t sleep. He wrestled with God over his past sin. He wrestled with God over his fears of tomorrow. He wrestled with God over God’s promise that his descendant would form a great nation which like dust would cover the whole world. He wrestled with God over a damaged hip and the chronic pain that would plague him the rest of his life. He wrestled with God the entire night never giving in to sleep. And years later when people remember the night when Jacob wrestled with God, he and all of his descendants were called Israel, which in Hebrew means, “the ones who strove with God.”

We have all spent sleepless nights worrying about tomorrow. Maybe we have lost a loved one. Maybe the doctor gave us a bad prognosis. Maybe we didn’t get the job we wanted. Maybe our business is not doing well. Maybe we can’t pay the rent or the mortgage this month. Maybe we are hungry and need something to eat. Maybe we found out that someone we love does not love us. Maybe we have done something wrong and fear the punishment we deserve. Maybe we suffer from chronic pain.

Whatever it is we toss and turn and cannot get to sleep. We stare at the clock and watch the minutes go by. We walk into the kitchen and remember something about warm milk. We turn on the television or the radio. For some of us we take a sleeping pill, open a bottle of vodka, smoke a joint, or shoot narcotics into our veins. We do whatever we have to do to lessen the pain and get a little rest.

King David had a long sleepless night and wrote down the prayer he spoke that night to God: Psalm 17:1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit. ² From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right. ³ If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress. ⁴ As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. ⁵ My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. ⁶ I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words. ⁷ Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. ⁸ Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.