![]() ![]() In Genesis, Jacob is repeatedly depicted as a schemer. He is the Israelites’ most important ancestor. Outside of the book of Genesis, Old Testament texts mention Jacob far more often than Adam and Abraham combined. The founder of Edom, for example, is Jacob’s older twin brother, Esau, who is depicted as a brutish, short-sighted man, a view that encapsulates Israel’s view of this neighboring country.Īs the founder of the nation of Israel, Jacob/Israel was the most important patriarch of the Jewish nation. This is especially obvious in stories about the founders of Israel’s neighbors. The depictions in Genesis of those people who are founders of later groups provide characterizations of the groups that trace their ancestry from these founders. This reading from Genesis makes a clear connection between the figure of Jacob and the nation of Israel. Here faith is defined as the stubborn refusal to let God off the hook. This is “Demanding Believer Sunday!” The readings provide refreshing corrections to the mistaken idea that faith is the same as passive acceptance. ![]() This is the Sunday for those of us who do not exactly match the picture of submissive sainthood on the holy cards. ![]()
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