A high school buddy of mine is a Presbyterian minister in West Virginia. In a recent email, he wrote, “Got to preach Sunday on the passage from Genesis that is the foundational rock of my theology … Jacob and his wrestling match with God … (Genesis 32:22-32). It’s always been my contention that the wrestling went on all night because God was getting something out of it. As you know, wrestling is the most intimate activity this side of intercourse, and it’s the intimacy that I believe God was enjoying. God wants intimate contact with us. God wants us to come to him and wrestle with our concerns, our doubts, our faith, our shortcomings, everything and anything. God doesn’t want blind unquestioning faith. How boring for God. God would much rather have us encounter God; spend time in God’s presence where we can feel each other and smell each other’s breath, as it were.”
His insight reminded me of one of my favorite passages, Mark 4:1-20, the parable of the sower. Jesus says the sower scatters seed, but only the seed that falls on rich ground produces anything worthwhile. At that point, it’s not much of a story, so after the crowd leaves, the disciples ask for a fuller explanation. Jesus responds, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside, everything comes in parables, so that ‘they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.’”
That sounds massively unfair. Does God deliberately make the truth hard to understand so that only his favorites will believe? Why explain things to the disciples and not to the presumably puzzled crowd? The difference, I have concluded, is that the disciples asked. The rest of the audience was apparently too proud or indifferent to demand an explanation. So they heard but never understood.
Jesus often makes cryptic or confusing remarks, and I think he does it for the same reason that his father spent the night wrestling with Jacob. He’s trying to provoke a deeper response than, “Nice sermon, rabbi.” He wants us to demand answers and complain when we don’t get them. He wants our minds and hearts engaged in a sweaty give and take of faith, doubt, joy and frustration. I think God longs for a relationship with us so close and intimate that wrestling, sex and pregnancy are just pale imitations.
In Christ, God literally got under our skin. He didn’t just briefly take on human form. He was an actual human being. He personally experienced humanity’s limitations, confusion and suffering. He came to us through the water and blood of childbirth and died for us stained with his own blood and bodily fluids. In between, he enjoyed a good meal and tasted hunger. He formed close friendships and felt the pain of betrayal. I’m sure he also got gas from green dates and blisters from new sandals. He was really real.
Furthermore, God’s love affair with humanity didn’t end with Christ’s resurrection. He still talks and walks with anyone who gives him the time of day, and he doesn’t demand perfection first. After all, he picked cowardly Peter to head his church and made cranky Paul her first theologian. We don’t have to be well-educated, brave or even interesting to live intimately with God. We just have to let him in. Fear, fatigue, pain or pride may make it hard to feel God’s presence, but he is always there, eager to share the good and the bad of the life he gave us.
Kathleen welcomes comments. Send them to Kathleen Choi, 1706 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo, HI 96720, or e-mail: kathchoi@hawaii.rr.com.
