Jacob settles in for what might be the last night of his life. Out of the darkness emerges a mysterious man who engages him in a wrestling match that goes all night until the breaking of the dawn. In this fight for his life, Jacob finally breaks down, humbled by one far greater than him. As a sign of transformation beginning in his life, he finally receives blessing from the hand of another instead of taking it for himself.
Wrestling with VulnerabilityIt finally dawns on Jacob that his opponent is someone more than human, far greater than him. He responds in three ways that demonstrates a vulnerability he has never displayed before. First, he clings to the man’s leg and refuses to let go, even after being crippled. This demonstrates dependence and trust. He also asks for blessing, no longer trying to take it by his own cunning and power. Lastly, he gives his name, a confession of his past and acknowledgment of who he has been. In receiving a new name, he is made into a new man by God’s blessing.
Christ the WrestlerIn our own struggles, we often find ourselves wrestling with God. We must remember that our God knows what this dark night of the soul looks like too. Our Savior Jesus, on the night before his crucifixion, wrestled with God in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying, “Remove this cup of wrath from me.” On the cross, he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In submitting to suffering and death, He secured blessing we do not deserve. In new life, we have assurance that God is eternally for us in our times of weakness. We may not walk out of our wrestling unscathed. After all, Jacob would limp the rest of his life. Yet by faith in Christ, our weaknesses are memorials of God’s continued pursuit of us. In the end, what we see is a God who clings to us far longer and stronger than we ever can to Him.
Discussion Questions