The scriptures read are Genesis 49-50, Psalm 17, and Matthew 17.
Genesis 49. Awfully weird benedictions from a dying father. Especially what is said about Benjamin, the son Israel couldn't let out of his sight. These are about the tribes to come rather than the men. More warts and all portraits from scripture. No whitewashing the truth in the Bible.
Genesis 50. Jacob/Israel gets a royal-type funeral. Sad thing is, as soon as he's underground the other brothers are expecting Joseph to finally kill them for what they did to him. He cries when he gets their pathetic "Before he died, Dad said don't kill us" message. They just have never gotten Joseph. He is the better man.
His reply is marvelous: "As for you, you intended to harm me but God intended to use it for good, to preserve a great many lives, as you can see this day." Important theme: God can use whatever terrible things we throw at him to serve his purpose which is to save lives. It's crucial to see this when we approach, in Matthew, the worse possible thing we could do to God, in the person of Jesus. That's why a lot of people see Joseph as a foreshadowing of Christ.
Psalm 17. A prayer for protection and vindication. What I like about these psalms is that they leave the carrying out of justice to God. Best thing to do when you feel someone is both your enemy and God's. Leave them to God. God fights his own battles.
Matthew 17. Last chapter Jesus promised that some of those standing there would see him in his glory. Is the transfiguration what he was referring to? Certainly it helps the three who still seem quiet after Jesus told them he was going to be executed. So they see him, shining like a sun, chatting with Moses and Elijah and hear God's voice. That should hold them for a while.
Jesus is really getting tiring of doing everything around here. He casts out a serious illness and the disciples want to know why they couldn't. "You don't have enough faith, " Jesus says bluntly. This backs up my belief that he really wanted them to try their hands at feeding the multitudes...and maybe healing the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter. Why else did he so studiously ignore her? But the Twelve haven't yet realized what they can do in Jesus' name. What's a guy gotta do to convince them?
Interesting footnote on the paying tax by fish. There is a fish in Lake Galilee that carries its unhatched eggs in its mouth until their time. When it doesn't have eggs it has been known to carry around rocks or the errant dropped coin. When in Israel we were served them at a small restaurant. They are called St. Peter's fish.
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