Daily Lectionary | Genesis 46 & Matthew 5:21-48
Genesis 46
Summary
Before Jacob takes his sons into Egypt, he stops at Beersheba and offers sacrifices to “the God of his father Isaac.” Beersheba was the place Isaac and Abimelech made a covenant (Gen. 26:33). Jacob is honoring the God of his fathers who gave a promise of land of Canaan. But they would temporarily leave that land in search of refuge. What would happen? The coming sojourn in Egypt was part of the Abrahamic promise: “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years” (Gen. 15:13).
The Lord comes to Jacob in a night vision and tells him not to fear to go into Egypt. The Lord will still make Israel a great nation, will “go down” with Israel and bring them out of Egypt.
Jacob leaves Beerhseba with all the provisions provided by Pharaoh. Israel goes into Egypt with Egyptian resources and will also leave Egypt with Egyptians resources/plunder at the exodus.
We have another table of names listing the sons of Jacob and their descendants who went down into Egypt, the total number which comes to 70.
Joseph doesn’t wait for his father to reach him but goes out ahead to meet his father. “He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while” (Gen. 46:29).
Reflection Questions
In Genesis 10, the table of nations comes to 70 in number, the same number given for Jacob’s family in Egypt in Genesis 46:27. How might this number be significant?
Why does Joseph tell his family to say they are shepherds in Genesis 46:31-34?
Matthew 5:21-48
Summary
Jesus has just said that he comes to fulfill the law (not abolish it) and that one’s righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees to enter the Kingdom of God. So what sort of righteousness characterizes that of Jesus’ kingdom? In this section, Jesus shows us what kingdom righteousness looks like.
Jesus takes up issues of the law: murder, adultery, divorce, swearing oaths, retaliation, and concern for one’s neighbor. Some have read Jesus’ “you have heard it said...but I say to you” as a Jesus drawing a sharp discontinuity with the law of the Old Covenant. But actually Jesus is citing specific laws and showing how to really fulfill it.
Nor is it exactly true that Jesus is concerned about heart-level obedience while the Old Covenant law was only focused on external behaviors. The tenth commandment, for example about coveting is about the “heart” and the shema, the basic Jewish confession in Deuteronomy 6 is about loving God with the heart, that is the whole person, which also implies external obedience.
The Scribes and Pharisees actually had a minimalist approach to law-keeping, which did focus on the external forms of righteousness. Even their legalism was a way of keeping the law superficially! But Jesus shows us a maximalist way of keeping the law.
In each law Jesus takes up, there’s a triad (an exception possibly being the divorce segment). (1) You’ve heard it taught x, (2) but I say to y, (3) then some sort of practice on what it looks like to keep the law.
For example, committing adultery is wrong, but it starts with looking at a woman with the intent to commit adultery. What does a righteousness that exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees look like? Cutting off the member that makes you stumble at the point of lust so you don’t get to the point of adultery. Jesus doesn’t say “don’t lust,” though that’s a problem. Jesus says take drastic action so lustful gazing doesn’t take root.
Jesus ends this section saying, “You therefore must be perfect, as you heavenly father is perfect.” The word for perfect could be translated as mature. Jesus brings the law to maturity and he shows us the way of mature law-keeping.
Reflection Question
Work through each teaching in this section. How does Jesus show what it means to fulfill the law in each section?