DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Genesis 27:1-42
(4/14) 1st
Spiritual
Growth: Genesis 27:1-42, especially vs. 28: “And
may God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and
abundance of corn and wine.” In this last week of the Great Fast, the
Genesis readings focus on Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, the younger of
fraternal twins begotten to Abraham’s son Isaac and his wife Rebekah
(Gen. 25:21-23). In personality
these twins were very different: the Holy Fathers perceived Esau, the elder,
having a tendency to sensual wickedness, but in Jacob they found a man growing
in relationship with God. The two
men provide rich insight into growth in the Spirit: Esau teaches us to
“trample down all carnal desires,” and Jacob reveals how to
“enter upon a spiritual manner of living,” and to “complete
the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance.”
Reading the present lesson in isolation from the entire history of Jacob
and Esau, one might well conclude that a gross injustice was worked against
Esau because of the plot of Rebekah and Jacob. The Holy Fathers, however, read this
passage in the context of all the historical evidence concerning the two. Hence, Origen observed that “the
plot of Esau against Jacob has its apparent occasion in taking away the
blessing. But before this, Esau's soul
had ‘roots’ of his being immoral and irreligious.” Evidence for this assertion of Origen
appears in today’s reading.
Esau brooded angrily, and finally decided upon murder (Gen. 27:41,42).
The Apostle Paul, referring to Esau, warns the Faithful to look
“carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of
bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest
there be any...profane person like Esau” (Heb. 12:15,16). After all, our Lord requires us to
“trample down all carnal desires.” And the Apostle adds: “Let all
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with
all malice” (Eph. 4:31).
The Holy Fathers, reflecting on the plot of Rebekah and Jacob, found a
type of spiritual growth. Just as
Esau and Jacob came from the single womb of Rebekah, so also both evil and good
come from the same source - our souls.
Hence St. Ambrose teaches that, like Rebekah, we should repudiate the
evil offspring of our hearts and see that “...goodness is fostered and
strengthened.” Similarly, two
prayers in the Liturgy are like these fraternal twins: in one we pray that we
may “trample down all carnal desires,” and positively, in the
other, we are to seek growth in God the Holy Spirit by “entering upon a
spiritual manner of living.”
Let us pursue the virtues actively, then, as Nikitas Stithatos says, we
shall be “in [God’s] likeness if we possess virtue and
understanding; for His virtue covered the heavens” (see Hab. 3:3).
There is a two-sided effort required for spiritual growth: to rid
ourselves of the sinful passions, and to make the virtues our own. In the Great Canon, St. Andrew of
Again, we lose the heritage of our Heavenly Father by our sins: thus,
St. Andrew says, “Therefore, repent now.” Let us “spend the remaining time
of our life in peace and repentance,” and be restored to our original and
intended state. After the blessing
was gone, Esau came pleading because he wanted to inherit the blessing; but he
was rejected. As the Apostle
teaches, he “found no place for repentance though he sought it diligently
with tears” (Heb. 12:17).
However, in Christ, genuine repentance, the cleansing of our sins, and
restoration to God are possible again.
O Lord, accept the dust of our repentance, and grant us the heaven of
Thy grace.