Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Where's Jesus? The story of Jacob marrying Rachel and Leah (Genesis 29:14-30)

Jesus makes a startling statement in John 5:39 when he says,
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me..."  
If this is true, and it is, for every bit of Scripture is a testimony to Christ, then one of the best questions we can ask of any passage is "Where's Jesus?"

Sometimes finding Jesus is akin to finding Waldo in a picture full of detail, sometimes it is as obvious as can be.  I have been studying Genesis with my small group and must admit that more often than not I don't see Jesus clearly in the text.  Take for example the story in Genesis 29:14-30 where Jacob marries both Leah and Rachel.  Where is Jesus in this story?  (After thinking about it yourself, continue reading.

A good friend of mine suggested this to me.  While Jesus certainly wasn't tricked into a bigamous relationship by God.  And while Jacob was grieved and upset by the situation, these things are not where Jesus is to be found.  Rather, Jacob marrying both Rachel and Leah is a picture of Christ marrying the Church, in order to get the church, he had to marry Jew and Gentile.  I find this quite thought provoking and ingenious.  I would love to hear your thoughts on Where Jesus is?

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