Daily Lectionary | Genesis 17 & John 8:31-59
Genesis 17
Summary
The Lord has already made promises to Abram, but now he establishes his covenant with him by giving him a new name and a sign of the covenant. Now Abram will be Abraham, because he will be the father of many nations. Further, the Lord promises that he will make Abraham fruitful and his descendants will be kings. The covenant will be “an everlasting covenant” between the Lord and Abraham’s descendants. To keep this covenant, however, the Lord requires every male to be circumcised. This cutting of the flesh will be a sign of the covenant promise.
So we have a promise, a changing of the name, and a sign included in this covenant-making act of the Lord with Abraham. Now, the Lord changes Sarai’s name to Sarah, and he promised to give her a child, whom she would call Isaac. The covenant will extend to Isaac, not Ishmael. But the Lord also promises to make Ishmael fruitful. Abraham obeys and he circumcises the males in his household.
The rite of circumcision is connected with the opening of Sarah’s womb. The Lord’s covenant mark is placed on the male’s organ of generation and accents the intergenerational component of God’s covenant promise. Cirumcision might be thought of as a pruning away so as to become more fruitful. Circumcision also implies a mini-sacrifice of the flesh, of the body. Such a sacrifice, however, become a mark of God’s ownership.
Reflection Questions
- Consider Paul’s reflection on Abraham’s faithfulness in God’s promises in Romans 4:16-25. Why does Paul give Abraham as an example of faith?
- The rite of circumcision is prominent in the Bible in ways that strike us as strange. Why does the Lord command such a fleshly and even bloody rite as a sign and seal of his promise?
John 8:31-59
Summary
Jesus has been emphasizing in recent chapters that he has been sent from the Father. In this chapter, Jesus tells the Jews that, contrary to their conviction, God is not their father but they are children of the devil and they seek to carry out their father’s murderous intent. The Jews refuse to see the truth of who Jesus is, but this truth is the only thing that will set them free (Jn. 8:32). Otherwise, they are not God’s sons, but slaves. They have presumed that they are true heirs of Abraham, but Jesus claims to be great than Abraham. In fact, Abraham was expecting the day of Jesus’ arrival! And, astonishingly, Jesus says, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” This statement, claiming to be “I am,” caused the crowd to pick up stones to to kill him, but Jesus escaped.
Reflection Questions
- Why did Jesus’ opponents place so much emphasis on being sons of Abraham? How does Jesus challenge this point?
- Jesus says that “everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin.” How does sin enslave? How can we be free from sin’s slavery?