Genesis 29:15-28
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
“The Trickster Gets Tricked”
By Rev. Kenneth Sauer, Pastor of Parkview United Methodist Church, Newport News, VA
In our Old Testament Lesson for this morning: Jacob the trickster gets tricked.
Jacob had literally ruined and wrecked his life.
He had deceived and lied to his father to steal the blessing and inheritance from his brother Esau.
Esau had threatened his life, and now Jacob was on the run.
But the most marvelous thing had happened to Jacob--it’s what we talked about last week--He saw
God’s Stairway to Heaven!
He had experienced an encounter with the Living God.
God had confronted Jacob, and led him to make a new commitment--a vow that the Lord, the God of
redemption and salvation, would always be His God!
God gave Jacob a new life, a new beginning, a fresh start, a brand new day to live!
Immediately after Jacob had his encounter with God, Jacob began to search for what was to become his
new family!
There is always joy when we are converted and begin a new life, or make a new commitment to God.
And when this happens to us, we need to do exactly what Jacob did.
We need to search for our new family--the family of God, the family of the church.
Because we need each other’s fellowship, help, and encouragement!
We need to join together in studying God’s Word, and in our service and witness for the Lord!
As the Bible says in Hebrews 10:25: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but let us encourage one another.”
Think of a campfire.
When all the logs are placed together properly....each log contributes to the fire and continues to burn.
When you take one of the logs away from the fire...what happens to that log?
It goes out...doesn’t it?
The same goes for the Christian....there is no such thing as a successful, lone-ranger Christian!
We must stay together, fellowship together, learn from each other, and burn brightly together if we are
going to survive.
As soon as I gave my life to the Lord, I immediately searched out for other Christians.
One day, I was walking across campus when I saw a flier: “Bible Study--Wednesday nights at 6:30.
These people soon became my new family.
Anyway, back to Jacob....
He went to his mother’s brother...a shifty guy named Laban.
Here’s another thing we need to keep in mind....there are a lot of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” out there....
...So, it is very important that we become involved with a theologically sound fellowship of Christians--lest
we be led astray!
And it is especially easy for the newly converted to be led astray...because they have not yet matured in
their faith....and have not yet learned the Scriptures.
Anyway, let’s return again to Jacob....
Laban, the brother of Rebekah, the grandson of Nahor, was overjoyed to welcome one of his own flesh and
blood....
....and perhaps Laban was impressed by the strength of Jacob, and thought he might make a good
shepherd.
And almost certainly, Laban considered Jacob to be a possible husband for one of his two daughters.
Leah and Rachel were both eligible, and Laban never missed an opportunity to drive a hard bargain.
Jacob was smitten with one of Laban’s two daughter’s Rachel.
Rachel was unusually beautiful and attractive.
On the other hand, Leah, the elder sister, wasn’t so attractive.
Her eyes lacked a certain luster and sparkle.
The Scripture simply says that Leah “had weak eyes.”
Anyway, “Jacob was in love with Rachel”, and he made an agreement to work for Laban for 7 years in
return for Rachel’s hand in marriage.
Now, it’s true that Laban was offering Jacob both a home and a job when Jacob desparately need both.
So, Jacob worked seven long, hard years for Rachel, but they were joyful years!
The years seemed like only a few days because of the great love he had for her.
How much love do we have for our Lord and His church?
How long and how hard are we willing to work for God in order to reap a great harvest of souls?
What would we commit ourselves to because of our love for God?
Are we willing to give it our all?...
...because that is what is required of us.
In our Gospel lesson that Virginia read earlier Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven
“is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold
all he had and bought it.”
Have we sold all we have in order to obtain the kingdom of heaven?
Are we willing to do anything in order to get it?
If not, we ought to re-evaluate how much we love God....
....do we love God enough to do anything in order to inherit eternal life with Him?
Do we love God enough in order to follow Jesus into the back-alleys and worn-out buildings of our city in
order to reach the lost for Christ?
How many of us are planning on participating in Harvest 2002?
Let’s not get tricked by the master trickster himself--Satan-- remember: “Once again, the kingdom of
heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the
fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw
the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from
the righteous and throw them inot the firey furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Now, after 7 years of hard work, there was a shocking interuption to Jacob’s joy!
Jacob had been deceived!
Jacob reaped exactly what he had sown back home among his father and brother!
On the wedding night, Jacob gets an unexpected wedding present--Rachel’s sister Leah!
How did Laban pull off such a scheme?
How was this possible?
How could Jacob not know?
Back in Jacob’s time, their was a custom of heavily veiling the bride on her wedding night.
After being heavily veiled, the bride was presented to the bridegroom after darkness had fallen.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Jacob discovers the trick Laban played on him only when the
morning came.
When Jacob woke up on the morning after his wedding with Leah rather than Rachel...
....he must have been more than a little surprised and upset!
A lot of men might have said, “Forget it! I’m not going to work another 7 years for Rachel,” and then
stormed off!
But Jacob loved her, and she alone was the prize that he sought!
What do we love the most?
What is the prize that we seek?
Remember our Gospel lesson: Jesus tells us, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine
pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Jesus doesn’t tell us how long or how hard we are going to have to search for that pearl.
Jacob kept his focus on the one he loved....
....not the 7 additional years of labor...
....not the injustice of his father-in law!
It can be so easy for us to become frustrated with the church and just quit.
The world is literally littered with Christians who have given up the faith when obstacles have gotten in
their way.
If we focus on the the expectations we have from others...we will definitely be disappointed at some
point in our Christian journey.
If we focus on the promises of God....we will finish the race and obtain the prize!
Now, Jacob kept Leah...even after he was able to finally marry Rachel....
....and Leah became the mother of Jacob’s first four sons--which includes Levi and Judah who is the
ancestor of David and his royal line, and ultimately of Jesus Christ....our Savior and Lord!
It’s amazing how things work out for those who love God and are called according to His purpose!
Jacob began his life as a deceitful trickster....
...he had been on the run for his life....
...but God had mercy on him....
...and God revealed Himself to Him....
....and God gave Jacob a new life!
And Jacob kept the promise he had made with God....
...even when the going got rough....
...Jacob was able to keep his focus on God...
...and his faith in God!
After Jacob saw God’s Stairway to Heaven, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not
aware of it.”
He would never forget that experience....
....he would never forget that God is with Him at all times....
....through the tough times as well as the good times!
This is exactly what we all must remember!
Thanks be to God!
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, in You we are able to find our true treasure! Why do we strive
after that which is clay, rather than eternity? Free us from the pursuit of that which glitters, so
that we might obtain the treasure of Your kingdom, which is hidden in You. Amen.
