Jacob: Life of a Disciple

Many Old Testament stories herald the kind of heroes we want to look up to and emulate. David the defeater of Goliath, Joshua the brave voyager, Elijah the voice of power, Esther the national defender. Jacob’s story, however, is not this story. And thank God for that! His life traverses the depths of what it means to be human: the struggles, the failures, the sin. His own name, Jacob, which mean deceiver, or better yet, the “tripper-upper” of anything he can get his hands on, reveals a side we all know too well. However, while Jacob “lives-down” to his name, God lives up to His. In the messiness of real life, we see a God who persistently, patiently, lovingly pursues Jacob in his self-dug grave, to bring about a transformation we all desire to see in our own lives. Taking a good step back, we realize Jacob’s story is our story. It’s the raw honesty of the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, trials and failures of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. It’s a picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus, where our brokenness and His transforming grace walk hand in hand.