Yo' Mama

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted alegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written,

                                                 "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
                                                        break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
                                                   For the children of the desolate one 
                                                       will be more than those of the one who has a husband."

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise....So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.--Galatians 4:21-31

You can tell when I am quoting scripture that is quoting scripture that this might be a long post. But it's only appropriate for Mother's Day. I know my mother would expect nothing less. (After all, she might be the one and only fan of this blog. Holla, Mom!)

I was praying for someone the other day that he would realize that he is a favored son of God, and that God would give him a "coat of many colors." It seemed a random image, so I started thinking about Joseph (of Genesis, not Matthew, fame). He was the favorite son of his father, Jacob--alias: Israel, through whom "all the nations of the world" were blessed in Christ Jesus (Genesis 28:14).

Joseph's father gave him a magnificent coat. His brothers were so jealous of him and so annoyed by his confidence in his authority that they sold him to Egypt as a slave. But of course, he was so favored that this turned around for his good, and he became the right-hand man of Pharoah, basically second in command over the entire land of Egypt.

But let's back up a bit. If you remember the story of Jacob, you will recall that he had two wives, Leah and Rachel. (Skip back to Genesis 29 if you need a refresher.) To make this ill-advised polygamy more complicated, his two wives were sisters....and his cousins. (That's a daytime drama waiting to happen. Or perhaps a reality show.)

To make matters even more intriguing, the only reason Jacob had two wives was because his uncle Laban (their father) tricked him into marrying Leah first, because she was older than Rachel, when in fact Rachel was the only one he loved. And to make matters even more intriguing, Leah bore Jacob children while Rachel was barren. Needless to say, in a day when a woman's children determined her worth, this caused a LOT of family drama.

Jacob eventually ended up with four wives, because Leah and Rachel's idea of competition was to also give their handmaidens to him to bear children on their behalf. It was like an epic race to see who could bear the most children the fastest. Talk about messed up. I'm just glad they didn't celebrate Mother's Day, because that probably would have been the source of some family tension, to say the least.

As mentioned in my Galatians reference above, Jacob's grandfather Abraham also had a son by his wife and a son by a slave woman.  I think we all remember how that went. <#it'safamilyaffair #BabyMamaDrama> (Again, polygamy: so many problems.) Abraham's son Ishmael was rejected in favor of his son Isaac. The illegitimate versus legitimate son is a recurring theme in scripture, and there's a reason for that.

We, as followers of God's own Son, are favored children. The thing is, Jacob loved Rachel even when she didn't bear him children. So, when she did, that son became his favorite. Joseph was the creation of genuine love between his parents (in spite of the drama his mom caused).  Like Joseph, we as believers are adorned in beautiful robes of righteousness (hopefully technicolor, maybe with sequins) that have been given to us by our Father. We walk in such divine favor that someone could throw us into a pit and sell us into slavery, and we would still end up a prince over a nation. (Whatever form that takes...I'm not a fan of moving to Egypt myself.) Authority is promised to us through Jesus Christ.

There's a reason why Jacob gave his son a coat of "many colors." The rainbow symbolizes God's promise not to pour (literally, since it appeared after a flood) His wrath upon mankind. Joseph was a child of promise, and so are we. The problem occurs when we fail to believe it.

"And Leah conceived and bore a son," the Bible says, "and she called his name Reuben, for she said, 'Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me'" (Genesis 29:32).

Many members of the Bride of Christ feel obligated to please our husband in order to earn his favor and love. "Because I did this good work, and because I didn't do this bad work, now my husband will love me." I think many of us believe we are Leah's children, at best ignored by or displeasing to our Father, at worst rejected and despised by Him. We are afraid that, like Jacob, when He looks at us, He sees only a mistake.

"Oh," many of us say, "that Joseph kind of favor is only for super-spiritual people, you know, people who read the Bible all the time and wake up early to pray. I'm just a sinner saved by grace."

If you're going around saying you're a "sinner saved by grace," you don't understand what grace is. It means that you WERE a sinner, and now you are NOT. It means that you WERE a slave, and now you're a SON. While reading the Bible and praying is essential, it's not going to earn you favor with God. It can't. Nothing can except the beloved firstborn son of God, Jesus Christ--and He already did. Reading your Bible, praying, going to church, witnessing, walking in joy and freedom are not works that we do to earn the favor of God; they're only a manifestation of a revelation of your righteousness in Christ. They're evidence that you have no fear approaching your Father and spending time in His presence because you know how beloved you are to Him. You're Rachel and Joseph: not only beloved, but positioned to inherit a kingdom.

I read a story of a man who was a missionary in a poverty-stricken country and was so poor himself and so unwilling to ask for help that his own children were starving. Now, I don't know him personally, so I'm making a generalization, but it seems to me like this man was an Ishmael, a Leah--believing, to an extreme, that he had to perform to earn God's favor, and refusing to ask his Father for the help he needed as a son. I am sad to think about all the miracles he--and many others like him--miss out on because they refuse to ask boldly for their inheritance. Yet, in the church, we applaud that type of "sacrifice." If you read the Bible closely, however, it's not "sacrifice" God desires, but mercy, aka real, humble love (Matthew 9:13--another scripture quoting scripture--I'm on a roll!). For us to abuse ourselves like slaves when we are legitimate, honored, and worthy sons is not just sick, it's insulting to God.

I am willing to bet that all of you have a key to your parents' house. How would your mother feel if you came all the way there, then set up camp in the front yard in a pitiful pop-tent with a sleeping bag and a can of beans and refused to come inside? How ridiculous would it be for you to say, "I know you love me more out here, since I haven't called you since Tuesday, and, ooops, I forgot to send you a birthday card"?

Conversely, how ridiculous would it be if you walked into your father's house and said, "Wazzup, Dad? Since I did the dishes and vacuumed the floor, I now feel worthy to partake of the contents of your fridge. I know you wouldn't have fed me unless I did something to deserve it."

No, in reality, you know you're walking straight into your parents' house and chugging milk right out of the carton. (Don't lie.)

Sadly, these ridiculous examples are closer to the truth for some people than they are for me, but they can still help us imagine how silly our attitudes are towards God, if we are really and truly His sons and daughters.

If we were slaves, yes, those attitudes would be on point. But we are not. "And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God" (Galatians 4:6-7).

It can't get any more plain than that. You are the children of Sarah, of Rachel. They are yo' mama. You are children of promise. I don't care what you did last week. The inheritance, says Paul, comes by promise, not by the Law (Galatians 3:18).

"Well," some of you say, eyebrow raised, "what about the Law? Shouldn't we always try to do the right thing?"

The Galatians asked Paul the same question. His reply?

"Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe" (3:21-22).

The Law is Jesus Christ. He fulfilled Himself, and then gave us the right to His inheritance through Himself.

#mindblown

You're an adopted child of God, and He has changed your DNA. If you spend time with Him in His Word and realize who He is and who you are, your behavior will begin to manifest who you already are in Jesus. Your sin problem will take care of itself. (Check out Galatians 5:16-18 if you don't believe me. Just go read it before I start preaching about that.)

I want to close (yes, finally close) with the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). Actually, BOTH sons were favored; but the elder son didn't believe it. As a result, he ignored all the blessings right under his nose and chose to grump about his no-good spoiled brother receiving the golden ring, robe, and fattened calf--which he, b-t-dub, had never asked for. He had a Leah mentality, confused that his behavior didn't yield his desired results, when in fact our inheritance has nothing to do with us and only to do with who our Father is and how much He loves us.

While being honest with ourselves about sin is an essential part of our walk with the Holy Spirit, it is of the most crucial importance to always remember this little truth (which we should probably all tattoo on our foreheads): it's not about you.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15)

Our Father is as much a better father to us as Jesus is a better husband to His Bride than Jacob was to Leah. We do not have to fear rejection. We will never be illegitimate again, for God keeps His promises. Let that truth sink into every crevice of your heart and manifest in every thought, word, and action in your life.

Wink at yourself in the mirror, because you look good in that rainbow coat.