Dying Jacob, full of years and lacking nothing in wealthy Egypt, gathers his sons and tells Judah of a ruler whose robe will be soaked in wine and whose eyes will be darker than wine (Genesis 49). This sermon reads that strange, poetic image as a record of a vast longing, the same one that returns in our myths, our songs and every era, including years of pandemic and of war across the eastern border. The promised King did come, yet his clothes were dusty from the road rather than stained with wine, until a certain wedding in Cana (John 2). Listen if, in a world where you have almost everything, something is still missing.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Jacob lived in plenty in Egypt for 17 years, yet before his death he speaks of someone still to come. What in Genesis 49:8-12 shows what he truly longed for?
- How do you understand the picture of a ruler who ties his donkey to a vine and washes his garments in wine? What does this poetry say about the reality the promised king will bring?
- The sermon says we have almost everything and yet we keep longing for something. What do you long for most, and why can neither prosperity nor technology satisfy it?
- Why do you think it was so hard to recognize the king Jacob foretold in a carpenter's son whose clothes were dusty from the road?
- What does turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee tell you about who Jesus is and what kind of kingdom He brings?
- This week, how can you bring one specific longing to Jesus, such as for acceptance, closeness or peace, instead of trying to satisfy it somewhere else?
