And here we have the humanity we know: Somehow we have come to believe that if we are wronged, it is perfectly acceptable to react and retaliate with violence. Make no mistake: what Simeon and Levi do is wrong in God's eyes. We know humanity is, once again, going down the wrong path because when God has Jacob leave the area, Jacob has to tell his household to "Put away the foreign gods that are among you." Idolatry. Worshipping false gods. Unfortunately, this seems to be the story of humanity and it never ends well; it always alienates us from God. So, they start anew---Jacob is even renamed Israel--which means "He has striven with God" or "he has been saved by God" (depending on how one translates the verb). And with this new start, God reminds Israel of who they are in relationship with: God Almighty. And God restates the covenantal promise. This is a trait of God we should remember---God allows us, encourages us, and supports us so that we can start over. When we mess up, God's gracious love provides for a new beginning. "The promises of the LORD are promises that are pure." (Psalm 12:6)--God keeps God's promises.
"...something greater than the temple is here." (Matthew 12:6)--Something greater than the rituals and ceremonies we keep. Something greater than keeping the exact letter of the Law. God is not looking for us to keep the Law without mistake. God is not looking that we do liturgy with perfection. God is not interested in how low we bow or how often we kneel. These things: the Law, our liturgies, our worship, our rituals, our bodily actions in prayer----these are all here in order to aid our transformation...our sanctification. If we worship and pray, if we follow the Law to the last little detail, and yet our hearts are not changed......then we make idle sacrifices. God desires mercy, not empty actions. God desires changed hearts and minds and spirits, not rituals without love, forgiveness and grace.
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