Abram had just had a son, Ishmael. This son was not born of his wife, Sarai. But in today’s first reading from Genesis 17, God tells Abraham that his wife, Sarah, (notice the name changes) will bear him a son. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading today, Jesus comes down off the mountain after delivering the Sermon on the Mount, and is approached by a leper. He asks for a healing, and Jesus heals him.
Abraham and Sarah were quite old. In fact, when God told Abraham that Sarah would bear him a son, Abraham laughed. He must have thought it hilarious that, at the age of 100, with his wife now 90, they would be having a little boy. God obviously got the joke. He told Abraham that the boy would be called Isaac. In Hebrew, Isaac means “laughter.” A hundred year-old dad and a ninety year-old mom? What a hoot!
I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “God has a great sense of humor.” How true, huh? I’m sure this is why Abraham laughed when told that he and Sarah would have a child. Laughing at God’s sense of humor. I know that I have done that countless times in my life. I find myself in a situation and ask, “Lord, how in the world did I get here?!” And then I realize that God had it all planned out from the get-go. And I laugh. Not so much at God, but at how silly I was not to see His hand at work in the first place. When you find yourself in a similar situation, go ahead and laugh at God. He gets it!
Father, we thank you for having such a great sense of humor. For using us in situations that we would never dream of. Keep it up. Lord…it keeps life interesting! Amen.
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