Commentary on the Gospel of
Playing Marbles with God
“Moses calmed the anger of Yahweh” and “Yahweh changed his mind.” Despite all the philosophical-theological debates about the immutability of God, the Scriptures present us with an image of God who not only moves us, but is moved by us. It is not just Moses, but we have Abraham and Yahweh talking to each other as if they had been friends for ages. We have Jacob wrestling with God, Jeremiah, complaining to God relentlessly, David singing and dancing around God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ words reveal such an intimacy with God that both the Father and the Son are eager to bear witness to each other. If we keep too much of a respectable distance from God, perhaps it is because we are not truly in touch with God’s word and His love in us, as Jesus complaints today. Maybe we should sit at the porch of God’s house and play marbles with him; then we may find ourselves ROFL with him.
