THEOSISHippolytus of Rome
Rebekah, symbolizing the Church, had already anticipated that the forthcoming events would unfold through her youngest son. She instructed him, "Go to the flock and fetch for me two young and good goats." Esau is seen as a sojourner in the world, while Jacob is directed to the flock, fulfilling the Lord's declaration that He was sent solely to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). Furthermore, when she requested, "Take for me from there two goats, young and good," it highlights two designations introduced by the Gospel: humanity was initially akin to 'goats' because we all sinned; we become 'young and good' through our obedience and justification by faith in Christ.
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No longer are we regarded as condemned 'goats,' but rather as a flock, creating a 'pleasing aroma' (Genesis 8:21), offered to God as a holy sacrifice, and readied as spiritual sustenance for the Word-Christ, who similarly promises His disciples in the Gospel, "I have food that you do not know" (John 4:32).
In essence, Rebekah, embodying the Church, had already foreshadowed what was to be achieved through her youngest son. She urged him, "Go find two gentle and good goats from the flock." Esau ventures into the field as an outsider in this world, whereas Jacob is sent to the flock to fulfill the Lord's words: "I am sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). Rebekah's words, "Take me from the flock two gentle and good goats," signify two callings inherent in the Gospel. Indeed, though we have been likened to goats from the beginning (as we have all sinned), through obedience and faith in Christ, we become gentle and good. We are no longer condemned as goats (Matthew 25:32) but are transformed into sheep. Through a holy sacrifice, we are presented to God as a pleasing aroma (Ephesians 5:2) and prepared as spiritual nourishment for the Word, which, in a similar manner, tells His disciples, "I have food that you do not know" (John 4:32).