Genesis 30:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“After, it is said, when Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, ‘Let me go, and I will go to my own place, and to my own land; give up my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee.’” Observe the noble character of this righteous man: recognizing God’s evident favor upon him, he remained humble before Laban and spoke with utmost meekness, saying, “Let me go, and I will go.” Indeed, nothing surpasses the strength of meekness; it is the most potent force there is.

The Jewish synagogue was then producing lawless individuals in bondage. Yet, Christ had not openly acknowledged His own dwelling place, for the temple built by Solomon did not truly satisfy Him. He admonished the Jews, who took pride in that temple, by declaring, "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where shall ye build a house for Me, and where is My resting-place?" (Isaiah 66:1). Moreover, Israel was not a suitable dwelling for God, as He did not reside within them. However, when the Church of the Gentiles began to flourish and give rise to a new nation, the Savior began to establish a home for Himself. What is this house? It is us, the believers, of whom God proclaims through the prophet, "I will place My law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:33) (cf. Hebrews 10:16). He resides within us by His Spirit, as I mentioned earlier, having no dwelling among the people of Israel. The wise John elucidates that those who lived before Christ's coming did not receive the Spirit in the same manner we do, affirming, "For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:39). Upon rising from the dead and transforming human nature into the Divine likeness, He breathed the Spirit into the first Apostles, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn. 20:22). The Apostle Paul further elucidates this, stating, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, 'Abba, Father'" (Rom. 8:15). Thus, the spirit of servitude was present in Israel, but among us, the descendants of Rachel—the Gentile Church—resides the Spirit of God that grants us sonship, forming us into a spiritual temple. For those descended from Rachel, whose eyes were beautiful and captivating, are indeed free, contrasted with Leah, whose eyes were less appealing, reflecting the synagogue of the Jews' lack of clarity. The wise Paul affirms this, stating, "To this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies upon their heart; nevertheless, when they turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:15-18). Can you see how, with enlightened eyes and a unveiled face, we contemplate the Lord's glory? Indeed, as I noted recently, Rachel's eyes shone brightly. Thus, once the younger Rachel bore Joseph, Jacob's eagerness to return home increased.