Daily Readings - Sun Mar 04 2018
Exodus
1And God spoke all these words, saying,2"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.3"You shall have no other gods before me.7"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.8"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.12"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.13"You shall not murder.14"You shall not commit adultery.15"You shall not steal.16"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.17"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."
1 Corinthians
18For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.22For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
John
13The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.15And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.16And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."17His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."18So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?"19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."20The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"21But he was speaking about the temple of his body.22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.24But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people25and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
Sermon
In today's readings, we journey through key moments of God's revelation and the fulfillment of His plan. The first reading from Exodus presents the Ten Commandments, foundational moral laws given to the Israelites after their liberation from Egypt. These commandments serve as a guide for living a righteous life, reflecting God's will for His people.
The second reading from Corinthians shifts our focus to the crucified Christ, where Paul emphasizes that the cross, though foolish to some, is the pinnacle of God's wisdom. This passage highlights the transformative power of the cross, which transcends human understanding and offers salvation to those who embrace it.
In the Gospel, Jesus cleanses the temple, asserting its sanctity as a house of prayer, not commerce. His prophecy about raising the temple in three days points to his resurrection, symbolizing Himself as the new temple where God's presence dwells. This act underscores Jesus' divine authority and the fulfillment of the law He came to embody.
These readings interconnect by moving from the moral foundation of the Ten Commandments to the wisdom of the cross and culminating in Jesus as the living temple. They invite us to reflect on our values, trust in God's wisdom, and recognize Christ's presence in our lives. May we strive to live according to God's commandments, find wisdom in the cross, and acknowledge Jesus as our spiritual temple, trusting in His divine plan.