Daily Readings - Fri Jul 19 2019
Exodus
10Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,2"This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.3Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household.4And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,6and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.7"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.8They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.9Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts.10And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.11In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover.12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.13The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.14"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
Matthew
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."3He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him:4how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?5Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?6I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.7And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.8For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of liberation, faith, and the living nature of God’s relationship with humanity. In the first reading from Exodus, we hear the story of the Passover, a pivotal moment in Israel’s history. The Israelites, preparing for their liberation from Egypt, are instructed to mark their homes with the blood of the lamb so that the angel of death will "pass over" their households. This act of faith and obedience is not just a ritual; it is a profound trust in God’s promise of deliverance. The Passover becomes a sacred memory, a reminder of God’s saving action and the foundation of Israel’s identity as a people chosen and freed by God.
In the Gospel, Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ rigid understanding of the Sabbath. While they focus on the letter of the law, Jesus emphasizes its spirit. He reminds them that the Sabbath was made for humanity, not the other way around, and that mercy and compassion should guide our actions. Jesus’ defense of his disciples’ actions points to a deeper truth: faith is not about following rules without understanding, but about living in relationship with God and responding to human needs with love.
These readings are connected by the theme of liberation and the call to trust in God’s plan. The Passover in Exodus prefigures the ultimate liberation brought by Christ, who is the true Lamb of God. Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath, meanwhile, invites us to live our faith with freedom and joy, prioritizing love and mercy over legalism. In our daily lives, we are called to remember that our faith is not a set of rigid rules but a living relationship with God. Like the Israelites, we must trust in God’s promises and, like Jesus, we must be willing to challenge structures that no longer serve the greater good. May we embrace the freedom and joy that come from following God’s will, and may our actions always reflect the mercy and love that Christ embodies.