Daily Readings - Fri Aug 02 2019
Leviticus
1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,4"These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.5In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD's Passover.6And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.7On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.8But you shall present a food offering to the LORD for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work."9And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,10"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest,11and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.15"You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering.16You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.27"Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD.34"Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the LORD.35On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.36For seven days you shall present food offerings to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.37"These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day,
Matthew
54and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?55Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household."58And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
Sermon
The first reading from Leviticus describes the sacred feasts of the Israelites, which were not just cultural traditions but deeply spiritual practices. These feasts—such as the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Tabernacles—were instituted by God to remind the people of His mighty acts of salvation and to draw them into a deeper relationship with Him. They were times of celebration, sacrifice, and renewal, rooted in the history of Israel’s deliverance and covenant with God. The feasts also pointed forward, in a way, to the ultimate sacrifice and salvation that would come through Christ.
In the Gospel, we see Jesus returning to His hometown of Nazareth, where He teaches in the synagogue. The people are amazed by His wisdom and power, yet they are also scandalized because they know Him as the son of a carpenter. Their familiarity with Jesus leads to unbelief, and as a result, He is unable to perform many miracles there. Jesus responds by saying that a prophet is not honored in his own house—a reminder that faith often falters in the face of familiarity or comfort.
These readings remind us that faith requires us to move beyond our limited perspectives and to trust in God’s presence and plan, even when it seems ordinary or unexpected. The feasts in Leviticus call us to remember God’s saving acts and to live in gratitude and awe. Similarly, the Gospel challenges us to avoid the kind of unbelief that comes from thinking we already know God or that He cannot work in our lives in new and surprising ways. Let us ask for the grace to cultivate a deeper faith, to see God’s hand at work in our lives, and to trust in His providence, even when it seems closest to home.