Daily Readings - Wed Mar 24 2021
Daniel
13Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king.14Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?15Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?"16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.17If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.18But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."19Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated.20And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
John
31So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."33They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?"34Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.35The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.37I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.38I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."39They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did,40but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.41You are doing what your father did." They said to him, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father--even God."42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but He sent me.
Sermon
The readings today present powerful narratives of faith, freedom, and the transformative power of God. In the first reading, we hear the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three young men who refuse to worship the golden statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar. Despite the king's fury and the threat of being cast into a fiery furnace, they remain steadfast in their faith, trusting that God will deliver them. Miraculously, they are saved, and the king himself comes to acknowledge the power of their God. This story reminds us of the enduring strength of faith in the face of adversity.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to the Jews who believed in him, offering a profound teaching about freedom. He says, "If you abide in my word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The Jews, however, resist this idea, clinging to their identity as descendants of Abraham and rejecting the notion of slavery. Jesus responds by highlighting the slavery of sin and the true freedom that comes through him. This exchange underscores the spiritual freedom that only God can offer, a freedom that transcends earthly identities and circumstances.
Both readings invite us to reflect on the nature of true freedom and the courage required to live by faith. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we are called to stand firm in our beliefs, even when the world around us demands compromise. And like the Jews in the Gospel, we must confront the ways in which sin can enslave us, trusting instead in the liberating power of Christ. May we seek to abide in God's truth, allowing it to set us free from all that binds us, and may we live with the courage and faith to follow Him, no matter the cost.