Daily Readings - Tue Feb 01 2022
2 Samuel
9And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great terebinth, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.10And a certain man saw it and told Joab, "Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."11Joab said to the man who told him, "What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt."12But the man said to Joab, "Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king's son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'For my sake protect the young man Absalom.'13On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof."14Joab said, "I will not waste time like this with you." And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak.15And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.16Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them.17And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home.18Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance." He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom's monument to this day.19Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Let me run and carry news to the king that the LORD has delivered him from the hand of his enemies."20And Joab said to him, "You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead."21Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran.22Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, "Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite." And Joab said, "Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?"23"Come what may," he said, "I will run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.24Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone.25The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." And he drew nearer and nearer.26The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, "See, another man running alone!" The king said, "He also brings news."27The watchman said, "I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." And the king said, "He is a good man and comes with good news."28Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, "All is well." And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king."29And the king said, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was."30And the king said, "Turn aside and stand here." So he turned aside and stood still.31And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, "Good news for my lord the king! For the LORD has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you."32The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man."33And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
1It was told Joab, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom."2So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, "The king is grieving for his son."3And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.
Mark
21And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.22Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet23and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live."24And he went with him.And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.25And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,26and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.27She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.28For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well."29And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.30And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"31And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'"32And he looked around to see who had done it.33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.34And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."35While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"36But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."37And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.38They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.39And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping."40And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was.41Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."42And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.43And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Sermon
The readings today present us with two powerful stories of human suffering, loss, and the transformative power of faith. In the first reading from 2 Samuel, we witness the tragic end of Absalom, the rebellious son of King David. Absalom’s death, caught in the oak tree and struck down by Joab, is a moment of profound grief for David. His anguished cry, "My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! Who can grant me that I may die for you?" reveals the depth of a father’s love and the pain of loss. This story reminds us that sin and rebellion against God and others have consequences, but it also shows the complexity of human relationships and the enduring love of a parent for a child, even in the face of great wrongdoing.
In the Gospel, Mark presents two miracles that highlight the power of faith and the compassion of Jesus. Jairus, a synagogue ruler, pleads with Jesus to save his dying daughter, while a woman suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years secretly touches Jesus’ garment, believing that even this small act of faith will bring her healing. Jesus honors both their faith: he heals the woman immediately and raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead, demonstrating his authority over life and death. These miracles remind us that Jesus is the source of all healing—both physical and spiritual—and that faith, even in the smallest or most desperate moments, can lead to profound transformation.
These readings are deeply connected. Both stories deal with suffering and death, but they also reveal the possibility of hope and restoration. In the first reading, David’s grief is a reminder of the brokenness of the world, but in the Gospel, Jesus offers a different narrative: one of healing, restoration, and the ultimate triumph over death. For us today, these readings invite us to reflect on how we respond to suffering and loss. Do we, like David, allow ourselves to be consumed by grief, or do we, like Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage, turn to Jesus with faith, trusting in his power to heal and restore? Let us bring our own struggles and sorrows to Jesus, knowing that he is always near, ready to touch our lives with his grace and mercy.