Daily Readings - Tue Jul 18 2023
Exodus
1Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.2The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.3When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.4And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.5Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.6When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."7Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"8And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother.9And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.10When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."11One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.12He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.13When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?"14He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known."15When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.
Matthew
20Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.21"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.22But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.24But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."
Sermon
The first reading from Exodus tells the story of Moses' early life, highlighting his mother's courage and faith as she hid him from Pharaoh's edict to kill all Hebrew male infants. She placed him in a basket and set him afloat on the Nile, where he was found by Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him. As Moses grew, he became aware of the suffering of his people and tried to intervene, but his impulsive actions led to conflict and forced him to flee to Midian. This narrative sets the stage for Moses' eventual calling as a leader and deliverer of his people.
The Gospel reading from Matthew presents Jesus rebuking cities that had witnessed many miracles but failed to repent. He laments that if such miracles had been performed in Tyre, Sidon, or Sodom, those places would have turned to God long ago. Jesus warns that on the day of judgment, these cities will be held accountable for their lack of response. This passage emphasizes the importance of recognizing and responding to God's grace and mercy in our lives.
Both readings remind us that God's grace and mercy are often met with either faithfulness or indifference. Moses' story shows how God can work through human weakness and failure to achieve His purposes, while Jesus' words in Matthew challenge us to examine our own response to the gifts and opportunities we have been given. May we, like Moses' mother, trust in God's providence, and may we, unlike the unrepentant cities, turn to Him with humility and gratitude.