Daily Readings - Fri Jun 28 2024
2 Kings
1And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.2So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.3On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.4Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, though the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah.5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.6Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him.7They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.8In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month--that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon--Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.9And he burned the house of the LORD and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.10And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.11And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile.12But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.
Matthew
1When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.2And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."3And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.4And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them."
Sermon
The readings today present two starkly different scenes: one of destruction and exile, and another of healing and restoration. In the first reading from 2 Kings, we witness the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the exile of the people. This is a moment of profound sorrow and loss, the culmination of a long history of infidelity and rebellion against God. The city lies in ruins, the Temple is burned, and the people are carried off to Babylon. Yet even in the midst of this devastation, there is a glimmer of hope: some of the poor are left behind, suggesting that God does not abandon His people entirely.
In the Gospel, we see a very different kind of power at work. Jesus, who has just finished teaching the Beatitudes on the mountain, encounters a leper who cries out for healing. The leper acknowledges Jesus' power but also expresses humility, saying, "If you are willing, you are able to cleanse me." Jesus' response is immediate and compassionate: He touches the leper and says, "I am willing. Be cleansed." This act of healing is not only a physical restoration but also a spiritual one, as it restores the leper to community and wholeness.
These readings remind us that God's ways are not our ways. While the destruction of Jerusalem might seem like the end, it is also a call to repentance and renewal. Similarly, the healing of the leper shows us that even in the midst of suffering, God's mercy and love are always available. In our own lives, we are called to trust in God's plan, even when it is difficult to understand. Let us ask for the humility and faith of the leper, and let us remember that God's power is always at work, even in the darkest of times.