Daily Readings - Fri Jul 18 2025
Exodus
10Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,2"This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.3Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household.4And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,6and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.7"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.8They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.9Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts.10And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.11In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover.12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.13The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.14"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
Matthew
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."3He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him:4how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?5Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?6I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.7And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.8For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the interplay between faith, mercy, and the laws that guide us. In the first reading from Exodus, we hear the story of the Passover, a pivotal moment in Israel’s history. God instructs Moses and Aaron to prepare the people for their liberation by marking their homes with the blood of a lamb, so that the angel of death will "pass over" their households. This rite is not just a ritual; it is a profound act of faith and obedience, trusting in God’s promise of deliverance. The Passover becomes a sacred memory, a feast to be celebrated for generations, reminding Israel of God’s mercy and their identity as a people set free.
In the Gospel, Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ rigid understanding of the Sabbath. While the Pharisees focus on the letter of the law, Jesus emphasizes its spirit. He reminds them that David and the priests were justified in breaking the law when necessity required it, and he declares himself "Lord of the Sabbath." This exchange highlights the tension between law and mercy, structure and compassion. Jesus is not dismissing the law but deepening its meaning: the law was made for humanity, not humanity for the law. True faith is not about external observance but about responding to the needs of others with love and understanding.
These readings remind us that our faith is not a set of rigid rules but a living relationship with God. Like the Israelites, we are called to trust in God’s mercy and to remember the ways He has delivered us. Like Jesus, we are called to see beyond the surface of rules and regulations to the deeper truth of love and compassion. In our daily lives, this means being open to moments when the law must yield to human need, and when our faith must express itself in acts of mercy and kindness. Let us ask ourselves: How can we, like the Passover lamb, be a sign of God’s mercy to others? How can we, like Jesus, bring freedom and healing to those around us?