Daily Readings - Sun Mar 04 2018
First Reading - Exodus 20.1-3, 7-8, 12-17
Exodus
1And God spake all these words, saying,2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.7Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.12Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.13Thou shalt not kill.14Thou shalt not commit adultery.15Thou shalt not steal.16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.17Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 1.18, 22-25
1 Corinthians
18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Gospel - John 2.13-25
John
13And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,14And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:15And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;16And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.17And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.18Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?19Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.20Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?21But he spake of the temple of his body.22When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.24But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,25And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
Sermon
In today's readings, we journey through key moments of God's revelation and the fulfillment of His plan. The first reading from Exodus presents the Ten Commandments, foundational moral laws given to the Israelites after their liberation from Egypt. These commandments serve as a guide for living a righteous life, reflecting God's will for His people.
The second reading from Corinthians shifts our focus to the crucified Christ, where Paul emphasizes that the cross, though foolish to some, is the pinnacle of God's wisdom. This passage highlights the transformative power of the cross, which transcends human understanding and offers salvation to those who embrace it.
In the Gospel, Jesus cleanses the temple, asserting its sanctity as a house of prayer, not commerce. His prophecy about raising the temple in three days points to his resurrection, symbolizing Himself as the new temple where God's presence dwells. This act underscores Jesus' divine authority and the fulfillment of the law He came to embody.
These readings interconnect by moving from the moral foundation of the Ten Commandments to the wisdom of the cross and culminating in Jesus as the living temple. They invite us to reflect on our values, trust in God's wisdom, and recognize Christ's presence in our lives. May we strive to live according to God's commandments, find wisdom in the cross, and acknowledge Jesus as our spiritual temple, trusting in His divine plan.