Daily Readings - Wed Jan 29 2020
2 Samuel
1And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;2That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.3And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.4And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,5Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?6Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.7In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?8Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:9And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.10Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,11And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.12And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.13He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.14I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:15But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.16And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.17According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
Mark
1And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.2And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,3Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.10And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?14The sower soweth the word.15And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.16And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,19And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.20And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on God’s promises and our response to His Word. In the first reading from 2 Samuel, we hear Nathan’s prophetic message to King David, where God reveals that He will establish a house for David—a dynasty that will endure forever. This promise comes as David expresses his desire to build a temple for God, but God reverses the gesture, promising instead to build a lasting kingdom through David’s descendants. This passage is a pivotal moment in Israel’s history, as it points to the eventual coming of Jesus, the Messiah, who would fulfill this promise.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, which reminds us that God’s Word is sown in our hearts, but the fruit it bears depends on the soil—the condition of our hearts. Some hearts are like the path, where the Word is quickly snatched away; others are like rocky ground, where faith is shallow and fleeting; still others are like thorny soil, where worldly concerns choke the Word. But when the Word falls on good soil—open, receptive, and nurturing hearts—it bears abundant fruit. Jesus emphasizes that understanding this parable is key to grasping the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
These readings are deeply connected. The promise to David in 2 Samuel is fulfilled in Christ, who is the ultimate heir of David’s throne. Jesus, as the sower, scatters the Word, and we are called to be the good soil that receives it. In our daily lives, we must ask ourselves: What kind of soil are we? Do we allow the Word to take root in our hearts, or do we let distractions, fears, or worldly attachments prevent it from bearing fruit? The moral lesson is clear: faithfulness to God’s Word and openness to His grace are essential for living a fruitful and purposeful life. Let us strive to be the good soil, nurturing the Word and allowing it to transform us, so that we may bear fruit in abundance for the kingdom of God.