Daily Readings - Mon Jun 22 2020
2 Kings
5Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.6In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.7For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,8And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.13Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.14Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.15And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.18Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
Matthew
1Judge not, that ye be not judged.2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of sin, judgment, and humility. In the first reading from 2 Kings, we witness the fall of Israel and their exile into Assyria. This narrative serves as a theological explanation for their conquest, highlighting their turning away from God towards idolatry and disobedience. The consequences of their actions are clear: exile and separation from the covenant. This historical account underscores the importance of faithfulness and the repercussions of neglecting divine guidance.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches us about the dangers of hypocrisy in judgment. He admonishes us not to judge others lest we be judged, using the vivid metaphor of removing the plank from our own eye before addressing the splinter in another's. This teaching, part of the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizes the need for self-reflection and humility in our interactions with others.
Both readings connect through the themes of sin and judgment. While 2 Kings illustrates the collective judgment of a nation for its sins, Matthew focuses on individual judgment and the hypocrisy of condemning others while ignoring our own faults. This duality reminds us that recognizing our own shortcomings is essential before we can address those of others. In our daily lives, this teaches us to approach others with compassion and humility, fostering healthier relationships and communities. The moral lesson here is clear: true wisdom lies in self-awareness and humility, guiding us to lead by example rather than judgment.