Daily Readings - Fri Jan 14 2022
1 Samuel
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,5And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.6But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.7And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.10And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.11And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.12And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.13And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.15And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.16And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.17He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.18And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.19Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;20That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.22And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
Mark
1And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.2And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.3And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.4And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.5When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.6But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,7Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?8And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?9Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?10But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)11I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.12And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Sermon
The first reading from 1 Samuel and the Gospel of Mark present us with two distinct yet interconnected moments of human struggle and divine intervention. In 1 Samuel, the Israelites demand a king, rejecting God’s direct rule over them. Samuel, though troubled by their request, relays God’s warning about the burdens of earthly kingship, but the people persist, desiring to be "like other nations." This passage highlights humanity’s tendency to seek solutions in human power rather than trusting in God’s providence. In contrast, the Gospel of Mark shows Jesus, the true King, exercising His divine authority not to dominate but to heal and forgive. When four men bring a paralytic to Jesus, their faith moves Him to first forgive the man’s sins and then heal his body, demonstrating that true kingship is rooted in mercy, compassion, and the restoration of wholeness.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with authority and power. The Israelites’ demand for a king reveals a desire for control and security through human means, while Jesus’ actions in Mark reveal a different kind of authority—one that serves, forgives, and restores. This contrast challenges us to examine where we place our trust. Do we, like the Israelites, seek solutions in earthly power, or do we turn to God, who alone can truly set us free? The paralytic’s healing reminds us that our ultimate liberation comes not from human structures but from God’s grace and mercy.
In our daily lives, we face choices about where to place our trust. Like the Israelites, we may be tempted to rely on earthly solutions to our problems, whether in politics, wealth, or other forms of human power. But the Gospel calls us to a different way: to trust in God’s plan, to seek His forgiveness, and to live with faith and humility. Let us ask ourselves: Are we like the scribes, questioning God’s ways, or are we like the four men who carried the paralytic, persistent in faith and willing to go to great lengths to bring others to Jesus? May we learn to surrender our need for control and instead embrace the transformative power of God’s love and forgiveness.