Daily Readings - Fri Jun 28 2024
2 Kings
1And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.2And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.3And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.4And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.5And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.6So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.7And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.8And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:9And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.10And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.11Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.12But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.
Matthew
1When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.2And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.4And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Sermon
The readings today present two starkly different scenes: one of destruction and exile, and another of healing and restoration. In the first reading from 2 Kings, we witness the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the exile of the people. This is a moment of profound sorrow and loss, the culmination of a long history of infidelity and rebellion against God. The city lies in ruins, the Temple is burned, and the people are carried off to Babylon. Yet even in the midst of this devastation, there is a glimmer of hope: some of the poor are left behind, suggesting that God does not abandon His people entirely.
In the Gospel, we see a very different kind of power at work. Jesus, who has just finished teaching the Beatitudes on the mountain, encounters a leper who cries out for healing. The leper acknowledges Jesus' power but also expresses humility, saying, "If you are willing, you are able to cleanse me." Jesus' response is immediate and compassionate: He touches the leper and says, "I am willing. Be cleansed." This act of healing is not only a physical restoration but also a spiritual one, as it restores the leper to community and wholeness.
These readings remind us that God's ways are not our ways. While the destruction of Jerusalem might seem like the end, it is also a call to repentance and renewal. Similarly, the healing of the leper shows us that even in the midst of suffering, God's mercy and love are always available. In our own lives, we are called to trust in God's plan, even when it is difficult to understand. Let us ask for the humility and faith of the leper, and let us remember that God's power is always at work, even in the darkest of times.