Daily Readings - Fri Jul 19 2019
Exodus
10Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,2"This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.3Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.4If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.5The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.6Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.7Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.8That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.9Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire-head, legs and inner parts.10Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.11This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.12"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn-both men and animals-and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.13The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.14"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD -a lasting ordinance.
Matthew
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."3He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.5Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent?6I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.7If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of liberation, faith, and the living nature of God’s relationship with humanity. In the first reading from Exodus, we hear the story of the Passover, a pivotal moment in Israel’s history. The Israelites, preparing for their liberation from Egypt, are instructed to mark their homes with the blood of the lamb so that the angel of death will "pass over" their households. This act of faith and obedience is not just a ritual; it is a profound trust in God’s promise of deliverance. The Passover becomes a sacred memory, a reminder of God’s saving action and the foundation of Israel’s identity as a people chosen and freed by God.
In the Gospel, Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ rigid understanding of the Sabbath. While they focus on the letter of the law, Jesus emphasizes its spirit. He reminds them that the Sabbath was made for humanity, not the other way around, and that mercy and compassion should guide our actions. Jesus’ defense of his disciples’ actions points to a deeper truth: faith is not about following rules without understanding, but about living in relationship with God and responding to human needs with love.
These readings are connected by the theme of liberation and the call to trust in God’s plan. The Passover in Exodus prefigures the ultimate liberation brought by Christ, who is the true Lamb of God. Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath, meanwhile, invites us to live our faith with freedom and joy, prioritizing love and mercy over legalism. In our daily lives, we are called to remember that our faith is not a set of rigid rules but a living relationship with God. Like the Israelites, we must trust in God’s promises and, like Jesus, we must be willing to challenge structures that no longer serve the greater good. May we embrace the freedom and joy that come from following God’s will, and may our actions always reflect the mercy and love that Christ embodies.