Daily Readings - Sun Mar 28 2021

⁴The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.⁵The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.⁶I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.⁷Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

Philippians

Chapter 2

⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Mark

Chapter 15

¹Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.²"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.³The chief priests accused him of many things.⁴So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."⁵But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.⁶Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested.⁷A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.⁸The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.⁹"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate,¹⁰knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.¹²"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.¹³"Crucify him!" they shouted.¹⁴"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"¹⁵Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.¹⁶The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.¹⁷They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.¹⁸And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"¹⁹Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.²⁰And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.²¹A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.²²They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).²³Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.²⁴And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.²⁵It was the third hour when they crucified him.²⁶The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.²⁷They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.²⁸Verse omitted from the New International Version²⁹Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,³⁰come down from the cross and save yourself!"³¹In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself!³²Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.³³At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.³⁴And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"³⁵When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."³⁶One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.³⁷With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.³⁸The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.³⁹And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter profound themes of humility, trust, and selfless love. The first reading from Isaiah presents a prophet who, despite suffering, remains steadfast in his trust in God, enduring hardships without turning back. This passage, part of the Suffering Servant songs, sets the stage for the ultimate Servant, Jesus Christ. The second reading from Philippians beautifully captures the essence of Christ's humility. He, who was divine, emptied himself to take on human form, obeying God's will even unto death. This hymn highlights the depths of Christ's love and the exaltation that followed his humility. The Gospel narrative from Mark vividly portrays Jesus's journey through betrayal, mockery, and crucifixion. Despite the injustice and pain, Jesus remains silent and endures, embodying the humility and trust spoken of in the earlier readings. His Passion is the fulfillment of the prophecies, showing how his self-giving love leads to redemption. These readings are intricately connected, with Isaiah foreshadowing Christ, Philippians explaining the theological significance of his actions, and the Gospel illustrating the culmination of his humility in his death. In our daily lives, these readings invite us to embrace humility and trust in God, especially during trials. Just as Jesus endured the cross, we can face our struggles with faith, knowing that true strength lies in humility. Let us strive to emulate Christ's selfless love in our relationships and challenges, trusting that our obedience and endurance will bring about a deeper connection with God. The moral lesson is clear: humility and trust in God, even in suffering, lead to redemption and exaltation, transforming our struggles into opportunities for growth and grace.