Daily Readings - Sat Apr 01 2023
Ezekiel
21and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.22I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.23They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.24"'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.25They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.26I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever.27My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.28Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.'"
John
45Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.46But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.47Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.48"What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."49Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all!50You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."51He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,52and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.53So from that day on they plotted to take his life.54Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.55When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.56They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, "What do you think? Isn't he coming to the Feast at all?"57But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful themes of divine providence, unity, and the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. The first reading from Ezekiel paints a vivid picture of God’s promise to restore Israel, gathering the scattered people into one nation under the shepherdship of King David. This vision, born out of the despair of exile, offers hope and renewal, emphasizing God’s enduring covenant with His people. The second reading from John’s Gospel shifts our focus to the escalating tension surrounding Jesus. The raising of Lazarus, a miraculous sign of Jesus’ divine authority, prompts the Pharisees and high priests to conspire against Him, fearing the loss of their power and Roman intervention. Caiaphas, in a prophetic statement, unwittingly foretells Jesus’ sacrificial death for the nation, a death that would ultimately unite not just Israel, but all of God’s children.
The connection between these readings is profound. Ezekiel’s vision of a unified Israel under God’s shepherd finds its fulfillment in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for His flock. Just as Ezekiel’s prophecy speaks of a new covenant and a sanctuary in the midst of God’s people, Jesus’ death and resurrection establish a new and eternal covenant, making His dwelling place in the hearts of believers. The Pharisees’ fear of losing their place and nation ironically sets in motion the very events that will secure salvation for all people, highlighting the mysterious interplay of human intentions and divine providence.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to trust in God’s plan, even when circumstances seem dire. Like the exiled Israelites, we may face dispersion and fragmentation, but God’s promise of unity and restoration endures. As we navigate our own challenges, we are called to embrace the unity Christ offers, to live as one body in Him, and to be willing to sacrifice for the sake of others. Let us, therefore, walk in faith, trusting that God is always at work, even in the darkest moments, to bring about a greater good. May we, like Lazarus, emerge from the tombs of our own making, resurrected by Christ’s power, and may we, with renewed hearts, follow Him as our Shepherd and Lord.