Daily Readings - Fri Jul 18 2025
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 interplay between faith, mercy, and the laws that guide us. In the first reading from Exodus, we hear the story of the Passover, a pivotal moment in Israel’s history. God instructs Moses and Aaron to prepare the people for their liberation by marking their homes with the blood of a lamb, so that the angel of death will "pass over" their households. This rite is not just a ritual; it is a profound act of faith and obedience, trusting in God’s promise of deliverance. The Passover becomes a sacred memory, a feast to be celebrated for generations, reminding Israel of God’s mercy and their identity as a people set free.
In the Gospel, Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ rigid understanding of the Sabbath. While the Pharisees focus on the letter of the law, Jesus emphasizes its spirit. He reminds them that David and the priests were justified in breaking the law when necessity required it, and he declares himself "Lord of the Sabbath." This exchange highlights the tension between law and mercy, structure and compassion. Jesus is not dismissing the law but deepening its meaning: the law was made for humanity, not humanity for the law. True faith is not about external observance but about responding to the needs of others with love and understanding.
These readings remind us that our faith is not a set of rigid rules but a living relationship with God. Like the Israelites, we are called to trust in God’s mercy and to remember the ways He has delivered us. Like Jesus, we are called to see beyond the surface of rules and regulations to the deeper truth of love and compassion. In our daily lives, this means being open to moments when the law must yield to human need, and when our faith must express itself in acts of mercy and kindness. Let us ask ourselves: How can we, like the Passover lamb, be a sign of God’s mercy to others? How can we, like Jesus, bring freedom and healing to those around us?