Friday, June 10, 2005
Daily Office, Year One, Proper 5, Friday
Today's Readings:
Jesus predicts the fall of Jerusalem because they did not listen to Him as a prophet. He just made His triumphant entry into the city and is still not satisfied: the people who could have implemented change chose to ignore him. The priests who controlled the religion may have recognized that they were living in a classic sign of God's disfavor: living under an occupying force. Perhaps they, like Judas, were looking for a military leader to defeat the Romans. Jesus did not teach them to fight, but to be faithful to God. What good would a military leader have done if the people were unfaithful and unrepentant? Not a lot. Jesus criticized the scribes for their love of their stature, position, and appearance, the sin of idolatry. He chastises those who pray or fast publically, and taught to do these things privately.
This is one of the reasons why I bristle when people say things like "Jesus loves his Church" and mean the Christian Church exclusively. Jesus was not trying to form a new Church, but get the Jews and the rest of the world faithful to God. ¶ 12:09 PM
- Psalm 69 (24-30 optional)
- Ecclus. 45:6-16
- 2 Cor. 12:11-21
- Luke 19:41-48
Jesus predicts the fall of Jerusalem because they did not listen to Him as a prophet. He just made His triumphant entry into the city and is still not satisfied: the people who could have implemented change chose to ignore him. The priests who controlled the religion may have recognized that they were living in a classic sign of God's disfavor: living under an occupying force. Perhaps they, like Judas, were looking for a military leader to defeat the Romans. Jesus did not teach them to fight, but to be faithful to God. What good would a military leader have done if the people were unfaithful and unrepentant? Not a lot. Jesus criticized the scribes for their love of their stature, position, and appearance, the sin of idolatry. He chastises those who pray or fast publically, and taught to do these things privately.
This is one of the reasons why I bristle when people say things like "Jesus loves his Church" and mean the Christian Church exclusively. Jesus was not trying to form a new Church, but get the Jews and the rest of the world faithful to God. ¶ 12:09 PM
