Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

For the God of the Bible, there is no such thing as a hopeless case. No one is beyond redemption. God wants to sit down with us and talk about what needs to happen if we are to “eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19), as the prophet Isaiah says. This is the God of dialogue who not only speaks to us but also listens to us. The silence of God the listener is itself a powerful word.

But those who will not sit down and talk with God are those who exalt themselves. For them, there’s nothing to discuss. They have it all and know it all, and they want others to see that and accord them the honour that belongs to God alone. They listen to no other voice, because the only voice they hear is their own. These are the ones who lay heavy burdens on other people.

Nothing could be further from the truth of the real God and how he relates to us. In contrast, our Lord proclaims good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom for the prisoners, and sets the oppressed free (Luke 4:18-19).