Bible Study From The Daily Office for Thursday, May 16, 2024

The Collect

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Readings:

Psalm 105:1–22
Zechariah 4

Gospel: Matthew 9:1–8

1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.

2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?

6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

7 And he arose, and departed to his house.

8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Commentary:

“And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.” (v. 1) Here in these verses, we find a strange if not ironic comparison. On the one side we have those that find his miracles awe inspiring, or as we find in verse 8 where Matthew states in reference to the multitude following and who had witnessed Jesus’ miracles: “they marvelled, and glorified God.” And on the other hand we see those who hate Jesus, because he dares to upset the status quo that they so coveted.

At the end of the previous chapter, Matthew tells us of his version of Jesus exorcising demons from two men (other Gospels only mention one) on the coast of the Sea of Galilee near Gadarene. As you recall from other studies, Jesus cast out the demons, who then fled from him, entering into a herd of swine, causing the pigs to run into the sea and drown. The citizens of Gadarenes—upset at the loss of their swine—asked Jesus to leave. Which brings us to our first verse for today in which Matthew tells us Jesus again crossed over the Sea to his own city, Capernaum; where:

Bible Study From The Daily Office for Tuesday May 14, 2024

The Collect

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Readings:

Psalm 97; 99; 100
Reading I Samuel 16:1–13a

Gospel: Matthew 8:18–27

18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.

19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest

20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head

21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Commentary:

Our study for today encompasses a collection of seemingly unrelated passages, but when viewed as a whole we find a great lesson in the cost of discipleship; not only for those who made up the first century church but for us today as well.

Although the verses recommended for this day begin with verse 18, by looking back at the rest of the chapter we find information which establishes the scene and gives us context for our understanding. Rather than to take a single verse at its face value, we

Jesus Prays, A Homily Prepared For Sunday May 12, 2024

The Collect

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

 

The Gospel

John 17:6–19

6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Commentary on Today’s Gospel Selection:

Today’s text, is a very poignant prayer made by Jesus shortly before his arrest and persecution, culminating with his death on the cross. I suggest that this is a poignant prayer, one that arouses deep emotion, because of the implications of verse nine.

“I pray for them: I pray not for the world , but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” (v. 9) This is a very interesting passage, Jesus is openly saying that he IS NOT praying for the entirety of humanity, but only for those God, his Father, has

Bible Study From The Daily Office for Thursday May 9, 2024

The Collect

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Readings:

Psalm 47 or 93
Reading Ephesians 1:15–23

Gospel: Luke 24:44–53

44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 And ye are witnesses of these things.

49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:

53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

Commentary:

Just over a month ago on Thursday 4 April, we examined verses 36b to 48 of this last chapter of Luke. While some may think that going over these verses again, this soon, might be redundant or an unnecessary repetition, I have found personally, that each time I study a passage I always come away from the experience with a deeper knowledge, perhaps even picking up on a point I had missed in the past.

This study picks up, in the days after Jesus’ triumph over death, he has appeared numerous times to various people revealing himself, and now makes his final appearance in this Gospel, as he appears in their midst. They had assembled, the surviving disciples and other followers, discussing the miraculous reports that some had given of having seen the risen Christ.

Naturally they were frightened, they at first thought it was a ghost standing in their midst, but the Son of God said “Peace be unto you.” (v. 36) And proceeded to prove he was not a ghost or spirit by telling them to observe the wounds on his hands and

Bible Study From The Daily Office for Tuesday May 7, 2024

The Collect

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Readings:

Psalm 78:1–39
Leviticus 26:1–20

Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Commentary:

Matthew chapter 13 follows the events of preceding chapter in which we find Jesus moving from controversy to controversy. The disciples provoke a Sabbath controversy by plucking grain on the Sabbath (12:1-8). Jesus provokes a Sabbath controversy by healing on the Sabbath (12:9-14). He heals a demoniac and is accused of healing by the power of Beelzebul. (12:22-32). He gives a short but sharply worded discourse (12:33-37). The scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign, and he responds with a sharp rebuke and a discourse (12:38-45). The crowd tells Jesus that his mother and brother are waiting outside to talk with him, and Jesus responds, “For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother”(12:46-50). In the midst of controversy, crowds follow Jesus and he heals many people (12:15-21).

Then in chapter 13 Matthew writes “The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.” (13:1-2)

As The Father Loved Me, So I have Loved You

A Homily Prepared For Sunday, May 5, 2024

The Collect

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel

John 15:9–17

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Commentary on Today’s Gospel Selection;

When preaching or teaching from John 15, verses 9 through17, which are highly used and abused passages, we have to make an effort to pay close attention to the text in its historical and literary context. This will prevent us from interpretations that fuel relativism, religious liberalism, and socialism.

My Amish friends, who have to use the public highways to get from farm to town, use bridles on their horses, that have devices that rest beside the horses eyes to keep the animals attention focused on what is straight ahead. The use of what is commonly

Bible Study From The Daily Office for Thursday May 2, 2024

The Collect

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings:

Psalm 70; 71
Reading Leviticus 19:26-27

Gospel: Matthew 6:25-34

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Commentary:

The King James Version assigns the title “Do Not Be Anxious” to these verses, which is a continuance of the instruction given by Jesus to his disciples regarding life in the new Kingdom.

The basis of these instructions, can be summed up by verse 24; “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Bear with me for a moment, and I will explain this thought.

For illustrative purposes let us divide the chapter into 5 sections and summarize what each section is about:

Bible Study From The Daily Office for Tuesday April 30, 2024

The Collect

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings:

Psalm 61; 62
Leviticus 16:20–34

Gospel: Matthew 6:7–15

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Commentary:

Jesus knew, that the disciples would pray, indeed he knew that all of his followers, even until this very day, would pray. “You may as soon find a living man that does not breathe, as a living Christian that does not pray. For this shall every one that is godly pray.” (Henry)

Jesus also knew that he had to set an example, he had to establish a standard for his disciples—and us—to follow, so that we would pray in the correct manner. Although verses 5 and 6 are not included in the verses suggested by the lectionary for today’s study, 5 and 6, address the bad prayer habits of the Pharisees while 7 and 8 are critical of the habits of the Gentiles.

In reference to the Pharisees, Jesus said; “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.” (v. 5a) The Pharisees believed that religiosity, piety, was not in a personal relationship with God, but one’ religiosity was measured by his outward performance. Thus they would stand

I Am The True Vine

A Homily Prepared For Sunday April 28, 2024

The Collect

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel

John 15:1–8

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Commentary on Today’s Gospel Selection;

“It must occur to all who read these discourses preserved by John how simple the text looks, and yet how transcendent is the thought when it is even dimly understood. John is sailing sky-high: are we? It is the strongest food in the Bible.” (Trench)

When in a hurry, at lunch time when we grab a “fast food” product and gobble it down, quickly cramming each bite into our mouths so that we can temporarily satiate our hunger and get back to work, school or whatever our passion happens to be that day. In doing this, we never take the time to thoroughly chew or masticate the food much less actually savor the complex tastes and flavors or even the bouquet of the item.

Far too often we give the Holy Word of God the same treatment, as we hurry through our reading so as to move on to other pursuits, or we hurry to find proof texts to justify our theological positions without thoroughly reading the chapter, or multiple chapters to avail ourselves of the contextual meaning.

It might be said that Mark presents his Gospel in such a factual manner that it can be

Bible Study From The Daily Office for Thursday April 25, 2024

The Collect

Almighty God, by the hand of Mark the evangelist you have given to your Church the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God: We thank you for this witness, and pray that we may be firmly grounded in its truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings:

Isaiah 52:7–10

Psalm 2:7-10

Ephesians 4:7–8, 11–16

Gospel: Mark 16:15–20

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Commentary:

Today our study focuses on the last verses of the Gospel of Mark, as this day, 25 April is the day set aside by some churches to remember this Gospel writer. These verses, 15-20, are the subject of interest among theologians and academics, as these scholars tend to agree that Mark, ended his gospel with verse 8.

“He may have intended to add an account of the resurrection and ascension, but wasn’t able to do it—or the original ending could have been lost. Scholars believe that people, identity unknown, added the Longer and Shorter Endings long after the Gospel was written—because those people felt that verse 8, which focuses on the terror and fear of the disciples and fails to mention the resurrection, could not possibly constitute a proper ending for a Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Donovan)

The reasons, cited by Donovan, for believing that verses 9-20 were added later include the following: