OLD TESTAMENT: Job 42: 1 - 6, 10 - 17 (RCL)
Job 42:1 (NRSV) Then Job answered the LORD:
2 "I know
that you can do all things,
and that no
purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 "Who is
this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
Therefore I have
uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful
for me, which I did not know.
4 "Hear, and
I will speak;
I will question
you, and you declare to me.'
5 I had heard of
you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye
sees you;
6 therefore I
despise myself,
and repent in dust
and ashes."
10 And the LORD
restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD
gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then there came to him all his
brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with
him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil
that the LORD had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money
and a gold ring. 12 The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his
beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand
yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three
daughters. 14 He named the first Jemi'mah, the second Kezi'ah, and the third
Ker'en-hap'puch. 15 In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's
daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and
his children's children, four generations. 17 And Job died, old and full of
days.
Jeremiah 31: 7 - 9 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
Jere 31:7 (NRSV)
For thus says the LORD:
Sing aloud with
gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts
for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give
praise, and say,
"Save, O
LORD, your people,
the remnant of
Israel."
8 See, I am going
to bring them from the land of the north,
and gather them
from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the
blind and the lame,
those with child
and those in labor, together;
a great company,
they shall return here.
9 With weeping
they shall come,
and with
consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them
walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path
in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become
a father to Israel,
and E'phraim is my
firstborn.
PSALM 34: 1 - 8, (19 -
22) (RCL)
Psal 34:1 (NRSV) I
will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall
continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes
its boast in the LORD;
let the humble
hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the
LORD with me,
and let us exalt
his name together.
4 I sought the
LORD, and he answered me,
and delivered me
from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and
be radiant;
so your faces
shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul
cried, and was heard by the LORD,
and was saved from
every trouble.
7 The angel of the
LORD encamps
around those who
fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see
that the LORD is good;
happy are those
who take refuge in him.
19 Many are the
afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD
rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all
their bones;
not one of them
will be broken.
21 Evil brings
death to the wicked,
and those who hate
the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD
redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who
take refuge in him will be condemned.
34 Benedicam Domi
(ECUSA BCP)
1 I
will bless the Lord at all times;
*
his
praise shall ever be in my mouth.
2 I
will glory in the Lord; *
let
the humble hear and rejoice.
3 Proclaim
with me the greatness of the Lord;
*
let
us exalt his Name together.
4 I
sought the Lord, and he answered
me *
and
delivered me out of all my terror.
5 Look
upon him and be radiant, *
and
let not your faces be ashamed.
6 I
called in my affliction and the Lord
heard me *
and
saved me from all my troubles.
7 The
angel of the Lord encompasses
those who fear him, *
and
he will deliver them.
8 Taste
and see that the Lord is good; *
happy
are they who trust in him!
19 Many
are the troubles of the righteous, *
but
the Lord will deliver him out of
them all.
20 He
will keep safe all his bones; *
not
one of them shall be broken.
21 Evil
shall slay the wicked, *
and
those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 The
Lord ransoms the life of his servants,
*
and
none will be punished who trust in him.
Psalm 126 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
Psal 126:1 (NRSV)
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those
who dream.
2 Then our mouth
was filled with laughter,
and our tongue
with shouts of joy;
then it was said
among the nations,
"The LORD has
done great things for them."
3 The LORD has
done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our
fortunes, O LORD,
like the
watercourses in the Neg'eb.
5 May those who
sow in tears
reap with shouts
of joy.
6 Those who go out
weeping,
bearing the seed
for sowing,
shall come home
with shouts of joy,
carrying their
sheaves.
126 In convertendo (ECUSA BCP)
1 When
the Lord restored the fortunes of
Zion, *
then
were we like those who dream.
2 Then
was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and
our tongue with shouts of joy.
3 Then
they said among the nations, *
“The
Lord has done great things for
them.”
4 The
Lord has done great things for us,
*
and
we are glad indeed.
5 Restore
our fortunes, O Lord, *
like
the watercourses of the Negev.
6 Those
who sowed with tears *
will
reap with songs of joy.
7 Those
who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will
come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 7: 23 - 28 (RCL)
Hebr 7:23 (NRSV)
Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were
prevented by death from continuing in office; 24 but he holds his priesthood
permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently he is able for all
time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make
intercession for them.
26 For it was
fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled,
separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high
priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own
sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he
offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject
to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints
a Son who has been made perfect forever.
The author has written:
“we have a great high priest” ( 4:14).
He asks: “If perfection [the completion of God’s plan of salvation] had been
attainable through the ... [Temple] priesthood” (v. 11)
why would there be need to speak of another priest? The levitical priests were
under Mosaic law, but “there is ... the introduction of a better hope, through
which we approach God” (v. 19).
Jesus, the high priest, unlike others, “became a priest with an [divine] oath”
(v. 21).
Psalm 110:4,
the author asserts, is about Christ: “The Lord has sworn ... ‘You are a priest
for ever’”, so “Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better [new]
covenant.” (v. 22).
Platonism distinguished
between
·
a single, eternal ideal of earthly things and
·
multiple transitory copies of the ideal on earth.
In vv. 23-24,
the author sees “former [Temple] priests” as transitory (because individual
high priests died) and Jesus as the eternal ideal (“he continues forever”,
v. 24).
So “for all time” (v. 25)
Jesus is the way to God and to salvation for those who are godly because he (as
priest) lives to plead with God on their behalf (“intercession”). Under Mosaic
law, priests subject to “weakness” (v. 28,
sin) were appointed without divine oath, but “a Son” has been appointed, by
God’s “oath”, superceding the Law, a “perfect” (ideal) priest forever.
Vv. 26-27 list
Christ’s qualities. He has no need to sacrifice continually for his own sins
and those of others (as, the author asserts, earthly high priests did) for he
is “separated from sinners, and exalted” (v. 26),
i.e. with the Father; in dying, he offered sacrifice “once for all” (v. 27)
for our sins
Hebrews 5: 1 - 6 (Roman Catholic)
Hebr 5:1 (NRSV)
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things
pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He
is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is
subject to weakness; 3 and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own
sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not presume to take
this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 So also Christ
did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one
who said to him,
"You are my
Son,
today I have
begotten you";
6 as he says also
in another place,
"You are a
priest forever,
according to the
order of Melchiz'edek."
7 In the days of
his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and
tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because
of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience
through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source
of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a
high priest according to the order of Melchiz'edek.
GOSPEL: Mark 10: 46 -
52 (all)
Mark 10:46 (NRSV)
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving
Jericho, Bartimae'us son of Timae'us, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.
47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say,
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Many sternly ordered him
to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy
on me!" 49 Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they
called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling
you." 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51
Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The
blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." 52 Jesus said
to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained
his sight and followed him on the way.
Here Mark gives tells us the name of this “blind beggar” .
Bartimaeus makes a politically charged statement: Jesus is “Son of David”
(v. 47),
King of the Jews, and Messiah. Elsewhere, Jesus orders silence on the matter,
but not here: his time is approaching. For the first time, a sane person
immediately proclaims Jesus’ true identity. The “cloak” (v. 50,
garment) Bartimaeus throws off is probably the cloth he uses to receive
handouts; in Mark, garments often indicate the old
order, so Bartimaeus has accepted the new. Jesus’ question in v. 51 is
the one he asked James and John when they sought status in the kingdom ( 10:36),
but Bartimaeus’ approach is different: he comes in humility (“My teacher”,
v. 51).
Jesus simply tells him that his “faith”, (v. 52,
his receptivity of God’s healing word), “has made you well” (also meaning has
saved you from impending destruction). Bartimaeus is cured immediately and
becomes a follower of Jesus (“the way”).
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