Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 27: Year 1
Morning, Psalm 88; Evening, Psalm 91 and 92;
1st Maccabees 1:41 to 63; Revelation 19:11 to 16; Matthew 16:13 to 20:
“And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven: (Matthew 16:17)
They were asked by Jesus who the people said he was. They answered that the people thought he was Elijah and some thought he was Jeremiah; and some thought he was one of the other prophets. We can recall that Elijah was taken up to heaven alive. Therefore he could have returned. Jeremiah just sort of faded out of sight, (believed to have died in Egypt) and Jesus could have been Jeremiah, as well as one of the other prophets whose ends were questionable at best. Therefore, many believed that Jesus was a former prophet who was brought back again.
Then Jesus asked them who they said he was. Peter speaks for the group and confesses that Jesus is “the messiah, the Son of the living God!” Peter speaks for us today. And if we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, then we are obliged to behave as such.
Finally he informs them (and us), that who he is, is not “figured out.” It is revealed to us by God. Therefore, we are not to base our belief about Jesus only on the ancient text, and Church teachings, but rather on our own prayers and ponderings about the Great Mystery of God and who God is. And if this Creator and Sustainer of the world wants us to care for the earth and love one another, then this is what we should be doing.
God created this earth and saw that it was very good. Then God placed caretakers upon it who are to care for the earth and love each other. Then, in the fullness of time, and seeing our jealousy of one another, God, in the person of our Lord Jesus, walked along the lowest level freshwater coast on the planet inviting fishermen to fish more meaningfully.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done” (Genesis 2:1 and 2). So, for this evening and tomorrow day my friends, Shabbat Shalom.
As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
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