Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Haggai 2:10-19
Psalm 3 or 134
Matthew 26:36-56 or Mark 14:32-52 or Luke 22:39-53 or John 18:1-12
Romans 7:1-14
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The reality of the Temple at the time of Jesus was a far cry from the prediction of what the Temple would become, according to Haggai 2:10-19. The Second Temple, which Herod the Great had ordered expanded, had become the seat of collaboration with the Romans. Many Jews attended events at the Temple faithfully, but they did so under the watchful gazes of Roman soldiers at the fortress next door. In this context the annual commemoration of the Passover–of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt–occurred.
The law of God is good, but abuses of it are bad. Among these abuses was the crucifixion of Jesus, the judicial killing of a scapegoat. That event is still in the future–albeit the near future–in the assigned readings from the Gospels. Nevertheless, this is not too early to notice the contrast between the forgiving attitude of Jesus and the vengeful author of Psalm 3. Forgiveness is, of course, the best policy.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 20, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL TAIT, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CANISIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOHN BLEW, ENGLISH PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Deuteronomy 11:1-17 or Isaiah 43:8-15
Psalm 94 or 35
John 8:48-59
Romans 1:8-15 (16-17) 18-32; 2:1-11 or Galatians 6:1-6 (7-16) 17-18
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Accuse my accuser of Yahweh,
attack my attackers.
–Psalm 35:1, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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That verse summarizes much of Psalms 35 and 94. The plea of the persecuted for God to smite their enemies, although understandable and predictable, but it is inconsistent with our Lord and Savior’s commandment to love our enemies and to pray for our persecutors (Matthew 5:43). Sometimes divine smiting of evildoers is a necessary part of a rescue operation, for some persecutors refuse to repent. Nevertheless, I suspect that God’s preference is that all people repent of their sins and amend their lives.
We read in Deuteronomy 11 (placed in the mouth of Moses long after his death) of the importance of following divine laws–or else. Then, in Isaiah 43, set in the latter phase of the Babylonian Exile, which, according to the Biblical narrative, resulted from failure to obey that law code, we read of impending deliverance by God from enemies. Both readings remind us of what God has done for the Hebrews out of grace. Grace, although free, is never cheap, for it requires a faithful response to God. We are free in God to serve God, not be slaves to sin. We are free in God to live as vehicles of grace, not to indulge inappropriate appetites. We are free in God to lay aside illusions of righteousness, to express our penitence, and to turn our backs on–to repent of–our sins.
This is a devotion for Palm Sunday. We read in John 8 that some Jews at Jerusalem sought to stone Jesus as a blasphemer (verse 59). I suppose that they thought they were acting in accordance with Leviticus 24:10-23. Later in the Fourth Gospel (Chapters 18 and 19) certain religious authority figures are complicit in his death–as a scapegoat (11:47-53).
This desire to kill those who offend our religious sensibilities strongly is dangerous for everyone. It is certainly perilous for those who suffer because of it. Furthermore, such violence causes spiritual harm to those who commit it. And what if one’s judgment is wrong? One has committed a most serious offense before God. This tendency toward religious violence exists in various traditions, has a shameful past and an inexcusable present reality, and does nothing inherently to glorify God. In fact, it detracts from the glory of God. That God can work through such abominations committed in His name testifies to divine sovereignty. Exhibit A is the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 10, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN NITSCHMANN, SR., MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; DAVID NITSCHMANN, JR., THE SYNDIC, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND DAVID NITSCHMANN, THE MARTYR, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER, POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN LUDWIG BRAU, NORWEGIAN MORAVIAN TEACHER AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN LEONARDI, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF LUCCA; AND JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
O God our strength, without you we are weak and wayward creatures.
Protect us from all dangers that attack us from the outside,
and cleanse us from the outside,
and cleanse us from all evil that arises from within ourselves,
that we may be preserved through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 46
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 34:8-28
Psalm 15
John 18:28-32
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Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle?
Who may rest upon your holy hill?
Whoever leads an uncorrupt life
and does the thing that is right;
Who speaks the truth from the heart
and bears no deceit on the tongue;
Who does no evil to a friend
and pours no scorn on a neighbour;
In whose sight the wicked are not esteemed,
but who honours those who fear the Lord.
Whoever has sworn to a neighbour
and never goes back on that word;
Who does not lend money in hope of gain,
nor takes a bribe against the innocent;
Whoever does these things shall never fall.
–Psalm 15, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The reading from Exodus 34 tells of the restoration of the covenant between Yahweh and the recently liberated Hebrews. God, we read, is compassionate and impassioned, encompassing both mercy and judgment. The covenant was something God took seriously and many people did not, occasional ceremonies not withstanding.
As I read John 18:28-32, the first thing I noticed was that those who delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate’s headquarters were willing to let the Roman authorities execute Jesus yet demonstrated great concern for maintaining their own ritual purity ahead of Passover. The spectacle of people fretting about ritual defilement while being willfully complicit in the execution of an innocent man–a scapegoat, even–is appalling.
Often we Gentiles are prone to point to such stories from the Gospels and condemn the failings of long-dead Palestinian Jews. Those failings deserve condemnation, of course, but what about our sins? How often have we been consciously complicit in injustice (actively or passively) and sought to maintain the illusion of righteousness? We might even fool ourselves, but we do not deceive God, who is both compassionate and impassioned, who commands justice for the widows, the orphans, and the exploited.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 2, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARGARET E. SANGSTER, HYMN WRITER, NOVELIST, AND DEVOTIONAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF LYONS (A.K.A. BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS)
THE FEAST OF REINHOLD NIEBUHR, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN OF SWEDEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY, BISHOP, AND MARTYR
ends in thanksgiving for what God has done. This fact applies well to the Easter Triduum, but I choose not to pursue that line of thought further in this post, for to do so would be to get ahead of this day’s portion of the narrative.
Faithful people of God read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 for centuries before the crucifixion of Jesus. As obvious as that statement might seem, it might also surprise some people accustomed to only one lens through which to interpret it. So what about Jewish readings of the passage? The servant of God could be the whole Israelite nation or just the pious minority thereof or a particular holy person, maybe Jeremiah. All of these are possible. The words also fit Jesus well.
I publish these words in the vicinity of Thanksiving Day (U.S.A.) 2013 and shortly before the beginning of the season of Advent. I know that Christmas leads to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. There is much occurring theologically in these assigned readings. Among them are a condemnation of unjust violence and a reminder that God is more powerful than our hatred and fear.
It is well and good to salute Jesus, but that alone is insufficient. We have no mere hero and martyr. No, we have a Lord and Savior, whom we are supposed to follow. He said to keep his commandments and to love each other as he loved his Apostles. Fortunately, we have access to grace, or else accomplishing these goals would be impossible.
So may we heed the advice of Hebrews 10:24:
…and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works….
–Revised Standard Version—Second Edition (1971)
If certain people had thought that way, they would not have sought to kill Jesus.
Following this ethic requires us to seek not affirmation of our opinions, doctrines, and social status, but that which is best for others. Obeying our Lord and Savior—taking up a cross and following him—entails thinking more about others than about oneself. This is difficult yet for the best overall.
Good Friday is a holy day for me. The Episcopal Church’s liturgy for the day moves me deeply, doing what good ritual ought to do—take one out of daily routines and transport one into a different spiritual atmosphere. Reading the assigned lessons has taken me only a short distance along that path, but that brief trip suffices for now. The material is emotionally difficult. It it is not, that fact might speak poorly of the reader.
May divine love fill your soul, O reader, and inspire you to love and good works.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
THE FEAST OF GEORGE DAWSON, ENGLISH BAPTIST AND UNITARIAN PASTOR
THE FEAST OF DOROTHY DAY, SOCIAL ACTIVIST
THE FEAST OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE CHURCH OF NORTH INDIA, 1970
The author of Psalm 62, in the context of persecution because of his holiness, wrote:
Yet be still my soul, and wait for God:
from whom comes my hope of deliverance.
–verse 5, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)
I detect echoes of the Jeremiah and Matthew readings in the Psalms appointed for today. The above quote is just one example of that.
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, fulfilled his unpleasant duty faithfully while arguing with God. The prophet announced doom for idolatry and a host of social injustices–in short, breaking the covenant with God, per Deuteronomy 30:15-20. The prophet placed himself in harm’s way by doing this. He likened himself to a docile sheep led to the slaughter and asked God to avenge him.
That image of a lamb led to the slaughter is one which Christian tradition has applied to Jesus, although he was hardly docile in Matthew 24 and elsewhere. Our Lord and Savior was far from docile in Matthew 21 (“the Temple Incident,” as New Testament scholars call it) or in John 18 or in Matthew 26. Yet the image of a lamb, when applied to Jesus, works well, for he was both the high priest and the sacrificial animal, metaphorically speaking.
In Mathew 24 Jesus warned the Apostles against, among other ills, false prophets and religious persecution:
You will be handed over for punishment and execution; all nations will hate you for your allegiance to me. At that time many will fall from their faith; they will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many; and as lawlessness spreads, the love of many will grow cold. But whoever endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the earth as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.
–verses 9-14, The Revised English Bible
This is a devotion for November 7, at the latter part of the Season after Pentecost. Advent is not far away from November 7–less than one month, in fact. (Advent can begin as early as November 27 and as late as December 3.) By November 7 the Sunday readings in the Revised Common Lectionary have taken a dark turn.
Yet, in the darkness of the tail end of Ordinary Time there is hope. Yes, Jeremiah suffered greatly, but God proved him correct. And nobody who tried to kill the prophet succeeded. Yes, sometimes there is persecution for following Jesus, but God still wins in the end. And God is faithful to the faithful, some of whom will lose their bodies in service to God but none of whom will lose their souls thereby. And Advent is around the corner. Christmas will follow. The summary of the hope of which I write is the Sovereignty of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 3, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MORAND OF CLUNY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS LIPHARDUS OF ORLEANS AND URBICIUS OF MEUNG, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOTS
I am tiring rapidly of the Book of Proverbs. Of course I have dipped into it over the years. And, years ago, I read it from beginning to end as part of a project to read all 78 books of the Slavonic Bible. Yet the Slavonic Bible project was in the 1990s. Now, as a daily lectionary takes me through Proverbs again, this time in conjunction with the Gospel of John, I find myself agreeing with the Fourth Gospel and arguing with Proverbs quite often. Proverbs tends to flit about from topic to topic, saying things like
Put your trust in the LORD and he will deliver you.
–20:22b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
I reply,
Tell that to Jesus.
The next verse in Proverbs is true, however:
False weights are an abomination to the LORD;
Dishonest scales are not right.
–20:23, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
Today I find myself repeating myself yet again: Proverbs is excessively optimistic and the Gospel of John subverts certain traditional notions of sin, suffering, and shame, including many in Proverbs.
I will be glad when the lectionary leaves Proverbs behind. Maybe I will sound less like a broken record…record…record…record…record….record…record…..
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 16, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF RUFUS JONES, QUAKER THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:
The spirit of the LORD speaks through me,
his word is upon my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken,
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,
is like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.
Is not my house like this with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away;
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
to touch them one uses an iron bar
or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.
Psalm 132:1-3, (14-19) (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 LORD, remember David,
and all the hardships endured;
2 How he swore an oath to the LORD
and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 ”I will not come under the roof of my house,
nor climb up into my bed….”
14 For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he has desired her for his habitation:
15 ”This shall be my resting-place for ever;
here will I dwell, for I delight in her.
16 I will surely bless her provisions,
and satisfy her poor with bread.
17 I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people will rejoice and sing.
18 There will I make the horn of David flourish;
I have prepared a lamp for my Anointed.
19 As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame;
but as for him, his crown will shine.”
FIRST READING AND PSALM: OPTION #2
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 (Revised English Bible):
As I was looking,
thrones were set in place
and the Ancient in Years took his seat;
his robe was white as snow,
his hair like lamb’s wool.
His throne was flames of fire
and its wheels were blazing fire;
a river of fire flowed from his presence.
Thousands upon thousands served him
and myriads upon myriads were in attendance.
The court sat, and the books were opened.
…
I was watching in visions of the night and I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven; he approached the Ancient in Years and was presented to him. Sovereignty and glory and kingly power were given to him, so that all people and nations of every language should serve him; his sovereignty was to be an everlasting sovereignty which was not to pass away; and his kingly power was never to be destroyed.
Psalm 93 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 The LORD is King;
he has put on splendid apparel;
the LORD has put on his apparel
and girded himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure
that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began, your throne has been estabished;
you are from everlasting.
4 The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice;
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea,
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure,
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
SECOND READING
Revelation 1:4b-8 (New Revised Standard Version):
Grace to you and peace from him who is and was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wait.
So it is to be. Amen.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
GOSPEL READING
John 18:33-37 (New Revised Standard Version):
Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him,
Are you the King of the Jews?
Jesus answered,
Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?
Pilate replied,
I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?
Jesus answered,
My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.
Pilate asked him,
So you are a king?
Jesus answered,
You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
God’s ways and those dominant in many societies contradict each other. Look around. Listen. Pay attention. Then consider the following:
The first will be last and the last will be first.
The person who serves is the greatest of all.
The Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew
The Beatitudes and Woes in the Gospel of Luke
This Sunday’s readings from Revelation and John
This is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday in the Western Church year. The next Sunday will inaugurate Advent, the time of preparation for Christmas. Already we read of the return of Christ, which is par for the course at this time in the Western Church year. Only God knows the details of the parousia, so do not believe anyone who claims to have worked them out. Unfortunately, such alleged experts have given books such as Daniel and Revelation a bad name among many Christians and others.
I have no obsession with matters eschatological, but neither do I find Daniel and Revelation frightening or intimidating. They are dense, but that fact creates a challenge. I can deal effectively with a challenge, or at least try to do so. My main task as a Christian, however, is to follow Jesus, not to fixate on the seven seals or the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I do not look forward to the end of the world. Rather, I seek to leave my corner of the world better than I found it. How can I function as a divine agent so that God’s order will become more evident in the world, or at least my corner of it? How can I, for example, help those who mourn to laugh, those who hunger to have their fill, those who weep to rejoice, and those who seek God to find God? How may I serve God most effectively and show Jesus to those whom I encounter? These are my responsibilities; prophesy conferences are irrelevant.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 17, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ROSE-PHILIPPINE DUCHESENE, ROMAN CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE
THE FEAST OF SAINT HUGH OF LINCOLN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROQUE GONZALEZ DE SANTA CRUZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
Collect and lections from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
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Follow the assigned readings with me this Lent….
Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (New Revised Standard Version):
See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
Just as there were many who were astonished at him
–so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals–
so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.
Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that is before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grace with the wicked
and this tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will the LORD to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Psalm 22:1-22 (New Revised Standard Version):
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the people.
All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver–
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!
Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls encircle me,
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shriveled,
I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.
Hebrews 10:1-25 (New Revised Standard Version):
Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach. Otherwise, would they not have ceased being offered, since the worshipers, cleansed once for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin year after year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said,
See, God, I have come to do your will, O God”
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me.)
When he said above,
You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings”
(these are offered according to the law), then he added,
See, I have come to do your will.
He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifice for sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of God,
and since then has been waiting
until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds,
he also adds,
I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.
Where there is no forgiveness of these, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke to one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
John 18:1-19:37 (New Revised Standard Version):
After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them,
Whom are you looking for?
They answered,
Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus replied,
I am he.
Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them,
I am he,
they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them,
Whom are you looking for?
And they said,
Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus answered,
I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.
This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken,
I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,
Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?
So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter,
You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?
He said,
I am not.
Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.
Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered,
I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.
When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying,
Is that how you answer the high priest?
Jesus answered,
If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?
Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him,
You are not also one of his disciples, are you?
He denied it and said,
I am not.
One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked,
Did I not see you in the garden with him?
Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.
Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said,
What accusation do you bring against this man?
They answered,
If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.
Pilate said to them,
Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.
The Jews replied,
We are not permitted to put anyone to death.
(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)
Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him,
Are you the King of the Jews?
Jesus answered,
Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?
Pilate replied,
I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?
Jesus answered,
My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.
Pilate asked him,
So you are a king?
Jesus answered,
You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
Pilate asked him,
What is truth?
After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them,
I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?
They shouted in reply,
Not this man, but Barabbas!
Now Barabbas was a bandit.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying,
Hail, King of the Jews!
and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them,
Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.
So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them,
Here is the man!
When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted,
Crucify him! Crucify him!
Pilate said to them,
Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.
The Jews answered him,
We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.
Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus,
Where are you from?
But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him,
Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?
Jesus answered him,
You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.
From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out,
If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews,
Here is your King!
They cried out,
Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!
Pilate asked them,
Shall I crucify your King?
The chief priests answered,
We have no king but the emperor.
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read,
Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’
Pilate answered,
What I have written I have written.
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another,
Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.
This was to fulfill what the scripture says,
They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother,
Woman, here is your son.
Then he said to the disciple,
Here is your mother.
And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture),
I am thirsty.
A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said,
It is finished.
Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled,
None of his bones shall be broken.
And again another passage of scripture says,
They will look on the one whom they have pierced.
After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
The Collect:
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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This day I choose to focus not on the lengthy and moving Gospel reading, but on the Epistle. God is love, Jesus commanded his Apostles to love another as he loved them. Because of divine love the Second Person of the Trinity became incarnate as Jesus and helped many people. Because of his love and human wickedness Jesus went to his death. And because of love Jesus rose again, demonstrated the superior power of God, and went on before us. Because of love the surviving Apostles preached the Gospel and most gave their lives. So I think about Hebrews 10:24: “And let us consider how to provoke to one another to love and good deeds….”
Did not Jesus seek to provoke people to love and good deeds? We who call ourselves Christians need to think about what that label means. We who claim the name of Jesus should take up our cross(es) and follow him. We ought to follow his example and keep his commandments, which entail love and good deeds. We need to honor our Lord and Savior with our lives, not just our words. This message is appropriate on any day, but especially on Good Friday.
Think about how much better the world would be if more of us spent our days thinking of ways to provoke each other to love and good deeds, then acting on these intentions. Imagine how much respectful talk radio, news and opinion websites, and 24-hour news and opinion channels would be if love and good deeds were to displace shouting matches and pandering to base desires and pressures to indulge in infotainment, lies, and half-truths. How many churches would become more Christlike if parishioners sought to encourage one another to love and good deeds instead of playing theological games of one upsmanship and arguing about trivial matters, such as the color of the carpet? Alas, negativity and fluff attract huge audiences. We humans are our own worst enemies.
Today and every other day may we reflect on the love God for us. May this agape love inspire us to seek to love and respect each other as brothers and sisters in the divine household, via grace, of course.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 26, 2010 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DISMAS, PENITENT BANDIT
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUDGER, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF MUNSTER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGARET CLITHEROW, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
THE FEAST OF RICHARD ALLEN, AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL BISHOP
BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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