Tuesday, July 2, 2019

The Daily Lectionary for WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2019

Coming Persecutions
Matthew 10:16-23

The Daily Lectionary
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2019
(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)
(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 75
Thanksgiving for God’s Wondrous Deeds
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1  We give thanks to you, O God;
     we give thanks; your name is near.
   People tell of your wondrous deeds.

2  At the set time that I appoint
     I will judge with equity.
3  When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants,
     it is I who keep its pillars steady.   Selah
4  I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,”
     and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn;
5  do not lift up your horn on high,
     or speak with insolent neck.”

6  For not from the east or from the west
     and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7  but it is God who executes judgment,
     putting down one and lifting up another.
8  For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
     with foaming wine, well mixed;
   he will pour a draught from it,
     and all the wicked of the earth
     shall drain it down to the dregs.
9  But I will rejoice forever;
     I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
     but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

2 Kings 4:1-7
Elisha and the Widow’s Oil
4:1 Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves.” 2 Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.” 3 He said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not just a few. 4 Then go in, and shut the door behind you and your children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is full, set it aside.” 5 So she left him and shut the door behind her and her children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” But he said to her, “There are no more.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live on the rest.”

Matthew 10:16-25
Coming Persecutions
10:16 “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Coming Persecutions, Matthew 10:16-23, is part of Jesus’ speech of commission to his disciples. Immediately preceding these verses, he had commissioned them to evangelize the Israelites with his authority. As soon as he did this, he moved to telling them of the persecutions they will be subjected to for him, before moving to a description of the world in light of their teaching.

No comments:

Post a Comment