Lent 3B Readings & Commentaries

Jesus expresses his opposition to the injustices that had grown up around worship in the Temple.

1^st Reading:  Exodus 20:1-17

Our first reading is the Ten Commandments, the heart of Jewish faith. In Hebrew they are called the “Ten Words.”  Following these simple laws is what it means to be God’s people. The first four focus on relationship with God; the last six on relationships within the community.

^20:1 Then God spoke all these words:  ² I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; ³ you shall have no other gods before me. ⁴ You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. ⁷ You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. ⁸ Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work. ¹⁰ But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. ¹² Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ¹³ You shall not murder. ¹⁴ You shall not commit adultery. ¹⁵ You shall not steal. ¹⁶ You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. ¹⁷ You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Psalm 19

Our psalm extols both the Creation and the Law. Verses 1-6 emphasize God’s creation of the heaven’s, particularly the sun (important because many Near Eastern religions believed the sun itself to be a god). Verses 7-14 praises the giving of the Law as the giving of a great treasure.

1     The heavens declare the glory of God, *

              and the firmament shows his handiwork.

2     One day tells its tale to another, *

              and one night imparts knowledge to another.

3     Although they have no words or language, *

              and their voices are not heard,

4     Their sound has gone out into all lands, *

              and their message to the ends of the world.

5     In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *

              it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;

              it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

6     It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens

       and runs about to the end of it again;*

              nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

7     The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul; *

              the testimony of the Lord is sure

                                          and gives wisdom to the innocent.

8     The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart; *

              the commandment of the Lord is clear

                                          and gives light to the eyes.

9     The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; *

              the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10   More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold, *

              sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.

11   By them also is your servant enlightened, *

              and in keeping them there is great reward.

12   Who can tell how often he offends? *

              cleanse me from my secret faults.

13   Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;

       let them not get dominion over me; *

              then shall I be whole and sound,

              and innocent of a great offense.

14   Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my

                                          heart be acceptable in your sight,*

              O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

2^nd Reading:  1 Corinthians 1:18-25

In the Church of Corinth there were clearly many who were quite proud of their wisdom and gifts, which they believed gave them status in the community. Paul rebukes them throughout this letter. There is nothing humanly wise about the cross. It is sheer folly, but human folly that ends up being the wisdom of God. The quotation in v. 19 is the latter half of Isaiah 29:14.

^1:18 The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” ²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. ²² For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, ²³ but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Gospel Reading:  John 2:13-22

For the rest of Lent we read from John’s Gospel. Here we have John’s version of the “Cleansing of the Temple,” which he places at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry rather than at the end like the other Gospel writers. (This is a rare story in that it appears in all four Gospels). Jesus here is not attacking Temple worship itself, but the injustices which have grown up around it. The quotations in vv. 16-17 are from Zechariah 14:21 and Psalm 69:9.

^2:13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. ¹⁵ Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ¹⁸ The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

The Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.  The Collect of the Day and the Psalm translation are from The Book of Common Prayer.  Commentaries are copyright © 2018, Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY  14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All rights reserved.  Permission granted to copy for group study.