Archive for the ‘Matthew 27’ Tag
Above: Icon of the Entombment of Christ
Image in the Public Domain
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Part X
NOVEMBER 19, 2023
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The Collect:
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:
Nahum 3:1-19 or Zechariah 12:1-13:1
Psalm 77:(1-2) 3-10 (11-20)
Matthew 27:57-66 or Mark 15:42-47 or Luke 23:50-56 or John 19:31-42
Philippians 3:1-4a; 4:10-23
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All of the options for the Gospel reading leave Jesus dead in a borrowed tomb. This is the situation on the penultimate Sunday of Year D. This makes liturgical sense, for the last Sunday of the church year is the Feast of Christ the King.
The other readings assigned for Proper 28 provide the promise of better things to come. Psalm 77 speaks of the mighty acts of God in the context of a dire situation. The apocalyptic Zechariah 12:1-13:1 promises the victory of God. Nahum 3:1-19 deals with the overthrow of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, marked by violence and hubris. Finally, the triumph of Jesus in his resurrection is evident in the readings from the Pauline epistles.
One should trust in God, who is powerful, trustworthy, and compassionate.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 21, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/12/21/the-passion-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-part-x/
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Above: Icon of the Crucifixion
Image in the Public Domain
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Part IX
NOVEMBER 12, 2023
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The Collect:
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:
Nahum 2:1-13 or Isaiah 48:1-22
Psalm 71:15-24
Matthew 27:31b-56 or Mark 15:20b-44 or Luke 23:33-49 or John 19:17-30
Romans 13:1-7; 14:13-23
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Romans 13:1-7 is a troublesome passage. Should one always submit to government? Some of my heroes from the past include those who helped slaves escape to freedom in violation of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and sheltered Jews or helped them escape in defiance of the Third Reich. Besides, merely obeying law is what Kohlberg called Conventional Morality, which is not the highest form of morality on that scale, nor should it be.
Anyhow, reading Romans 13:1-7 on the same day with the crucifixion of Jesus seems ironic.
The readings, taken together, point toward mercy. Even the judgment of God, as in Nahum 2:1-13, exists in the context of mercy for the rescued. The mighty acts of God also testify to mercy. And the death of Jesus does too. One should, of course, complete that story with the resurrection, or else one will have a dead Jesus perpetually. Sometimes mercy requires defiance of civil authority; so be it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 21, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/12/21/the-passion-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-part-ix/
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Above: Icon of All Saints
Image in the Public Domain
The Communion of Saints
NOVEMBER 1
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The Collect:
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 1:1-15a or 2 Chronicles 19:4-20:30
Psalm 107:(1-3) 10-16 (23-27) 38-42 (43)
Matthew 27:(45-49) 50-56 (57-61)
3 John 1-15
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This is a seemingly odd set of readings for the Feast of All Saints. One of the purposes of Timothy Matthew Slemmons in proposing Year D as a supplement to the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) is to include passages the RCL overlooks, so that makes sense.
Trusting in God, who is faithful, seems to be the unifying theme of the assigned readings. The inclusion of the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus, according to Matthew 27, is consistent with the Passion narrative, with which Slemmons surrounds this feast in his reading plan. That inclusion also supports the point about the fidelity of God. Related to divine faithfulness in the human obligation to respond with fidelity. Grace, which makes this possible, is free yet not cheap; it requires much of one.
Saints come in two varieties: those whom at least one ecclesiastical authority recognizes and those who receive no such recognition. In the New Testament the definition of a saint is an observant Christian. Consider the saints who have influenced you positively, O reader. Thank God for them. Furthermore, may you be such a saint in the lives of others.
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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/the-communion-of-saints/
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Above: Christ and Pilate, by Nicholas Ge
Image in the Public Domain
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Part VII
OCTOBER 29, 2023
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The Collect:
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:
Nahum 1:1-8
Psalm 33:(1-12) 13-22
Matthew 27:3-31a or Mark 15:2-20a or Luke 23:2-25 or John 18:29-19:16
Romans 10:14, 16-21 or Romans 11:2b-28 (29-32) 33-36
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Judgment and mercy relate to each other in the readings for this Sunday. Divine judgment and mercy coexist in Nahum 1, with judgment falling on the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The two factors also coexist in Psalm 33, but with the emphasis on mercy. Psalm 33, in the context of the readings from the Gospels and Romans 10 and 11, seems ironic, for rejection of Jesus does not fit with
Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD!
happy is the people he has chosen to be his own.
–Psalm 33:12, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
The options for the Gospel reading bring us to the verge of the crucifixion of Jesus, who was, of course, innocent of any offense (in the eyes of God), especially one that any Roman imperial official would consider worthy of crucifixion. To kill a person that way was to make an example of him, to extinguish him, and to convince (via fear) anyone from doing what he had done or had allegedly done. It was a form of execution usually reserved for criminals such as insurrectionists. The fact of the crucifixion of Jesus actually reveals much about the perception of Jesus by certain people.
Jesus was a threat to the religious establishment at a place and in a time when the separation of religion and state did not exist. He was not an insurrectionist, however. He was a revolutionary though. He was a revolutionary who continues to threaten human institutions and social norms by calling their morality into question.
Attempts to domesticate Jesus are nothing new. We can, however, access the undomesticated Jesus via the Gospels.
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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/the-passion-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-part-vii/
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Above: The Denial of Saint Peter, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Part VI
OCTOBER 22, 2023
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The Collect:
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 2:20-23 or Daniel 7:(1-3) 4-8 (9-18) 19-28
Psalm 38 or 55
Matthew 26:57-27:2 or Mark 14:53-15:1 or Luke 22:54-23:1 or John 18:13-28
Romans 9:6-33
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The assigned readings, taken together, focus on the contrast between the justice of God and the injustice of human political and economic systems. When God destroys corrupt human systems, a better order replaces them. In the Gospels Jesus becomes a scapegoat whom St. Simon Peter denies knowing. The options for the Psalm fit the mood of Holy Week well, with the major exceptions of the confession of sin in Psalm 38 and the vengeful desire in Psalm 55.
To write or speak of the Kingdom of God and how it differs from human social norms and institutions is to, among other things, to criticize human social norms and institutions. To do so, when one dies it properly, is to contemplate one’s complicity in collective sin. That would lead to repentance, or turning one’s back on sin. That can, when enough people do it, lead to social reform. After all, society is people.
May we not deny Christ as he is present among us in the victims of injustice.
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
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/the-passion-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-part-vi/
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Above: The Crucifixion, by Michelangelo
Image in the Public Domain
Jeremiah and Matthew, Part XIII: Sins of Omission
NOVEMBER 18 AND 19, 2023
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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 everlasting 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:
Jeremiah 37:1-21 (November 18)
Jeremiah 38:1-28 (November 19)
Psalm 51 (Morning–November 18)
Psalm 54 (Morning–November 19)
Psalms 85 and 47 (Evening–November 18)
Psalms 28 and 99 (Evening–November 19)
Matthew 27:33-56 (November 18)
Matthew 27:57-66 (November 19)
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Zedekiah (reigned 597-586 BCE) was not the legitimate King of Judah. That office fell properly upon his nephew, Jehoiachin (reigned 597 BCE), per 2 Kings 24:17. Zedekiah, as the Chaldean-appointed regent, had a title but little power. He could not even protect Jeremiah fully. But Zedekiah, to his credit, did consult the prophet. Nevertheless, the time to save Judah from destruction had passed; the kingdom’s fate was sealed, as was that of Zedekiah, who disregarded much of Jeremiah’s advice.
Our Lord’s fate seemed to be sealed. He was dead–made a great and terrible, very public example of by the forces of the Roman Empire. The charge, as in the case of Jeremiah, was false–treason.
Frequently good people (Jesus being the best person) became caught up in the perfidious schemes of others. But God is with the persecuted righteous people, even when they die, have to go into exile, or must suffer another cruel fate–without resurrection in all but one case. The fact that good people find themselves in these difficult situations reflects badly on those who can prevent or could have prevented such situations. Oppressors cannot oppress by themselves. No, they have the passive aid of those who look the other way, who say or do nothing when they can confront. It is safer (for some) to be or remain passive. But such passivity hurts many more people.
May we confess our sins of omission, trusting God to complete the list with those we have forgotten and those we have never recognized. Then may we change our ways–repent–and perform a greater number of good deeds, thereby preventing even more injustice and reducing the amount thereof already extant.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 4, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, COFOUNDER OF THE MINOR CLERKS REGULAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN XXIII, BISHOP OF ROME
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/jeremiah-and-matthew-part-xiii-sins-of-omission/
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Above: Christ with Crown of Thorns, Looking Up
Image Created (1898) by Fred Holland Day (1864-1933)
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-95998
Jeremiah and Matthew, Part XII: Not in Paradise Yet
NOVEMBER 17, 2023
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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 everlasting 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:
Jeremiah 33:1-22
Psalm 67 (Morning)
Psalms 46 and 93 (Evening)
Matthew 27:11-32
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The assigned Psalms today speak of God being glorious, gracious, and, in the words of Psalm 46:1:
…our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
—The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
That imagery fits well with Jeremiah 33:1-22, a prophesy of a time when God will restore the Davidic Dynasty and the Levitical line, a time when faithful people will
thrill and quiver because of all the good fortune
God will provide (verse 9, TANAKH; The Holy Scriptures).
Yet one member of that Davidic line faced humiliation and torture–even a crown of thorns–in Matthew 27:11-32. The people did not live in Jeremiah’s idealized Yahwistic kingdom.
Neither do you and I, O reader. Although we mere mortals cannot create paradise on earth, we can make earth more like paradise. We can work for the common good. We can embrace the cause of civil rights and equal protection under the law for all God’s children. We can strive for greater environmental stewardship. All of the above fall under the heading of what Lutheran confessions of faith call “civil righteousness”–that which is laudable yet inadequate to save us from sin. But such good works are part of our mandate from God. They constitute faithful responses to God’s grace. And they reduce the amount of dissonance between what is and what can be when, as N. T. Wright is fond of writing, “God becomes king.”
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 4, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, COFOUNDER OF THE MINOR CLERKS REGULAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN XXIII, BISHOP OF ROME
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/jeremiah-and-matthew-part-xii-not-in-paradise-yet/
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Above: Ruins of Babylon, 1932
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-13231
Jeremiah and Matthew, Part XI: Getting On With Life
NOVEMBER 14-16, 2023
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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 everlasting 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:
Jeremiah 29:1-19 (November 14)
Jeremiah 30:1-24 (November 15)
Jeremiah 31:1-17, 23-24 (November 16)
Psalm 36 (Morning–November 14)
Psalm 130 (Morning–November 15)
Psalm 56 (Morning–November 16)
Psalms 80 and 27 (Evening–November 14)
Psalms 32 and 139 (Evening–November 15)
Psalms 100 and 62 (Evening–November 16)
Matthew 26:36-56 (November 14)
Matthew 26:36-56 (November 15)
Matthew 27:1-10 (November 16)
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The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
–Psalm 27, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The Prophet Jeremiah relayed advice from God to those exiled from the Kingdom of Judah to Chaldea in 597 BCE: Get on with life. The wicked will perish, a faithful remnant will see divine deliverance, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem will occur. None of the members of the original audience lived to see that day, but it did come to pass.
Jeremiah prophesied during dark days which preceded even darker ones. “Dark days which preceded even darker ones” summarized the setting of the Matthew readings accurately. But, after the darker days came and went wondrously and blessedly brighter ones arrived.
I know firsthand of the sting of perfidy and of the negative consequences of actions of well-intentioned yet mistaken people. Sometimes anger is essential to surviving in the short term. Yet anger poisons one’s soul after remaining too long. Slipping into vengeful thoughts feels natural.
O daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy the one who repays you
for all you have done to us;
Who takes your little ones,
and dashes them against the rock.
–Psalm 137:8-9, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
Yet such an attitude obstructs the path one must trod when getting on with life and remaining faithful to God therein. Leaving one’s enemies and adversaries to God for mercy or judgment (as God decides) and getting on with the daily business of living is a great step of faithfulness.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 4, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, COFOUNDER OF THE MINOR CLERKS REGULAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN XXIII, BISHOP OF ROME
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/jeremiah-and-matthew-part-xi-getting-on-with-life/
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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