Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 15 March 2014
a little out of it this morning. Not sure why.
The Old Testament reading for the day is chapters 26 and 27 of Deuteronomy. In truth, I can't imagine Moses' state of mind through this. Consider: he had been tossed in the river as a baby, rescued, brought up in the household of probably the most powerful ruler on earth at the time, exiled, commissioned by the Lord and maintained a relationship with Him for which there is no real equivalent, led a grumbling people through the wilderness for 40 years. And now, in view of the object, will not be entering the Promised Land, and is delivering a message to the people who will be crossing in, while he dies. Can not really imagine his thoughts.
1
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“When
you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an
inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it,
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2
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“you
shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you
harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you
shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord
your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there.
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3
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“And
you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to
him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the
land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’
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4
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“Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
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5
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“And
you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean
was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in
number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
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6
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“‘And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor.
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7
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“‘Then
we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our
voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
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8
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“‘And
the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched
arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders.
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9
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“‘And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
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10
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“‘And
behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you,
O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your
God and worship before the Lord your God.
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11
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“And
you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to
you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is
among you.
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12
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“When
you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third
year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the
sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within
your towns and be filled,
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13
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“then
you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred
portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite,
the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your
commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of
your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.
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14
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“‘I have
not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while
I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the
voice of the Lord my God. I have done according to all that you have
commanded me.
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15
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“‘Look
down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people
Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our
fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’
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16
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“This
day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You
shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all
your soul.
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17
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“You
have declared today that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk
in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules,
and will obey his voice.
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18
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“And
the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured
possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his
commandments,
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19
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“and
that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all
nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the
Lord your God, as he promised.”
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1
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Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today.
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2
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“And
on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God
is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with
plaster.
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3
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“And
you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over
to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing
with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised
you.
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4
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“And
when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones,
concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall
plaster them with plaster.
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5
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“And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them;
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6
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“you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God,
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7
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“and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God.
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8
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“And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”
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9
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Then
Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and
hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your
God.
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10
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“You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”
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11
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That day Moses charged the people, saying,
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12
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“When
you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to
bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
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13
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“And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
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14
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“And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:
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15
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“‘Cursed
be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to
the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in
secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
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16
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“‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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17
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“‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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18
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“‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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19
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“‘Cursed
be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the
fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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20
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“‘Cursed
be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his
father’s nakedness.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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21
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“‘Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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22
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“‘Cursed
be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father
or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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23
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“‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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24
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“‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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25
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“‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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26
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“‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
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The New Testament reading is verses 1-26 of Mark chapter 15.
The Crucifixion. And the world is changed because of that terrible day.
1
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And
as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with
the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and
led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.
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2
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And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”
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3
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And the chief priests accused him of many things.
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4
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And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”
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5
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But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
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6
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Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.
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7
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And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.
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8
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And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.
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9
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And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”
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10
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For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.
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11
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But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.
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12
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And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”
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13
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And they cried out again, “Crucify him.”
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14
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And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.”
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15
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So
Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and
having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
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16
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And
the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s
headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.
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17
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And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.
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18
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And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
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19
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And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.
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20
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And
when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put
his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
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21
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And
they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the
country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
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22
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And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).
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23
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And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
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24
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And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.
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25
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And it was the third hour when they crucified him.
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26
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And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”
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