Readings for Tuesday March 15

Tuesday March 15          Lent 2

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Psalm 61
I was burdened and God became my strength—be with me always.

Psalm 62
In face of evil, we trust in God to be our solid foundation.

Genesis 42.1-17                           What’s Genesis about?
Back in Canaan, Joseph’s family is starving and when the 10 brothers arrive in Egypt to buy food, Joseph insists that the youngest be brought—perhaps because he himself was the youngest when he was sold into slavery. By remaining in disguise he tests their loyalty to their least important brother which he once was.

Mark 3.19b-35                           What’s Mark about?
Criticism of Jesus increases. Because his priorities are so out of sync with his society’s, his family thinks he is mentally ill, and the religious leaders accuse him of being the incarnation of evil. Jesus responds to the accusation that he can cast out evil only because he is a stronger evil, by pointing out the inconsistency—how can it be evil to heal people? If that is what evil is doing, more power to it—then evil has destroyed itself! He goes on to say that to deliberately describe something as evil which you know is good, will cut you off from life. That’s the meaning of the “unforgivable” sin. Returning to his family’s criticism, he insists that all who are connected to God’s justice are his family—which means that all Jesus’ followers must be mentally ill! He is turning our assumptions, about what makes sense, upside down, or rather, right side up.

This week’s collect:

Almighty God, whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross,
give us faith to perceive his glory,
that being strengthened by his grace
we may be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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