Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Jesus is bringing his ministry into its final days, and his disciples still don't get it. They still don't process what he means by his dying. In the midst of celebration, he executes a judgement on the temple. Things are getting wild, and the disciples have no idea what they're walking into. But he doesn't abandon them, despite their slowness of understanding. He is walking right into the completion of God's plan.

On All Saints Day, it is important to remember those who have given their lives for their faith. It is also important to remember the Savior we serve: not only our redeemer, but also the judge over those who create martyrs.

It's important that while God is loving, he also judges the nations. Isaiah spends a lot of time talking about what judged nations look like, but Jesus once again brings us back to the assurance that he isn't only choosing the elite, he's calling out to the damaged and dying. And if we belong to Christ and have been damaged because of the cruelty of another, we must leave judgment in his hands.

Both Psalms and Isaiah are calling us today to praise God for who he is, and Jesus shows us who he is indeed. May we all approach God as children approached Jesus: with awe and wonder, ready to live in his Kingdom.

Jesus had great power, but he didn't want to define his disciples by the power they wielded. It wasn't what defined his own ministry, either. Instead, he wanted his disciples to submit to one another, and for their greatest ambition to be the serving of others.

We must remember that although God is near, he is still the amazing, all-powerful creator of the Universe. He dared not let anyone see all of him, because nobody could survive even seeing him. In today's scripture, we're reminded to offer praise, and they're we're reminded why in the Transfiguration: Jesus really is that amazing.

Today, once again, Jesus takes a blind man aside to heal him. This time, it's interesting that the man seems to heal a little slowly. On the first pass, everything is blurry. Jesus touches him again, and he's able to see fully. Aren't we like this sometimes? Especially among instances of Jesus telling the disciples that they have eyes and ought to see, it's refreshing to see that Jesus doesn't give up on the disciples or the blind man when it takes them longer to receive their sight.

Today does something huge (preserving Jerusalem from their enemies, despite their great anxiety) and something he doesn't want anyone to hear about (the private healing of the deaf man). What a curious range of glories. It should certainly give us hope that while God can certainly show up in a big way, he's just as likely to be present in quiet, personal  moments.

Despite the prevalence of sadness in today's readings, there's also a lot of hope. The second underlying message is that we're not doing anything to earn God's love or God's protection, he is sovereign and is looking out for the good of his people. It's tough to hold onto faith when we're surrounded by enemies, but God is only out to love us.

Today we get a glimpse of what it looks like to draw close to God. As Isaiah accepts his call and Jesus shows his disciples how he cares for them, these are not the activities of every believer. These are times when God did something extraordinary to show how extraordinary he truly is.