RCL Readings 28 March 2010
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56



As one would expect for Holy Week there are some raw emotions in this week’s readings. The Old Testament reading from Isaiah 50:4-9a is one of the ‘Servant Songs’. The servant is portrayed as a teacher who first listens to God. Pray for a listening ear for yourself and pray for those who have a teaching ministry within the life of the Church that they too may have an open ear to God. The servant, having heard, faithfully speaks God’s word and encounters a strong reaction from his hearers – they strike him, pull out the hairs of his beard, insult and spit upon him. Why do people, why do we, react so strongly against God’s word? This calls for a time of self-examination leading to confession. The servant is not daunted by the abuse of others. The servant of the Lord experiences God’s help. Therefore the Lord’s servant is not deflected from the task – “I have set my face like flint” (v.7 see also Luke 9:51). As you reflect upon this passage you will sense the parallels with the passion narrative of the Gospel reading Luke 22:14 – 23:56.

The section of Psalm 31 selected for today (verses 9-16) is the agonised heartfelt cry of someone in a very desperate place. There is a danger when reading these particular verses of thinking “surely, no one I know is ever in that kind of place”. That simply is not true – people, and that may include you, have been or are in such a place. Belief and trust in God (v.14 and the verses that precede & follow the selected verses for today) are no insurance policy against such a ‘dark night of the soul’. What this Psalm does is say that if we are in such a place we can/should/need to carry on talking to God and to do that with utmost honesty. If we are not in such a place ourselves we need to acknowledge that some people are, that it is not a sign of lack of belief or faith, that their cry is expressed to God and therefore pray for them and for understanding on our part so as not to exasperate their plight (v.11).

Philippians 2:5-11 has a very different feel to it. These verses are a continuation of Paul’s urging his readers to live as sisters and brothers in Christ (2:1-4). Make verse 5 your prayer for the Church: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”. Verses 6-11 draw from the hymns or liturgy of the time and spell out, along with the earlier verses of the chapter, what this prayer will mean. We can only live verses 1-4 if we have the mind of Christ as reflected in verses 6-11. Consider your relationship with one another within the Church in the light of these verses. Make confession. Commit yourself to this way of living. Seek God’s help.

The Gospel reading of the passion narrative (Luke 22:14 – 23:56) is a long reading and I suggest that it is the kind of reading you need to sit with for some time and read in small sections pausing to reflect after each incident in the narrative. If possible read Luke 22:14 – 63 on Thursday and Luke 22:66 – 23:56 on Friday. Try to visualise the scenes and identify the emotions of those present.