Lenten Weekday
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 106: 19-20, 21-22, 23
Verse Before the Gospel: John 3: 16
Gospel: John 5: 31-47
First Reading: Exodus 32: 7-14
7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Go, get thee down: thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath sinned.
8 They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst shew them: and they have made to themselves a molten calf, and have adored it, and sacrificing victims to it, have said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
9 And again the Lord said to Moses: See that this people is stiffnecked:
10 Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation.
11 But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation kindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12 Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to you seed, and you shall possess it for ever.
14 And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 106: 19-20, 21-22, 23
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
19 They made also a calf in Horeb: and they adored the graven thing.
20 And they changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
21 They forgot God, who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Cham: terrible things in the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
23 And he said that he would destroy them: had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach: To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Verse Before the Gospel: John 3: 16
16 God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
Gospel: John 5: 31-47
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
33 You sent to John, and he gave testimony to the truth.
34 But I receive not testimony from man: but I say these things, that you may be saved.
35 He was a burning and a shining light: and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.
36 But I have a greater testimony than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to perfect; the works themselves, which I do, give testimony of me, that the Father hath sent me.
37 And the Father himself who hath sent me, hath given testimony of me: neither have you heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
38 And you have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him you believe not.
39 Search the scriptures, for you think in them to have life everlasting; and the same are they that give testimony of me.
40 And you will not come to me that you may have life.
41 I receive glory not from men.
42 But I know you, that you have not the love of God in you.
43 I am come in the name of my Father, and you receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive.
44 How can you believe, who receive glory one from another: and the glory which is from God alone, you do not seek?
45 Think not that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you, Moses, in whom you trust.
46 For if you did believe Moses, you would perhaps believe me also; for he wrote of me.
47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?
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John 5:33 You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say this so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light…
…You search the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life. “I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him.
Jesus points to the Baptized by John, ‘Born Again’, Christian Pharisees as the ones who will put Him to death. The term Pharisee means, ‘The Separated’. The Baptized, ‘Born Again’, Christian Pharisees judge themselves as in possession of heaven over everyone else they judge as unsaved and going to hell. Jesus severely denounces the ‘Born Again’ Christian Pharisees of his day, as violently taking heaven by force.
Matthew 11:11 “I solemnly assure you, history has not known a man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer. Yet the least born into the Kingdom of God is greater than he. From John the Baptizer’s time until now the kingdom of God has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Matthew 3:8 They were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. When he saw that many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were stepping forward for this bath, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who told you to flee from the wrath to come? Give some evidence that you mean to reform. Do not pride yourselves on the claim, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these very stones.”
Luke 16:16 “The law and the prophets were in force until John. From his time on, the good news of God’s kingdom has been proclaimed, and people of every sort are forcing their way in. It is easier for the heavens and the earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a letter of the law to pass.
It is the, Baptized by John the Baptist, ‘Grace Alone’, ‘Born Again’, Christian Pharisees who are, verbally, forcing their way into the ‘kingdom of God’ of which Jesus and John spoke about. The reason Jesus uses the term ‘violent’ is because it is over this issue that, Baptized by John, ‘Born Again’ Christian Pharisees, will murder Jesus over. The Born Again Christian Pharisees wanted to be seen as the chosen few in possession of ‘the Kingdom of God’, heaven, over others, yet Jesus constantly tells the ‘Born Again’ ‘Grace Alone’ Christian Pharisees they are going to hell and the repentant tax collectors and prostitutes are going to heaven instead. So the ‘Born Again’ ‘Grace Alone’ Christian Pharisees orchestrated Jesus Crucifixion over this issue. Of course the Born Again Christian Pharisees had rejected their baptism and returned to being seen as simply Jewish Pharisees, by the time they orchestrated the crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 18:9 Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Prayer of the Self-Righteous Christian Pharisee, “O God, I thank you [eucharisteo] that I am not like the rest of humanity…”. By using the term ‘Eucharisteo’, Jesus is identifying the self-righteous Christian Pharisee as a, Baptized by John the Baptist, ‘Grace Alone’, Christian Pharisee.
“Eucharisteo; with the dative it always stands where there is implied a kindness done, a favor, a charis, a grace for an undeserved gift received where it appears as thanks for any good experience.
Charis; from chairio, to rejoice, or chara, joy, favor, acceptance, a kindness granted or desired, a benefit, thanks, gratitude, grace. A favor done without expectation of return; absolute freeness of loving kindness of God to men finding its only motive in the bounty and freeheartedness of the Giver; unearned an unmerited favor.”
Quoted from: Lexicon to the Old and New Testaments, Copyright 1984 by Spiros Zodhiates, TH.D AMG publishers.
The self-righteous, baptized by John the Baptist, ‘Grace Alone’ Christian Pharisee, gives all the credit to God, that he is in possession of heaven over the tax collector he judges as unsaved. In contrast, the baptized by John the Baptist, tax collector places all the credit for his sinfulness upon himself and begs God for His mercy. “But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”. Jesus says, “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
In Mark 11:30 The Authority of Jesus Questioned. “Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.””. The reason Jesus counters with John’s baptism, is because He knows that the Pharisees interrogating Him, had accepted John’s baptism, in order to exalt themselves as in possession of the ‘Kingdom of God’, above other people. The Pharisees had done so without any reservation on where this grace was coming from through John the Baptist. Jesus tells the baptized by John Pharisees, John 5:39, “You search the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life. “I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him.”