Day 1 (Monday)
Bricks Without Straw Continued, God Promises Deliverance
Last time, we saw Moses return to Egypt, where he met with the people of Israel and told them how God had sent him, and showed them the signs that God had given to them. The people rejoiced that God had sent them mercy, and worshipped the Lord. When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, however, the king of Egypt mocked the name of the Lord, saying that he did not know Yahweh, and would not let Israel go…and he then commanded his servants to withhold the straw necessary to make bricks from the children of Israel, but to require them to still make their normal allotment, saying that they must be idle, if they had time to complain and ask to leave. This time, we will see his orders fulfilled, and what follows.
Bricks Without Straw continued
10 So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go yourselves, get your straw wherever you can find it; but your work will not be lessened in the least.’” 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task, as when there was straw.” 14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today, as hitherto?”
15 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you deal thus with your servants? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Go now, and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks.”
19 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in evil plight, when they said, “You shall by no means lessen your daily number of bricks.” 20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came forth from Pharaoh; 21 and they said to them, “The Lord look upon you and judge, because you have made us offensive in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Israel’s Deliverance Assured
22 Then Moses turned again to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why hast thou done evil to this people? Why didst thou ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he has done evil to this people, and thou hast not delivered thy people at all.”
Exodus 6 1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, yea, with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
2 And God said to Moses, “I am the Lord (ὁ ὤν, He Who Is, Yahweh). 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they dwelt as sojourners. 5 Moreover I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold in bondage and I have remembered my covenant.”
6 “Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, He Who Is and causes all things to be, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, 7 and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord, He Who Is, your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
8 “And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord, He Who Is and causes all things to be.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel; but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel bondage.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am a man of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a charge to the people of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
Reading 6
727 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that when Pharaoh refuses the message of Moses and Aaron, saying that he doesn’t know Israel’s god, he is saying he doesn’t believe Yahweh exists, nor has any power. He only believes in himself and his own divinity. In following this refusal with the command to require bricks to be made without providing straw, his intent is to discredit Moses & Aaron, to make the Israelites hate them; and as we can see, his methods are effective. Moses’ prayer to God is clearly frustrated, but God’s response will be clear and powerful, as we will see in the coming weeks. Finally, we should note that God is being merciful to Pharaoh; for what he has done in murdering the countless baby boys of the Israelites, he and his people are deserving of much worse, but God is giving him a chance to escape that punishment and simply let the people go. He is not making a good start at receiving that mercy, though.
He should also draw attention to the name of God as it is present here in this text. Otherwise, it’s important to sum up the thread of the narrative here. Pharaoh has refused to let the people go, and Moses has brought this issue to God. God has reminded Moses that He is God Almighty, and that He is now revealing Himself in a special way to the children of Israel, so that they even know His Name now.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
St. John Chrysostom
St. John Chrysostom is one of the most important saints in the Orthodox Church. He put together the Divine Liturgy that we do every Sunday, and he is considered the ideal standard of an Orthodox Christian priest. He was a man of unshakeable integrity, a preacher of clarity and authority (for which reason he is called Chrysostom, which means “Golden-mouthed”), and a determined and faithful servant of Jesus Christ. He criticized extravagance and corruption for both clergy and laypeople (which made him an enemy of the Empress), and insisted that both the clergy and laity be faithful to the call of the Christ in the Gospel. In particular, he insisted that Christian people must care for the poor. Like the martyrs, he suffered greatly as a result of his faithfulness, but through his suffering, his defeat and exile, and indeed his death, the truth and rightness of his preaching and teaching was established. He remains one of the most powerful witnesses to the glory of God in the Orthodox Church.
November 13 – St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople
This greatest and most loved of all Christian preachers was born in Antioch the Great in the year 347; his pious parents were named Secundus and Anthusa. After his mother was widowed at the age of twenty, she spent her time and energy in bringing up John and his elder sister “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). John received his literary training under Anthragathius the philosopher, and Libanius the sophist, who was the greatest Greek scholar and rhetorician of his day. Libanius was a pagan, and when asked before his death whom he wished to have for his successor, he said, “John, had not the Christians stolen him from us.”
With such a training, and with such gifts as he had by nature, John had before him a brilliant career as a public speaker and teacher of rhetoric. But through the good example of his godly mother and of the holy Bishop Meletius of Antioch, by whom he was ordained reader about the year 370, he chose instead to dedicate himself to God. From the years 374 to 381 he lived the monastic life in the hermitages that were near Antioch. His extreme asceticism undermined his health, and forced him to return to Antioch in 381, at which point St. Meletios ordained him a deacon. Five years later, he was ordained a presbyter (priest).
Upon his elevation to the priesthood his career as a public preacher began, and his exceptional oratorical gifts were shown to the world through his many sermons. They show a mastery of Scripture, an easy and fluid eloquence, and a clear understanding of the workings of God’s plan for salvation in the world. St. John spoke with authority against the abuse of wealth and property, and insisted that Christian people care for both the spiritual and practical needs of the poor. Most of all, they show a natural earnestness and moral force which clearly come from the heart of a blameless and guileless man who lived first what he preached to others. Because of his fame, he was chosen to succeed Saint Nectarius as Patriarch of Constantinople. He was taken away by stealth, to avoid the opposition of the people, and consecrated Patriarch of Constantinople on February 28, 398.
From the beginning, he was an unusual bishop. He deplored the fact that Imperial court protocol gave him access to privileges greater than the highest state officials, and during his time as bishop, he refused to host lavish entertainments. This meant he was popular with the common people, but unpopular with the wealthy and the clergy from the beginning. In a sermon soon after his arrival he said, “people praise the predecessor to disparage the successor.” His reforms of the clergy were also unpopular. He told visiting regional preachers to return to the churches they were meant to be serving, refusing to allow them to make extra money in the city while neglecting their flocks at home.
His time in Constantinople proved short and full of controversy. The Emperor at the time was Arcadius, a man of weak character, and much under the influence of his wife Eudoxia, who was offended by St. John’s insistent condemnation of the lax morals of the wealthy and powerful in the city. She formed an alliance with others of like mind, both clergy and laity, and in 403 they held a synod which falsely accused him of heresy, and he was deposed and banished to Pontus.
The people were were very angry about his departure, and the next night an earthquake shook the city. This so frightened the Empress Eudoxia that she begged Arcadius to call Chrysostom back. While his return was triumphant, his reconciliation with the Empress did not last long. When she had a silver statue of herself erected in the forum before the Church of the Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) later that year, and had it dedicated with much unseemly revelry, Saint John thundered against her, and she could not forgive him. In June of 404 he was exiled to a city in Eastern Asia Minor.
The pope in Rome (Innocent I at this time) protested at this banishment, but to no avail. During his exile, John wrote letters to some faithful friends in the City, and these letters were considered a sufficient threat to his enemies that they had him exiled still further, to Pityus, in modern Georgia. The journey overland was filled with bitter sufferings for the aged bishop, both because of the harshness of the elements and the cruelty of one of his guards. He did not reach Pityus, but gave up his soul to the Lord near Comana in Pontus, at the chapel of the Martyr Basiliscus (see May 22), who had appeared to him shortly before, foretelling the day of his death, which came to pass on September 14, 407. His last words were “Glory be to God for all things.”
His holy relics were brought back to Constantinople thirty-one years later by the Emperor Theodosius the Younger and Saint Pulcheria his sister, the children of Arcadius and Eudoxia, with fervent supplications that the sin of their parents against him be forgiven; this return of his holy relics is celebrated on January 27. He is also celebrated as one of the Three Hierarchs on January 30, together with Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory the Theologian.
Normally, a saint’s feast day is celebrated on the day of their death. However, since he died on September 14, the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross, his feast-day has been transferred to November 13th.
942 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out some of the important elements noted below in the additional discussion questions.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Additional discussion questions:
1) What is the most frequently read thing that St. John Chrysostom wrote? (The Divine Liturgy that Orthodox Christians celebrate every Sunday)
2) What does his name “Chrysostom” mean, and why? (It means “Golden-mouthed,” because his preaching was so excellent)
3) What was his life like before he was ordained? What thing in his life is most different from what we do in the Church today? (There is a lot that could be said, and it would be good to talk about how John was a hermit before he was ordained, and how he was extremely strict in his fasting, to the point that his health suffered and he was unable to continue as a monk. From his “failure” as a monk, however, the Church in the world gained him as a deacon, a priest, a bishop, a preacher, and a saint. Moreover, it is clear that his pastoral wisdom came in large part from his personal experience of spiritual effort, in which he found both the limits of human endurance, and the strength that comes from God alone)
4) What was his life like once he was ordained? (It was a good life. He became a very popular preacher, because his sermons were easily understood and were relevant to the people. He preached a great deal on the Scriptures, and emphasized the importance of caring for the poor. His people seem to have appreciated his skill in preaching and his practical advice).
5) What happened to him next? (He was selected as the new Bishop of Constantinople, the capital city of the Empire. Everything that had made him popular in Antioch caused him trouble there. The common people loved him, as they had in Antioch, but the wealthy and powerful grew quickly to hate him).
6) How did he die? (He was exiled by his enemies in the city, and died on the road due to the strenuous journey. It is worth noting that after a period of time, his relics (his body) were brought back to Constantinople, where the emperor begged his forgiveness, and he was glorified as a saint within living memory of his ministry in the city)
Day 3 (Friday)
Luke 5:17-39 (Jesus Heals a Paralytic, Calls Levi, Talks about Fasting)
Last week we say Jesus call His first disciples (Simon Peter, his brother, and their partners, the sons of Zebedee, named James & John), and then proceed to heal a leper. In that encounter, we saw the Lord’s power revealed to His disciples in the great catch of fish, and His mercy and love to them as He called them to follow Him; in the healing of the leper, we saw an example of what prayer and faith look like. This time, we will see the Lord heal a paralytic, then call another disciple, and answer some criticisms made against His followers.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.
20 And when he saw their faith he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?” 22 When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he lay, and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”
Jesus Calls Levi
27 After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And he left everything, and rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
The Question about Fasting
33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He told them a parable also: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
Reading 11
556 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should address the points noted in the additional questions below, and also the example that we see of intercessory prayer in the healing of the paralytic. For he doesn’t actually say or do anything; it is his friends who carry him to Jesus, who ask Jesus to heal him, and on account of their faith/trust in Him that He forgives the man’s sins and restores him to health. This is what we are called to do when we bring one another to the Lord in prayer, to entrust ourselves AND one another, and our whole life, to Christ our God.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Additional Discussion Questions
1) What kind of example, good or bad, are the friends of the paralyzed man that come to Jesus in this reading? Should we imitate them? How can we tell? (I would say that they are a good example, and we should imitate them; we can tell because they receive what they ask for).
2) What did you notice about what they did? (There will probably be a lot of variation to this, but it is important to notice, at the least, that they both asked Jesus to help their friend, and believed that He had the power to do so, but they didn’t demand that He help him. They cast themselves on His mercy, and entrusted themselves to His will).
3) Does the paralyzed man do or say anything before Jesus heals him? (No – but his friends do. This story is an example for us of the power of prayer. We don’t know anything at all about this paralyzed man, although of course Jesus knew, but what it says is that Jesus healed him, and forgave his sins, because of the faith of his friends.)
4) Why do you think Jesus forgave his sins first, and only healed him afterward? (This is intended as a prompt for free conversation, and there may be many answers. It is good to point out that by forgiving his sins first, Jesus is making a strong statement about what is the bigger problem. Being paralyzed is bad, sure…but unforgiven sins are worse. Jesus fixes both, but He deals with the larger issue first).
5) What was the name of the next disciple that Jesus called to follow him? What was his job before Jesus called him? (Levi was his name, and he was a tax collector. He was also called Matthew, and it is by that name that he is most often remembered. To be a tax collector was to be despised and hated by the people at the time, because they worked for the Romans and betrayed their fellow countrymen by taking their wealth, giving it to the Romans, and skimming off the top to enrich themselves)
6) What did Levi do when Jesus called him? (He left everything and followed Jesus, but first he threw a big party, and invited all his sinful friends, and they ate together with Jesus and his disciples)
7) What did the Pharisees think about this? (The Pharisees didn’t like it; they thought that a teacher of the law, like Jesus was, should be pure and keep himself separate from sinful people. So they criticized Jesus to the disciples).
8) What did Jesus say to this? (He said that people who are healthy don’t need a doctor, but people who are sick do. For that reason, He came to call sinful people to repent, but to do that, He needed to spend time with them).
9) What else did the Pharisees criticize the disciples for? (They complained that they didn’t fast, like other faithful Jewish people did).
10) What did Jesus say to that? (He made a comparison with a wedding reception, and said that it didn’t make sense for wedding guests to fast while the Bridegroom was still there at the party, but that after the bridegroom left, then it made sense for people to go back to normal life, which would include fasting).
11) What other story did Jesus tell them to explain how things were changing? (He talked about old and new cloth and old and new wineskins. The point in both cases is that materials like that, once they have aged, can’t be sewn together with new material, because things will stretch in different ways, and the patch won’t last.)
12) What do you think Jesus meant by this? (Answers may vary here – it seems, though, that Jesus is pointing out that not only are his disciples not fasting while He is with them, but that probably once He leaves them, how they fast, and how they live, will not be the same as it was before. We certainly see this to be true in the Christian life; many things are different between what we do now, and what the Jewish people were doing before the Messiah came to them.)
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