Day 1 (Monday)
Exodus 6:28-30; 7:1-24 (Aaron as Moses’ Messenger, the First Plague)
Last time, we saw Pharaoh deny the children of Israel straw with which to make bricks, while still requiring the same allotment of bricks produced from them. As a result of this effectively impossible task, we saw the children of Israel complain to Moses and Aaron, and in turn we saw Moses complain to God that the Lord’s message to Pharaoh had not in fact delivered Israel, but only made things worse for them. The Lord, in response, made clear and direct promises to Moses, that He would indeed bring Israel out with strength, and would show His faithfulness to them and to all. This time, we will see this begin.
Who are Moses & Aaron?
From Exodus 6:14-25, the text gives the genealogy of Moses and Aaron, how they were the descendants of Jacob’s son Levi, and who all their family were. Then it continues:
26 It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, company by company.” 27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, the same Moses and Aaron.
Moses and Aaron Obey God’s Commands
28 On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me?”
7 1 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you;”
“then I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring forth my hosts, my people the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6 And Moses and Aaron did so; they did as the Lord commanded them. 7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Miraculous Rod
8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord commanded; Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts. 12 For every man cast down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them; as the Lord had said.
The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water; wait for him by the river’s brink, and take in your hand the rod which was turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness; and behold, you have not yet obeyed.”
17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand, and it shall be turned to blood, 18 and the fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile shall become foul, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink water from the Nile.”’” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”
20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, he lifted up the rod and struck the water that was in the Nile, and all the water that was in the Nile turned to blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died; and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts; so Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them; as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not lay even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug round about the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
Reading 7
753 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 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. Then, when Pharaoh refuses to even recognize Yahweh as God, the Lord responds with an insult, by not letting Moses speak to Pharaoh anymore, but establishing Aaron as the spokesman/prophet for Moses. This is a diplomatic insult; it conveys to Pharaoh that Pharaoh isn’t of a high enough rank to even talk to God’s messenger, but that God’s messenger (Moses) needs a messenger to speak to Pharaoh. The message sent by this is that Pharaoh is himself a pawn, a servant of greater powers, the demons that he worships as gods, but that Yahweh is God Most High, with no peer or equal, the one against whom those demons rebelled. What follows, as the water of the Nile is turned to blood, makes this point still more strongly; the Nile itself was the very source of life, and of the very soil of Egypt, washed down with the annual flooding of the River. For God to change this life-giving water into blood was a direct assault on the entire thinking and way of being for the Egyptians…and therefore an invitation and call for them to abandon the worship of the Creation and devote themselves to serving Him, the Creator of all things.
He can also point out in more detail that both the miracle of Aaron’s walking stick becoming a snake and consuming the snakes produced by the Pharaoh’s magicians, as well as that of the river water becoming blood, are not just random miracles. They are targeted strikes against the slavery under which both the Egyptians and the Israelites were laboring. Snakes were a symbol of divinity and kingship for the Egyptians; Aaron’s rod becoming a snake, and then consuming the Egyptian snakes, is a demonstration of the power and true divinity of Yahweh, and the weakness of Pharaoh and the demon gods he served. As for the Nile, the river itself was considered to be a god by the Egyptians, and was worshipped and supplicated because it was the source of life and fertility for Egypt. The turning of the water into blood is therefore another demonstration of Yahweh’s absolute power over the false gods of Egypt. In making an open show of their humiliation, He gives an invitation to the Egyptians to be delivered from their power, and simultaneously gives a warning to Pharaoh that his refusal to let Israel go will not stand.)
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 on Suffering
Note to parents – this is a heavy topic, and St. John is not always the easiest person to follow. However, the question of why bad things happen to good people is a question that all of us ask, and many children ask it quite young. St. John gives a fearless answer that calls us to consider what it really means to follow Christ – I urge you to at the least discuss this passage together yourselves, and with your older children. I also urge you to not be afraid to talk about it with the younger children, or at least in front of them. If nothing else, it is important for them, and for all of us, to be reminded that, for Christian people, suffering is not something by which we should be surprised, and very often, it is in suffering, rather than the good times, that we see God at work in our lives.
We talked last week about St. John Chrysostom and his life, exile, and death. St. John is a saint of the Church, a very important person, and yet, like most of the saints, we see him suffering a great deal. Sometimes people have asked why it is that God allows His saints, those who serve Him best, to suffer. It’s an important question for us, not least because we ourselves experience suffering throughout our lives. Now there are two possible answers. Sometimes God allows us to suffer the consequences of our wrong actions, in order to call us back to repentance after we have sinned. This is a reality we can see frequently throughout the Scriptures, and in our daily lives as well. Sometimes, though, we see righteous people suffer, even when they have done nothing wrong, as we saw with St. John Chrysostom. Why God allows this to happen is a difficult question, but St. John actually talks about it in one of his sermons, so let’s see what he says about it!
St. John Chrysostom on Suffering
“For we often hear the question asked of why God allows humble and righteous people to suffer, and some have found fault with the Saints, because they experienced sickness and disease, or poverty, hunger, prison, torments, & discomfort, or were despised by others, or suffered every other evil thing that comes in the present life. [Some have said that they must have been evil if God punished them with such suffering, or that God is not just if He rewards them with suffering in exchange for their righteous deeds). So we need to give a solution to the problem, an answer to those who are inclined to find fault.
[There are many answers that may be given, but they can be reduced to two. First, the Lord allows the Saints to suffer for their own profit and benefit. Second, He allows them to suffer for our benefit, and for that of all who see and hear of them.
1) When we say that God allows the Saints to suffer for their own good, it is specifically because suffering is a remedy for pride. And pride is a danger for the Saints, for nothing is so likely to feed pride as a life that is full of good works, and a soul that lives in confidence that it has done everything it should do. In order that His saints might escape from pride, then, God allows temptations and tribulations to afflict them; for these are have a great power to shrink human pride, and to teach us to be moderate and humble in all things.
Still more, when the saints suffer, and their own pride falls, God’s own power is revealed in them instead. He triumphs, and overcomes, and advances the preaching of the Word of God through people who are weak, and imprisoned, and in many troubles.]
We see throughout the Scriptures, in fact, that suffering is profitable to the saints, to help them to exercise moderation and lowliness, and to keep them from being puffed up by their miracles and good works; and it is for this profit that God permits them to suffer. For examples, we can hear the same thing affirmed by both David the prophet and Paul the apostle. For David says, “It is good for me, Lord, that I have been in trouble, that I might learn thy statutes” (Psalms 119:71), and Paul says, “I was caught up into the third heaven, and…and lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me with persecutions and afflictions, that I might not be too much exalted” (2 Corinthians 12).
2) Besides the benefits of suffering for the Saints themselves, God allows them to suffer for the sake of those who see and hear about them, so that we may have them for an example.
Their suffering is a safeguard to make sure that no one thinks that they are superhuman, or mistakes them to be gods and not men. For if they were more than human, than it would be impossible for the rest of us to imitate their righteousness, and they would be irrelevant to us. But their suffering shows them to be human beings, as we are, and therefore it is possible for us to imitate their example.
Their suffering also shows us what it means to trust God, for in it we see that they do not serve God to earn a reward. Instead, we see the depth of their trust in God when they serve Him even when they are suffering many evil things.
Their example then gives comfort to everyone who encounters troubles in life. When we remember that the Saints suffered like we do, and even more than we do, we come to understand that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and this both inspires us to imitate them, and reminds us that we are not alone in our suffering.
All of this helps us to understand the true nature of our life. We are often tempted to think that those who enjoy ease and pleasure in this life, even though they are evil, are blessed, and that we who struggle to follow Christ, and suffer many troubles and struggles, are cursed. But when we look at the example of the saints, who suffered and were crowned with glory by God, we learn what it truly means to be happy (that is, to be united with the Lord), and what it truly means to be miserable (to be distant from Him).”
(Adapted from Homily 1, Concerning the Statues, given in Antioch)
784 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should attend to the discussion questions included below. He should also inform everyone that the text we have read is an adaptation of St. John’s full sermon, done by Fr. Anthony in 2020, and that it is extremely loose. For those who wish to read the entire sermon, it is very worthwhile; an unedited excerpt is included below. It is the 1st of his sermons On the Statues, and may easily be found online under that title.)
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 problem that St. John is talking about? (Why it is that God allows good people to suffer, and especially why we see the saints suffer so much when we read their lives).
2) What does St. John say are the basic reasons that God allows the Saints to suffer? (First, for their own sake, and second for the sake of those who see or hear about the Saints, that is to say, for our sake).
3) How does suffering help the Saints? (It keeps them from becoming proud, and helps them to see God’s power at work in them.)
4) How does the suffering of the Saints help us? (It helps us to understand that they aren’t any different from us, and encourages us to imitate their example, even when we experience troubles and have problems. More than that, their suffering reminds us that we are not alone when we suffer, but that we are surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses, who pray for us and hope in the Lord along with us).
5) Who does St. John say is most blessed in life? Is it the people who are rich and comfortable and never have any problems? Or is it the people who suffer and have many problems? Why does he say that this is so? (He says the people who suffer, but are with the Lord are the ones who are truly happy, because they are not alone, but are always with the Lord, and with all the Saints).
Unedited Excerpt from On the Statues 1
“But it is necessary that we present a solution to the problem, so that if any of the Saints find themselves in sickness and disease, or in poverty, hunger, prison, torments, discomfort, or despised by others, and every other evil thing that comes in the present life…you can find an answer to those who are inclined to find fault. For we often hear the question asked of why God allows humble and righteous people to suffer…
I have eight reasons to declare to you for the many afflictions that the saints suffer. Therefore, let everyone pay attention to me strictly…
1) The first reason is that God permits them to suffer evil, so that they may not too easily be exalted into pride, as they might be due to the greatness of their good works and miracles.
2) The second is so that other people may not have think more highly of them than is right for human nature, and mistake them to be gods and not men.
3) The third is so that the power of God may be revealed, in triumphing, and overcoming, and advancing the preaching of the Word of God by means of people who are weak and imprisoned.
4) The fourth is so that the endurance of those who suffer may be more impressive, showing us that they do not serve God for a reward; but that rather they trust Him even after they have suffered so many evil things.
5) The fifth is so that our minds may be wise concerning the doctrine of the resurrection. For when you see a righteous man, who is full of virtue, suffering ten thousand evils, and then see him departing the present life, you are compelled to think of the future judgment. For we know that even fallen men make sure to pay those who work for them; still more do we know that God will not send those who have worked for Him away uncrowned. So if we see them unrewarded in this life, then we know that there must be a time, after the end of the life here, in which they will receive the reward for their present labours, and in this way we have the truth of the Resurrection revealed to us.
6) The sixth is so that everyone who encounters troubles in life may be comforted as they remember the saints who suffered likewise, and more, and understand that they are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.
7) The seventh is so that when we preach to you about the virtue of such persons, and we say to every one of you, “Imitate Paul, be like Peter,” you may not think that they were more than human, and impossible to imitate, and in this way shrink from imitating them. For their suffering shows them to be human beings, as we are.
8) The eighth is so that when it is necessary to call anyone blessed, or cursed, we may learn from the saints who suffered and were crowned who we actually should consider to be happy, and who we should consider to be miserable.
These are the reasons, and we may see in all the Scriptures that these are true, and no invention of human reasoning…so the truth, that suffering then is profitable to the saints, so that they may exercise moderation and lowliness, and that they may not be puffed up by their miracles and good works, and that God permits it for this reason; we may hear both David the prophet, and Paul the apostle saying the same thing. For David says, “It is good for me, Lord, that I have been in trouble, that I might learn thy statutes” (Psalms 119:71), and Paul says, “I was caught up into the third heaven, and…and lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me with persecutions and afflictions, that I might not be too much exalted” (2 Corinthians 12) For although Paul and Peter, and all that are like them, are holy and wonderful men, as indeed they are, yet they are but men, and we must be cautious lest we exalt them too much, and as greater saints than others. For nothing is so apt to exalt to presumption as a conscience full of good works, and a soul that lives in confidence. To the end, therefore, that these might suffer nothing of this kind, God permitted that there should be temptations and tribulations; for these are powerful to diminish pride, and to teach us to be moderate and humble in all things.”
(From Homily 1, Concerning the Statues, given in Antioch)
Day 3 (Friday)
Luke 6:1- 16 (Question about the Sabbath, Man with Withered Hand, Calling of Twelve Disciples)
Last time, we saw the Lord heal a paralytic and call Levi (Matthew) to be His disciple. We also saw the Pharisees start to criticize Jesus and His disciples because they weren’t fasting. This week, they will get even more angry at Him when He doesn’t act how they think He should act on the Sabbath Day, and the awe and glory that they gave to God together with everyone else when He healed the paralytic begins to sour as He threatens their teaching and position among the people.
The Question about the Sabbath
6 On a sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some ears of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of man is lord of the sabbath.”
The Man with a Withered Hand
6 On another sabbath, when he entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And he looked around on them all, and said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles
12 In these days he went out into the hills to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Reading 12
372 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should attend to the discussion questions and answers below.)
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) Where are the Pharisees angry at Jesus about in this reading? (They are angry because Jesus isn’t observing the Sabbath day in the way that they think He should).
2) What was the Sabbath day, anyway? (The Sabbath day was, and is, the seventh day of each week. In our week, it’s Saturday, which is still called Σαββατο in Greek. The Jews rested from work on the Sabbath Day, because God had rested on the seventh day of the week after He created everything.)
3) What two things had Jesus and His disciples done that the Pharisees were unhappy about? (His disciples had picked some heads of grain to eat while they were walking through a field, and Jesus had healed a man’s hand.)
4) What was Jesus’ question to them about the Sabbath? (He asked them what the Sabbath was for: to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it. He made the point that rest is a good thing, but starving yourself, or refusing to help people, are not good things, and that they were taking their rules too far. He also claimed to have authority over the Sabbath, when He said that the Son of Man was the lord of the Sabbath.)
5) What did Jesus do at the end of the reading? (He picked twelve special disciples from those who were following Him Note, disciple is just a fancy word for a student, someone who is learning from a teacher.)
6) How many disciples did Jesus pick? (Twelve – this is a good time to point out that there had also been twelve tribes of Israel, because Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. So Jesus is re-building the chosen people, since so many of the twelve tribes had abandoned the Covenant over the centuries since Moses).
7) How many of the Apostles do you recognize? What stories do you remember about them? (This is an open question, a chance to see what all of us remember about these pillars of the Church…and the one who betrayed his calling)
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