Day 1 (Monday)
3 Kingdoms (1 Kings) 18:1-47 (Elijah at Mount Carmel)
Last time, we saw Elijah sent by God to Ahab, to proclaim a drought, making an open show of the weakness of Baal, the false god Ahab had begun to worship. During the years of this drought, Elijah was sheltered in the home of a widow, where the Lord sustained them miraculously despite the famine and drought, and where Elijah raised the widow’s son from the dead, and then, after at least two years, God sent Elijah back to Ahab, as the time of warning and instruction was coming to an end, and a day of judgment and decision was arriving. This time, we will see what that day of judgment looks like for Ahab and those who have led Israel into evil with him.
Elijah’s Triumph over the Priests of Baal
20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel, and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Eli′jah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Ba′al, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Eli′jah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Ba′al’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.”
23 “Let two bulls be given to us; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; and I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, and put no fire to it. 24 And you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”
25 Then Eli′jah said to the prophets of Ba′al, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Ba′al from morning until noon, saying, “O Ba′al, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped about the altar which they had made.
27 And at noon Eli′jah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is musing, or he has gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice; no one answered, no one heeded.
30 Then Eli′jah said to all the people, “Come near to me”; and all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31 Eli′jah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood.” 34 And he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar, and filled the trench also with water.
36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Eli′jah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that thou, O Lord, art God, and that thou hast turned their hearts back.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” 40 And Eli′jah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Ba′al; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them; and Eli′jah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.
The Drought Ends
41 And Eli′jah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Eli′jah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again seven times.”
44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising out of the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezre′el. 46 And the hand of the Lord was on Eli′jah; and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezre′el.
918 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (There is a lot going on in this reading. There is a subtext, though, that needs to be teased out. Baal is not a false god, in the sense of a made-up and imaginary god, but a false god in the sense that he is a fallen angel, who rebelled against God. He is trying to fight against God in the one way that matters; he is trying to take God’s chosen people away, to enlist them as allies in his rebellion, and ultimately to destroy them. Everything that happens here, then, needs to be seen in that light. God sends Elijah immediately to call the Israelites back to Him; he talks to the king at first, but now he is talking to all the people. Everything that Elijah does shows the weakness of Baal and the power and love of Yahweh, the Lord. And after the fire comes down, when Elijah kills all the priest and prophets of Baal, it is precisely as an exorcism, a destruction of those who are leading Israel into destruction. For anyone in Israel who is paying attention at all, it is crystal clear that Yahweh is real, that He has not forgotten His people, and that He remains faithful to them, and calls them to be faithful to Him. This is God’s response when Israel begins to reject Him; He comes and calls them back, but does not force them back.)
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?
6) “What is the a) literal, b) allegorical, c) moral/ethical, d) anagogical/eschatological meaning of this text? (Think of these questions as a mountain which we can ascend, or as layers of meaning upon which we can reflect. Oftentimes, as we reflect upon a text in this way, we may find that the highest level, the anagogical reading (in which we see the text as revealing the glory of God and His kingdom in a deeper manner, opening up to us the grand scope of God’s great work of salvation in and for us) sheds new insights on the lower levels of interpretation.)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Letter of St. Ignatius to the Ephesians – 2
Last time we began to read the letter of St. Ignatius to the Ephesians. He wrote this letter from Smyrna, where he had been visited by a delegation from the Church in Ephesus, led by the bishop of Ephesus, Onesimus. He began his letter by congratulating the church in Ephesus on what a pious and faithful bishop they had, and continues here by urging them to obey him, to remain in active communion with their bishop.
Obedience to the Bishop
I am not commanding you, as though I were someone important. For even though I am in chains for the sake of the Name, I have not yet been perfected in Jesus Christ. For now I am only beginning to be a disciple, and I speak to you as my fellow students. For I need to be trained by you in faith, instruction, endurance, and patience.
But since love does not allow me to be silent concerning you, I have therefore taken the initiative to encourage you, so that you may run together in harmony with the mind of God. For Jesus Christ, our inseparable life, is the mind of the Father, just as the bishops appointed throughout the world are in the mind of Christ.
Thus it is proper for you to run together in harmony with the mind of the bishop, as you are in fact doing. For your council of presbyters, which is worthy of its name and worthy of God, is attuned to the bishop as strings to a lyre. Therefore in your unanimity and harmonious love Jesus Christ is sung.
You must join this chorus, every one of you, so that by being harmonious in unanimity and taking your pitch from God you may sing in unison with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father, in order that he may both hear you and, on the basis of what you do well, acknowledge that you are members of his Son. It is, therefore, advantageous for you to be in perfect unity, in order that you may always had a share in God.
For if I in a short time experienced such fellowship with your bishop, which was not merely human but spiritual, how much more do I congratulate you who are united with him, as the church is with Jesus Christ and as Jesus Christ is with the Father, so that all things may be harmonious in unity. Let no one be misled: if anyone is not within the sanctuary, he lacks the bread of God.
For if the prayer of one or two has such power, how much more that of the bishop together with the whole church! Therefore whoever does not meet with the congregation thereby demonstrates his arrogance and has separated himself, for it is written: “God opposes the arrogant.” Let us, therefore, be careful not to oppose the bishop, in order that we may be obedient to God.
Furthermore, the more anyone observes that the bishop is silent, the more one should fear him. For everyone whom the Master of the house sends to manage his own house we must welcome as we would the one who sent him. It is obvious, therefore, that we must regard the bishop as the Lord himself. Now Onesimus himself highly praises your orderly conduct in God, reporting that you all live in accordance with the truth and that no heresy has found a home among you. Indeed, you do not so much as listen to anyone unless he speaks truthfully about Jesus Christ.
514 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should note that Ignatius sees the active Communion of the Saints, each Christian’s participation in the communal and sacramental life of the Church, as the most important thing for a Christian to do…and that he sees it as impossible to do this without living in obedience to the bishop. He makes a few arguments to support this. The latter one is simply that the bishop is the direct representative of Christ, and that therefore, we need to treat the bishop like we would treat Christ Himself. The former is that the Church is called to operate like a musical chorus, and that a musical chorus requires a director, and the bishop is that director; so it is impossible for the Church to do and be what it is called to do and be unless everyone is in perfect harmony with the bishop. It is important to note, as well, that Ignatius doesn’t make this argument on the basis of his own authority…he speaks humbly, as one still learning, but also with certainty, as one describing something that is universally known to all. This reflects, then, a truth that was clearly established even at this early date, but also a struggle and challenge that has existed in the Church from the beginning.)
2) What do we learn about God in this reading?
3) What do we learn about human beings in this reading?
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 3 (Friday)
Luke 11:29-44 (Sign of Jonah, Light of the Body)
Last time we saw Jesus teach His disciples to pray, and show them that He had the power over demons and evil spirits that only God Himself could have. This time He will begin to speak in a clear judgment of the people of the day, both the people at large, and especially those with power and authority. Things are beginning to move toward His Passion and death in Jerusalem.
The Sign of Jonah
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nin′eveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nin′eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
The Light of the Body
33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
Jesus Denounces Pharisees and Lawyers
37 While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. 44 Woe to you! for you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it.”
Reading 26
417 words
Discussion Questions
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out that the way that Jesus is speaking makes clear that something has changed. There were hints as He was sending out the 12 and the 70 in the last few chapters that the preaching of the Gospel was a moment of crisis, presenting everyone who heard with a choice of whether to receive Him or reject Him. Now, He is speaking directly to both the people and to their religious leaders, making clear that this is the last chance before judgment will come. Reading this together with the Old Testament, we see that God has been patient with His people since He first revealed Himself to them on Mt. Sinai, but with the approach of His Passion, the opportunity for them to repent and avoid disaster is coming to an end. Ultimately, the disaster comes some 40 years after the Crucifixion, when the Temple is destroyed after a Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Those who embrace the Lord are saved, and the Church survives and thrives. But for those who reject Him (especially the Sadducees), the destruction of the Temple abolishes their faithless authority over the people, and their time comes to an end.)
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? (This reading should make us think long and hard about ourselves, and whether we are responding to the preaching of the Gospel and following the Lord as we should. He is patient and forgiving and loving, but it is very possible for us to harden our hearts and destroy completely our desire to receive His grace. If we become so hardened that we no longer want what God gives to us, then at a certain point it will not matter that God is loving and forgiving, because we will have destroyed the ability in ourselves to receive His love. For us, this reading is a call to beware, and to repent.)
6) “What is the a) literal, b) allegorical, c) moral/ethical, d) anagogical/eschatological meaning of this text? (Think of these questions as a mountain which we can ascend, or as layers of meaning upon which we can reflect. Oftentimes, as we reflect upon a text in this way, we may find that the anagogical reading, in which we see the text as revealing the glory of God and His kingdom in a deeper manner, sheds new insights on the lower levels of interpretation.)
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