Day 1 (Monday)
Daniel 3:1-45 (The Golden Image & Fiery Furnace)
Since January, we have been reading about King David, from his anointing as the Messiah of Yahweh (the Anointed of the Lord) by Samuel, through his defeat of Goliath, his meteoric rise in the ranks of King Saul’s army, through Saul’s jealousy of him and attempts to kill him, through his wandering in the wilderness, through the death of Saul, David’s crowning as king first of Judah, and then of all Israel, and finally his bringing of the Ark of God into Jerusalem. We will read somewhat more of David’s life, of his great fall into sin, of the consequences that follow that, in a few weeks, but as we approach Pascha, we will pause and instead continue with the story of Daniel, David’s descendant, and of his three friends, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael (sometimes better known by their Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego). When we left Daniel, he had just both told and interpreted the dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had had, of a great image with a gold head, silver chest, bronze mid-section, and iron legs, and of the Rock Not Cut with Hands which destroyed it and grew into a mountain and filled the entire earth. Upon this success, the king promoted him and his friends…but whether the king actually learned anything, we will see in the coming story.
The Golden Image
3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent for the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to assemble and come to the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
When they were standing before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, 4 the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue, 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O king. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. 17 If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”
The Fiery Furnace
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace heated up seven times more than was customary, 20 and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
The Prayer of Azariah in the Furnace
24 They walked around in the midst of the flames, singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. 25 Then Azariah stood still in the fire and prayed aloud:
26 “Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors, and worthy of praise;
and glorious is your name forever!
27 For you are just in all you have done;
all your works are true and your ways right,
and all your judgments are true.
28 You have executed true judgments in all you have brought upon us
and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors;
by a true judgment you have brought all this upon us because of our sins.
29 For we have sinned and broken your law in turning away from you;
in all matters we have sinned grievously.
30 We have not obeyed your commandments,
we have not kept them or done what you have commanded us for our own good.
31 So all that you have brought upon us,
and all that you have done to us,
you have done by a true judgment.
32 You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels,
and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world.
33 And now we cannot open our mouths;
we, your servants who worship you, have become a shame and a reproach.
34 For your name’s sake do not give us up forever,
and do not annul your covenant.
35 Do not withdraw your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham your beloved
and for the sake of your servant Isaac
and Israel your holy one,
36 to whom you promised
to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven
and like the sand on the shore of the sea.
37 For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any other nation,
and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins.
38 In our day we have no ruler, or prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,
no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.
39 Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,
40 as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls,
or with tens of thousands of fat lambs;
such may our sacrifice be in your sight today,
and may we unreservedly follow you,
for no shame will come to those who trust in you.
41 And now with all our heart we follow you;
we fear you and seek your presence.
42 Do not put us to shame,
but deal with us in your patience
and in your abundant mercy.
43 Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.
44 Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame;
let them be disgraced and deprived of all power,
and let their strength be broken.
45 Let them know that you alone are the Lord God,
glorious over the whole world.”
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 the three Young Men, also called the Three Servants (of God), do not tell the king that God WILL save them. They say that He is able to do so, or rather, they say that if He is able, let Him do so (which is to say, even when they talk to the king, they are actually asking God for His help), but whether He saves them or not, they refuse to be unfaithful to Him. This is the most perfect picture of what Faith actually looks like; trusting God’s will, regardless of the outcome, and holding fast to Him whatever comes. Second, we should note how Azariah prays, because we have seen this before. First, he confesses that God is righteous and holy, and then he confesses his sins, both his own, and the sins of all the people. Then, finally, he asks for mercy, first for his people, and then for himself and his friends.)
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)
Gospel of Nicodemus – 3 of 5
Last time we saw Seth speak of the prophecy he had received from the Archangel Michael, about the One Who would be baptized in the Jordan being the one to bring the oil of mercy from the Tree of Life, to restore Adam and all his race. We also saw Satan and Hades speaking to one another about the imminent coming of Jesus to Hades, with Satan gleefully rejoicing in the defeat of his enemy, while Hades was speaking in incredulous fear of the arrival of this One Who had called so many of the dead out of Hades by His own authority. He had begged Satan not to bring Jesus to Hades, telling him that if Jesus came to Hades, then He would not only be free among the dead Himself, but would lead all those bound there into freedom. We will continue from that point.
Reading 3
CHAP. 5 (21)—And as Prince Satan and Hades were thus speaking to each other in turn, suddenly there was a voice as of thunders, and a shouting of spirits: “Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting gates; and the King of glory shall come in.” Hades hearing this, said to Prince Satan: “Retire from me, and go outside of my realms: if thou art a powerful warrior, fight against the King of glory. But what hast thou to do with Him?” And Hades thrust Satan outside of his realms. And Hades said to his impious officers: “Shut the cruel gates of brass, and put up the bars of iron, and resist bravely, that we, holding captivity, may not take Him captive.”
And all the multitude of the saints, hearing this, said to Hades, with the voice of reproach: “Open thy gates, that the King of glory may come in.” And David cried out, saying: “Did I not, when I was alive upon earth, prophesy to you: Let them confess to the Lord His tender mercies and His wonderful works to the children of men: for He has shattered the brazen gates, and burst the iron bars; He has taken them up out of the way of their iniquity?”
And after this, in like manner, Esaias said: “Did not I, when I was alive upon earth, prophesy to you: ‘The dead shall rise up, and those who are in their tombs shall rise again, and those who are upon earth shall exult; because the dew, which is from the Lord, is their health?’4 And again I said, ‘Where, O Death, is thy sting? where, O Hades, is thy victory?’”
And when all the saints heard this from Esaias, they said to Hades: “Open thy gates. Since thou art now conquered, thou wilt be weak and powerless.” And there was a great voice, as of thunders, saying: “Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be ye lifted up, ye infernal gates; and the King of glory shall come in.” Hades, seeing that they had twice shouted out this, says, as if not knowing: “Who is the king of glory?”
David says, in answer to Hades: “I recognise those words of the shout, since I prophesied the same by His Spirit. And now, what I have said above I say to thee, ‘The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle; He is the King of glory.’ And the Lord Himself hath looked down from heaven upon earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, and to release the sons of the slain.7 And now, most filthy and most foul Hades, open thy gates, that the King of glory may come in.”
While David was thus speaking, there came to Hades, in the form of a man, the Lord of majesty, and lighted up the eternal darkness, and burst asunder the indissoluble chains; and the aid of unconquered power visited us, sitting in the profound darkness of transgressions, and in the shadow of death of sins.
CHAP. 6 (22)—When this was seen by Hades and Death, and their impious officers, along with their cruel servants, they trembled at perceiving in their own dominions the clearness of so great a light, when they saw Christ suddenly in their abodes; and they cried out, saying: “We have been overcome by thee. Who art thou, that to the Lord directest our confusion? Who art thou, that, undestroyed by corruption, the uncorrupted proof of thy majesty, with fury condemnest our power?Who art thou, so great and little, lowly and exalted, soldier and commander, wonderful warrior in the form of a slave, and the king of glory dead and alive, whom slain the cross has carried?”
“Thou, who didst lie dead in the sepulchre, hast come down to us alive; and in thy death every creature trembled, and the stars in a body were moved; and now thou hast been made free among the dead, and disturbest our legions. Who art thou, that settest free those who art held captive, bound by original sin, and recallest them to their former liberty? Who art thou, who sheddest a divine, and splendid, and illuminating light upon those who have been blinded by the darkness of their sins?”
In like manner, also, all the legions of the demons, terror-stricken with like fear from their fearful overthrow, cried out, saying: “Whence art thou, O Jesus, a man so powerful and splendid in majesty, so excellent, without spot, and free from guilt? For that world of earth which has been subject to us always until now, which used to pay tribute for our uses, has never sent us such a dead man, has never destined such gifts for the powers below.”
“Who therefore art thou, that hast so intrepidly entered our bounds, and who hast not only no fear of our punishments, but, moreover, attemptest to take all away from our chains? Perhaps thou art that Jesus of whom our prince Satan said, that by thy death of the cross thou wast destined to receive the dominion of the whole world.”
Then the King of glory, trampling on death by His majesty, and seizing Prince Satan, delivered him to the power of Hades, and drew Adam to His brightness.
Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds., “The Gospel of Nicodemus,” in The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: The Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts and Epistles, the Clementina, Apocrypha, Decretals, Memoirs of Edessa and Syriac Documents, Remains of the First Ages, trans. Alexander Walker, vol. 8 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886), 448–453.
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 the words that the Lord says outside the gates of Hades are the words of Psalm 23/24, which are often repeated during Holy Week either Holy Friday evening or Holy Saturday, when the Faithful are re-entering the Church from outside. They are also used during the Consecration of a Church, during the opening of the doors (Thyranyxia). In all of these, we are celebrating the Lord’s entrance and purification and dominion in the place that is being opened, and we must comprehend in all this the marvel that Death itself is being filled with the presence of Almighty 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?
Day 3 (Friday)
John 19:25b-37 (Jesus on the Cross)
Last time, we saw Jesus crucified, and saw the description of the soldiers dividing His garments among them, and casting lots for His tunic. We noted that the inclusion of this detail functions something like a tag, confirming and cross-referencing the accounts of the other Evangelists, who all emphasize this or other elements prophesied in Psalms 21/22. This time, we will see what else happens while Jesus is on the Cross, and what His final words are.
Jesus on the Cross
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Jesus’ Side Is Pierced
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows[g] that he tells the truth.) 36 These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
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 two things. First, the Church recognizes a strong connection between the Lord’s final words on the Cross “It is finished,” and the words of completion in the Genesis account of Creation, that “Behold, it was very good.” It is significant that on both occasions, God speaks these words at the end of the 6th Day, and on both occasions, He rests on the 7th Day. Sometimes we go so far as to say that these are not two separate occasions, but descriptions of the same reality from different perspectives. Second, the final paragraph, about the soldier piercing the Lord’s side with the lance, is what is read every Liturgy during the Preparation of the Gifts, as the Lamb, the portion of the Bread that will be consecrated, is pierced with a lance, and then the wine and water that will be consecrated are poured into the Chalice as the Priest recites: “and immediately there came out blood and water.”)
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?