A Layman’s Take on Today’s Readings: Lectionary 444/639

Key

Bold = verse commented upon

Blue = comment

1 Timothy 3:1-13

Beloved, this saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with perfect dignity; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of the Church of God? He should not be a recent convert, so that he may not become conceited and thus incur the Devil’s punishment. He must also have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, the Devil’s trap.

Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful, not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain, holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Moreover, they should be tested first; then, if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in everything. Deacons may be married only once and must manage their children and their households well. Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 101:1-3, 5-6

Of mercy and judgment I will sing; to you, O LORD, I will sing praise. I will persevere in the way of integrity; when will you come to me?

I will walk with blameless heart, within my house; I will not set before my eyes

any base thing.

Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I destroy. The man of haughty eyes and puffed up heart I will not endure.

My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He who walks in the way of integrity shall be in my service.

Luke 2:33-35

Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

John 19:25-27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

1.    The 1 Timothy reading and the Psalm stress integrity: we are to live our day-to-day lives in accordance with God’s standards. In other words, we must walk the walk, not just talk the talk. This is an application of the principles laid out in James 1:22-25 and James 2:14-21 to our domestic lives.

2.    Although the 1 Timothy passage applies those principles to leaders, the same standards of conduct—and necessity that we actually live them out—apply to us laypeople too.   For example, those standards are laid out in Ephesians 4:17-6:9 and Colossians 3:5-4:6 without any distinction between leaders and lay folks. Similarly, nothing in James 1:22-25 and James 2:14-21 limits the principle spelled out there to leaders.

3.    This is not rules for the sake of rules—God gives them to us because following them makes our and other people’s lives better. Think of it this way: adherence to those rules = wisdom, and we know from practical experience and scripture that we gain great, great, benefits from living wisely. See, for example Proverbs 2:10-20, 3:13-18.

4.    Will we screw up in living those things out from time to time? I know I do every day, and scripture tells me that I am not alone in that. John 8:7-9; Romans 7:14-21; 1 John 1:8, 10. 

5.    The good news is that God will forgive us if we confess those sins and sincerely repent of them. John 8:9-11; Romans 7:24-25; 1 John 1:9 & 2:1-2.. Indeed, we saw that dynamic in the Numbers passage from yesterday's readings: the people messed up, but God showed mercy once they confessed and repented.

6.    Going back to the 1 Timothy reading, it illustrates another scriptural principle: we must do well what God puts in front of us right now, however mundane it might be, to be positioned for more significant work in the future.  More on that dynamic can be found here.