Sunday, January 24, 2021

Readings for January 24, 2021 annotated, lectionary 68



This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks  will take you to additional translations. The entire chapter is included to provide context. 

Other bolded hyperlinks will take you to collections/analyses of other scriptures addressing similar principles. They are provided beneath the reading they relate to. 

Information about the meaning the original Hebrew or Greek of what seem to be key words is provided in blue. They are provided beneath the reading they relate to. 

Excerpts collected in yellow  at the end of this post tell us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. 

Excerpts collected in green  at the end of this post tell us about something God wants us to do.  

Reading I

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.” So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD’S bidding. 

Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it.

Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,” when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

***

When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Turned = שׁוּב = shuwb

Blue Letter Bible

to return, turn back, to restore, refresh, repair; to be converted;

 [Jonah did not like the Ninevites, apparently for good reason; they were a sinful people. But God directed that Jonah extend mercy to them, Jonah eventually did that, and great good came of it. We see a similar principle in the scriptures collected inWisdom Principles—How to Deal With Those Who Do You WrongThis seems like a timely principle for our present circumstances in the United States.]

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (4a) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior.


R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD.


R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice and teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

shows= יָרָה = yarah

Blue Letter Bible

to point out; to direct, teach, instruct

teaches = דָּרַךְ = darak

Blue Letter Bible

to cause to go, lead, march, tread; guide; 

Scriptures addressing similar principles are collected in:

Wisdom Principles—God Loves and Calls Us to Him, In Spite of our Sin

and

Wisdom Principles: God’s Ways Give Security

and

Wisdom Principles: We Must Make Real Effort/Sacrifice to Receive All that God Offers, But It Is Well Worth It

 

Reading II

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away.

 

Alleluia

Mark 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Repent = μετανοω = metanoeō

Blue Letter Bible

to change one's mind or purpose, always, in the NT, involving a change for the better, an amendment;to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction); heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

perceive afterwards, concur subsequently; change one's mind or purpose; 

 

Gospel

Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

came = ρχομαι = erchomai

Blue Letter Bible

to come, or to go; to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving and of those returning 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

set out; come or go; to go a journey

saw = ρω = horaō

Blue Letter Bible

to see with the eyes; to see with the mind, to perceive, know; to take heed, beware; to care for, pay heed to; to attend to

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

Take, pay, or give heed; behold, perceive, observe; look out for, provide

Call = καλω = kaleō

Blue Letter Bible

to bid, in the sense of invite; summon; to call out, call forth from; to select; to rouse

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Summon; call by name

 

Additional insights from this reading might (or might not) be gleaned from:

What we can learn from Jesus calling His first disciples, part 1—the “when" of God’s calls

and

 

What we can learn from Jesus calling His first disciples, part 2—the “where" of God’s calls

 


What these readings tell us about God/His ways

The word of the LORD came to Jonah

When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them

your ways.
Your ways

your paths
your truth

you are God my savior

your ways

your compassion

your love

your kindness

your goodness

your ways.
Good and upright is the LORD

he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice

teaches the humble his way
your ways

time is running out.
the world in its present form is passing away.

The kingdom of God is at hand

Jesus came to Galilee

The kingdom of God is at hand

he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea

Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you

saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets

he called them

 

What these readings tell us to do:

made ready and went...according to the LORD’S bidding

Repent and believe in the Gospel

Repent

believe in the gospel

followed him

followed him

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