Our Old Testament reading as we celebrate Palm Sunday comes from the fifty third chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah where Isaiah describes the rejection of God’s chosen servant.
The New Testament reading for today is taken from the first chapter of the letter of James, the brother of Jesus, to the churches. James reminds us not to be double-minded as we follow Jesus.
The Gospel lesson for Palm Sunday is taken from the Matthew’s account of the life and teachings of Jesus. Today we will hear the voice of the crowd as they praise Jesus on Sunday and then call for his death on Friday.
3 He was despised and rejected by people.
He was a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering.
He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces,
and we didn’t consider him to be worth anything.
4 He certainly has taken upon himself our suffering
and carried our sorrows,
but we thought that God had wounded him,
beat him, and punished him.
The New Testament reading for today is taken from the first chapter of the letter of James, the brother of Jesus, to the churches. James reminds us not to be double-minded as we follow Jesus.
6 When you ask for something, don’t have any doubts. A person who has doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea. 7 A person who has doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can’t make up his mind about anything.
The Gospel lesson for Palm Sunday is taken from the Matthew’s account of the life and teachings of Jesus. Today we will hear the voice of the crowd as they praise Jesus on Sunday and then call for his death on Friday.
6 The disciples did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 Most of the people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowd that went ahead of him and that followed him was shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus came into Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, “Who is this?”
11 The crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
(Pause)
15 At every Passover festival the governor would free one prisoner whom the crowd wanted. 16 At that time there was a well-known prisoner by the name of Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to free for you? Do you want me to free Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ?” 18 Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.
19 While Pilate was judging the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, “Leave that innocent man alone. I’ve been very upset today because of a dream I had about him.”
20 But the chief priests and leaders persuaded the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.
21 The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to free for you?”
They said, “Barabbas.”
22 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
“He should be crucified!” they all said.
23 Pilate asked, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they began to shout loudly, “He should be crucified!”
24 Pilate saw that he was not getting anywhere. Instead, a riot was breaking out. So Pilate took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. He said, “I won’t be guilty of killing this man. Do what you want!”
25 All the people answered, “The responsibility for killing him will rest on us and our children.”
26 Then Pilate freed Barabbas for the people. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.
Posted in Weekly Readings
Recent
Archive
Categories
Tags
no tags