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First Reading: Job Chapter 12 and 13
Job 12
12:1 Then Job replied:
2 "Doubtless you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! 3 But I
have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all
these things?
4 "I have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called upon God
and he answered- a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless! 5 Men
at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
6 The tents of marauders are undisturbed, and those who provoke God are secure-
those who carry their god in their hands.
7 "But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air,
and they will tell you; 8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let
the fish of the sea inform you. 9 Which of all these does not know that the
hand of the LORD has done this? 10 In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind. 11 Does not the ear test words as the tongue
tastes food? 12 Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring
understanding?
13 "To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.
14 What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man he imprisons cannot be released.
15 If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they
devastate the land. 16 To him belong strength and victory; both deceived and
deceiver are his. 17 He leads counselors away stripped and makes fools of judges.
18 He takes off the shackles put on by kings and ties a loincloth around their
waist. 19 He leads priests away stripped and overthrows men long established.
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of
elders. 21 He pours contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty. 22 He reveals
the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light. 23 He makes
nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them. 24
He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he sends them wandering
through a trackless waste. 25 They grope in darkness with no light; he makes
them stagger like drunkards.
Job 13
13:1
"My eyes have seen all this, my ears have heard and understood it. 2 What
you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3 But I desire to speak to
the Almighty and to argue my case with God. 4 You, however, smear me with lies;
you are worthless physicians, all of you! 5 If only you would be altogether
silent! For you, that would be wisdom. 6 Hear now my argument; listen to the
plea of my lips. 7 Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf? Will you speak deceitfully
for him? 8 Will you show him partiality? Will you argue the case for God? 9
Would it turn out well if he examined you? Could you deceive him as you might
deceive men? 10 He would surely rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality.
11 Would not his splendor terrify you? Would not the dread of him fall on you?
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 "Keep silent and let me speak; then let come to me what may. 14 Why
do I put myself in jeopardy and take my life in my hands? 15 Though he slay
me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. 16 Indeed,
this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before
him! 17 Listen carefully to my words; let your ears take in what I say. 18 Now
that I have prepared my case, I know I will be vindicated. 19 Can anyone bring
charges against me? If so, I will be silent and die.
20 "Only grant me these two things, O God, and then I will not hide from
you: 21 Withdraw your hand far from me, and stop frightening me with your terrors.
22 Then summon me and I will answer, or let me speak, and you reply. 23 How
many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin. 24 Why
do you hide your face and consider me your enemy? 25 Will you torment a windblown
leaf? Will you chase after dry chaff? 26 For you write down bitter things against
me and make me inherit the sins of my youth. 27 You fasten my feet in shackles;
you keep close watch on all my paths by putting marks on the soles of my feet.
28 "So man wastes away like something rotten, like a garment eaten by moths.
Luke 7
7:1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he
entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly,
was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders
of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came
to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you
do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6
So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him:
"Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under
my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.
But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under
authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that
one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following
him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."
10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant
well.
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a
large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person
was being carried out-the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a
large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart
went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still.
He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15 The dead man sat up
and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has
appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people."
17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
18 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19
he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should
we expect someone else?"
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to
you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'"
21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil
spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers,
"Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive
sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead
are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 23 Blessed is the man
who does not fall away on account of me."
24 After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John:
"What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those
who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what
did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
27 This is the one about whom it is written:
"'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before
you.'
28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John;
yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
29(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged
that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the
Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because
they had not been baptized by John.)
31 "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are
they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling
out to each other:
"'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge,
and you did not cry.'
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you
say, 'He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say,
'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."
' 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children."
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went
to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived
a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house,
she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his
feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them
with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If
this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of
woman she is-that she is a sinner."
40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back,
so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this
woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but
she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not
give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing
my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my
feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved
much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even
forgives sins?"
50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
GOOD VS. EVIL
Part 1 of 7
The theme of good and evil runs throughout the Bible. It starts in Genesis 2:9 & 15-17 when the man is commanded not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The consequence for eating of this tree was death. What is good? What is evil? Here are two verses to help us define the Biblical concepts:
The standard for good is God. Even Jesus before his death did not claim to reach this standard. Evil is said to come out of the heart of mankind. This evil is also called sin--that which is opposed to God. And the result of this evil or sin is death.
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