Reading 1
2 Tm 1:1-3, 6-12
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.
Gospel
Mk 12:18-27
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.”
Meditation: Psalm 123
Like the eyes of a servant on the hand of his master … so our eyes are on the Lord. (Psalm 123:2)
What a moving image of trust, dedication, and loyalty the psalmist paints! We might expect that he speaks this way because he wants to show how a good servant of the Lord is eager to do whatever the Master calls him to do. As soon as God begins to lift his hand, the servant—whose gaze is fixed on his master—is ready to go wherever he is sent.
But this isn’t quite what the psalm says. Rather than looking for his next assignment, the servant is waiting for his master’s “favor,” for his mercy. He is waiting to be summoned to the master’s side and rewarded with his kindness and attention. In this sense, the psalm reminds us of the servants in Jesus’ parable in Luke 12:36-37. In that parable, the servants have been waiting up all night for their master’s return, as you would expect of loyal staff. But in a striking reversal of roles, the master seats his servants at the table and waits on them!
It’s true that we really have no right to demand anything of our divine Master. We are sinners and we don’t deserve his mercy or favor. But at the same time, we know how generous our heavenly Father is. We have all experienced God’s mercy at some point in our lives. It may have been through his power to heal, his gracious and unexpected provision in a time of crisis, or the kindness of a dear friend. It is this personal history of God’s work that can help us keep our eyes fixed on him every day.
Of course we want to be God’s willing servants, doing whatever he calls us to do. We should always be attentive to his direction, always ready to do his will. But our Master wants more than this. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to share his life with us moment by moment. His hand is always raised to draw us closer, to rest on us in blessing.
So keep your eyes fixed on the Lord!
“Father, I lift my eyes to you. I am eager to do whatever you want me to do. Yet even more, I long to draw closer to your heart.”
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