The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by
the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by
many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find
you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
1st Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Our first reading begins with the portion of the
second creation story (2:4-25) in which ’adam (“the man”), having been given
the gift of the garden, is commanded not to eat the fruit of one particular
tree. The remainder of chapter 2 describes the creation of a partner for ’adam.
Chapter 3 tells the story of what is commonly known as “the fall.” For ancient
Israel, this was the source story for why we do not live in a perfect world,
and the nature of humankind’s relationship with God, falling short of God’s
will, and living in fear of God. The larger question in play in this story
(and, subsequently, throughout the Scriptures) is: How can we live in creation on God’s terms,
and not simply in our own autonomy?
2:15 The Lord
God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord
God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other
wild animal that the Lord God had
made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in
the garden’?” 2 The woman said to
the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the
fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it,
or you shall die.’” 4 But the
serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5 for
God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be
like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight
to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of
its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and
he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both
were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together and made loincloths for themselves.
Psalm 32
1 Happy are they whose transgressions are
forgiven, *
and
whose sin is put away!
2 Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, *
and
in whose spirit there is no guile!
3 While I held my tongue, my bones
withered away, *
because
of my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and
night; *
my
moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and
did not conceal my guilt.
6 I said, “I will confess my
transgressions to the Lord.” *
Then
you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
7 Therefore all the faithful will make
their prayers to you in
time
of trouble; *
when
the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
8 You are my hiding-place;
you
preserve me from trouble; *
you
surround me with shouts of deliverance.
9 “I will instruct you and teach you in
the way that you
should
go; *
I
will guide you with my eye.
10 Do not be like horse or mule, which
have no understanding; *
who
must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or
else they will not stay near you.”
11 Great are the tribulations of the
wicked; *
but
mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.
12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in
the Lord; *
shout
for joy, all who are true of heart.
2nd Reading: Romans 5:12-19
5:12
Just as
sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so
death spread to all because all have sinned—13 sin
was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is
no law. 14 Yet death exercised
dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the
transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass.
For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have the
grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,
abounded for the many. 16 And the
free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment
following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many
trespasses brings justification. 17 If,
because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one,
much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free
gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus
Christ. 18 Therefore just as one
man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness
leads to justification and life for all. 19 For
just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one
man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:1-11
Our Gospel reading is Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptation in the
wilderness, following his baptism. The 40 days is surely meant to remind us of
the 40 years Israel spent in the wilderness. The temptation is to perform
miracles, all of which would result in potentially good things (food, proof
that Jesus is God’s Son and cannot suffer harm, and political control). Jesus
will have none of it. Through his baptism and the forty days that precede the
temptation he has discerned the shape of his ministry, and it is not what the
devil is offering him. Notice the quoting of Scripture can be done for good or
for ill. The devil quotes from Psalm 91 (v. 6), Jesus from Deuteronomy: 8:3 (v. 4), 6:16 (v.7), and 6:13 (v. 10).
4:1
Then Jesus
was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and
afterwards he was famished. 3 The
tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones
to become loaves of bread.” 4 But
he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every
word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then
the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the
temple, 6 saying to him, “If you
are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command
his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that
you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 7
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your
God to the test.’” 8 Again, the
devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the
world and their splendor; 9 and he
said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away with
you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only
him.’” 11 Then the devil left him,
and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
The
Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ
in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. The Collect of the Day and the Psalm
translation are from The Book of Common
Prayer. Commentaries are copyright ©
2020, Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY 14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All
rights reserved. Permission is given to copy for group study.
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