The Tuesday after the Eighth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on August 12, 2025 by under
Scripture: St. John 7:14-24 (NKJV)
7:14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. 19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
20 The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Devotion
At the time when Jesus walked the earth the most prominent of the laws given to the Jews by Moses should have been the Ten Commandments. While God also had given many ceremonial laws to the Jews, such as circumcision, the Ten Commandments were the basis upon which their society was to function. Yet, the Jewish leaders were upset with Jesus for following the Ten Commandments. They were more concerned about the ceremonial law concerning circumcision than their neighbor’s well-being.
Such was the life of Jesus while He walked the earth. He did good to others, only to be met with lies and deceit. “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him,” (John 13:16). When it comes to our good works, we need to remember that it is Christ who is working in us and through us to do such good works. Just as He was often ridiculed for doing what is right, now that He is working through us, we can expect the same derision. While the help a Christian gives to another Christian may be met with ingratitude, we need to remember Jesus’ words, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
Collect: Grant to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do anything that is good without Thee, may by Thee be enabled to live according to Thy will; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
