March 3 2024
First Reading
Romans 9:1-16
Paul Mourns for Israel
1I speak the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My mind tells me that what I say is true. It is guided by the Holy Spirit. 2My heart is full of sorrow. My sadness never ends. 3I am so concerned about my people, who are members of my own race. I am ready to be cursed, if that would help them. I am even willing to be separated from Christ. 4They are the people of Israel. They have been adopted as God’s children. God’s glory belongs to them. So do the covenants. They received the law. They were taught to worship in the temple. They were given the promises. 5The founders of our nation belong to them. The Messiah comes from their family line. He is God over all. May he always be praised! Amen.
God’s Free Choice
6I do not mean that God’s word has failed. Not everyone in the family line of Israel really belongs to Israel. 7Not everyone in Abraham’s family line is really his child. Not at all! Scripture says, “Your family line will continue through Isaac.” (Genesis 21:12) 8In other words, God’s children are not just in the family line of Abraham. Instead, they are the children God promised to him. They are the ones considered to be Abraham’s children. 9God promised, “I will return at the appointed time. Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:10,14)
10And that’s not all. Rebekah’s children were born at the same time by the same father. He was our father Isaac. 11Here is what happened. Rebekah’s twins had not even been born. They hadn’t done anything good or bad yet. So they show that God’s purpose is based firmly on his free choice. 12It was not because of anything they did but because of God’s choice. So Rebekah was told, “The older son will serve the younger one.” (Genesis 25:23) 13It is written, “I chose Jacob instead of Esau.” (Malachi 1:2,3)
14What should we say then? Is God unfair? Not at all! 15He said to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.
I will show love to those I love.” (Exodus 33:19)
16So it doesn’t depend on what people want or what they do. It depends on God’s mercy.
Second Reading
1 Peter 2:20-25
20But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor you for this? Of course not. But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for this. 21You were chosen to do good even if you suffer. That’s because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example that he expects you to follow. 22Scripture says,
“He didn’t commit any sin.
No lies ever came out of his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:9)
23People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn’t do the same thing back to them. When he suffered, he didn’t say he would make them suffer. Instead, he trusted in the God who judges fairly. 24“He himself carried our sins” in his body on the cross. (Isaiah 53:5) He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. “His wounds have healed you.” (Isaiah 53:5) 25“You were like sheep wandering away.” (Isaiah 53:6) But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the one who watches over your souls.
Gospel
John 4:1-26
Jesus Talks With a Woman From Samaria
1Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard about him. They had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John. 2But in fact Jesus was not baptizing. His disciples were. 3So Jesus left Judea and went back again to Galilee.
4Jesus had to go through Samaria. 5He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar. It was near the piece of land Jacob had given his son Joseph. 6Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from the journey. So he sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7A woman from Samaria came to get some water. Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
9The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew. I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” She said this because Jews don’t have anything to do with Samaritans.
10Jesus answered her, “You do not know what God’s gift is. And you do not know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would have asked him. He would have given you living water.”
11“Sir,” the woman said, “you don’t have anything to get water with. The well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Our father Jacob gave us the well. He drank from it himself. So did his sons and his livestock. Are you more important than he is?”
13Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14But anyone who drinks the water I give them will never be thirsty. In fact, the water I give them will become a spring of water in them. It will flow up into eternal life.”
15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty. And I won’t have to keep coming here to get water.”
16He told her, “Go. Get your husband and come back.”
17“I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands. And the man you live with now is not your husband. What you have just said is very true.”
19“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our people have always worshiped on this mountain. But you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21Jesus said, “Woman, believe me. A time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know. Salvation comes from the Jews. 23But a new time is coming. In fact, it is already here. True worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. They are the kind of worshipers the Father is looking for. 24God is spirit. His worshipers must worship him in the Spirit and in truth.”
25The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming.” Messiah means Christ. “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26Then Jesus said, “The one you’re talking about is the one speaking to you. I am he.”