Today’s first reading, known as “the binding of Isaac“ refers to the way Isaac is bound and laid upon the word of the altar of sacrifice. God directs Abraham to offer his son in sacrifice, killing the beloved son that had been a special gift to him and Sarah in their old age. How could God ask Abraham to do such a thing? Abraham offers no resistance, but in preparing for the sacrifice, Abraham may have agreed with the Psalmist that he was “greatly afflicted.“ Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans refers to Jesus as God’s beloved son, which is also how God identifies Jesus to Peter, James, and John at the transfiguration. Afterward, Jesus tells those disciples not to mention the event to anyone until his resurrection from the dead. The event, together with Jesus' comments, leaves the disciples thoroughly confused.

Today’s readings suggest to different meanings and experiences of baptism. The second reading from 1 Peter makes an analogy between Noah’s ark and Christian baptism: just as Noah and his family were saved from death by going through the waters of the flood in the ark, Christians are saved from sin and death by going through the waters of baptism. The first reading, from Genesis, portrays the world after the flood: washed clean of its prior wickedness, embraced by God‘s promises that the world will never again be destroyed by water.

The readings from Leviticus and from the Gospel of Mark today speak of healing and hope. Leviticus outlines procedures to prevent the spread of leprosy, a skin disease understood to be a great danger to the community. Those with the disease were isolated and ritually impure. Absent some cure from God, they were considered beyond hope. Their lives were like a living death, and likely they saw no future hope in their lives.

Our readings today summon the church to embrace its calling, to join in God‘s healing of the world. As we hear of Job's anguish, in which all hope and purpose of disappeared, we are reminded of the depth of suffering in the world around us, and perhaps also within our own hearts. We hear of Jesus bringing healing and hope to Simmons mother-in-law into the community around Capernaum. And we hear of Paul’s commitment to “become all things to all“, that is, to walk alongside all kinds of people, offering good of the love of God. We need to be a people who do not hide from broken hearts, including our own. We are to share in the suffering of our world, but also to live as those who can tell the world of a God who brings hope. At our best, with the church and body guards great desire to heal the brokenhearted.