Episode 18: Pentecost 2 & 3, 2024

In this episode of Working the Lectionary, your hosts John Bottomley and Brendan Byrne discuss readings for Pentecost 2 and 3. For Pentecost 2, they examine how a reading from the Gospel According to Mark, in which the Pharisees attempt to dictate what the sabbath is and how it should be observed, mirrors the way in which economic ideology (and those who are its beneficiaries) attempt to dictate what work is and means in human life. In the reading for Pentecost 3, a text from The First Book of Samuel reminds us of the reality of judgement in God's response to the Hebrew people's desire to imitate the structures of abusive power, and how that judgement extends to those institutions - including the Church - which replicate these structures today. Theme music: Work Undone by Pearce Roswell. Available through Epidemic Music. Used under license.