You may notice that the weekday and Sunday gospels in our lectionary these days are from the same chapters of Mathew’s gospel. The weekday gospels help us appreciate our gospel readings for Sunday.

For example, our Sunday gospel today– the Miracle of the Loaves and the Fish ( Matthew 14:13-21). That gospel begins “When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.”

We read about the death of John the Baptist last Saturday in our lectionary. That reading was preceded by the rejection of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth and by accounts of the opposition of the scribes and Pharisees. His own disciples also begin to question him. 

Jesus’ answer is found  in his parables in chapter 13, our lectionary readings all last week. His parables are not abstract lessons; they’re from the real world of his day.

The weekday lectionary prepares us for the reading for Sunday, the most important day of prayer in our church.  It’s better to see what precedes and follows a scripture passage. like the Miracle of the Loaves and Fish, than to read it in isolation. The weekday readings offer context.

I also appreciate reading Jeremiah these weekdays. He helps us understand Jesus as  a teacher facing rejection.