The Great Commission

¹⁶ The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.^{(A) 17} When they saw him, they worshiped,^[a] but some doubted. ¹⁸ Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.^{(B) 19} Go, therefore, and make disciples^(C) of^[b] all nations,^(D) baptizing^(E) them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember,^[c] I am with you always,^[d] to the end of the age.”^(F)

²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper,^[a] proclaim on the housetops.^{(A) 28} Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; ^(B) rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.^{(C) 29} Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?^[b] Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s^(D) consent.^{[c] 30} But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.^{(E) 31} So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.^(F)

Acknowledging Christ

³² “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.^{(G) 33} But whoever denies me before others,^(H) I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. ³⁴ Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.^{(I) 35} For I came to turn

³⁷ The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; ^(K) the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Anyone who finds his life will lose it,^(L) and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.^(M)

A Cup of Cold Water

⁴⁰ “The one who welcomes you welcomes me,^(N) and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.^{(O) 41} Anyone who welcomes a prophet^(P) because he is a prophet^[e] will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous^[f] will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And whoever gives^(Q) even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple,^[g](R) truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

The Conversion of the Ethiopian Official

²⁶ An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.^[a](A)) ²⁷ So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch^(B) and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem^{(C) 28} and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.

²⁹ The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.”^(D)

³⁰ When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:

³⁴ The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?” ³⁵ Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.^(F)

³⁶ As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?” ^{[c] 38} So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

Israel’s Rejection of the Message

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him?^(A) And how can they hear without a preacher?^{(B) 15} And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful^[a] are the feet of those who bring good news.^{[b](C) 16} But not all obeyed the gospel.^(D) For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?^{[c](E) 17} So faith comes from what is heard,^(F) and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.^[d](G)

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.^{(A) 19} For it is written,

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law?^[b] Where is the debater of this age?^(C) Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? ²¹ For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. ²² For the Jews ask for signs^(D) and the Greeks seek wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified,^(E) a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.^{[c] 24} Yet to those who are called,^(F) both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, ²⁵ because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

The Righteous Will Live by Faith

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel,^[a](A) because it is the power of God for salvation^(B) to everyone who believes, first to the Jew,^(C) and also to the Greek.^(D)