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Please Others, Not Yourselves

15 We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.(A) Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor.(B) For Christ did not please himself, but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.(C) May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus,(D) so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel for Jews and Gentiles Alike

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the ancestors(E) and that the gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will confess you among the gentiles
    and sing praises to your name”;(F)

10 and again he says,

“Rejoice, O gentiles, with his people”;

11 and again,

“Praise the Lord, all you gentiles,
    and let all the peoples praise him”;

12 and again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse shall come,
    the one who rises to rule the gentiles;
in him the gentiles shall hope.”(G)

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.(H)

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15 1-2 Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”

3-6 That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!

7-13 So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Jesus, staying true to God’s purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. Just think of all the Scriptures that will come true in what we do! For instance:

Then I’ll join outsiders in a hymn-sing;
I’ll sing to your name!

And this one:

Outsiders and insiders, rejoice together!

And again:

People of all nations, celebrate God!
All colors and races, give hearty praise!

And Isaiah’s word:

There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse,
    breaking through the earth and growing tree tall,
Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

* * *

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Le soutien des frères et sœurs en la foi

15 Nous qui sommes forts, nous devons porter les faiblesses de ceux qui ne le sont pas, sans chercher notre propre satisfaction. Que chacun de nous recherche la satisfaction de son prochain pour le bien de celui-ci, en vue de l’aider à grandir dans la foi. Car Christ n’a pas cherché sa propre satisfaction, mais il a dit, comme le déclare l’Ecriture : Les insultes des hommes qui t’insultent sont retombées sur moi[a]. Or tout ce qui a été consigné autrefois dans l’Ecriture l’a été pour nous instruire, afin que la patience et l’encouragement qu’apporte l’Ecriture produisent en nous l’espérance. Que Dieu, source de toute patience et de tout encouragement, vous donne de vivre en plein accord les uns avec les autres, conformément à l’enseignement de Jésus-Christ[b]. Ainsi, d’un commun accord et d’une seule voix, vous célébrerez la gloire du Dieu et Père de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ.

Jésus-Christ est venu pour les Juifs et pour les non-Juifs

Accueillez-vous donc les uns les autres, tout comme Christ vous a accueillis, pour la gloire de Dieu. Voici, en effet, ce que j’affirme : c’est, d’abord, que Christ est venu se mettre au service des Juifs pour montrer que Dieu est véridique en accomplissant les promesses faites à leurs ancêtres ; c’est, ensuite, qu’il est venu pour que les non-Juifs, de leur côté, louent Dieu à cause de sa compassion, comme le dit l’Ecriture :

Aussi je publie tes louanges parmi les peuples,
je te célèbre par mes chants[c] .

10 Et ailleurs :

Peuples, réjouissez-vous avec son peuple[d] .

11 Ou encore :

Louez le Seigneur, vous, gens de toutes les nations,
que tous les peuples disent ses louanges[e] !

12 Esaïe dit de son côté :

Un rejeton naîtra d’Isaï,
on le verra se lever pour gouverner tous les peuples,
les peuples étrangers mettront en lui leur espérance[f] .

13 Que le Dieu de l’espérance, vous comble de toute joie et de sa paix par votre confiance en lui. Ainsi votre cœur débordera d’espérance par la puissance du Saint-Esprit.

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Footnotes

  1. 15.3 Ps 69.10.
  2. 15.5 Autre traduction : selon ce que Jésus-Christ voudra.
  3. 15.9 Ps 18.50.
  4. 15.10 Dt 32.43.
  5. 15.11 Ps 117.1.
  6. 15.12 Es 11.1, 10 cité selon l’ancienne version grecque.