Book of Common Prayer

For This Reason, I Paul, a Prisoner of Christ For You Gentiles...

3 For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you the Gentiles—

For I Am a Steward of God’s Plan To Make Gentiles Partakers of His Promises

² ... if indeed you heard-of the stewardship^[a] of the grace of God having been given^[b] to me for you, ³ that by way of revelation the mystery was made-known to me (just as I wrote-before in brief, ⁴ with reference to which you are able, while reading, to perceive my understanding in^[c] the mystery of Christ) ⁵ which in other generations was not made-known to the sons of humans as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit— ⁶ that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs and fellow-body-members and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the good-news, ⁷ of which I was made a minister^[d] in-accordance-with the gift of the grace of God having been given^[e] to me by-way-of the working of His power.

It Was Granted To Me To Enlighten Everyone To See The Creator’s Long Hidden Plan

⁸ This grace was given to me, the less-than-least of all saints, that I might announce-as-good-news to the Gentiles the untraceable riches of Christ, ⁹ and enlighten everyone to see what is the stewardship^[f] of the mystery having been hidden from the past ages in God, the One having created all things, ¹⁰ so that now the multifaceted wisdom of God might be made-known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places through the church, ¹¹ in-accordance-with the purpose of the ages^[g] which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in Whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith^[h] in Him. ¹³ Therefore I ask that you not lose-heart in connection with my afflictions for-your-sake, which is your glory!

Because of a Master’s Faith, Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Servant Who Is Not Even Present

⁵ And He having entered into Capernaum, a centurion^[a] came to Him, appealing-to Him ⁶ and saying, “Master, my servant has been put in the house paralyzed, being terribly tormented”. ⁷ And He says to him, “Having come, I will^[b] cure him”. ⁸ And having responded, the centurion said, “Master, I am not fit that You should come-in under my roof. But only speak it in a word^[c] and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under myself. And I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it”. ¹⁰ Now having heard, Jesus marveled, and said to the ones following, “Truly I say to you, with no one in Israel did I find so-great a faith! ¹¹ And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and will lie-back [to eat] with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens. ¹² But the sons of ^[d] the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth”. ¹³ And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go. Let it be done for you as you believed”. And his servant was healed at that hour.

The Healings Done By Jesus Fulfill What Was Predicted of Him In Isaiah

¹⁴ And Jesus, having come into the house of Peter, saw his mother-in-law having been put in bed, and being sick-with-fever. ¹⁵ And He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose, and was serving Him. ¹⁶ And having become evening, they brought to Him many being demon-possessed. And He cast-out the spirits with a word and cured all the ones being ill, ¹⁷ so that the thing might be fulfilled having been spoken through Isaiah the prophet saying “He took our weaknesses^[e], and carried our diseases” [Isa 53:4].