Book of Common Prayer

¹¹ So remember that you were not born Jews. (They call you `The Uncircumcised').

¹² Remember you did not know Christ at that time. You were far away from the people of Israel. You had no part in the agreements which God promised to them. You had no hope and you were without God in this world.

¹³ At one time you were far away, but now you have been brought near to God by the blood [death] of Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ Christ has made peace between us. He has brought both Jews and non-Jews together into one people. He has broken down the wall that divided us.

¹⁵ In his own body Christ made an end of the law and its rules. He did this so that in him two peoples could become one. In this way, he made peace between us.

¹⁶ He did this so that by the cross he might bring both kinds of people back to God in one body. And by the cross he has stopped our hating each other.

¹⁷ He came and said that there is now peace. There is peace for you who were far away from God and for those who were near.

¹⁸ Because of what Christ has done, we can come to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers or people far away. But you live with God's people and belong to God's family.

²⁰ God's family is like a house and you are part of the building. The apostles and prophets are like the lower walls of the house and you are the building on this foundation. Jesus Christ is the big stone at the corner.

²¹ He is the one who holds the whole house together, and it becomes a holy house belonging to the Lord.

²² You too are a part of this house. God himself lives in this house by his Spirit.

2 After a few days he came back to Capernaum. People soon heard that he was at home.

² Many came together right away. The house was full. There was no more room, not even outside near the door. Jesus was telling them God's message.

³ Four men brought a sick man to Jesus. The man could not move his arms or legs.

⁴ But they could not get in the house where Jesus was, because there were so many people. So they went up on the roof. They made a hole in the roof. Then they let down the mat with the sick man on it.

⁵ Jesus saw that they believed he would be healed. So he said to the sick man, `Son, the wrong things you have done are forgiven.'

⁶ Some of the scribes were sitting there.

⁷ They were thinking, `Why does this man say such wrong things against God? He is not giving God respect! Who can forgive the wrong things people do? No one but God can do that.'

⁸ Jesus understood in his spirit what the scribes were thinking. He said right away, `Why do you think these wrong things in your hearts?

⁹ Which is easier, to say to the sick man, "The wrong things you have done are forgiven," or to say, "Get up. Take up your mat and walk"?

¹⁰ I want you to know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive the wrong things people do.' So he said to the sick man,

¹¹ `I tell you, get up! Take up your mat and go home.'

¹² Right away the man stood up in front of them. He took up his mat and went home. They were all very much surprised, and they praised God. They said, `We have never seen anything like this before.'