Book of Common Prayer
For I Was Not Sent To Baptize, But To Announce The Gospel Without Wisdom of Speech
17 For Christ did not send me forth to be baptizing, but to be announcing-the-good-news— not in wisdom of speech, in order that the cross of Christ may not be made-empty[a].
For God Intends The Gospel To Be Both Foolishness And Powerful
18 For the speech[b] of the cross is foolishness to the ones perishing, but is the power of God to us being saved. 19 For it has been written [in Isa 29:14]: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise ones, and I will set-aside the intelligence[c] of the intelligent ones”. 20 Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe[d]? Where is the debater of this age? Did not God make-foolish the wisdom of the world?
For God Saves Those Who Believe The “Foolishness” of Christ Crucified
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know[e] God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of [f] the proclamation to save the ones believing. 22 Because indeed Jews are asking-for signs and Greeks are seeking wisdom, 23 but we are proclaiming Christ crucified[g]— to Jews, an offense; and to Gentiles, foolishness; 24 but to the called ones themselves, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolish thing[h] of God is wiser than humans, and the weak thing of God is stronger than humans.
God Chose To Save The Foolish And Weak To Shame Human Self-Effort
26 For look-at[i] your calling, brothers— that there are not many wise according-to[j] the flesh, not many powerful, not many well-born[k]. 27 But God chose[l] the foolish things of the world in order that He might be putting the wise ones to shame. And God chose the weak things of the world in order that He might be putting the strong things to shame. 28 And God chose the low-born[m] things of the world, and the things having been treated-with-contempt[n]— the things not being[o], in order that He might bring-to-nothing the things being, 29 so that no flesh may boast in the sight of God. 30 But by Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became wisdom to us from God— both righteousness and holiness[p], and redemption— 31 in order that just as it has been written [in Jer 9:24], “Let the one boasting be boasting in the Lord”.
Why Do Your Disciples Not Fast? The Bridegroom Is Here. New Wine Needs New Wineskins
18 And the disciples of John and the Pharisees[a] were fasting. And they come and say to Him, “For what reason are the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fasting, but Your disciples are not fasting?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of the wedding-hall[b] cannot be fasting while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long a time as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot be fasting. 20 But days will come when the bridegroom is taken-away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise the fullness [of the patch] takes from it— the new from the old— and a worse tear[c] takes place. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine is lost, and the wineskins. But one puts new wine into fresh[d] wineskins”.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing