Book of Common Prayer

1 Theophilus, in the first book I wrote to you, I wrote about all the things Jesus began to do and to teach.

² He did those things until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he went up, he gave orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

³ In many ways he proved to them that he was living again after his terrible death. For forty days they often saw him. Then he told them things about God's kingdom.

⁴ One day when he was eating with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, `Wait here for what the Father promised you. I have told you about that promise already.

⁵ John baptised with water. But you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit when a few days have passed.'

⁶ When they had come together, the apostles asked Jesus, `Lord, are you now going to set up the kingdom of Israel?'

⁷ He answered them, `You will not know the days or the months which the Father has chosen.

⁸ But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power. You will speak of me in Jerusalem and all around in Judea and Samaria and everywhere in the world.'

⁹ When Jesus had said this, he went up. They watched him going. Then a cloud hid him, and they did not see him any more.

¹⁰ While they were looking at the sky as he went up, two men stood by them in white clothes.

¹¹ They said, `You men from Galilee, why do you stand there looking at the sky? Jesus has gone up into heaven. In the same way that you saw him go up, he will come again.'

¹² Then they left the hill called the Mount of Olives. They went back to Jerusalem which was not far away. (It was how far the law said people may walk on the Sabbath day.)

¹³ When they reached Jerusalem, they went to a room up in a house. Here lived Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon the freedom fighter, and Judas the son of James.

¹⁴ All of these people were talking to God. The women, Jesus' mother Mary, and Jesus' brothers were there talking to God also.

⁹ Then Jesus began to tell the people this story. `A man planted a farm. He let some men use the farm. They paid him money for the rent. Then he went to a country far away and stayed a long time.

¹⁰ `At harvest time the owner sent one of his servants to the men who used the farm. He wanted to have some fruit from the farm. But the men beat the servant and sent him away without any fruit.

¹¹ So he sent another servant. They beat this one also, and did wrong things to him. And they sent him away without any fruit.

¹² He sent a servant the third time. They hurt this one also and threw him out of the farm.

¹³ `Then the man who owned the farm said, "What shall I do? I will send my dear son. Maybe they will respect him."

¹⁴ `But when the men saw him they said to each other, "This is the one who will have everything when his father dies. Let us kill him. Then everything will belong to us."

¹⁵ They dragged him off the farm and killed him. `What will the man who owned the farm do to them?

¹⁶ He will come back and kill those men. And he will give the farm to other men to use.' When the chief priests and scribes heard this, they said, `May it not be so!'

¹⁷ `But Jesus looked right at them. He said, `What about this writing then? "The stone which the builders would not use is now the chief corner stone."

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But if that stone falls on anyone, it will crush him.'

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests wanted to catch Jesus right then but they feared the people. They understood that he had told this story against them.