Book of Common Prayer

2 My brothers, you believe in our Lord, the wonderful Jesus Christ. So you must not think one man is better than another.

² A man comes in to your church meeting. He has a gold ring and wears fine clothes. A poor man also comes in. He wears old clothes.

³ You look at the man who wears fine clothes. And you say to him, `Sit here on this good chair.' But you say to the poor man, `Stand over there,' or you say, `Sit on the floor by my feet.'

⁴ If you do these things, you think some people are better than others. You are wrong when you judge people this way.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers. God has chosen people who are poor in this world. They believe very much. They will have a place in the kingdom which he has promised to give to those who love him.

⁶ But you made the poor man ashamed. Is it not the rich people who trouble you? Are not they the ones who take you to court?

⁷ Are not they the ones who say wrong things about the good name you have?

⁸ The holy writings say, `Love your neighbour as you love yourself.' If you obey this law of your King you do well.

⁹ But if you think one man is better than another, that is wrong. The law says you are a bad person.

¹⁰ Anyone who obeys the law, but then breaks one of the laws, has broken all the laws.

¹¹ God made the law, `Do not use sex wrongly.' God also made the law, `Do not kill'. If you do not have wrong sex, but you kill, you have broken the law.

¹² There is a law that makes people free. It is the law of showing kindness. Always talk and live like men who will be judged by that law.

¹³ When God judges, he will not be kind to a person who has not been kind. It is better to be kind than it is to judge people.

⁵³ The people took Jesus away to the high priest. All the chief priests, the leaders, and the scribes met there.

⁵⁴ Peter followed far behind Jesus. He went into the yard of the high priest's house. He sat down with the people who worked for the high priest. He warmed himself by the fire.

⁵⁵ The chief priests, and all the judges of the court tried to find men to say Jesus had done something wrong so they could kill him. But they found none.

⁵⁶ Many people came and said things that were not true. But one said this thing and the other said that thing.

⁵⁷ Then some stood up to talk against Jesus.

⁵⁸ They said, `We heard him say, "I will break down this temple which people have built with hands. In three days I will build another temple but not with hands." '

⁵⁹ Others said, `No, that is not what he said.'

⁶⁰ The high priest stood up among the people and asked Jesus, `Have you no answer? What do you have to say about this? They have said something against you.'

⁶¹ But Jesus said nothing at all. Then the high priest asked him, `Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?'

⁶² Jesus answered, `Yes, I am. You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the One who has all power. You will see him coming on the clouds of the sky!'

⁶³ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, `We do not need any more proof against him.

⁶⁴ What he has said is wrong! What do you think?' They all said, `He should be killed.'

⁶⁵ Some people began to spit on him. They covered his face and hit him. They laughed at him and said, `Tell us if you know who hit you!' The guards took him away and hit him as they went.