Book of Common Prayer

4 God in his kindness gave us this work. So we do not give up.

² We never do wrong things nor do things in secret. We do not fool people nor change God's message. No, we tell people the truth openly. We let every person judge us for himself. We know that God sees all we do.

³ If the good news which we tell is not clear to some people, it is because they are lost. They do not believe.

⁴ The god of this world has covered their minds so they cannot see. They cannot see with their minds the light of the good news of Christ. They cannot see how bright and wonderful Christ is. He is just like God himself.

⁵ We do not talk about ourselves, but about Christ Jesus our Lord. And we are your slaves for Jesus' sake.

⁶ God said, `Let light shine in the darkness.' And he has let light shine in our hearts too. He gave us light that shows how bright and wonderful God is. We see this light when we look at the face of Christ.

⁷ This is something of great value within us, but we are like pots made of earth and clay. This power is greater than any other power. But it comes from God, not from us.

⁸ We have much trouble, but we do not give up. We are in hard places, but help always comes.

⁹ People trouble us, but God is always with us. We are beaten, but we are not killed.

¹⁰ We always feel as if our body is dying, just as Jesus died. Then the life of Jesus also can be seen in our body.

¹¹ While we live we are always ready to die for Jesus. And so the life of Jesus is also seen in our bodies which will die.

¹² So then, while death is at work in us, life is at work at the same time.

³² Jesus and his disciples were on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in front of them. The disciples were surprised. And the people who came behind were afraid. He took the twelve disciples and began to tell them what was going to happen to him.

³³ He said, `We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will judge him and say he must die. They will give him over to rulers who are not Jews.

³⁴ They will make fun of him. They will spit on him. They will beat him and kill him. After three days, he will rise again.'

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, `Master, we want you to do for us anything we ask you.'

³⁶ Jesus said, `What do you want me to do for you?'

³⁷ They said, `Let one of us sit at your right side and one at your left side when you rule.'

³⁸ But Jesus said, `You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink from the cup that I will drink from? Can you go through the big trouble that I will go through?'

³⁹ `Yes,' they said. `We can.' Then Jesus said to them, `You will drink what I drink and you will have trouble the way I will have.

⁴⁰ But I cannot choose who will sit at my right hand or at my left. It has been planned who will sit there.'

⁴¹ When the other ten disciples heard about it, they were angry with James and John.

⁴² Jesus called them and said, `You know the people who rule over countries make their people obey them. The great will tell the others what to do.

⁴³ But that is not the way it is among you. Anyone among you who wants to be great must help the others.

⁴⁴ Anyone among you who wants to be first shall be a servant to the others.

⁴⁵ The Son of Man did not come to have others help him. But he came to help others. He came to give his life to make many people free.'