Book of Common Prayer
The table of the Lord and the table of demons
14 Therefore, my dear people, run away from idolatry. 15 I’m speaking as to intelligent people: you yourselves must weigh my words. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless is a sharing in the Messiah’s blood, isn’t it? The bread we break is a sharing in the Messiah’s body, isn’t it? 17 There is one loaf; well, then, there may be several of us, but we are one body, because we all share the one loaf.
18 Consider ethnic Israel. Those who eat from the sacrifices share in the altar, don’t they? 19 So what am I saying? That idol-food is real, or that an idol is a real being? 20 No: but when they offer sacrifices, they offer them to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to be table-partners with demons. 21 You can’t drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You can’t share in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Surely you don’t want to provoke the Lord to jealousy? We aren’t stronger than him, are we?
Do everything to God’s glory
23 “Everything is lawful,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds you up. 24 Nobody should seek their own advantage, but the other person’s instead.
25 Eat whatever is sold in the market without making any judgments on the basis of conscience. 26 “The earth and its fullness,” after all, “belong to the Lord.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner, and you want to go, eat whatever is put in front of you without making any judgments on the basis of conscience. 28 But if someone says “This was offered in sacrifice,” then don’t eat it—because of the person who told you about it, and because of conscience, 29 by which I don’t mean your own conscience, but your neighbor’s. For why should my freedom be condemned by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I eat my share gratefully, why should someone else speak evil of me because of something I’ve given thanks for?
31 So, then, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to God’s glory. 32 Be blameless before Jews and Greeks and the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everybody in everything, not pursuing my own advantage, but that of the great majority, so that they may be saved.
11 Copy me, just as I’m copying the Messiah.
The Syrophoenician woman
24 Jesus got up, left that place, and went to the region of Tyre. When he went into a house, he didn’t want anyone to know, but it wasn’t possible for him to remain hidden. 25 On the contrary: news of him at once reached a woman who had a young daughter with an unclean spirit. She came and threw herself down at his feet. 26 She was Greek, a Syrophoenician by race; and she asked him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27 “First let the children eat what they want,” Jesus replied. “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
28 “Well, Master,” she said, “even the dogs under the table eat the crumbs that the children drop.”
29 “Well said!” replied Jesus. “Off you go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30 So she went home, and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
A deaf and mute man is healed
31 Jesus went away from the region of Tyre, through Sidon, round towards the sea of Galilee, and into the region of the Ten Towns. 32 They brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and asked that he would lay his hand on him.
33 Jesus took the man off in private, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into his ears, spat, and touched his tongue. 34 Then he looked up to heaven, groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha” (that is, “Be opened”). 35 Immediately the man’s ears were opened, and his tongue was untied, and he spoke clearly.
36 Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them, the more they spread the news. 37 They were totally astonished.
“Everything he does is marvelous!” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.