Book of Common Prayer

He writes to a certain lady, rejoices that her children walk in the truth, exhorts them unto love, warns them to beware of such deceivers as deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and prays them to continue in the doctrine of Christ, and to have nothing to do with those who do not bring this teaching.

¹ The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth – and not only I, but also all who know the truth, ² for the sake of the truth that dwells in us and shall be in us forever.

³ With you be grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

⁴ I rejoiced greatly that I found some of your children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. ⁵ And now I beseech you, dear lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that same which we had from the beginning: that we should love one another. ⁶ And this is the love: that we should walk according to his commandments.

For this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning: walk in him. ⁷ For many deceivers have entered into the world, who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an Antichrist. ⁸ Look to yourselves, that we lose not that which we have wrought, but that we may have a full reward. ⁹ Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who endures in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house, neither bid him Godspeed. ¹¹ For he who bids him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds.

¹² I had many things to write to you. Nevertheless, I would rather not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come to you and speak with you mouth to mouth, so that our joy may be full.

¹³ The sons of your elect sister
greet you.
Amen.

The disciples pluck the ears of grain. He defends them, heals the withered hand, helps the possessed man who was blind and dumb, rebukes the unfaithful who insist on having signs, and shows who are his brother, sister, and mother.

12 At that time Jesus went through the grain on the Sabbath days. And his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of grain and to eat. ² When the Pharisees saw that, they said to him, Look, your disciples are doing that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day. ³ He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those also who were with him? ⁴ How he entered into the house of God and ate the hallowed loaves, which were not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the law how the priests in the temple break the Sabbath day, and yet are blameless? ⁶ But I say to you that there is one here greater than the temple. ⁷ So then if you had known what this means: I require mercy, and not sacrifice – you would never have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.

⁹ And he departed from there and went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ And behold, there was a man there who had a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? in order that they might accuse him. ¹¹ And he said to them, Which of you would it be, if he had a sheep fallen into a pit on the Sabbath day, that would not take it and lift it out? ¹² And of how much more value is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do a good deed on the Sabbath days.

¹³ Then he said to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it forth. And it was made whole again like the other.

¹⁴ Then the Pharisees went out and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.