Book of Common Prayer

Paul’s distress over the Galatians

1 Paul, an apostle . . . (my apostleship doesn’t derive from human sources, nor did it come through a human being; it came through Jesus the Messiah, and God the father who raised him from the dead) . . . ² and the family who are with me; to the churches of Galatia. ³ Grace to you and peace from God our father and Jesus the Messiah, our Lord, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins, to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of God our father, ⁵ to whom be glory to the ages of ages. Amen.

⁶ I’m astonished that you are turning away so quickly from the one who called you by grace, and going after another gospel— ⁷ not that it is another gospel, it’s just that there are some people stirring up trouble for you and wanting to pervert the gospel of the Messiah. ⁸ But even if we—or an angel from heaven!—should announce a gospel other than the one we announced to you, let such a person be accursed. ⁹ I said it before and I now say it again: if anyone offers you a gospel other than the one you received, let that person be accursed.

Paul’s conversion and call

¹⁰ Well now . . . does that sound as though I’m trying to make up to people—or to God? Or that I’m trying to curry favor with people? If I were still pleasing people, I wouldn’t be a slave of the Messiah.

¹¹ You see, brothers and sisters, let me make it clear to you: the gospel announced by me is not a mere human invention. ¹² I didn’t receive it from human beings, nor was I taught it; it came through an unveiling of Jesus the Messiah.

¹³ You heard, didn’t you, the way I behaved when I was still within “Judaism.” I persecuted the church of God violently, and ravaged it. ¹⁴ I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age and people; I was extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. ¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to unveil his son in me, so that I might announce the good news about him among the nations—immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood. ¹⁷ Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me. No; I went away to Arabia, and afterwards returned to Damascus.

Other parables

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven,” Jesus continued, “is like treasure hidden in a field. Someone found it and hid it, and in great delight went off and sold everything he possessed, and bought that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and who found one that was spectacularly valuable. He went off and sold everything he possessed, and bought it.

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea, and collected every type of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen brought it to shore. They sat down and selected the good ones, which they put into a bucket; but they threw out the bad ones. ⁴⁹ That’s what it will be like at the close of the age. The angels will go off and separate the wicked from the righteous, ⁵⁰ and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹ “Have you understood all this?” asked Jesus.

“Yes,” they answered.

⁵² “Well, then,” he said to them, “every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom some new things and some old things.”