Book of Common Prayer
19 He had something to eat, and regained his strength.
“He is God’s son”
Saul stayed with the disciples in Damascus for a few days. 20 At once he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “This really is the son of God!” 21 Everyone was astonished, and said, “Isn’t this the man who caused havoc to those in Jerusalem who call on this Name? And here he is, coming to tie them up and take them off to the high priests!” 22 But Saul grew all the stronger, and threw the Jews in Damascus into confusion by demonstrating that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
23 After some days, the Jews made a plot to kill him, 24 but Saul got wind of their plan. They were watching the city gates day and night so that they could do away with him. 25 But the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26 When he got back to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and explained to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
28 He was with them in Jerusalem, coming and going and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He spoke, as well, to the Hellenists, who tried to kill him. 30 But the family heard of it and took him down to Caesarea. There they sent him off to Tarsus.
31 So the church in all Judaea, Galilee and Samaria found itself at peace. It was built up and gained in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the holy spirit.
52 This caused a squabble among the Judaeans.
“How can this fellow give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
53 “I’m telling you the solemn truth,” Jesus replied. “If you don’t eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 Anyone who feasts upon my flesh and drinks my blood has the life of God’s coming age, and I will raise them up on the last day. 55 My flesh is true food, you see, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I remain in them. 57 Just as the living father sent me, and I live because of the father, so the one who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven; it isn’t like the bread which the ancestors ate, and died. The one who eats this bread will share the life of God’s new age.”
59 He said this in the synagogue, while he was teaching in Capernaum.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.