M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Beatitudes
5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the hillside, and sat down. His disciples came to him. 2 He took a deep breath, and began his teaching:
3 “Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours.
4 “Blessings on the mourners! You’re going to be comforted.
5 “Blessings on the meek! You’re going to inherit the earth.
6 “Blessings on people who hunger and thirst for God’s justice! You’re going to be satisfied.
7 “Blessings on the merciful! You’ll receive mercy yourselves.
8 “Blessings on the pure in heart! You will see God.
9 “Blessings on the peacemakers! You’ll be called God’s children.
10 “Blessings on people who are persecuted because of God’s saving plan! The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.
11 “Blessings on you, when people slander you and persecute you, and say all kinds of wicked things about you falsely because of me! 12 Celebrate and rejoice: there’s a great reward for you in heaven. That’s how they persecuted the prophets who went before you.”
Fulfilling the law
13 “You’re the salt of the earth! But if the salt becomes tasteless, how is it going to get salty again? It’s no good for anything. You might as well throw it out and walk all over it.
14 “You’re the light of the world! A city can’t be hidden if it’s on top of a hill. 15 People don’t light a lamp and put it under a bucket; they put it on a lampstand. Then it gives light to everybody in the house. 16 That’s how you must shine your light in front of people! Then they will see what wonderful things you do, and they’ll give glory to your father in heaven.
17 “Don’t suppose that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them; I came to fulfill them! 18 I’m telling you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not one stroke, not one dot, is going to disappear from the law, until it’s all come true. 19 So anyone who relaxes a single one of these commandments, even the little ones, and teaches that to people, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But anyone who does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “Yes, let me tell you: unless your covenant behavior is far superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get in to the kingdom of heaven.”
On murder and reconciliation
21 “You heard that it was said to the ancient people, ‘You shall not murder’; and anyone who commits murder shall be liable to judgment. 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; anyone who uses foul and abusive language will be liable to the lawcourt; and anyone who says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to the fires of Gehenna.
23 “So, if you are coming to the altar with your gift, and there you remember that your brother has a grievance against you, 24 leave your gift right there in front of the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. 25 Make friends with your opponent quickly, while you are with him in the street, in case your opponent hands you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you find yourself being thrown into jail. 26 I’m telling you the truth: you won’t get out until you’ve paid every last copper coin.”
On adultery and oaths
27 “You heard,” Jesus continued, “that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you: everyone who gazes at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye trips you up, tear it out and throw it away. Yes: it’s better for you to have one part of your body destroyed than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna. 30 And if your right hand trips you up, cut it off and throw it away. Yes: it’s better for you to have one part of your body destroyed than for your whole body to go into Gehenna.
31 “It was also said, ‘If someone divorces his wife, he should give her a legal document to prove it.’ 32 But I say to you: everyone who divorces his wife, unless it’s in connection with immorality, makes her commit adultery; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again, you heard that it was said to the people long ago: ‘You shall not swear falsely, but you shall give to the Lord what you promised under oath.’ 34 But I say to you: don’t swear at all! Don’t swear by heaven (it’s God’s throne!); 35 don’t swear by the earth (it’s God’s footstool!); don’t swear by Jerusalem (it’s the city of the great king!); 36 don’t swear by your head (you can’t make one hair of it turn white or black!). 37 When you’re talking, say ‘Yes’ when you mean Yes, and ‘No’ when you mean No. Anything more than that comes from the evil one.”
Loving your enemies
38 “You heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you: don’t use violence to resist evil! Instead, when someone hits you on the right cheek, turn the other one towards him. 40 When someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your cloak, too. 41 And when someone forces you to go one mile, go a second one with him. 42 Give to anyone who asks you, and don’t refuse someone who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: love your enemies! Pray for people who persecute you! 45 That way, you’ll be children of your father in heaven! After all, he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and sends rain both on the upright and on the unjust. 46 Look at it like this: if you love those who love you, do you expect a special reward? Even tax-collectors do that, don’t they? 47 And if you only greet your own family, what’s so special about that? Even Gentiles do that, don’t they? 48 Well then: you must be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect.”
Disaster
5 There was, however, a man named Ananias, married to a woman called Sapphira. He sold some property, 2 and, with his wife’s knowledge, kept back part of the price. He brought the rest and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 “Ananias!” said Peter. “Why did the satan fill your heart, to make you tell a lie to the holy spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 While it was still yours, it belonged to you, didn’t it? And, when you sold it, it was still in your power! Why did you get such an idea in your heart? It isn’t humans that you’ve lied to: it’s God!”
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. Everyone who heard about it was scared out of their wits. 6 The young men got up, took him away, wrapped up his body and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 Peter spoke to her.
“Tell me,” he said, “did you sell the land for this much?”
“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”
9 “So why,” Peter answered, “did you agree together to put the holy spirit to the test? Look: the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door—and they will carry you out too!”
10 At once she fell down at his feet and died. The young men were just coming in, and they found her dead, so they took her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear came upon the whole gathering, and on all who heard about these things.
Healed by Peter’s shadow
12 Many signs and wonders were performed by the apostles among the people. They were all together in Solomon’s Porch, 13 while none of the others dared join them, though the people spoke highly of them. 14 But more people, a crowd both of men and women, believed in the Lord, and were added to their number. 15 They used to bring the sick into the streets, and place them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on them as he went by. 16 Crowds gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing people who were sick, or infested with unclean spirits. All of them were cured.
The words of this life
17 Then the high priest got up, and all who were with him, namely the group called the Sadducees. They were filled with righteous indignation, 18 and seized the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came in the night, opened the prison doors, and brought them out.
20 “Go and take your stand in the Temple,” he said, “and speak all the words of this Life to the people.”
21 When they heard this, they went in at early morning and began to teach.
When the high priest arrived with his entourage, they called the official Assembly and all the elders of the children of Israel, and they sent to the prison to have the apostles brought in. 22 But when the attendants went, they didn’t find them in the prison. So they came and reported back.
23 “We found the jail shut up with maximum security,” they said, “and the guards were standing in front of the doors. But when we opened up we found nobody inside.”
24 When they heard these words, the commander of the Temple police and the chief priests were at a loss about them, with no idea what had happened. 25 But then someone came with a message for them.
“Look!” he said. “The men you put in prison are standing in the Temple and teaching the people!”
26 Then the commander went with his attendants and brought them. They didn’t use force, though, because they were afraid that the people might stone them.
Human inventions and divine instructions
27 So they brought them and stood them in the Assembly. The high priest questioned them.
28 “We gave you strict orders, didn’t we?” he demanded. “We told you not to teach in this Name, and look what you’re doing! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you’re trying to bring this man’s blood on us!”
29 “We must obey God, not human beings!” responded Peter and the apostles. 30 “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, after you had laid violent hands on him and hanged him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his right hand as leader and savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the holy spirit, which God gave to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, they were infuriated, and wanted to kill them. 34 But then a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel stood up in the Assembly. He was a law-teacher, highly respected by all the people. He ordered the men to be put outside for a short while.
35 “Men of Israel,” he said to the gathering, “be careful what you do to these men. 36 Before these times Theudas rose up, claiming to be someone special, and about four hundred men went off to join him. But he was killed, and all the people who had trusted him were dispersed. The movement came to nothing. 37 After that, Judas the Galilean arose, in the days of the census, and drew a crowd after himself. But he was killed, and all those who trusted him were scattered. 38 So my advice to you now is this. Leave off from these men; let them be. You see, if this plan or this work is of merely human origin, it will come to ruin. 39 But if it’s from God—well, you won’t be able to stop them. You might even be found to be fighting against God!”
They were persuaded by him, 40 and they called the apostles back in. They beat them and told them not to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they let them go. 41 They, however, went out from the presence of the Assembly celebrating, because they had been reckoned worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name. 42 And all day, in the Temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.