M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jesus sends out the seventy
10 After this the master commissioned seventy others, and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he was intending to come.
2 “There’s a great harvest out there,” he said to them, “but there aren’t many workers. So plead with the harvest-master to send out workers for the harvest.
3 “Off you go now. Remember, I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Take no money-bag, no pack, no sandals—and don’t stop to pass the time with anyone on the road. 5 Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace on this house.’ 6 If a child of peace lives there, your peace will rest on them; but if not, it will return to you.
7 “Stay in the same house, and eat and drink what they provide. The worker deserves to be paid, you see. Don’t go from house to house. 8 If you go into a town and they welcome you, eat what is provided, 9 heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘God’s kingdom has come close to you.’ 10 But if you go into a town and they don’t welcome you, go out into the streets of the town and say, 11 ‘Here is the very dust of your town clinging to our feet—and we’re wiping it off in front of your eyes! 12 But you should know this: God’s kingdom has come close to you!’ Let me tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.
13 “Woe betide you, Chorazin! Woe betide you, Bethsaida! If the powerful deeds done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum—you want to be lifted up to heaven, do you? No: you’ll be sent down to Hades!
16 “Anyone who hears you, hears me; anyone who rejects you, rejects me; and anyone who rejects me, rejects the one who sent me.”
The celebration of Jesus
17 The seventy came back exhilarated.
“Master,” they said, “even the demons obey us in your name!”
18 “I saw the satan fall like lightning from heaven,” he replied. 19 “Look: I’ve given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over every power of the enemy. Nothing will ever be able to harm you. 20 But—don’t celebrate having spirits under your authority. Celebrate this, that your names are written in heaven.”
21 Then and there Jesus celebrated in the holy spirit.
“I thank you, Father,” he said, “Lord of heaven and earth! You hid these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to babies. Yes, Father, that was what you graciously decided. 22 Everything has been given me by my father. Nobody knows who the son is except the father, and nobody knows who the father is except the son, and anyone to whom the son wishes to reveal him.”
23 Jesus then turned to the disciples privately.
“A blessing on the eyes,” he said, “which see what you see! 24 Let me tell you, many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and they didn’t see it; and to hear what you hear, and they didn’t hear it!”
The parable of the good Samaritan
25 A lawyer got up and put Jesus on the spot.
“Teacher,” he said, “what should I do to inherit the life of the coming age?”
26 “Well,” replied Jesus, “what is written in the law? What’s your interpretation of it?”
27 “You shall love the Lord your God,” he replied, “with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your understanding; and your neighbor as yourself.”
28 “Well said!” replied Jesus. “Do that and you will live.”
29 “Ah,” said the lawyer, wanting to win the point, “but who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus rose to the challenge. “Once upon a time,” he said, “a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and was set upon by brigands. They stripped him and beat him and ran off leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road, and when he saw him he went past on the opposite side. 32 So too a Levite came by the place; he saw him too, and went past on the opposite side.
33 “But a traveling Samaritan came to where he was. When he saw him he was filled with pity. 34 He came over to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine. Then he put him on his own beast, took him to an inn, and looked after him. 35 The next morning, as he was going on his way, he gave the innkeeper two dinars. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my way back I’ll pay you whatever else you need to spend on him.’
36 “Which of these three do you think turned out to be the neighbor of the man who was set upon by the brigands?”
37 “The one who showed mercy on him,” came the reply.
“Well,” Jesus said to him, “you go and do the same.”
Martha and Mary
38 On their journey, Jesus came into a village. There was a woman there named Martha, who welcomed him. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the master’s feet and listened to his teaching.
40 Martha was frantic with all the work in the kitchen.
“Master,” she said, coming in to where they were, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself? Tell her to give me a hand!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” he replied, “you are fretting and fussing about so many things. 42 Only one thing matters. Mary has chosen the best part, and it’s not going to be taken away from her.”
11 Copy me, just as I’m copying the Messiah.
Male and female in the worshiping church
2 I congratulate you that you are remembering me in everything, and you are keeping the traditions as I handed them on to you. 3 But I want you to know this: that the Messiah is the “head” of every man, and the husband is the “head” of every wife, and God is the “head” of the Messiah. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies while wearing something on his head brings shame on his “head”; 5 and every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame on her “head.” It would be just the same if she had her head shaved. 6 For if a woman isn’t covered, then she should be shaved; but if it’s shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then let her be covered.
7 A man ought not to cover his head, you see; he is the image and glory of God. But a wife is the glory of her husband. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 And man was not created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10 That’s why the wife must have authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 However, woman is not apart from man, nor man apart from woman, in the Lord; 12 for just as woman came from man, so now man comes into the world by means of woman. And everything is from God.
13 Judge the matter for yourselves. Is it really appropriate for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is shameful to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it’s her glory? Her hair is given her, you see, instead of a covering. 16 If anyone wants to dispute this, we have no other custom, nor do the churches of God.
Rich and poor at the table of the Lord
17 What I have to talk about now isn’t a matter for praise. When you meet together, you make things worse, not better! 18 What I mean is this: to begin with, I hear that when you come together in the assembly there are divisions among you. Well, I believe it—at least partly. 19 There are bound to be groupings among you; that’s how the genuine ones among you will stand out, I suppose! 20 So when you gather together into one meeting, it isn’t the Lord’s Supper that you eat. 21 Everyone brings their own food to eat, and one person goes hungry while another gets drunk. 22 Haven’t you got houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly, and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? No, in this matter I shan’t!
Recognizing the body
23 This, you see, is what I received from the Lord, and handed on to you. On the night when the Lord Jesus was betrayed, he took bread, 24 gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body; it’s for you! Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink the cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 It follows from this that anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone should test themselves; that’s how you should eat the bread and drink the cup. 29 You see, if you eat and drink without recognizing the body, you eat and drink judgment on yourself. 30 That’s why several of you are weak and sick, and some have died. 31 But if we learned how to judge ourselves, we would not incur judgment. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are punished, so that we won’t be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, treat one another as honored guests by waiting for each other. 34 If anyone is hungry, they should eat at home, so that you don’t come together and find yourselves facing judgment. I will put the other matters in order when I come.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.