Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁰ The rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there without giving water to the earth. This makes plants grow on the earth, and gives seeds to the planter and bread to the eater. ¹¹ So My Word which goes from My mouth will not return to Me empty. It will do what I want it to do, and will carry out My plan well. ¹² You will go out with joy, and be led out in peace. The mountains and the hills will break out into sounds of joy before you. And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. ¹³ Instead of the thorn bush, the cypress tree will come up. Instead of the thistle, the myrtle tree will come up. It will cause you to remember the Lord, something special to see that will last forever.”

A Song of Praise

92 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and sing praises to Your name, O Most High. ² It is good to tell of Your loving-kindness in the morning, and of how faithful You are at night, ³ with harps, and with music of praise. ⁴ For You have made me glad by what You have done, O Lord. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

¹² The man who is right and good will grow like the palm tree. He will grow like a tall tree in Lebanon. ¹³ Planted in the house of the Lord, they will grow well in the home of our God. ¹⁴ They will still give fruit when they are old. They will be full of life and strength. ¹⁵ And they will show that the Lord is faithful. He is my rock. There is nothing in Him that is not right and good.

⁵¹ For sure, I am telling you a secret. We will not all die, but we will all be changed. ⁵² In a very short time, no longer than it takes for the eye to close and open, the Christians who have died will be raised. It will happen when the last horn sounds. The dead will be raised never to die again. Then the rest of us who are alive will be changed. ⁵³ Our human bodies made from dust must be changed into a body that cannot be destroyed. Our human bodies that can die must be changed into bodies that will never die. ⁵⁴ When this that can be destroyed has been changed into that which cannot be destroyed, and when this that does die has been changed into that which cannot die, then it will happen as the Holy Writings said it would happen. They said, “Death has no more power over life.” ^{(A) 55} O death, where is your power? O death, where are your pains? ⁵⁶ The pain in death is sin. Sin has power over those under the Law. ⁵⁷ But God is the One Who gives us power over sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. We give thanks to Him for this.

⁵⁸ So then, Christian brothers, because of all this, be strong. Do not allow anyone to change your mind. Always do your work well for the Lord. You know that whatever you do for Him will not be wasted.

³⁹ Jesus used a picture-story as He spoke to them. He said, “Can one blind man lead another blind man? Will they not fall into the ditch together? ⁴⁰ The follower is not more important than his teacher. But everyone who learns well will be like his teacher.

Jesus Teaches about Saying What Is Wrong in Others

⁴¹ “Why do you look at the small piece of wood in your brother’s eye and do not see the big piece of wood in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take that small piece of wood out of your eye,’ when you do not see the big piece of wood in your own eye? You pretend to be someone you are not. First, take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you can see better to take the small piece of wood out of your brother’s eye.

Jesus Teaches about False Teachers

⁴³ “A good tree cannot have bad fruit. A bad tree cannot have good fruit. ⁴⁴ For every tree is known by its own fruit. Men do not gather figs from thorns. They do not gather grapes from thistles. ⁴⁵ Good comes from a good man because of the riches he has in his heart. Sin comes from a sinful man because of the sin he has in his heart. The mouth speaks of what the heart is full of.

Jesus Teaches about Houses Built on Rock and Sand

⁴⁶ “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ Whoever comes to Me and hears and does what I say, I will show you who he is like. ⁴⁸ He is like a man who built a house. He dug deep to put the building on rock. When the water came up and the river beat against the house, the building could not be shaken because it was built on rock. ⁴⁹ But he who hears and does not do what I say, is like a man who built a house on nothing but earth. The water beat against the house. At once it fell and was destroyed.”