Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁴ The Lord God has given Me the tongue of those who follow Him, that I may know how to give strength when I speak to one who is tired. He wakes Me up morning by morning. He wakes up My ear to listen as a follower. ⁵ The Lord God has opened My ear, and I obeyed Him. I did not turn back. ⁶ I gave My back to those who hit Me, and My face to those who pull out the hair on my face. I did not cover My face from shame and spit. ⁷ For the Lord God helps Me, so I am not put to shame. I have set My face like hard stone, and know that I will not be ashamed. ⁸ He Who shows I am right is near. Who will fight with Me? Let us stand up to each other. Who has something against Me? Let him come near to Me. ⁹ See, the Lord God helps Me. Who will say that I am guilty? See, they will all wear out like a piece of clothing. The moth will eat them.

Praises to God for Being Saved from Death

116 I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my prayers. ² I will call on Him as long as I live, because He has turned His ear to me. ³ The strings of death are all around me. And the fear of the grave came upon me. I suffered with trouble and sorrow. ⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I beg You, save my life!”

⁵ The Lord is loving and right. Yes, our God is full of loving-kindness. ⁶ The Lord takes care of the child-like. I was brought down, and He saved me. ⁷ Return to your rest, O my soul. For the Lord has been good to you. ⁸ For You, O Lord, have saved my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. ⁹ I will walk with the Lord in the land of the living.

The Power of the Tongue

3 My Christian brothers, not many of you should become teachers. If we do wrong, it will be held against us more than other people who are not teachers. ² We all make many mistakes. If anyone does not make a mistake with his tongue by saying the wrong things, he is a perfect man. It shows he is able to make his body do what he wants it to do. ³ We make a horse go wherever we want it to go by a small bit in its mouth. We turn its whole body by this. ⁴ Sailing ships are driven by strong winds. But a small rudder turns a large ship whatever way the man at the wheel wants the ship to go.

⁵ The tongue is also a small part of the body, but it can speak big things. See how a very small fire can set many trees on fire. ⁶ The tongue is a fire. It is full of wrong. It poisons the whole body. The tongue sets our whole lives on fire with a fire that comes from hell. ⁷ Men can make all kinds of animals and birds and fish and snakes do what they want them to do. ⁸ But no man can make his tongue say what he wants it to say. It is sinful and does not rest. It is full of poison that kills. ⁹ With our tongue we give thanks to our Father in heaven. And with our tongue we speak bad words against men who are made like God. ¹⁰ Giving thanks and speaking bad words come from the same mouth. My Christian brothers, this is not right! ¹¹ Does a well of water give good water and bad water from the same place? ¹² Can a fig tree give olives or can a grape-vine give figs? A well does not give both good water and bad water.

Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ ^(A)

²⁷ Jesus and His followers went from there to the towns of Caesarea Philippi. As they went, He asked His followers, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ They answered, “Some say John the Baptist and some say Elijah and others say one of the early preachers.” ²⁹ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Christ.” ³⁰ He told them with strong words that they should tell no one about Him.

Jesus Tells of His Death for the First Time ^(B)

³¹ He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. He told them that the leaders and the religious leaders of the Jews and the teachers of the Law would have nothing to do with Him. He told them He would be killed and three days later He would be raised from the dead.

³² He had said this in plain words. Peter took Him away from the others and began to speak sharp words to Him. ³³ Jesus turned around. He looked at His followers and spoke sharp words to Peter. He said, “Get behind Me, Satan! Your thoughts are not thoughts from God but from men.”

Giving Up Self and One’s Own Desires

³⁴ Jesus called the people and His followers to Him. He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must give up himself and his own desires. He must take up his cross and follow Me. ³⁵ If anyone wants to keep his own life safe, he will lose it. If anyone gives up his life because of Me and because of the Good News, he will save it. ³⁶ For what does a man have if he gets all the world and loses his own soul? ³⁷ What can a man give to buy back his soul? ³⁸ Whoever is ashamed of Me and My Words among the sinful people of this day, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in the shining-greatness of His Father and His holy angels.”