Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
4 He suffered and endured
great pain for us,
but we thought his suffering
was punishment from God.
5 (A)(B) He was wounded and crushed
because of our sins;
by taking our punishment,
he made us completely well.
6 (C) All of us were like sheep
that had wandered off.
We had each gone our own way,
but the Lord gave him
the punishment we deserved.
7 (D)(E) (F) He was painfully abused,
but he did not complain.
He was silent like a lamb
being led to the butcher,
as quiet as a sheep
having its wool cut off.
8 He was condemned to death
without a fair trial.
Who could have imagined
what would happen to him?
His life was taken away
because of the sinful things
my people[a] had done.
9 (G) He wasn't dishonest or violent,
but he was buried in a tomb
among cruel, rich people.[b]
10 The Lord decided his servant
would suffer as a sacrifice
to take away the sin
and guilt of others.
Now the servant will live
to see his own descendants.[c]
He did everything
the Lord had planned.
11 By suffering, the servant
will learn the true meaning
of obeying the Lord.
Although he is innocent,
he will take the punishment
for the sins of others,
so that many of them
will no longer be guilty.
12 (H) The Lord will reward him
with honor and power
for sacrificing his life.
Others thought he was a sinner,
but he suffered for our sins
and asked God to forgive us.
9 The Lord Most High
is your fortress.
Run to him for safety,
10 and no terrible disasters
will strike you
or your home.
11 (A) God will command his angels
to protect you
wherever you go.
12 (B) They will carry you
in their arms,
and you won't hurt your feet
on the stones.
13 (C) You will overpower
the strongest lions
and the most deadly snakes.
14 The Lord says, “If you love me
and truly know who I am,
I will rescue you
and keep you safe.
15 When you are in trouble,
call out to me.
I will answer and be there
to protect and honor you.
16 You will live a long life
and see my saving power.”
5 Every high priest is appointed to help others by offering gifts and sacrifices to God because of their sins. 2 A high priest has weaknesses of his own, and he feels sorry for foolish and sinful people. 3 (A) This is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins and for the sins of others. 4 (B) But no one can have the honor of being a high priest simply by wanting to be one. Only God can choose a priest, and God is the one who chose Aaron.
5 (C) This is how it was with Christ. He became a high priest, but not just because he wanted the honor of being one. It was God who told him,
“You are my Son, because today
I have become your Father!”
6 (D) In another place, God says,
“You are a priest forever
just like Melchizedek.”[a]
7 (E) God had the power to save Jesus from death. And while Jesus was on earth, he begged God with loud crying and tears to save him. He truly worshiped God, and God listened to his prayers. 8 Jesus is God's own Son, but still he had to suffer before he could learn what it really means to obey God. 9 Suffering made Jesus perfect, and now he can save forever all who obey him. 10 This is because God chose him to be a high priest like Melchizedek.
The Request of James and John
(Matthew 20.20-28)
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, will you do us a favor?”
36 Jesus asked them what they wanted, 37 and they answered, “When you come into your glory, please let one of us sit at your right side and the other at your left.”[a]
38 (A) Jesus told them, “You don't really know what you're asking! Are you able to drink from the cup[b] that I must soon drink from or be baptized as I must be baptized?”[c]
39 “Yes, we are!” James and John answered.
Then Jesus replied, “You certainly will drink from the cup from which I must drink. And you will be baptized just as I must! 40 But it isn't for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. This is for God to decide.”
41 When the ten other disciples heard this, they were angry with James and John. 42 (B) But Jesus called the disciples together and said:
You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. 43 (C) But don't act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. 44 And if you want to be first, you must be everyone's slave. 45 (D) The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue[d] many people.
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