Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

5 Every high priest is chosen from among men. His work is to stand before God for people. He brings gifts and makes sacrifices to God for the wrong things people have done.

² Such a high priest can be kind to people who do not know what is right and who do wrong. He knows how to share in the suffering of others because he himself is weak.

³ Because he is weak himself, he must make sacrifices to God for the wrong things he has done, just as he does for the people.

⁴ No one chooses himself to be high priest. But God calls him, just as he called Aaron.

⁵ So Christ did not choose himself to be a high priest. But he was chosen by the One who said to him, `You are my Son, and I am your Father today.'

⁶ In another place in the holy writings God said, `You are a priest for ever like Melchizedek.'

⁷ When Jesus was a man, he talked to God who was able to save him from death. He called loudly to him with tears. God heard him because he honoured and respected God.

⁸ Even though Jesus was his Son, he learned to obey God in the troubles he had.

⁹ When he became perfect, he saved for ever all who obeyed him.

¹⁰ God called him a high priest like Melchizedek was a priest.

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, `Master, we want you to do for us anything we ask you.'

³⁶ Jesus said, `What do you want me to do for you?'

³⁷ They said, `Let one of us sit at your right side and one at your left side when you rule.'

³⁸ But Jesus said, `You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink from the cup that I will drink from? Can you go through the big trouble that I will go through?'

³⁹ `Yes,' they said. `We can.' Then Jesus said to them, `You will drink what I drink and you will have trouble the way I will have.

⁴⁰ But I cannot choose who will sit at my right hand or at my left. It has been planned who will sit there.'

⁴¹ When the other ten disciples heard about it, they were angry with James and John.

⁴² Jesus called them and said, `You know the people who rule over countries make their people obey them. The great will tell the others what to do.

⁴³ But that is not the way it is among you. Anyone among you who wants to be great must help the others.

⁴⁴ Anyone among you who wants to be first shall be a servant to the others.

⁴⁵ The Son of Man did not come to have others help him. But he came to help others. He came to give his life to make many people free.'