Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹² A person has only one body, and the body has many parts. It is the same with Christ.

¹³ The one Spirit baptized us all to make one body. It made no difference whether we were Jews or Greeks, whether we were slaves or free men. We were all given to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ I say again, the body is not all one part, but has many parts.

¹⁵ Perhaps the foot says, `I am not the hand, so I do not belong to the body.' But it is still a part of the body.

¹⁶ Perhaps the ear says, `I am not the eye, so I do not belong to the body.' But it is still a part of the body.

¹⁷ If all of the body were an eye, how could we hear? If all the body were an ear, how could we smell?

¹⁸ The way it is now, God has put each part in the body in the place he wanted it.

¹⁹ If they were all one part, how could it be a body?

²⁰ The way it is now, there are many parts, but it is one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, `I do not need you.' And the head cannot say to the feet, `I do not need you.'

²² No, that is not so. Some parts of the body are not as strong as others. Yet we could not live without them.

²³ And we look after some parts of our body more than others because they need it. The parts of our body that are not so fine in one way are made more fine in other ways. But the parts which are fine already do not need to be made fine. God made the body and has given more care to the parts that need it.

²⁴ He did this so that the body would not be divided into groups, but all the parts would help each other. 26 ) If one part has trouble, then all the other parts are troubled too. If one part is praised, then all the other parts are glad with it.

²⁵ Now, all of you together are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

²⁶ God has given each person their right place in the church. First, there are the apostles. Second, there are prophets who speak words from God. Third, there are those who teach. Then there are those who do big works. Then there are those who have the gifts to heal people, those who help in the work of the church people, those who lead and guide others, and those who speak God's words in different kinds of tongues or languages.

²⁷ Are all the people apostles? Can they all speak words from God? Can they all teach? Can they all do big works?

²⁸ Do they all have the gifts to heal the sick people? Can they all speak in different tongues? Can they all tell the meaning of these tongues?

²⁹ You should seek after the best gifts. But I will show you a way that is much better than any of them!

¹⁴ Jesus had the power of the Spirit when he went back to Galilee. People talked about him in all that part of the country.

¹⁵ He taught them in their meeting houses. All the people praised him.

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth where he had grown up. He went to the meeting house as he always did on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read.

¹⁷ A man gave him the book that Isaiah the prophet of God wrote long ago. He opened the book and found the place where it says,

¹⁸ `The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he chose me to tell the good news to poor people. He has sent me to tell the prisoners they can go free, and to tell the blind people they can see. He has sent me to set free those who have been wrongly held down,

¹⁹ and to tell people that the year when the Lord will help them has come.'

²⁰ Then Jesus closed the book and gave it back to the man. He sat down. Everyone in the meeting house was watching him.

²¹ He began to talk to them. He said, `You have heard what the holy writings say. They have come true today.'