Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God’s Ways Are Right and Good
65 “I let Myself be looked for by those who did not ask for Me. I let Myself be found by those who did not look for Me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on My name. 2 All day long I held out My hand to a people who would not obey Me and who worked against Me. They walk in a way that is not good, following their own thoughts. 3 These people always make Me angry, giving gifts of worship in gardens and burning special perfume on altars of clay blocks. 4 They sit among graves, and spend the night in secret places. They eat the flesh of pigs, and have boiled meat that is unclean in their pots. 5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself. Do not come near me. For I am holier than you.’ These are smoke in My nose, a fire that burns all the day. 6 See, it is written before Me: ‘I will not keep quiet, but I will pay them back. I will pay them back into their breast, 7 for both their own sins and the sins of their fathers,’” says the Lord. “Because they have burned special perfume on the mountains and have spoken against Me on the hills, I will give them into their breasts the full pay for what they have done.”
8 The Lord says, “New wine is found in the grapes, and one says, ‘Do not destroy them, for there is still some good in them.’ I will act in the same way for My servants, and not destroy them all. 9 I will bring children from Jacob, and one out of Judah who will have My mountains for a gift. They will be given to My chosen ones, and My servants will live there.
19 But You, O Lord, be not far from me! O my Strength, hurry to help me! 20 Take me away from the sword. Save my life from the power of the dog. 21 Save me from the lion’s mouth, and from the horns of the wild bulls You answer me.
22 I will make Your name known to my brothers. In the center of the meeting of worship I will praise You. 23 You who fear the Lord, give Him praise. All you children of Jacob, honor Him. Fear Him, all you children of Israel. 24 For He has not turned away from the suffering of the one in pain or trouble. He has not hidden His face from him. But He has heard his cry for help.
25 My praise will be from You in the big meeting of worship. I will keep my promises to Him in front of those who fear Him. 26 Those who suffer will eat and have enough. Those who look for the Lord will praise Him. May your heart live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will worship before Him. 28 For the holy nation is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.
23 Before it was possible to be saved from the punishment of sin by putting our trust in Christ, we were held under the Law. It was as if we were being kept in prison. We were kept this way until Christ came. 24 The Law was used to lead us to Christ. It was our teacher, and so we were made right with God by putting our trust in Christ. 25 Now that our faith is in Christ, we do not need the Law to lead us. 26 You are now children of God because you have put your trust in Christ Jesus. 27 All of you who have been baptized to show you belong to Christ have become like Christ. 28 God does not see you as a Jew or as a Greek. He does not see you as a servant or as a person free to work. He does not see you as a man or as a woman. You are all one in Christ. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you have become the true children of Abraham. What God promised to him is now yours.
Demons Ask Jesus to Let Them Live in Pigs (A)
26 They came to the land of the Gadarenes, which is on the other side of the country of Galilee. 27 As Jesus stepped out on land, a man met Him who had come from the city. This man had demons in him. For a long time he had worn no clothes. He did not live in a house, but lived among the graves. 28 When he saw Jesus, he got down before Him and cried with a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High? I beg of You not to hurt me!” 29 For Jesus had spoken to the demon to come out of the man. Many times the demon had taken hold of him. The man had to be tied with chains. But he would break the chains and be taken by the demon into the desert.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And the demon answered, “Many,” because many demons had gone into him. 31 The demons asked Jesus not to send them to the hole without a bottom in the earth. 32 There were many pigs feeding on the side of the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus said they could. 33 The demons came out of the man and went into the pigs. Then the many pigs ran down the side of the mountain into the water and died.
34 The men who cared for the pigs ran fast and told what had happened in the town and in the country. 35 People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the man from whom the demons had been sent. He was sitting at the feet of Jesus with clothes on and had the right use of his mind. The people were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told how the man who had had the demons was healed. 37 Then all the people of the country of the Gadarenes begged Jesus to go away from them. They were very much afraid. Jesus got into the boat and went back to the other side.
38 The man out of whom the demons had gone begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus sent him away and said, 39 “Go back to your house and tell everything God has done for you.” He went back and told all the people of the city what great things Jesus had done for him.
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