Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer for Understanding

God Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout^(A)

33 The Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “tell your people what happens when I bring war to a land. The people of that country choose one of their number to be a lookout. ³ When he sees the enemy approaching, he sounds the alarm to warn everyone. ⁴ If someone hears it but pays no attention and the enemy comes and kills him, then he is to blame for his own death. ⁵ His death is his own fault, because he paid no attention to the warning. If he had paid attention, he could have escaped. ⁶ If, however, the lookout sees the enemy coming and does not sound the alarm, the enemy will come and kill those sinners, but I will hold the lookout responsible for their death.

Jesus Predicts Their Punishment^(A)

²⁹ “How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You make fine tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who lived good lives; ³⁰ and you claim that if you had lived during the time of your ancestors, you would not have done what they did and killed the prophets. ³¹ So you actually admit that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets! ³² Go on, then, and finish up what your ancestors started! ^33 (B)You snakes and children of snakes! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell? ³⁴ And so I tell you that I will send you prophets and wise men and teachers; you will kill some of them, crucify others, and whip others in the synagogues and chase them from town to town. ^35 (C)As a result, the punishment for the murder of all innocent people will fall on you, from the murder of innocent Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. ³⁶ I tell you indeed: the punishment for all these murders will fall on the people of this day!