Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹² ‘Remember the Day of Rest, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God told you. ¹³ Six days you will do all your work. ¹⁴ But the seventh day is a Day of Rest to the Lord your God. You, your son, your daughter, your man servant, your woman servant, your bull, donkey or any of your cattle, or the traveler who stays with you, must not do any work on this day. So your man servant and woman servant may rest as well as you. ¹⁵ Remember that you were servants in the land of Egypt. The Lord your God brought you out of there by a powerful hand and a long arm. So the Lord your God told you to keep the Day of Rest.

A Song to God’s Care

81 Sing for joy to God our strength! Call out for joy to the God of Jacob! ² Sing a song, beat the timbrel. Play the sweet-sounding harps. ³ Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon on the day of our special supper. ⁴ For this is a Law for Israel, a Law of the God of Jacob. ⁵ He made it a Law for Joseph, when he went through the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know:

⁶ “I took the load off his shoulders. His hands were set free from the basket. ⁷ You called in your trouble, and I took you out of it. I answered you in the hiding place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah. ⁸ Hear, O My people, and I will tell you what to do. O Israel, if you would listen to Me! ⁹ Let there be no strange god among you. Do not worship any false god. ¹⁰ I, the Lord, am your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

⁵ We do not preach about ourselves. We preach Christ Jesus the Lord. We are your servants because of Jesus. ⁶ It was God Who said, “The light will shine in darkness.” ^(A) He is the One Who made His light shine in our hearts. This brings us the light of knowing God’s shining-greatness which is seen in Christ’s face.

⁷ We have this light from God in our human bodies. This shows that the power is from God. It is not from ourselves. ⁸ We are pressed on every side, but we still have room to move. We are often in much trouble, but we never give up. ⁹ People make it hard for us, but we are not left alone. We are knocked down, but we are not destroyed. ¹⁰ We carry marks on our bodies that show the death of Jesus. This is how Jesus makes His life seen in our bodies. ¹¹ Every day of our life we face death because of Jesus. In this way, His life is seen in our bodies. ¹² Death is working in us because we work for the Lord, but His life is working in you.

Jesus Teaches about the Day of Rest ^(A)

²³ At that time Jesus walked through the grain-fields on the Day of Rest. As they went, His followers began to take some of the grain. ²⁴ The proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, “See! Why are they doing what the Law says should not be done on the Day of Rest?” ²⁵ He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry? ²⁶ He went into the house of God when Abiathar was head religious leader of the Jews. He ate the special bread used in the religious worship. The Law says only the Jewish religious leaders may eat that. David gave some to those who were with him also.” ²⁷ Jesus said to them, “The Day of Rest was made for the good of man. Man was not made for the Day of Rest. ²⁸ The Son of Man is Lord of the Day of Rest also.”

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest ^(B)

3 Jesus went into the Jewish place of worship again. A man was there with a dried-up hand. ² The proud religious law-keepers watched Jesus to see if He would heal the man on the Day of Rest. They wanted to have something to say against Jesus. ³ Jesus said to the man with the dried-up hand, “Stand up.” ⁴ Then Jesus said to the proud religious law-keepers, “Does the Law say to do good on the Day of Rest or to do bad, to save life or to kill?” But they said nothing. ⁵ Jesus looked around at them with anger. He was sad because of their hard hearts. Then He said to the man, “Put out your hand.” He put it out and his hand was healed. It was as good as the other. ⁶ The proud religious law-keepers went out and made plans with the followers of King Herod how they might kill Jesus.