Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Righteous King for God’s People
23 “How terrible for the shepherds[a] who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Israel says about the shepherds who are shepherding my people, “You have scattered my flock and driven them away. You haven’t taken care of them, and now I’m about to take care of you[b] because of your evil deeds,” declares the Lord. 3 “I’ll gather the remnant of my flock from all the countries where I’ve driven them, and bring them back to their pasture where they’ll be fruitful and increase in numbers. 4 I’ll raise up shepherds over them, and they’ll shepherd them. My flock[c] will no longer be afraid or terrified, and none will be missing,” declares the Lord.
5 “The time is coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I’ll raise up a righteous branch for David.
He will be a king who rules wisely,
and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In his time[d] Judah will be delivered
and Israel will dwell in safety.
This is the name by which he will be known:
‘The Lord Our Righteousness.’
A Davidic Psalm.
The Lord Shepherds His People
23 The Lord is the one who is shepherding me;
I lack nothing.
2 He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass;
he guides me beside quiet waters.
3 He revives my life;
he leads me in pathways that are righteous
for the sake of his name.[a]
4 Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness,[b]
I will not be afraid
because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me,
even in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will remain in[c] the Lord’s Temple forever.[d]
All Believers are One in the Messiah
11 So then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth[a] were called “the uncircumcised” by those who called themselves “the circumcised.” They underwent physical circumcision done by human hands. 12 At that time you were without the Messiah,[b] excluded from citizenship in Israel,[c] and strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and were in the world without God. 13 But now, in union with the Messiah[d] Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.[e]
14 For it is he who is our peace. Through his mortality[f] he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them.[g] 15 He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace, 16 and reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross, on which he eliminated the hostility. 17 He came and proclaimed peace for you who were far away and for you who were near. 18 For through him, both of us[h] have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah[i] Jesus himself being the cornerstone.[j] 21 In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord. 22 You, too, are being built in him, along with the others, into a place for God’s Spirit to dwell.
Jesus Feeds More than Five Thousand People(A)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 31 He told them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while,” because so many people were coming and going[a] that they didn’t even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in a boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 But when many people saw them leave and recognized them, they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 When he got out of the boat,[b] he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret(A)
53 When they had crossed over, they came ashore at Gennesaret and anchored the boat. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus.[a] 55 They ran all over the countryside and began carrying the sick on their mats to any place where they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went, whether into villages, towns, or farms, people[b] would place their sick in the marketplaces and beg him to let them touch even the tassel of his garment, and everyone who touched it was healed.
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