Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Deadly Stew

³⁸ When Elisha returned to Gilgal,^(A) there was a famine^(B) in the land. The sons of the prophets^(C) were sitting at his feet.^[a](D) He said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the prophets.”

³⁹ One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were.

⁴⁰ They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There’s death in the pot,^(E) man of God!” And they were unable to eat it.

⁴¹ Then Elisha said, “Get some meal.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot.^(F)

³¹ In the meantime the disciples kept urging Him, “Rabbi,^(A) eat something.”

³² But He said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”

³³ The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought Him something to eat?”

³⁴ “My food is to do the will of Him^(B) who sent Me^(C) and to finish His work,”^(D) Jesus told them. ³⁵ “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open^[a] your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready^[b] for harvest. ³⁶ The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life,^(E) so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’^{(F) 38} I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from^[c] their labor.”