Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 116

Thanks to God for Deliverance

Rahab and Her Family Spared

²² Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you promised her.”^{(A) 23} So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ They burned up the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. ²⁵ However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she lives in Israel^(B) to this day.^(C)

²⁶ At that time Joshua imposed this curse:

²⁷ And the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

Messiah’s Authority Challenged

²³ When He entered the temple complex,^(A) the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority?”^(B)

²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for Me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from men?”

They began to argue among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’^{(C) 26} But if we say, ‘From men,’ we’re afraid of the crowd,^(D) because everyone thought John was a prophet.”^{(E) 27} So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸ “But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go, work in the vineyard today.’^(F)

²⁹ “He answered, ‘I don’t want to!’ Yet later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ Then the man went to the other and said the same thing.

“‘I will, sir,’ he answered. But he didn’t go.

³¹ “Which of the two did his father’s will?”

“The first,” they said.

Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you! ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness,^(G) and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him, but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.