Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The First Woman
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him.”
19 From the ground God formed every wild animal and every bird in the sky, and he brought them to the man so the man could name them. Whatever the man called each living thing, that became its name. 20 The man gave names to all the tame animals, to the birds in the sky, and to all the wild animals. But Adam[a] did not find a helper that was right for him. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to sleep very deeply, and while he was asleep, God removed one of the man’s ribs. Then God closed up the man’s skin at the place where he took the rib. 22 The Lord God used the rib from the man to make a woman, and then he brought the woman to the man.
23 And the man said,
“Now, this is someone whose bones came from my bones,
whose body came from my body.
I will call her ‘woman,’
because she was taken out of man.”
24 So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.
The Lord’s Greatness
For the director of music. On the gittith. A psalm of David.
8 Lord our Lord,
your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!
It brings you praise in heaven above.
2 You have taught children and babies
to sing praises to you
because of your enemies.
And so you silence your enemies
and destroy those who try to get even.
3 I look at your heavens,
which you made with your fingers.
I see the moon and stars,
which you created.
4 But why are people even important to you?
Why do you take care of human beings?
5 You made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You put them in charge of everything you made.
You put all things under their control:
7 all the sheep, the cattle,
and the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky,
the fish in the sea,
and everything that lives under water.
9 Lord our Lord,
your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!
God Spoke Through His Son
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets many times and in many different ways. 2 But now in these last days God has spoken to us through his Son. God has chosen his Son to own all things, and through him he made the world. 3 The Son reflects the glory of God and shows exactly what God is like. He holds everything together with his powerful word. When the Son made people clean from their sins, he sat down at the right side of God, the Great One in heaven. 4 The Son became much greater than the angels, and God gave him a name that is much greater than theirs.
Christ Became like Humans
5 God did not choose angels to be the rulers of the new world that was coming, which is what we have been talking about. 6 It is written in the Scriptures,
“Why are people even important to you?
Why do you take care of human beings?
7 You made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.[a]
8 You put all things under their control.” Psalm 8:4–6
When God put everything under their control, there was nothing left that they did not rule. Still, we do not yet see them ruling over everything. 9 But we see Jesus, who for a short time was made lower than the angels. And now he is wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. And by God’s grace, he died for everyone.
10 God is the One who made all things, and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory, so he made the One who leads people to salvation perfect through suffering.
11 Jesus, who makes people holy, and those who are made holy are from the same family. So he is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 He says,
“Then, I will tell my brothers and sisters about you;
I will praise you in the public meeting.” Psalm 22:22
2 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to trick him. They asked, “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife?”
3 Jesus answered, “What did Moses command you to do?”
4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write out divorce papers and send her away.”[a]
5 Jesus said, “Moses wrote that command for you because you were stubborn. 6 But when God made the world, ‘he made them male and female.’[b] 7 ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife,[c] 8 and the two will become one body.’[d] So there are not two, but one. 9 God has joined the two together, so no one should separate them.”
10 Later, in the house, his followers asked Jesus again about the question of divorce. 11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman is guilty of adultery against her. 12 And the woman who divorces her husband and marries another man is also guilty of adultery.”
Jesus Accepts Children
13 Some people brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them, but his followers told them to stop. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was upset and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children. 15 I tell you the truth, you must accept the kingdom of God as if you were a little child, or you will never enter it.” 16 Then Jesus took the children in his arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.