Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
15 The Lord replied to him, “Go! Return to Damascus, and when you get there, anoint Hazael as king over Aram, 16 anoint Nimshi’s son Jehu as king over Israel, and anoint Shaphat’s son Elisha from Abel-meholah as a prophet to replace you.
Elisha Chosen to Replace Elijah
19 Elijah left there and located Shaphat’s son Elisha, who was plowing, along with a total of[a] twelve pairs of oxen.[b] (He was plowing with the twelfth pair.) As Elijah passed by, he tossed his cloak at Elisha.[c] 20 He abandoned the oxen, ran off to follow Elijah, and asked him, “Please, let me kiss my mother and father good-bye, and then I’ll come after you.”
“Go back again,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha[d] turned back, took the pair of oxen, sacrificed them, boiled their flesh using the farm implements for fuel, and gave the food to the people with him.[e] Then he got up, followed Elijah, and became his servant.
A special Davidic Psalm.[a]
Trust in the Face of Death
16 Keep me safe, God,
for I take refuge in you.
2 I told the Lord,
“You are my master,[b]
I have nothing good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints that are in the land,
they are noble, and all my delight is in them.
4 Those who hurry after another god[c] will have many sorrows;
I will not present[d] their drink offerings of blood,
nor will my lips speak[e] their names.
5 The Lord is my inheritance and my cup;
you support my lot.
6 The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for me;
truly, I have a beautiful heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
indeed, my conscience instructs[f] me during the night.
8 I have set the Lord before me continuously;
because he stands at my right hand, I will stand firm.[g]
9 Therefore, my heart is glad,
my whole being[h] rejoices,
and my body will dwell securely.
10 For you will not leave my soul in Sheol,[i]
you will not allow your holy one to experience corruption.[j]
11 You cause me to know the path of life;
in your presence is joyful abundance,
at your right hand there are pleasures forever.
13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is summarized in a single statement: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”[a] 15 But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh wants is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, and so you do not do what you want to do. 18 But if you are being led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
19 Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, witchcraft,[b] hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, 21 envy, murder,[c] drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,[d] 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 Now those who belong to the Messiah[e] Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also be guided.
A Samaritan Village Refuses to Welcome Jesus
51 When the days grew closer for Jesus[a] to be taken up to heaven,[b] he was determined to continue his journey to Jerusalem. 52 So he sent messengers on ahead of him. On their way they went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. 53 But the people[c] would not welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John observed this rejection,[d] they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”[e] 55 But he turned and rebuked them,[f] 56 and they all[g] went on to another village.
The Would-be Followers of Jesus(A)
57 While they were walking along the road, a man told him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus told him,
59 He told another man, “Follow me.”
But he said, “Lord,[j] first let me go and bury my father.”
60 But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those at home.”
62 Jesus told him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
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