Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Teacher’s quest

¹² I am the Teacher. I was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my mind to investigate and to explore by wisdom all that happens under heaven. It’s an unhappy obsession that God has given to human beings.

¹⁴ When I observed all that happens under the sun, I realized that everything is pointless, a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ I hated the things I worked so hard for here under the sun, because I will have to leave them to someone who comes after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether that one will be wise or foolish? Either way, that person will have control over the results of all my hard work and wisdom here under the sun. That too is pointless. ²⁰ I then gave myself up to despair, as I thought about all my laborious hard work under the sun, ²¹ because sometimes those who have worked hard with wisdom, knowledge, and skill must leave the results of their hard work as a possession to those who haven’t worked hard for it. This too is pointless—it’s a terrible wrong. ²² I mean, What do people get for all their hard work and struggles under the sun? ²³ All their days are pain, and their work is aggravation; even at night, their hearts don’t find rest. This too is pointless.

Psalm 49

For the music leader. A psalm of the Korahites.

Your life hidden in Christ

3 Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. ² Think about the things above and not things on earth. ³ You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

⁵ So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). ⁶ The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. ⁷ You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. ⁸ But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. ⁹ Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices ¹⁰ and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it. ¹¹ In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people.

Warning against greed

¹³ Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed me as judge or referee between you and your brother?”

¹⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable: “A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. ¹⁷ He said to himself, What will I do? I have no place to store my harvest! ¹⁸ Then he thought, Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. That’s where I’ll store all my grain and goods. ¹⁹ I’ll say to myself, You have stored up plenty of goods, enough for several years. Take it easy! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ ²¹ This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God.”