Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Joseph’s Kindness
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”(A)
16 So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: 17 ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept(B) when their message came to him. 18 Then his brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?(C) 20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.(D) 21 Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones.”(E) And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.[a]
Psalm 103
The Forgiving God
Davidic.
1 My soul, praise Yahweh,
and all that is within me, praise His holy name.(A)
2 My soul, praise the Lord,
and do not forget all His benefits.(B)
The Law of Liberty
14 Accept(A) anyone who is weak in faith,[a](B) but don’t argue about doubtful issues. 2 One person believes he may eat anything,(C) but one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat,(D) and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does,(E) because God has accepted him.(F) 4 Who are you to criticize(G) another’s household slave? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand. For the Lord is able[b] to make him stand.
5 One person considers one day to be above another day.(H) Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind.(I) 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord.[c] Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God;(J) and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.(K) 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.(L) 9 Christ died and came to life(M) for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living.(N) 10 But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the tribunal of God.[d](O) 11 For it is written:
As I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bow to Me,(P)
and every tongue will give praise to God.(Q)[e]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.(R)
The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”(A)
22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus said to him, “but 70 times seven.[a] 23 For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began to settle accounts, one who owed 10,000 talents[b] was brought before him. 25 Since he had no way to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.(B)
26 “At this, the slave fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!’ 27 Then the master of that slave had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.
28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii.[c](C) He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’
29 “At this, his fellow slave fell down[d] and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he wasn’t willing. On the contrary, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. 31 When the other slaves saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’(D) 34 And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. 35 So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother[e] from his[f] heart.”(E)
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