Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹² I, Kohelet, have been king over Isra’el in Yerushalayim. ¹³ I wisely applied myself to seek out and investigate everything done under heaven. What a bothersome task God has given humanity to keep us occupied! ¹⁴ I have seen all the activities that are done under the sun, and it’s all pointless, feeding on wind.

¹⁸ I hated all the things for which I had worked under the sun, because I saw that I would have to leave them to the man who will come after me. ¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the things I worked for and which demonstrated how wise I am under the sun. This too is pointless. ²⁰ Thus I came to despair over all the things I had worked for under the sun. ²¹ Here is a man whose work is done with wisdom, knowledge and skill; yet he has to leave it to someone who has put no work into it. This is not only pointless, but a great evil. ²² For what does a person get from all his efforts and ambitions permeating the work he does under the sun? ²³ His whole life is one of pain, and his work is full of stress; even at night his mind gets no rest. This too is pointless.

3 So if you were raised along with the Messiah, then seek the things above, where the Messiah is sitting at the right hand of God.^{[a] 2} Focus your minds on the things above, not on things here on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. ⁴ When the Messiah, who is our life, appears, then you too will appear with him in glory!

⁵ Therefore, put to death the earthly parts of your nature — sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed (which is a form of idolatry); ⁶ for it is because of these things that God’s anger is coming on those who disobey him. ⁷ True enough, you used to practice these things in the life you once lived; ⁸ but now, put them all away — anger, exasperation, meanness, slander and obscene talk. ⁹ Never lie to one another; because you have stripped away the old self, with its ways, ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is continually being renewed in fuller and fuller knowledge, closer and closer to the image of its Creator. ¹¹ The new self allows no room for discriminating between Gentile and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, foreigner, savage, slave, free man; on the contrary, in all, the Messiah is everything.

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Rabbi, tell my brother to share with me the property we inherited.” ¹⁴ But Yeshua answered him, “My friend, who appointed me judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ Then to the people he said, “Be careful to guard against all forms of greed, because even if someone is rich, his life does not consist in what he owns.” ¹⁶ And he gave them this illustration: “There was a man whose land was very productive. ¹⁷ He debated with himself, ‘What should I do? I haven’t enough room for all my crops.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my wheat and other goods there. ¹⁹ Then I’ll say to myself, “You’re a lucky man! You have a big supply of goods laid up that will last many years. Start taking it easy! Eat! Drink! Enjoy yourself!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will die! And the things you prepared — whose will they be?’ ²¹ That’s how it is with anyone who stores up wealth for himself without being rich toward God.”