Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
15 Prophets. The Lord, your God, will raise up from among your countrymen a prophet who will do what I have done for you, and you will listen to him. 16 This is just as you asked the Lord, your God, at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let me not hear the voice of the Lord, my God, anymore, nor look upon this great fire, lest I die.” 17 The Lord said to me, “They have spoken well. 18 I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen who will be like you. I will place my words in his mouth, and he will tell them all that I command him. 19 I myself will call to account whoever does not heed my words that he will proclaim in my name. 20 But if a prophet presumes to proclaim something in my name that I have not said to him, or he speaks in the names of other gods, that prophet is to be put to death.”
Psalm 111[a]
Praise of God for His Wondrous Works
1 Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart[b]
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the Lord;[c]
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 His deeds[d] show forth majesty and splendor,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has won renown for his wonders;[e]
gracious and compassionate is the Lord.
5 He provides food for those who fear him,[f]
and is forever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has manifested the power of his works to his people
by giving them the lands[g] of the nations.
7 The works of his hands[h] are faithful and right,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.
8 They are established forever and ever
to be observed in fidelity and truthfulness.
9 He has granted deliverance to his people
and established his covenant forever;
holy and awe-inspiring is his name.[i]
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;[j]
those who are guided by it will grow in understanding.
His praise will last forever.
Christians and Pagan Customs[a]
The Question of Meat Sacrificed to Idols
Chapter 8
An Idol Is Not Nothing. 1 Now concerning the question of meat that has been sacrificed to idols, we are well aware that all of us possess knowledge. However, while knowledge puffs up, love builds up. 2 Anyone who believes that his knowledge about something is complete will soon discover that his knowledge is flawed, 3 but anyone who loves God is known by him.
4 Now in regard to the eating of meat sacrificed to idols, we know that idols are nothing in the world and that there is only one God. 5 Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth—and there are in fact many gods and many lords— 6 for us there is
one God, the Father,
from whom all things are
and for whom we exist,[b]
and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things are
and through whom we exist.
Do Not Cause a Brother To Fall. 7 However, not everyone possesses this knowledge. There are some who have become so accustomed to idolatry up until now that when they consume meat that has been sacrificed to an idol, their conscience in its weakness is defiled.
8 Obviously, food cannot bring us closer to God. We do not lack anything if we do not eat, and we have no advantage if we do. 9 Just take care that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 If someone who regards you as knowledgeable observes you eating in an idol’s temple, will he not, burdened by a weak conscience, be influenced to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols?
11 Therefore, through your knowledge, this weak believer is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 And when you sin against your brethren and wound their weak consciences, you sin against Christ. 13 Hence, if food can lead my brother to sin, I will never again eat meat lest I cause the downfall of one of my brethren.
21 Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon.[a] They journeyed to Capernaum, and on the Sabbath Jesus immediately entered the synagogue and began to instruct the people. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 In that synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, and he shrieked, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”[b] 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”
26 The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry emerged from him. 27 The people were all amazed, and they began to ask one another, “What is this? It must be a new kind of teaching! With authority he gives commands even to unclean spirits, and they obey him!” 28 His reputation quickly began to spread everywhere throughout the entire region of Galilee.
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