Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Godly Branch
23 “How terrible it will be for the shepherds who lead my people astray!” announces the Lord. “They are destroying and scattering the sheep that belong to my flock.” 2 So the Lord, the God of Israel, speaks to the shepherds who take care of my people. He tells them, “You have scattered my sheep. You have driven them away. You have not taken good care of them. So I will punish you for the evil things you have done,” announces the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather together those who are left alive in my flock. I will gather them out of all the countries where I have driven them. And I will bring them back to their own land. There my sheep will have many lambs. There will be many more of them. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will take good care of them. My sheep will not be afraid or terrified anymore. And none of them will be missing,” announces the Lord.
5 “A new day is coming,” announces the Lord.
“At that time I will raise up for David’s royal line
a godly Branch.
He will be a King who will rule wisely.
He will do what is fair and right in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved.
Israel will live in safety.
And the Branch will be called
The Lord Who Makes Us Right With Himself.
For the director of music. A song of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.
46 God is our place of safety. He gives us strength.
He is always there to help us in times of trouble.
2 The earth may fall apart.
The mountains may fall into the middle of the sea.
But we will not be afraid.
3 The waters of the sea may roar and foam.
The mountains may shake when the waters rise.
But we will not be afraid.
4 God’s blessings are like a river. They fill the city of God with joy.
That city is the holy place where the Most High God lives.
5 Because God is there, the city will not fall.
God will help it at the beginning of the day.
6 Nations are in disorder. Kingdoms fall.
God speaks, and the people of the earth melt in fear.
7 The Lord who rules over all is with us.
The God of Jacob is like a fort to us.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done.
See the places he has destroyed on the earth.
9 He makes wars stop from one end of the earth to the other.
He breaks every bow. He snaps every spear.
He burns every shield with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be honored among the nations.
I will be honored in the earth.”
11 The Lord who rules over all is with us.
The God of Jacob is like a fort to us.
11 We want you to be very strong, in keeping with his glorious power. We want you to be patient. We pray that you will never give up. 12 We want you to give thanks with joy to the Father. He has made you fit to have what he will give to all his holy people. You will all receive a share in the kingdom of light. 13 He has saved us from the kingdom of darkness. He has brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 Because of what the Son has done, we have been set free. Because of him, all our sins have been forgiven.
The Son of God Is Better Than Everything Else
15 The Son is the exact likeness of God, who can’t be seen. The Son is first, and he is over all creation. 16 All things were created in him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can’t be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. All things have been created by him and for him. 17 Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together. 18 And he is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning. He is the first to be raised from the dead. That happened so that he would be far above everything. 19 God was pleased to have his whole nature living in Christ. 20 God was pleased to bring all things back to himself. That’s because of what Christ has done. These things include everything on earth and in heaven. God made peace through Christ’s blood, by his death on the cross.
33 The soldiers brought them to the place called the Skull. There they nailed Jesus to the cross. He hung between the two criminals. One was on his right and one was on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” The soldiers divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood there watching. The rulers even made fun of Jesus. They said, “He saved others. Let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him. They offered him wine vinegar. 37 They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 A written sign had been placed above him. It read,
This is the King of the Jews.
39 One of the criminals hanging there made fun of Jesus. He said, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself! Save us!”
40 But the other criminal scolded him. “Don’t you have any respect for God?” he said. “Remember, you are under the same sentence of death. 41 We are being punished fairly. We are getting just what our actions call for. But this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Today you will be with me in paradise.”
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