Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

All Nations Will Be Part of God's People

(A psalm and a song for the music leader. Use with stringed instruments.)

Tell the Nations To Praise God

God Has Not Rejected His People

11 ^(A) Am I saying that God has turned his back on his people? Certainly not! I am one of the people of Israel, and I myself am a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. ² God did not turn his back on his chosen people. Don't you remember reading in the Scriptures how Elijah complained to God about the people of Israel?

²⁹ God doesn't take back the gifts he has given or disown the people he has chosen.

³⁰ At one time you Gentiles rejected God. But now Israel has rejected God, and you have been shown mercy. ³¹ And because of the mercy shown to you, they will also be shown mercy. ³² All people have disobeyed God, and that's why he treats them as prisoners. But he does this, so that he can have mercy on all of them.

What Really Makes People Unclean

(Mark 7.14-23)

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd together and said, “Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. ¹¹ The food you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean.”

¹² Then his disciples came over to him and asked, “Do you know you insulted the Pharisees by what you said?”

¹³ Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up by the roots. ^14 (A) Stay away from those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind people, and all of them will fall into a ditch.”

¹⁵ Peter replied, “What did you mean when you talked about the things that make people unclean?”

¹⁶ Jesus then said:

Don't any of you know by now what I am talking about? ¹⁷ Don't you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? ^18 (B) But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. ¹⁹ Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. ²⁰ These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

A Woman's Faith

(Mark 7.24-30)

²¹ Jesus left and went to the territory near the towns of Tyre and Sidon. ²² Suddenly a Canaanite woman^[a] from there came out shouting, “Lord and Son of David,^[b] have pity on me! My daughter is full of demons.” ²³ Jesus did not say a word. But the woman kept following along and shouting, so his disciples came up and asked him to send her away.

²⁴ Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”

²⁵ The woman came closer. Then she knelt down and begged, “Please help me, Lord!”

²⁶ Jesus replied, “It isn't right to take food away from children and feed it to dogs.”^[c]

²⁷ “Lord, this is true,” the woman said, “but even puppies get the crumbs that fall from their owner's table.”

²⁸ Jesus answered, “Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want.” At that moment her daughter was healed.