Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

(A psalm by David.)

Who May Worship the Lord?

⁸ Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord. ⁹ He prayed, “Lord, if you really are pleased with me, I pray that you will go with us. It is true that these people are sinful and rebellious, but forgive our sin and let us be your people.”

A Promise and Its Demands

(Exodus 23.14-19; Deuteronomy 7.1-5; 16.1-17)

¹⁰ The Lord said:

I promise to perform miracles for you that have never been seen anywhere on earth. Neighboring nations will stand in fear and know that I was the one who did these marvelous things. ¹¹ I will force out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, but you must do what I command you today. ¹² Don't make treaties with any of those people. If you do, it will be like falling into a trap. ^13 (A) Instead, you must destroy their altars and tear down the sacred poles^[a] they use in the worship of the goddess Asherah. ¹⁴ I demand your complete loyalty—you must not worship any other god! ¹⁵ Don't make treaties with the people there, or you will soon find yourselves worshiping their gods and taking part in their sacrificial meals. ¹⁶ Your men will even marry their women and be influenced to worship their gods.

^17 (B) Don't make metal images of gods.

^18 (C) Don't fail to observe the Festival of Thin Bread in the month of Abib.^[b] Obey me and eat bread without yeast for seven days during Abib, because that is the month you left Egypt.

^19 (D) The first-born males of your families and of your flocks and herds belong to me.

^20 (E) You can save the life of a first-born donkey^[c] by sacrificing a lamb; if you don't, you must break the donkey's neck. You must save every first-born son.

Bring an offering every time you come to worship.

^21 (F) Work for six days and rest on the seventh day, even during the seasons for plowing and harvesting. ^22 (G) Celebrate the Harvest Festival^[d] each spring when you start harvesting your wheat, and celebrate the Festival of Shelters^[e] each autumn when you pick your fruit.

²³ Your men must come to worship me three times a year, because I am the Lord God of Israel. ²⁴ As you advance, I will force the nations out of your land and enlarge your borders. Then no one will try to take your property when you come to worship me these three times each year.

^25 (H) When you sacrifice an animal on the altar, don't offer bread made with yeast. And don't save any part of the Passover meal for the next day.

^26 (I) I am the Lord your God, and you must bring the first part of your harvest to the place of worship.

Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

²⁷ The Lord told Moses to put these laws in writing, as part of his agreement with Israel. ²⁸ Moses stayed on the mountain with the Lord for 40 days and nights, without eating or drinking. And he wrote down the Ten Commandments, the most important part of God's agreement with his people.

Jesus Is Tried by Pilate

(Matthew 27.1,2,11-14; Mark 15.1-5; Luke 23.1-5)

²⁸ It was early in the morning when Jesus was taken from Caiaphas to the building where the Roman governor stayed. But the crowd waited outside. Any of them who had gone inside would have become unclean and would not be allowed to eat the Passover meal.^[a]

²⁹ Pilate came out and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

^30 (A) They answered, “He is a criminal! That's why we brought him to you.”

³¹ Pilate told them, “Take him and judge him by your own laws.”

The crowd replied, “We are not allowed to put anyone to death.” ^32 (B) And so what Jesus said about his death^[b] would soon come true.