Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
B. Expiation of Sin, Spiritual Liberation of Israel
Chapter 49
The Servant of the Lord[a]
1 Hear me, coastlands,
listen, distant peoples.(A)
Before birth the Lord called me,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.[b]
2 He made my mouth like a sharp-edged sword,
concealed me, shielded by his hand.
He made me a sharpened arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
3 He said to me, You are my servant,
in you, Israel,[c] I show my glory.
4 Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
for nothing and for naught spent my strength,
Yet my right is with the Lord,
my recompense is with my God.(B)
5 For now the Lord has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God is now my strength!
6 It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;(C)
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.[d]
7 Thus says the Lord,
the redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
To the one despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers:
When kings see you, they shall stand up,
and princes shall bow down
Because of the Lord who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.(D)
Psalm 71[a]
Prayer in Time of Old Age
I
1 In you, Lord, I take refuge;(A)
let me never be put to shame.(B)
2 In your justice rescue and deliver me;
listen to me and save me!
3 Be my rock of refuge,
my stronghold to give me safety;
for you are my rock and fortress.(C)
4 My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked,
from the clutches of the evil and violent.(D)
5 You are my hope, Lord;
my trust, God, from my youth.
6 On you I have depended since birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength;(E)
my hope in you never wavers.
7 [b]I have become a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge!
8 My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
shall sing your glory every day.
II
9 Do not cast me aside in my old age;
as my strength fails, do not forsake me.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
they watch and plot against me.(F)
11 They say, “God has abandoned him.
Pursue, and seize him!
No one will come to the rescue!”
12 God, be not far from me;
my God, hasten to help me.(G)
13 Bring to a shameful end
those who attack me;
Cover with contempt and scorn
those who seek my ruin.(H)
14 I will always hope in you
and add to all your praise.
Paradox of the Cross. 18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.(A) 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”(B)
20 Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?(C) 21 [a]For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,(D) 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,(E) 24 but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
The Corinthians and Paul.[b] 26 Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,(F) 28 and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, 29 so that no human being might boast[c] before God.(G) 30 It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,(H) 31 so that, as it is written, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”(I)
20 Now there were some Greeks[a] among those who had come up to worship at the feast.(A) 21 [b]They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”(B) 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.(C) 23 [c]Jesus answered them,(D) “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 [d]Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat;(E) but if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life[e] loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.(F) 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.(G)
27 “I am troubled[f] now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.(H) 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”(I) 29 The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”(J) 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.(K) 31 Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world[g] will be driven out.(L) 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”(M) 33 He said this indicating the kind of death he would die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever.[h] Then how can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”(N) 35 Jesus said to them, “The light will be among you only a little while. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overcome you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is going.(O) 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.”(P)
Unbelief and Belief Among the Jews. After he had said this, Jesus left and hid from them.
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