Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Poisonous Stew

³⁸ When Elisha returned to ^(A)Gilgal, there was ^(B)a famine in the land. ^[a]As ^(C)the sons of the prophets ^(D)were sitting in front of him, he said to his servant, “^(E)Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” ³⁹ Then one went out into the field to gather mallow, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds; and he came and sliced them into the pot of stew, because they did not know what they were. ⁴⁰ So they poured it out for the men to eat. But as they were eating the stew, they cried out and said, “You man of God, there is ^(F)death in the pot!” And they were unable to eat. ⁴¹ Then he said, “Bring flour.” ^(G)And he threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour it out for the people that they may eat.” Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.

³¹ Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “^(A)Rabbi, eat something.” ³² But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³ So the ^(B)disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” ³⁴ Jesus *said to them, “My food is to ^(C)do the will of Him who sent Me, and to ^(D)accomplish His work. ³⁵ Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white ^(E)for harvest. ³⁶ Already the one who reaps is receiving ^(F)wages and is gathering ^(G)fruit for ^(H)eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true: ‘^(I)One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have ^[a]come into their labor.”