Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Exhortation to Keep the Covenant Principles
6 Now these are the commandments,[a] statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed[b] 2 and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments[c] that I am giving[d] you—you, your children, and your grandchildren—all your lives, to prolong your days. 3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in number[e]—as the Lord, the God of your ancestors,[f] said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey.
The Essence of the Covenant Principles
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one![g] 5 You must love[h] the Lord your God with your whole mind,[i] your whole being,[j] and all your strength.[k]
Exhortation to Teach the Covenant Principles
6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 7 and you must teach[l] them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road,[m] as you lie down, and as you get up. 8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm[n] and fasten them as symbols[o] on your forehead. 9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates.[p]
Psalm 119[a]
א (Alef)
119 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless,[b]
who obey[c] the law of the Lord.
2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,
and seek him with all their heart,
3 who, moreover, do no wrong,
but follow in his footsteps.[d]
4 You demand that your precepts
be carefully kept.[e]
5 If only I were predisposed[f]
to keep your statutes.
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
if[g] I were focused on[h] all your commands.
7 I will give you sincere thanks,[i]
when I learn your just regulations.
8 I will keep your statutes.
Do not completely abandon me.[j]
Christ’s Service in the Heavenly Sanctuary
11 But now Christ has come[a] as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, 12 and he entered once for all into the Most Holy Place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured[b] eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity,[c] 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our[d] consciences from dead works to worship the living God.
The Greatest Commandment
28 Now[a] one of the experts in the law[b] came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus[c] answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love[d] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[e] 31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him.[g] 33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength[h] and to love your neighbor as yourself[i] is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”[j] Then no one dared any longer to question him.
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