Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

What good and evil comes through the tongue. The duty of the learned. The difference between the wisdom of the gospel and the wisdom of the world.

3 My brethren, be not every man a counsellor, remembering that we will receive the stricter judgment. ² For in many things, we all sin.

If a person does not sin in word, he is a perfect man, and able to tame all the body. ³ Behold, we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, and we turn about all their body. ⁴ Behold also the ships, which, though they be so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet are turned about with a very small helm, wherever the helmsman chooses to steer. ⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member, yet boasts great things.

Behold how great a thing a little fire kindles. ⁶ And the tongue is fire, and a world of wickedness. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets afire all the course of our life, and is itself set afire even by hell.

⁷ All kinds of beasts, and of birds and of serpents and things of the sea, are meeked and tamed by the powers of man. ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless God the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ Out of one mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter also? ¹² Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries, or a vine bear figs? Likewise can no spring give both salt water and fresh also.

²⁷ And Jesus went out with his disciples into the towns around the city called Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, saying, Who do people say that I am? ²⁸ And they answered, Some say that you are John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and some, one of the prophets. ²⁹ And he said to them, But who do you say that I am? Peter answered and said to him, You are the Christ. ³⁰ And he charged them to tell no one of it.

³¹ And he began to teach them how the Son of man must suffer many things, and would be reproved by the elders and by the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days arise again. ³² And he spoke this word plainly. But Peter took him aside and began to chide him. ³³ Then he turned around and looked on his disciples, and rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind me, Satan, for you savour not the things of God, but the things of men.

³⁴ And he called the people to him with his disciples also, and said to them, Whoever would follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever would save his life, will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake and the sake of the gospel, shall save it. ³⁶ What does it profit a man, if he should win all the world and lose his own soul? ³⁷ Or what can a person give to redeem his soul? ³⁸ Whosoever therefore is ashamed of me and of my words among this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.