Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prophet Disobeys God

¹¹ An old prophet was living in Bethel. His sons told him everything the man of God did in Bethel that day and the exact words he had spoken to the king. When they told their father, ¹² he said to them, “Which road did he take?” (His sons had seen which road the man of God from Judah had taken.) ¹³ The old prophet told his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” After they had saddled the donkey for him, he got on it.

¹⁴ He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”

“Yes,” he answered.

¹⁵ “Come home with me, and eat a meal,” the old prophet replied.

¹⁶ The man of God said, “I’m not allowed to go back with you. I’m not allowed to eat or drink with you. ¹⁷ When the Lord spoke to me, he told me not to eat or drink there or go back on the road I took to get there.”

¹⁸ The old prophet said, “I’m also a prophet, like you. An angel spoke the Lord’s word to me. He said, ‘Bring him home with you so that he may have something to eat and drink.’ ” (But the old prophet was lying.)

¹⁹ The man of God went back with him and ate and drank in his home. ²⁰ When they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke his word to the old prophet who had brought back the man of God. ²¹ The Lord also called to the man of God. He said, “This is what the Lord says: You rebelled against the words from the Lord’s mouth and didn’t obey the command that the Lord your God gave you. ²² You came back, ate, and drank at this place about which he told you, ‘Don’t eat or drink there.’ That is why your dead body will not be allowed to be placed in the tomb of your ancestors.”

²³ After the old prophet had something to eat and drink, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²⁴ The man of God left. A lion found him ⌞as he traveled⌟ on the road and killed him. His dead body was thrown on the road. The donkey and the lion were standing by the body. ²⁵ People who passed by saw the body lying on the road and the lion standing by the body. They talked about it in the city where the old prophet was living.

Live as God’s People

3 Since you were brought back to life with Christ, focus on the things that are above—where Christ holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. ² Keep your mind on things above, not on worldly things. ³ You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ Christ is your life. When he appears, then you, too, will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Therefore, put to death whatever is worldly in you: your sexual sin, perversion, passion, lust, and greed (which is the same thing as worshiping wealth). ⁶ It is because of these sins that God’s anger comes on those who refuse to obey him.^{[a] 7} You used to live that kind of sinful life. ⁸ Also get rid of your anger, hot tempers, hatred, cursing, obscene language, and all similar sins. ⁹ Don’t lie to each other. You’ve gotten rid of the person you used to be and the life you used to live, ¹⁰ and you’ve become a new person. This new person is continually renewed in knowledge to be like its Creator. ¹¹ Where this happens, there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, uncivilized person, slave, or free person. Instead, Christ is everything and in everything.