Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁸ When people who are turning away from God hear about the cross, they say, `That is foolish!' But for us who are being saved, the cross is the power God uses to save us.

¹⁹ God says in the holy writings, `I will fool the wise people. I will bring to nothing the understanding of the clever people.'

²⁰ Where are your wise people, the men who know books, the men who like to talk about the things of this world? God has shown that the clever things of this world are nothing.

²¹ God is wise. But the people of the world were not wise enough to know God. So he chose to save people who believe the good news that we tell them, even though the good news may seem to be foolish.

²² The Jews say, `We must see a sign.' Those who are not Jews say, `We want something we can understand.'

²³ But we tell people about Christ who died on a cross. The leaders of the Jews do not like this, and those who are not Jews laugh at it.

²⁴ But some have been called by God. They are chosen, both Jews and other people. Christ is God's power to save them. This shows how wise he is.

²⁵ When God seems foolish, he is more wise than men. When God seems weak, he is stronger than men.

²⁶ My brothers, remember what you were when God chose you. Not many of you were wise by the way people look at it. Not many of you had power. Not many of you came from a family with a big name.

²⁷ But God chose things that look foolish to the people of the world. He has used those foolish things to put the wise people to shame. God chose the weak things to put to shame the strong people.

²⁸ And God chose the small things, things that people despise. Yes, he chose even the things which seem to be nothing. He did this to destroy the big things.

²⁹ He did this so that people would not be proud before God.

³⁰ You are God's children through Christ Jesus. Christ came from God and made us wise. He put us right with God. He made us holy. He set us free from our wrong ways.

³¹ Just as the holy writings say, `No one should be proud of anything but of the Lord.'

²⁰ Some of the people who came to worship God at the feast were Greek people.

²¹ They came to Philip who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, `Sir, we want to see Jesus.'

²² Philip came to Andrew and told him. Then they both went and told Jesus.

²³ Jesus said, `The time has come when the Son of Man will be made great.

²⁴ I tell you the truth. If a seed of grain is not put in the ground to die, it will be only a seed. But if it dies, it will bear many seeds.

²⁵ Anyone who tries to keep his life will lose it. Anyone who gives up his life in this world will live for ever in the next world.

²⁶ If anyone wants to do my work, he must go where I go. Then he and I will be together. My Father will honour everyone who works for me.

²⁷ `Now my heart is very sad. Shall I say, "Father, save me from this time of trouble"? No, I have come to this time just so that I might go through it.

²⁸ Father, do what will make your name great.' Then a voice from the sky said, `I have already done that and I will do it again.'

²⁹ Some people were standing near. When they heard the voice, they said, `It is thundering.' Other people said, `An angel talked to him.'

³⁰ Jesus answered them, `This voice did not come for my sake, but it came for your sake.

³¹ It is time now for the world to be judged. The ruler of this world will be put out.

³² And as for me, if they lift me up from the earth, I will draw all people to me.'

³³ He said this to show how he would die.

³⁴ The people answered him, `Our law book tells us that Christ will stay here for ever. Why do you say, "The Son of Man will be raised up from the earth"? Tell us who this Son of Man is.'

³⁵ Then Jesus said to them, `You have light for a short time longer. Walk while you have the light so that you will not need to walk in the dark. The person who walks in the dark cannot see where he is going.

³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may be a people who have the light in you.' When Jesus had said this, he left them. They did not know where he was.