Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁰ God saw what they did. He saw that they stopped doing what was evil. So he took pity on them. He didn’t destroy them as he had said he would.

Jonah Is Angry That the Lord Spares Nineveh

4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong. He became angry. ² He prayed to the Lord. Here is what Jonah said to him. “Lord, isn’t this exactly what I thought would happen when I was still at home? That is what I tried to prevent by running away to Tarshish. I knew that you are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. You are a God who takes pity on people. You don’t want to destroy them. ³ Lord, take away my life. I’d rather die than live.”

⁴ But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

⁵ Jonah had left the city. He had sat down at a place east of it. There he put some branches over his head. He sat in their shade. He waited to see what would happen to the city. ⁶ Then the Lord God sent a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah. It gave him more shade for his head. It made him more comfortable. Jonah was very happy he had the leafy plant. ⁷ But before sunrise the next day, God sent a worm. It chewed the plant so much that it dried up. ⁸ When the sun rose, God sent a burning east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head. It made him very weak. He wanted to die. So he said, “I’d rather die than live.”

⁹ But God spoke to Jonah. God said, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” Jonah said. “In fact, I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant. But you did not take care of it. You did not make it grow. It grew up in one night and died the next. ¹¹ And shouldn’t I show concern for the great city of Nineveh? It has more than 120,000 people. They can’t tell right from wrong. Nineveh also has a lot of animals.”

A psalm of praise. A psalm of David.

²¹ For me, life finds all its meaning in Christ. Death also has its benefits. ²² Suppose I go on living in my body. Then I will be able to carry on my work. It will bear a lot of fruit. But what should I choose? I don’t know! ²³ I can’t decide between the two. I long to leave this world and be with Christ. That is better by far. ²⁴ But it is more important for you that I stay alive. ²⁵ I’m sure of this. So I know I will remain with you. And I will continue with all of you to help you grow in your faith. I will also continue to help you be joyful in what you have been taught. ²⁶ I’m sure I will be with you again. Then you will be able to boast in Christ Jesus even more because of me.

Living to Honor the Good News

²⁷ No matter what happens, live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then I will know that you remain strong together in the one Spirit. I will know this if I come and see you or only hear about you. I will know that you work together as one person. I will know that you work to spread the teachings about the good news. ²⁸ So don’t be afraid in any way of those who oppose you. This will show them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved. That’s what God will do. ²⁹ Here is what he has given you to do for Christ. You must not only believe in him. You must also suffer for him. ³⁰ You are going through the same struggle you saw me go through. As you have heard, I am still struggling.

The Story of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owned land. He went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to give them the usual pay for a day’s work. Then he sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine o’clock in the morning he went out again. He saw others standing in the market doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard. I’ll pay you what is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and at three o’clock and did the same thing. ⁶ About five o’clock he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard spoke to the person who was in charge of the workers. He said, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay. Begin with the last ones I hired. Then go on to the first ones.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five o’clock came. Each received the usual day’s pay. ¹⁰ So when those who were hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them also received the usual day’s pay. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to complain about the owner. ¹² ‘These people who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said. ‘You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day.’

¹³ “The owner answered one of them. ‘Friend,’ he said, ‘I’m being fair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for the usual day’s pay? ¹⁴ Take your money and go. I want to give the one I hired last the same pay I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Do you feel cheated because I gave so freely to the others?’

¹⁶ “So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”