Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

So We Are Debtors To The Spirit To Put To Death The Deeds of The Flesh And Live

¹² So then, brothers, we are debtors— not to the flesh, that we should be living in accordance with the flesh. ¹³ For if ^[a] you are living in accordance with the flesh, you are going-to^[b] die. But if by the Spirit you are putting-to-death the practices of the body, you will live.

For Those Being So Led By The Spirit Are The Adopted Children of God

¹⁴ For^[c] all who are being led^[d] by the Spirit of God, these are sons^[e] of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit^[f] of slavery again leading-to fear, but you received a Spirit^[g] of adoption by Whom we are crying-out “Abba^[h]! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears-witness-with our spirit that we are children of God!

This Means We Are Joint-Heirs With Christ, Sharing His Suffering And Glory

¹⁷ And if we are children, we are heirs also. We are heirs of God, and fellow-heirs of Christ, since^[i] we are suffering-with Him in order that we may also be glorified-with Him. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to the glory destined to be revealed to^[j] us.

Creation Itself Groans To Share In Our Glory

¹⁹ For the eager-expectation of the creation is awaiting^[k] the revelation of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility^[l]— not willingly^[m], but because of the One having subjected it— in hope^{[n] 21} that the creation itself also will be set-free from the slavery of ^[o] decay into the freedom of ^[p] the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation is groaning-together and suffering-birthpains-together^[q] until the present.

We Groan For The Redemption of Our Body

²³ And not only creation, but also ourselves having the firstfruit^[r] of the Spirit— we ourselves also are groaning within ourselves while eagerly-awaiting adoption, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For we were saved in hope. But hope being seen is not hope, for who hopes-for what he sees? ²⁵ But since we hope-for what we do not see, we are eagerly-awaiting it with endurance.

A Field Is Sown With Good And Bad Seed: At Harvest The Weeds Will Be Burned

²⁴ He put-before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens became-like^[a] a man having sown good seed in his field. ²⁵ But during the men’s sleeping, his enemy came and re-sowed^[b] darnel^[c] between the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ Now when the grass budded and produced fruit^[d], then the darnel appeared also. ²⁷ And having come to him, the slaves of the house-master said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then from where does it have the darnel?’ ²⁸ And the one said to them, ‘A hostile man did this’. And the slaves say to him, ‘Then do you want us, having gone, to collect them?’ ²⁹ But the one says, ‘No, that while collecting the darnel, you may not perhaps uproot the wheat together with them. ³⁰ Permit both to grow together until the harvest. And at the time of the harvest I will say to the harvesters, “Collect first the darnel, and bind them into bundles so-as to burn them up. But gather the wheat into my barn”’”.

Jesus Teaches His Disciples Using Parables

³⁶ Then, having left the crowds, He went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Make-clear to us the parable of the darnel of the field”. ³⁷ And the One, having responded, said—

Jesus Explains The Parable of The Good And Bad Seed Sown In The Field

“The one sowing the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ And the field is the world. And the good seed— these are the sons of ^[a] the kingdom. And the darnel are the sons of the evil one. ³⁹ And the enemy having sown them is the devil. And the harvest is the conclusion of the age. And the harvesters are angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore, just as the darnel is collected and burned up with fire, so it will be at the conclusion of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will collect out of His kingdom all the causes-of-falling and the ones doing lawlessness. ⁴² And they will throw them into the furnace of ^[b] fire. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous ones will shine-forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let the one having ears, hear.