Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Davidic Psalm[a]
Praising God for His Works
145 I will speak highly of you, my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
2 I will bless you every day
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great,
and to be praised highly,
though his greatness is indescribable.
17 The Lord is righteous in all of his ways
and graciously loving in all of his activities.
18 The Lord remains near to all who call out to him,
to everyone who calls out to him sincerely.[a]
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him,
hearing their cry and saving them.
20 The Lord preserves everyone who loves him,
but he will destroy all of the wicked.
21 My mouth will praise the Lord,
and all creatures will bless his holy name forever and ever.
Call to Rebuild the Temple
1 On the first day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of[a] King Darius, this message from the Lord came by[b] Haggai[c] the prophet to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest:
2 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘These people keep saying, “No, the right[d] time for rebuilding the Lord’s Temple has not yet come.”’”
3 Then this message from the Lord came by[e] Haggai the prophet: 4 “Is it the right[f] time for all of you to live in your own paneled houses while this house remains in ruins?”
Consequences of Not Rebuilding
5 “Now this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, says: ‘Carefully consider your ways:
6 You have sowed much
but have reaped little.
You have eaten
but don’t have enough to become satisfied.
You have drunk
but don’t have enough to become intoxicated.
You have clothed yourself
but don’t have enough to keep warm.
And the hired laborer deposits his salary
in a bag full of holes!’”
Command to Rebuild the Temple
7 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Carefully consider your ways: 8 Go up into the mountains, bring timber, and reconstruct my house. Then I will be pleased with it and I will be honored,’ says the Lord. 9 ‘You turned away in pursuit of abundance, but look at how little you found![g] What you did manage to bring home, I blew away! And why?’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. ‘It’s because of my house! It lies in ruins while each of you runs off to his own house! 10 That is why the heavens keep withholding dew from you, and the earth withholds her fruit. 11 I sent a drought on the land, on the mountains, on your grain, on your new wines, on your oil—on everything the ground produces—on men, on livestock, and on everything you do![h]’”
The People Obey
12 Then Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, Jehozadak’s son Joshua the high priest, and all the rest[i] of the people obeyed the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with a special commission[j] from the Lord: “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.”
14 Then the Lord revitalized the spirit of Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, the spirit of Jehozadak’s son Joshua the high priest, and the spirit of all the rest[k] of the people, so they came and began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 15 This took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of[l] King Darius.
Jesus’ Authority is Challenged(A)
20 One day, while Jesus[a] was teaching the people in the Temple and telling them the good news, the high priests and the scribes came with the elders 2 and asked him, “Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
3 He answered them, “I, too, will ask you a question.[b] Tell me: 4 Was John’s authority to baptize[c] from heaven or from humans?”
5 They discussed this among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From humans,’ all the people will stone us to death, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they didn’t know where it was from.
8 Then Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.”
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