Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Discerning the True Prophet
15 “The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me for you from among your relatives. You must listen to him, 16 because this is what you asked from the Lord your God at Horeb when you were assembled together: ‘Don’t let us[a] hear the voice of the Lord our God again, or even see this great fire—otherwise, we[b] will die.’
17 “Then the Lord told me: ‘What they have suggested is good. 18 I will raise up a prophet like you from among their relatives, and I will place my words in his mouth so that he may expound everything that I have commanded to them. 19 But if someone will not listen to those words that the prophet[c] speaks in my name, I will hold him accountable. 20 Even then, if the prophet speaks presumptuously in my name, which I didn’t authorize him to speak, or if he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.’
Praise for God’s Amazing Deeds[a]
111 Hallelujah!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all of my heart
in the assembled congregation of the upright.
2 Great are the acts of the Lord;
they are within reach of[b] all who desire them.
3 Splendid and glorious are his awesome deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He is remembered for his awesome deeds;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5 He prepares food[c] for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He revealed his mighty deeds to his people
by giving them a country of their own.[d]
7 Whatever he does is[e] reliable and just,
and all his precepts are trustworthy,
8 sustained through all eternity,
and fashioned in both truth and righteousness.
9 He sent deliverance to his people;
he ordained his covenant to last forever;
his name is holy and awesome.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
sound understanding belongs to those who practice it.
Praise of God[f] endures forever.
Concerning Food Offered to Idols
8 Now concerning food offered to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone thinks he really[a] knows something, he has not yet learned it as he ought to know it. 3 But anyone who loves God is known by him.[b]
4 Now concerning eating food offered to idols: We know that no idol is real in this world and that there is only one God. 5 For even if there are “gods” in heaven and on earth (as indeed there are many so-called “gods” and “lords”), 6 yet for us
there is only one God, the Father,
from whom everything came into being
and for whom we live.
And there is only one Lord, Jesus the Messiah,[c]
through whom everything came into being
and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak. 8 However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat food that has been offered to an idol,[d] and no better off if we do.
9 But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol’s temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won’t he? 11 In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah[e] died is ruined by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak consciences, you are sinning against the Messiah.[f] 13 Therefore, if food that I eat[g] causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from stumbling.
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit(A)
21 Then they went to Capernaum. As soon as it was the Sabbaths, Jesus[a] went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people[b] were utterly amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one with authority, and not like their scribes. 23 All of a sudden,[c] there was a man in their synagogue who had an unclean spirit! He screamed, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 But Jesus rebuked him. “Be quiet,” he ordered, “and come out of him!” 26 At this, the unclean spirit shook the man,[d] cried out with a loud voice, and came out of him.
27 All the people were so stunned that they kept saying to each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He tells even the unclean spirits what to do, and they obey him!” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
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