Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Abraham is the father of all believers

¹³ The promise, you see, didn’t come to Abraham or to his family through the law—the promise, that is, that he would inherit the world. It came through the covenant justice of faith. ¹⁴ For if those who belong to the law are going to inherit, then faith is empty, and the promise has been abolished. ¹⁵ For the law stirs up God’s anger; but where there is no law, there is no lawbreaking.

¹⁶ That’s why it’s “by faith”: so that it can be in accordance with grace, and so that the promise can thereby be validated for the entire family—not simply those who are from the law, but those who share the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all, ¹⁷ just as the Bible says, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened in the presence of the God in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist.

Abraham’s faith—and ours

¹⁸ Against all hope, but still in hope, Abraham believed that he would become the father of many nations, in line with what had been said to him: “That’s what your family will be like.” ¹⁹ He didn’t become weak in faith as he considered his own body (which was already as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old), and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He didn’t waver in unbelief when faced with God’s promise. Instead, he grew strong in faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully convinced that God had the power to accomplish what he had promised. ²² That is why “it was calculated in his favor, putting him in the right.”

²³ But it wasn’t written for him alone that “it was calculated to him.” ²⁴ It was written for us as well! It will be calculated to us, too, since we believe in the one who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵ who was handed over because of our trespasses and raised because of our justification.

Jesus predicts his death

³¹ Jesus now began to teach them something new.

“There’s big trouble in store for the son of man,” he said. “The elders, the chief priests and the scribes are going to reject him. He will be killed—and after three days he’ll be raised.” ³² He said all this quite explicitly.

At this, Peter took him aside and started to scold him. ³³ But he turned round, saw the disciples, and scolded Peter.

“Get behind me, Accuser!” he said. “You’re thinking human thoughts, not God’s thoughts.”

³⁴ He called the crowd to him, with his disciples. “If any of you want to come the way I’m going,” he said, “you must say ‘no’ to your own selves, pick up your cross, and follow me. ³⁵ Yes: if you want to save your life, you’ll lose it; but if you lose your life because of me and the message you’ll save it. ³⁶ After all, what use is it to win the world and lose your life? ³⁷ What can you give in exchange for your life? ³⁸ If you’re ashamed of me and my words in this cheating and sinning generation, the son of man will be ashamed of you when he ‘comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels.’

The transfiguration

² A week later, Jesus took Peter, James and John away by themselves, and went up a high mountain. There he was transformed before their eyes. ³ His clothes shone with a whiteness that no laundry on earth could match. ⁴ Elijah appeared to them, and Moses too, and they were talking with Jesus.

⁵ “Teacher,” said Peter as he saw this, “it’s great to be here! Let’s make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah!” ⁶ (He didn’t know what to say; they were terrified.)

⁷ Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is my son, the one I love. Listen to him!”

⁸ Then, quite suddenly, they looked round and saw nobody there anymore, only Jesus with them.

⁹ As they came down the mountain, Jesus instructed them not to talk to anyone about what they had seen, “until,” he said, “the son of man has been raised from the dead.”