Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Passover
12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month will be the beginning of months. It will be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to the people of Israel when they are gathered together. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month, every man must take a lamb for those of his father’s house, a lamb for each house. 4 If those in the house are too few to eat a lamb, let him and his nearest neighbor take the right amount for the number of people. Divide the lamb by how much each can eat.
5 Your lamb must be perfect, a male lamb one year old. You may take it from the sheep or the goats. 6 Keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then all the people of Israel are to kill it in the evening. 7 Then they must take some of the blood and put it on the wood pieces at the sides and top of the door of each house where they will eat it. 8 They must eat the meat that same night, made ready over a fire. They will eat it with bread made without yeast and with bitter plants. 9 Do not eat any of it if it is not cooked or if it is made ready by boiling. But cook it over a fire, its head, legs and inside parts. 10 Do not save any of it until morning. Burn with fire whatever is left of it before morning.
11 “Eat it with your shoes on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. And you must eat it in a hurry. It is the time the Lord will pass over. 12 For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night. And I will kill all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 But the blood will mark for you the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you. And no trouble will come upon you to destroy you when I punish the land of Egypt.
14 “This day will be for you to remember. You must remember it by having a special supper in honor to the Lord. All of you must keep it as a law forever.
Praises to God for Being Saved from Death
116 I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my prayers. 2 I will call on Him as long as I live, because He has turned His ear to me.
12 What should I give to the Lord for all the good things He has done for me? 13 I will show Him my thanks for saving me with a gift of wine and praise His name. 14 I will keep my promises to the Lord before all His people. 15 The death of His holy ones is of great worth in the eyes of the Lord. 16 For sure I am Your servant, O Lord. I am Your servant, the son of the woman who served You. You have set me free from my chains. 17 I will give a gift of thanks to You and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will keep my promises to the Lord before all His people, 19 in the holy place of the Lord, and in the center of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper
23 I have given you the teaching I received from the Lord. The night Jesus was handed over to the soldiers, He took bread. 24 When He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take this bread and eat it. This is My body which is broken for you. Do this to remember Me.”
25 In the same way after supper, He took the cup. He said, “This cup is the New Way of Worship made between God and you by My blood. Whenever you drink it, do it to remember Me.”
26 Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you are telling of the Lord’s death until He comes again.
Jesus Washes the Feet of His Followers
13 It was before the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. Jesus knew the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. He had loved His own who were in the world. He loved them to the end. 2 He and His followers were having supper. Satan had put the thought into the heart of Judas Iscariot of handing Jesus over to the leaders of the country. 3 Jesus knew the Father had put everything into His hands. He knew He had come from God and was going back to God. 4 Jesus got up from the supper and took off His coat. He picked up a cloth and put it around Him. 5 Then He put water into a wash pan and began to wash the feet of His followers. He dried their feet with the cloth He had put around Himself.
Peter Speaks Out against Jesus Washing His Feet
6 Jesus came to Simon Peter. Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “You do not understand now what I am doing but you will later.” 8 Peter said to Him, “I will never let You wash my feet.” Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, you will not be a part of Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, do not wash only my feet, but wash my hands and my head also.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Anyone who has washed his body needs only to wash his feet. Then he is clean all over. You are all clean except one.” 11 Jesus knew who was going to hand Him over to the leaders. That is why He said, “You are all clean except one.”
Jesus Tells Why He Washed Their Feet
12 Jesus washed their feet and put on His coat. Then He sat down again and said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord. You are right because that is what I am. 14 I am your Teacher and Lord. I have washed your feet. You should wash each other’s feet also. 15 I have done this to show you what should be done. You should do as I have done to you. 16 For sure, I tell you, a workman who is owned by someone is not greater than his owner. One who is sent is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you will be happy if you do them.
Love—the Greatest Law
31 After Judas went out, Jesus said, “The Son of Man is now honored and God has been honored in Him. 32 If God is honored in Him, God will also honor Him in Himself right now. 33 Little children, I will be with you only a little while. You will look for Me. I say to you what I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come!’ 34 I give you a new Law. You are to love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. 35 If you love each other, all men will know you are My followers.”
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