Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Peter Addresses the Crowd

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up among the eleven apostles^[a] and raised his voice to address them:

“Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand something, so pay close attention to my words.

²² “Fellow Israelis, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth^[a] was a man authenticated to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs that God performed through him among you, as you yourselves know. ²³ After he was arrested according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified this very man and killed him using the hands of lawless men. ²⁴ But God raised him up, putting an end to the suffering of death,^[b] since it was impossible for him to be held by it, ²⁵ since David says about him,

²⁹ “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and that his tomb is among us to this day. ³⁰ Therefore, since he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him with an oath to put one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹ he looked ahead and spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah:^[f]

³² “It was this very Jesus whom God raised—and we’re all witnesses of that.

A special Davidic Psalm.^[a]

Trust in the Face of Death

Our Hope and Joy are in the Messiah

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah!^[a] Because of his great mercy he has granted us a new birth, resulting in an immortal hope through the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah,^[b] from the dead ⁴ and to an inheritance kept in heaven for you that can’t be destroyed, corrupted, or changed. ⁵ Through faith you are being protected by God’s power for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of this era. ⁶ You greatly rejoice in this, even though you have to suffer various kinds of trials for a little while, ⁷ so that your genuine faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus, the Messiah,^[c] is revealed.

⁸ Though you have not seen^[d] him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, ⁹ because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples^(A)

¹⁹ It was the evening of the first day of the week,^[a] and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.^[b] Jesus came and stood among them. He told them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side, and when they saw the Lord, the disciples were overjoyed. ²¹ Jesus told them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. If you retain people’s sins, they are retained.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ Thomas, one of the Twelve (called the Twin),^[c] wasn’t with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples kept telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he told them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger into them,^[d] and put my hand into his side, I’ll never believe!”

²⁶ A week later, his disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were shut, Jesus came, stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he told Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Take your hand, and put it into my side. Stop doubting, but believe.”

²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Jesus told him, “Is it because you’ve seen me that you have believed? How blessed are those who have never seen me and yet have believed!”

The Purpose of the Book

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his^[e] disciples that are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these have been recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah,^[f] the Son of God, and so that through believing you may have life in his name.