Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

How the believers lived

⁴² These new believers listened carefully to what the apostles taught them. They joined with everyone else in the group. They prayed together and they ate meals together.^[a]

⁴³ The apostles did many miracles which showed that the power of God was with them. As a result, all the people were very surprised and afraid. ⁴⁴ All the believers continued to meet together often. They shared all their things with each other. ⁴⁵ They sold some of their own things. Then they gave that money to any believers who needed it. ⁴⁶ The whole group of believers met together every day in the yard of the temple. They shared their food and they ate meals together in each other's homes. They were very happy and they were honest with each other. ⁴⁷ All the time, they praised God. All the other people thought that the believers were good people. Every day, the Lord saved more people so that the group of believers grew bigger.

This is a song that David wrote.

God takes care of his people^[a]

¹⁹ This makes God happy. Maybe your master will punish you when you have done nothing wrong. If you know that you are serving God, continue to be patient and brave. ²⁰ But if you do something wrong, then your master ought to punish you. That is only fair. Even if you are brave when he is cruel to you, nobody should praise you for that. But your master may punish you even when you have done good things. Then God will be happy if you are patient and brave. ²¹ When God chose you to be his servants, he wanted you to be brave like that. Christ had trouble and pain on your behalf. He has shown you how you should live when trouble comes. ²² The Bible says this:

²³ People insulted Christ, but he did not say any bad thing to answer them. People caused him to have trouble, but he never tried to hurt them in return. Instead, Christ trusted God to help him. He knew that God always judges people fairly. ²⁴ When Christ died on the cross, he carried our sins in his own body.^[a] He took this punishment so that sin would no longer rule over us. Instead, we can now do the right things that God wants us to do. Because people hurt Christ's body, you have now become well.^{[b] 25} Before, you were like sheep that were going the wrong way. But now you have turned round and come to Christ. He is your Shepherd, and he keeps you completely safe.

The story about the shepherd

10 Jesus then said, ‘I tell you this: A shepherd keeps his sheep in a safe place with a wall round it. There is a gate into that safe place. Anyone who gets into that place by another way, not through the gate, is not the shepherd. That person is a robber. He comes to take away the sheep for himself. ² But the shepherd goes in through the gate. ³ The person who watches the gate opens it for the shepherd. The sheep recognize the shepherd's voice. He calls each of his own sheep by their name and he leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own sheep, he goes in front of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will not follow a stranger. They will run away from a stranger because they do not recognize his voice.’

⁶ Jesus told this story like a picture to teach the people. But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Jesus is like the good shepherd

⁷ So Jesus spoke again. He said, ‘I tell you this: I am like the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All other men who came before me were like robbers.^[a] But the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am like the gate. Everyone who comes in through me will be safe. They will be free to come in and to go out. And they will find plenty of food. ¹⁰ The robber only wants to take away my sheep. He wants to kill them. He comes only to destroy them. But I have come so that they can have true life. And so that they can have everything that they need.