Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹² So, my brothers, we must not live the way our bodies want us to live. We must not be ruled by our wrong ways.

¹³ If you live the way your bodies wants to live, you will die. But if, by the help of the Spirit, you stop doing the wrong things your bodies want to do, you will live.

¹⁴ All who do what God's Spirit leads them to do are God's sons.

¹⁵ The Holy Spirit you have received does not make you a slave again so that you are afraid. But the Spirit you have received makes you sons of God.

¹⁶ So we say, `Father! Father!' The Spirit himself also, along with our own spirits, tells us that we are God's children.

¹⁷ If we are his children, God will give us the good things that children receive. He will give us these blessings along with Christ. He will give it to us if we suffer with Christ. If we suffer with Christ, we will also be made great with him.

¹⁸ I think that the troubles we have in this life are nothing when we think of the great things that we shall have.

¹⁹ The whole world is waiting for the time when the sons of God will be seen.

²⁰ The world was spoiled. It did not want to be spoiled, but God allowed it.

²¹ And it hoped to be free like God's children when they are made great.

²² We know that the whole world has been crying. It has had much pain until now.

²³ And not the world only, but we ourselves also cry out. We have the first blessing God gives of his Spirit. But we cry out in our hearts. We are waiting for God to finish making us his sons. Then our bodies will be set free.

²⁴ That is what we hoped for when we were saved. When the thing hoped for is seen, there is no more hoping. When a person sees a thing, how can he hope for it?

²⁵ But if we hope for something we do not see, we keep on waiting for it.

²⁴ Jesus told the people another story. He said, `The kingdom of heaven is like this. A man sowed good seed in his field.

²⁵ While people were sleeping, a bad man came and sowed weeds among the good seed. Then he went away.

²⁶ The good seed grew and the plants gave more seeds. Then the weeds grew too.

²⁷ The servants came and said to the man who owned the field, "Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How did the weeds get here?"

²⁸ `He answered them, "A bad man has done this." They asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?"

²⁹ ` "No," said the man. "If you pull up the weeds, then the good plants will come up with them.

³⁰ Let them both grow together until the harvest time. When it is time to cut it, I will say to the men who cut it, `Cut the weeds first. Tie them in bundles to be burned. Then put the grain into my storehouse.' " '

³⁶ Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His disciples came to him. They said, `Tell us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.'

³⁷ Jesus answered, `The person who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

³⁸ The field is the world. The good seed means the people who belong to the kingdom. The weeds mean those who belong to the bad one.

³⁹ The bad man who planted the weeds is the devil. The harvest time is the end of this world. The men who cut the harvest are angels.

⁴⁰ The weeds are gathered and burned in a fire. That is the way it will be at the end of the world.

⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels. They will gather everything that is bad and the people who do bad things. They will take them out of his kingdom.

⁴² They will put them into the big fire. There they will cry and make a noise with their teeth.

⁴³ Then the people who are right with God will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Everyone who has ears, listen.'