Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁹ Love must be real. Hate what is evil, stick fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Be truly affectionate in showing love for one another; compete with each other in giving mutual respect. ¹¹ Don’t get tired of working hard. Be on fire with the spirit. Work as slaves for the Lord. ¹² Celebrate your hope; be patient in suffering; give constant energy to prayer; ¹³ contribute to the needs of God’s people; make sure you are hospitable to strangers.

Living alongside the world

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless them, don’t curse them. ¹⁵ Celebrate with the joyful, mourn with the mourners. ¹⁶ Come to the same mind with one another. Don’t give yourselves airs, but associate with the humble. Don’t get too clever for yourselves.

¹⁷ Never repay anyone evil for evil; think through what will seem good to everyone who is watching. ¹⁸ If it’s possible, as far as you can, live at peace with all people. ¹⁹ Don’t take revenge, my dear people, but allow God’s anger room to work. The Bible says, after all, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ No: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile up burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you. Rather, conquer evil with good.

Jesus predicts his death

²¹ From then on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day.

²² Peter took him and began to tell him off. “Certainly not, Master!” he said. “That’s never, ever going to happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned on Peter. “Get behind me, satan!” he said. “You’re trying to trip me up! You’re coming at this from a human point of view, not from God’s point of view!”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, they must give themselves up, and pick up their cross, and follow me. ²⁵ Yes: if someone wants to save their life, they must lose it; and if anyone loses their life for my sake they will find it. ²⁶ What use will it be, otherwise, if you win the whole world but forfeit your true life? What will you give to get your life back? ²⁷ You see, the son of man is going to ‘come in the glory of his father with his angels,’ and then ‘he will reward everyone for the work they have done.’ ²⁸ I’m telling you the truth: some of those standing here will not taste death until they see ‘the son of man coming in his kingdom.’ ”