Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

2 Does Christ speak to you? Does love call to you? Do you have a part in the Holy Spirit? Do you have any love and care for others?

² Then make me very, very happy. Live in happiness with one another. Have the same love for each other. Think the same way. Agree together about things. All have one purpose in mind.

³ Do not try to prove you are better than others. Do not be proud of yourselves, but be humble. Think of other people as being better than yourselves.

⁴ Each one of you should not think only about himself, but about other people also.

⁵ Think the same way Jesus Christ thought.

⁶ He was in every way like God. Yet he did not think that being equal to God was something he must hold on to.

⁷ He gave this up and became a servant. He was born a baby.

⁸ And when he was a man, he was humble. He was even willing to die, yes, to die on a cross.

⁹ That is why God has made him very great. God has given him a name above every name.

¹⁰ Everyone in heaven, everyone on earth, and everyone under the earth will kneel before the name of Jesus.

¹¹ Everyone will admit that Jesus Christ is Lord. They will praise God the Father for this.

¹² My dear people, you have always obeyed me. God has saved you from wrong ways. Now show this by the good things that you do. You must live that way, not only when I am with you, but much more now that I am not with you. Think of how wrong it will be if you do not. Try hard to work out how to do it.

¹³ For God is at work in you. He helps you want to do it. And he helps you do what he wants you to do.

²³ He came to the temple and went in and taught the people. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, `What right have you to do these things? Who gave you the right to do them?'

²⁴ Jesus answered them, `I will ask you a question also. If you answer me, I will answer you. I will tell you what right I have to do these things.

²⁵ Who gave John the right to baptise people? Did God or did men?' So they talked it over together. They said, `If we say, "God gave John the right to do it," he will say to us, "Then why did you not believe him?"

²⁶ But if we say, "Men gave him the right to do it," we have the people to fear, because all the people say that John was a prophet.'

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, `We do not know.' Then Jesus said, `Neither will I tell you what right I have to do these things.'

²⁸ `What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first one and said, "Son, go and work today on my farm."

²⁹ The son said, "No, I will not go." But he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ The man went to the second son and said the same thing. The son answered, "Yes, sir, I will go." But he did not go.

³¹ Which of the two sons did what his father wanted him to do?' They said, `The first one.' Then Jesus said, `I tell you the truth. The tax collectors and women who commit adultery by selling their bodies, are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.

³² John came to you to tell you the right way. But you did not believe him. The tax collectors and women who commit adultery believed him. And even when you saw that, you did not change your minds and believe him.'