Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Gentiles Hear Good News

^34 (A)Opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that ^(B)God is not one to show partiality, ³⁵ but ^(C)in every nation the one who ^[a](D)fears Him and ^[b]does what is right is acceptable to Him. ³⁶ The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, ^(E)preaching ^[c](F)peace through Jesus Christ (He is ^(G)Lord of all)— ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. ^38 [d]You know of ^(H)Jesus of Nazareth, how God ^(I)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ^[e](J)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for ^(K)God was with Him. ³⁹ We are ^(L)witnesses of all the things that He did both in the ^[f]country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on ^[g](M)a cross. ^40 (N)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He ^[h]be revealed, ^41 (O)not to all the people, but to ^(P)witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us ^(Q)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² And He ^(R)ordered us to ^[i]preach to the people, and to ^(S)testify solemnly that this is the One who has been ^(T)appointed by God as ^(U)Judge of the living and the dead. ^43 (V)All the prophets testify of Him, that through ^(W)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Saving Goodness.

The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection

15 Now ^(A)I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the ^(B)gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, ^(C)in which you also stand, ² by which you also are saved, ^(D)if you hold firmly to ^[a]the word which I preached to you, ^(E)unless you believed in vain.

³ For ^(F)I handed down to you ^[b]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died ^(G)for our sins ^(H)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was ^(I)raised on the third day ^(J)according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that ^(K)He appeared to ^[c](L)Cephas, then ^(M)to the twelve. ⁶ After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some ^(N)have fallen asleep; ⁷ then He appeared to ^[d](O)James, then to ^(P)all the apostles; ⁸ and last of all, as ^[e]to one untimely born, ^(Q)He appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am ^(R)the least of the apostles, ^[f]and not fit to be called an apostle, because I ^(S)persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by ^(T)the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I ^(U)labored even more than all of them, yet ^(V)not I, but the grace of God with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Gentiles Hear Good News

^34 (A)Opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that ^(B)God is not one to show partiality, ³⁵ but ^(C)in every nation the one who ^[a](D)fears Him and ^[b]does what is right is acceptable to Him. ³⁶ The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, ^(E)preaching ^[c](F)peace through Jesus Christ (He is ^(G)Lord of all)— ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. ^38 [d]You know of ^(H)Jesus of Nazareth, how God ^(I)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ^[e](J)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for ^(K)God was with Him. ³⁹ We are ^(L)witnesses of all the things that He did both in the ^[f]country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on ^[g](M)a cross. ^40 (N)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He ^[h]be revealed, ^41 (O)not to all the people, but to ^(P)witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us ^(Q)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² And He ^(R)ordered us to ^[i]preach to the people, and to ^(S)testify solemnly that this is the One who has been ^(T)appointed by God as ^(U)Judge of the living and the dead. ^43 (V)All the prophets testify of Him, that through ^(W)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

The Empty Tomb

20 ^(A)Now on the first day of the week ^(B)Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and *saw ^(C)the stone already removed from the tomb. ² So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to the other ^(D)disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, “^(E)They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they have put Him.” ^3 (F)So Peter and the other disciple left, and they were going to the tomb. ⁴ The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first; ⁵ and he ^(G)stooped to look in, and *saw the ^(H)linen wrappings lying there; however he did not go in. ⁶ So Simon Peter also *came, following him, and he entered the tomb; and he *looked at the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷ and ^(I)the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the ^(J)linen wrappings but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸ So the other disciple who ^(K)had first come to the tomb also entered then, and he saw and believed. ⁹ For ^(L)they did not yet understand the Scripture, ^(M)that He must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ So the disciples went away again ^(N)to their own homes.

^11 (O)But Mary was standing outside the tomb, weeping; so as she wept, she ^(P)stooped to look into the tomb; ¹² and she *saw ^(Q)two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³ And they *said to her, “^(R)Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because ^(S)they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they put Him.” ¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and *^(T)saw Jesus standing there, and yet she ^(U)did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus *said to her, “^(V)Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Thinking that He was the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you put Him, and I will take Him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him ^(W)in ^[a]Hebrew, “^(X)Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ^(Y)My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ^(Z)ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” ^18 (AA)Mary Magdalene *came and ^(AB)announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

The Resurrection

16 ^(A)When the Sabbath was over, ^(B)Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of ^[a]James, and Salome ^(C)bought spices so that they might come and anoint Him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, they *came to the tomb when the sun had risen. ³ They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away ^(D)the stone from the entrance of the tomb for us?” ⁴ And looking up, they *noticed that the stone had been rolled away; ^[b]for it was extremely large. ⁵ And ^(E)entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they ^(F)were amazed. ⁶ But he *said to them, “^(G)Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the ^(H)Nazarene, who has been crucified. ^(I)He has risen; He is not here; see, here is the place where they laid Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘^(J)He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” ⁸ And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.