Wednesday, May 23, 2029

^23:1Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.” ²The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. ³Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?” ⁴Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?” ⁵Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” ⁷When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided. ⁸For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these. ⁹A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks. ¹¹The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome.”

^16:15All things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine and will declare it to you. ¹⁶“A little while, and you will not see me. Again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷Some of his disciples therefore said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me;’ and, ‘Because I go to the Father’?” ¹⁸They said therefore, “What is this that he says, ‘A little while’? We don’t know what he is saying.”

¹⁹Therefore Jesus perceived that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, “Do you inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? ²⁰Most certainly I tell you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ²¹A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she doesn’t remember the anguish any more, for the joy that a human being is born into the world.

²²Therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ²³“In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

^3:21Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God; ²²so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. ²³This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded. ²⁴He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us. ^4:1Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. ⁴You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. ⁵They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. ⁶We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

^4:11Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us. ¹³By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world. ¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. ¹⁶We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

^4:20If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother. ^5:1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him. ²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

³For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous. ⁴For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith. ⁵Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

^21:15So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

¹⁸Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” ¹⁹Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁰Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ chest at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”

²¹Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²²Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” ²³This saying therefore went out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you?” ²⁴This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true. ²⁵There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.

^23:1Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.” ²The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. ³Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?” ⁴Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?” ⁵Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” ⁷When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided. ⁸For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these. ⁹A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks. ¹¹The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome.”

^4:9For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. ¹⁰We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have honor, but we have dishonor. ¹¹Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place. ¹²We toil, working with our own hands. When people curse us, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure.

¹³Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now. ¹⁴I don’t write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. ¹⁵For though you have ten thousand tutors in Christ, you don’t have many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the Good News. ¹⁶I beg you therefore, be imitators of me.

^16:15All things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine and will declare it to you. ¹⁶“A little while, and you will not see me. Again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷Some of his disciples therefore said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me;’ and, ‘Because I go to the Father’?” ¹⁸They said therefore, “What is this that he says, ‘A little while’? We don’t know what he is saying.”

¹⁹Therefore Jesus perceived that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, “Do you inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? ²⁰Most certainly I tell you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ²¹A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she doesn’t remember the anguish any more, for the joy that a human being is born into the world.

²²Therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ²³“In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

^13:54Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ⁵⁵Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren’t all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?” ⁵⁷They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house.” ⁵⁸He didn’t do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.