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Matthew 3:13-17
Beloved Child of God
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.[a]” So John agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened[b] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 18
1 Jethro, the former ruler of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for His people Israel, that God had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife, Zipporah, after she had been sent away,
3 and her two sons. The name of the older one was Gershom [“a stranger there”], because Moses had said, “I have been a stranger in an alien land.”
4 The name of the younger one was Eliezer [“my God is an aid”], because Moses had said, “the God of my father came to my aid, and He rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword.”
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came to Moses, together with his sons and wife, into the desert where Moses was encamped, to the Mountain of God.
6 He sent word to Moses: “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am on my way to you, together with your wife, with her two sons.”
7 Moses went out to greet his father-in-law. He prostrated himself and kissed him, they inquired after each other’s welfare, and they entered the tent.
8 Moses told his father-in-law everything that God had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for the sake of Israel, as well as all the travail that had befallen them on the way, and how God had rescued them.
9 Jethro rejoiced over all the good that God had done for Israel, that God had saved them from the hands of the Egyptians.
10 Jethro said, “Praised be God who rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who liberated the people from the authority of the Egyptians.
11 Now I know that God is greater than all the deities, for He foiled a nation’s intent by turning the very scheme that they plotted against others, against themselves!”
12 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, offered up an ascent-offering and peace-offerings to God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
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1 Cor. 11:23-29
A Meal of Remembrance
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.[a] Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against[b] the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,[c] you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.
Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 18
13 It was on the following day that Moses sat to judge the people. The people stood around Moses from morning to nightfall.
14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing to the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing to the people? Why are you alone seated, while all the people stand around you from morning until nightfall?”
15 Moses replied to his father-in-law, “It is because the people come to me to seek instruction fro m God.
16Whenever one of them has a legal matter, he comes to me, and I judge between a man and his fellow, and I make known God’s rules and teachings.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good.
18 You will surely wear yourself out, you yourself as well as this entire people that is with you, for this matter is too weighty for you; you will not be able to do it alone.
19 Therefore, listen to me. I will give you advice, and if God agrees with you, you be the people’s representative before God, and you convey the cases to God.
20 You will caution the people regarding the rules and the teachings, and inform them of the path they should follow and the deeds they should do.
21 You must discern, from among all the people, men who are well-established, God-fearing, men of integrity, who ‘hate’ money. Appoint these individuals over the people as leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.
22 They will judge the people at all times: they will bring every major case to you, and they will judge every minor case themselves—to ease your burden by sharing it with you.
23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to bear up, and all the people as well will come home unwearied.”
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Genesis 1:31–2:4
God Rests on the Seventh Day
31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
2 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[a] from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
4 This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
The Man and Woman in Eden
When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil.
Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 18
24 Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
25 Moses chose well-established men from among all Israel and appointed them as heads over the people: leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.
26 They judged the people at all times: every difficult case they would bring to Moses, and every minor case they would judge themselves.
27 Moses sent off his father-in-law, and he set out on his way to his homeland.
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Hebrews 4:1-11
The Promise of Entering God’s Rest
1 God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. 2 For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. 3 For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said,
“In my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest,’”even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. 4 We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5 But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.”
6 So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. 7 So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts.”8 Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. 9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 19
1 In the third month after the Israelites had left Egypt, they came to the Sinai Desert, on this day.
2 They left Refidim and arrived in the Sinai Desert, camping in the wilderness. Israel camped there facing the mountain.
3 Moses ascended Mount Sinai to God. God called out to him from the mountain and said, “You must say as follows to the House of Jacob and relate to the Israelites:
4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. I carried you on the wings of griffon vultures, and brought you to Me.
5 So now, provided you vigilantly heed My voice and keep My covenant, you will be for Me a treasure cherished above all nations, for the entire world is Mine.
6 You will be unto Me a kingdom of nobles and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you must say to the Israelites.”
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Isaiah 58:8-14
Delight in the Sabbath
8
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.9
Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!10
Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.11
The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.12
Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.13
“Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.14
Then the Lord will be your delight.
I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 19
7 Moses came and summoned the elders of the people, and presented before them all these words that God had commanded him.
8 All the people responded together and said, “All that God has spoken, we will do.” Moses conveyed the people’s words back to God.
9 God said to Moses, “I am about to come to you in the thickness of the cloud, so that all the people will hear when I speak to you, and also believe in you forever.” Moses reported the people’s response to God.
10 God then said to Moses, “Go to the people and prepare them today and tomorrow: They must wash their clothes.
11 Let them be prepared for the third day, for on the third day God will descend on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
12 You must make a boundary for the people all around that will proclaim, ‘Beware of ascending the mountain or touching its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death.
13 No hand may touch it, for whoever does will be stoned, having first been cast down from an elevation twice his height. Whether animal or man, if he crosses the boundary around the mountain he will not be allowed to live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they may ascend the mountain.”
14 Moses came down from the mountain and went to the people. He prepared the people by having them first wash their clothes.
15 He said to the people, “Keep yourselves in readiness for a three-day period; do not approach a woman, i.e., engage in marital relations.”
16 On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud on the mountain. There was an extremely loud blast of a shofar, and all the people in the camp trembled.
17 Moses led the people out of the camp toward the Divine Presence, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain.
18 The whole of Mount Sinai was smoking because God had descended upon it in fire. Its smoke rose up like the smoke of a limekiln, and the entire mountain quaked violently.
19 The sound of the shofar grew increasingly louder. When Moses spoke, God responded to the weakness of his mortal voice by amplifying his voice.
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Matthew 12:1-13
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
1 At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. 2 But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.”
3 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. 5 And haven’t you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? 6 I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! 7 But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’[a] 8 For the Son of Man[b] is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
9 Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, 10 where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.)
11 And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. 12 And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one!
Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 19
20 God descended upon Mount Sinai, onto the peak of the mountain. God then summoned Moses to the mountain peak, and Moses ascended.
21 God said to Moses, “Go down; warn the people not to break ranks and move toward God to gaze better upon Me, lest many of them perish.
22 The priests who come near to God must also ready themselves, lest God cause a breach among them by killing those who venture too close.”
23 Moses replied to God, “The people cannot ascend Mount Sinai, for You have warned us, saying, ‘Make a boundary around the mountain and sanctify it.’”
24 God said to him, “Go, descend. Then you must ascend, Aaron with you. The priests and the people must not break their ranks at all to ascend to God, lest He cause a breach among them.”
25 Moses went down to the people and conveyed this instruction to them.
Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 20
1 God then spoke all these words saying,
2 “I am God, your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slaves.
3 You must not possess any idols of other peoples’ deities as long as I exist.
4 You must not make yourself a sculpted image or any other type of likeness of anything that is in heaven above, on earth below, or in the water lower than the earth.
5 You must neither prostrate yourself before them nor worship them, for I, God, your God, am a zealous God in this regard. For those who hate Me and worship idols, I am a God who remembers the premeditated sins of the fathers, adding their demerits to those of their descendants, up to the third and fourth generation.
6 But, in contrast, I am a God who shows kindness for at least 2000 generations to the descendants of those who love Me and of those who observe My commandments.
7 You must not swear by the Name of God, your God, in vain, for God will not absolve anyone who swears by His Name in vain.
8Remember the Sabbath day, keeping it holy.
9 Six days must you labor and do all your work.
10 The seventh day is a sabbath dedicated to God, your God. You must not do any work—neither you nor your son, your daughter, your bondman, your bondwoman, your animal, or the resident alien, who is permitted to live within your gates—
11 for in six days God made heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is within them, and He rested on the seventh day. God therefore blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days be lengthened in the land that God, your God, is giving you.
13 You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal people, i.e., kidnap. You must not bear false witness against your fellow.
14 You must not desire your fellow’s house. You must not desire your fellow’s wife, bondman, bondwoman, work-bull, donkey, or anything else belonging to your fellow.”
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Matthew 28:1-10
The Day of Resurrection
28 Early on Sunday morning,[a] as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.
5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 20
15 All the people witnessed God’s voices and the flames, the blast of the shofar, and the mountain smoking. The people saw God’s voices and shuddered, and stood at a distance.
16 They said to Moses, “From now on, you speak to us, and we will hear God’s words from you, but let God not speak with us directly, lest we die.”
17 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, for God has come in order to raise you up in the esteem of all other nations, and in order that you be imbued with the awe of Him, so that you not sin.”
18 The people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick cloud where God was present.
19 God said to Moses, “This is what you must tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen that I spoke with you from heaven.
20 You must not make a physical representation of any of the angels that you saw with Me in heaven. If you make the two gold cherubs of the Tabernacle out of silver, I will consider them idols of silver. If you make more than two, I will consider the additional ones idols of gold. You must not make for yourselves cherub-figurines for your houses of prayer or study.
21 You must make an Altar for Me upon the earth. Next to it, you must sacrifice your ascent-offerings and your peace-offerings from your flocks and your cattle. Wherever I allow My Name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you.
22 When you make Me an altar of stones, you must not build it with hewn stones, for if you lift your sword over a stone intended for the altar to cut it, you will profane it.
23 You must not ascend My Altar on steps, so that your nakedness not be exposed over it.’”
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Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 6
1 In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, and His lower extremity filled the Temple.
2 Seraphim stood above for Him, six wings, six wings to each one; with two he would cover his face, and with two he would cover his feet, and with two he would fly.
3 And one called to the other and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory."
4 And the doorposts quaked from the voice of him who called, and the House became filled with smoke.
5 And I said, "Woe is me for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and amidst a people of unclean lips I dwell, for the King, the Lord of Hosts have my eyes seen.
6 And one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal; with tongs he had taken it from upon the altar.
7 And he caused it to touch my mouth, and he said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity shall be removed, and your sin shall be atoned for."
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here I am; send me."
9 And He said, "Go and say to this people, 'Indeed you hear, but you do not understand; indeed you see, but you do not know.'
10 This people's heart is becoming fat, and his ears are becoming heavy, and his eyes are becoming sealed, lest he see with his eyes, and hear with his ears, and his heart understand, and he repent and be healed."
11 And I said, "Until when, O Lord?" And He said, "Until cities be desolate without inhabitant and houses without people, and the ground lies waste and desolate.
12 And the Lord removes the people far away, and the deserted places be many in the midst of the land.
13 And when there is yet a tenth of it, it will again be purged, like the terebinth and like the oak, which in the fall have but a trunk, the holy seed is its trunk."