Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 126[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
126 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion,[c]
we thought we were dreaming.[d]
2 At that time we laughed loudly
and shouted for joy.[e]
At that time the nations said,[f]
“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”
3 The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.
We were happy.
4 O Lord, restore our well-being,
just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.[g]
5 Those who shed tears as they plant
will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.[h]
6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag[i] of seed,
will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.[j]
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel, and told them, “Go and select[a] for yourselves a lamb or young goat[b] for your families, and kill the Passover animals.[c] 22 Take a branch of hyssop,[d] dip it in the blood that is in the basin,[e] and apply to the top of the doorframe and the two side posts some of the blood that is in the basin. Not one of you is to go out[f] the door of his house until morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he sees[g] the blood on the top of the doorframe and the two side posts, then the Lord will pass over the door, and he will not permit the destroyer[h] to enter your houses to strike you.[i] 24 You must observe this event as an ordinance for you and for your children forever. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give to you, just as he said, you must observe[j] this ceremony. 26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’[k]— 27 then you will say, ‘It is the sacrifice[l] of the Lord’s Passover, when he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck[m] Egypt and delivered our households.’” The people bowed down low to the ground,[n]
The Response of the Jewish Leaders
45 Then many of the people,[a] who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus[b] did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees[c] and reported to them[d] what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees[e] called the council[f] together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on in this way,[g] everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary[h] and our nation.”
49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said,[i] “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize[j] that it is more to your advantage to have one man[k] die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”[l] 51 (Now he did not say this on his own,[m] but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation,[n] 52 and not for the Jewish nation[o] only,[p] but to gather together[q] into one the children of God who are scattered.)[r] 53 So from that day they planned together to kill him.
54 Thus Jesus no longer went[s] around publicly[t] among the Judeans,[u] but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim,[v] and stayed there with his disciples. 55 Now the Jewish Feast of Passover[w] was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves ritually.[x] 56 Thus they were looking for Jesus,[y] and saying to one another as they stood in the temple courts,[z] “What do you think? That he won’t come to the feast?” 57 (Now the chief priests and the Pharisees[aa] had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus[ab] was should report it, so that they could arrest[ac] him.)[ad]
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