EXODUS 3
But Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your
ancestors has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I
am has sent me to you.”’
LUKE 17
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered,
‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, “Look,
here it is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the kingdom of God is within you.’
1 CORINTHIANS 13
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy
gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and
all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am
nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but
do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in
wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things.
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues,
they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we
prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I
was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I
became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then
we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been
fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
MATTHEW 5
‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to
you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other
also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone
forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do
not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.’
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.”
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be
children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your
brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the
same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
MATTHEW 7
‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be
judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your
neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your
neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” while the log is in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the
speck out of your neighbour’s eye.’
MATTHEW 22
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their
disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere,
and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do
not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes
to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to
the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.
Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.”
Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and
to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him
and went away.