Is. 58:1–14

58:1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!

Yell as loudly as a trumpet!

Confront my people with their rebellious deeds;

confront Jacob’s family with their sin.

2They seek me day after day;

they want to know my requirements,

like a nation that does what is right

and does not reject the law of their God.

They ask me for just decrees;

they want to be near God.

3They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?

Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires,

you oppress your workers.

4Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls,

and fistfights.

Do not fast as you do today,

trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

5Is this really the kind of fasting I want?

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves,

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

6No, this is the kind of fast I want:

I want you to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed,

and to break every burdensome yoke.

7I want you to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people.

When you see someone naked, clothe them!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood.

8Then your light will shine like the sunrise;

your restoration will quickly arrive;

your godly behavior will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard.

9Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;

you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’

You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you

and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

10You must actively help the hungry

and feed the oppressed.

Then your light will dispel the darkness,

and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.

11The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions.

He will give you renewed strength,

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

12Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt;

you will reestablish the ancient foundations.

You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,

the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’

13You must observe the Sabbath

rather than doing anything you please on my holy day.

You must look forward to the Sabbath

and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect.

You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities

and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.

14Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord,

and I will give you great prosperity,

and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.”

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.

Ps. 45

45:1 For the music director, according to the tune of “Lilies”; by the Korahites, a well-written poem, a love song.

My heart is stirred by a beautiful song.

I say, “I have composed this special song for the king;

my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.”

2You are the most handsome of all men.

You speak in an impressive and fitting manner.

For this reason God grants you continual blessings.

3Strap your sword to your thigh, O warrior.

Appear in your majestic splendor.

4Appear in your majesty and be victorious.

Ride forth for the sake of what is right,

on behalf of justice.

Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts.

5Your arrows are sharp

and penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies.

Nations fall at your feet.

6Your throne, O God, is permanent.

The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

7You love justice and hate evil.

For this reason God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of joy, elevating you above your companions.

8All your garments are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.

From the luxurious palaces comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy.

9Princesses are among your honored women.

Your bride stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir.

10Listen, O princess.

Observe and pay attention!

Forget your homeland and your family.

11Then the king will be attracted by your beauty.

After all, he is your master. Submit to him.

12Rich people from Tyre

will seek your favor by bringing a gift.

13The princess looks absolutely magnificent,

decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold.

14In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king.

Her attendants, the maidens of honor who follow her,

are led before you.

15They are bubbling with joy as they walk in procession

and enter the royal palace.

16Your sons will carry on the dynasty of your ancestors;

you will make them princes throughout the land.

17I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years,

then the nations will praise you forever.

John 20:19–31

20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”

24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!”

26Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.” 28Thomas replied to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.