August 31, 2026

1When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, 4and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive [words of] wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, 5so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. The True Wisdom.

97Mem - How I love your law, Lord! I study it all day long. 98Your commandment makes me wiser than my foes, as it is forever with me. 99I have more insight than all my teachers, because I ponder your testimonies. 100I have more understanding than my elders, because I keep your precepts. 101I keep my steps from every evil path, that I may observe your word. 102From your judgments I do not turn, for you have instructed me.

18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,

16He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read 17and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” 20Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. 21He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” 23He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” 24And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. 26It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went away.