Lessons                                                                       Bread of Life                                                               14 June 2025

Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31

₁Does not wisdom call?

          Does not understanding raise her voice?

₂On the heights beside the way,

          at the crossroads she takes her stand;

₃beside the gates in front of the town,

          at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

₄"To you, O men, I call,

          and my cry is to the children of man. . . .

₂₂"The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work,

          the first of his acts of old.

₂₃Ages ago I was set up,

          at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

₂₄When there were no depths I was brought forth,

          when there were no springs abounding with water.

₂₅Before the mountains had been shaped,

          before the hills, I was brought forth,

₂₆before he had made the earth with its fields,

          or the first of the dust of the world.

₂₇When he established the heavens, I was there;

          when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

₂₈when he made firm the skies above,

          when he established the fountains of the deep,

₂₉when he assigned to the sea its limit,

          so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

          ₃₀then I was beside him, like a master workman,

and I was daily his delight,

          rejoicing before him always,

₃₁rejoicing in his inhabited world

          and delighting in the children of man."

Psalm 8

₁O Lord, our Lord,

          how majestic is your name in | all the earth!*

You have set your glory above the | heavens.

          ₂Out of the mouth of babes and infants,

you have established strength because | of your foes,*

          to still the enemy and the a- | venger.

₃When I look at your heavens, the work of your | fingers,*

          the moon and the stars, which you have | set in place,

₄what is man that you are mind- | ful of him,*

          and the son of man that you | care for him?

₅Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly | beings*

          and crowned him with glory and | honor.

₆You have given him dominion over the works | of your hands;*

          you have put all things under | his feet,

₇all sheep and | oxen,*

          and also the beasts | of the field,

₈the birds of the heavens, and the fish | of the sea,*

          whatever passes along the paths | of the seas.

₉O |Lord, our Lord,*

          how majestic is your name in | all the earth!

Acts 2:14a, 22–36

          ₁₄Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, . . .

          ₂₂"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ₂₃this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ₂₄God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ₂₅For David says concerning him,

"‘I saw the Lord always before me,

          for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

₂₆therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

          my flesh also will dwell in hope.

₂₇For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

          or let your Holy One see corruption.

₂₈You have made known to me the paths of life;

          you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

          ₂₉"Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ₃₀Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ₃₁he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ₃₂This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. ₃₃Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ₃₄For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

"‘The Lord said to my Lord,

Sit at my right hand,

          ₃₅until I make your enemies your footstool.'

₃₆Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

John 8:48–59

          ₄₈The Jews answered [Jesus], "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" ₄₉Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ₅₀Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. ₅₁Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." ₅₂The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.' ₅₃Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?" ₅₄Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.' ₅₅But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. ₅₆Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad." ₅₇So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" ₅₈Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." ₅₉So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.