Journey - October 23rd, 21

Psalm 126; Jeremiah 29:24-32; Mark 8:22-26

Psalm 126

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

¹When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem,^a]">[a]
    it was like a dream!
²We were filled with laughter,
    and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
    “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
³Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
    What joy!

⁴Restore our fortunes, Lord,
    as streams renew the desert.
⁵Those who plant in tears
    will harvest with shouts of joy.
⁶They weep as they go to plant their seed,
    but they sing as they return with the harvest.

Footnotes

126:1 Hebrew Zion.

A Message for Shemaiah

²⁴The Lord sent this message to Shemaiah the Nehelamite in Babylon: ²⁵“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: You wrote a letter on your own authority to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, and you sent copies to the other priests and people in Jerusalem. You wrote to Zephaniah,

²⁶“The Lord has appointed you to replace Jehoiada as the priest in charge of the house of the Lord. You are responsible to put into stocks and neck irons any crazy man who claims to be a prophet. ²⁷So why have you done nothing to stop Jeremiah from Anathoth, who pretends to be a prophet among you? ²⁸Jeremiah sent a letter here to Babylon, predicting that our captivity will be a long one. He said, ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.’”

²⁹But when Zephaniah the priest received Shemaiah’s letter, he took it to Jeremiah and read it to him. ³⁰Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: ³¹“Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies, ³²I will punish him and his family. None of his descendants will see the good things I will do for my people, for he has incited you to rebel against me. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”

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Jesus Heals a Blind Man

²²When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him. ²³Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”

²⁴The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”

²⁵Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. ²⁶Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.”

You are loved!