Fourth Sunday of Lent

For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; ²⁷who doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself. ²⁸For the law appoints men as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son forever who has been perfected.

¹Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this: we have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ²a servant of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, not man.

One of the multitude answered, “Teacher, I brought to you my son, who has a mute spirit; ¹⁸and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they weren’t able.”

¹⁹He answered him, “Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me.”

²⁰They brought him to him, and when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him and he fell on the ground, wallowing and foaming at the mouth.

²¹He asked his father, “How long has it been since this has been happening to him?” He said, “From childhood. ²²Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

²³Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, “I believe. Help my unbelief!”

²⁵When Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!”

²⁶After crying out and convulsing him greatly, it came out of him. The boy became like one dead, so much that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up; and he arose.

²⁸When he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?”

²⁹He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but by prayer and fasting.”

³⁰They went out from there and passed through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know it, ³¹for he was teaching his disciples, and said to them, “The Son of Man is being handed over to the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, on the third day he will rise again.”