Afterfeast of the Transfiguration

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³When they had come in, they went up into the upper room where they were staying, that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

¹⁵In these days, Peter stood up in the middle of the disciples (and the number of names was about one hundred twenty), and said, ¹⁶“Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus. ¹⁷For he was counted with us, and received his portion in this ministry.

²¹“Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²²beginning from the baptism of John to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

²³They put forward two: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴They prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.” ²⁶They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

Pharisees came to him, testing him and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

⁴He answered, “Haven’t you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.”

⁷They asked him, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce and divorce her?”

⁸He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. ⁹I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.”

¹⁰His disciples said to him, “If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.”

¹¹But he said to them, “Not all men can receive this saying, but those to whom it is given. ¹²For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it.”