Hieromartyr Phocas, Bishop of Sinope; Venerable Cosmas, desert-dweller of Zographou, Mt Athos (1323); Phocas the Gardener

But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me, ⁷but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised— ⁸for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles— ⁹and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision. ¹⁰They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.

All testified about him and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

²³He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’” ²⁴He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. ²⁵But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land. ²⁶Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”

²⁸They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue as they heard these things. ²⁹They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff. ³⁰But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.