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Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) longer form Chapters 15-21

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[[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)|Introduction(Main article)]]

[[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) longer form|Index]]

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, he immediately spoke with them, saying, “'''I AM!''' Do not be afraid”, and he said to them, “Cheer up'''! I AM!''' Do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him and said, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters.”

He said, “Come'''!'''”

Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', save me'''!'''”

Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Wherever he entered, into villages, or into cities, or into the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might just touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched him were made well.

On the next day, that is, the day after the feeding of the five thousand, the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except the one in which his disciples had embarked, and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had gone away alone. However boats from [http://bibleatlas.org/full/tiberias.htm Tiberias] came near to the place where they ate the bread after '''the Lord ''' had given thanks. When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, in the synagogue, as he Taught in Capernaum, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”

Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

They said therefore to him, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', always give us this bread.”

Jesus said to them, “'''I AM''' the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me, and yet you do not believe. All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. This is the will of the one who sent me, that '''everyone who sees the Son''', and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

At this, many of his followers went back, and walked no more with him. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You do not also want to go away, do you?”

Simon Peter answered him, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”

Luke 3:19-20 ''adapted'' Mark 6:19-29 Matthew 14:12 Matthew 14:6-11 Matthew 14:1-2 Mark 6:14-16 Mark 6:29 Matthew 14:12 ''adapted'' Luke 9:7-9 Matthew 14:13a —''when Jesus heard this'' Mark 6:30 Luke 9:10a —''told him what they had done'' Mark 6:31 Matthew 14:13b —''to a lonely place apart'' Luke 9:10b Matthew 14:13c —''when the crowds heard it'' Mark 6:32 Luke 9:11a Matthew 14:13d —''on foot from the towns'' Mark 6:33 Matthew 14:14a Mark 6:34a —''like sheep without a shepherd'' Matthew 14:14b —''healed their sick'' Luke 9:11b —''who had need of healing'' Mark 6:34b —''teach them many things'' John 6:4 Luke 9:12a —''day began to wear away'' Mark 6:35a —''when it grew late'' Matthew 14:15 Luke 9:12b —''here in a lonely place'' Mark 6:35b-36 Matthew 14:16 Mark 6:37a —''give them something to eat'' Luke 9:13a —''something to eat'' Mark 6:37b —''something to eat?'' John 12:4, 6b ''adapted'' John 6:5-7 Mark 6:38 —''said, "Five and two fish"'' John 6:8-9 Matthew 14:17 —''and two fish'' Luke 9:13b-14a —''about five thousand men'' Matthew 14:18 John 6:10a —''make the people sit down'' Matthew 14:19a —''sit down on the grass'' John 6:10b —''much grass in the place'' Mark 6:39 —''upon the green grass'' Luke 9:14b-15 —''made them all sit down'' Mark 6:40 John 6:10c —''about five thousand'' Matthew 14:19b —''five loaves and two fish'' Mark 6:41a —''five loaves and two fish'' Luke 9:16a —''five loaves and two fish'' John 6:11a —''took the loaves'' Matthew 14:19c —''looked up to heaven and blessed'' Mark 6:41b —''looked up to heaven and blessed'' Luke 9:16b —''blessed and broke them'' Matthew 14:19d —''gave the loaves to the disciples'' Mark 6:41c —''to set before the people'' Luke 9:16c —''to set before the crowd'' John 6:11b —''to those who were seated'' John 6:11d Matthew 14:19e —''gave them to the crowds'' Mark 6:41d —''the two fish among them all'' John 6:11d —''the fish, as much as they wanted'' Luke 9:17a —''all ate and were satisfied'' Mark 6:42 Matthew 14:20a —''and were satisfied'' John 6:12 —''that nothing may be lost'' John 6:13 —''left by those who had eaten'' Matthew 14:20b —''broken pieces left over'' Luke 9:17b —''baskets of broken pieces'' Mark 6:43-44 Matthew 14:21 John 6:14~~ John 6:~~-15a Matthew 14:22a Mark 6:45a Matthew 14:22b Mark 6:45b Matthew 14:22c-23a Mark 6:46 John 6:15b Matthew 14:23b —''he was there alone''

''Compare'' [http://ebible.org/web/ World English Bible text] [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/new-testament/ Greek original text] [http://www.latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=0&b=1 Latin Vulgate text] [http://www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/ NRSV text] [http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/scofield-reference-notes/ Scofield Reference Bible (1917 Edition)] [[https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible]] text [http://biblehub.com/multi/matthew/1-1.htm ''multiple versions of any verse''] [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/1-1.htm ''multiple commentaries any passage'']

[http://biblehub.com/interlinear/ ''interlinear Bible: Hebrew, Greek, English''] [http://bibleatlas.org/ Bible maps (''click initial letter of place name'')] [https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/ '''Bible Encyclopedias''': Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (studylight.org)] [http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia '''Catholic Encyclopedia''' Catholic Online (catholic.org)] '''[http://calcuworld.com/calendar-calculators/hebrew-calendar-converter/ Hebrew Calendar Converter]''' ''See exact equivalents of Gregorian Calendar dates.''

:—in Gregorian Calendar click the cursor in the day, month, or year fields, to highlight selection, then use [Backspace ←] and [←] [→] right and left arrow keys in the day and year fields, and [Backspace ←] and [ ↑ ] [ ↓ ] up and down arrow keys in the month field, then click on [Calculate].

Compare the [~~[Conservative Bible|~~https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible ] text (conservapedia.com):]]

Herod the governor, having been reprimanded by John for his immoral marriage to Herodias, his brother Philip's wife and for all the other evils he had done

Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”

She said, “No one, '''Lord'''.”

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

He answered, “Who is he, '''Lord''', that I may believe in him?”

Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”

He said, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', I believe'''!'''” and he worshiped him.

Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”

John 7:2–8:1 John 18:1, 2b John 8:2-59 Luke 4:30 Luke 24:16 John 9:1–10:21

"'''Depart from here and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see your works which you do.'''"

:John 7:3

:The disrespectful and taunting attitude displayed by the “brethren of the Lord” here strongly implies they are his elders. In ancient and, particularly, in Eastern societies, older sons had authority of seniority and gave advice to the younger, but the younger seldom ever gave advice to the older—it was considered disrespectful, even shameful, to do so. But here (John 7:3-4) we find Jesus’ “brethren” saying to him that Galilee was no place for him and that he should go to Judea so he could make a name for himself. Many well-established biblical scholars argue that family [[ethics]] would not permit younger siblings to taunt or otherwise meddle with an older brother as Jesus' ~~brothers~~ brethren taunted him here. "''For neither did his brethren believe in him.''" John 7:5 KJV This kind of behavior could make sense for ancient Jews only if the “brethren” were older than Jesus. That alone appears to many Bible scholars to eliminate them as his biological ~~brothers~~brethren, since Jesus was Mary’s “first-born” son (Luke 2:7). Jesus grew up in Nazareth, and the people of Nazareth referred to him as “the son of Mary” (Mark 6:3), not as “'''''a''''' son of Mary.” In the Gospels other relatives of the Lord according to the flesh (Romans 1:3) are never referred to as Mary’s sons, not even when they are called Jesus’ “brethren.” At the foot of the cross, when he was dying, Jesus entrusted his mother to the unnamed disciple whom he loved (John 19:26-27), whom tradition identifies as the apostle John. The Gospels mention four of his “brethren”: James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude. For established biblical scholars and [[Anthropology|anthropologists]], knowledgeable in the customs and culture of the ancient Semitic peoples and of Jews in particular, it is hard to imagine why Jesus, who "did not come to destroy the law, or the prophets" (Matthew 5:17), would have disregarded family ties and made this provision for his mother if these four were also her sons born of her womb (''see'' Exodus 20:12; 21:17; Leviticus 20:9; Matthew 15:3-9; Deuteronomy 27:16 "''Cursed be he who dishonoreth his father or his mother''"—"''setteth light by his father or his mother''" KJV). Even if they were embarrassed or ashamed of her or Jesus, their duties as her own biological sons would ''[[ipso facto]]'' have made them by law her providers and protectors, religiously obligated to honor her, to whom she would unquestionably be entrusted according to inviolable Jewish cultural custom, ''especially'' as interpreted and taught by the [[Tannaim]] in accordance with authoritative opinions derived by them from the [[Torah]] of Moses. If they were her sons, and still living, they would be obligated, and John the son of Zebedee would have been disqualified.

:See the following:

:According to many [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|textual critics]] analysis appears to show that the language and style of this text is not consistent with the language and style of the Johannine texts we have in the New Testament. Professional [[Linguistics|Linguistists]] have pointed out that it has most resemblance to the language of Luke, and in a few textual witnesses (extant manuscripts) has been found there after Luke 21:38, or appended to the end of John, or to the end of Luke. Many others disagree, pointing out the undeniable fact that the far greater majority of extant [[Bible manuscript evidence|biblical manuscripts]] of the Gospel of John have this passage here between the texts of John 7:52 and John 8:12.

:It is reasonable to speculate that various Christian scribes and copyists were unable to reconcile Luke 20:40, "''And no one dared to ask him any more '''questions'''''", with the fact that the Jews brought to Jesus the woman "''caught in the act of adultery''" and asked him the '''question''', "''In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?''" However, there is a difference in asking a rhetorical question on disputed points of doctrine in the Torah of Moses as in the [[Talmud]], and asking him to render a [[Opinion|judgment]] on a particular case. This ''Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)'' retains the account of John 7:53–8:11 here in accordance with centuries of traditional rendering of the text as received since the fourth and fifth centuries according to Jerome's [[Vulgate]] and the standard Greek Bible of the East. In accordance with the majority opinion of expert conservative textual critics, and the corresponding conservative policy regarding this text as expressed in the [[https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible Project]], the text here is also repeated again in the [[Redaction|redacted]] account of the controversies with the Jews during the week before Passover, and inserted at the place corresponding to Luke 21:38, immediately before the Passion Narratives. This offers the reader opportunity to compare the context. Those who accept the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus in John 16:13 regarding apostolic tradition and what is called the [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_20140610_sensus-fidei_en.html ''sensus fidei''], in what has been handed down to us over all the centuries of Christianity, do not lightly remove this passage from the Bible. For this reason most translations and editions of the Bible do not omit it entirely. See Hebrews 13:17, Revelation 22:19 and [[Apostolic succession]].

:See

Compare the [~~[Conservative Bible|~~https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible ] text (conservapedia.com):]]

About this time the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was approaching, So His brothers told Him, "Leave here and go into Judaea, so that your disciples can also see the works that you do. For no one who wants to be known publicly does anything in secret. If you are going to do these things, then show yourself to the whole world." Because not even His brothers believed in Him.

He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

From there he arose, and went away. Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the borders of [http://bibleatlas.org/full/tyre.htm Tyre ] and Sidon, into the ~~region~~ parts of Tyre and [http://bibleatlas.org/full/sidon.htm ~~Tyre and~~ Sidon].

Behold, a '''Canaanite''' woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, '''Lord''', you son of David'''!''' My daughter is severely possessed by a demon'''!'''”

But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”

But he answered, “I was not sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But she came and worshiped him, saying, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', help me.”

But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

But she said, “Yes, '''Lord''', but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith'''!''' Be it done to you even as you desire.”

'''He entered into a house''', and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not escape notice. For a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, '''having heard of him''', came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a '''Greek, a Syrophoenician by race'''. She begged him that he would cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

But she answered him, “Yes, '''Lord'''. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

He said to her, “'''For this saying''', go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”

She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the demon gone out.

Again he departed from the ~~borders~~ region of [https://bibleatlas.org/full/tyre.htm Tyre ~~and~~ ], through Sidon, and came to the east side of the [https://bibleatlas.org/full/sea_of_galilee.htm sea of Galilee], through the middle of the region of [http://bibleatlas.org/full/decapolis.htm Decapolis].

They brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. They begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside from the multitude, privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha'''!'''” that is, “Be opened'''!'''”

Matthew 15:1-20 —LXX Isaiah 29:13 Mark 7:1-24a —LXX Isaiah 29:13 Matthew 15:21-28 Mark 7:24b-37 Matthew 15:29a

"'''came to Jesus from Jerusalem'''"—"'''having come to Jesus from Jerusalem'''"

:Matthew 15:~~1—Mark~~ 1; Mark 7:1

:Two confrontations. In Matthew they had just arrived, and immediately criticized, finding fault; in Mark they had already come and were joined by others who conferred with each other and then together persisted in their criticism, finding fault. The response of Jesus, remembered by those disciples who were present on both occasions, is substantially the same teaching each time, but with slight differences, taken here in this ''Harmony of the Gospel'' as indicating two confrontations, probably on the same day.

"'''The Disciples'''"

:Those who read, or interpret, "''the disciples''" as strictly meaning only the Twelve Apostles, are in error because they are ignorant of the scriptures (Matthew 22:29). Such a reading of the text is an example of [[eisegesis]]. The Twelve are often called "''his twelve disciples''" (Matthew 11:1; 20:17), but multiple references to "''the disciples''" in all the Gospels demonstrate that he had more than twelve disciples, whom he also called "~~brothers~~brethren" and "sisters" and "mother". Mary herself was uniquely his mother, descended from David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3 and Hebrews 10:5), and she was also his mother and disciple from the very beginning in accordance with his words which he spoke here, because she heard the word of God and kept it: Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 2:51, John 2:5). See 1 Corinthians 15:5-7; Acts 1:14-15; John 6:66-71; Luke 6:13; Mark 4:10; Matthew 5:1, 8:18-22, 23:1.

:The textual critic and the student of the Bible who sees "''the disciples''" as strictly referring only to the Twelve will have difficulty reconciling accounts in the Gospels which sound similar, and are read by them as being ''therefore'' identical. As a consequence, the words of Jesus may appear to them to be only approximately remembered, because in their comparative reading of similar texts the words are not identically phrased;

:See Matthew 23:23-24; Leviticus 27:30; Micah 6:8.

:In the [[King James Bible]] the word [http://biblehub.com/greek/3862.htm ''paradosis'' '''παράδοσις'''] is translated as both "ordinance" and "tradition". Tradition is frequently defended and promoted by St. Paul as part of apostolic doctrine—1 Corinthians 11:2; Galatians 1:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6; Titus 3:10-11. Tradition is therefore not automatically ''[[ipso facto]] always'' vain worship invented by sinful men imposing a legalistic bondage opposed to the liberty of the children of God led by the Holy Spirit of Christ. To insist that '''''all''''' traditions are against God is a [[fallacy of analogy]] against the Bible itself (see again passages from Paul already cited here, also Hebrews 13:17; Acts 2:42). Frequently, the fundamental rejection of "man made" traditions as diametrically opposed to the principle of ''[[sola scriptura]]'' is presented as a passionate [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] [[polemic]], in particular against the [[Catholic Church]] ~~in particular~~, and more generally against all forms of church government ''above the level of the local congregation'', a tradition of interpretation not found in the Bible and a polemic [[Ignorance|unconscious ]] of the Bible doctrine of obedience to "every human institution" of higher levels of "established" governing church authority, as being the ordinance of God , the power with which Christ has invested some particular members of the body of Christ for maintaining discipline in his church. ::([http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_corinthians/12-28.htm 1 Corinthians 12:28 "governments / administrators"]; Matthew 18:15-18; 23:1-3; Acts 20:28-30; Romans 13:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13—compare Acts 4:18-21 and 5:39; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/3_john/1-9.htm 3 John 9]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/2_corinthians/13)-2. ~~The biblical example of both Peter~~ htm 2 Corinthians 13:2] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/2_corinthians/13-10.htm 13:10].) :See Galatians chapter 2 in which Paul ~~and~~ states that he went up to the leaders of the ~~Jerusalem~~ church ~~exercising oversight over many congregations~~ in ~~the~~ Jerusalem to find out from them if in fact his doctrine was true or not, "''lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.... And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, [[~~Acts of~~ Discernment|perceived]] the ~~Apostles~~[[Charism|grace]]that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship....'' " (~~Acts~~ Galatians 2:2, 9KJV). Compare [https:~~32; 11;22-24; 15:~~//www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+1%3A3-357&version=RSVCE 1  20Timothy 1:173-~~31; 21~~7] and [https:17//www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+15%3A2&version=RSVCE Acts 15:2]. :*[http://www.catholic365.com/article/1785/protestantism-~~25) has been used as a biblical argument~~ is-not-like-the-early-church.html '''Protestantism is NOT Like The Early Church''', Arnold Scott (~~some say~~ catholic365.com)] —''classic "proof text"~~) against the 18th-19th century tradition of independent [[autonomy]] of local congregations~~argument by a Catholic apologist''. ::—"Even St. Paul, who had a ~~tradition that rejects regional ecclesiastical oversight as being fundamentally opposed~~ direct personal calling from Jesus, had to ~~what they firmly maintain~~ check his gospel with Church leadership to make sure he was ~~the pristine purity of independently autonomous Christian worship~~ "not running in ~~the time of the apostles, which they see as originally free of intrusive external authority~~vain. " (~~See for example~~Galatians 2:2). If St. Paul had to be in accord with Church teaching, ~~[[Churches of Christ]]; compare [[Independent Catholic churches]]~~shouldn't you? THAT is what the early Church was like.)"

:~~Traditions~~ The biblical example of ~~doctrinal interpretation~~ both Peter and ~~practice not explicitly mentioned in the Bible are found in all Protestant denominations, as also in Orthodoxy~~ Paul and Catholicism. [[Apologetics|Apologists]] claim that [[pastor]]ally motivated traditions of faith and devotion not explicitly commanded in Sacred Scripture are legitimate if they never fundamentally contradict Scripture as a whole and are never elevated above the ~~love and justice of God (Romans 2:6-11, 26-29; 3:31; 7:12). They are intended to promote, encourage and support~~ Jerusalem church exercising oversight over many congregations in ~~practical ways~~ the ''[[~~corporal and spiritual works~~ Acts of ~~mercy~~the Apostles]]~~. Compare Ephesians 2~~'' (Acts 9:1032; ~~Philippians 2:13~~11; ~~James 2:14~~22-2624; 15:1~~&nbsp~~-35;~~John 3~~20:17-1831; ~~Revelation 22~~21:~~12; Matthew 25:14~~17-~~46. There is~~ 25) has been used as a ~~long~~biblical argument (some say "proof text") against the 18th-~~standing debate over division between interpretations~~ 19th century tradition of independent [[autonomy]] of local congregations, a tradition ~~according~~ that rejects regional ecclesiastical oversight as being fundamentally opposed to ~~the Bible:~~ what ~~is not explicitly forbidden is permitted; what is not explicitly commanded is prohibited. Neither~~ they firmly maintain was the pristine purity of ~~these positions is explicitly set forth~~ independently autonomous Christian worship in the ~~Bible~~time of the apostles, which they see as originally free of intrusive external authority.(See for example, [[Churches of Christ]]; compare [[Independent Catholic churches]]; also [[Consensus]] and [[Tradition]].)

:Traditions of doctrinal interpretation and practice not explicitly mentioned in the Bible are found in all Protestant denominations, as also in Orthodoxy and Catholicism. [[Apologetics|Apologists]] claim that [[pastor]]ally motivated traditions of faith and devotion not explicitly commanded in Sacred Scripture are legitimate if they never fundamentally contradict Scripture as a whole and are never elevated above the love and justice of God (Romans 2:6-11, 26-29; 3:31; 7:12). They claim that such traditions are intended to promote, encourage and support in practical ways [[corporal and spiritual works of mercy]], and those that do not must be abolished. Compare Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13; James 2:14-26; 1 John 3:17-18; Revelation 22:12; Matthew 25:14-46. There is a long-standing debate over division between two [[Contradiction|contradictory]] and mutually irreconcilable interpretations of tradition according to the Bible: ::what is not explicitly forbidden is permitted; what is not explicitly commanded is prohibited. :Neither of these positions is explicitly set forth in the Bible. (See [http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/4-6.htm 1 Corinthians 4:6].) ''Compare most especially the warning of St. Paul as "what is written" in'' [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14%3A1-15%3A7&version=RSVCE '''Romans 14:1–15:7'''] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+1%3A15&version=RSVCE '''Titus 1:15''']; also '''[[Hypocrites]]''' and '''[[Eisegesis]]'''. :Whatever forms of religion uplift the heart and mind to God and are outwardly designed as formal guides that are meant to prompt the believer from the heart to reverence God, to be mindful of his will, to practice Christian [[virtue]], to sincerely do good to others in need, and respect those in authority as legitimate representatives and "ambassadors" of the Lord Jesus Christ , are ~~traditions~~ [[tradition]]s of men that teach as doctrine the law of God commanding righteousness and [[humility]] and [[salvation ]] by [[faith ]] in Christ and obedience to his word. Mark 12:29-31; Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:20; John 15:1-10; 1 John 3:7. ''Against such things there is no law''—Galatians 5:22-23.

:See the following articles by both Protestants and Catholics:

:*[https://anglicanpastor.com/traditions-that-are-not-in-the-bible/ '''Anglican Pastor Journal. Traditions that are Not in the Bible''', by Greg Goebel (anglicanpastor.com)] (Protestant: Anglican)—"''The idea is that our 'man made' traditions should never go against Scripture or be elevated above God himself, in his love and justice. They should support it.''":*[https://thechristianwatershed.com/2012/07/09/the-protestant-tradition-calvinism-catholicism-and-the-undoing-of-Protestantism/ '''The Christian Watershed. The Protestant Tradition: Calvinism, Catholicism, and the Undoing of Protestantism''' (thechristianwatershed.com)] (Protestant: [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist]]):*[https://becomingchristians.com/2013/10/13/warning-10-popular-christian-practicesbeliefs-that-are-not-rooted-in-the-bible/ '''Becoming Christians. Warning: 10 POPULAR “Christian” Practices/Beliefs that are not Rooted in the Bible!''' joshuainfantado (becomingchristians.com)] (Protestant: [[Sabbatarianism|Sabbatarian]] [[Fundamentalism|Evangelical Fundamentalist]]) —"''Revelation 12:9 tells us that the WHOLE WORLD is deceived by the Devil. SO if you see a really big religious group, then you can be certain that it is not the TRUE church. ...I want to share a list of popular Christian traditions that are PLAINLY not found in the Bible and are rooted in [[Paganism|PAGANISM]] instead!''":*[https://debatingchristianity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=479&start=0 '''Debating Christianity and Religion: What Church traditions are not biblical?''' (debatingchristianity.com/forum)] (Protestant: [[Non-denominational church|non-denominational]]) —''Protestant and Catholic nonbiblical traditions: debate extends over several online pages''.

:*[https://easterpeople.me/2016/07/19/top7biblebeliefs/ '''The Easter People. Top 7 Non-Biblical Beliefs of 'Bible-Believing' Christians''', Michael Goodwin (easterpeople.ma)]

:*[https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/protestant-traditions-you-wont-find-in-the-bible '''Catholic Answers. Protestant Traditions You Won't Find in the Bible''', Trent Horn (catholic.com)]

:*[http://www.catholic365.com/article/5390/five-unbiblical-traditions-of-protestants.html '''Five "Unbiblical Traditions" of Protestants''', By Arnold Scott (catholic365.com)]

:*[http://jimmyakin.com/library/inspiration-tradition-and-scripture '''Inspiration, Tradition, and Scripture''', by James Akin (jimmyakin.com)] The doctrinal tradition of ''Sola scriptura'' opposes the doctrinal tradition of ''Sola verba''—"''Apostolic Scripture does have primacy over Apostolic Tradition (and the Church as well; see Vatican II, [https://jsr.shanti.virginia.edu/back-issues/volume-15-number-2-november-2016/for-the-sake-of-our-salvation-interpreting-dei-verbum-art-11-fifty-years-later/ ''Dei Verbum'' 11]).''"

:The Gospels show that there were many who were afflicted with demonic possession in need of healing. It is not impossible that these two accounts represent two different healings. It is only necessary for the evangelist in his Gospel and for the preacher in his exhortations to relate one of them to represent Jesus' compassionate regard for those who are not among the lost sheep of the children of Israel but who recognize the truth that "''salvation is from the Jews''" (John 4:23; Romans 1:3 and 2:9-11).

"'''he departed from the region of Tyre, through Sidon, and came to ''the east side of'' the sea of Galilee, through the middle of the region of Decapolis'''"

:Mark 7:31

:The phrase "''the east side of''" [the sea of Galilee] was added as [[Redaction|redactive edit]] for clarity.

:This passage is related only by Mark. Compare [http://biblehub.com/mark/7-31.htm parallel versions of Mark 7:31.]

:The names of Σιδῶνος ''or'' Σιδονία "Sidon" and Τύρου "Tyre" always designate the cities themselves; they are never used as the name of the general geographical region (see [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/7-31.htm commentaries on Mark 7:31]). The King James Bible uses them as the name of the whole region, "departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon". Others, in the beginning of the episode, read "the district of Tyre and Sidon" (Matthew 15:21, suggesting a single jurisdiction), "the region of Tyre and Sidon" (Mark 7:24, suggesting a single geographical area). The Greek word μέρη ''mere'' in Matthew 15:21 and Mark 7:24 means "a part, share, portion". The redacted text here in this ''Harmony of the Gospel'' reads

::"From there he arose, and went away. Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, into the parts of Tyre and Sidon."

:Compare the [https://biblehub.com/interlinear/mark/7-31.htm interlinear text of Mark 7:31] where the '''ὁρίων''' horiōn "region" of Tyre is separate from Sidon. Sidon is about 20 miles north of Tyre.

:In [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A21-22&version=RSVCE Matthew 11:21-22] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A13-14&version=RSVCE Luke 10:13-14] Jesus bears witness that he did not do mighty works in Tyre and Sidon (compare Matthew 10:5 and Luke 9:52-53). There is no indication in the Gospel telling why Jesus turned from the region of Tyre first in a northern direction, and went through Sidon, and then returned south to the east side of the lake, so that from Sidon he arrived at the Sea of Galilee on the farther side of Jordan, and journeyed through the midst of the regions belonging to Decapolis. Why Jesus went from Tyre through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee is no mystery. There was a well-travelled trade road between Tyre and Sidon, and another well-travelled trade road from Sidon through the mountains and south to the Sea of Galilee, so that by the ordinary course of using these established trade route "highways" in that part of the country Jesus would have simply passed from Tyre through Sidon on his way back to the Sea of Galilee. This whole distance travelled from Tyre to Sidon and south to the Sea of Galilee across the Jordan River through Decapolis, and then on to the mountain south of the Sea of Galilee where he fed the multitude (Mark 8:1-10) was a journey of more than 80 miles on foot.

:See [http://www.logicandlight.org/tyre/ '''Mark's Alleged Geographical Ignorance''', by Craig Dunkley (logicandlight.org)]

::—"Finally, scholar Tim McGrew adds yet another piece of information. He reminds us that there is a mountain (Mt. Meron) standing nearly 4,000 feet high directly between Tyre and the Sea of Galilee. He adds: ‘There is a pass from Sidon through the mountains to the Jordan river valley, where foot travelers to Galilee could have fresh water for the journey.’ " See [http://apologetics315.s3.amazonaws.com/files/05b-mcgrew-alleged-contradictions-in-the-gospels-p2.pdf Dr. Timothy McGrew, "Alleged Contradictions in the Gospels" (apologetics315.s3.amazonaws.com)] pdf.

Compare the [~~[Conservative Bible|~~https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible ] text (conservapedia.com):]]

Then several scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to Jesus, and said, "Why do your students break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands when they eat bread."

Afterward, when he had left the people and entered the house, His students asked Him about the parable. To this he responded, "Are you also so ignorant? Don't you see that anything which enters a man from outside cannot corrupt him, because it enters his stomach, not his heart, and then is eliminated?"

[The [[https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible]] text omits the next phrase included in most versions of [http://biblehub.com/multi/mark/7-19.htm Mark 7:19b] — KJV "thus purging all meats" , RSVCE "(Thus he declared all foods clean.)"]

To this he added, "Anything that comes out of a man, it is that which corrupts him. Because, from inside of the heart come evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, theft, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lustfulness, an evil eye, blasphemy, uncontrolled pride, and foolishness. All of these wicked things come from inside a man and corrupt him."

He asked his disciples, saying, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”

They answered, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” They told him, “John the Baptizer, and others say Elijah, but others''':''' one of the prophets.” They said, “  ‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elijah,’ and others, that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

But then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. He warned them, and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.”

He commanded them that they should tell no one about him. He began to Teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up. He spoke to them openly. Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, ~~Lord~~'''Lord!''' This will never be done to you.”

But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan'''!''' You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”

Raising his voice, '''He said to all''', “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self? For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. But I tell you the truth''':''' There are some of those who stand here who will in no way taste of death before they see God’s Kingdom.”

After six days, about eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a ~~[http://bibleatlas.org/full/mount_tabor.htm~~ high mountain], brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves; he took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up onto the mountain to pray.

Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep. But when they were fully awake, as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling. His clothing became glistening, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no fuller's earth on earth can whiten them. He was transformed before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light, and he was changed into another form in front of them. Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory. Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him. They saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him. And they were talking with Jesus, and spoke of his exodus, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. And behold, a cloud came, overshadowing them. A bright cloud came and overshadowed them. Then they parted from him and entered into the cloud. And they, Peter, John and James, were afraid as they entered into the cloud. As they were parting from him, Peter answered, and said to Jesus (he did not know what to say), ~~“Rabbi—Master—Lord~~“Rabbi—Master—'''Lord''', it is good for us to be here. If you want, let us make three [[Tabernacle]]s here''':''' one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he said.

For he did not know what to say, for they were very afraid. And while he said these things, while he was still speaking, behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer.

When they had come down from the mountain, immediately a great multitude met him. All the multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him, greeted him. Coming to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them, and scribes questioning them. ~~He asked the scribes, “What are you asking them?”~~

When they came to the multitude, behold, a man from the crowd called out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. Behold, a spirit takes him, he suddenly cries out, and it convulses him so that he foams, and it hardly departs from him, bruising him severely. I begged your disciples to cast it out, and they could ~~not”; one~~ not.” He asked the scribes, “What are you asking them?” One of the multitude , calling out, answered, “I brought to you my son, who has a mute spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and wastes away. I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”

Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation'''!''' How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me.”

The man came to him, kneeling down to him, and saying, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him.”

Jesus answered, he answered him, “Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring your son here. Bring him to me.”

After crying out and convulsing him greatly, the demon went out of him, it came out of him. The boy became like one dead, so much that most of them said, “He is dead.”

But Jesus healed the boy, took him by the hand, and raised him up; , and he ~~arose—and~~ arose, and gave him back to his father. And the boy was cured from that hour.

They were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.”

Matthew 15:29b-31 Mark 8:1-3 Matthew 15:32 Mark 8:4 Matthew 15:33-34 Mark 8:5 Matthew 15:35 Mark 8:6 Matthew 15:36 Mark 8:7-8 Matthew 15:37-38 Mark 8:9 Matthew 15:39a Mark 8:10-21 Matthew 15:39b–16:12 Mark 8:22-27 Matthew 16:13 Luke 9:18-19 Matthew 16:14 Mark 8:28 Matthew 16:15 Luke 9:20a Mark 8:29a Luke 9:20b Mark 8:29b Matthew 16:16-20 Luke 9:21-22 Mark 8:30-31 Matthew 16:21 Mark 8:32 Matthew 16:22-23 Mark 8:33 Matthew 16:24-28 Mark 8:34–9:1 Luke 9:23-27 Matthew 17:1 Mark 9:2 Luke 9:28 Mark 9:3 Luke 9:29 Luke 9:'''32a''' Matthew 17:2 Luke 9:'''32b''' Matthew 17:3 Mark 9:4 Luke 9:'''30-31''' Mark 9:'''7''' Matthew 17:'''5''' Luke 9:'''34''' Luke 9:'''33''' Matthew 17:'''4''' Mark 9:'''5-6''' Luke 9:'''35''' Matthew 17:'''6-8''' Mark 9:8 Luke 9:36-37a Matthew 17:9 Mark 9:9-10 Matthew 17:10 Mark 9:11-13 Matthew 17:11-13 Mark 9:13 Luke 9:37b Mark 9:14-1615 Luke 9:38-40 Matthew 17:14a Mark 9:1716-18 Matthew 17:14b-17 Mark 9:19 Luke 9:41 Mark 9:20a Luke 9:42a Mark 9:20b-26 Luke 9:42b Mark 9:27 Matthew 17:18 Luke 9:43-45 Matthew 17:19 Mark 9:28 Matthew 17:20-21 Mark 9:29-32 Matthew 17:22-23

[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/index.html '''Early Christian Writings''' A.D. 30 through 380 (earlychristianwritings.com)] See '''[[Biblical Canon]]''' and '''[[Apocrypha]]'''.

"'''he took the seven loaves; he gave thanks and having given thanks, he broke them, and the ''fish'' ... and gave them to his disciples to serve. He gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes, and they served the multitude.'''"

:Matthew 15:36; Mark 8:6-7

:Compare Matthew 14:19; Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16; John 6:11

:The blessing and distribution of the bread and of the fish have been seen as a New Testament [[Typology|type]] and [[analogy]] of the [[Eucharist]]. The Greek letters of the word '''ΙΧΘΥΣ''' ICHTHYS ''ichthus'' "fish" have since the time of the Apostles been used as a [[Cryptography|cryptogram]] for Jesus, the individual letters of '''ΙΧΘΥΣ''' representing the words for '''Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ''' '''''I'''esous '''C'''hristos '''Th'''eos (h)'''Y'''ios '''S'''oter''—'''J'''esus '''Ch'''rist '''G'''od's '''S'''on '''S'''avior. According to Catholic theology, eating the bread of the Eucharist is the ''antitype'' fulfillment of the of the eating of the flesh of the '''[[Ichthus|Fish]]''', the '''Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior'''. Compare John 6:52-58 and 1 Corinthians 10:16-21 "''sharing in the body of Christ''" and 2 Peter 1:3-4 "''sharing in the divine nature''".

:The former (no-longer required) traditional Catholic self-denial discipline of eating fish not meat on all Fridays as a memorial of the day of his sacrifice on the cross, and on Fridays during the forty days of [[Lent]] (still required) as a memorial of his fasting in the desert when he was tempted by the [[Devil]], was originally intended as a reminder of Christ's self-denial for the sake of sinners and a symbolic means of identifying with him and outwardly identifying oneself as a Christian, and also as a reminder of the moral obligation of all Christians to discipline the flesh nature by the practice of [[virtue]] (Romans 13:14–15:7; 1 Corinthians 9:27; Galatians 5:16-24; Philippians 3:9-19; Colossians 1:21-24; Mark 8:35-37). Outside of Lent the Catholic Church still requires by church law (Hebrews 13:17) obedience to some form of penitential self-denial on Fridays, preferably in the practice (Ephesians 2:10) of '''''practical''''' forms of [[corporal and spiritual works of mercy]] in heart-felt gratitude for the unmerited gift of [[salvation]] through Christ alone. See article [http://walkinginthedesert.com/2016/04/20/do-catholics-need-to-abstain-and-do-penance-on-fridays/ '''Do Catholics need to abstain and do penance on Fridays?''' By Arturo Ortiz (walkinginthedesert.com)]

:Christian Fundamentalists warn that this required discipline in the Catholic Church is a violation of 1 Timothy 4:1-11, and a sure sign of false doctrine against the freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:1-17; Galatians 5:1; see Luke 18:9-14). Compare Colossians 2:20–3:17.

"'''and came into the ''region of [http://bibleatlas.org/dalmanutha.htm Dalmanutha]'' near the borders of [http://bibleatlas.org/magadan.htm ''Magdala (also called Magadan)'']

:The text has been expanded to harmonize both Mark 8:10 and Matthew 15:39, taking Mark's "region" as an area, as in the RSVCE reading "'''district''' of Dalmanutha", and Matthew's "borders" as a more compactly defined region ''within'' the district of Dalmanutha, such as the boundaries of the city limits of Magdala or Magadan. The location of the simple docking site on the shore of the region of Dalmanutha where they briefly disembarked is here [[Redaction|redacted]] as being a site "near the borders of Magdala", a name not supported as a known site, but accepted by most exegetes as probably the (uncertainly) located town of Magadan, where they (again) put to shore and disembarked. From these two passages it is reasonable to infer that "the borders of Magadan" and "the parts of Dalmanutha" were contiguous, both being part of the same area on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

:After the feeding of the seven thousand both Mark and Matthew separately relate a confrontation with the Pharisees (Mark8:11-13) and with the Pharisees and Sadducees together (Matthew16:1-4). The minor details of both narratives suggest again the possibility of two incidents, with Jesus and the apostles putting to shore twice in the same area, and each time meeting with challenges from his opponents as soon as they disembarked, briefly stopping on their way to rest, with the object of going much further, ~~northwest~~ northeast across the lake to Bethsaida. Since the answer to his opponents in both texts is substantially the same, it is enough for each of the two evangelists to relate only one of these two encounters, and the prophetic response of Jesus to their demand for a sign. The kind of sign they are demanding will not be given to them. (Compare Matthew 13:58.)

:See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/mark/8-10.htm interlinear text of Mark 8:10]. See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/15-39.htm interlinear text of Matthew 15:39].

:The Greek word '''σοι''' "''to you''" here is singular, not the plural '''ὑμῖν''' "''to you''" (all), and therefore was not addressed to the entire immediate group of his assembled disciples, ''[[Eisegesis|as some would have it]]'', but only to Peter.

:In the later apparently parallel text of Matthew 18:18 the phrase "''keys of the Kingdom of Heaven''" does not appear (see verses 15-20). On the principle of ''sola scriptura'', there is no linguistic textual basis for saying that Jesus gave the "''keys''" to all the apostles on that occasion, but only that he gave them all the collective authority to bind and loose together, an authority which is distinctly different from the authority to open and shut the "''Kingdom of Heaven''" (see Revelation 1:17-18; 3:7). Catholics maintain that there is a significant distinction here, and that the previous occasion in Matthew 16:18 is a specific fulfillment of the prophesy in Isaiah 22:22 pointing to one man, not many. Other Christians maintain that the "''keys''" are necessary to bind and to loose, to "''open and no man shall shut, and shut and no man opens''" (Revelation 3:7), thus equating binding and loosing with opening and shutting, and that this therefore does linguistically imply that all of the apostles were each given the "''keys of the Kingdom of Heaven''" simultaneously together in Matthew 18:18, so that what he had conferred on Peter is now expanded and conferred on all of them.

:'''Old Testament parallels''' show that God gave to particular men divine authority to act, and that He obeyed their word: :: Exodus 14:15-16 and Joshua 10:12-14; see also 1 Kings 17:1, 2 Kings 20:9-11, Matthew 9:8, Luke 2:51, and John 9:31 and 20:21-23; Romans 13:1-2, 1 Timothy 1:19-20, Hebrews 13:17, and Revelation 3:7. :Compare the Catholic Bible [http://usccb.org/bible/books-of-the-bible/index.cfm footnotes] on these verses with [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/1-1.htm multiple Protestant commentaries]. The controversy over divine authority is a key doctrinal issue in the [[Protestant Reformation]]. See [[Apostolic succession]].

:There is a difference in Matthew 16:18 in the Greek words for "stone" and "rock". '''''Petros'' Πέτρος''' is the masculine form, meaning "stone", "boulder" or "large rock", and '''''petra'' πέτρα''' is the feminine form, meaning "stone", "boulder" or "massive rock". They essentially mean the same thing. In stark contrast to Πέτρος and πέτρα, '''''lithos'' λίθος''', a primary word, is the masculine form of the Greek word meaning "a stone", "(small) rock" or "pebble", such as one can throw by hand: Strong's ''3037''.

::*Πέτρος, Πέτρου, ὁ (an appellative proper name, signifying 'a stone,' '''a rock, ledge or cliff''').::*πέτρα, πέτρας, ἡ, from Homer down; the Septuagint reading for סֶלַע and צוּר; '''a rock, ledge, cliff'''.::*λίθος, λίθου, ὁ, the Septuagint reading for אֶבֶן (from Homer down); '''a stone: small stones; a large stone; building stone'''.

:See [https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/peter-the-rock '''Peter the Rock''', by Tim Staples (catholic.com)]

::"One of the most respected and referenced Greek dictionaries among Evangelicals is Gerhard Kittel’s ''Theological Dictionary of the New Testament''. In a most candid statement about Matthew 16:18, Dr. Oscar Cullman, a contributing editor to this work, writes:

:::" ' The obvious pun which has made its way into the Greek text...suggests a material identity between petra and Petros...as it is impossible to differentiate strictly between the two words... . Petros himself is this petra, not just his faith or his confession... . The idea of the Reformers that he is referring to the faith of Peter is quite inconceivable... . For there is no reference here to the faith of Peter. Rather, the parallelism of “thou art Rock” and “on this rock I will build” shows that the second rock can only be the same as the first. It is thus evident that Jesus is referring to Peter, to whom he has given the name Rock... . To this extent Roman Catholic exegesis is right and all Protestant attempts to evade this interpretation are to be rejected.  '  " (See evaluation at [http://www.wlsessays.net/bitstream/handle/123456789/543/BlumeKittel.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y '''Kittel's ''Theological Dictionary of the New Testament''''', by Frederick E. Blume (wlsessays.net)])::See also [http://patrickmadrid.blogspot.com/2009/02/bam-bam-pebbles-argument-goes-down.html '''Bam! Bam! The "pebbles" argument goes down!''', by Patrick Madrid (patrickmadrid.blogspot.com)]:Compare Strong's numbers [~~http~~https://~~biblehub~~www.~~com~~blueletterbible.org/~~greek~~lang/~~4074~~lexicon/lexicon.~~htm~~ cfm?t=nasb&strongs=g4074 ''4074'' a rock, ledge or cliff] and [~~http~~https://~~biblehub~~www.~~com~~blueletterbible.org/~~greek~~lang/~~4073~~lexicon/lexicon.~~htm~~ cfm?t=nasb&strongs=g4073 ''4073'' a rock, ledge or cliff]. :See also [~~http~~https://~~biblehub~~www.~~com~~blueletterbible.org/~~greek~~lang/~~2786~~lexicon/lexicon.~~htm~~ cfm?t=nasb&strongs=g2786 ''2786'', "equivalent to Πέτρος", a rock, ledge or cliff].

::Κεφας, κεφα, ὁ (Chaldean כֵּיפָא, '''a rock'''), Cephas (equivalent to Πέτρος, '''a rock, ledge or cliff'''), the surname of Simon the apostle.

:(Jesus did not give Simon Bar Jonah a feminine name.) :Compare the following articles::*[https://kenschenck.blogspot.com/2014/08/beware-thayers-in-blue-letter-bible.html '''Beware Thayer's in Blue Letter Bible''', Ken Schenck - Common Denominator (kenschenck.blogspot.com)]:*[https://www.nathancolquhoun.com/2009/10/16/bible-gateway-vs-blue-letter-bible '''Bible Gateway vs Blue Letter Bible''', Nathan Colquhoun (nathancolquhoun.com)] :A more literal translation of verse 18 is, "''I tell you, you are Rock, and on this Rock I will build my gathering (my assembly)''". Linguistically, according to the Greek construction, and Greek grammar, the person indicated by the phrase "''on this rock''" is Peter, not Jesus.

::'''καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ''' The emphasis here is on ΤΑΎΤῌ  '''ταύτῃ''', which points to Peter (''not to Jesus, as Augustine would have us suppose''), and to be understood thus: on no other than on this rock[Petros, Peter]. He did not say you are stone, pebble [lithos], and on this rock [petra] I will build.... —λίθος, λίθου, ὁ, is the Septuagint reading for אֶבֶן ; '''a stone: small stones; a large stone; building stone'''. It is not a massive rock cliff [πέτρᾳ, Πέτρος].:The equivalent Aramaic term in the Syriac ''[[Peshitta]]'' translation of the New Testament is '''κεφα''' ''Kepa / ~~Cep-ha~~Cepha'', simply "rock":

::"''I tell you, you are ''Kepha'', and on this ''Kepha'' I will build my church.''

:The Greek form of this Aramaic word is "''Cephas''", pronounced "''kepas''". This can be seen as a fulfillment of the prophesy of the stone (rock) formed without hands which became a great mountain which filled the whole earth in Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45, and in Isaiah 2:1-5. Catholics point to the fact that the whole Catholic Church "founded by Jesus on Peter the Rock" is worldwide and the largest Christian denomination on earth. '''Isaiah 51:1-2; Jeremiah 1:18-19'''.

'''"Jesus said to his disciples": "He called the multitude and said to them": "He said to all"'''. :Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23

:Boldface emphasis is added to highlight the progression in this episode.

"'''Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a ''high mountain'', brought them up onto a ''high mountain'' privately by themselves; he took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up onto the ''mountain'' to pray.'''" :Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28:See also 2 Peter 1:16-18. :The Gospels do not identify the [https://biblehub.com/topical/t/transfiguration.htm Mount of Transfiguration]. Two sites have been proposed::*[http://bibleatlas.org/full/mount_tabor.htm Mount Tabor] 1,843 ft. above the sea.:*[https://bibleatlas.org/full/hermon.htm Mount Hermon] 9,200 ft. above the sea. "'''fuller's earth'''", literally ''fuller''. :Mark 9:3

:Either the powdered compound (''[https://www.britannica.com/science/fullers-earth fuller's earth]'') used in solution to bleach cloth, or the name of the work of laundering and bleaching cloth and clothing, and thus the title of a worker who bleached cloth: a fuller. —"''so as no fuller on earth can white them''" Mark 9:3 KJV.

Compare the [~~[Conservative Bible|~~https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible ] text (conservapedia.com):]]

and went up into a mountain and sat down there.

Returning to His students, he found an enormous crowd gathered around them, with the scribes interrogating them.

Immediately the whole crowd, seeing Jesus, ran to greet Him, amazed by His presence.

~~Jesus demanded of the scribes, "What are you asking the people about?"~~

One of the men called out, “Teacher, please, look at my son, because he is my only child.

I asked your students to expel the demon, but they could not.”

Jesus demanded of the scribes, "What are you asking the people about?" But a man from the crowd ran forward and said, "Lord, I've brought you my son, who has a demon of dumbness.

And wherever the demon takes him, he claws at himself, foams from the mouth, grinds his teeth, and his body wastes away. I asked Your students to exorcise him, but they couldn't."

The spirit cried out and exited him violently. The boy looked so much like he was dead, that bystanders declared, "He's dead!"

~~But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.~~ But Jesus took his hand and pulled him up, and he stood up.

And Jesus expelled the demon, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

“If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Assembly. If he refuses to hear the Assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will be released in heaven. Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”

Then Peter came and said to him, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', how often shall '''my brother''' sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “I do not tell you up to seven times, but, up to seventy times seven. Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But because he could not pay, his '''lord ''' commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him, saying, ~~‘Lord~~‘'''Lord''', have patience with me, and I will repay you all'''!'''’ The '''lord ''' of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

“But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe'''!'''’

“So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you'''!'''’ He would not, but went and cast him into prison, up unto the day he should pay back that which was due. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their '''lord ''' all that was done. Then his '''lord ''' called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant'''!''' I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’ His '''lord ''' was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, up unto the very day he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you do not each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.”

When Jesus had finished these words, he arose from there. He departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea and beyond the [http://bibleatlas.org/beyond_the_river.htm Jordan]. Great multitudes followed him. Multitudes came together to him again, and he healed them there. As he usually did, he was again Teaching them.

Mark 9:33a Luke 9:46-50 Matthew 17:24-27 Mark 9:33-50 —LXX Judith 16:17 Matthew 18:1–19:2 Mark 10:1-16 Matthew 19:3-15

"'''where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'''"

:Mark 9:44, 46, 48

:An This phrase is an allusion to the [[Septuagint]] text, [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judith+16%3A17&version=NRSVCE Judith 16:17].

"'''in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.'''"

:Matthew 18:10

:~~Understood~~ This passage is traditionally understood as a reference to the [[Angel|guardian angels]]. It is not a reference to the departed spirits of innocent children who have died and gone to heaven and now behold the face of God. Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A29-33&version=NRSVCE Matthew 22:29-33].

"'''whatever things you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will be released in heaven.'''"

:Matthew 18:18. Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A23&version=NRSVCE John 20:23].

:The [[Catholic Church]], numerically constituting the majority of [[Christianity|Christians]], emphasizes the fact that in this passage ~~relating the words addressed to~~ where Jesus addresses the apostles together~~, Jesus~~ with the collective plural "you" he does ''not'' speak of the "''keys of the Kingdom of Heaven''", and therefore the keys of Matthew 16:19 were entrusted only to Peter , whom Jesus addressed by the individual singular "you", and to each of his [[Apostolic succession|successors]] in fulfillment of [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+22%3A20-25&version=NRSVCE Isaiah 22:20-25]. Verse 25 is understood as referring by [[analogy]] to the high priest of the Jews in Jerusalem as "the peg that was fastened in a secure place". The prophesy is understood as a [[Typology|type]] foreshadowing the reality that when Jesus bestows on his Apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of God, the authoritative position of the Jewish high priest in Judaism "will give way; and it will be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken." (Compare [https://www.theopedia.com/supersessionism Supersessionism (theopedia.com)].) On :There is no linguistic textual basis, on the principle of ''sola scriptura'', ~~there is no linguistic textual basis~~ for saying that Jesus gave the "keys" to all the apostles on that occasion (Matthew 18:18)~~, but~~ . It only says that he gave them all the collective authority to bind and loose together, an authority which is distinctly different from the authority to open and shut the "Kingdom of Heaven" (see [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+1%3A17-18&version=NRSVCE Revelation 1:17-18]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+3%3A7~~-18~~&version=NRSVCE 3:7]). In the Greek text of Matthew 16:18-19, where Jesus directly addresses Peter in the presence of the other apostles saying to him "you", KJV "I will give unto thee", Matthew has the Greek word '''σοι''', which is explicitly the second person singular personal pronoun. The Greek word '''σοι''' in all of its variant forms '''σύ, σοῦ, σοί, σέ''' is the second person singular personal pronoun "you", as designating only one person. This textual fact is cited in Catholic [[apologetics]] in defense of the doctrine of the ~~primacy of~~ [[Petrine Primacy|primacy of Saint Peter]] as Prince of the Apostlesand Ambassador [[Vicar]] (Representative) of Christ the Lord. Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16%3A16-19&version=NRSVCE Matthew 16:16-19] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A15-20&version=NRSVCE 18:15-20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A1-7&version=NRSVCE Romans 13:1-7]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A20&version=NRSVCE 2 Corinthians 5:20 "''ambassadors for Christ''"]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+1%3A13-14&version=NRSVCE 2 Timothy 1:13-14]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+2%3A2&version=NRSVCE 2:2]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A16-17&version=NRSVCE John 14:16-17]. Protestant and Orthodox apologetics point out that the same authority conferred on Peter with the keys to bind and to loose is here (Matthew 18:18) given to all the apostles equally. The Lord Jesus therefore implicitly entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven to them as well. The formal term [[Denotation|denoting]] shared responsibility and authority is "'''Collegiality'''".:See dictionary definitions of "collegiality" and "collegial" :*[https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/collegiality '''collegiality''' - Cambridge English Dictionary (dictionary.cambridge.org)] :*[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collegial '''collegial''' - Merriam-Webster Dictionary (merriam-webster.com)] :See [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04112a.htm '''Apostolic college''' - Catholic Encyclopedia (newadvent.org)]::—"''There are, however, between the attributes of the original Apostles and those of the succeeding hierarchy some differences arising from the circumstance that the Apostles were personally chosen and trained by Christ to lay the foundation of the Church. That circumstance creates for them an exceptional and '''intransmissible''' eminence over their successors.''" (boldface emphasis added) The Catholic Encyclopedia admits that the personal eminence and doctrinal authority of the original twelve apostles, is '''''not''''' transmitted to their successors, only the authority to guide and govern as the teaching [[magisterium]] by the [[charism]] of [[discernment]] of [[truth]], and only in full harmony and accordance with what has already been revealed through scripture and constant tradition. They have no authority to invent new doctrine, but only to expand upon, clarify, and unfold more and more what has already been implicitly revealed by God in Christ through the tradition of the interpretive understanding of the apostles and "apostolic" men, such as Mark and Luke, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (See [http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p4.htm#888 ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', numbers '''888-892'''].):See also [[Consensus]], [[Pentarchy]], [[Ecumenical council]] and [[Magisterium]], not to be confused with [[College of Cardinals]].

:Compare

:*[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3307-binding-and-loosing '''Binding and Loosing''', by Kaufmann Kohler (jewishencyclopedia.com)]

:*[http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/apologetics/PeterRockKeysPrimacyRome.htm '''St. Peter, the Rock, the Keys, and the Primacy of Rome in the Early Church''' (biblicalcatholic.com)] ''Superbly balanced article includes both (''mainly'') Protestant and Catholic exegesis.'':::—'''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church|CCC]] 553, 816, 861, 881-883''' (Catholic)''';''' '''D. A. Carson''' (Protestant Evangelical), '''R. T. France''' (Anglican/Protestant Evangelical), '''Oscar Cullman''' (Lutheran), '''Herman Ridderbos''' (Protestant Evangelical), '''Craig Blomberg''' (Protestant Evangelical), '''William F. Albright''' and '''C. S. Mann''' (''from '''The Anchor Bible''' series''), '''Craig S. Keaner''' (Protestant Evangelical), '''Francis Wright Beare''' (Presbyterian/Reformed), '''Edward Schweizer''' (Presbyterian/Reformed), '''Ivor H. Jones''' (Methodist), '''M. Eugene Boring''' (Presbyrian/Reformed), '''Thomas G. Long''' (Presbyterian/Reformed), '''Richard B. Gardner''' (Brethren/Mennonite), '''Joachim Jeremias''' (''from'' Kittel's Greek Standard '''TDNT'''), "'''''The Interpreter's Bible'''''", '''Willoughby C. Allen''' ("'''''The International Critical Commentary'''''"), '''Raymond Brown''' and '''John Reumann''', '''F. F. Bruce''' (Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester in England), '''Stephen Ray''' (Catholic Evangelical convert and Bible teacher), '''Philip Schaff''', '''John Meyendorff''' (Orthodox), '''Kenneth Whitehead'''.:*[http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2016/10/matthew-16-keys-binding-and-loosing.html '''Answering Catholic Claims: Matthew 16–Keys, Binding, and Loosing''' (answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com)] ''Evangelical refutation of [[Petrine Primacy]], based on Reformation exegesis of ''Matthew 16:19'' and ''18:18.'':*[http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/papal_supremacy.aspx '''Papal Supremacy – Orthodox Christian Information Center''' (orthodoxinfo.com)] ''[[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] exegesis of Matthew 16:19 that the "rock" is Peter's declaration of faith in Christ, and does not point to Peter himself.''

:*[http://catholicbridge.com/orthodox/pope_is_peter_the_rock.php '''Peter is not the Rock according to the Orthodox Study Bible''' (catholicbridge.com)] ''Orthodox textual analytical exegesis''

:*[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Primacy_and_Unity_in_Orthodox_Ecclesiology '''Primacy and Unity in Orthodox Ecclesiology''' (~~orthodoxWiki~~orthodoxwiki.org)] —"Honor and primacy must be linked to ministry and service, and the Pope must function as head of his see, as one who is among, rather than over, the other bishops. Again, primacy involves more than simply ‘honor,’ but is linked to a universal pastoral concern, a ‘presidency in love.’ This means leadership, not juridical authority. …this ministry was always understood in moral terms, rather than in terms of formal power, or rights. The actual exercise of this power depended upon political circumstances, as well as the orthodoxy, the wisdom, and the prestige of the ‘first bishop’ himself… it is only when the ‘Old Rome’ decisively and consistently pretended to transform its moral ‘privilege’ into actual jurisdictional and doctrinal power that the Orthodox East refused to allow it.":*[https://classroom.synonym.com/eastern-orthodox-views-bible-4755.html '''Eastern Orthodox Views on the Bible''', By Robert Allen (classroom.synonym.com)] ''Robert Allen says that the authority of the magisterium is not above the Bible, and the Bible itself in turn must be interpreted in harmony with the orthodox writings of the fathers of the church as a significant part of the whole of the divinely revealed unbroken tradition of orthodox Christian doctrine and teaching; that this differs fundamentally from the Catholic Magisterium and from the Protestant principle of Sola Scriptura.'':*[https://mariancatechist.com/obedience-to-the-magisterium-and-the-responsibility-of-the-bishop-toward-the-laity/ '''Obedience to The Magisterium and the Responsibility of the Bishop Toward the Laity''' - Marian Catechist Apostolate (mariancatechist.com)] "''The faith, in its integrity, has been entrusted to the Church by Christ through the ministry of the '''Apostles'''.''" (boldface emphasis added - note the plural).

:*[http://unamsanctamcatholicam.com/history/historical-apologetics/79-history/98-papal-primacy-in-the-first-councils.html '''The Papal Primacy in The First Councils: An Answer to the Claim that the Petrine Primacy was a Doctrine Invented in the Middle Ages.''' written by Laurentius (unamsanctamcatholicam.com)] "''The goal of this article is to show that none other than the earliest [[Ecumenical council]]s indicate the Bishop of Rome was Supreme Head of the Church, and given this fact, both Protestants and Eastern Orthodox are ultimately forced to admit the Church fell into [[Great Apostasy|apostasy]], since the papal primacy is testified to by an agreed upon historical Christian witness.''"

:*[https://www.tudorhistory.org/primary/supremacy.html '''Act of Supremacy, 1534''' (tudorhistory.org)] ''The formal Act of Parliament which declared the Monarch of England the supreme Head of the [[Church of England]] on earth''.

:*[https://history.hanover.edu/texts/engref/er79.html '''Act of Supremacy of Elizabeth I Restoring Ancient Jurisdiction (1559)''' (history.hanover.edu)] —"''THIS Act--frequently referred to in the introductory words to previous documents—was passed in April, 1559. It revives ten Acts subsequent to 22 Hen. VIII, and one of Edward VI; it confirms the repeal of six Acts of Henry VIII, and repeals the Heresy Act of Philip and Mary (ante, No. LXXV) and the repealing Statute of those sovereigns (ante, No. LXXVI).''" —''pages 443-458''

:*[https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/churchman/093-04_295.pdf '''The Protestant Succession to the Throne and its Importance to the Church of England Today''', David N. Samuel (biblicalstudies.org.uk)] pdf —''It is now possible for the English Sovereign to marry a Papist''.

:*[https://scholarship.law.uc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1284&context=fac_pubs '''Liberty of the Exercise of Religion in the Peace of Westphalia''', Gordon A. Christensen (scholarship.law.us.edu)] pdf

:Compare King James Version of [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+51%3A1-2&version=KJV Isaiah 51:1-2]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+1%3A18-19&version=KJV Jeremiah 1:18-19]. See multiple commentaries on [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/isaiah/51-1.htm Isaiah 51:1]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/isaiah/51-2.htm 51:2] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/1-18.htm Jeremiah 1:18]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/1-19.htm 1:19]. :The [[Orthodox Church]]es, the [[Anglican Communion]] ~~and~~ with [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|The Episcopal Church]], and all [[Protestantism|Evangelical, Reform and Fundamentalist churches]] absolutely reject [[~~Pope#History|~~Petrine Primacy]], and find no scriptural basis in support of it. (See Chapter Eighteen above, [[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) longer form Chapters 15-21#Eighteen|marginal note on Matthew 16:18 '''"I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven" Matthew 16:19''']].)

"'''For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.... Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.'''" :Mark 9:49-50:9:50a "'''Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness...'''":The Jews believed that salt not kept closed in its proper container but carelessly and openly exposed to the air would lose its power. Travelers in the East have cited examples of experiences of large masses of natural rock salt which has "lost its savor", having become "saltless", insipid and tasteless, no good to anyone. As for "carelessly and openly exposed to the air", compare Ephesians 2:1-3 regarding "''the prince of the power of the air''", and Luke 8 verses 5 and 12. :To be "at peace with one another" is to have a "covenant of salt" with one another.:In the common life of the Middle East, salt was a sign of sacred covenant engagements and obligations. Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+2%3A13&version=NRSVCE Leviticus 2:13]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+13%3A5&version=NRSVCE 2 Chronicles 13:5]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12&version=NRSVCE Romans 12 "''a living sacrifice''"]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+3%3A10-15&version=NRSVCE 1 Corinthians 3:10-15].:To eat salt together, meant to make peace, and enter into a covenant of peace with each other. Whoever would not partake of salt at table under even the most casual of circumstances was suspected of either harboring a secret [[enmity]] or of plotting possible unexpected treachery. They were avoiding being bound by a "covenant of salt" to wish no ill and do no harm to those at table with them. Those at table who offered a legitimate medical reason to avoid salt in food could satisfy the custom and reassure their host by touching a few (seven) grains of salt to their lips and tongue.:9:49 "'''Everyone will be salted with fire'''". This is an allusion to the coming [[Last Judgment|judgment]] ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+66%3A15-16&version=NRSVCE Isaiah 66:15-16 "''upon all flesh''"]). The phrase "'''every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt, salted with salt'''" is the absolutely necessary covenant of peace with God '''''now''''' by righteous obedience, faith, justice and mercy by self-sacrifice. A covenant of salt with God is realized by "a living sacrifice" of worship (Romans 15:16; ~~Leviticus~~ Hebrews 13:16), by living such a believing covenant with the Lord in accordance with his will, for the sake of the kingdom of God (Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 2:13; [[Corporal and spiritual works of mercy]]; 2 Corinthians 6:2).:"'''Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness''' [''literally'', if the salt may have become saltless]''', with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.'''" Mark 9:50. See '''John 13:35-36'''.

:See multiple commentaries on:

:*[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/numbers/18-19.htm Numbers 18:19] "''covenant of salt''"

"'''how often shall my brother...?'''"

:Matthew 18:21.

:"'''brother'''" Greek ἀδελφός ''adelphos'', literally '''''a-''''' "from" + '''''delphos''''' "the (same) womb", (my) ''from the womb'':—''that is,'' (my) "brother". See Strong's Concordance entries for BROTHER and BRETHREN, both keyed to [http://biblehub.com/greek/80.htm Strong's number ''80'' ἀδελφός ].:Greek textMatthew 18: 21 Τότε προσελθὼν αὐτῷ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπε· Κύριε, ποσάκις ἁμαρτήσει εἰς ἐμὲ ὁ '''ἀδελφός''' μου καὶ ἀφήσω αὐτῷ; ἕως ἑπτάκις :Significantly, no biblical commentary on this passage in Matthew relates this word ἀδελφός to Peter's own brother Andrew (Matthew 4:18, Mark 1:16, Luke 6:14, John 6:8). Instead, all Bible commentaries at this place, Protestant and Catholic alike, understand Peter to mean "neighbor" or "fellow Israelite". The New Testament does not say that Andrew is '''''one''''' of Peter's brethren, it says that Andrew is '''''the brother''''' of Peter. The word for brother in the New Testament is always ''adelphos'' ἀδελφός, and the word for brethren is always ''adelphoi'' ἀδελφοὶ. :Catholic commentaries on those passages speaking of the brethren of Jesus ἀδελφοὶ, in their defense of the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity, carefully point out the broader Semitic usage of "brother" as "cousin", "relative", "neighbor", "fellow Israelite", "friend", "fellow believer", "comrade", by insisting that Jesus' brothers, or brethren (relatives) and sisters, were not born of Mary's womb, but were his neighbors or his cousins, members of the same house and family of David as Joseph and Mary, or Joseph's sons by an earlier marriage who were older half-brothers of Jesus. :Protestant commentaries defend the narrower literal meaning of ἀδελφός as a "brother" born of the same mother, as a textually based means of refuting the Catholic doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity. Therefore, had Mary truly borne no other children after Jesus, instead of υἱόν πρωτότοκον in Luke 2:7 "firstborn son", the expression υἱόν μονογενῆ "only-born son" (only son) would have been used: "And she brought forth her only son". See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/luke/2-7.htm interlinear text of Luke 2:7]. However, πρωτότοκον is also applied in Scripture to all those that "open the womb", including those after whom no others were born, and also designates the lawful heir. (The Greek title of Mary [[Theotokos|Theotokos Θέότοκος]] "God-bearer" was applied by [[Ecumenical council]]s solely in defense of the divinity of Jesus Christ who never ceased to be God the Son even from the very moment of His [[Incarnation]].)::Primogeniture is denoted in Hebrews by '''בְּכיֹרָה''' : Septuagint '''πρωτοτόκια''', Genesis 25:31; Genesis 25:34; Genesis 27:26; Deuteronomy 21:17; 1 Chronicles 5:1; in the New Testament only in Hebrews 12:16; A. V. "birthright". '''Πρωτότοκος''', always rendered "first-born" in the English version, is found in the Septuagint in Genesis 4:4; Deuteronomy 21:17, and several other passages of the Old Testament, as the representative of the Hebrew '''בְּכוֹר''', signifying "one who openeth the womb," '''whether an only child, or whether other children follow.'''— [http://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/mse/p/primogeniture.html Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (studylight.org)] (''boldface emphasis added'') :Protestant commentaries do not discuss here at Matthew 18:21 any possible multiple offenses that may have been constantly committed against Peter by his own brother Andrew. They discuss instead the apparently broader intent, the broader meaning of Peter's "brother", and take for granted the general meaning of forgiving any one of our brethren, a fellow citizen and neighbor, who has offended us. This is not consistent. Moreover, the same word ἀδελφός in the plural form ἀδελφοὶ is also used of the one hundred and twenty brethren ἀδελφοὶ gathered together in Jerusalem after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:15-16). Peter addresses the whole assembly, calling them all "brethren" ἀδελφοὶ. At that place in the text Protestant commentaries again inconsistently discuss the word ἀδελφοὶ according to its broader meaning of fellow disciples and believers.

:Significantly, no biblical commentary on this passage in Matthew relates this word ἀδελφός to Peter's own brother Andrew (Matthew 4:18, Mark 1:16, Luke 6:14, John 6:8). Instead, all Bible commentaries at this place, Protestant and Catholic alike, understand Peter to mean "neighbor" or "fellow Israelite". The New Testament does not say that Andrew is '''''one''''' of Peter's brothers, it says that Andrew is '''''the brother''''' of Peter. The word for brother in the New Testament is always ''adelphos'' ἀδελφός, and the word for brothers is always ''adelphoi'' ἀδελφοὶ. Catholic commentaries on those passages speaking of the brothers of Jesus ἀδελφοὶ, in their defense of the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity, carefully point out the broader Semitic usage of "brother" as "cousin", "relative", "neighbor", "fellow Israelite", "friend", "fellow believer", "comrade", by insisting that Jesus' brothers, or brethren (relatives), were not born of Mary's womb, but were his neighbors or his cousins, members of the same house and family of David as Joseph and Mary. Protestant commentaries defending the narrower literal meaning of ἀδελφός as a "brother" born of the same mother, as a textually based means of refuting the Catholic doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity, do not discuss here at Matthew 18:21 any possible multiple offenses that may have been constantly committed against Peter by his own brother Andrew. They discuss instead the apparently broader intent, the broader meaning of Peter's "brother", and take for granted the general meaning of forgiving any one of our brothers, a fellow citizen and neighbor, who has offended us. This is not consistent. Moreover, the same word ἀδελφός in the plural form ἀδελφοὶ is also used of the one hundred and twenty brothers ἀδελφοὶ gathered together in Jerusalem after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:15-16). Peter addresses the whole assembly, calling them all "brothers" ἀδελφοὶ. At that place in the text Protestant commentaries again inconsistently discuss the word ἀδελφοὶ according to its broader meaning of fellow disciples and believers. Consider the narrower literal meaning of "~~brothers~~brethren" in Acts according to the literalist meaning Protestant commentaries read into those passages speaking of the ~~brothers~~ brethren of Jesus. It is not physically possible for one woman in her lifetime to give birth to one hundred and twenty male children ἀδελφοὶ who have grown to manhood~~; but it~~ and are in attendance as adults in the assembly of Acts 1:15. It would be possible for one man to have impregnated several women who gave birth to all of his male children, making them all sons of one father grown to manhood, and making their father a promiscuous polygamist and adulterer, but they are not ''strictly and literally'' ἀδελφοὶ, that is, "'''''a-''''' from + '''''delphos''''' the (same) womb", they are not related ''from the womb''. According to the strictly literal meaning of the Greek word they are one hundred and twenty ἀδελφοὶ from the womb of one woman. Peter's use of the word adelphoi in Acts 1:16 would literalistically mean that every one of the 120 people present were all sons of Peter's own mother! This appears absurd. No one believes such a reading of the text. "''But Peter says they are his brothers! "ἀδελφοὶ"! They must be the sons of his mother! The Bible says so!''" However literal are the words ἀδελφός and ἀδελφοὶ , the narrow meaning is not their literal meaningaccording to [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)#The literal sense of scripture|''the literal sense of scripture'']].

:On the sole basis of the text of the Old and New Testaments together, and in accordance with the consistently broad meaning of the biblical term "brother" as used throughout the Bible in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, there is no firm textual ground ''sola scriptura'' for maintaining absolutely that Mary was the only possible mother of the ~~brothers~~ brethren of Jesus, or that Peter here in Matthew 18:21 was only referring to his brother Andrew.

:Most commentaries explain this as a figure of speech indicating no limit.

:The literal calculation of '''70 x 7 = 490 times'''. A 24 hour day is 1440 minutes. Divided by 490, that is one offense every 2.93877551 minutes, literally every 2 minutes 55 and a half seconds. 490 offenses in a day. (''it's possible'')

:70 years is 840 months, divided by 490 times = 1.714285714... per month. That is very close to one offense every 17.5 days for 70 years after the age of 15 (giving an age of 85 years old). In this case a man or woman has been constantly offended by the same brother once or twice a month every month of every year for a total of more than 490 times over a lifetime of 70 years (''it's possible'')

:Contrast the unforgiving vengeance of Cain and of Lamech in Genesis 4:15 and 23-24. The [http://www.bibleodyssey.net/people/related-articles/mark-of-cain.aspx Mark of Cain] in the context of Genesis 4:11-24 was a mercy, not to Cain, and his descendants, under God's curse (Exodus 34:6-7), but a merciful warning to all others of his and his people's vicious propensity to exact overwhelming blood revenge without limit. Some commentators speculate that this "mark" was a distinguishing tattoo, decreed by God himself, which identified that tribe or tribes of people as especially violent and dangerous as a deadly warning of lethal intent. Since Noah was not a descendant of Cain, unless one of Noah's wife's remote ancestors was Cain himself, Cain's line died out with the [[Great Flood]]~~, and the~~ . The mark of Cain does not exist today. See [https://www.gotquestions.org/mark-Cain.html '''What was the mark that God put on Cain (Genesis 4:15)?''' (gotquestions.org)] Compare the Assyrians of Nahum 3:1-3. :Evidence of terrible past guilt and a deep-seated violent character capable of violent revenge can sometimes be clearly seen in a face. A form of the mark of Cain is sometimes evident on the faces of convicted killers::*[http://psychopathsandlove.com/face-the-truth-what-can-you-tell-just-by-looking-at-someone/ Face the Truth — What Can You Tell Just By Looking at Someone, by Adelyn Birch: ''Can you tell who's trustworthy or not, who's a criminal, and who's a narcissist or psychopath just by looking at someone's face?''(psychopathsandlove.com)] —20 photographs.:*[https://www.pinterest.com/lanassmith/murder/ Murder: Collection by Lana Smith (pinterest.com)] "78 Best Murder images in 2016|True crime, Serial Killers...":*[https://www.therichest.com/shocking/15-spine-chilling-photos-of-serial-killers-and-their-trophies/ 15 Spine-Chilling Photos Of Serial Killers And Their "Trophies", by Alex Keobke - The Richest (therichest.com)]:A prudent person with healthy common sense is able to sense a potentially dangerous individual, and to [[Prudence|prudently]] avoid contact and any form of confrontation in response to a personal offence or minor outrage committed by a hostile-looking stranger. Less alert persons can become victims of unrestrained reprisals, for example, [[Road rage]]. Relatives of convicted and executed criminals have sometimes sought revenge on persons they believed to be responsible for the arrest, trial and execution of an undeniably guilty perpetrator. (See [[Storge]] and [[Wrath]]—[[Seven Deadly Sins]].)

:The counsel to forgive without limit is a counter to the passion for violent reprisal and is a "mark of the sons of God". [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A7-12&version=NRSVCE Matthew 5:7-12].

"'''The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. … in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers'''"

:Matthew 18:27-36

:According to this parable~~, one~~ that Jesus himself told, the lord actually forgave the man, and he was in fact completely forgiven the totality of his entire debt, . It was a debt that would have been impossible for him to repay, the cancellation of which he could never earn. He was set free. But when he acted wickedly, by refusing to forgive one who owed him, he forfeited entire all of the absolutely unmerited total forgiveness that the lord had decreed for him~~, and the~~ . The lord decreed in consequence that he be returned to the condition of having to repay a debt he would never be able to repay, and in addition to his indebtedness he would be tortured until he did repay everything in full, essentially decreeing that he be tormented for ever, without ceasing. He was first forgiven his entire debt without meriting forgiveness, but after being forgiven he forfeited his forgiveness and was condemned. No one can say that he had never been truly forgiven. He lost the gift he had.

:Compare the parables of those who received the unmerited gift of money they were expected to use to gain a profit for their lord~~, and by~~ . By doing nothing with it they angered their lord and forfeited the gift they had been given and were cast out~~; and~~ . And the trusted steward who was freely given the benefits of authority, and ~~who~~ afterward abused his fellow servants, and when the lord returned that steward was cut off and cast out~~; and~~ . And those assigned by the owner of the vineyard to cultivate it and give their lord the fruit of it, but killed the lord's representatives and finally his son, who forfeited the vineyard they had been given in trust and were burnedbecause they acted lawlessly, doing as they pleased. The consistent lesson that Jesus himself taught was that the freely given gift of unmerited salvation bestowed on those who have been chosen by God can be forfeited and lost by disobedience. See Ephesians 2:4-10: " ~~… the~~ …the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, '''created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them'''." (''boldface emphasis added'')

:Compare '''[[Eternal security (salvation)]]''' and '''Hebrews 6:4-8''' and '''John 15:1-8'''. Those whose names have been written in the book of life can have their names blotted out of the book of life: see '''Revelation 3:5''' and '''20:15'''; '''Exodus 32:32-33''' and '''Ezekiel 18:21-24'''.

"'''They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them.'''"

:Mark 10:13-14

:This was the first incident. The second incident (Matthew 19:13) occurs after Jesus' comments about men making themselves "eunuchs" for the sake of the kingdom.

:''See note below'' "'''Then little children were brought to him'''" —Matthew 19:13

:(The third incident, much later, related in this ''Harmony of the Gospel'' [[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) longer form Chapters 22-28#Twenty-two|chapter Twenty-two]], involved "''bringing even infants to him''" —Luke 18:15.)

"'''divorce...for any reason?'''"

:Matthew 19:3

:This ''Harmony of the Gospel'' arrangement of the two texts of Mark 10:1-16 and Matthew 19:3-15 in separate sequence, based on particular details in the narratives, highlights the possibility that there were two confrontations. ~~ ~~ :In the first, Mark 10:2-12, Jesus is approached as a rabbi to render his judgment according to his reading of the law, and he gives his authoritative [[opinion]].~~ ~~ :In the second, Matthew 19:3-9, the Pharisees are asking for a clarification of his opinion. : on :On the one hand they were seeking for a loophole in his decision, his possible allowance of some exemption, as a justification for divorce, and if he offers none, to show him as one who sets aside the tradition of generations of elders of Israel as teachers of the people~~; and~~ .::And on the other hand they were seeking to establish beyond any doubt by his own words that he opposed the prevalent injustice of using any trivial pretext whatever as grounds for divorce, in accordance with the word of the prophet [[Malachi]] (2:13-16) at the time of [[Ezra]] and [[Nehemiah]]. See [[Talmud]].~~ ~~When a lawyer (expert in the Torah) asked Jesus to render his rabbinical opinion on which was the great or primary commandment above all others in the law of Moses, Jesus similarly asked him how he read the law (Matthew 22:34-36).

:See following articles giving excellent historical overview of what over the past several centuries has been historically called the '''''[[scandal]]''''' of Protestant rejection of the Bible in opposition to the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself on the indissolubility of marriage (see [[Martin Luther]] and [[Erasmus]]; also [[Heresy]]):

:*[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm#2380 '''Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part Three, Section 2, Chapter 2, Article 6, IV. OFFENSES AGAINST THE DIGNITY OF MARRIAGE (CCC) 2380-2400''' (scborromeo.org)]

:Those who opposed Jesus on doctrinal grounds frequently used ''[[~~casuisty~~casuistry]]'' and ''[[sophistry]]'' to entrap him in his words (Matthew 22:15-46, Mark 12:13-37, Luke 20:20-44; compare John 8:12-59). (See definitions of [https://www.dictionary.com/browse/casuistry ''casuistry''] and [https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sophism ''sophism''] from dictionary.com.)They were not seeking instruction to be enlightened with truth, but were only seeking a pretext to entrap him, reject him and get rid of him.

"'''eunuch'''"

:Matthew 19:12

:A [[eunuch]] is literally one who has been castrated. Some men had this surgery done on them to make them eligible to serve in high-ranking householdswhich included wives, and women who were trusted concubines and servants. Jesus does not ask that of men~~, but~~ . He figuratively suggests that a man might give up the privilege of marriage and intimacy as a [[Celibacy|celibate]] to serve the Lord full-time, without being divided, "for the sake of the Kingdom". [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+7%3A32-35&version=NRSVCE Compare 1 Corinthians 7:32-35].

:Against the example of Jeremiah, whom God commanded to take no wife, to have no sons or daughters (Jeremiah 16:1), Jewish understanding of the ''[[Duty|obligatory]]'' human [[vocation]] of marriage and parenthood included all men and women from the age of puberty upward (Genesis 1:27-28)~~, and those~~ . Those married couples who were childless (in particular those women who were "barren", unable to become pregnant) were believed to be under the punishment and disfavor of God, as were their husbands, either because of their wives ~~or because of their own~~ ' sinsor, if their wives were blameless, because of their own sins. Those men and women who voluntarily chose [[celibacy]] were said by rabbinical teachers to have murdered their own progeny~~, every~~ . Every one of them has thus killed all of their own potential descendants to the end of time, and robbed their own parents and ancestors of a living heritage within the enduring community of Israel.

:*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/celibacy '''Encyclopedia Judaica: Celibacy''' (jewishvirtuallibrary.org)]

:*[https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/celibacy/ '''Why Celibacy Is Not a Jewish Value:''' This practice is rare in Judaism and goes against the commandment to procreate. By MJL (myjewishlearning.com)]

::"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, ''and commanding'' to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth."

:See [[Cafeteria Christian#Proof texts|Proof texts]]. See also [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A14-18&version=NRSVCE 2 Peter 3:14-18].

:When this passage (1 Timothy 4:1-3) is read within the context of the whole of the New Testament (e.g. Jesus' words about men making themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom, and Paul's recommendation of celibacy), and is read within the historical context of the development of the various [[Heresy|heresies]] in the first century, the informed Bible student and scholar can see clearly that Paul is referencing the various forms of [[Gnosticism]], and Greek [[Mystery religion]]s, to which he refers in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+2%3A8-23&version=NRSVCE Colossians 2:8-23], also sects such as the [[Ebionites]] and the Judaisers who insisted on obedience to the [[Torah|Mosaic Torah]] in abstaining from meats that Jesus had declared clean, "(thus) purging all meats" ([http://biblehub.com/mark/7-19.htm Mark 7:19 ), others reading the passage as "declaring all foods clean" ~~RSV, NAB, and many other translations)~~]. The Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church both state unequivocally that the sacrament of marriage is evidence that marriage is not forbiddenby them, and that ~~abstinence~~ the self-control discipline of abstaining from meat for a temporary period of time (for example particular individual days during [[Advent]] and [[Lent]]) or [[fasting]] for a day or for a period of days is not an absolute forbidding of meats (KJV) or any foods (RSV and other translations).

:''Compare'' '''[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+9%3A15&version=NRSVCE Matthew 9:15]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+2%3A20&version=NRSVCE Mark 2:20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+5%3A35&version=NRSVCE Luke 5:35]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14%3A1-15%3A2&version=NRSVCE Romans 14:1–15:2]''' and '''[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+8%3A8&version=NRSVCE 1 Corinthians 8:8]'''.

:~~Later~~Much later in Christian history, similar but far more extreme forms of self-abasement were promoted by the [[Albigensians|Albigenses]] of Europe in the Middle Ages. Prompted by the visions reportedly experienced or claimed by their founders as being new revelations from God or as restorations of lost truth, ~~who~~ they forbade marriage absolutely as a grave sin, especially the procreation of children (but allowed [[fornication]]), and highly esteemed the committing of [[suicide]] by self-starvation ("the pure"), ~~prompted by the visions reportedly experienced or claimed by their founders as being new revelations from God or as restorations of lost truth,~~ doctrines which Church leaders denounced as [[error]]. ''[[Foxe's Book of Martyrs]]'' presents the campaign against the Albigensians and against the [[Waldensians]] as a vile and demonic persecution of true Christians. See [[Bible#Heresies based on abusive use of vernacular translations|Bible: Heresies based on abusive use of vernacular translations]].

"'''Then little children were brought to him'''"

:Matthew 19:13

:Three accounts of children brought to Jesus are presented in the Gospels, one in Mark (10:13-31), one in Matthew (19:13-30), and one in Luke (18:15-29). There is enough difference in detail to justify presenting them as three separate incidents~~, two~~ . Two of them here (Mark and Matthew) ~~representing~~ represent a progressive unfoldment of revelation. :In the first one presented in this ''Harmony of the Gospel'', Jesus became indignant at initial attempts by the disciples to keep people from bothering him with little children. In the second account he simply admonishes his disciples to allow them to come to him. Since Jesus had many disciples, it is not impossible that those represented here in the second account were not the same disciples Jesus had admonished the first time. :After the account of his first blessing of the children (Mark 10:13-16), there is an abrupt change or break in the Greek text, without any connecting transition, like the beginning of a new chapter. In contrast to this, after the second blessing of the children (Matthew 19:13-15) Jesus "departs from there", and "''As he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him.''" (See following chapter 20 in this ''Harmony of the Gospel''). Both of these episodes occur at the beginning of Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem according to the grammatical structure of the Greek text.

:In ~~the first one presented in this ''Harmony of~~ the Gospel'' Jesus became indignant at initial attempts by the disciples to keep people from bothering him with little children, but in the second account he simply admonishes his disciples to allow them to come to him. Since Jesus had many disciples, it is not impossible that those represented here in the second account were not the same disciples Jesus had admonished the first time. After his first blessing of ~~the children (Mark 10:13-16), there~~ Luke is an abrupt change or break in the Greek text, without any connecting transition, like the beginning of a new chapter. In contrast to this, after the second blessing of the children (Matthew 19:13-15) Jesus departs from there, and "''As he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him.''" (See following chapter next in this ''Harmony of the Gospel''). Both of these episodes occur at the beginning of Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem according to the grammatical structure of the Greek text. In the Gospel of Luke the (third) account of "'''''babies'''''" (NIV) "''even infants''" (RSVCE) being brought to Jesus for blessing ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A15-17&version=RSVCE Luke 18:15-17], ). This is often cited as an argument for [[Baptism|infant baptism]]. The Greek word '''βρέφη''' ''brephē'' can be read as "an unborn child" or "a newborn child", here in Luke 18:15 as a newborn child, infant, babe, child in arms, but not as a toddler beginning to walk '''παιδίον''' ''paidion'' (see the Greek [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/2-11.htm interlinear text of Matthew 2:11].)The Greek word '''ἔρχεσθαι''' ''erchesthai'' in Luke 18:16 can be read as "come" and as "brought". See [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/luke/18-15.htm interlinear text of Luke 18:15] and [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/luke/18-16.htm interlinear text of Luke 18:16]—"Let the children come to me"—"Let the children be brought to me". Compare [http://biblehub.com/luke/18-16.htm parallel versions of Luke 18:16]. Since this is in reference to "babies", "infants", the "coming" to Jesus of infants is not a voluntary coming to him of their own will and by their own power to walk (or run) to him because they are old enough to choose to do so, but rather their being brought to him by their parents as infants, innocents who do not yet have the capacity of understanding to choose to do anything. When Jesus calls the children to him in Luke 18:16 the reference to infants in the preceding verse 15 certainly indicates that he invites the parents to bring them to him, saying to his disciples, "Let the children come to me." This episode in Luke is followed immediately by the account of a "''ruler''" (''archon''), who is '''''not''''' identified as a "''young man''", who asks what he must do to inherit eternal life (18:15-30), and occurs near the end of his journey to Jerusalem, just before he enters the town of Jericho (see Luke 9:51–19:1).

Compare the [~~[Conservative Bible|~~https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible ] text (conservapedia.com):]]

They arrived in Capernaum, where

Peter '''began''' to tell him, “Behold, we have left all, and have followed you.”

Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or ~~brothers~~brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News, but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time''':''' houses, ~~brothers~~brethren, sisters, mothers, children, and land, '''with persecutions'''; and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last first.”

Then Jesus continued on the way.

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me. But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Therefore the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”

The Jews answered him, “We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy''':''' because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Then Peter answered, “Behold, we have left everything, and followed you. What then will we have?”

Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Everyone who has left houses, or ~~brothers~~brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day idle?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’ When evening had come, the '''lord ''' of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’

“When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius. When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat'''!'''’ But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are '''chosen'''.”

It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem and sent messengers before his face. They went and entered into a village of the [http://bibleatlas.org/full/samaria.htm Samaritans], so as to prepare for him. They did not receive him, because he was traveling with his face set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky, and destroy them, just as Elijah did?”

But he turned and rebuked them, “You do not know of what kind of spirit you are. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”

Mark 10:17-31 John 10:22-42 —LXX 1 Maccabees 4:36, 42-58 —LXX 2 Maccabees 1:18; 2:16, 19; 10:1-8 Matthew 19:16–20:16 Luke 9:51-56

"'''ran to him~~'''~~, '''knelt before him''', and asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may '''inherit'''". :Mark 10:17:Compare Matthew 19:16. :Greek text of Mark 10:17 κληρονομήσω "inherit" (receive). Greek text of Matthew 19:16 ἔχω "have" (possess).

:The boldface emphases in this chapter highlight the differences in the two narratives of Mark 10:17-31 and Matthew 19:16-30 in order to demonstrate a conservative interpretation of them as two different episodes.

:After the second blessing of the children (Matthew 19:13-15) Jesus departs from there, and the grammar of transition to an immediate encounter with the young man who runs to him is evident; and after the young man departs with sorrow, Jesus gives his disciples an extensive teaching on the danger of attachment to riches (Matthew 19:23–20:16).

:~~Greek text κληρονομήσω~~ "~~inherit~~'''He said to him, 'Teacher, I have observed all these things from my youth.'...''' [''Jesus said'' ] '''One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross.'''" ~~(receive)~~:Fulfillment of the Law of Moses included [http://biblehub.~~ Greek text ἔχω~~ com/deuteronomy/15-11.htm Deuteronomy 15:11], which from the context seems to be what the young man lacked, "~~have~~One thing you lack" ~~(possess)~~. Jesus gives the young man a particular counsel fitted to his particular case, exposing his attachment to riches.

:~~After~~ Compare what Paul said in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+8%3A12-15&version=RSVCE 2 Corinthians 8:12–15]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+9%3A6-15&version=RSVCE 9:6-15]; ''especially'' [http://biblehub.com/1_timothy/5-8.htm 1 Timothy 5:8] and commentaries on [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_timothy/5-8.htm 1 Timothy 5:8]. The context of giving to the ~~second blessing~~ poor includes the duty of giving to one's own destitute relatives and needy parents and supporting them. The rich who have more than enough for themselves and their own family's needs have been entrusted by God with wealth to be used to benefit the whole well-being of their communities and to aid the poor and destitute and helpless, and they will be called to account for how they use it (Matthew 25:34-46). A certain prudent proportion in giving is commanded of all, including the poor. "''Your generosity should not impoverish you''" 2 Corinthians 8:12-13. The head of an impoverished family who really has nothing to give, but who thinks to honor God by donating to the Church and to charities most of what little income he or she has earned, income which is already barely enough to provide minimally adequate food, clothing, shelter and health care for their own spouse and children and destitute elderly parents and should be spent on them instead, has [[Ignorance|ignorantly]] and heartlessly rejected the very heart of the faith and committed a grievous evil, depriving their own of the bare necessities of life, solely for the sake of appearing in their own eyes to be righteous and devout in "giving to God" by basically robbing their own dependents of what they owe them. Preachers who do not restrain this appalling behavior—''when they become aware of it''—but willingly encourage it with [[specious reasoning]] by twisting the scriptures (2 Peter 3:15-17), are opportunistic predators and culpable sinners without mercy, "blood-sucking" thieves and extortioners who take advantage of the poor for their own personal gain. See [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A8-10&version=RSVCE Romans 13:8-10]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+6%3A10&version=RSVCE Galatians 6:10]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+3%3A2-3&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 3:2-3]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+5%3A8&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 5:8]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+6%3A6-8&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 6:6-8]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+1%3A7&version=RSVCE Titus 1:7]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A27&version=RSVCE James 1:27]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A2-7&version=RSVCE 1 Peter 5:2-7]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A17-24&version=RSVCE 1 John 3:17-24]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7%3A10-13&version=RSVCE Mark 7:10-13]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A40&version=RSVCE Mark 12:40]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+20%3A47&version=RSVCE Luke 20:47]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+11%3A12-20&version=RSVCE 2 Corinthians 11:12-20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A17-18&version=RSVCE 2 Peter 2:1-3]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+14%3A4&version=RSVCE Psalm 14:4]; [https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/34-2.htm Ezekiel 34:2]; [https://biblehub.com/zechariah/11-5.htm Zechariah 11:5] "''those who say, 'Blessed be the LORD, I have become rich!' Their own shepherds have no pity on them.''" :"''What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?...You know the commandments:...''" Nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus directly emphasize the keeping of the Saturday Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11) as a requirement of salvation ([[Sabbatarianism]]). Neither does he explicitly foretell or directly command the keeping of Sunday as the [[Lord's Day]]. In Matthew 16:18-19and 18:15-20 he tells his apostles that whatever ''they'' bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever they loose on earth is loosed in heaven, and that those who refuse to listen to the church are to be regarded as [unclean pagan] Gentiles and tax collectors. This includes the principal day of worship they designate to be kept holy by Christian believers. The Letter to the Hebrews (13:17) commands obedience to Christian leaders [shepherds of the church, Acts 20:28], and Paul's Letter to the Romans (13:1-152) commands obedience to established [Christian] authority. So does 1 Peter 5:5. Jesus ~~departs from there~~Himself here in Mark 10:17-19 and in Matthew 19:16-19 and in Luke 18:18-20 says '''''to inherit and have eternal life keep the commandments''''' of '''Exodus 20:12-16 and Deuteronomy 5:16-20: Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.''' In Matthew and Mark Jesus says the ~~grammar~~ whole law of ~~transition~~ Moses depends on the two commandments of '''Deuteronomy 6:4-5''' and '''Leviticus 19:17-18: to ~~an immediate encounter~~ love God with all one's whole heart and soul and mind and strength and to love one's neighbor as oneself.''' This is every day. He says nothing about the ~~young man who runs~~ Sabbath Day as a requirement to inherit and have eternal life. The scribes and the Pharisees kept the Saturday Sabbath. Jesus explicitly commands his disciples to '''''not''''' do as the [Jewish] scribes and Pharisees do (Matthew 23:2). The Jews kept the Saturday Sabbath. The [[Ebionites|Ebionite heretics]] and the Judaizers (Acts 15:1-15) kept the Saturday Sabbath. The student of the Bible and the biblical scholar will not find any statement of Jesus explicitly commanding his followers and disciples who truly believe in him to keep the Saturday Sabbath Day as the principle day to gather together to worship God. Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to ''fulfill'' them (Matthew 5:17-18). '''He did fulfill them!''' And He said on the cross, [http://biblehub.com/john/19-30.htm '''It is ~~evident~~finished!'''] In Romans 10:4, Paul says, [http://biblehub.com/romans/10-4.htm "'''Christ is the <big>end</big> of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified.'''"] See '''[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A31-34&version=RSVCE Jeremiah 31:31-34]''' Christian traditional interpretation of this passage emphasizes that the broken covenant of the Mosaic Law has been replaced by a new covenant '''''not''''' like the one God made with the house of Israel: "''This cup is the '''new covenant in my blood'''.'' 1 Corinthians 11:25; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20. And the "law" God places "in them" according to Jeremiah 31:31-34 is "love" as the fulfillment of the law: '''Romans 13:8, 10''' and ~~after~~ '''John 13:34''' (''also'' John 15:12, 17; 1 John 3:23; 2 John 5; Leviticus 19:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; Hebrews 13:1, 16; Ephesians 5:2; 1 John 4:10-14; John 20:21). '''Hebrews 8:13''' says the ~~young man departs~~ Mosaic Covenant of the Law of Israel is "obsolete" (which includes the law of the seventh day Sabbath)—"'''In speaking of a new covenant''' [God] '''makes the first obsolete.'''" (Compare [http://biblehub.com/hebrews/8-13.htm parallel versions of Hebrews 8:13].) According to the entire context of the whole of the New Testament, the old covenant of Mount Sinai with ~~sorrow~~its Sabbatarian law has been "done away"—[[King James Bible]] version of [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13%3A10-11&version=KJV 1 Corinthians 13:10-11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+3%3A7&version=KJV 2 Corinthians 3:7], ~~Jesus gives his disciples~~ [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+3%3A11&version=KJV 3:11], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+3%3A14&version=KJV 3:14]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+1-13&version=RSVCE and the entire ''Letter to the Hebrews'']. See [https://www.openbible.info/topics/new_covenant '''100 Bible verses about New Covenant''' (openbible.info)] :St. Paul's warns against the Law of Moses as a "yoke of slavery" from which the Christian is set free. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5%3A1&version=RSVCE Galatians 5:1]—in the context of [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3%3A10-5%3A14&version=RSVCE Galatians 3:10–5:14]. :The same law of Moses that commands the seventh day of the week as the sabbath of the Lord to be kept holy also commands the offering of animal blood sacrifices at the gate of the [[tabernacle]] to be burned on an ~~extensive~~ altar of uncut stones. Sabbatarians do not obey those commands, but they do condemn the practice of weekly first day Sunday worship because God commanded Moses and Israel to sanctify the seventh day of the week, not the first. And the law of Moses states clearly that those who do not keep '''''all''''' the words of the law by doing them (including animal blood sacrifices) are '''''cursed:'' Deuteronomy 27:26.''' [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/james/2-10.htm James 2:10 says, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one ''point'', he is guilty of all."] :[http://biblehub.com/galatians/5-4.htm "'''You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace!'''" Galatians 5:4] [http://biblehub.com/galatians/5-18.htm "'''If you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.'''" Galatians 5:18] This includes the law of the Saturday Sabbath. On the Reformation principle of ''sola scriptura'' whoever says the true Christian believer is bound to keep the Old Testament law of the seventh day Sabbath is ''[[ipso facto]]'' under the curse of God and is not teaching on the ~~danger~~ Gospel of ~~attachment~~ Christ, and cannot be trusted (2 Peter 3:15-18; Jeremiah 8:8-9). "''The Bible says so!''" :If anyone doubts that the Lord has utterly "done away", cancelled the entire Law of Moses with its law of blood sacrifices and its seventh day Sabbath, the fact is evident in that God has made impossible obedience to ~~riches~~ the whole law of Moses by the destruction of the Temple along with the possibility of offering the prescribed animal blood sacrifices on the altar in Jerusalem in strict accordance with His word to Moses in the [[Book of Leviticus]] and curses all those who do not confirm the words of the whole law by doing them (~~Matthew~~ [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+27%3A26&version=RSVCE Deuteronomy 27:26], see [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+1-7&version=RSVCE Leviticus 1–7]). Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+18%3A15-19&version=RSVCE Deuteronomy 18:~~23–20~~15-19]. Jesus Christ is the Prophet foretold by Moses, whom God raised up from the dead to new life. According to St. Paul we are redeemed from the curse of the law by being baptized into the death of Jesus, now dead to the law. Romans 7:4-6 "we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit." :See the Sabbatarian articles: :*[http://www.the-ten-commandments.org/fourth_commandment.html '''The purpose and meaning of the Fourth Commandment''' (the-ten-commandments.org)] —"''Nowhere in the Bible does either the Father or Jesus Christ ever grant permission to change the time of the Sabbath from the seventh day to Sunday, the first day of the week. No human being, institution or state has ever had the right to tamper with what God has made sacred.''":*[http://www.the-ten-commandments.org/origin_of_babylon_sun_worship.html '''The Origin of Sun Worship, Trinity, Babylon and Sunday worship''' (the-ten-commandments.org)] —"''A counterfeit holy day was instituted in honor of the sun god, (Sun-day) and this was designed by Satan to rob God of his peculiar authority as the Creator of the universe as designated by His Holy day the Sabbath.''":Compare [[''The Two Babylons'']]. :Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14%3A1-15%3A16&version=RSVCE '''Romans 14:1–15:16''']:*[https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/The-First-Day-Of-The-Week '''15 Bible Verses about The First Day of the Week''' (bible.knowing-jesus.com)]:*[http://www.bible.ca/7-sunday-1st-day.htm '''Christians worshipped on the 1st Day! (Sunday)''' Here are the Bible reasons why Christians must worship on Sunday. (bible.ca)]:*[http://www.bible.ca/H-sunday-sabbath-and-sunday-in-early-christianity-before-400AD-DavidW.T.Brattston.htm '''Sabbath and Sunday in Early Christianity''', by David W.T. Brattston (bible.ca)] —"''The earliest Christian literature, well before Constantine, is unanimous that the main day of the week for early Christians to gather and worship was not the seventh-day Sabbath, but Sunday, which they sometimes called ‘the first day’ or ‘the eighth day’ or ‘the Lord’s Day’.''":*[https://www.catholic.com/tract/sabbath-or-sunday '''Sabbath or Sunday?''' - Catholic Answers (catholic.com)] —"''The early Church Fathers compared the observance of the Sabbath to the observance of the rite of circumcision, and from that they demonstrated that if the apostles abolished circumcision (Gal. 5:1-6), so also the observance of the Sabbath must have been abolished. The following quotations show that the first Christians understood this principle and gathered for worship on Sunday.''" The writer cites and quotes the following sources: The [[Didache]], The [[Barnabas|Letter of Barnabas]], [[Ignatius of Antioch]] (Letter to the Magnesians 8 [A.D. 110]), [[Justin Martyr]], The Didascalia [A.D. 225], [[Origen]], Victorinus, [[Eusebius|Eusebius of Caesarea]], Cyril of Jerusalem, Council of Laodicea (Canon 29 [A.D. 360]), [[John Chrysostom]], [[Saint Augustine|Augustine]], [[Gregory the Great|Pope Gregory I]].

"'''It How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!''' :Mark 10:23:See also Matthew 19:23; Luke 18:24.:Jesus says only that it is difficult. He does not say it is impossible. The fact that someone has vast material wealth does not ''[[ipso facto]]'' condemn: [[Solomon]] was given wisdom and riches ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+3%3A5-13&version=RSVCE 1 Kings 3:5-13]), but that is not what condemned him ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+11%3A9&version=RSVCE 1 Kings 11:9]). There are many examples of canonized [[saint]]s who properly used their acquired and inherited wealth, as entrusted to them by Almighty God, to benefit the poor and the sick and their nation ([[Philanthropy]]), to promote the Gospel missionary effort and establish Christian churches renowned for their beauty, to glorify the name of God and His Son our Lord Jesus Christ as a witness to all the nations of the world. :See [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+21%3A22-26&version=RSVCE Revelation 21:22-26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+27%3A4&version=RSVCE Psalm 27:4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zechariah+9%3A16-17&version=RSVCE Zechariah 9:16-17]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Malachi+1%3A11&version=RSVCE Malachi 1:11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A8&version=RSVCE Philippians 4:8]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/12-8.htm '''John 12:8''' ''commentaries'']. :The [[~~Hanukkah~~Tabernacle]] and the [[Solomon's Temple|~~Feast~~ Temple of Jerusalem]], and the ~~Dedication~~[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+21%3A9-21&version=RSVCE New Jerusalem of the Book of Revelation]were divinely inspired images of the heavenly glory of God that inspired the great [[cathedral]]s of [[Hagia Sophia]] and [[St. Peter's Basilica]] and other [[Famous Cathedrals]]. See [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+31%3A1-11&version=RSVCE Exodus 31:1-11], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Chronicles+28%3A11-19&version=RSVCE 1 Chronicles 28:11-19], and [https://biblehub.com/psalms/50-2.htm parallels of Psalm 50:2] Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+25-28&version=RSVCE Exodus 25–28] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+4%3A32-37&version=RSVCE Acts 4:32-37]—"' 'you shall make them for glory and beauty''" Exodus 28:40.:*[https://glencairnmuseum.org/newsletter/2018/6/28/glencairns-royalty Glencairn's Royalty: Images of Kings and Queens in the Royal Collection, Julia Perratore, PhD, Lecturer, Fordham University, Photography by Edwin Herder, ''Glencairn Museum News'', Number 6, 2018 (glencairnmeuseum.org)] ''includes benevolent royal saints''.:*[https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/31/14-billionaires-signed-bill-gates-and-warren-buffetts-giving-pledge.html These 14 billionaires just promised to give away more than half of their money like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, ''by'' Catherine Clifford (cnbc.com)] ''—formally joining the 154 other billionaires who have promised to give away at ~~Jerusalem~~least half of their vast wealth to philanthropic causes....the Giving Pledge is a commitment by wealthy individuals and families to give away more than half of their wealth to causes including poverty alleviation, refugee aid, disaster relief, global health, education, women and girls’ empowerment, medical research, arts and culture, criminal justice reform and environmental sustainability. ~~It was winter~~'':*[https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/the-wealth-of-the-church The Wealth of the Church, Steve Weidenkopf (catholic.com)] —"''Jesus neither commanded destitution nor taught that wealth is evil. Indeed, St. Paul taught that it is the “love of money” that is the “root of all evils” not wealth itself (1 Tim. 6:10). Christ focused on a spiritual poverty where his followers should maintain an inner detachment from material things.''":*[https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/beauty-of-worship/ The Beauty of Worship (ligonier.org)] —"''Due to the errors of the medieval church, iconoclasm (the removal of all artwork from the sanctuary) has been the Reformed church’s legacy since the Reformation. Today, many Protestants show little concern for architectural beauty in the construction of church buildings, preferring structures that look more like plain meeting halls than artistically ornamented sanctuaries.''" <~~small~~br>The anonymous Reformed Church author discusses the need for beauty in worship and in church buildings as a legitimate way to honor God.:~~John 10~~*[https:22//christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/wealth-23socialism-and-jesus/ Wealth, Socialism, and Jesus, By Janine Giordano Drake - Christian History Magazine (christianhistoryinstitute.org)] —''Where Protestants and Catholics went wrong''.:~~A direct allusion~~ *[https://chreader.org/sick-poor-origins-medical-charity/ The Sick Poor and the Origins of Medical Charity (chreader.org)] —"''The hospital was, in origin and conception, a distinctively Christian institution, rooted in Christian concepts of charity and philanthropy. There were no pre-Christian institutions in the ancient world that served the purpose that hospitals were created to serve, namely, the offering of charitable aid, particularly of healthcare, to those in need.''":*[https://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-charities-rank-high-in-top-100-u-s-nonprofits.html Christian Charities Rank High in Top 100 U.S. Nonprofits (christianpost.com)]:*[~~Septuagint~~https://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/money/millionaire-pastors-and-their-celebrity-lifestyles/ Millionaire Pastors And Their Celebrity Lifestyles, by Summer Buesing (therichest.com)]:*[https://rcg.org/realtruth/articles/418-trotm.html The Rise of the “Megachurch” - The Real Truth (rcg.org)] ~~texts~~—''The author represents the theological view of The Restored Church of God, originally Herbert W. Armstrong's [[World Wide Church of God]].'' ~~—1 Maccabees 4~~—See [https:36//rcg.org/books/wigtc.html "''Where'' Is God's Church?" David C. Pack. The Real Truth Magazine - Restored Church of God (rcg.org)] —David Pack says that the ''true'' Church of God is A Persecuted Little Flock ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+12%3A32&version=RSVCE Luke 12:32]). Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+2%3A34-35&version=RSVCE Daniel 2:34-35], 42[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+2%3A44-5845&version=RSVCE Daniel 2:44-45]; also [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+2%3A1-5&version=RSVCE Isaiah 2:1-5]. ~~—2 Maccabees 1~~According to David C. Pack the Reformed Church of God opposes [[Trinity|Trinitarianism]] as an evil deception by Satan, and faithfully continues [[Herbert W. Armstrong]]'s doctrine of [[polytheism]] (''similar to [[Mormon]] doctrine and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] doctrine'') by asserting that God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) are two separate beings, ''essentially two Gods'''!''''' See [[Council of Nicaea]] and [[Nestorianism]].:18*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_views_on_poverty_and_wealth Christian views on poverty and wealth - Wikipedia] —"''There have been a variety of Christian views on poverty and wealth. At one end of the spectrum is a view which casts wealth and materialism as an evil to be avoided and even combated. At the other end is a view which casts prosperity and well-being as a blessing from God.''" "'''It is easier for a camel to go through a ''needle’s eye'''''" :Mark 10:25; 2Matthew 19:1624:The word "camel" in Aramaic is ''gimel'' which also means "rope". It is possible for a rope to go through the large eye of a tentmakers needle if it is stripped down to its basic strands one by one. :Some have believed on the basis of the word ''gimel'' translated as "camel" that the reference is to a gate of Jerusalem called the "needle's eye" or to a rock formation outside Jerusalem called the "needle's eye", presenting a very narrow passage through which a caravan might pass to save time in approaching the city, necessitating unloading the camels, stripping them of their packs of goods, leading them through and then reloading them. However, [[Archaeology|archaeologists]] who have been in the Middle East, who know the sites of the ancient gates of the city, the trade routes, roads and paths to Jerusalem, and have actually searched the several miles of the whole region around Jerusalem have found no evidence of such a structure. Preachers and commentaries which assert the [[falsehood]] that there was such a gate or formation cannot be trusted, and they should be avoided. :*The ''Jerome Biblical Commentary'' is a standard reference work found in many libraries, written by Catholic scholars. Its commentary on Matthew 19:24 states bluntly, "the figure of the camel and the eye of the needle means exactly what is said; it does not refer to a cable or a small gate of Jerusalem." The ''Abingdon Interpreter's Bible'' is a major reference work compiled by Protestant scholars, and its analysis of this passage is in full agreement.:*"The use of the term 'needle's eye' for a gate of Jerusalem is an [[Eisegesis|interpretive fiction]], again designed to make Jesus' word more palatable. No such gate exists." —''Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary'', 2003, Holman Bible Publishers, page 1181b "needle". ISBN:978-0-8054-2836-0.:*[http://tmcdaniel.palmerseminary.edu/camel-hawser.pdf Again—Camel, or Rope in Matthew 19.24 and Mark 10.25? Theodore R. Lorah, Jr. (tmcdaniel.palmerseminary.edu)] pdf:*[http://www.revelations-revealed.com/biblical_truths/biblical_truths/camel_or_rope.html Camel or Rope? - RevelationsRevealed (revelations-revealed.com)] —"''In the original Aramaic text, the word to which the Greeks obtained 'camel' is 'Gamala'. 'Gamala' does not mean camel, that is 'Gimel'. 'Gamala' is a heavy rope. Thus, Yeshua was saying, 'It is easier to get a heavy rope through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to Heaven.' ''":*[http://www.biblestudents.com/htdbv5/r4658.htm The Camel and the Needle's Eye (biblestudents.com)] —"''On the contrary, '''no little children can get into the Kingdom'''. Only those who have the hearing of faith are even 'called' to the Kingdom and its glories.... As our Lord could not have taken up his cross when he was a boy of nine, so likewise children cannot become the followers of Christ in the Scriptural sense until they have reached the age of discretion''". —[http://www.biblestudents.com/ BibleStudents.com Sponsored by Associated Bible Students of Central Ohio, P.O. Box 813, Westerville, Ohio, 43086-0813, USA ~ 1-8888-77-BIBLE ~ GospelPlan@aol.com] (''boldface emphasis added''):::These statements are not taken out of context. The anonymous writer directly contradicts Jesus, who said: "Permit the children to come to Me; and do not hinder them; '''for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these'''." Mark 10:14 (''boldface emphasis added''). The Biblestudents.com site is an outstanding example of literalist [[Non-denominational church|non-denominational]] ''[[sola scriptura]]'' [[Exegesis|exegetical]] [[error]]. Compare [[hermeneutics]]. :See [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/10-25.htm multiple commentaries on Mark 10:25]. See [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/19-24.htm multiple commentaries on Matthew 19:24].

"'''Then Jesus continued on the way.'''"

:An See Mark 10:31 and John 10:22:This is an amplification of the text ~~after '''Matthew 20:16'''~~ in accordance with conservative principles of [[redaction]]. ~~This point in~~ Compare the Gospel narrative ~~appears from textual indications to be the appropriate place to insert the account of the [[Hanukkah|Feast of the Dedication]] in winter (John 10~~after '''Matthew 20:~~22-42) which follows and finds Jesus in Jerusalem and then his return to Galilee before spring and his final journey to Jerusalem for the Passover.~~ 16'''

:~~The materials collated and redacted~~ This point in ~~this and~~ the ~~previous chapter of ''Harmony of~~ narrative appears from textual indications to be the Gospel (Conservative Version)'' are those texts which have perennially presented the Gospel redactor with most difficulty and frustration over the question of how to combine them in a genuine chronological sequence that is true appropriate place to insert the ~~text. The Gospel~~ account of ~~John presents textual critics and students of the Bible with unresolved difficulties over the appropriate placement of most of its narrative materials in harmony within~~ the [[~~The Gospels~~Hanukkah|~~Synoptics~~Feast of the Dedication]]~~, Matthew, Mark, Luke, because it contains few points of correspondence with them. An abundance of commentaries on the differences between them~~ in winter which follows and ~~the Gospel of~~ finds Jesus in Jerusalem (John ~~has been produced over the past several centuries. A few have given outstandingly well~~10:22-~~informed~~ 42) and ~~insightful opinions supported by extensive practical researches in the historical background of first century Palestine, together with historical, documentary, linguistical~~ then his return to Galilee before spring and ~~textual analyses, which offer reasonable suggestions of how these apparent differences might be resolved. The most elegant and successful resolutions of~~ his final journey to Jerusalem for the difficulties of correlating the Gospel narratives are derived from approaching the manuscripts of these texts as if they are reliable and factual historical documentation drawn on eyewitness testimony. Conservative textual critics are convinced by all indications from the body of available evidence and the constant witness of the Christian Faith over two millennia that the Four Gospels are in fact reliable, factual and historicalPassover.

:The materials collated and redacted in this and the preceding chapter 19 of this ''Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)'' are those texts which have perennially presented the Gospel redactor with most difficulty and frustration over the question of how to combine them in a genuine chronological sequence that is true to the text. The Gospel of John presents textual critics and students of the Bible with unresolved difficulties over the appropriate placement of most of its narrative materials in harmony within the [[The Gospels|Synoptics]], Matthew, Mark, Luke, because it contains few points of correspondence with them. An abundance of commentaries on the differences between them and the Gospel of John has been produced over the past several centuries. A few have given outstandingly well-informed and insightful opinions supported by extensive practical researches in the historical background of first century Palestine, together with historical, documentary, linguistical and textual analyses, which offer reasonable suggestions of how these apparent differences might be resolved. The most elegant and successful resolutions of the difficulties of correlating the Gospel narratives are derived from approaching the manuscripts of these texts as reliable and factual historical documentation drawn on eyewitness testimony. Conservative textual critics are convinced by all indications from the body of available evidence and the constant witness of the Christian Faith over two millennia that the Four Gospels are in fact reliable, factual and historical. :The position of John 10:22-42 relative to the Synoptics in this ''Harmony of the Gospel'' is determined by a few factors and conservative assumptions.

:*The Gospels are all assumed to be chronological narratives, telling the story in historical time sequence.

:*The Feast of the Dedication in winter took place after the Passover and the episodes of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14–15, Mark 6–8, Luke 9, John 6) and after the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7–9).

:*Places in the Greek text of the Synoptics where there is textually no grammatical element indicating a transition of moving from one episode immediately into another are interpreted as possible breaks which allows the redactor to insert into the narrative material presented by one Gospel which is not represented in another.

:Regarding the placement of John 10:22-42, after the narrative of Mark 10:31 and before the narrative of Matthew 19:16, there is a distinct change or break between the texts of Matthew 20:16 and 17, and only then is Jesus on the way to Jerusalem (20:17). In Mark's Gospel, Jesus begins to set out on his journey to Jerusalem and a young man "''runs up''" to him and "''kneels to him''" and asks what he should do to "''inherit''" eternal life('''κληρονομήσω''' ''I inherit''), and after hearing him, Jesus loves him and offers him counsel, but the tone of this account is more tender than the second account in Matthew. The young man goes away sorrowful, and Jesus gives his teaching about riches; and when Peter begins to ask the question, "What shall we have?" Jesus interrupts him before he completes it. In the account in Matthew there is no grammatical transition from the blessing of the children. The man is a young man, but he simply "''comes up''" to Jesus, he '''does not''' "''kneel''", and he asks what "''one thing''" he should do to "''have''" ('''ἔχω''' ''I have'') eternal life (''now, so that I do not have to wait and then inherit it when I die''); and when Jesus simply tells him to keep the commandments, he asks "''which ones?''", and when he is told, he is not satisfied with the Lord's answer, and he asks what he still lacks, and he too goes away sad. This is a different man, with a different attitude. In Matthew's account, after the young man leaves, Jesus expands upon his teaching about attachment to riches; and he allows Peter to ask all of his question. The two narratives are not the same.

:Greek text Mark 10:17b: διδάσκαλε ἀγαθέ, τί ποιήσω ἵνα ζωὴν αἰώνιον '''κληρονομήσω''';

:No claim is made that this particular ''Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)'' is authoritative, definitive or inspired. It is an illustrative demonstration only, made available here as a help to better understanding, "''that you may know with greater certainty the truth about those things of which you have been informed''". It may be regarded as a commentary. It should be evaluated according to its merits.

"'''It was the ''[[Hanukkah|Feast of the Dedication]]'' at Jerusalem. It was winter'''"

:John 10:22-23

:A direct allusion to the [[Septuagint]] texts, —1 Maccabees 4:36, 42-58; —2 Maccabees 1:18; 2:16, 19; 10:1-8.

"'''They will never perish, and ''no one will snatch them out of my hand''. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. ''No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand''.'''"

:John 10:28-29

:This is one of many passages in the New Testament cited in support of the [[Reformed Churches|Reformed]] [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] [[Protestantism|Protestant]] doctrine of [[Predestination|Predestinate Election, Limited Atonement and Irresistible Grace]], which is opposed to the doctrines of Protestant [[Arminianism]], [[Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy]] and [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]], which hold that the Bible teaches Unlimited Atonement, Free Will and Resistible Grace, that the unmerited gift of [[salvation]] through Christ alone is freely available to all, '''''and''''' that it is also conditional and provisional—"''IF...''". See especially [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/1Timothy%202%3A4 1 Timothy 2:4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Acts%2017%3A30 Acts 17:30]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/2Peter%203%3A9 2 Peter 3:9].

:Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A17-18&version=RSVCE 2 Peter 3:17-18]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A23-31&version=RSVCE Hebrews 10:23-31], especially [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A35&version=RSVCE Hebrews 10:35]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A21-23&version=RSVCE Colossians 1:21-23]; and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A4-10&version=RSVCE John 15:4-10].

:While it is true that

::"no one shall snatch them out of my hand...and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand",

:and

::"neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A38-39&version=RSVCE Romans 8:38-39]),

:they can choose to depart, and forfeit their security (either carelessly through the corruptions of [[Antinomianism]] or deliberately by [[Apostasy]]). This is why the New Testament has so many warnings to remain faithful ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+10%3A12&version=RSVCE 1 Corinthians 10:12]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A17&version=RSVCE 2 Peter 3:17]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+2%3A1-11&version=RSVCE Romans 2:1-11] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6&version=RSVCE Romans chapter 6]).

:See [[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) longer form Chapters 15-21#Fifteen|Harmony of the Gospel Chapter 15 marginal notes on John 6:65 –''scroll all the way down to the '''12th''' marginal note'' "'''For this cause I have said to you that no one can come to me, unless it is given to him by my Father.'''" WEB John 6:65.]]

:See also [[Eternal security (salvation)#Opposing arguments|Eternal security: Opposing arguments]]. Compare [[Traditionalism]] and [[Athanasian Creed]].

"'''scripture cannot be ''broken'''''"

:John 10:35

:"'''broken'''" Greek '''λυθῆναι''' ''lythēnai'' "be loosed, be released, be broken" (made invalid, irrelevant, cancelled, annulled), from Strong's number ''3089'' '''λύω''' ''luo'' "loose, release, dissolve; ''to'' loosen (literally or figuratively):—break (up), destroy, dissolve, (un-)loose, melt, put off". Compare ''4486'' '''ρήγνυμι''' ''rhegnumi'' "break, wreck, crack, sunder by separation of the parts from each other, shattering, disrupt, lacerate, convulse, twist:—break (forth), rend, tear." (Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A15-18&version=RSVCE 2 Peter 3:15-18].)

:See [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/10-35.htm interlinear text of John 10:35] See [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/10-35.htm multiple commentaries on John 10:35]

:God's cancellation of the Old Covenant is found in Jeremiah 31:31-37, and is fully realized in the undeniable fact that history has made this clearly evident in His ending of Levitical Temple sacrifices by destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, making all of the ritual sacrifices of Moses impossible. The modern [[Samaritan|Samaritan sect]] have continued to observe as carefully as possible all of the [[Mosaic Law]] on Mount Gerizim in Israel. St. Paul's letters emphasize the folly of insisting on observance of Old Testament rules today by some Protestant sects and churches, for example [[Sabbatarianism]] and [[Kosher]] dietary rules, by pointing out that whoever seeks to obey the [[Mosaic Law]], and does not keep ''every one of its 613 ordinances'', but breaks even one of them, is guilty of breaking the whole of the Law entirely, and is cursed, according to the Law—and is also totally estranged from Christ. '''Deuteronomy 27:26; Romans 2:23; 4:16; Galatians 3:10; 5:4 and 7'''. St. James says the same thing, '''James 2:10'''. According to the Reformation principle of ''sola scriptura'' every church, denomination and sect that maintains that obedience to the commands of God as revealed in the Old Testament, in particular the law of the sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11), ''cannot be teaching the truth of the Gospel and should be avoided'' (Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 1:8-9; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 John 8-11). "You are not under the law." '''Galatians 5:18'''. See [[Antinomianism]].

:According to the [[Council of Jerusalem]] in the [[Acts of the Apostles]] the Gentiles not born of Abraham's line are not required to obey the Law of Moses. '''Acts 15:1-31'''. But according to '''Hebrews 13:17''' all believers are bound to be obedient to the leaders of the church who are the guardians of the faith. See '''Acts 20:28, Romans 13:1-2, 1 Corinthians 12:27-28'''.

:Jesus here in John 10:22-39 (as also in Matthew 22:31-33, 41-46) exposes the inconsistency of rabbinical interpretation of the scriptures, by consistently using their literalist method of ''[[sola scriptura]]'' against them, to expose their rejection of Him as being a rejection of scripture and rejection of the revelation of the will and doctrine of God.

:In light of Jesus' fulfillment of the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17-20) by His teachings, His life, passion, death and resurrection, and Paul's teaching that "love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:8-10), a thorough study of the 613 ordinances and commandments in the [[Torah]] reveals that the particulars of the law are ''illustrative examples'' of the wisdom of compassion, mercy and reverence toward God required by the Lord, as righteousness before Him, and as forms of [[Precedent|legal precedent]] the essential character of which can be applied to every aspect of life. Matthew 22:34-39; Mark 12:28-34; Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 24:45–25:46; see [[Corporal and spiritual works of mercy]].

:Commentaries on the Bible are ostensibly for the honest purpose of aiding [[discernment]] of its meaning as a whole. When commentaries on scripture are not based on accurately informed [[exegesis]] a false [[Hermeneutics|hermeneutic]] full of [[error]] and [[falsehood]]s can result, as Jeremiah himself related. ([http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/8-8.htm Jeremiah 8:8]; see also [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+3%3A14-16&version=RSVCE 2 Corinthians 3:14-16], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A15-17&version=RSVCE 2 Peter 3:15-17].) Jews are guided in their interpretation of the meaning of scripture by principles of tradition in the [[Talmud]]; [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] by the consistent traditions of the Fathers, saints and [[Mysticism|mystics]] of the Church and the first seven [[Ecumenical council]]s; [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] by the apostolic traditions of the Fathers and the [[Magisterium]]; [[Protestantism|Protestants]] by the Reformation principles of the [[Five Solas]], many of them by also adopting the [[Individualism|individualistic]] principle of [[sola spiritu]].

:''See especially articles on'' '''[[Pilpul]], [[Cafeteria Christianity]], [[Invincible ignorance]], [[Straw man fallacy]], [[Polemic]] and [[Fallacy of analogy]].'''

"'''though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father'''"

:John 10:37 - Context John 10:24-38.

:(Compare Romans 1:16-21; Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 4:11-20; Luke 8:10-18; John 3:19-20; 4:22-23; 8:43, 47; 14:12–''see also'' [[Miracle]]s and [[Canonization]].)

:Christianity is not based on "blind faith" without [[intelligence]].

:See [[Christian apologetics]] and [[Faith and reason]]; also [[Confirmation bias]], [[Rational ignorance]], [[Specious reasoning]], [[Fallacy of invincible ignorance]] and [[Philosophical naturalism]]. Compare [[Natural Law]] and [[Abductive reasoning]] and [[Infinite regression]].

Compare the [~~[Conservative Bible|~~https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible ] text (conservapedia.com):]]

As he was leaving, a man came running up to him, and kneeled before him, asking, "Good Teacher, what must I do that I may have eternal life?"

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'''<big><big>A</big></big>'''s they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, '''Lord'''.”

Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

He said to another, “Follow me'''!'''”

But he said, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', allow me first to go and bury my father.”

But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce God’s Kingdom.”

Another also said, “I want to follow you, '''Lord''', but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.”

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”

Now after these things, '''the Lord ''' also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he was about to come. ~~Then he~~ He said to them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to '''the Lord ''' of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest. Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, nor wallet, nor sandals. Greet no one on the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat the things that are set before you. Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ But into whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. “Woe to you, [http://bibleatlas.org/full/chorazin.htm Chorazin'''!'''] Woe to you, Bethsaida'''!''' For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.

“Woe to you, [http://bibleatlas.org/full/chorazin.htm Chorazin'''!'''] Woe to you, Bethsaida'''!''' For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

They went forth. War arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven; and the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

'''He said to them, “I saw that Satan had fallen like lightning from heaven.''' Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I thank you, O Father, '''Lord ''' of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.”

Turning to the disciples, he said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whomever the Son desires to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”

Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, '''what shall I do to inherit [[eternal life]]'''?”

He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

He answered,

:“You shall love '''the Lord ''' your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

He said to him, “You have answered correctly. '''[[Salvation|Do this, and you will live]]'''.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain [[Samaritan]], as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”

He said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus's feet, and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', do you not care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”

Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord,''' Teach us to pray, just as John also Taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ ”

“Which of you '''fathers''', if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by [[Satan#Beelzebul|Beelzebul]], the prince of the demons.”

Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to you.

But he said, “Yes, even more, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

(And indeed, the Gospel proclaims that all generations shall call [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|his mother Mary]] blessed, “she who believed”, for she “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”Whoever curses whom God has blessed is cursed, except they repent.)

When the multitudes were gathering together to him, he began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah, the prophet. For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will also be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them''':''' for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it''':''' for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore see whether the light that is in you is not darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light.”

Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in, and sat at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner. '''The Lord ''' said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for alms as gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees'''!''' For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and God’s love. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. Woe to you Pharisees'''!''' For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites'''!''' For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them do not know it.”

One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”

One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an [[Arbitration|arbitrator ]] over you?”

He said to them, “Beware'''!''' Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”

He said to his disciples, “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens''':''' they do not sow, they do not reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds'''!''' Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? If then you are not able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They do not toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? Do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

“Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning. Be like men watching for their ~~lord~~'''Lord''', when he returns from the wedding feast; that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him. Blessed are those servants, whom '''the ~~lord~~ Lord''' will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will dress himself, make them recline, and will come and serve them. They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you do not expect him.”

Peter said to him, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', are you telling this parable to us, or to everybody?”

'''The Lord ''' said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his ~~lord~~ '''Lord''' will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times? Blessed is that servant whom his ~~lord~~ '''Lord''' will find doing so when he comes. Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My ~~lord~~ '''Lord''' delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken, then '''the ~~lord~~ Lord''' of that servant will come in a day when he is not expecting him, and in an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful. That [[Antinomianism|servant, who knew his ~~lord~~'s ''Lord'''’s will, and did not prepare, nor do what he wanted]], will be beaten with many stripes, but '''[[Invincible ignorance|he who did not know]], and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. ''' To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.

“I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am before it is accomplished'''!''' Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division. For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way. Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”

He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’ He answered, ~~‘Lord~~‘'''Lord''', leave it alone this year also, while I dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’ ”

He was Teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. She was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up. When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.”

He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight and glorified God. The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day'''!'''”

Therefore '''the Lord ''' answered him, “You hypocrites'''!''' Does each one of you not free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water? Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom? It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, not stopping before it was all leavened.”

He went on his way through cities and villages''',''' Teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem. One said to him, ~~“Lord~~“'''Lord''', are they few who are saved?”

He said to them, “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, [[Eternal security (salvation)|~~‘Lord~~‘'''Lord, Lord, ''' open to us'''!'''’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I do not know you or where you come from.’]] Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you Taught in our streets.’ He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you [[Antinomianism|workers of iniquity]].’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside. They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God's Kingdom. Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”

On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”

He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission.' Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her'''!''' How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused'''!''' Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me before you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the ~~Lord~~'''Lord!'''’ ”

When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him. Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him. Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them, “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him, and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends, nor your ~~brothers~~brethren, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; and you will be blessed, because they do not have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the [[~~Resurrection~~Last Judgment|resurrection of the righteous]].”

When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will feast in God’s Kingdom'''!'''”

But he said to him, “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people. He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’ They all as one began to make excuses.

“The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.’ Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ That servant came, and told his '''lord ''' these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’ The servant said, ~~‘Lord~~‘'''Lord''', it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’ '''The lord ''' said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper.’ ”

He departed from there and continued on his journey to Jerusalem. Great crowds of the people followed him.

Luke 9:57–10:16 Revelation 12:7-9 Luke 10:17–14:24 —LXX Baruch 4:37

:Luke 10:17-18.

:Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12%3A7-10&version=KJV Revelation 12:7-10]

:Some commentators relate these two passages as pertaining to the same eventbecause of the word spoken by Jesus here. The spiritual authority that the Lord Jesus Christ has given his representatives on earth, in his war against evil, has been joined by Michael the archangel and his angels in heaven , and ~~dislodged~~ Satan and his angels have been dislodged from their position of power during the mission of the disciples and apostles in their overthrow and casting out and subjugation of the demons. Compare Luke 4:5-6. See [[Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis)#The woman clothed with the sun, and the dragon: Roman oppression and the birth of Christ|Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis): The woman clothed with the sun, and the dragon: Roman oppression and the birth of Christ]] Other commentators relate the passage in Revelation as having to do with the first test of the angels and the rebellion of Satan and his followers at the beginning of creation. See [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/revelation/12-7.htm commentaries on Revelation 12:7.] [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/revelation/12-9.htm commentaries on Revelation 12:9.] [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/10-18.htm commentaries on Luke 10:18] Compare Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6 and Isaiah 14:12-15. :See [[Detraction]], [[Slander]], [[Calumny]], [[Libel]], [[Defamation]] "''''what shall I <big>''do''</big> to inherit ''[[eternal life]]''?'...' "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." '...'[[Salvation|''Do'' this, and you will ''live'']]''''" :Luke 10:25-28:This appears to be a "gospel of works": "'''''<big>Do</big> this, and you will have eternal life'''''". Compare Romans 2:6-11; Matthew 25:31-46; James 2:18-26; 1 John 3:7, 17-18; Revelation 20:11-13; 22:12. [[Saint Paul]] explicitly states (KJV), "'''For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.'''" Ephesians 2:10. (Compare [http://biblehub.com/ephesians/2-10.htm multiple versions of Ephesians 2:10.]) :The Bible also teaches infallibly that "without '''faith''' it is impossible to please him" (Hebrews 11:6), and that "This is the work of God, that ye '''believe''' on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:29), and that salvation is "'''Not of works''', lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is evident from a careful reading of the context of the whole of the New Testament that the Gospel of salvation in Christ Jesus includes the necessity of doing good works, which is pleasing to God, without which no man can be saved, therefore "''Do not neglect to do good and to share (communicate) what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God''" (Colossians 1:10; 3:20; 1 John 3:22; Hebrews 12:14; 13:16; Acts 4:12). "Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." "For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality." :The key to a proper understanding of Luke 10:25-28 as a "gospel of works" is to notice that the passage includes the words, "''You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.''" According to the Bible the way to love God is to do what pleases Him, and this includes faith and works, doing good, for "''Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only (not by faith alone)''" (James 2:24; see also Matthew 7:12, 19, 21; John 14:12-24; 1 John 2:3-6). Compare [[Eternal security (salvation)]] and [[Worship]].

"'''he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.'''"

:Luke 10:38.

:"'''a certain village'''"—not named. Probably not the village of Bethany close to Jerusalem.

:~~Some indications in the Gospel of Luke suggest that this particular village is in Samaria or southern Galilee ruled~~ A [[Prudence|prudent]] Bible student and biblical scholar not blinded by ~~Herod. Consider~~ the ~~chronological sequence~~ disabling "mindset" of [[confirmation bias]] and [[cognitive bias]] will allow the ~~following passages after chapter 10 (''boldface emphases added'')~~text to be instructive.Most difficulties are resolved by a consideration of::*~~"He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling '''on to Jerusalem'''." Luke 13~~the text:~~22.~~*the context of the text:*~~"At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him,~~ [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)#The literal sense of scripture|'~~Get away from~~ 'the literal sense of scripture''~~here''', for Herod wants to kill you." Luke 13:31. Compare Luke 23:6-7. Herod~~]] or the author's ~~jurisdiction was Galilee including Samaria, "''here''",~~ intent (what a Bible text does not ~~further south in Judea.~~say can be just as important as what it says):*"the exacting accuracy of Luke'~~''On~~ s research and his carefully precise arrangement of the ~~way to Jerusalem'''~~ chronological sequence of events, that he ~~was passing along '''between Samaria and Galilee'''."~~ made no careless mistake (Luke 171:~~11.~~1-4):*~~"And taking~~ and the ~~twelve, he said to them, 'Behold, we are '''going up to Jerusalem''', and everything that is written~~ Christian doctrine of the ~~Son~~ inerrant inspiration of ~~man by~~ God the ~~prophets will be accomplished~~Holy Spirit as the principle Divine Author of the scripture Who cannot lie (Titus 1:2).":*These considerations resolve the superficially apparent difficulties raised by the illusory perception of the "~~As he '''drew near to Jericho'''...He '''entered Jericho''' and was passing through.~~certain village" in Luke 1810:~~35 and 19:1~~38 as being identical to Bethany near Jerusalem. ~~The village of~~ They also disclose some very reasonable [~~http://bibleatlas.org/bethany.htm Bethany~~[Deductive reasoning|deductions] ~~is closer~~ ] about personal information or circumstances surrounding Martha and her family, as well as exposing the [[specious reasoning]] of some Bible commentators which leads them to ~~Jerusalem than~~ question the [~~http://bibleatlas.org/jericho.htm Jericho~~[truth]] of the Bible as a foundation for [[belief]].

:It Luke 9:51 in which Jesus has set his face to go to Jerusalem, is ~~known that some wealthier Jews owned more than one house, sometimes~~ followed by 9:52–10:37 in ~~different villages or cities. The house~~ the territory of ~~Martha here in~~ Samaria and Galilee. Luke 10:38 ~~may have been another than the~~ is during his journey when Martha receives Jesus into her house ~~in the village of Bethany (John 11:1)~~. ~~The assertion, advanced by many exegetes, ''~~This is followed by no means certain'', that this "certain house" is "undoubtedly, without doubt" the same house of Lazarus in Bethany near Jerusalem. [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/meyer/luke/10.htm Meyer] says that Jesus cannot yet be in Bethany (see Luke 13:22and 31, ~~Luke 17:11). According to [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/vws/luke/10.htm Vincent], Martha (not Lazarus) significantly "received"~~ which shows Jesus ~~under her roof (~~in Galilee in Herod'~~''ὑπεδέξατο''', ''from the words'' '''ὕπο''', under, ''and'' '''δέχομαι''', to receive)~~s jurisdiction. ~~It was '''she''' who received him under '''her''' roof. Martha is marked as~~ Indeed the ~~head~~ whole context of the ~~household. It was her house. In Bethany, by contrast, Lazarus appears as head~~ larger textual block of ~~the household. See John 11:1; 12:1-2. If the house of Martha in this "~~''~~certain village~~'~~'" in~~ Luke 109:~~38 is the~~ 51–19:34''~~same~~'~~' village identified in the Gospel of John as "''Bethany~~, ~~the village of Mary~~ and ~~her sister Martha'~~Jesus'word, "Behold, ~~then Jesus, "when the days drew near for him~~ we are going up to ~~be received up~~Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51) would afterward have departed with his disciples and traveled again north away from Jerusalem and back through the cities and villages of Samaria and into Galilee, before returning again south and traveling back with them toward Jerusalem in accordance with the account of his final journey in the Gospel of Luke. This is the conclusion of several commentators regarding what they interpret as an apparent discrepancy between [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/10-38.htm Luke 10:38] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/17-11.htm Luke 17:11]. After the Jews took up stones to stone him (John 1018:31), ~~"''He went away again '''across the Jordan'''~~ demonstrates to the ~~place where John at first baptized, '''and there he remained'''. And many came to him, and they said 'John did no sign, but everything~~ unbiased mind that ~~John said about~~ this ~~man was true.~~"certain village" ' ~~And many believed on him there.~~'cannot'"' ~~(John 10:40-42)~~ be Bethany in the province of Judea.

:Some indications in the Gospel of Luke suggest that this particular village is in southern Galilee ruled by Herod. Consider the chronological sequence of the following passages after '''Luke chapter 10''' "he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house." (''boldface emphases added'').:*"He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling '''on to Jerusalem'''." Luke '''13:22'''.:*"At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, 'Get away from '''here''', for Herod wants to kill you." Luke '''13:31'''. Compare Luke 23:6-7. Herod's jurisdiction was Galilee including Samaria, "''here''", not further south in Judea.:*"'''On the way to Jerusalem''' he was passing along '''between Samaria and Galilee'''." Luke '''17:11'''.:*"And taking the twelve, he said to them, 'Behold, we are '''going up to Jerusalem''', and everything that is written of the Son of man by the prophets will be accomplished." Luke '''18:31'''.:*"As he '''drew near to Jericho'''...He '''entered Jericho''' and was passing through." Luke '''18:35''' and '''19:1'''. The village of [http://bibleatlas.org/bethany.htm Bethany] is closer to Jerusalem than [http://bibleatlas.org/jericho.htm Jericho]. :It is known that some wealthier Jews owned more than one house, sometimes in different villages or cities. The house of Martha here in Luke 10:38 most probably may have been another than the house in the village of Bethany (John 11:1). The ''assertion'', advanced by many exegetes, that this "certain house" is "undoubtedly, without doubt" the same house of Lazarus in Bethany near Jerusalem, ''is by no means certain''. :Only an unsupportable [[Eisegesis|eisegetical]] reading of the text assumes implicitly without question that the unnamed "certain village" of Luke 10:38 "must" be Bethany near Jerusalem, and that when Martha received Jesus "into her house" it was "unquestionably" the house of Lazarus of Bethany and his sisters Martha and Mary. This divorces the whole passage of Luke 10:38-42 from the context of '''Luke 9:51–19:28''' 40-50 miles north in Galilee and Samaria. This [[falsehood]] of rash [[Exegesis|exegetical]] judgment is a [[Fallacy of analogy|fallacy of comparison]], which strikes directly at the doctrine of [[biblical inerrancy]]. This creates unnecessary difficulties that do not actually exist. ''Similarity of narrative does not prove identity of event''. The moment the Bible-believing reader and biblical scholar and exegete accepts that the unnamed "''certain village''" is not Bethany, that Lazarus and Martha and Mary were reasonably wealthy, and that Martha owned her own house with her sister Mary in Galilee 40 miles north of Bethany—the moment that these are accepted, the difficulties raised by some biblical scholars and commentaries regarding Luke 10:38-42 evaporate into nothingness. (See [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+31%3A12-22&version=RSVCE Proverbs 31:12-22]. Compare [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/8-3.htm Luke 8:3]; also [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/27-55.htm Matthew 27:55]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/15-41.htm Mark 15:41].) For a discussion of the reliability of Luke see the article [[Luke and the Census]]. :[https://biblehub.com/commentaries/meyer/luke/10.htm Meyer] says that Jesus "cannot yet be in Bethany" (see Luke 13:22, Luke 17:11). His assertion that "this incident, which '''must''' have occurred in Bethany" (''boldface emphasis added'') shows that Meyer makes an unjustified and [[Ignorance|ignorant]] assumption that only one house is owned by Lazarus and Martha and Mary, and that Luke made an ignorant error in "transposing" this incident out of chronological sequence, in a glaringly obvious violation of the whole context of the geographical setting of his narrative ('''Luke 9:51–19:28''') and careless disregard of what almost all biblical scholars acknowledge is Luke's clearly demonstrated evident knowledge of the geography of Palestine, because "he was unacquainted with the detailed circumstances of the persons concerned". :Luke 1:1-4 states that Luke wrote strictly "in order"::—"having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee, '''in order''', most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightiest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou has been instructed" (''boldface emphasis added''). :He wrote "''in order, with method, in consecutive order, in sequence''"; also with "''precision, exactness, exactitude''". See [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/luke/1-3.htm interlinear text of Luke 1:3]. "''In order''" here in Greek (Luke 1:3) is the adverb '''καθεξῆς''' ''kathexés'', from ''kata'' and ''hexes'', which means "''consecutively, successively, in order, in succession''." (It does not mean "''in order that you might know''" or "''for the purpose of demonstration that you might know''".) See [http://biblehub.com/greek/2517.htm Strong's number ''2517'' '''καθεξῆς''' ''kathexés''], and especially [http://biblehub.com/greek/199.htm number ''199'' '''ἀκριβῶς''' ''akribós'', "''with exactness, carefully, exactly, strictly, distinctly''."] :However, Meyer does not believe it. He dismisses Luke 1:1-4 and the Divine Author Who inspired the ''Gospel According to Luke'', for he asserts, "''it is to be supposed that Luke, because he was unacquainted with the more detailed circumstances of the persons concerned, transposed this incident.''" He assumes Luke is ignorant and confused about the facts, that his sources were unreliable, that he did not write "in sequential order", that in spite of "''exactness, carefully, exactly, strictly, distinctly''" examining all things by the eyewitnesses he made the careless mistake of transposing an "earlier" incident in Bethany near Jerusalem without noticing any inconsistency within the context of the setting of his narrative in Galilee and Samaria, and he tells his readers that this is "to be supposed" by them. :According to [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/vws/luke/10.htm Vincent], Martha (not Lazarus) significantly "received" Jesus under her roof ('''ὑπεδέξατο''', ''from the words'' '''ὕπο''', under, ''and'' '''δέχομαι''', to receive). It was '''she''' who received him under '''her''' roof. Martha is marked as the head of the household. It was her house. In Bethany, by contrast, Lazarus appears as head of the household. See John 11:1; 12:1-2. :Luke 9:51 says, "When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem". This cannot be his journey to Jerusalem for the feast of Dedication in winter, when the Jews tried to stone him, because he then left Jerusalem and "went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptized" (John 10:22-40); ''he went away from Jerusalem'' into the wilderness of Judea and into all the region about Jordan and to Aenon near Salim in Galilee where Jesus with his disciples had also baptized in the beginning of his ministry (Matthew 3:1; Mark 1:4-5; Luke 3:3; John 3:23), '''and there he remained'''. This verse Luke 9:51 "he set his face to go to Jerusalem" is followed by Luke 9:52–10:37, in which he travels through Samaritan territory (Luke 9:52) and into Galilee. If the house of Martha in this "''certain village''" in Luke '''10:38''' is the ''same'' village identified in the Gospel of John as "''Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha''" only about 10 miles east of Jerusalem, then Jesus, who had "set his face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51) would have already journeyed the 40 miles from Samaria through cities and villages (Luke 10:1) to Bethany, and then, after this visit of reception in the house of Martha and Mary, having "set his face to go to Jerusalem", he would have departed with his disciples from Bethany and traveled back again north 40-50 miles away from Jerusalem, having "set his face to go to Jerusalem", and through the cities and villages of Samaria and into Galilee again, Herod's jurisdiction (Luke '''13:22 and 31''')—having "set his face to go to Jerusalem"—before returning again south and traveling back with them again toward Jericho and Bethany and Jerusalem, in accordance with the account of his final journey in the Gospel of Luke. This is the conclusion of several commentators regarding what they interpret as an apparent discrepancy between [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/10-38.htm Luke 10:38] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/17-11.htm Luke 17:11], based on the identification of the "certain village" where Martha received him as being "undoubtedly" the village of Bethany, with the assumption that "her house" is the house of Lazarus. :Look again. In John 10:22-42, when "''It was winter''", after the Jews took up stones to stone him (John 10:31), "''He went away again '''across the Jordan''' to the place where John at first baptized, '''and there he remained'''. And many came to him, and they said 'John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.' And many believed on him there.''"' (John 10:40-42) But this was in the winter, '''''before''''' "the days drew near for him to be received up", '''''before''''' "he set his face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51), '''''before''''' the season of [[Passover]] at the beginning of spring. John had at first baptized about 40 miles north of Jerusalem, in Aenon near Salim (John 3:23). After a period of time, as spring approached, it is not impossible that Jesus, like Paul after him (Acts 15:36), in this last and final preparatory phase of his ministry, "''on his journey to'' [be received up in] ''Jerusalem''", ~~returned~~ beginning in the north from "where he remained" (following the attempt to stone him at the feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem), "when the days drew near for him to be received up" during the spring festival of Passover, he now journeyed south to visit every ~~city~~ community, where he and the seventy others ~~had~~ proclaimed the Gospel in every town and place where he planned to come (Luke 10:1). This was his final planned itinerary, during which "he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house." (Luke 10:38, followed by 10:39–13:31 which shows him 40-45 miles north of Bethany, in Galilee, in Herod's jurisdiction, and from there journeying on south "up to Jerusalem".) :This ''Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)'' assumes the historical and chronological sequence of each of the four Gospels and that nothing in them is placed out of sequence. This parallel reading, side by side, of the four Gospels together presents the winter feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem John 10:22-42 as occurring before the events of Luke 9:51–19:28 narrating Jesus' final journey before being "taken up". In contrast, many commentaries place Luke 10:38-41 and texts following as taking place before the winter feast of the Dedication in John 10:22, on the assumption that Martha received Jesus in the house of Lazarus at Bethany, based solely on the implicit belief that no Jew could own more than one house and that "her house" is, ''and must therefore be'', "undoubtedly" the house of Lazarus. This then presents the unnecessary difficulty of harmonizing and [[Redaction|redacting]] within the narrative of Luke 9–19 the winter feast of the Dedication in John 10 which immediately precedes the raising of Lazarus in John 11 and the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in John 12, which we remember and celebrate as [[Palm Sunday]] before [[Resurrection Sunday|Easter]]. The grammar of the Greek text of John 10:42 and 11:1 presents a natural break in the text which easily allows insertion of Luke 9:51–19:28 before John 11:1, with the raising of Lazarus of Bethany redacted between Luke 19:28 and 19:29.

:In either case, there is no firm basis in the text for asserting here any confusion or contradiction as some suppose.

:~~This~~ Most interpreters in the 18th through 21st century assume that the statement that "he set his face to go to Jerusalem" clearly indicates the meaning of "a journey to a destination which does not deviate from a direct route", and not a slow, roundabout, non-linear, indirect, very gradual, leisurely, final farewell tour—because he had "''~~Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)~~set his face toward Jerusalem'' ~~assumes~~ ". This appears to be the ~~historical and chronological sequence~~ cause of ~~each~~ their speculation that Luke was "confused by conflicting accounts" of the ~~four Gospels~~events related to him. ~~This parallel reading, side by side~~However, according to a conservative Christian assessment of the ~~four Gospels together presents the winter feast~~ veracity of the ~~Dedication~~ scriptures, the apostles and evangelists writing in ~~Jerusalem John 10:22-42 as occurring before the events~~ retrospect after his passion and resurrection are more fully aware of ~~Luke 9:51–19:28 narrating~~ Jesus' final ~~journey~~ resolve, that this roundabout tour before ~~being "taken up"~~Passover is in fact his final journey toward Jerusalem, and they explicitly say so. ~~In contrast, many commentaries place Luke 10:38-41 and texts following as taking place before~~ The doctrine of the ~~winter feast~~ inerrant inspiration of the ~~Dedication in John 10:22~~Holy Spirit Himself, on of God as the ~~assumption that Martha received Jesus in~~ primary Author of scripture infallibly guiding the ~~house~~ evangelists to include only those things and expressions of ~~Lazarus at Bethany~~speech which He desired and nothing more, ~~based solely on the implicit belief that no Jew could own more than one house and that~~ rejects as unacceptable any "~~her house~~confusion" ~~is, ''and must therefore be''~~on the part of the Gospel writer, implying as it does accepting "~~undoubtedly~~confusion" on the ~~house~~ part of ~~Lazarus~~God. (This ~~then presents~~ is nothing less than the ~~difficulty of harmonizing and~~ [[~~Redaction|redacting~~wishful thinking]] ~~within the narrative~~ of ~~Luke 9–19 the winter feast of the Dedication~~ being so willing to take speciously apparent error in ~~John 10 which immediately precedes~~ the ~~raising of Lazarus in John 11~~ Bible as an unexamined pretext for rejecting its authority and the ~~entry~~ authority of ~~Jesus into Jerusalem in John 12,~~ the very Church which ~~we remember and celebrate~~ defends its divine inspiration as truth.) "'''But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, ''by whom do your children cast them out''? Therefore they will be your judges.'''" :Luke 11:19:A direct reference to Jewish [[~~Palm Sunday~~exorcism]] ~~before~~ s as an accepted part of 1st century Jewish culture. Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A27&version=RSVCE Matthew 12:27]; [~~Easter~~https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+9%3A38&version=RSVCE Mark 9:38]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9%3A49&version=RSVCE Luke 9:49]; [https://www. ~~The grammar of the Greek text of John 10~~biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+19%3A13&version=RSVCE Acts 19:~~42 and 11~~13]. :~~1 presents a natural break in the text which easily allows insertion of~~ See multiple commentaries on [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/12-27.htm Matthew 12:27]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/9-38.htm Mark 9:38]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/9-49.htm Luke 9:~~51–19~~49]; [http:~~28 before John~~ //biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/11-19.htm 11:~~1, with the raising of Lazarus redacted between Luke~~ 19]; [http:~~28 and~~ //biblehub.com/commentaries/acts/19-13.htm Acts 19:2913].

:~~Most interpreters in the 18th through 21st century assume the meaning of a journey to a destination which does not deviate from a direct route~~See [https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-exorcism/ '''Jewish Exorcism''', ~~and not a roundabout final farewell tour—because he had~~ by Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis (myjewishlearning.com)] "''~~set his face toward Jerusalem~~'if I by God’s ''finger'' cast out demons'''"~~. This appears to be the cause of their speculation that~~ :Luke ~~was confused by conflicting accounts of the events related~~ 11:20:A direct [[allusion]] to ~~him. However, according to a conservative Christian assessment of~~ Exodus 8:19 "Then the ~~veracity of the scriptures~~magicians said unto Pharaoh, ~~the apostles and evangelists writing in retrospect after his passion and resurrection are more fully aware of Jesus~~This '' ~~final resolve, that this roundabout tour before Passover~~ is ~~in fact his final journey toward Jerusalem, and they explicitly say so. The doctrine of~~ '' the ~~inerrant inspiration of the Holy Spirit Himself,~~ finger of God ~~as the primary Author of scripture infallibly guiding the evangelists to include only those things~~ : and ~~expressions of speech which He desired and nothing more~~Pharaoh's heart was hardened, ~~rejects~~ and he hearkened not unto them; as ~~unacceptable any "confusion" on~~ the ~~part of the Gospel writer, implying as it does accepting~~ LORD had said."~~confusion" on the part of God.~~

“''''Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!' But he said, 'Yes, even more, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.''''”

:Luke 11:27-28. Luke 11:27-28 is the first direct fulfillment of the "[[Magnificat]]" [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A45-55&version=RSVCE (Luke 1:45-55) "all generations shall call me blessed."]

:Compare Luke 14:15-24, "Blessed is he who will feast in God's kingdom."

:WEB Luke 11:28 reads, "On the '''''contrary''''', blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it."

:The reading of Luke 11:28 here in this ''Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)'' is based on the Greek Μενοῦν ''Menoun'' "Yes, rather...Yes, even more", the same as the KJV "Yea rather", which is an expressed ''agreement'' with the other speaker's wordsand sentiment, but with a correction of the speaker's understanding, as a teaching moment. [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/luke/11-28.htm interlinear text of Luke 11:28] [http://biblehub.com/multi/luke/11-28.htm multiple versions of Luke 11:28] [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/11-28.htm multiple commentaries on Luke 11:28]

:~~The WEB reading, as with many others, absolutely denies that Mary is blessed~~According to the [http://biblehub. ~~The WEB reading~~com/commentaries/egt/luke/11.htm Expositor's Greek Testament Luke 11(28)], ~~"On~~ the Greek '''μενοῦν''~~contrary~~'might be confirmatory (''utique''~~..."~~) or corrective (''imo vero''), ~~as taken at face value, denies that his mother hears the word~~ or a little of ~~God and keeps it in any way~~both. ~~This,~~ The KJV reading "Yea rather" includes both. Those who oppose as ~~any competent Greek scholar can testify, is a contradiction of the plain and simple meaning of Μενοῦν, a contradiction which opposes the~~ [[~~Semantics|semantically~~idolatry]] ~~affirmative statement~~ Catholic and Orthodox doctrines regarding the blessedness of ~~Christ. She is indeed blessed~~ Mary prefer to ~~have such a son~~read Luke 11:28 as absolutely excluding the confirmatory ''utque'' sense and strictly only according to the corrective ''imo vero'' sense: ::"'''No''', ~~but~~ rather ~~even more~~ blessed ~~for hearing~~ are those—'''Nay''', rather blessed are those—'''On the ~~word of God~~ contrary''', blessed are those". :The KJV and ~~observantly and obediently keeping it (as~~ Douay-Rheims Bibles, indeed the majority of Bible ~~testifies about her)~~translations, accord instead with the confirmatory ''utque'' reading, which is both lovingly confirmatory and corrective: ::"'''Yea''' rather...'''Yes''' rather...'''Truly,''' rather...'''Indeed!''' Rather...".:[http://biblehub.com/interlinear/luke/11-28.htm interlinear text of Luke 11:28] [http://biblehub.com/multi/luke/11-28.htm multiple versions of Luke 11:28] [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/11-28.htm multiple commentaries on Luke 11:28]

:~~See Conservapedia article~~The WEB reading, as with many others, when used as a "proof text" against her, absolutely denies that Mary is blessed. The WEB reading, "On the '''~~[[Mary (mother of Jesus)]]~~''contrary'''''". ~~ Many New Testament texts firmly establish~~ ..", as taken at face value as the ~~fact~~ sole possible meaning of the Greek text, ''absolutely'', denies that ~~far above~~ his mother hears the word of God and ~~beyond~~ keeps it in any ~~natural~~way. Jesus is represented as rejecting his mother as an unbeliever, a sinner, not one of those who hear the word of God, and keep it. This absolute negation, as any competent Greek scholar can testify, ~~physical relationship Mary herself~~ is ~~truly~~ a contradiction of the plain and simple meaning of Μενοῦν within the context of the narrative, used as an [[Eisegesis|eisegetical]], contradicting, absolute "proof text" against Mary, which opposes the [[Semantics|semantically]] affirmative statement of Christ—as well as opposing the informed reading of those established biblical scholars and exegetes who see ''~~blessed~~'μενοῦν''' ''menoun'' as confirmative (''utque'') " ~~and the true~~ Yea, yes", not corrective (''~~mother~~imo vero''). Believers in the King James Bible agree with the confirmative: " ~~of Jesus because she heard~~ Yea rather, blessed ''are'' they that hear the ~~word~~ world of God , and ~~kept~~ keep it ~~([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A50&version=KJV Matthew 12:50]). See KJV [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=~~" Luke~~+1%3A26-30&version=KJV Luke 1~~11:~~26-30]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A46-48&version=~~28 KJV ~~1:46-48]~~; ~~[https://www~~"And blessed is she that believed.~~biblegateway~~.~~com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A19&version=KJV 2:19]; [https://www~~.~~biblegateway~~.~~com/passage/?search=~~" Luke~~+2%3A51&version=KJV 2~~1:~~51]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+2%3A5&version=~~45 KJV ~~John 2:5]; [https://www~~.~~biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+2%3A12&version=KJV 2:12];~~ The "certain woman out of the multitude [~~https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A25-27&version=KJV 19:25-27~~who]~~; [https://www~~lifted up her voice" is correct about Mary the mother of Jesus, and is herself now blessed by being given even greater understanding about his mother.~~biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+1%3A14&version=KJV Acts 1:14]~~His mother is indeed blessed to have such a son, yes, but rather even more blessed for hearing the word of God and observantly and obediently keeping it (as the Bible testifies about her).

:See Conservapedia articles, "'''[[Mary (mother of Jesus)]]'''" and "'''[[Theotokos]]'''". Many New Testament texts firmly establish the fact that far above and beyond any natural, physical relationship Mary herself is truly "''blessed''" and the true "''mother''" of Jesus because she heard the word of God and kept it (~~not all~~[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A50&version=KJV Matthew 12:50]) ~~Protestant~~ . See KJV [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A26-30&version=KJV Luke 1:26-30]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A46-48&version=KJV 1:46-48]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A19&version=KJV 2:19]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A51&version=KJV 2:51]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+2%3A5&version=KJV John 2:5]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+2%3A12&version=KJV 2:12]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A25-27&version=KJV 19:25-27]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+1%3A14&version=KJV Acts 1:14]. :"Blessed are ye, when ''men'' shall revile you, and persecute ''you'', and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great ''is '' your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A11-12&version=KJV Matthew 5:11-12] See [[Calumny]], [[Slander]], [[Self-deception]] and [[Wishful thinking]]. :[[Apologetics|Apologists]] and [[Polemic]]ists say: This both the Jews and heathen did with respect to the first Christians, and this the Evangelicals and Fundamentalists have done with respect to "the Papists", and this the "Papists" have done with respect to the Protestants, and this the Protestants have done with respect to the Orthodox, and this the Orthodox have done with respect to the Catholics and the Protestants, and this men and women have done with respect to the name of Mary. This settles nothing. Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+6%3A3-5&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 6:3-5] See multiple commentaries on [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/~~luke~~matthew/115-2711.htm ~~commentaries on Luke~~ Matthew 5:11] and [http:27//biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-12.htm Matthew 5:12] ~~rank~~ .::"If they have called the ~~mother~~ master of ~~Jesus along with~~ the house Beelzebub, how much more ''shall they call'' them of his household?" Matthew 10:25b. (Matthew 9:34; 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15; Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:33-35; John 7:12; 8:48-49; 10:20, 31-37.) "I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonor me." John 8:49. "Honour thy father and thy mother" Exodus 20:12. "Then saith he to the ~~Baptist as being lower than~~ disciple, Behold thy mother!"John 19:27a. [https://www.openbible.info/topics/those_who_honor_me_i_will_honor 100 Bible Verses about Those Who Honor Me I Will Honor (openbible.info)] ''See'' [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+30%3A11-17&version=RSVCE Proverbs 30:11-17] ''with'' [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7%3A10&version=RSVCE Mark 7:10]. ::Compare the ~~least in the Kingdom~~ following texts: [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12%3A3&version=RSVCE '''Genesis 12:3''']; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A35&version=RSVCE '''Luke 1:35'''], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A48-50&version=RSVCE '''1:48-50''']; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A30&version=RSVCE '''Romans 8:30''']; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12&version=RSVCE '''Revelation 12''']; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+45%3A10-17&version=RSVCE '''Psalm 45:10-17''']; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+54%3A5&version=RSVCE '''Isaiah 54:5''']. ::"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil" [https://biblehub.com/isaiah/5-20.htm '''Isaiah 5:20'''] "O generation of ~~Heaven~~vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?" [https://biblehub.com/matthew/12-34.htm '''Matthew 12:34''', and parallel passages] " (To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted." [http://biblehub.com/titus/1-15.htm '''Titus 1:15'''] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/titus/1-15.htm commentaries]. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+36%~~3A11~~3A22-1123&version=~~RSVCE~~ KJV '''Matthew 116:22-23'''] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A33-37&version=KJV '''Matthew 12:33-37'''] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+7%3A35&version=KJV '''Luke 7:35''']. :Many (not all) Protestant [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/11-27.htm commentaries on Luke 11:27], rank the mother of Jesus along with John the Baptist as being lower than "''the least in the Kingdom of Heaven''" ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+7%3A28&version=RSVCE Luke 7:28]), and some even damn both of them as vile, rotten, wicked sinners, enemies of God on the basis of [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A10-18&version=KJV Romans 3:10-18] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A23&version=KJV and 23]. (Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2Romans+~~Peter+3~~8%~~3A15~~3A28-1730&version=RSVCE ~~2 Peter 3~~'''Romans 8:1528-1730'''] ~~and~~ ; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=~~Romans~~Revelation+812%~~3A28-30~~3A1&version=RSVCE ~~Romans 8~~'''Revelation 12:~~28-30~~1'''] —''together with '' [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=~~Revelation~~2+12Peter+3%~~3A1~~3A15-17&version=RSVCE ~~Revelation 12~~'''2 Peter 3:15-17'''] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+1%3A16&version=RSVCE '''Titus 1:16''']''as a warning against [[blasphemy]]''.)

:*[http://jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/sacred_heart.htm '''Sacred Immaculate Heart of Satan!''' by David J. Stewart. He says, "'''''Mary was a Dirty-Rotten Sinner!...Mary was nothing more than a Hell-deserving sinner...'''''" (jesus-is-savior.com)]

:*[http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/mary-was-a-sinner.htm '''When Mary Sinned And Became An Unbeliever''', by Dan Corner (evangelicaloutreach.org)]

:*[http://deceptioninthechurch.com/mediatrix.html '''Proof that Mary was a Sinner, Needed a Savior, Had More than Four Children, and Is Not Mediatrix''', by Neil Rivalland (deceptioninthechurch.com)]

:*[http://www.scionofzion.com/mary.htm '''Was Mary Sinless?''' by Dr. Ken Matto (scionofzion.com)]

:*[http://carm.org/what-is-the-difference-between-protestantism-and-catholicism ~~CARM ''Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry'':~~ '''What is the Difference Between Protestantism and Catholicism?''' by Matt Slick - CARM ''Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry'' (carm.org)]

:*[http://www.romancatholicteachings.com/catholic_religion/mary.html '''Protestantism and Roman Catholicism Compared: Mary''' (romancatholicteachings.com)]

:*[http://catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/general/mary.htm '''The Protestant Reformers on Mary''' (catholicapologetics.info)] ''This article contains verifiable, cited and referenced, documented opinions of the Reformers which are completely unexpected and surprising to many Evangelicals and Fundamentalists''.

:The above articles neglect to mention the Bible doctrine that there are and have been [[holy ]] people and blameless who have been preserved in holiness:

::[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+19%3A6&version=RSVCE Exodus 19:6]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+22%3A31&version=RSVCE 22:31] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Levitcus+6%3A18&version=RSVCE Leviticus 6:18], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Levitcus+6%3A27&version=RSVCE 27]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Levitcus+11%3A44-45&version=RSVCE 11:44-45]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Levitcus+19%3A2&version=RSVCE 19:2]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Levitcus+20%3A7&version=RSVCE 20:7], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Levitcus+20%3A26&version=RSVCE 26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Levitcus+21%3A6-8&version=RSVCE 21:6-8] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+6%3A5&version=RSVCE Numbers 6:5], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+6%3A8&version=RSVCE 8]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+16%3A3&version=RSVCE 16:3], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+16%3A5&version=RSVCE 5], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+16%3A7&version=RSVCE 7] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+7%3A6&version=RSVCE Deuteronomy 7:6]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+14%3A2&version=RSVCE 14:2], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+14%3A21&version=RSVCE 21]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+26%3A19&version=RSVCE 26:19]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+28%3A9&version=RSVCE 28:9] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+4%3A9&version=RSVCE 2 Kings 4:9] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+31%3A18&version=RSVCE 2 Chronicles 31:18] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+8%3A28&version=RSVCE Ezra 8:28]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+9%3A2&version=RSVCE 9:2] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+18%3A25-26&version=RSVCE Psalms 18:25-26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+29%3A2&version=RSVCE 29:2]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+31%3A23&version=RSVCE 31:23]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+86%3A2&version=KJV 86:2 (KJV)]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+89%3A19&version=KJV 89:19 (KJV)]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+96%3A9&version=RSVCE 96:9]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+97%3A10&version=RSVCE 97:10] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+2%3A8&version=RSVCE Proverbs 2:8] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+6%3A13&version=RSVCE Isaiah 6:13]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+62%3A12&version=RSVCE 62:12]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+63%3A18&version=RSVCE 63:18] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+2%3A3&version=RSVCE Jeremiah 2:3] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Obadiah+1%3A17&version=RSVCE Obadiah 17] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zechariah+14%3A20-21&version=RSVCE Zechariah 14:20-21] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Malachi+1%3A11&version=RSVCE Malachi 1:11] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A8&version=RSVCE Matthew 5:8] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+6%3A20&version=RSVCE Mark 6:20] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A6&version=RSVCE Luke 1:6], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A70&version=RSVCE 70] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+3%3A21&version=RSVCE Acts 3:21]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+10%3A15&version=RSVCE 10:15] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A29-30&version=RSVCE Romans 8:29-30]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A1&version=RSVCE 12:1] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+3%3A17&version=RSVCE 1 Corinthians 3:17]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+7%3A14&version=RSVCE 7:14], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+7%3A34&version=RSVCE 34] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+1%3A4&version=RSVCE Ephesians 1:4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+3%3A5&version=RSVCE 3:5] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A22&version=RSVCE Colossians 1:22]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+3%3A12&version=RSVCE 3:12] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+5%3A23&version=RSVCE 1 Thessalonians 5:23], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+5%3A26-27&version=RSVCE 26-27] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+2%3A8&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 2:8] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+1%3A8&version=RSVCE Titus 1:8] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+3%3A1&version=RSVCE Hebrews 3:1] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+1%3A15-16&version=RSVCE 1 Peter 1:15-16], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+1%3A22&version=RSVCE 22]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+2%3A4-5&version=RSVCE 2:4-5], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+2%3A9&version=RSVCE 9]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A5&version=RSVCE 3:5] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+2%3A21&version=RSVCE 2 Peter 1:21]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A2&version=RSVCE 3:2] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+18%3A20&version=RSVCE Revelation 18:20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+20%3A6&version=RSVCE 20:6]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+22%3A6&version=RSVCE 22:6], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+22%3A11&version=RSVCE 11]

:On the basis of these texts and the doctrine of the [[Ecumenical council]]s that Jesus is God the Son and remains God Incarnate from the moment of his conception in the womb of Mary his true mother ~~and~~ , the Person of Jesus is by that fact according to nature henceforth and always her own Son. He who exists before her, by entering her womb and becoming incarnate (John 1:14), causes her to be ''[[ipso facto]]'' "by that fact" His own mother. This is a unique privilege bestowed on no other human being. On the basis of these texts and the doctrine of the Ecumenical councils, Orthodox, Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans say without hesitation, "Holy Mary mother of God". The Protestant Reformers, Luther, Calvin and Zwingli did not hesitate to use such language in speaking of Mary the mother of Jesus (''see article'' [http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/general/mary.htm "'''Protestant Reformers on Mary'''"]).

:Even the prophet [[Muhammad]] in the [[Koran|Qur'an]] spoke highly of Mary (Arabic''':''' <big><big><big><big>مريم ‎</big></big>‎</big></big>, romanized''':''' Maryam), the mother of Jesus (Isa). She holds a singularly exalted place in Islam as the only woman named in the Quran, which refers to her seventy times and explicitly identifies her as '''''the greatest of all women''''', stating, with reference to the angelic saluation during the annunciation, ::"O Mary, God has chosen you, and purified you; He has chosen you above all the women of creation." [https://www.clearquran.com/003.html Sura 3:42.] ''See also'' [https://www.clearquran.com/019.html Sura 19]. :(Read the article [http://catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/islam/vislam.htm '''The Quran vs The Bible''' (catholicapologetics.info)] :In theological and biblical commentaries discussing the question of the relative dignity and sinfulness or sinlessness of Mary the mother of Jesus, the text of Mark 3:20-21 has been variously interpreted as either referring to Jesus' "family", or to Jesus' "friends, neighbors". The Greek text does not directly support the reading "family", since the word for family '''πατριά''' ''patria'' is not used in that episode, but instead the word for "friends, neighbors, associates, those close by him, belonging to him"—Greek '''παρ’''' ''par’ , para''. An [[Exegesis|exegetical]] reading of the Greek "para" as strongly suggestive of "relatives" (those close to him, by him) is problematical, and at best inconclusive, probably based on an interpretive indirect allusive link to John 7:5 "''For neither did his brethren believe in him.''" (KJV). The text does '''''not''''' say, "hearing of it, ''his mother and his brethren'' went out to seize him, for they said, 'He is beside himself'"—Mark does not say this. :In stark contrast to Mark 3:21, John 2:12 does have the Jewish expressive phrase, "his mother and his brethren"— ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ [αὐτοῦ] ''hē mētēr autou kai hoi adelphoi autou'' "the mother of Him and the brethren of Him". Significantly, Mark 3:21 does not use this Semitic construction for family. :Mark 3:21 does not say '''οἱ πατριά''' ''hoi patria'' "the family". Mark 3:21 does not say '''ἴδια''' ''idia'' "own"—'''οἱ ἴδια αὐτοῦ''' ''hoi idia autou'' "those own his", "those of his own [people]". And Mark 3:21 does not say '''ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ''' ''hē mētēr autou kai hoi adelphoi autou'' "the mother of Him and the brethren of Him", "his mother and his brethren". :See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/mark/3-21.htm interlinear Greek text of Mark 3:21] ΤΟ ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΝ 3.21 καὶ ἀκούσαντες , οἱ παρ’ αὐτοῦ ''kai akousantes , hoi par’ autou'' "And having heard [of it] , those belonging to Him" :The Greek '''οἱ παρ’''' ''hoi par’'' (''hoi para'') is a phrase suggesting "his friends, his acquaintances, his neighbors", KJV "his friends"—Strong's numbers ''3588'' '''ό''' ''ho'', '''ή''' ''he'', '''τό''' ''to'' (an article, "the", "this", etc.), ''3844'' '''παρα''' ''para'' "''near, from beside, at'' (or ''in'') the ''vicinity'' of, ''proximity'' to, ''proximity'' with. :The word for "family" '''πατριά''' ''patria'', blood relatives, parents, siblings, '''is not in this text'''—[http://biblehub.com/greek/3965.htm Strong's number ''3965'' '''πατριά''' ''patria''] (see [http://biblehub.com/multi/ephesians/3-15.htm Ephesians 3:15]). :Also, likewise, the word for "his '''own''' people" '''ἴδια''' ''idia'' "own" '''is not found''' in Mark 3:21—[http://biblehub.com/greek/2398.htm Strong's number ''2398'' '''ἴδιος''' ''idios'' "own"], ''one's own, distinct, belonging to one, private, personal; one's own people, one's own family, home, property''. :Neither of these expressions is found in Mark 3:21—neither '''οἱ πατριά αὐτοῦ''' ''hoi patria autou'' "his family", nor '''οἱ ἴδια αὐτοῦ''' ''hoi idia autou'' "his own [people]". Compare the extant Greek texts of the [http://biblehub.com/multi/mark/3-21.htm multiple versions of Mark 3:21]—which says instead, '''οἱ παρ’ αὐτοῦ''' "the friends of him", "the people near him". ::'''And having heard-of it, the ones from Him went-forth to take-hold-of Him. For they were saying that “He lost-His-senses”.''' ([http://literalnewtestament.com/wp-content/uploads/DLNT.pdf ''Disciples Literal New Testament'' (literalnewtestament.com)]) :Those who [[Eisegesis|''eisegetically'']] see in this text of Mark 3:21 the meaning of "his family, his own people"—'''οἱ πατριά αὐτοῦ''' ''hoi patria autou'' "his family", '''οἱ ἴδια αὐτοῦ''' ''hoi idia autou'' "his own"—reading into it what it does not say—read it as if it is certain and unequivocal evidence that Mary, as the most intimate "family" member, sinned by ceasing to believe in her son, by joining together with those of "his own relatives" who said, "He is beside himself" (KJV, RSVCE)—"He has gone out of his mind" (NRSV)—"He is out of his mind" (REB, NAB, NJB, NIV, ESV)—"He has lost His senses" (NASB). However, the word for "family, relatives" ''patria'' is not found in any extant text of Mark 3:20-21. Neither is the word for "his own people", ''idia, idios'', found in any extant text of Mark 3:20-21. The fact that ''para'' and ''patria'' are not close [[synonym]]s makes the interpretive reading of "family, relatives" in Mark 3:21 a [[falsehood]]. The fact that ''para'' and ''idios'' are also not close synonyms makes the interpretive reading of "his own people" in Mark 3:21 also a falsehood. The KJV, the Douay-Rheims, and RSVCE versions say, "friends", not "family"—"friends", not "his own". Those Bible translations which say in Mark 3:21 "his family" or "his relatives" are false. This is one of several "key verses" which immediately tells the informed reader if a certain Bible version is wrong. Compare a further, more extensive [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Mark%203%3A21 listing of multiple parallel readings of Mark 3:21 (biblegateway.com)]. Several of them on the basis of the evidence of the Greek text shown here demonstrate that they are false readings, and therefore that those Bible versions cannot be trusted. See also the versions listed on the USCCB Catholic site [http://usccb.org/bible/approved-translations/ "Approved Translations of the Bible—USCCB Approved Translations of the Sacred Scriptures for Private Use and Study by Catholics" (usccb.org)]. Some (not all) of the Catholic approved versions are also false regarding Mark 3:21 in reading '''οἱ παρ’ αὐτοῦ''' as "his family" instead of "his friends, his neighbors". Other Catholic Bibles such as the RSVCE ''Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition'' of Mark 3:21 do read "his friends", as does the older ''Douay-Rheims Bible'' translated from the [[Vulgate]]. The KJV, which does read "his friends" here, is not approved for Catholics (but not forbidden) because of its [[Church of England|Anglican]] anti-Catholic doctrinal readings of some other texts (for example reading the doctrinally significant Greek '''<big>ἢ</big>''' ("''or''")" as "'''and'''" (καί) in [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/1Corinthians%2011%3A27 1 Corinthians 11:27] instead of '''<big>ἢ</big> "or"''' according to the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_corinthians/11-27.htm Greek text] which supports the doctrine that the cup of communion is the body and blood of the Lord whole and entire and the bread is the body and blood of the Lord whole and entire, instead of the cup as only the blood of the Lord and the bread as only the body of the Lord—see [[Transubstantiation]]), ''also'' the difference in [[Biblical Canon]]. The editors of the King James Version were specifically instructed by King James I of England (whose wife was Catholic) to make sure that the translation was in harmony with the theology of the Church of England, to do away with "Catholic readings". See [https://serene-musings.blogspot.com/2008/05/why-king-james-version-of-bible-is.html "Why The King James Version of the Bible is an Inferior English Translation", by B. Scott Christmas - Serene Musings (serene-musings.blogspot.com)]—compare also the article [[Badger skins (Bible)]], and the more general critique of Isaac H. Hall, [http://www.bible-researcher.com/kjvdefects.html ''The Revised New Testament and History of Revision'' (1881) "Defects of the King James Version"].:*[[Disputed Biblical Translations]]:*[[Essay: The superiority of the King James Bible: Looking through!]] :Those who see instead the more literal meanings of the Greek '''παρ’''' ''par’ , para'', "friends", "neighbors-close-to-him", "acquaintances", "hometown associates", do not read here in the vocabulary and grammar of the Greek text any evidence that Mary was among the group that came to "take charge of him", since the word "family" is not [[synonym]]ous with "friends, acquaintances, neighbors", and they see no evidence in this text that Mary sinned. Even in English, "friends, neighbors" has not the same meaning as the blood relatives and members of the "family" ''patria'', or "own" para, "one's own people". :On the basis of Greek vocabulary and grammar, and the Reformation principle of ''[[sola scriptura]]'' (the biblical text), and the high opinion of Mary presented by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli, taking all of this together, the interpretive reading of Mark 3:21 as "family" is an [[Eisegesis|eisegetical]] reading and a distortion of the text unjustifiably adduced as a proof text (one among many) in support of a [[polemic]]al argument against the Catholic and Orthodox doctrine of the sinlessness of Mary the mother of Jesus. The fact that the text of Mark 3:20-21 does not explicitly include Mary or actually say "family" is significant. Those other passages, often read by many as parallel in meaning, ::Mark 3:31-35, Matthew 12:46-50, Luke 8:19-21, :say nothing of the saying, "He is out of his mind, He is beside himself, He has lost His senses"'''!''' Add to this textual evidence the fact that John 7:5 "For even His own brethren did not believe in Him" does not mention his mother. No text of the Bible states that Mary did not believe in her Son. :The contrasting difference in interpretive readings of Mark 3:21 is an example of how particular interpretive doctrines and [[confirmation bias]] can strongly influence particular translators and biblical translation committees. It is better to adjust our understanding to the scriptures, than to adjust the scriptures to our understanding. This is ''especially'' true when a particular [[polemic]]al doctrine (''that Mary said, "He is out of his mind"'') is found to be a "tradition of men" not supported by scripture, as in this case. :Compare [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/3-21.htm multiple commentaries on Mark 3:21]. They even differ on their interpretations of the exact identity of those who actually came to take charge of Jesus, saying, "He is out of his mind". Some of them even contradict themselves within the same sentence'''!''' See also the earlier marginal note in this [[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) longer form Chapters 8-14#Fourteen|''Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)'', Chapter Fourteen—''scroll down to the eighth marginal note'' '''He is out of his mind''' Mark 3:21]]. :Abuse and misuse of the Bible has produced contradicting abominationsall based on literalist ''proof readings'' of the text ("The Bible says so!"), such as the following scriptures put forth with perverse Satanic reasoning(similar to the Satanic "proof texting" in Matthew 4:6-7; Luke 4:9-12):

:*Romans 3:10-18 says, "There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE"—it says "NONE, NO NOT ONE", it does '''''not''''' say "''except Jesus''". Therefore Jesus is not righteous. Compare [https://biblehub.com/titus/1-16.htm multiple versions of Titus 1:16]

:*Romans 3:23 says, "ALL have sinned"—it says "ALL", it does '''''not''''' say, "All, ''except Jesus''." Paul makes no such exception here. Therefore Jesus has sinned. So Jesus and Mary, by this reasoning, are both sinful and unrighteous abominations, "they are all abominable", before ~~God—the~~ God, because sin is an abomination, and all have sinned—the Bible says so. See [http://richardwaynegarganta.com/abomination.htm '''What are abominations according to the Bible?''' (richardwaynegarganta.com)] "''It is abundantly clear from scripture that ALL SIN is considered an abomination by God. While one can debate degrees of seriousness and punishment for sin, it is clear that, according to the Bible, ALL sin is an abomination!''"

:*The Bible says NO ONE born of woman can be clean or righteous—Job 15:14; 25:4-6; Psalm 49:7-9; Ecclesiastes 3:16, 19—these Bible passages make '''''no exception'''''. Jesus and Mary were both born of woman. Therefore neither Jesus nor Mary can be clean or righteous—the Bible says so.

:''This is [[blasphemy]]!''

:The fact that the Bible contradicts these [[Cafeteria Christianity#Proof texts|'''proof texts''']], by opposing scripture passages that say unequivocally that Jesus is righteous and "knew no sin" (never sinned), is taken ~~as proof~~ by those who twist the scriptures to their own destruction as ''[[proof]]'' that the Bible contradicts itself, and cannot be trusted ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+1%3A19-21&version=RSVCE 2 Peter 1:19-21]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A15-17&version=RSVCE 3:15-17]). They deny that anyone has authority to reject their arguments by any reasoning from scripture alone. (See [[Paradox]], [[Specious reasoning]], [[Casuistry]], and [[Sophistry]].) :It is true that no text of the Bible states that Mary did not believe in her Son. But in reasoning ''sola scriptura'' from the Bible alone, [[Logical fallacy#Argument from silence|"absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"]]. Consider the "proof text" that the priest [[Melchizedek]] had no father or mother and never died. The Bible says of Melchizedek in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+7%3A3&version=KJV Hebrews 7:3] that "He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days '''nor end of life''', but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest for ever" (RSVCE)—see [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/hebrews/7-3.htm commentaries on Hebrews 7:3]. The fact that the Bible does not ''explicitly'' say that the high priest Melchizedek had earthly parents nor that he physically died is not proof that it is not a fact. A careful, close reading of the entire New Testament as a whole also likewise discloses that there is no text of scripture that explicitly states that Mary ever broke any one or all of the [[Ten Commandments]], or says that she ever sinned. On the basis of scripture alone, then, what Jesus said of himself can also be said of Mary, "Which of you convicts me of sin?" (John 8:46). If there are any such texts in the Bible, Mark 3:21 is not one of them. Thus any claim that Mary certainly doubted the sanity of her Son Jesus is outside the Bible and dependent on a tradition developed in opposition to the Orthodox and Catholic tradition about Mary which was not an element in the controversy over [[Nestorianism]]. Other texts adduced against Marian devotion are:::Luke 2:48-50 ''see commentaries on'' [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/2-49.htm Luke 2:49]. John 2:4 ''see commentaries on'' [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/2-4.htm John 2:4]. Matthew 12:46-50 ''see commentaries on'' [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/12-48.htm Matthew 12:48], [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/12-50.htm 50]. Luke 8:19-21 ''see commentaries on'' [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/8-21.htm Luke 8:21]. Luke 11:27-28 ''see commentaries on'' [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/11-28.htm Luke 11:28].:See also the [[Christian apologetics|discussions ''pro'' and ''con'']] in the following articles: :*[http://shamelesspopery.com/did-jesus-rebuke-his-mother-in-luke-819-21/ Did Jesus Rebuke His Mother in Luke 8:19-21? by Joe Heschmeyer (shamelesspopery.com)]:*[http://shamelesspopery.com/why-the-seemingly-anti-marian-passages-in-the-bible/ Why the Seemingly Anti-Marian Passages in the Bible? by Joe Heschmeyer (shamelesspopery.com)] :There are claims of late 1st century and early 2nd–6th century ''Jewish'' calumnies against Mary as an unrighteous sinner—for example, the tradition in the [[Talmud]] that she became pregnant by a Roman soldier, and that Jesus was the bastard product of [[rape]]::*[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8616-jesus-of-nazareth#anchor22 Jewish Encyclopedia -Jesus of Nazareth (jewishencyclopedia.com)] —''at sidebar'' Table of Contents ''click on'' "–In Jewish Legend" :*[https://www.jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/jesus-in-the-talmud/ Jesus in the Talmud, by Gil Student - Jews for Judaism (jewsforjudaism.org)]:*[https://enigmose.com/theology/jesus_talmud.html Jesus in the Talmud (enigmose.com)]:*[https://enigmose.com/theology/mary_talmud.html Mary in the Talmud (enigmose.com)]:*[http://www.gnosis.org/library/grs-mead/jesus_live_100/ch9.html The Talmud Mary Stories, By G.R.S. Mead (gnosis.org)]:*[http://www.halakhah.com/yebamoth/yebamoth_49.html Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Yebamoth Folio 49ab (halakhah.com)]:*[http://www.halakhah.com/shabbath/shabbath_104.html#PARTb Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Shabbath Folio 104b] —''scroll down to GEMARA'' "HE WHO SCRATCHES A MARK ON HIS FLESH" ''see'' [http://www.halakhah.com/shabbath/shabbath_104.html#104b_19 ''footnote'' '''19''']:However, no ''Christian'' writer of the first four centuries of the Christian Era (CE) cites any tradition, heretical or orthodox, that Mary ever thought her Son had lost his mind. Whatever Protestant and Fundamentalist traditions do exist which state that the mother of Jesus sinned by doubting His sanity are drawn from sources that do not predate the fourth century, making them late developments and therefore candidates as being unreliable "traditions of men". Outside of the Bible, there is no proof that Mary did not sin, and no proof that she did.

:Orthodox and Catholic commentaries rank Mary the "God-bearer (''[[Theotokos]]'')" as second only to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, his humble handmaiden, his purest and most perfect servant, whom he created to be his mother , preserved for His sake from both the heritage of original sin and the error of committing any personal sin, and then exalted as the true Queen of Heaven, higher than the angels. Compare

:*Hebrews 10:5, "''a body thou hast prepared for me''";

:*1 Kings 2:19b, "''he sat on his throne, and had a seat brought for the king's mother, and she sat on his right''";

:*Daniel 12:2-3, "''And many of those who sleep in the dust of earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever''";

:*Matthew 13:43, "''Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father''";

:*Matthew 17:2, "''And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light.''"

:*Luke 1:35, "''And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God''";

:*Luke 1:41-43, "''And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?' ''"

:*Luke 1:48, "''for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.''"

:*Luke 9:29, "''and his raiment became dazzling white.''"

:*Romans 8:29-30, "''For those whom he foreknew he also predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.''"

:*1 Corinthians 6:3, "''Do you not know that we shall judge angels?''";

:*1 Corinthians 15:51, "''We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed''"(see [[Assumption of Mary]]);

:*Revelation 1:12-16, "''Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength''";

:*Revelation 12, "''a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.... She brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne''".:*[http://www.jesuswalk.com/christ-power/flesh-sinful-nature.htm '''Understanding the Flesh, the Sinful Nature, in Romans 7–8''', by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson (jesuswalk.com)] —"''Paul teaches that the fallen human nature is inherently rebellious against God. We inherited this nature from Adam...''" [http://www.jesuswalk.com/christ-power/6_spirit.htm '''Learning to Walk by the Spirit (Romans 8:1-17)''', by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson (jesuswalk.com)] ''Jesus did not assume a fallen human nature from the flesh of Mary''. See [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A15-23&version=NKJV John 14:15-23]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A35&version=NKJV Luke 1:35]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A46&version=NKJV John 8:46]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A5&version=NKJV 1 John 3:5]; also [https://www.openbible.info/topics/jesus_did_not_have_a_sin_nature 100 Bible verses about Jesus Did Not Have A Sin Nature (openbible.info)].:*[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Theotokos '''Theotokos''' (orthodoxwiki.org)] This article cites Old and New Testament texts as biblical support of Orthodox tradition.The writer expresses the Orthodox belief that Mary was a sinner: "''Mary was born a sinner, a human with full human nature. Mary’s Son, Jesus the Christ, took flesh from her. So as Son of God, '''He assumed fallen human nature from her''' and redeemed humanity by His Crucifixion and Resurrection.''" (''boldface emphasis added''). Compare the following NKJV texts (Orthodox Study bible):::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2%3A3&version=NKJV Ephesians 2:3] "''by nature the children of wrath''"::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A18-25&version=NKJV Romans 7:18-25]::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A5&version=NKJV 1 John 3:5]::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+11%3A9&version=NKJV Acts 11:9]::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom+8%3A19-20&version=NRSV Wisdom 8:19-20]::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A5&version=NKJV Hebrews 10:5]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+7%3A26&version=NKJV 7:26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A15&version=NKJV 4:15] ::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A21&version=NKJV 2 Corinthians 5:21]::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A30&version=NKJV John 14:30]:*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15464b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: '''The Blessed Virgin Mary''' (newadvent.org)] This article cites Old and New Testament texts as biblical support of Catholic tradition.Genesis 3:15; Isaiah (Isaias) 7:1-7; Micah (Micheas) 5:2-3; Jeremiah (Jeremias) 31:22; Exodus 3:2; Judges 6:37-38; Proverbs 8:22-31; [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03302a.htm Song of Solomon (Canticle of Canticles)]; Sarah, Deborah (Debbora), Judith, Esther, Eve; Genesis 3:20; John 2:1-3; 19:25-27; Acts 1:14–2:4; Galatians 4:4; Romans 1:3; Revelation (Apocalypse) 12:1-16; Psalm 2:9; Acts 8:14-17; Galatians 1:18-19. The article also discusses arguments both for and against Catholic traditions about Mary outside of the Bible, citing writers from the 2nd through the 18th centuries. "''In the Breviary and Missal the Church has repeatedly applied the song'' [Canticle of Canticles/Song of Songs] ''to the Mother of God (see B. Schafer in Komment., p. 255 sqq.). In truth the bride adorned with the beauty of spotless purity and deep affection is a figure most appropriate to the Mother of God. This is the reason why St. Ambrose in his book "De virginibus", so repeatedly and especially quotes Canticles.''"—[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03302a.htm Canticle of Canticles - Catholic Encyclopedia (newadvent.org)]

"'''(And indeed, the Gospel proclaims that all generations shall call [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|his mother Mary]] blessed...)'''"

:A [[Redaction|Redactive]] insertion between Luke 11:28 and 11:29. See Luke 1:48. See [[Worship]]. :This parenthetical statement has been added as scriptural evidence that Mary the mother of Jesus is blessed on the basis of (1) what Jesus here says: "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and do it" (''keep it''), and on the basis of (2) the prophesy she uttered when she visited her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Mary heard the word of God, and she kept it. Luke 2:19 and 51. See also Luke 1:26-30. Compare John 2:5; 19:25-27; Acts 1:14; Revelation 12.

:Catholics call the mother of Jesus the "Blessed Virgin Mary" in fulfillment of Luke 1:48, "all generations shall call me blessed." Protestants regard her as a sinner saved by grace according to [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+3%3A4-7&version=~~RSVCE~~ KJV Titus 3:4-7] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A46-47&version=~~RSVCE~~ KJV Luke 1:46-47]. :"'''Whoever curses whom God has blessed is cursed, except they repent.'''" This is an additional redactive comment declaring the fundamental biblical doctrine, "Whoever speaks evil of anyone whom God has blessed is cursed, unless they repent of their evil speech." This is an [[allusion]] to [[blasphemy]] and [[slander]] (compare [[detraction]] and [[calumny]]). :The more ancient reading of this proverb in English is, "'''Who curses whom God has blessed is cursed, save he repent.'''" See the following::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12%3A3&version=RSVCE Genesis 12:3]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+23%3A7-8&version=RSVCE Nunbers 23:7-8]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+5%3A12&version=RSVCE Psalm 5:12]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A36&version=RSVCE Matthew 12:36]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A28&version=RSVCE Luke 1:28], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A42&version=RSVCE 1:42]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A30-33&version=RSVCE Romans 8:30-33]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A34-35&version=RSVCE Matthew 12:34-35]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A29-30&version=RSVCE Ephesians 4:29-30]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+1%3A15-16&version=RSVCE Titus 1:15-16]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+3%3A1-2&version=RSVCE Titus 3:1-2]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A11&version=RSVCE James 4:11]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude+1%3A8&version=RSVCE Jude 8] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude+1%3A10-11&version=RSVCE 10-11] ''with'' [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+16%3A1-3&version=RSVCE Numbers 16:1-3]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A13-18&version=RSVCE Romans 3:13-18]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+42%3A7-8&version=RSVCE Job 42:7-8] :Compare the following articles on '''Mariolatry''' (Latin, ''literally'', "Mary worship"): :[http://home.earthlink.net/~mysticalrose/marian12.html '''"Mariolatry"?''' (home.earthlink.net)] —The author warns his readers,::"''Mariolatry is false and excessive worship of the Virgin Mary; offering to her the divine honor due only to the Creator. The Catholic Church rejects and denounces Mariolatry as a sin against the First Commandment: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me"! The Triune God alone deserves divine worship, which theologians call latria or adoration. "However, His saints can receive a lesser honor called dulia. Because God has exalted the Virgin Mary above all other saints, she should receive the highest form of dulia, often called hyperdulia. But hyperdulia is still inferior to latria, the supreme honor and adoration which we owe our Creator, so it does not amount to Mariolatry....''" ::The same author lists the following 28 Objections (''see the full text of the article "Mariolatry?" linked here above, for the author's responses to these objections'')::*1. Catholics obviously do commit Mariolatry! :*2. But you do worship Mary - you pray to her! :*3. I can prove the Catholic Church worships Mary from its own writings; here's a quote from an official Catholic prayerbook: :::"Holiest Virgin, with all my heart I WORSHIP THEE above all the angels and saints in paradise... I consecrate my soul and all its powers...I WORSHIP THEE the spouse of the Holy Ghost..." (quote from Devotions to Our Blessed Lady, All for Jesus: Approved Devotions and Prayers for Church and Home, p 283. Imprimatur: John Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of NY, Mar 13, 1884) :*4. I still say your Church teaches you to worship Mary. :*5. Are you saying that there is no such thing as Mariolatry? :*6. The only example of prayer to saints in the Bible is in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). :*7. But Jesus showed them here that prayer to Abraham doesn't work, and neither will prayer to Mary and the saints! :*8. Judges 5:24 says: "Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent." So Mary isn't the only woman whom the Bible calls "blessed among women"! :*9. The first person to try to institute devotion to Mary was the woman in the crowd who cried out "Blessed is the womb that bore thee and the breasts that nursed thee" (Luke 11:27). Jesus immediately corrected her error and so nipped Marian devotion in the bud (vs. 28), but Catholics later revived it against His wishes. :*10. Catholics love Mary so much because their religion teaches them to fear Jesus as an angry Judge and to love Mary instead as a merciful mother. :*11. Marian devotion began because early converts to Christianity from paganism could not bear to part with their mother-goddesses, so they "hid" their goddesses behind Mary. So Marian devotion is just a carry-over from pagan goddess cults and the "Mary" honored by Catholics is not the biblical Mother of Jesus but a pagan goddess masquerading as her. :*12. But Catholics do consider Mary to be a goddess, a divine being equal to or greater than God. :*13 Many churches and shrines devoted to Mary are built over places once sacred to pagan goddesses, such as Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome or the Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico. This proves that Mary is a pagan goddess, still worshipped at her old sacred places. :*14. You Catholics often name your parish churches after Mary or another saint; doesn't this prove that you worship them? :*15. I once read an old Catholic poem in which Mary is addressed as "Goddess". :*16. Don't some Catholics say that Mary is the "feminine face of God"? :*17. If Catholics don't believe that Mary is God or a goddess, then why does [[Alphonsus de Ligouri]] call her the "divine Mother" in his book "the Glories of Mary"? :*18. I know the Church officially condemns the worship of Mary, but in popular devotion she is often treated like a goddess. :*19. Catholics may not believe that Mary is God or a goddess, but they still give her honor which is due God alone. Therefore they commit Mariology in practice, if not in theory. :*20. Okay, so maybe your Church says you shouldn't worship Mary, but all the exalted titles and prerogatives you attribute to her could tempt people to worship her. :*21. In Catholic devotion and teaching, Mary overshadows Christ. :*22. Catholic art usually portrays Mary holding the Baby Jesus. This shows that Catholics consider Mary greater than Jesus, for they always portray Jesus as a helpless infant with her. :*23. When you say that Mary is the highest of all creatures you put her above Jesus, for He is the highest of all creatures! :*24. You say that Mary is the highest of all creatures, but Jesus said that John the Baptist is the greatest person born of woman (Mt 11:11). :*25. Christianity forbids us to honor anyone other than God. :*26. God says He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:6).:*27. When I stand before the Lord on Judgment Day, I want to be able to say to Him: "I honored You alone, Lord, and no one else".:*28. I don't care what you say, you Catholics do worship Mary. You may not think you do, your Church may tell you that you don't, you may not even intend to do so, but you still do!::''The author responds that if they do not intend to do so, then they don't.'' (See his [http://home.earthlink.net/~mysticalrose/marian12.html '''responses'''].) The author makes an appeal to the same Bible principle that God revealed to the prophet Samuel, "—'''man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart'''." 1 Samuel 16:7c KJV (See [[Fallacy of analogy]].):[https://jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/mary_is_nothing.htm '''Catholic Mary is Nothing!''' David J. Stewart (jesus-is-savior.com)] —The author warns his readers,::"''Catholicism is of the Devil. There are already billions of Catholics burning in Hell because they followed evil men, i.e., Catholicism, instead of the truth of God's Word. … Biblically, Mary was a dirty, rotten, vile, sinner … The Catholic Mary is NOTHING. It is a sin to recognize, pay tribute to, honor, sing about, worship or elevate Jesus' mother as being anything more than a vile, guilty, filthy, dirty, rotten, SINNER!''" :[https://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/sacred_heart.htm '''Sacred Immaculate Heart of Satan!''' David J. Stewart (jesus-is-savior.com)] —The author warns his readers,::"''Roman Catholics and Orthodox Catholics speak of the "Sacred Heart of Mary," but it's actually the Sacred Heart of [[Satan]]. … Mary was a Dirty-Rotten Sinner … For Catholics to claim that Mary was anything more than a filthy Hell-deserving sinner is vile false religion.''" :[https://www.phyllisfordministries.com/spirit-of-jezebel '''Jezebel in Our Society''' - Phyllis Ford Ministries (phyllisfordministries.com/spirit-of-jezebel)] —The author warns readers, ::"''Ashtoroth or Asteroth for the Philistine was the same as the Semite Astarte, both modeled from the Babylonian Ishtar, Her other counterparts are Isis and Hathor of Egypt, Kali of India, and Aphrodite and Demeter of Greece. The Roman counterpart was Diana the same as in Act 19:35. Indeed the same goddess in these days goes by the name of Mary. "The Council of Ephesus, 431 AD had the cult of Diana the virgin goddess (in Greek = Artemis, in Phoenician = Astarte, her cult continued in Ephesus until 431 AD) supplanted by the cult of Mary by the Roman Catholic Church to legitimize that Mary was the "mother of god" and the "mother of all" and not Diana that also had these attributes. They also gave to Mary all the other attributes of Diana such as: "queen of heaven" and "divine virgin" etcetera. Before 431 AD Mary was not recognized and so they effectively paganised Christianity at Ephesus and Diana, still alive, had her name changed to that of Mary. "What Kind Of Spirit? "The Jezebel spirit is born of witchcraft and rebellion. This demon is one of the most common spirits in operation today, both in the church and in the world, and it is a powerful enemy of the body of Christ. She operates freely on sincere believers whose hearts are for God individually, and has also attained positions of power as powers and principalities within the Church.''" :Neutrally [[Objectivity|objective]] observers, historians and [[Anthropology|anthropologists]], both [[Religion|religious]] and [[Agnosticism|agnostic]], point out that all religions and sects dedicated to a spirit or god/goddess of lust and fertility have invariably sponsored official temples of prostitution and even human sacrifice on their altars. However, in contrast to these, those who have instead been devoted to virtuous moral, physical and spiritual purity had and have no such features; but they also have admittedly had individual betrayers of the ideals they claimed to represent, who proved to be [[hypocrites]] who violated their religion instead of truly representing it. These scholars and historians have pointed out that '''''no''' shrines dedicated to the name of Mary in the Orthodox or Catholic religion appear to exclude the name of Jesus'', neither do they promote the practice of sexual promiscuity (they would if they were influenced by a spirit of harlotry and rebellion), but instead they rather obviously display examples and images promoting [[chastity]], [[modesty]] and [[virginity]]. The [[icon]]ography of these Marian shrines shows a striking contrast to known extant historical images and friezes and mosaics inside and outside pagan temples dedicated to the ancient mother goddesses of fertility, sorcery and witchcraft, Ashtaroth, Astarte, Ishtar, Hathor, Aphrodite, Kali, Hecate and Diana, and to the known practices of their devotees.:*[https://worldhistory.us/ancient-history/ancient-rome/the-cult-of-isis-in-imperial-roman-times.php The Cult of Isis in Imperial Roman Times (worldhistory.us)] —"''During Rome’s republican period, Isis was confined to household chapels. Both Augustus and Tiberius, at the start of the Imperial period, destroyed her temples. Although scholars differ on what actually occurred in the temples in regard to sexual practices, promiscuity, whether real or rumored, was frequently associated with the temples of Isis.''" This has never been true of shrines to the Virgin Mary.:*[https://thedailybeagle.net/2013/04/05/373/ The Cults of Isis and the Virgin Mary - The Daily Beagle. Articles and Essays on Obscure History (thedailybeagle.net)] —"''Of course there are a great many differences between the two cults. The cult of Isis was renowned for its sexual promiscuity whereas the cult of the Virgin prized chastity and purity in such matters.''":*[https://www.eyeofhorus.biz/power-of-myth/horus-and-jesus-the-egyptian-revelation/ Horus and Jesus: the Egyptian Revelation - Metaphysical Store for Magick & Mindfulness (eyeofhorus.biz)] —"''By drawing the parallels, they make a [[Fallacy of analogy|fallacy of comparison]], so that the uneducated person will think it is logical.... As a store named for Horus, or at least, his eye, we felt compelled to create a new info-graphic to set the record straight.''" The author firmly asserts that Isis was certainly no virgin, that her son Horus was not born of a virgin. 9 signal attributes are listed of Isis, "''none of them sound like Mary''". Isis is frequently portrayed with a naked voluptuous bosom and breast-feeding her son Horus. Mary is always modestly portrayed as completely clothed with only her face and hands revealed. Isis is Creatrix of life and savior of Osiris whom she raises from the dead. Jesus is the Creator and Lord of life who resurrects himself. Mary is not Isis. :As warnings to their followers, apologists and polemicists on both sides of the controversy over devotion to Mary have given two diametrically opposed interpretations of the following passages of the Bible::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+15%3A14&version=KJV Matthew 15:14]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+22%3A11&version=KJV Revelation 22:11]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A34-37&version=KJV Matthew 12:34-37]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+6%3A45&version=KJV Luke 6:45]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+11%3A34-35&version=KJV Luke 11:34-35]:Compare [[Specious reasoning]], [[Misrepresentation]], [[Straw man fallacy]], [[Polemic]], [[Cafeteria Christianity]]. :An informed overview of the content of the New Testament writings as a whole discloses that what one believes with the heart is revealed in deeds and works. See [[Corporal and spiritual works of mercy]]. Matthew 25:31-46 shows that the Son of Man on his throne judges the nations not on their belief or whether they read the scriptures or prayed or attended services of worship but on what they did or did not do. The prophet John demanded "Bear fruit that befits repentance!" Matthew 3:8. St. Paul in the beginning of his letter to the Romans in chapter 2 verses 6 through 10 declares that God will render judgment of eternal life according to works of goodness; he also teaches that the doing of good works is the purpose of unmerited salvation in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10. And James chapter 2 discloses that works reveal the faith of the individual; also in chapter 3 verses 13 through 18. Jesus Himself emphasized discernment based on the evidence of the fruits produced::*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A15-20&version=KJV Matthew 7:15-20]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A30-37&version=KJV Matthew 12:30-37]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A25-38&version=KJV John 10:25-38]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A4-10&version=KJV John 15:4-10]:*[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+22%3A12-15&version=KJV Revelation 22:12-15]:And what Jesus said of himself in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+7%3A16-17&version=KJV John 7:16-17] is also seen from all these texts cited here above to apply equally to [[Discernment|discerning]] the goodness or evil of any doctrine proposed for belief, including doctrines about Mary, based on the kind of fruits produced. There is no lack of apologists for and against this doctrine, Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Evangelical, Fundamentalist. (Compare the work of the Jewish [[Anti-Defamation League]].) The reader is urged to make a complete search online and in the library to take a personal look at what is actually known of the kind of works done by the devotees of Mary the mother of Jesus called "Queen of Heaven" and "[[Theotokos]]" to see if they correspond to the charges made against them, ''especially the charge of being in reality unconscious disciples of a pagan goddess exemplifying the fruits of unconscious Satanic influence by the spirit of fornication, adultery, and prostitutional whoredom disguised as Mary'' (see [[Confirmation bias]]). Either the fruit is good and therefore the tree of doctrinal devotion from which it comes is good, or the fruit is evil and therefore the tree of doctrinal devotion from which it comes is evil.

:Jesus clearly and emphatically states that the one unforgivable [[sin]] is [[blasphemy]] against the [[Holy Spirit]].

:Many published commentaries discuss, debate and speculate with uncertainty what exactly is meant by the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, or what it could possibly mean. The text of Mark 3:30 plainly says that it is the sin of saying or declaring that the Holy Spirit is unclean, that is, that the Holy Spirit is a defiling evil spirit—"''for they had said, 'He has an unclean spirit' ''". This is blasphemy. According to a literalistic reading of this text the words themselves are enough: "''For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.''" Matthew 12:37. "''The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks''" Luke 6:45. Many others affirm against the literalistic reading of these texts that the words alone do not condemn the speaker but that the words said together with intent, that is, said with conviction and certainty as a serious charge about the very Spirit that is empowering and performing the works, do condemn. Those who simply say or mouth the words are not condemned, but those who mean what they say against the Holy Spirit—as the [[Soul]] of the [[Christianity|whole Christian community]] animating the works of goodness and holiness and sanctification in changing lives—will never be forgiven this sin. See multiple commentaries on [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/12-31.htm Matthew 12:31] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/12-32.htm 32] ~~ ~~ :Compare [http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/djw/lutherantheology.lutherdevilsfraud.html '''''The Devil's Fraud, Lies, and Deception'', Martin Luther''' (angelfire.com)] ''The lying deceit of Catholic miracles and healings as false support of Catholicism''.

::"At times the devil also takes possession of a person and then lets himself be cast out by adjuration, blessing, etc. All this he does for the purpose of confirming his lies and deceptions and of impressing the people, so that because of these apparently great miracles they are seduced into idolatry. This he has accomplished to date with pilgrimages and the idolatrous adoration of saints, at one place with the Sacred Blood, at another with this or that Mary. He has filled the entire country with shameful delusions and has prompted people to throng to such places and everybody to make vows there and transfer their trust from God to his lies. For in the end it was nothing but devilish deception with which he made fools of the people and persuaded them to believe that they had really been helped."

"'''Let your loins be girded...'''"

:Luke 12:35

:With reference to Middle Eastern garments and habit, to “gird up the loins” was the accepted symbol of readiness for active service (Luke 12:37; Luke 17:8; 1 Kings 18:46; 2 Kings 1:8; John 13:4; 1 Peter 1:13). The explicit meaning of the 1st century expression "gird up your loins" is bending forward, reaching back between the feet and ankles, grasping the back hem of the common robe-like garment worn by men, pulling forward and up the loose bottom part of the garment and tucking it tightly into the front of the belt or the girding cloth band of the robe or garment and securing it so as to be out of the way, exposing the lower thighs, knees, legs and feet, thus allowing more freedom of leg movement in wrestling, fighting or combat.

:The ordinary equivalent American expression is, "fasten your belts"—or more loosely, "strap on your gear". See [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/12-35.htm ''multiple commentaries on'' Luke 12:35]

"'''[[Invincible ignorance|he who did not know]], and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes.'''

:Luke 12:48

:See [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/12-48.htm multiple commentaries on Luke 12:48]. Compare [[Invincible ignorance]] and the [[Fallacy of invincible ignorance]].

:This statement by Jesus has been cited over the centuries, together with other passages in the Bible, as ground for the controversial [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] speculation called "[[Limbo]]" (from the Latin ''limbus'' "border", ''in limbo'' "on the border"), defined as:

::(1) A region on the edge of [[hell]] for the souls of the righteous who died before the coming of Christ, of [[Virtue|virtuous]] pagans who have never heard the Gospel and had no opportunity to believe and repent and be [[Baptism|baptized]], and of infants in the womb who died before birth or before baptism;

::(2) a place or condition where unwanted or forgotten persons, things, etcetera, are consigned, banished, exiled, excluded, quarantined, "off in limbo somewhere", "my status was in limbo for the time being";

::(3) a prison (''of maximum to minimum security''), a permanent condition of rigidly restrictive parole or custody under constant guard, such as "[[Home confinement|house arrest]]".

:[[Dante Alighieri]] gives artistic expression to the [[Philosophy|philosophical]] [[hypothesis]] of Limbo, in his first Book of ''[[The Divine Comedy]]'', Inferno (Hell), Canto IV. This work was rejected by the [[Catholic Church]] as teaching [[error]] and placed on the [[Index of Forbidden Books]] (its force as law has been abolished).

:The speculative idea of Limbo, which has never been approved by the Catholic [[Magisterium]] and is not a doctrine of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, is not to be confused with the approved Catholic [[dogma]] of [[Purgatory]]. According to the Catholic Church, those souls in purgatory, being purified or purged of remaining temporal punishments for truly repented and forgiven sins, are not in hell but are already saved and are absolutely assured of [[Heaven]], where "nothing impure can enter" Isaiah 35:8-10; 52:1; 2 Maccabees 12:39-45; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; Revelation 3:5; 21:27. This clearly means that if the impurity of sin is completely covered over but remains unremoved that soul cannot enter therein. The doctrine that sin is covered but not removed is neither biblical nor Christian, but is "another gospel". See 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 and 1 John 3:7.

:*[https://soul-candy.info/2016/05/luthers-dunghill/ Luther's "Dunghill Covered by Snow", in Luther's Words – The Total Depravity of Humanity, by Dave Armnstrong (soul-candy.info)] "''Righteous deeds are mortal sins.''" ''Each man remains by nature a blackened, corrupt sinner in Christ.''

:*[http://www.judev3.co.uk/1SinsCoveredOrGone.htm Sins - Covered or Gone? (judev3.co.uk)] ''Not just covered over, but removed, forever.''

:*[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a2.htm#1987 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1987-2029 (scborromeo.org)] "''It frees from the enslavement to sin, and it heals.''"

:*[http://orthochristian.com/46463.html The Orthodox Teaching on Personal Salvation, Chapter 1 of a thesis by Deacon Victor E. Klimenko, Ph.D., a graduate of the Pastoral School of the Chicago and Mid-America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.(orthochristian.com)] ''Deacon Klimenko, sets forth a discussion of the difference between Protestant legal pardon salvation (imputed) and Orthodox ontological curative salvation (effected), with citations from the Church Fathers''.

:*'''[[Salvation: declarational salvation and ontological salvation]]''' ''The external online [[Salvation: declarational salvation and ontological salvation#External links|'''links''']] listed in this Conservapedia article are an excellent comparative study of these two models of salvation, well worth the time and effort to read.''

:The Orthodox and Catholic doctrine of unmerited [[salvation]] by the divine gift of God through His bestowing of [[Sacrament|sacramental]] grace through [[baptism]] (''and continuing when they are grown through their continuance in listening to and obedience to the Gospel''), and in their devout partaking of the divine nature through the initial grace of baptism and the grace imparted through [[Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation|reconciliation]] and [[eucharist]] (2 Peter 1:3-4)—and given to others through "baptism of desire" and "baptism of blood"—assures souls who do not resist the grace of God eventual salvation in heaven with Him, while those who hate goodness at the end of their lives are damned to eternity in hell.

:The Protestant doctrine of unmerited [[salvation]] solely by hearing and repentance because they believe (Luke 23:39-43; Romans 10:13-17), '''''either''''' absolutely excludes

::(1) pagans who have never heard and do not believe through [[Invincible ignorance|no fault of their own, solely because they had no opportunity]] (victims of circumstance),

::and (2) babies in the womb and before the age of understanding who cannot believe (victims of circumstance),

::and justly condemns them all to hell by default (Calvinism) solely because they have not heard and do not believe, being by nature "children of wrath" (Mark 16:16; Ephesians 2:3),

:<big>'''''or'''''</big>, because God is love and is merciful to the innocent, declares that children who have not yet attained the age of understanding with ability to hear and believe and repent are already saved because they are totally innocent of the guilt of sin and the guilt of Adam's [[original sin]], and have no need to "believe and be baptized" to be saved (Mark 16:16).

:However, some among them point out that all human beings die, which accords with Paul's doctrine that "death passed upon '''all''' men, for that '''all have sinned'''" Romans 5:12, and "by the offence of one ''judgment came'' upon all men to condemnation", because "we have proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are '''all''' under sin; As it is written, There is '''none''' righteous, '''no, not one'''"—and therefore, that children even in the womb are not guiltless before God, but need salvation, being descended from [[Adam]]. This is why some Protestants believe in baptizing their children as a way of commending them to God's mercy and consecrating them to Christ Jesus, our Lord and our Salvation.

:Others affirm with [[Calvinism|Calvin]] that God in His Sovereign Righteousness and Divine Justice and Mercy has already determined from all eternity to selectively save those already predestined by His election for salvation and glory

::(the "elect" [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/isaiah/42-1.htm Isaiah 42:1], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/isaiah/45-4.htm 45:4]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/isaiah/65-9.htm 65:9], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/isaiah/65-22.htm 22]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/24-22.htm Matthew 24:22], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/24-24.htm 24], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/24-31.htm 31]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/13-20.htm Mark 13:20], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/13-22.htm 22], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/13-27.htm 27]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/18-7.htm Luke 18:7]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/8-33.htm Romans 8:33]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/9-11.htm 9:11]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/11-5.htm 11:5], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/11-7.htm 7]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/colossians/3-12.htm Colossians 3:12]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_thessalonians/1-4.htm 1 Thessalonians 1:4]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/2_timothy/2-10.htm 2 Timothy 2:10]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/titus/1-1.htm Titus 1:1]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_peter/1-2.htm 1 Peter 1:2]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_peter/5-13.htm 5:13]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/2_peter/1-10.htm 2 Peter 1:10]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/2_john/1-1.htm 2 John 1], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/2_john/1-13.htm 13]),

:"those whom he foreknew" Romans 8:29-30, who because of their sinful nature He is not obliged to save, but who by His grace he foreknew would be enabled to choose to be saved, all others by nature not being enabled. This excludes by default all of those souls who by their very nature do not (and cannot) hear (or accept) the Gospel, all therefore who have not responded (and cannot respond) to the call, all who therefore are not "called", by that very fact including pagans and babies who cannot hear and therefore cannot believe in their hearts and repent, who "have no understanding", and by nature are already destined for hell through their own fault because of their corrupt nature of sin. Those whose very lives of wickedness unto the day of their deaths show that they are not among the elect; and those who are [[hypocrites]] in their hearts (''including those who are not aware of their hypocrisy'') are not among the elect (Jeremiah 3:10; Ezekiel 33:30-32; Matthew 23:1-7; 1 Timothy 5:24; James 1:22-27; 1 John 3:3-24).

:According to the [[free will]] doctrine of [[Arminianism]], [[Catholicism]], and [[Orthodoxy]], the ability to be able to choose is freely given by God to all ("choose you this day" Deuteronomy 30:19-20, "If you choose, you can keep the commandments" Sirach 15:15-17), because God "commandeth all men everywhere to repent" Acts 17:26-31, because God is "not willing that any should perish" 2 Peter 3:9, and "whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" Revelation 22:17. See especially [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/1Timothy%202%3A4 1 Timothy 2:4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Acts%2017%3A30 Acts 17:30]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/2Peter%203%3A9 2 Peter 3:9]. To freely choose to be saved is to choose to be among the elect; all are called; God numbers among his elect all who freely choose Him and do not choose to resist his love and goodness.

:(See [[Eternal security (salvation)]].)

:As for those infants, children, and adults, who have been saved by Baptism (1 Peter 3:21), if they should afterward sin, Catholicism and Orthodoxy teach that any sins committed after Baptism ("''post-baptismal sins''") can be removed through the [[Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation]] and the [[Anointing of the Sick]] by the washing of the blood of Christ. See 1 John 1:5-10.

:An allusion to the [[Septuagint]] text, Baruch 4:37.

"'''Behold, a certain man who had ''dropsy'' was in front of him.'''"

:Luke 14:2

:Greek '''ύδρωπικός''' ''hudropikos'' Strong's number ''5203''. An abnormal swelling of the tissues due to accumulation of serous fluid. Dropsy is an older term for ''edema'', which can affect various organs, cavities, or tissues of the body. In the first century at the time of Jesus it was regarded as incurable. See [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/14-2.htm multiple commentaries on Luke 14:2]. See also

:*[https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=13311 Medical Definition of Dropsy, Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR - MedicineNet. Medical Terms and Definitions (medicinenet.com)].

:*[https://www.medicinenet.com/edema/article.htm Edema (Pitting) Symptoms, Causes, Types, and Treatments Medical Author: John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP (medicinenet.com)].

:"'''in front of him'''"—Several passages in the Gospels show that dining, banquets and feasts among the wealthy and influential members of society were public affairs with the doors of the house left open, allowing even the poor and diseased to come and go, who were "privileged" to receive portions of food from the table of the rich. As here and on other occasions Jesus was invited, sometimes also his disciples. See Matthew 8:11; 9:9-10; 22:2-4; 26:6-7; Mark 10:37; 14:3, 14-15; Luke 7:36-37; 11:5-8, 37; 12:35-38; 13:29; 14:7-11; 15:22-25; 16:19-21; 19:5-7; John 2:1-11; 12:1-8; 13:23; 1 Peter 4:3; Revelation 19:9. See also Genesis 18:1-8; 2 Samuel 6:19; Esther 1:5-9; 9:20-22; Proverbs 9:1-6; Song 2:4; Daniel 5:1.

Compare the [~~[Conservative Bible|~~https://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project Conservative Bible ] text (conservapedia.com):]]

And as they were traveling, a man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

[[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)|Return to Main article]]

----

Ad Gloriam Dei, 31 January 2019—developed by Michael Paul Heart and the editors of Conservapedia. [https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Harmony_of_the_Gospel_(Conservative_Version)_longer_form_Chapters_15-21&oldid=1576507 Revised on the Memorial of the Guardian Angels, and St. Cyprian, Priest-Martyr, Wednesday 2 October 2019, by Michael Paul Heart]{{Bible Analysis}}

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