Difference between revisions of "Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) longer form Chapters 22-28"

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(Twenty-eight: added Rv 21:4 "no more death")
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:::[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A12&version=KJV Romans 5:12]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+15%3A24-26&version=KJV 1 Corinthians 15:24-26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+2%3A14&version=KJV Hebrews 2:14]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+9%3A11&version=KJV Revelation 9:11 "Apollyon" = "Destroyer"]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12%3A7-9&version=KJV Revelation 12:7-9]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom+1%3A12-13&version=DRA Wisdom 1:12-13]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom+2%3A23-24&version=DRA 2:23-24]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A13-15&version=KJV James 1:13-15]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+20%3A11-15&version=KJV Revelation 20:11-15]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+21%3A4&version=KJV 21:4 "no more death"].
 
:::[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A12&version=KJV Romans 5:12]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+15%3A24-26&version=KJV 1 Corinthians 15:24-26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+2%3A14&version=KJV Hebrews 2:14]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+9%3A11&version=KJV Revelation 9:11 "Apollyon" = "Destroyer"]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12%3A7-9&version=KJV Revelation 12:7-9]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom+1%3A12-13&version=DRA Wisdom 1:12-13]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom+2%3A23-24&version=DRA 2:23-24]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A13-15&version=KJV James 1:13-15]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+20%3A11-15&version=KJV Revelation 20:11-15]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+21%3A4&version=KJV 21:4 "no more death"].
  
:See [http://www.preteristcentral.com/pdf/pdf%20books/1878_russel_parousia.pdf '''The Parousia: A Careful Look at the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming, By James Stuart Russell''' (1878), 443 pages (preteristcentral.com)]. <br> —On page 118 James Stuart Russell explains the [[Preterism|preterist]] doctrine that '''John 14:3, 14:18, 14:28; 16:16, 16:22''' ''and'' '''21:22''' were completely fulfilled within the lifetime of the Apostle John.
+
:See [http://www.preteristcentral.com/pdf/pdf%20books/1878_russel_parousia.pdf '''The Parousia: A Careful Look at the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming (1878), By James Stuart Russell''', 443 pages (preteristcentral.com)]. James Stuart Russell (1816-1895) "served as pastor of the [[Congregationalism|Congregational]] Church in Bayswater, England during the years 1862-1888. He earned his M.A. degree from King's College, University of Aberdeen. Then after this book was published, they honoured him with a D.D. degree. The book was written during the then rising tide of dispensational millennialism that started gaining worldwide momentum after about 1850. Two editions were published, the first in 1878 and the second in 1887, both in London. The pdf link here is a 1996 reprint by Kingdom Publications, 122 Seaward Ave, Bradford, PA 16701. At the time of this reprint it was the most popular introduction to and defense of the preterist view of Bible Prophecy in print. <br> —On page 118 James Stuart Russell explains the [[Preterism|preterist]] doctrine that '''John 14:3, 14:18, 14:28; 16:16, 16:22''' ''and'' '''21:22''' were completely fulfilled within the lifetime of the Apostle John.
 +
 
 +
Compare [[Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis)]].
 
</small>
 
</small>
  

Revision as of 11:23, December 9, 2019

Introduction

Index

Twenty-two

Chapter 22 Bible texts

They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going in front of them, and they were amazed; and those who followed were afraid. He again took the twelve, and began to tell them the things that were going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles. They will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me, and does not disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brethren, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace. So therefore whoever of you who does not renounce all that he has, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him. The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”

He told them this parable. “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost without rest before he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently without rest before she found it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”

He said, “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I am dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.” ’

“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ Then they began to celebrate.

“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

“He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ ”

He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

“The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I do not have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ He said, ‘A hundred batos of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

“His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You are not able to serve God and Mammon.”

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him. He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were up unto the day of John. From that time the Good News of God’s Kingdom is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall. Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’

“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted, and you are in anguish. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’

“He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; for I have five brethren, that he may testify to them, so they will not also come into this place of torment.’

“But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’

“He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’ ”

He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table,’ and will not rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me, while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not. Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’ ”

As he was on his way to Jerusalem, he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance. They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!

When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

As they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus’s feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. Jesus answered, “Were not the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.”

Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, he answered them, “God’s Kingdom does not come with observation; neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is in the midst of you.”

He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!Do not go away or follow after them, for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky; so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. As it was in the days of Noah, even so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage up to the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky and destroyed them all. It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who will be on the housetop and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it. I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other will be left. Two will be in the field: the one taken, and the other left.”

They, answering, asked him, “Where, Lord?”

He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.”

He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who did not fear God, and did not respect man. A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ He would not for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’ ”

The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. Will God not avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. “Two men went up into the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far away, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and do not hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these. Most certainly, I tell you, whoever does not receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.”

A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one: God. You know the commandments:

“ ‘Do not commit adultery,’
“ ‘Do not murder,’
“ ‘Do not steal,’
“ ‘Do not give false testimony,’
“ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.”

When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich.

Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom! For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”

Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or children, for God’s Kingdom’s sake, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life.”

He took the twelve aside, and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be completed. For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit on. They will scourge and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.”

They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not understand the things that were said; and they were afraid to ask him.

They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going in front of them, and they were amazed; and those who followed were afraid.

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he again said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up.”

Mark 10:32-34
Luke 14:25–18:34
Mark 9:32b
Mark 10:32-34 reiteration of fact
Matthew 20:17-19

Compare
World English Bible text
Greek original text
Latin Vulgate text
NRSV text
Scofield Reference Bible (1917 Edition)
Conservative Bible text
multiple versions of any verse
multiple commentaries any passage
interlinear Bible: Hebrew, Greek, English
Bible maps (click initial letter of place name)
Bible Encyclopedias: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (studylight.org)
Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic Online (catholic.org)
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,
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Table of Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, in English translation, Joel Kalvesmaki 2013 (kalvesmaki.com)

List of 300 Septuagint Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, by Steve Rudd 2017 (bible.ca)

Table of LXX quotes and allusions in the New Testament


Church History (Eusebius): The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine (newadvent.org)

The Works of Flavius Josephus William Whiston, Translator, 1737 (sacred-texts.com)

Suetonius: Twelve Caesars: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquilus; To which are added His Lives of the Grammarians, Rhetoricians, and Poets. The Translation of Alexander Thomson, M.D., Revised and corrected by T. Forester, Esq., A.M. (Gutenberg.org)

Tacitus: The Annals, Written 109 A.C.E. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb

Sextus Aurelius Victor: Epitome De Caesaribus (roman-emperors.org)

Eutropius: Breviarium - Eutropius's Abridgement of Roman History (tertullian.org)

Cassius Dio: Roman History Epitome (penelope.uchicago.edu)

Early Christian Writings A.D. 30 through 380 (earlychristianwritings.com)
See Biblical Canon and Apocrypha.


"he began to tell them what was going to happen to him"

Mark 10:32-34.
The detail that he "began" to tell them distinguishes Mark 10:32-34 from the narratives of Matthew 20:17-19 and Luke 18:31-34.

"If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?"

Luke 16:12.
Many commentaries fail to mention the ancient laws and customs regarding inheritance among the wealthy merchant and upper classes of the aristocracy, primarily pertaining to sons and occasionally to daughters who were expected to be heirs of their parents, of their business and property and wealth. As they grew from childhood, the parent would entrust more and more responsibility to the designated heir as training for the responsibility of inheriting the name and the material substance of the family. At a certain date set by the family head, a portion of some of the property and wealth of the family would be given to each son or daughter as their own. If, however, before that date the son or daughter proved to be unworthy, they could be deprived of ever receiving what otherwise would have been theirs to own. If the expected heir to the family name proved to be consistently trustworthy with each assigned responsibility or duty to be fulfilled as entrusted, especially matters involving money, then whatever was to be inherited upon the death of the family head would be confidently given by the lawfully authorized executor of the estate to the designated heir in full accordance with the will of the testator as belonging to that designated heir as his or her own to rule by right of inheritance. However, if during the years from childhood through maturity the designated heir consistently proved to be utterly incompetent or untrustworthy, or failed with only one great responsibility of significant importance, involving management of a large sum of money in trust which must not be misappropriated, or an act of outrageous disrespect deeply offensive to the family head, the testator could revise the will to deny the heir what normally would be his or her own as inheritance. (Two Old Testament examples of dispossession are Reuven, the eldest son of Jacob, in Genesis 35:22; 49:2-3; and Adonijah in 1 Kings 1:5–2:25.) See Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 4, verses 1 and 2
"I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate; but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father."
(Compare Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27. See especially Ephesians 2:8-10 and Hebrews 12:4-17.)

"In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom."

Luke 16:23
The context of this verse is Luke 16:19-31.
The story is traditionally called Dives and Lazarus, as if Dives is the name of the rich man. However, the Latin "dives" (in the Vulgate text) simply means, "rich man". Homo quidam erat dives "there was a rich man". (Dives and Lazarus (goodnews.ie).)
Some exegetes see in this story told by Jesus a real incident of which he alone had personal divine knowledge, being God. Others see in it a parabolic lesson which need not have been a fact.
What is doctrinally significant here is the fact that Jesus represents dead people as conscious after death and before the final resurrection of the dead. Compare
Isaiah 14:9-19; Daniel 12:2; Revelation 6:9-11; 20:10; Hebrews 12:1 and 12:22-24; Luke 7:14; 8:54; John 11:43; 23:39-43; also Song of Solomon 5:2 "I slept, but my heart was awake."
See the following articles:
See 1 Samuel 28:15; Job 3:13-19; Psalms 6:5; 88:10-12; 115:17; 146:4.
See Matthew 16:1-3; 22:32; Mark 12:26-27; Luke 16:19-31; 23:42; 2 Corinthians 5:6-9; Philippians 1:21-23; 1 Peter 3:18-20; Revelation 6:9-11; 11:15-17.
Brian Huie says that those who "sleep in death" are unconscious, that the dead know nothing because sleep is a state of total unconsciousness. This is called "soul sleep". He cites the following passages as proof texts:
1 Kings 2:10; Job 3:11-19; 7:21; 14:10-12; Psalm 13:3; Daniel 12:13; John 11:11-14; Acts 7:59-60; 13:36; 1 Corinthians 15:6, 20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16.
He says nothing about vivid dreams that seem very real to the dreamer, remembered as conscious experiences, such as the appearance of the angel of the Lord to Joseph "in a dream" and the warning of God in a dream to the wise men, Matthew 1:20-25; 2:12-20.
In opposition to the belief of mainstream Christianity, Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Catholic, that souls after death are conscious and fully aware of their state, Brian T. Huie firmly states, "But we, as believers, should be guided by the Scriptures and not by satanically-inspired human traditions." (See 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 3:3.)
In answer to the objection that the "good thief" was personally with Jesus in paradise the very day of their crucifixion (and therefore spiritually conscious, awake and aware of his blessedness), Huie says:
"After his resurrection, Yeshua told Mary not to cling to him, because he had NOT YET ascended to heaven to his Father. Instead, he had just spent parts of three days and three nights dead and asleep in the garden tomb (for additional information on the crucifixion and resurrection, see my article "When Was Christ Resurrected?"). The Scriptures show that he didn't go to heaven until 40 days later (Acts 1:3, 9-11). If Christ didn't ascend to Paradise until 40 days after his resurrection, there's no way the thief could have joined him there that same day they both died on a stake."
In adverting to John 30:15-17 and the 40 day interval of Acts 1:3, 9-11, Brian Huie ignores the appearance of Jesus immediately afterward to the other women who did touch him that same Sunday morning, Matthew 28:8-9, and his urging to others the same Sunday evening to handle him and see, Luke 24:39; and his granting only a week later of the proof demanded by Thomas, John 20:27-28. Moreover, Huie says nothing about 1 Peter 3:18-20 which says that Jesus "went and preached to the spirits in prison". According to the doctrine of soul sleep, they could not have heard any preaching of anything at all, because of a state of remaining unconsciously asleep and utterly unaware until the day of the bodily resurrection of the dead at the final judgment when "many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" Daniel 12:2 KJV.
In Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26-27; Luke 20:38, those who have died are not dead but alive. Compare 2 Peter 1:19. Any appeal to Old Testament texts such as Psalm 6:5; 88:1-12; Ecclesiastes 9:5-6; Isaiah 38:17-19; Daniel 12:2, and others (cited above) which speak of the silence of corpses in the grave, and their bodies as sleeping in death, cannot be used as proof texts to contradict other texts within the whole context of the rest of the Bible.
(Again) Matthew 16:1-3; 22:32; Mark 12:26-27; Luke 16:19-31; 23:42; 2 Corinthians 5:6-9; Philippians 1:21-23; 1 Peter 3:18-20; Revelation 6:9-11; 11:15-17.
Orthodox and Catholic doctrine cites in addition to the above texts Daniel 3:86 ("O ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever."), and 2 Maccabees 15:11-16 (the vision of Jeremiah, almost 400 years dead, and Onias the high priest who had been assassinated, praying for the nation), as an example of the intercession of the saints after they have died.
There is also abundant attestation to the belief in "soul consciousness" in the apostolic tradition of the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers. For example, Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 6:6
—"souls, although darkened by passions, when released from their bodies, are able to perceive more clearly, because of their being no longer obstructed by the paltry flesh."
(Translated by W. Wilson, ANF vol. 2 pp. 299-567.)
Compare the following articles:

"If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him."

Luke 17:3-4
In a twelve-hour day (from sunrise to sunset in the Middle East), seven times equals one offense every hour and forty-two minutes on average. In a twenty-four hour day (from sunset to sunset) seven times equals one every three hours and twenty-five minutes on average.
Forty-nine times in a week
Two thousand five hundred and forty-eight times every year
One hundred seventy-eight thousand three hundred and sixty times in a biblical lifespan of threescore and ten years
Many prisoners of war, abused men, women and children, and those persecuted and tortured for their faith in Jesus, suffer similar numbers of outrages committed against them by their fellow human beings, their "brethren", every day until they are rescued, or until they die. It is unheard of that those who have committed outrages against them have in the same day turned back each time to those they have injured and said, "I repent", "I regret what I did", or anything equivalent. However, documentation exists that some of them long afterward have indeed repented and asked those they have repeatedly harmed for forgiveness for all that they did to offend them.

"behold, God's Kingdom is in the midst of you"

Luke 17:21 (context 17:20-24).
The Greek word translated here as "you" is the plural ὑμῶν, not the singular σας or σε. Jesus is referring to the whole community.
Compare the interlinear Greek and English texts of Mark 1:37 σα "you" singular and Luke 17:21 ὑμῶν "you" plural
See KJV "WITHIN", Strong's number 1787 ἐντός entos, inside:—within, amidst.
The Kingdom of God is present wherever Jesus is present in the midst of, amidst, within, inside the community, wherever two or more are gathered in His Name as the Body of Christ. Compare Luke 11:20 and Matthew 18:19-20; also 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 12:12-14 in which the "body" is the collective (plural) assembly of Christians as "God's temple" in our midst. This is the profound fulfillment of the Hebrew קהל qhl, qahal, the root of קהלת Qoheleth (the Preacher, Assembler, caller of the Assembly, Ecclesiastes) which reaches its climax on the Day of Judgment. "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men" (plural)—"If a man loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" παρ’ αὐτῷ par' auto (he does not say έν αὐτῷ en auto, "in him"). The literal sense of scripture here is parallel to making a structure "with" wood, stones, and metal, incorporating him into the dwelling/home of Jesus and His Father—"we will love him and come to him and make our home with him" and "with" others like him, as "living stones of the temple of God". (Revelation 21:3; John 14:23; compare John 14:17 where έν ὑμῖν en hymin "in him" is plural). Such a man (human being, male or female) is one of the "living stones" that together with others are "built into a spiritual house". 1 Peter 2:4-5.
"Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you [plural] also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:20b-22. See Colossians 2:19.
Compare
Hebrew משכן mishkan "Dwelling, Tabernacle", היכל heykal "Temple", in Exodus 25–27; 35-40; Joshua 22:19, 29; 1 Samuel 1:9; 3:3; 2 Samuel 7:6; 22:7; 1 Kings 6–7; 2 Kings 11:10-11; 1 Chronicles 6:48; 16:35; 17:5; 21:29; 23:26; 2 Chronicles 1:5; Psalm 29:9; 48:9; 65:4; 78:60; Zechariah 6:12-15;
Greek ναός naos "Temple", in Acts 7:48; 17:24; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 2:16; Ephesians 2:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 3:12; 7:15; 11:1-2, 19; 14:15, 17; 15:5-6, 8; 16:1, 17; 21:22
New Age teachers and their disciples erroneously read this text Luke 17:21 and the other texts cited here, together with others in the New Testament, as teaching that divinity resides naturally within every individual human being, that each is already God, "See? Even the Bible says, 'God is within you', so you are Divine". They claim to "be God". (See Monism.)
That is not the meaning of the Greek text. "Within you" here is plural, not singular. There is no support in the New Testament for this gnostic doctrine of the particular, resident, permanent, indwelling of divinity within the individual temple/body of each person apart from the community (compare 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and 1 John 2:18). According to 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 the assembly, plural "you", of the Corinthian Christians is collectively the temple of God, which parallels the same teaching of 1 Peter 2:4-10 and Ephesians 2:19-22 and Hebrews 12:18-29, that Christians are, together, in charity, unity, brotherhood and worship, the temple of the Holy Spirit and the temple of God. Whoever therefore seeks to destroy the temple of God by disunity or division, God will destroy (see Jude 16-19; Numbers 16; Jude 11; 2 Peter 2). For this reason Hebrews 10:23-25 commands the members of the community to avoid adopting the individualistic idea of just "me and Jesus" apart from the community, based on an exclusively private, intense personal relationship with a personal Savior solely one-on-one, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some" (KJV). See Corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Compare 1 John 2:19a "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us..." (KJV).

Two will be in the field: the one taken, and the other left.

Luke 17:36/35.
Many translations omit this text in accordance with majority textual critical manuscript evidence.
This text is found in some Western copies of Greek manuscripts of the Gospel of Luke. It was included by translators as the last part of Luke 17:35 in the Douay-Rheims Bible of 1610 and as the separate verse Luke 17:36 in the King James Bible of 1611. Many textual critics read it as an addition to the Gospel of Luke by scribal assimilation to Matthew 24:40. The majority of them therefore see it as an authentic utterance by Jesus, even if it does not appear here in this place in the text of most early important manuscripts of Luke. Accordingly, it has been included here as the word of Jesus in this Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) in accordance with a manuscript tradition that is about fifteen centuries old.
See multiple commentaries on Luke 17:36, and
Dating the Oldest New Testament Manuscripts, by Peter van Minnen (library.duke.edu), also Manuscript Evidence for Verses Disputed by the Modern Versions.
Compare Bible Query - Early Manuscripts of Luke.

Where Lord?...Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.

Luke 17:37.
Other translations say "eagles". Compare Matthew 24:28.
Luke 17:37 σῶμα soma "body", is equal to πτῶμα ptoma "carcass" in Matthew 24:28.
Although here in Luke 17:37 the specific word for carcass (ptoma) is not used as in Matthew 24:28, both differ from Homer's use of δέμας demas "living body". According to the context, then, the σῶμα of Luke 17:37 is synonymous with the πτῶμα of Matthew 24:28.
"Thither will the eagles be gathered together", rather, "the vultures", "the kites" (Leviticus 11:14; Deuteronomy 14:13). The same generic word άετός aetos is indeed used in the New Testament for both genera of birds, although the eagle does not feed on carcasses but rather freshly killed prey; however, both devour flesh, both "eat the flesh". See Strong's number 105 άετός aetos (plural ἀετοὶ aetoi). Some commentators both ancient and modern have interpreted ‘the body’ to mean Christ, and ‘the eagles’ His gathering Saints, according to their interpretation of the apparent context of Matthew 24:21-28. Scriptural usage in the Bible itself seems to make such an interpretation impossible, especially as there is most probably a direct allusion to Job 39:26-30, “Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.” See Habakkuk 1:8 "They fly like an eagle swift to devour"; also Hosea 8:1; Revelation 19:17-21.
See multiple commentaries on Luke 17:37 and Matthew 24:28.
Compare multiple versions of Luke 17:37 άετόι aetoi and Matthew 24:28 άετόι aetoi
This saying of Jesus in Luke 17:37, as with Matthew 24:28, is an ancient Semitic expression of certainty, expressing the inevitable consequence of rebellion against God. They will be taken in death, where the carrion birds gather together. The Old Testament prophets frequently warned that the armies of the wicked are doomed to be consumed on the battlefields of the earth and the corpses of the slain consumed by the birds of the air. See Revelation 19:17-21.
Pre-tribulationists read this saying in Matthew 24 and Luke 17 as applying to the Rapture of the elect, reading the "taken" as those redeemed from the earth, to spare them the horrors of the Great Tribulation, "the wrath of God" (Revelation 15:7; 16:1), based on an interpretative parallel reading of 1 Thessalonians 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ". The "wrath" here in 1 Thessalonians is taken to be the Great Tribulation of the Apocalypse of John. See the following:
See also the following Conservapedia articles:
End Times and Dispensationalism.
Others read this text of Luke 17:37 (with Matthew 24:28) as referring to the wicked who are taken (slain) by violent bloodshed and left rotting, eaten by vultures, kites and eagles: one will be taken, the other left alive. (Compare Malachi 4:2-3.)
The disciples asked Jesus "where" the ones taken will be, and he tells them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.” They will be rotting corpses (Revelation 19:17-21). The righteous survivors will be left. This is consistent with the Old Testament prophets' imagery of the bloody aftermath of the battlefield. See Ezekiel 39:1-22.
This exegetical interpretation looks to the literary form of parallel construction for interpretation of the meaning and intent of the words in these texts, what is called the literal sense of scripture. Jesus tells his disciples that as it was in the days of Noah, the wicked knew nothing until the flood came and "took them all away". As it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, the wicked went about their normal activities until the fire came down and destroyed them (took them in death). So also in the days to come, "one will be taken, the other left". The parallel pattern of exposition within the text itself demonstrates that those who are "taken" are the wicked, and the righteous are those who will be left (alive), saved from the wrath that falls on the wicked. This is the exact opposite of the reading of the Rapture in these texts as proclaimed by Pre-tribulation evangelists. Compare Malachi 4:2-3 and Matthew 5:5.

"They were also bringing their babies to him"

Luke 18:15—KJV "infants".
Greek καὶ τὰ βρέφη ἵνα αὐτῶν kai ta brephe ina auton "also infants to him".
The word βρέφη brephe means, "an unborn or a newborn child, infant, babe, child in arms", children not yet able to walk. From the Greek vocabulary of this passage, these are helpless babies who cannot of themselves come to Jesus by their own power.
See Strong's number 1025 βρέφη brephe "infant". Compare the interlinear text of Luke 18:15.
"Jesus summoned them, saying...".
"summoned them"—The Greek grammar and syntax of this passage according to the context of the word βρέφη brephe "newborn, infant, babe, child in arms" indicates that Jesus summoned the parents "summoned them"—"They"—who "were also bringing their babies to him". It goes without saying that infants, newborns, babes in arms cannot walk. Thus, a more dynamic interpretive, linguistically legitimate translation gives the reading that Jesus summoned the parents, the mothers bringing their infants, while at the same time "saying" to his disciples, "Allow the little children...."
"Jesus summoned to Him the mothers bringing them, saying to his disciples, ‘Allow the little children to come to me, and forbid them not’."
See interlinear text of Luke 18:16 and multiple commentaries on Luke 18:16.
"It is the mind of Christ, that little children should be brought to him"
—Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary.
"It is surely not to be conceived that all our Lord meant was to inform us, that seeing [that] grown people must become childlike in order to be capable of the kingdom of God, [that] therefore they should not hinder infants from coming to Him, and therefore [that this was why] He took up and blessed the infants themselves. Was it not the just mistake of the disciples that infants should not be brought to Christ, because only grown people could profit by Him, [a mistake] which ‘much displeased’ our Lord?"
—Jameson-Faussett-Brown Commentary
(A phrase existing in the original text is italicized here to emphasize the authors' intent, that they expressed the disciples' mistake of believing that infants should not be brought to Christ because only grown people could benefit from Him, a belief which "much displeased" Jesus; the bracketed words also seen here above were added here for clarification)
"[5] But Jesus {g} called them... {g) Those that carried the children, whom the disciples drove away. [5] The elect children of the faithful are included in the free covenant of God (Ed.)"
—Geneva Study Bible (notes).
"προσεκαλέσατο, called, speaking to those who carried the infants."
—Expositor's Greek Testament.
"If they who are like little children belong to the kingdom or heaven, why should we for a moment doubt that the little children themselves belong to the kingdom? ... It is noticeable that these children were not brought to the Lord to be taught, but "that he should put his hands upon them, and bless them (Mark 10:16)."
—Pulpit commentary.
"Allow the little children to come to me, and do not hinder them" Luke 18:16.
This passage, verses 15-16, is often used to argue in favor of infant baptism, with the reasoning that if the grace of blessing by Christ can be received by the soul of an infant, "babies", as here in this text of Luke, then the grace of baptism unto salvation can also be received by the soul of a baby, and no one is justified in hindering or opposing the practice of infant baptism, which the ancient church fathers testified comes from the teaching of the apostles, traceable by tradition back to the first century of the early church.
Compare John 3:5 and commentaries.
See 1 Peter 3:21 and commentaries.
Christian Evangelicals and Fundamentalists argue that infants, "babies", are incapable of repentance and of committing any personal sins, and therefore baptizing them once, as infants, as an act never to be repeated, deprives them of obeying the commandment to "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38.
According to the Bible, even infants and those in the womb are able to praise God or go astray from him by sin. See the following:
Job 31:18; Psalm 8:2; Psalm 139:16; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 21:16; Luke 1:41; Luke 18:15; Acts 2:39; Acts 17:27; 2 Peter 3:9; compare Psalm 58:3; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 9:13.
Apologists for the doctrine of infant baptism point to the next verse 39: "For the promise is to you and to your children..."; and they point to the fact that here in Luke 18:15 "They were also bringing their babies to him", and that Jesus himself, seeing his own disciples rebuking them for doing so, commanded them, "Allow the little children to come to me, and do not hinder them" Luke 18:16—"And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them" Mark 10:16—"And he laid his hands on them" Matthew 19:15.
In response, Christian Evangelicals and Fundamentalists argue that Jesus did not command the "bringing" of infants by others, but that he said, "Allow the little children to come to me, and do not hinder them"—the words "allow to come" and "do not hinder them" indicating to them that these little children are capable of walking, and therefore of an age to reason, understand, repent, and "be baptized", by their own choice, not the choice of their parents on their behalf bringing them to him before they reach an age to have any rational understanding of the meaning of being sorry for their own sins. This eisegetical interpretation utterly contradicts, or at the very least totally ignores, the Bible's word βρέφη brephe, which clearly means, "an unborn or a newborn child, infant, babe, child in arms", children not yet able to walk. Such an interpretation is a clear example of confirmation bias. From the context, Jesus' word, "allow the little children to come to me", means, "allow the little babies to be brought to me—don't exclude them!"
Apologists for infant baptism respond that Jesus was countermanding his disciples' refusal of infants, babies, being brought to him for his blessing, and that even infants, babies, incapable of conscious choice, can receive the blessing of Jesus from heaven in baptism. They also point to 1 Peter 3:21 and Ephesians 5:25b-27, teaching that according to the Bible baptism saves us now, and that Jesus sanctifies and cleanses his church with the washing of water with the word, to present the whole church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. They point to the fact that Paul teaches that baptism replaces circumcision, which is done when a child is only eight days old, which made that baby a member of the people of God, to be raised and taught the way of the Lord in truth. Colossians 2:9-14. Devout Christian parents who have their infants baptized, take upon themselves the duty to raise their children to understand that because of their baptism into Christ they are obligated to dedicate their whole lives to living the Christian life in obedience to Christ, and that to refuse to do so is a very serious sin against God himself, punishable by condemnation to hell for all eternity if, having known the truth, they do not repent of their conscious refusal to live a Christian life of holiness in obedience to Christ Jesus the Lord before they die.
1 Peter 3:21 in the King James Version states that baptism is "the answer of a good conscience toward God". The Greek word here translated as "answer" is έπερώτημα eperotema, which means much more than a mere answer to a question. It means primarily “question,” “enquiry,” “inquiry” as in a probing investigation or hearing and a trial by law before the examiners, the judge and the court. A true understanding according to the literal sense of scripture is found partly in the forensic use of the Greek word for question, έπερώτημα eperotema, as including, like our word “examination,” both question and answer. Substantive evidence as an "exhibit" brought before the court is presented to the judge as an answer to the charge of the guilt or innocence of the accused.
According to scripture the whole of mankind was defiled by the guilt of Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12; Wisdom 2:23-24). Moreover, not only are we born as members of the whole community of the fallen race of man defiled by the defect of this original sin, and for this reason every human being dies, even innocent babies in the womb, we also each of us as descendants of fallen man commit our own sins against God and our fellow human beings, against our own parents, children, friends, enemies, against truth, mercy and justice, and against ourselves whether we intend it or not (Romans 3:23; 7:15, 19). Even little children have regrets about what they have done, and tiny babies display anger and stubbornness when they don't get what they want. As we mature in age and come to know the holiness of God we become even more aware of our inherent imperfection and our guilt before Him. Even atheists, against their will, struggle with feelings of guilt, knowing that they are not what they should be.
Hebrews 10:1-2 clearly testifies that the sacrifices and washings of the Law of Moses can never make perfect the conscience of those who draw near to God, because even after offering sacrifices and cleansing their bodies according to the regulations and ordinances of the Torah blamelessly, without fault in their performance of them, they are still conscious of sin, for if they had actually been cleansed they would no longer have any consciousness of sin. But Christ through his blood in the washing of baptism with the word makes those who are members of his body sanctified, cleansed, without spot or wrinkle or any such defect, so that each one as members of one body might be holy and without blemish, and this purity of a clean soul and clean conscience is the evidence of innocence in answer to the charge of guilt, "the answer of a good conscience toward God" (KJV).
According to Catholic doctrine, baptism into Christ removes entirely the inherited defect of the original sin of the whole human race descended from Adam and of the personal guilt of all sins personally committed before being baptized. Thus the effect of sin and its removal is not merely juridical as a legal decision exonerating the guilty by a decree of amnesty. In an absolute reality affecting the whole person, the removal of sin through the blood of Christ in baptism is instead ontological, affecting the very being of the individual soul, the "creature" itself, as is the cure of a deadly disease a real healing of the whole physical body, the image of which in the New Testament was the cleansing of leprosy by Christ and the apostles (Matthew 9:2-8; Mark 6:13; Acts 5:14-16; 19:11). The defiling disease is removed.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV, boldface emphasis added.)
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." (Galatians 6:15 KJV,
boldface emphasis added)
A legal declaration of amnesty cannot cure the physical being of the carrier of a deadly disease, only the medicine of the practicing physician administered properly can do that. Sin is not merely covered up, as in the sacrifices of the old covenant, which cannot take away sins, as the author of Hebrews 10:1-22 clearly says, but is in reality is washed away, removed, according to Ephesians 5:25-27 and Hebrews 10:22 and 2 Peter 1:9; see Acts 22:16. All that remains is the leftover temporal damage caused by the disease of sin. Romans 6–8; 2 Corinthians 4:16–5:4; 1 Corinthians 15:42-54.
See Salvation: declarational salvation and ontological salvation.
See also Helpless babies and sinners.

"they did not understand the things that were said, and they were afraid to ask him."

The last phrase is an amplification of Luke 18:34 with addition of Mark 9:32b.
This text parallels the earlier silence of the apostles in Mark 9:30-32 after they had earlier been told, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise." This has been done here in the narrative to separate the parallel narratives of Luke 18:31-34 and Matthew 20:17-19, which are not identical and are thus assumed to be relating separate occurances. This is not impossible, and this arrangement, which preserves unaltered the statements Jesus made in each case, changes nothing in the doctrine set forth in these scriptures. It is only necessary that each Gospel writer chose one occasion of this teaching on the way to Jerusalem to represent what he taught them before it happened. Jesus frequently had to repeat his teaching to the apostles, as he did in Mark 8:31, 9:31 and 10:33. This pattern of pedagogy is evident in each of the Gospels. See
Matthew 8:10-12 and 24:31-33, 45-46
Mark 8:30 and 9:9
Mark 8:31, 9:12, 31 and 10:33
Mark 9:1 and 13:30
Mark 9:23, 10:27 and 11:22-24
Luke 13:15 and 14:5
John 5:36 and 10:25
See article What is Pedagogy? (infed.org)

"and on the way he again said to them..."

An amplification of Matthew 20:17.
Compare Matthew 16:21 and this verse. The insertion here of the explicit word "again" does not add any meaning to the text of Matthew, since it is a fact that within the text of Matthew alone the narrative declares that Jesus had foretold to his disciples more than once what would happen to him. Compare Luke 18:31-32 and Matthew 20:17-19. There is enough difference between the two utterances to justify reading them as actually being two occurrences when Jesus took the disciples aside more than once on the way to Jerusalem and spoke to them about what was about to happen to him. The explicit amplification of "again" as implicit within the context of the verse from Matthew is also coincidentally justifiable as a harmonization of the two texts as sequential and not identical.

"Now great multitudes were going with him."

(end of this chapter)
The duplication of four texts here (Mark 10:32; Luke 14:25, 18:35; Mark 9:11) is an amplification based on general indications in the Gospels.
Jesus did not journey toward Jerusalem with only the twelve accompanying him. Crowds constantly surrounded him and pressed on him. Luke 5:1-3, Mark 5:30-31. See Mark 6:56, 10:32, 46; 11:9; Matthew 4:25, 20:29, 21:8-9; Luke 19:37; John 10:40-41.
Modern Christian historians see an analogous contemporary echo of this phenomenon in the visual documentary records of the crowds that surrounded the travels on foot by 20th century popular grassroots leaders such as Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr..

Compare the Conservative Bible text (conservapedia.com):

Jesus walked ahead of the rest on their way to Jerusalem. His students were in amazement while other followers were fearful. Jesus pulled the twelve Apostles aside and began telling them what to expect next. He said, "Listen carefully: we will arrive in Jerusalem, where the Son of man shall be betrayed and handed over to the leading priests and scribes, who shall condemn Him to death for execution by the Gentiles. They will mock Him, whip Him, spit on Him, and murder Him; yet on the third day He shall rise to life again."

And a great number of people were following Him by then: and He turned, and said to them, "If any man comes to me, but puts the interests of his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters before me, yes, even his own interests before me as well, he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first, and estimate the cost, to ensure he is able to complete what he starts? Unless sadly, after he had laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that see this begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' Or what king, preparing to go to war against another king, does not sit down first, and determine whether his ten thousand troops are sufficient to face an opponent with twenty thousand? Or in realizing that they are not sufficient, and while the opponent is still far from attacking, he sends an emissary to negotiate terms of peace. So likewise, whoever of you that does not forsake all that he has, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good: but if the salt has lost its potency, where shall it be used? It is neither fit for the land, or even for the garbage dump; but men discard itt. He that has ears to hear with, let him hear this."

Then He was approached by all the tax collectors and sinners, who wanted to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, "This man meets with sinners, and dines with them."

And He responded to them with this parable, saying, "What man among you, having a hundred sheep, if he were lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the field, and pursues the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he carries it back on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he returns home, he gathers his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.' I say to you, that heaven shall rejoice like that over one sinner that repents, even more that over ninety-nine good people, who need no repentance. Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she were to lose one piece, does not light a candle, and searches the house, and seeks diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she gathers her friends and her neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.' Likewise, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents."

Jesus said, "A man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of your inheritance.' And his father gave him half of his wealth. Soon afterward the younger son took everything he could and left for a distant land, where he wasted his life through careless, sinful behavior. But after he had lost everything, a terrible famine struck the land, he began to go hungry. He latched onto a citizen there, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. And he would have given anything to eat the same food that the pigs enjoyed, yet no man gave him anything. He came to his senses, saying, 'How many of my father's servants have plenty of bread, and yet I'm starving to death!' I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against you, and I am unworthy of being called your son: treat me as you would a hired hand instead.' And so he got up, and headed back to his father. But when he was still far from home, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran to him, and embraced him, and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against you, and I am unworthy of being called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the finest calf here, and butcher it; and let us eat, and celebrate. For my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called to one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And the servant replied, 'Your brother has come home; and your father is serving the finest calf, because he has been returned to him safe and sound.' And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore his father came out, and pleaded with him. And in answer to his father he said,'Look, in all these many years I have served you, I have never gone against your will: and yet you never gave me such a feast, that I might celebrate with my friends: but as soon as this son returned, who had squandered his inheritance from you on prostitutes, you've given up your finest calf in honor of him.' And the father responded, saying 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It is fitting that we should celebrate though, and be glad: for this man your brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."

And He also said to his disciples, "There was a certain rich man, who employed a manager; and this manager was accused of squandering his boss's wealth. And he summoned him, and said to him, 'How is it that I hear such bad things about you? You need to explain your decisions and their results; for your position is now in jeopardy.' Then the manager said to himself, 'What shall I do? If I lose this position I have no practical skills to rely on; I can't do construction work and I'm too proud to beg. I am determined to do what I need to then, in case I am fired as manager, to save face with my peers. So he summoned every one of his employer's debtors, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my employer?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil'. And the manager said to him, 'Take your invoice, sit down quickly, and change it to say fifty'. Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And the man replied, 'A hundred measures of wheat'. And he said to him, 'Take your invoice, and change it to eighty'. And the employer commended the unjust manager, because he had acted wisely: for those who actually do good when they can are wiser than those who merely think about being good. And I say to you, be wise in using material things to help those around you; so that, when the material no longer matters, you are received into Heaven. He that is faithful in addressing minor affairs is faithful in addressing major ones: and he that is unjust in the smallest of matters is also unjust in major ones. If you haven't even been faithful in dealing with petty, material affairs, who will entrust you with riches of true value? And if you have not been faithful in managing the wealth of another man, who shall give you wealth of your own? No servant can serve two masters: for he will either hate the first, and love the second; or else he will love the first, and despise the second. You cannot serve God and materialism."

And the Pharisees there, who were jealous, heard all these things: and they mocked Him. And He said to them, "You are the type who consider yourselves righteous among men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed by men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were your guide until John: since that time the kingdom of God has been preached directly, and every man is accountable to it. And it is easier for Heaven and Earth to vanish, than for one point of God's law to fail. Whoever abandons his wife, and marries another, commits adultery: and whoever marries the woman who was abandoned by her husband commits adultery.

"There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in regal colors and fine linen, and dined sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laying at his gate, covered with sores, And hoping to be fed with whatever scraps were left from the rich man's table: instead the dogs came and licked at his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's care: the rich man also died, and was buried; and he reopened his eyes in Hell, being in torment there, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his care. And he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame'. But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your life you received your good fortune, and likewise Lazarus bad fortune: but now he is comforted, and you are tormented'. And besides, between you and us there is a great chasm: so that those who would try to reach you from here cannot; nor could any come to us, who would try to leave from where you are'. Then he said, 'I pray to you then, father, that you would send him to my father's house: for I have five brothers there; so he may bear witness of this to them, otherwise they'll also come into this place of torment'. Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them'. And he said, 'No, father Abraham: because if they hear this directly from a ghost, they will repent'. And he said to him, 'If they ignore Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded, even by a ghost'."

Then He said to the disciples, "It is necessary that terrible things will happen, but woe to him who causes them! It would be better for him if a large stone were hung on his neck and he was thrown into the sea, than that he should harm one of these little ones. Remember always, that if another should harm you, you should rebuke him, and if he repents, you should forgive him. And if he harms you seven times in one day, and seven times in a day turns to you and repents, you should forgive him."

The apostles asked the Lord to increase their faith. And the Lord said, "If your faith was as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this Mulberry tree, 'Get up from your roots, and plant yourself in the sea', and it would obey you. But which of you will say to a servant, when he has finished his tasks for the day, go and rest well and eat? Rather than prepare my dinner and wait upon me until I have finished; only then may you go and eat. Do you thank the servant because he did as you ordered him? I think not. So shall you, when you have done all of the things you have been told to do, declare your dedication, and that you have done what you must do."

Later, on His way to Jerusalem, He passed through Samaria and Galilee. As He went into a certain village, He was met by ten men with leprosy, who had been standing at a distance. They called to Him, and said "Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us."

When He saw them, He said "Go show yourselves to the priests".

And, as they obeyed him, they were healed. One of them, seeing he was healed, went back, loudly giving praise to God. The man, a Samaritan, fell down at Jesus' feet and thanked Him. Jesus said to him, "Weren't ten healed? Where are the other nine? Only this man, a Samaritan, came back to give praise and glory to God."

Jesus said to the man, "Get up, and go. Your faith has healed you."

When the Pharisees demanded that He tell them when the kingdom of God would come, He answered, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs that will be easy to see. Nor will people say, 'Here it is! Or there it is! Look amongst yourselves for the kingdom of God."

Then He said to his students, "The days are coming, when you will all desire to see one of the days of the Son, a human being, but you will not see it. And people will tell you, 'Here he is! Or there he is!' Don't go after them; don't follow them. For just as the lightning flashes across the entire sky, that is how the Son, a human being, will be in his day. First, though, he must suffer many things, and be rejected by this generation. As it was back in Noah's days, that's how it will be in the days of the Son, a human being. They ate and drank, they married and were given in marriage--right up to the time they went into the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed everyone. Just as it had been in the time of Lot: they ate, they drank, bought and sold, farmed and built; but on the same day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. So it will be when the Son, a human being, is revealed. On that day, he who is on his porch should not go back into his house to get his stuff, and he who is in the fields should not go back to his house. Remember what happened to Lot's wife. Those who seek to save their own lives shall lose them, and those who lose their lives shall save them. I tell you, in that night there may be two men in one room; one shall be taken forever, and the other shall be left behind. Two women will be grinding grain together; one shall be taken, and the other left behind. Two men will be working in the fields; one shall be taken, and the other left behind."

They said to Him, "Where to, Lord?" And He said, "Wherever the body is, there will be the eagles gathered together."

And to teach them that man ought to pray and not faint, He told them this parable: "In a city, there was a judge who did not respect God or men, and a widow, and she came to the judge saying, 'Give me revenge upon my adversary.' For some time he did nothing, but after a while he said to himself, 'Though I respect neither God nor men, this woman keeps pestering me, and so I will give her her revenge, so that she does not annoy me with her petitions.'"

Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge has said. Won't God avenge his chosen, who cry day and night to him, as he stands with them? I tell you, he will avenge them quickly. But when the Son, a human being, comes, will he find faith on the Earth?"

And he spoke this parable to those who deceived themselves to be righteous and hated their fellow man. Two men visited the temple to pray to God; one was a false teacher, the other a tax collector. The false teacher stood and prayed in reference to himself, "God, I thank you that I am not a sinner. I go without food twice a week and I give a portion of my wealth to you. The tax collector who was a ways away, respectful before the Lord, beat on his chest and asked God for mercy as he was a sinner. I tell you that the tax collector went home righteous as he humbled himself before the Lord; whereas the false teacher, thinking he knows everything, did not. For the humble will be praised and the arrogant shall be cut down to size."

And infants were brought to Jesus in the hopes that He would touch them, but His disciples rebuked those that brought them when they saw it. But Jesus called the children to Him and said, "Let the children come, and do not prevent them from doing so because the kingdom of God belongs to them. I say to you that whoever does not believe as wholeheartedly as a child will not enter the kingdom of God".

A powerful man then asked Jesus how he can attain eternal life.

Jesus responded, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except one, God the Father. You know the commandments: Honor your father and mother. Do not kill, steal, lie, or be unfaithful to your spouse".

The powerful man responded that he had done all these things ever since he was a young boy.

When Jesus heard this he said to him, "You lack one thing, you need to rid yourself of the desire for earthly treasure to the point that if you were destitute you would still rejoice in the Lord. For doing so will give you the greatest treasure of all, the glory of heaven. Do this and follow my teachings."

When the powerful man heard this he was saddened because he was materialistic and had a lot of wealth.

And when Jesus saw that the man was sad He asked of him, "How shall those who value earthly wealth to the exclusion of all else enter into heaven? It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a materialistic man to enter the kingdom of God".

Those that were there wondered who could be saved then?

And Jesus responded that things which are impossible with man are easily possible with God. Peter said, "We have given up everything, and followed you."

Jesus said to them, "The truth is, every man who has left his house, or his parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God shall receive many times what he left, both in this world and in the the world to come, where he will receive eternal life."

Then He took the twelve, saying, "We shall go to Jerusalem, to fulfill all the prophecies which concern the Son, a human being. He shall be delivered to Gentiles, mocked, beaten, and spit on. They will whip him, and murder him, and on the third day he shall rise again."

They did not understand these things, and the meaning was hidden from them, as they did not know the things He spoke of.

, and were afraid to ask Jesus.

Jesus walked ahead of the rest on their way to Jerusalem. His students were in amazement while other followers were fearful.

And Jesus, while going up to Jerusalem, took the Twelve aside on the road for a private consultation. He said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be betrayed to the leading priests and to the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, And will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him. And on the third day He will rise again."

Twenty-three

Chapter 23 Bible texts

Now great multitudes were going with him. And he came near Jericho, eleven miles east of Jerusalem, surrounded by those who went in front, and those who followed.

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.

He said to her, “What do you want?”

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, saying, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask.”

He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

She said to him, “Command that these, my two sons, may sit, one on your right hand, and one on your left hand, in your Kingdom.”

They said to him, “Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left hand, in your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They said to him, “We are able.”

He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it is for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

Then Jesus said to them, “You shall indeed drink the cup that I drink, and you shall be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit at my right hand and at my left hand is not mine to give, but for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard it, they began to be indignant toward James and John, they were indignant with the two brethren. But Jesus summoned them, and said to them, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations also lord it over them, and their great ones also exercise authority over them.

But it shall not be so among you. Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant, whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant. Whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant, whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant of all; even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As he came near Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the road, begging. Hearing a multitude going by, he asked what this meant. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He cried out, “Jesus, true Son of David, have mercy on me!

Those who were in front of the crowd in the way rebuked him, that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “True Son of David, have mercy on me!

Standing still, Jesus commanded him to be brought to him. When he had come near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do?”

He said, “Lord, that I may see again.”

Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you.”

Immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, praised God.

They came to Jericho.

He entered and was passing through Jericho. There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, and could not because of the crowd, because he was short. He ran on ahead, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully. When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”

Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”

Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately. He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. He called ten servants of his and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, ‘Conduct business before I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

“When he had come back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’

“He said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

“The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, Lord, has made five minas.’

“So he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

“Another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief, for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You take up that which you did not lay down, and reap that which you did not sow.’

“He said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You “knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I did not lay down, and reaping that which I did not sow”? Then why did you not deposit my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have earned interest on it?’ He said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to him who has the ten minas.’

“They said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘For I tell you that to everyone who has, will more be given; but from him who does not have, even that which he has will be taken away from him. But bring those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’ ”

Having said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

As he went out from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say, “Jesus, true Son of David, have mercy on me!

Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “True Son of David, have mercy on me!

Jesus stood still, and said, “Call him.”

They called the blind man, saying to him, “Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!

He, casting away his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man said to him, “Rabboni, that I may see again.”

Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus on the way.

As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. Behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, true Son of David!

The multitude rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they cried out even more, “Lord, have mercy on us, true Son of David!

Jesus stood still, and called them, and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

They told him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”

Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed him.

Jerusalem was eleven miles ahead.

Matthew 8:1b; 19:2a; 20:29; 21:9a; Luke 14:25a; John 6:2 adapted

Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-45

Matthew 20:20-21a
Mark 10:35-36
Matthew 20:21b
Mark 10:37
Matthew 20:22a
Mark 10:38a
Matthew 20:22b
Mark 10:38b
Matthew 20:22c
Mark 10:39a
Matthew 20:23
Mark 10:39b-40
Matthew 20:24a
Mark 10:41
Matthew 20:24b-25
Mark 10:42
Matthew 20:26
Mark 10:43
Matthew 20:27
Mark 10:44
Matthew 20:28
Mark 10:45

Luke 18:35-43
Mark 10:46a
Luke 19:1-28
Mark 10:46b-52
Matthew 20:29-34

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Bible maps (click initial letter of place name)
Bible Encyclopedias: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (studylight.org)
Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic Online (catholic.org)
Hebrew Calendar Converter See exact equivalents of Gregorian Calendar dates.

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Table of Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, in English translation, Joel Kalvesmaki 2013 (kalvesmaki.com)

List of 300 Septuagint Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, by Steve Rudd 2017 (bible.ca)

Table of LXX quotes and allusions in the New Testament


Church History (Eusebius): The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine (newadvent.org)

The Works of Flavius Josephus William Whiston, Translator, 1737 (sacred-texts.com)

Suetonius: Twelve Caesars: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquilus; To which are added His Lives of the Grammarians, Rhetoricians, and Poets. The Translation of Alexander Thomson, M.D., Revised and corrected by T. Forester, Esq., A.M. (Gutenberg.org)

Tacitus: The Annals, Written 109 A.C.E. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb

Sextus Aurelius Victor: Epitome De Caesaribus (roman-emperors.org)

Eutropius: Breviarium - Eutropius's Abridgement of Roman History (tertullian.org)

Cassius Dio: Roman History Epitome (penelope.uchicago.edu)

Early Christian Writings A.D. 30 through 380 (earlychristianwritings.com)
See Biblical Canon and Apocrypha.


"Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee..."

This introduces the redacted texts of Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-45.
The conservative textual critic sees no conflict or confusion here. The collation and redaction of these texts shows that initially the mother and her sons approach Jesus together with a request, and he asks the three of them what they want. Their mother speaks first on behalf of her sons, and they immediately restate their request with some of their own amplification of intent.
Some scholars have proposed that James and John planned the presentation of their petition to him with the cooperation of their mother in the apparent belief that Jesus will not refuse the request of a mother. Compare the similar accounts in 2 Samuel 14:1-24 and 1 Kings 2:10-25. The repetition apparent in the redaction of his response to them sounds entirely normal and natural. It is as if he is expressing a tone of deep concern, even alarm, when he says, "You have no idea what you are asking!"
This incident in the Gospels is not fundamentally different from the situation in which military specialists, confronted with highly trained and eager volunteers, who have no real idea of the actual risks they will most likely face, in the extreme mission they have requested to undertake for the vital benefit of others, always emphasize with two or more very clear warnings the highly dangerous nature of what they are about to attempt. If after further careful consideration they are still willing, then the commander sums up what they will face, with emphasis on the fact that they still do not yet know what lies before them, and asks them if they understand and are "clear" about the possibility of success. Compare Luke 14:28-32.

"You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. (Matthew)
"You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them." (Mark)

These two texts redacted here in this particular sequence represent a possible progression.
25 ...οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν. (Matthew 20:25)
42 ...οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ δοκοῦντες ἄρχειν τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι αὐτῶν κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν· (Mark 10:42)
See multiple versions of Matthew 20:25.
See multiple versions of Mark 10:42.
There is a distinct difference between "the rulers of the nations" and "the rulers over the nations" which at first reading may not be evident to the reader. While the fundamental lesson is the same in both statements, the grammatical difference between them indicates that the word in Mark 10:42 is more encompassing than the word in Matthew 20:25. The progression is as follows:
first, the rulers of the nations,
then their great ones who are over them,
then greater still those rulers recognized as over both the (rulers of the) nations and their great ones,
and finally at the top their great ones over them, representing the fourth group of those great ones in authority over all three subordinate levels of government.
Presenting both of these texts together as a progressive sequence retains the distinct character of each as separate statements actually made by Jesus. Alternatively, they have been read as closely parallel texts, paraphrasings of a single statement that Jesus said, so that some claim that we do not have the exact words of Jesus himself, but rather the essential meaning. This is a serious cause of concern for many Bible Christians who see the text itself as the divinely inspired inerrant word of God (Revelation 22:18-19). Others are secure in the knowledge that most of the small variations in the Gospel writers' expressions of what Jesus taught are not significant, and that the whole Christian community of His Church guided by the Holy Spirit of God has faithfully preserved the integrity of the scriptural text of the Bible with all of its holy doctrine intact and unchanged (see Bible manuscript evidence). This is part of the debate over whether apostolic Christianity comes from the whole Bible, or whether the collection of the scriptures of the Bible as a whole comes from apostolic Christianity. This collated and redacted Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) gives the reader opportunity to assess if each of the distinct texts can be reasonably taken as separate statements, or if it is more reasonable to understand them as imprecise remembrances, possibly invented by the individual authors of the separate Gospels.
Concern over whether the English translation of the Greek text of the Gospels says, for example, that Jesus said "sit ἐκ on my right hand and ἐξ on my left hand" (Matthew) or said "sit ἐκ at my right hand and ἐξ at my left hand" (Mark) appears to most Christians as silly, trivial hairsplitting, equivalent to the Jewish practice of pilpul (see the warning in 1 Timothy 6:4-5). This is even more apparent from the fact that these two verses are identical in the Greek text of the Bible. The "fault", if any, lies in the translation, not in the text. Students of the Bible seeking harmony in the words of the Gospels, and who do not read Greek, often find themselves facing textual problems in comparative readings of the Gospels in their own language which do not really exist in the Greek text. Apart from such textual considerations, the editorial policy of this Harmony of the Gospel is to include for the reader of the English translations the grammatically variant English forms of statements made in the Gospels which in English cannot lexically be combined and redacted, but in Greek are identical.
It is also not impossible that Jesus uttered both forms of the statement about Gentile rulers together on the same occasion, reiterating the oppressive nature of ambition. He emphasizes the harsh reality of the exercise of levels of political power inherent in secular forms of pagan domination, as distinct from benevolent, humble forms of shepherding and guiding in authentic selfless service to the people. It appears that Matthew and Mark each used one of these two statements as a sufficient expression of the Lord's teaching on that point. Compare Luke 12:47-48; Romans 13:1-7; Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Peter 5:1-6.

"desires to be great" and "wants to become great".

Matthew 20:26 and Mark 10:43
A slight distinction in meaning. The two Greek texts have different wording, Matthew 20:25-27 and Mark 10:42-44.
θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν μέγας γενέσθαι and
θέλῃ μέγας γενέσθαι ἐν ὑμῖν
Most will read these two expressions as being semantically identical. However, they are not. To retain the textual difference in this Harmony of the Gospel, the phrase "desires to be" is here read as an implicit, silent longing which craves recognition but does nothing toward realization of the desire for greatness, a wish to have authority accorded by appointment to a position of greatness; and the phrase "wants to become" is read as more explicit, outwardly expressing an evidently willing ambition capable of substantially acting on behalf of the community in order to fulfill the goal of becoming truly great. These readings of the text present two psychological dynamics. Some readers and textual critics see no significant difference in meaning, the textual difference in words representing a distinction so insignificant, strained and inconsequential as to be almost nonexistent.

"And he cried, saying, Jesus, true Son of David, have mercy on me."

Luke 18:38
Greek Ἰησοῦ , υἱὲ Δαυίδ
- Yesou , huie Dauid
- "Jesus , Son David".
The phrase here has been variously translated, without successfully conveying its full meaning and impact in context:
"Jesus, you son of David", "Jesus, thou Son of David", "Jesus, Son of David".
The dynamic reading here in this Harmony of the Gospel, "Jesus, true Son of David", is still another attempt to convey the unique title of the Promised One coming from the mouth of one who was blind, but who saw more clearly than many of the leading scribes, priests and Pharisees.
From what he had already heard of him, the blind man recognizes the name of Jesus as the prophesied Son of David, the Anointed of the Lord and Messiah, not merely as one among the multitude of legitimate descendants of the line of King David; and he boldly acclaims him in begging him to have mercy on himself.
Compare the interlinear text of Luke 18:38;
parallel versions of Luke 18:38; and
multiple commentaries on Luke 18:38.

"As he came near Jericho...Jesus said to him",
"As he went out from Jericho...Jesus said to him",
"As they went out from Jericho...Jesus touched their eyes"

Luke 18:35, 42
Mark 10:46, 52
Matthew 20:29, 34
Boldface emphases highlight differences in detail seen in comparative readings of the episodes of healing the blind men.
Many readers and textual critics read these three narratives as one occasion, giving support to the assertion that the Gospels have an unreliable, legendary character, relating conflicting accounts recalled long afterward by uncertain witnesses; also giving support to the more radical assertion that the stories were more likely creatively edifying inventions of the writers themselves (see Jesus Seminar). It is almost impossible to combine them as one redacted account without loss of some elements of one or more of the three texts.
A fundamental principle of conservative textual criticism holds that similarity of narrative does not demonstrate or prove identity of event. Many conservative textual critics see instead the real possibility that the narratives of Mark and Luke are later, more detailed amplifications of healings taken from an earlier original summary account in Matthew, and not the other way around. This is the Augustinian hypothesis, that Matthew was the first written account of the Gospel. However, those who instead support the hypothesis of Marcan priority assert that two healings near Jericho, each related separately, one by an earlier Mark, and another known by oral tradition at the time (and then later obtained and recorded by Luke), have been collected and summarized together in Matthew's later account.
However, the differences in detail also equally indicate to the conservative reader and textual critic that these three accounts of healing near the gates of Jericho as Jesus first approached and then afterward departed are most probably separate events—"As he came near Jericho" indicating that the healing of the unnamed blind man on drawing near to Jericho, and the healing of Bartimaeus "as he went out from Jericho", cannot have occurred together. The healing of "two (more) blind men" in Matthew after the healing of Bartimaeus is not impossible. The grammatical structure of the account in Matthew strongly indicates that the healing of the unnamed man in Luke, before Jesus entered Jericho, and the healing of Bartimaeus in Mark, as Jesus was leaving the city, have not been summarized and condensed by Matthew as an edifying account of two men who were healed. Matthew says two blind men were healed by Jesus "as they went out from Jericho". This is in addition to the fact that in each of the other two cases Jesus spoke ("said to him") and each of them was healed by his word, but here with these two men together he "touched their eyes" and they were healed by his touch.
The total number of healings in this reading of scripture would be four: one, unnamed, as he neared Jericho, a second, Bartimaeus, as he was leaving, and then two more together, after Bartimaeus. It is enough in each of the Gospels to relate at least one incident involving the healing of the blind.
The healing of the blind men of Jericho who then follow after Jesus to his death and resurrection in Jerusalem is often seen as the lesson in these texts. Only one occurrence of healing was used by each of the Synoptics Matthew, Mark and Luke.
John Chrysostom and others have interpreted Jericho as an allegory of the world. See
Textual criticism sees each of the Evangelists as selecting those events which best fulfill the particular purpose of their writings, which includes presenting actual events as they occurred as being also instructive, deeply spiritual object lessons for the faithful. Christians see them as guided in their writing by God the Holy Spirit the true Author of the Scriptures who directed each of them according to His purposes (Ephesians 1:11). See John 20:30-31, 21:25; Luke 1:1-4.

"If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone"

Luke 19:8.
Literally, "if I sycophanted anyone," which, from its root meaning, meant "if I 'showed the fig' on anyone." See KJV "accusation", Strong's number 4811 sukophanteo, to be a fig-informer.
This expression "fig-informer" had its origin in a fig famine in ancient Corinth, during which many customs agents used to plant figs on travelers and cite that as evidence that they were taking figs out of the city, contrary to law, and fine them heavily for this trumped-up offense. Thus, to "show the fig" meant to plant contraband or similar evidence of a tax law or customs violation on someone and, in essence, extort from him a tax or duty that was not in fact licit. Roman-hired publicans used to do this frequently. Zacchaeus uses a conditional form that signifies a condition that is in all probability a fact about himself. He is now willing to hear and accept any such complaint brought against him by any of his fellow citizens and pay damages in reparation according to the law of Moses (Leviticus 6:1-7).

"He called ten servants of his and gave them ten mina coins."

Luke 19:11-26 WEB.
"ten pounds" according to the RSVCE.
Traditionally the parable of the "ten talents". See Matthew 25:14-30.
A doctrinal parable of conditional salvation, which contradicts the Calvinist doctrine of Unconditional eternal security. Allegorically, in both Matthew and Luke the money given to the three is the gift of grace, some read "salvation", which cannot be earned but only received. In this particular version of the parable each of the ten received one mina coin, no more, no less; each one received the same valuable gift. (Compare the workers in the vineyard, each of whom received a denarius, Matthew 20:1-16.) He who gave the gift he entrusted to them, expected them to do good with his generous gift, a treasure which belongs to him, not to them. Two of them worked with the gift they had received and brought forth abundant increase. But the third one did nothing with it, not even entrusting it to those who could have done something useful with it so that he could have gotten it back with some increased benefit, and he could offer in return only what he had been freely given. More than that, he was convinced that the one who gave the gift was hard and arbitrary, taking for himself what was not his. Because this man did no work with what he was given, even what he was given was taken away, and he was condemned to punishment, exposed as being unfruitful, useless and hostile to the interests of his lord.
A similar parable is found in Hebrews 6:7-8 with the ground that drank in the gift of rain but did not bring forth anything useful to those who cultivated it.
Compare Matthew 22:1-13 with Revelation 19:6-9 in which the man who attended the wedding feast of the king without wearing a wedding garment is thrown into the outer darkness and the clothing of "fine linen, bright and pure" is "the righteous deeds of the saints".
In Matthew 25 the parable of the talents is directly linked to the final judgment, in which those who did not do good works "will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life".
St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that we have been "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (see Ephesians 2:8-10). James famously wrote that "faith without works is dead" (see James 2:14-26).
Paul wrote in Romans 2:6-10
"For he will render to every man according to his works...There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the gentile, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the gentile. For God shows no partiality."
In Revelation 20:12-13 the dead are judged by what they have done.
Compare 1 John 2:15-18 "Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth".
Jesus said, "Without me you can do nothing" and "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples" (John 15:5, 8). The whole of scripture taken together testifies that "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Hebrews 11:6) and without works of mercy we "will go away into eternal punishment" (Matthew 25:31-46). It is significant that all are judged by what they did or did not do, and not solely by their faith alone. See Matthew 7:21 and 2 Peter 1:3-11.
Protestantism preaches the necessity of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, and condemns the Catholic Church for preaching the necessity of salvation by faith and good works together in Jesus Christ as a "gospel of works" which Paul condemns (Romans 3:20-31), and yet Paul preaches the necessity of slavery to works of righteousness in Christ (Romans 6; Ephesians 2; 2 Thessalonians 3; 1 Timothy 2; Titus 2), and James says "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24). Those who do not do good works are condemned (Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 2:6-11; Hebrews 13:15-17; 1 John 3:4-18). This clearly opposes the doctrine of sola fide "faith alone". See the following:
" 'Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.'
"From this Commandment we learn that after the excellent works of the first three Commandments there are no better works than to obey and serve all those who are set over us as superiors. For this reason also disobedience is a greater sin than murder, unchastity, theft and dishonesty, and all that these may include. ...
"The second work of this Commandment is to honor and obey the spiritual mother, the holy Christian Church, the spiritual power, so that we conform to what she commands, forbids, appoints, orders, binds and looses, and honor, fear and love the spiritual authority as we honor, love and fear our natural parents, and yield to it in all things which are not contrary to the first three Commandments. ...
"Therefore, apart from faith all works are dead, however good the form and name they bear." —A Treatise on Good Works: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor", III. ...
(Throughout this treatise, it is strikingly apparent that Luther constantly contradicts himself, point after point and paragraph after paragraph.)
Compare Eternal security (salvation), Antinomianism, Licentiousness, Arminianism and Corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
Compare Matthew 7:21-23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 1 John 3:4-18; Revelation 21:8; Matthew 25:40-46

Compare the Conservative Bible text (conservapedia.com):

And a great number of people were following Him by then:

And all the people along the route

Then the mother of Zebedee's children came to Him with her sons, falling down at His feet and wanting something from Him. And He said to her, "What do you wish?"

Then James and John, Zebedee's sons, approached Jesus to say, "Teacher, could we ask you for a favor?"

Jesus replied, "What would you like?"

She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."

They requested, "Give us the highest seats of honor in your glory, with one of us at your right hand and the other at your left!"

But Jesus in answer said, "You don't know what you're asking.

But Jesus replied to them, "You don't know what you're asking.

Can you drink from the cup that I will drink from, and be baptized with the baptism that I will be baptized with?"

Can you drink the same cup as I, and accept the same baptism that I will endure?"

And they said to him, "We can."

They replied, "Sure we can."

And He said to them, "You will certainly drink from My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. But to sit on My right hand, or on My left, is not for Me to grant, but it will be granted to them for whom it is prepared by My Father."

Jesus then told them, "You will drink same cup as I, and be baptized as I will. Alas, the seats on my left and right hands are not for me to distribute. They are destined for others, and will be given to them.

And when the ten heard it,

The other ten students grew indignant with James and John when they heard this.

And when the other ten heard it, they were indignant toward the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Him, and said, "You know that the leaders of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and that the great ones exercise authority over them.

Jesus gathered them together and said, "You know that those who rule over the Gentiles rule like lords over them, and those with great titles exercise authority over them. But it will not be that way among you. If any man wants to be great among you, let him first be your table waiter.

It will be different for you. Anyone who wants to be great among you will first have to wait on you. And if anyone wants to be first, let him be your slave. Whoever has first rank will be the servant of all others. Even as the Son of man came not to be waited on, but to wait on others, and to give his life as a ransom for many people. Because even I, the Son of Man, did not come to be waited on, but to wait on others, and give My life as payment for the souls of all."

As He entered Jericho, a blind man sat by the side of the road, panhandling. The blind man heard the crowds pass by, and asked those around him what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

He cried out, "Jesus, descendant of David, have mercy on me!"

And the crowds chastised him, telling him to be quiet, but he cried even louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Jesus stood, and had the man brought to him, and when he was near, Jesus asked of him, "What do you want of me?"

And he said, "Lord, give me sight."

And Jesus said to him, "You have sight; your faith has healed you."

Immediately the man could see, and followed Jesus, glorifying God; and all the people who saw this gave praise to God.

So Jesus entered into Jericho. There was a man named Zacchaeus, who was the most successful and notorious of Judea's tax collectors, and he was rich. He wanted to see Jesus, but couldn't see over the crowd since he was so short. So he ran ahead, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus as He passed that way. When Jesus passed by, He looked up and saw him, and said, "Zacchaeus, get down from there, quickly! I am going to stay at your place tonight."

So he came down quickly and was glad to have Jesus as his guest. When the crowd saw this, they gossiped amongst themselves, saying, "Jesus is now the guest of a sinner."

Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Lord, I give half of everything I own to charity, and if I ever blackmailed anybody out of more than they owed (and we both know I did), I give back four times the excess."

Jesus said to him, "Salvation comes to your house today, for you are also a son of Abraham. The Son, a human being, has come to find and save what has been lost."

As they heard this, Jesus added a parable, for he was close to Jerusalem and the crowds thought this meant the kingdom of God would appear immediately. So He said, "A nobleman went into a far-away country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return home. So he called his ten servants, and gave them ten coins, and said, 'Invest this money for me until I return.' But his citizens hated him, and sent a message to him saying, 'We will not have this man reign over us.'

"When he had returned, having received the distant kingdom, he called his servants to him, and asked how their investments had performed. The first said, 'Lord, your coin has grown to ten coins.' And he said to him, 'You are a good servant, and because you have done as you were told, you have authority over ten cities.' The second servant came, and said, 'Lord, your coin has grown to five coins.' So he said to him, 'You have authority over five cities.' And another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your coin, which I kept laid up in a napkin: Because I am afraid of you, since you are an austere man; you take what is not yours, and reap what you did not sow.' And he said to him, 'I will judge you with your own words, wicked servant. You knew I was an austere man, taking what is not mine and reaping what I did not sow. Why, then, did you not put my money into the bank, so that when I returned I might have gained interest on it?' So he said to those who were around, 'Take that coin from him, and give it to the servant who made ten coins.' (And they said to him, Lord, he has ten pounds.) I say to you, to those who have, things shall be given, and from those who do not have, even what little they have shall be taken away. But those enemies of mine who do not wish for my reign to come, bring them here and kill them before me."

Having said these things, He went up into Jerusalem.

As Jesus and His students emerged from the city, followed by a large crowd of people, they saw a blind man named Bartimaeus son of Timaeus begging by the side of the road. When He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me."

Others told him to shut up, but he only shouted louder, "You, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Jesus stopped in His tracks, asking that he be called over. Followers then welcomed the blind man, telling him, "Take heart and get up; He's calling you."

Arising, the man threw off his coat and came to Jesus. Jesus said to the blind man: "What do you want Me to do for you?"

The man replied: "Sir, I want you to make me able to see."

Jesus said to him: "Go on your way; you have been healed because of your faith." The man immediately found that he could see, and started to follow Jesus' teachings.

And as they left Jericho, a great crowd followed them. Two blind men sitting by the roadside, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David."

And the crowd scolded them, saying that they should keep quiet. But they cried all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David."

And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, "What do you want me to do for you?"

They said to him, "Lord, we want our eyes opened."

So Jesus took pity on them, and touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight, and followed Him.

Twenty-four

Chapter 24 Bible texts

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick. The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”

But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.”

The disciples asked him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.”

The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep. So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead. I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.”

Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus (which is interpreted, the Twin), said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go also, that we may die with him.”

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away (which is almost exactly one and seven tenths miles). So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already. Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house. Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die forever. Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”

When she had said this, she went away and called Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, “The Teacher is here and is calling you.”

When she heard this, she arose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?”

They told him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus wept.

The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!

Some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?”

Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?”

So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me. I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!

He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth.

Jesus said to them, “Free him, and let him go.”

Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs. If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”

Now he did not say this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness of Judea, ten miles north of Bethany, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand. Many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then they sought for Jesus and spoke with one another as they stood in the Temple, “What do you think—that he is not coming to the feast at all?”

Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him.

And when he came near to Bethphage and Bethany, when they came near to Jerusalem, at the mountain that is called Olivet, the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to the one, “Go your way into the village that is on the other side, in which, as you enter, you will find a colt tied, which no man had ever sat upon. Untie it and bring it. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say to him: ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”. He said to the other of them, “Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no one has sat. Untie him, and bring him. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs him; and immediately he will send him back here.’ ”

Those who were sent went away, and found things just as he had told them. They went away, and found a young donkey tied at the door outside in the open street, and they untied him. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

Some of those who stood there asked them, “What are you doing, untying the young donkey?”

They said, “The Lord needs it.”

They said to them just as Jesus had said, and they let them go. Then they brought it to Jesus. They brought the young donkey to Jesus, and threw their garments on it. They threw their cloaks on the colt, and sat Jesus on them, and Jesus sat on it. The crowd of disciples was with him.

As he went, they spread their cloaks on the road. Many spread their garments on the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees, and spreading them on the road. Those who went in front, and those who followed, cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

As he was now getting near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!

Some of the Pharisees from the multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!

He answered them, “I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out.”

When he came near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But now, they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you, when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, surround you, hem you in on every side, and will dash you and your children within you to the ground. They will not leave in you one stone on another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Then Jesus entered into the Temple in Jerusalem. When he had looked around at everything, it being now evening, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. It was Friday, the sixth day of the week, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. Then Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?”

Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

A large crowd therefore of the Jews learned that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus’s sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

On the next day, the day after the Sabbath, which is Sunday, the first day of the week, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree afar off up the road having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Jesus told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again! Let there be no fruit from you forever!

And his disciples heard it.

Immediately the fig tree began to wither away. (But they did not perceive it before the morning of the second day.)

A great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!

When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus, with foreknowledge having found a young donkey, sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

“Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went, and did just as Jesus commanded them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and he sat on them. Jesus, having thus found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written,

“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him. The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead was testifying about it. For this cause also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”

A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road. The multitudes who went in front of him, and those who followed, kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

They came to Jerusalem, and when he had come into Jerusalem, the ground trembled and all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

The multitudes said, “This is the Prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus entered into the Temple of God. He entered into the Temple, and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the Temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables, and the seats of those who sold the doves, and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the Temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves, saying to them, “It is written,

“ ‘My house is a house of prayer,’

“but you have made it a

“ ‘den of robbers’!

He said to them, “It is written,

“ ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’

“but you have made it a den of robbers!

He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the Temple. He Taught, saying to them, “Is it not written,

“ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?

“But you have made it a den of robbers!

The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his Teaching.

The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children who were crying in the Temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?”

Jesus said to them, “Yes. Did you never read,

“ ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise?’ ”

When evening came, he left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and camped there. It was now Sunday evening, and the beginning of Monday the second day of the week.

He was Teaching daily in the Temple, but the chief priests, the scribes, and the leading men among the people sought to destroy him. They could not find what they might do, for all the people hung on to every word that he said.

Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. This was the morning of Monday, the second day. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. Peter, remembering, said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away.”

Matthew himself testified to this that Jesus had done to the fig tree, on the day that he “passed by and saw it”, in a brief summary of remembering that moment, as it is written:

“Seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, ‘Let there be no fruit from you forever!’ Immediately the fig tree withered away.”

When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree immediately wither away?”

Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it would be done. All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

“Have faith in God. For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him, and they began saying to him, “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John—was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”

They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we should say, ‘From heaven;’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ If we should say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet.

They answered Jesus, “We do not know.”

Jesus said to them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

When he had come into the Temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was seated Teaching, and said, “By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?”

They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet.”

They answered Jesus, and said, “We do not know.”

He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind, and went. He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I am going, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into God’s Kingdom before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you did not even repent afterward, that you might believe him.

“Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country. When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit. The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way. But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season.”

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

“ ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes'?

“Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them. When they sought to seize him, to lay hands on him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.

On one of those days (that is, the next day, Tuesday), as he was Teaching the people in the Temple and preaching the Good News, the priests and scribes came to him with the elders. They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”

He answered them, “I also will ask you one question. Tell me: the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?”

They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

They answered that they did not know where it was from.

Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine press, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country. When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard. They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty. Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. Again he sent another; and they killed him; and many others, beating some, and killing some. Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?”

They tried to seize him, to take hold of him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them.

He began to tell the people this parable. “A man planted a vineyard, and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time. At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him, and sent him away empty. He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him, and threw him out. The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’

“But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.”

When they heard that, they said, “May that never be!

But he looked at them and said, “Then what is this that is written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the chief cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.”

The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people—for they knew he had spoken this parable against them.

They left him, and went away.

John 11
Mark 11:1
Luke 19:29-31
Mark 11:2-3
Luke 19:32
Mark 11:4
Luke 19:33
Mark 11:5
Luke 19:34
Mark 11:6-7
Luke 19:35
Mark 11:8-10
Luke 19:36-44
Mark 11:11
John 12:1-12a
Mark 11:12-14
John 12:12b-13
Matthew 21:1-7
John 12:14-19
Matthew 21:8-11
Mark 11:15-17
Matthew 21:12
Luke 19:45-46
Matthew 21:13
Mark 11:16-18
Matthew 21:14-16
—LXX Psalm 8:2
Mark 11:19
Matthew 21:17
Luke 19:47-48
Mark 11:20-21

Matthew 21:18-22
Mark 11:22-33
Matthew 21:23-46
Luke 20:1-8
Mark 12:1-12a
Luke 20:9-19
Mark 12:12b

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Greek original text
Latin Vulgate text
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Scofield Reference Bible (1917 Edition)
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multiple commentaries any passage
interlinear Bible: Hebrew, Greek, English
Bible maps (click initial letter of place name)
Bible Encyclopedias: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (studylight.org)
Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic Online (catholic.org)
Hebrew Calendar Converter See exact equivalents of Gregorian Calendar dates.

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Table of Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, in English translation, Joel Kalvesmaki 2013 (kalvesmaki.com)

List of 300 Septuagint Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, by Steve Rudd 2017 (bible.ca)

Table of LXX quotes and allusions in the New Testament


Church History (Eusebius): The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine (newadvent.org)

The Works of Flavius Josephus William Whiston, Translator, 1737 (sacred-texts.com)

Suetonius: Twelve Caesars: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquilus; To which are added His Lives of the Grammarians, Rhetoricians, and Poets. The Translation of Alexander Thomson, M.D., Revised and corrected by T. Forester, Esq., A.M. (Gutenberg.org)

Tacitus: The Annals, Written 109 A.C.E. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb

Sextus Aurelius Victor: Epitome De Caesaribus (roman-emperors.org)

Eutropius: Breviarium - Eutropius's Abridgement of Roman History (tertullian.org)

Cassius Dio: Roman History Epitome (penelope.uchicago.edu)

Early Christian Writings A.D. 30 through 380 (earlychristianwritings.com)
See Biblical Canon and Apocrypha.


"he said to the disciples, 'Let us go into Judea again.'"

John 11:7
Some readers may immediately observe that Jericho and Bethany are in Judea. This apparently presents a contradiction which makes difficult or impossible any redaction which places the raising of Lazarus immediately after the visit to Jericho on the way to Jerusalem.
Consider the sequence of events in John. The text of John 9:22–11:8 has the Feast of the Dedication in winter, at which the Jews sought to stone Jesus, then his departure across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptized (Aenon, east of the Jordan, outside Herod's jurisdiction in Galilee) "and there he remained", followed by the news that Lazarus was sick, and then two days later, his proposal that they go into Judea again. This suggests to most readers that Jesus was not in Judea, and that he was not on his final journey toward Jerusalem, but remained where he was, in the northeastern area of Galilee. This reading then offers a redactive sequence in which the extended text of John 9:22–11:54 is followed immediately by the extended text of Luke 9:51–19:28. This seems to many to be perfectly reasonable.
From Bethany where Lazarus was, to northeastern Galilee, is a journey of about 40-65 miles, further than can be completed in a two day journey totaling four days both ways, a round trip equaling 80 miles travel (John 11:5, 17, 39). Jericho is approximately a one-and-a-half to two-day journey away from Bethany by foot. See Bible map of Bethany and Bible map of Aenon near Salim. By air, a straight distance of about 62 miles, the distance by road between Bethany and Aenon near Salim one way about 65 miles, 130 miles round trip.
Compare full context of John 10:39–11:17.
The alternative redacted sequence presented here instead is prompted by the subsequent directive of the council of the Jews in Jerusalem following the raising of Lazarus that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him; for he no longer went about openly among the Jews, but went from there to the country near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. See
In the sequence of events presented here in this Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version), this going into the country near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, occurs immediately before the beginning of the Passover preparations, when many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves in the mikvah bath. The journey of Luke 9:51–19:28, if placed after the raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-54, would have given the Jews ample opportunity to report where he was at any time during that journey; and solely for this reason, the raising of Lazarus is placed here in a redactive sequence at or near the arrival of the Passover season.
This leaves the apparent inconsistency of the statement of Jesus, "Let us go into Judea again", and the question the disciples asked him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?
In this redaction, this attempt to stone him was only two and a half months prior, in late December. His final journey is now near its end and the time is at the end of February beginning of March, about 1–7 Nisan (Passover is 14 Nisan). Geographically, any area between Jericho and Bethany might normally be considered to be within Judea. For many readers and Gospel harmonists this presents a difficulty of internal textual consistency difficult or impossible to ignore. This can be reasonably explained by the different administrative jurisdictional districts of the Roman Province of Judaea, under the overall authority of the Roman Procurator or Governor.
The Roman Province of Judaea, during the late 2nd Temple period was also divided into five conclaves, or administrative districts, each with separate jurisdiction:
1) Jerusalem (ירושלם),
2) Gadara (גדרה),
3) Amathus (עמתו),
4) Jericho (יריחו),
5) Sepphoris ( צפורין).
(Josephus, Antiquities Book 14, chapter 5, segment 4 [91]).
"[Gabinus] brought Hyrcanus to Jerusalem, and committed the care of the temple to him; and when he had ordained five councils, he distributed the nation into the same number of parts: so these councils governed the people; the first was at Jerusalem, the second at Gadara, the third at Amathus, the fourth at Jericho, and the fifth at Sepphoris, in Galilee."
Bethany was in the administrative district of Jerusalem, the cultural heart of Judea itself. From these historically documented facts, Jesus, having left Jericho, was not yet within the administrative district of Jerusalem as being Judea herself which included Bethany under the direct authority of the council of the Sanhedrin and the high priest, under the jurisdiction of the governor Pilate, when he proposed to go to Lazarus.
Certainly, some will reject this as a facile attempt to excuse and gloss over the obvious meaning of the word "Judea" as being the whole of the entire Roman Province of Judaea and the apparently evident meaning that Jesus was nowhere near Bethany and Jericho when he said, "Let us go into Judea again." There is nothing wrong with that suggestion, and another redactor will prefer to place the raising of Lazarus before the journey related in Luke 9:51–19:28 (giving the Jews ample opportunity to locate and arrest him). (See Occam's razor.)
Some harmonists read the text as presenting a break between John 11:54 and 55 which would allow the insertion of Luke 9:51–19:28 before the passage, "The Passover of the Jews was at hand" (John 11:55). Thus, after the raising of Lazarus, and the Jews taking counsel how to put him to death, Jesus goes to the town of Ephraim and remains there with his disciples until (Luke 9:51) "the days drew near for him to be received up". Then follows the insertion of the final journey of Luke 9:52–19:28, which requires that Jesus first travel north again into Galilee, then travel along the border of Samaria, then the Samaritans reject preparations for his visit, followed by his continuing advance south toward Jerusalem, teaching, concluded by the healing of the blind men and his departure from Jericho, with this final journey in Luke then immediately followed by John 11:55-57, when the Passover of the Jews was at hand and many went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves. It is then that John 11:57 applies to those coming into Jerusalem in preparation for the season of Passover: "the chief priests and the Pharisees had given directives that if anyone knew where he was, they should let them know, so that they might arrest him", during the period just before the feast of the Passover (but not during the eight days of Passover itself). This appears to many to be an elegant arrangement of the material in a redactive harmony of the two Gospels of John and Luke, a solution which would allow the simplest general meaning of the statement, "let us go into Judea again" and the raising of Lazarus, before "the days drew near for him to be received up" and his final journey to Jerusalem.
John 10:22–11:54
Luke 9:51–19:28
John 11:55-57

"Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face...
And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee....
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho...
'But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.' And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
" KJV John 11:53-54; Luke 9:51-52a; 17:11; 19:1, 27-28; John 11:55-57
However, the grammatical structure of the Greek text undoubtedly joins John 11:54 to verse 55 as immediately consecutive and sequential to it. (The Greek text has no punctuation and no paragraph and verse division in this passage, as inserted in the English translations.)
Ἦν δὲ ἐγγὺς τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων  
See interlinear John 11:55
and multiple versions of John 11:55.
This grammatical structure strongly suggests that subsequent to the healing of the blind men and the departure of Jesus from Jericho, the raising of Lazarus occurred afterward and (some days) immediately before the arrival of the season of Passover, and grammatically supports the textual critical speculation that his proposal to "go into Judea again" refers to a proposal to depart from the relatively safe administrative district of Jericho, to go into the much more hostile administrative district of Jerusalem as "into Judea", the political and geographical heart of Judaism, where “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?” However, to many textual critics the grammatical connection apparently linking verses 54 and 55 just as plausibly links Luke 19:28 and John 11:55 in a redactive sequence.
"And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves." KJV
Thus the statement, "Let us go to Judea again", argues against placing the raising of Lazarus just before the immediate arrival of Passover season. Yet the reaction of the multitude (John 12:1-9) is also vividly presented as the immediate excitement following only days after the report of this miracle, which also argues for its placement just before the arrival of the season of Passover.
Consider the additional, undeniable fact that a journey by foot over a distance of 8 to 11 miles from Bethany to where Jesus happened to be immediately after his departure from Jericho would be a day's journey. After the message from the sisters to Jesus had been delivered, Jesus remained where he was for two more days, which accounts for three days without traveling. Jesus and his disciples then travel an additional day's journey to Bethany, which accounts for four days. From this fact that "he has been dead four days" the reader may be able to see that Jesus was not in Galilee, "across the Jordan at the place where John first baptized", about 65 miles from Jerusalem, where he had gone immediately after the Jews in Jerusalem had tried to stone him at the Feast of the Dedication (John 10:31-40). See Aenon and Jerusalem. While some scholars insist that the site of Aenon where John first baptized was not the one near Salim in Galilee, but was instead another site only 2 to 4 miles northeast of Jerusalem with abundant springs of water (but not at the river Jordan), the fact that the Gospel of Luke testifies that those who came to John at the beginning of his ministry were from "all the region about Jordan" (Luke 3:3, 7), and that "they were all baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins" (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5; Luke 3:3), strongly suggests otherwise, that the Aenon near Salim where John first baptized in the Jordan River was in Galilee, about 62-65 miles from Bethany near Jerusalem. (See the arguments for and against the site of Aenon in Galilee in the encyclopedic Bibleatlas.org entry for Aenon.) Most readers and scholars believe that Jesus and his disciples did not walk 65 miles from Salim near Aenon in Galilee to Bethany in less than one day.
The redaction presented here in this Harmony of the Gospel is not set forth as being definitively and inarguably correct, but is only presented as a reasonable possibility with consideration of some grammatical and documented historical and geographical detail as (interpreted) support for it. The teaching and structure of Christian doctrine is not affected or changed by either arrangement.

"will never die forever"

John 11:26.
Literally, "will not die for ever".
Greek text:
οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς, τὸν αἰῶνα.
ou mē apothanē eis ton aiōna
"no not shall-die unto the aiona (eternity)"
"no not shall die to / unto / until the aiona (eon / age / century / eternity)."
See Portal: for the Greek language | αἰῶνα.
οὐ μὴ ou mé: οὐ ou, " not a fact", and μὴ mḗ, "not a possibility")—a double negative which emphatically conveys, "not a fact...not even a possibility!"—literally, "no no!" οὐ μὴ ou mé.
In Greek, a double negative is extra-emphatic, expressing very dramatic, forceful negation. "absolutely not".
The grammar of the Greek emphatic negative points to αἰῶνα aiona "eon, age, century, eternity"—"no not eternally"—"shall no not die eternally".
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the King James Bible has 38 New Testament entries under the word NEVER":
Matthew 7:23; 9:33; 21:16, 42; 26:33; 27:14; Mark 2:12, 25; 3:29; 9:43; 11:2; 14:21; Luke 15:29;; 19:30; 23:29 (twice) and 23:53; John 4:14; 6:35 (twice); 7:15, 46; 8:33, 51, 52; 10:28; 11:26; 13:8; 19:41; Acts 10:14; 14:8; 1 Corinthians 13:8; 2 Timothy 3:7; Hebrews 10:1, 11; 13:5; 2 Peter 1:10.
Strong's Concordance keys the New Testament KJV "never" in these verses to the following Strong's numbers: 163, 165, 1519, 1520, 3344, 3361, 3364 οὐ μὴ, ou mé , 3368, 3588, 3756, 3761, 3762, 3763, 3764, 4219, 4455.
The grammatical emphasis in the whole structure of this verse is on αἰῶνα,
Strong's number 166 αἰῶνιος aionios "perpetual".
The phrase, τὸν αἰῶνα ton aiona "to eternity / unto for ever", here in John 11:26, a phrase found in every extant Greek New Testament text of John 11:26, is omitted by the King James Bible translators, so that John 11:26 reads, "will never die".
This same phrase τὸν αἰῶνα is included by the Douay-Rheims Bible translators, so that John 11:26 reads, "shall not die for ever".
Compare John 11:26 interlinear text and Greek original text with Douay-Rheims Latin Vulgate and King James Version.
See multiple versions of John 11:26 and multiple commentaries on John 11:26.
Atheists point out that all Christians die, and from this they conclude that this is proof that the promise of Jesus is a lie. Christians point out in accordance with the apostolic and catholic Christian tradition (from the Latin catholicus, from Greek katholikos = "universal", from kata- "thoroughly" + holos "whole") that this refers to salvation from the spiritual death of Sin and Hell. Translations that deliberately omit the words τὸν αἰῶνα ton aiona "to eternity / unto for ever" from the text of the Bible, and render John 11:26 as saying, "whoever lives and believes in me shall never die", are read as a cruel lie without the context of apostolic tradition, "the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16), "according to the mind of the Church". See Proof text. However, more accurate translations render this verse more literally, saying, "every one that lives, and believes in me, shall not die for ever" (Douay-Rheims, modern English reading). Believers in Jesus have the hope (Christian hope is confident expectation) that they will not only be resurrected body, soul and spirit at the Last Judgment, but also will not be cast into hell with those who "work iniquity" (Matthew 7:23; 25:42-46; Romans 1:16-32) and be tormented for ever by the second death, body, soul and spirit, fully conscious of the bodily and spiritual pain of their punishment and completely aware of their guilt (Revelation 20:9-10, 15). Compare Matthew 9:24 and John 11:11, also 1 Corinthians 15:19-22.
Dante Alighieri in his Divino Comedia: Inferno: Canto III (lines 1-9) expressed the horror of the second death by the symbolism of a sign permanently displayed over the gate to hell: "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
Compare the doctrine of annihilationism, the belief that the unsaved, being condemned to eternal death, the "second death", will be completely annihilated and cease to exist, and therefore by the mercy of God they will not be required to endure an eternity of suffering unending guilt, grief and pain in body and soul and spirit. See "They are annihilated."
The argument presented here by George Metallinos ignores any discussion of Matthew 25:41: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels". Both Catholicism and mainstream Protestantism argue that this (and other passages) support the doctrine of the damned suffering the negative torments of eternal deprivation of the beatific vision of the face of God and eternal separation from His Presence together with the positive torments of the real, corporeal suffering forever in the lake of fire, where Death and Hades (Hell) are thrown, Revelation 20:14. See Luke 16:26 (multiple versions) "Between us and you a great [chasm / chaos / gulf] has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us."
Greek χάσμα μέγα ἐστήρικται chasma mega esteriktai "a chasm great has been fixed".

"Jesus wept" Greek ἐδάκρυσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς.

John 11:35.
The shortest verse in the entire English Bible.
The Greek Bible text of verse 35 appears to be longer only because the versification division in the Greek Bible includes within verse 35 what appears in the English translations as verse 34b:
35 "They told him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept."
35 λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Κύριε, ἔρχου καὶ ἴδε. ἐδάκρυσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς.
ἐδάκρ. ὁ Ἰ. .
The word ἐδάκρυσεν in John 11:35 is different from the word κλαίουσαν which is used to express loud cries of weeping in John 11:33. The present word ἐδάκρυσεν means not the cry of lamentation nor the wail of excessive grief κλαίουσαν, but the calm shedding of tears ἐδάκρυσεν. Jesus is fully God (Colossians 2:9, John 6:44-45) and also fully man (Hebrews 2:14-15, John 1:14). Here he is not only genuinely grieving humanly over the death of one he loves (Psalm 116:15) and over the sorrow and tears of the sisters, but also divinely grieving over the enslaved condition of the whole of man, both male and female, made subject to death (Romans 8:19-21; Genesis 6:6; Wisdom 1:13, 11:24; Luke 23:27-28), and over the disbelief of his own people (Luke 19:41-44, John 12:37-40); also over his own approaching sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 5:7, Matthew 26:38). See
According to 2 Peter 3:9 God is "not willing that any should perish" (KJV) and therefore he "commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30 KJV); "therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV); "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should turn from his ways, and live?" (Ezekiel 19:23 KJV); "For thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made: for never wouldest thou have made any thing, if thou hadst hated it" (Wisdom 11:24 KJV). Jesus was actually grieved over the hardness of the hearts of his adversaries (Mark 3:5, Romans 10:21), and he warned all men everywhere to repent (Luke 13:3, 5; Mark 6:12; Matthew 4:17; Acts 17:30, 26:20). A command to all men everywhere to choose life, to "repent", a word which literally means to turn back to God, is scriptural evidence of the freedom of all men everywhere to choose, testifying to an active and operative free will which is not dead or inert. Scripture testifies that it is God's pleasure that the wicked should turn from their ways and live (Ezekiel 19:23). The prophets all declared to Israel and Judah that they had freely refused to obey God's sovereign commandments, and had willfully rebelled, and for this reason they were punished. See Isaiah 1:18-20; 6:10; Jeremiah 7:23; 11:3-8; 12:17; 26:13; 42:13-17; Ezekiel 19:23, 30-31; Daniel 9:9-14; Hosea 5:15-6:1; Joel 2:12-13; Amos 5:4, 14-15; Obadiah 12-15; Jonah 3:10; Micah 3:1, 6:8; Nahum 1:2-3, 7-9; Habakkuk 2:4; Zephaniah 3:7; Zechariah 7:8-13; Malachi 3:7.
The Reformed doctrine of John Calvin (Institutes of the Christian Religion) teaches that God as the just Judge has irresistibly and irrevocably from the beginning of creation predestined some members of the whole of guilty humanity for the unmerited glory of heaven by his pardoning mercy and has equally willingly doomed the rest of guilty humanity to perish forever in the merited everlasting torments of hell by withholding the grace of repentance from them ("Irresistible Grace"), a divine grace which no human being has ever merited, because it is his Sovereign pleasure and will to do so. (Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book Third, Chapter 21. Of the Eternal Election by Which God has Predestined Some to Salvation and Others to Destruction—continue through chapters 22-23.)
"Nor ought it to seem absurd when I say, that God not only foresaw the fall of the first man, and in him the ruin of his posterity; but also at his own pleasure arranged it. For as it belongs to his wisdom to foreknow all future events, so it belongs to his power to rule and govern them by his hand." (Chapter 23. Refutation of the calumnies by which this doctrine is always unjustly assailed. §7.)
In a stunning contradiction, in the same chapter, after several lines following, Calvin states (§8.)
"The first man fell because the Lord deemed it meet that he should: why he deemed it meet, we know not. It is certain, however, that it was just, because he saw that his own glory would thereby be displayed. When you hear the glory of God mentioned, understand that his justice is included. For that which deserves praise must be just. Man therefore falls, divine providence so ordaining, but he falls by his own fault. The Lord had a little before declared that all the things which he had made were very good (Gen. 1:31). Whence then the depravity of man, which made him revolt from God? Lest it should be supposed that it was from his creation, God had expressly approved what proceeded from himself. Therefore man’s own wickedness corrupted the pure nature which he had received from God, and his ruin brought with it the destruction of all his posterity."
What is this "depravity of man" and "revolt from God" and "man's own wickedness" but free will exercised against the will of God? Again, Calvin argues, "Lest it should be supposed that it was from his [own] creation, God had expressly approved what proceeded from himself", for God had made man good in his own image (Genesis 1:26), and "declared that all the things which he had made were very good". Calvin asserts that there is no free-will in man to resist the ordaining will of God, yet he also asserts, "Man therefore falls, divine providence so ordaining, but he falls by his own fault." What is this but free will? In the same Chapter 23 (§22) Calvin cites Augustine,
" 'When he is pleased to save, there is no free-will in man to resist. Wherefore, it cannot be doubted that the will of God (who has done whatever he has pleased in heaven and in earth, and who has even done things which are to be) cannot be resisted by the human will, or prevented from doing what he pleases, since with the very wills of men he does so.' "
Scholars point out that Augustine did not teach anywhere in his writings the Calvinist doctrine of double predestination, the converse doctrine that God has also irresistibly ordained that the majority of souls are irrevocably predestined to sin by His Sovereign Will and Pleasure for His Glory, "vessels of wrath made for destruction" (Romans 9:22-23), enemies of God by their very nature destined to hell.
See Augustine had it Right; Calvin Did Not, Tom Nash - Catholic Answers (catholic.com).
See A Tiptoe through TULIP, Jimmy Aken (catholic.com)
See Calvinism Critiqued, by a former Calvinist, by Steve Jones (auburn.edu) The author is Berean (see bereanbiblefamily.org).
Critics have responded that if there is no free will, then there is no power or ability or willingness to choose for or against God, and thus no possibility of meriting any reward or judgment for choosing either good or bad, and no moral responsibility or culpability. The intentional withholding of the grace of repentance which would allow souls to abandon evil, accept Christ and be saved is seen by these critics as attributing a deliberate design on the part of God to willingly make sure that they will perish. "I have created you to fail, and now that you have failed, I condemn you to hell for your failure, because your irrevocable condemnation glorifies my name, and it is my pleasure to do so." They firmly assert that double predestination is a false doctrine which contradicts scripture (2 Peter 3:9, Acts 17:30, 1 Timothy 4:1, 1 John 4:1, Galatians 1:8). They represent the "Calvinist" God as a creator who does not weep over sinners, a God who mocks those who have no ability to repent, with calls to them to "repent", knowing full well that they cannot repent and have no will to repent. He has sovereignly abandoned them as predestined to lives of unrepentant evil and the doom of eternal hell, and is therefore willing to let them perish.
See Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards (1741)
Compare 100 Bible verses on Wrath of God (openbible.info)
Compare 100 Bible verses on God is Love (openbible.info)
Compare 100 Bible verses on Free Will (openbible.info)
The Catholic Church has repeatedly condemned the doctrine of double predestination: at the councils of Arles 473 and Orange 529, at the councils of Querzy, Valence, Langres, Toul, Thuzey in the 900s; and, after the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, at the 16th century Counter Reformation Council of Trent, specifically CANON XVII.
-"If any one saith, that the grace of Justification is only attained to by those who are predestined unto life; but that all others who are called, are called indeed, but receive not grace, as being, by the divine power, predestined unto evil; let him be anathema."
The 1997 Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) n. 1037 says,
"God predestines no one to go to hell (Council of Orange II, 529; DS 397; Council of Trent, 1547: 1567); for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, 'who does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance'. (2 Pet 3:9)"
"Save us from final damnation and count us among those You have chosen." (catholicliturgy.com)
See article What Does the Church Say About Predestination?, Stephen Beale (catholicexchange.com)
Eastern Orthodoxy also condemned the Calvinist doctrine of double predestination at the 16th century Council of Jerusalem in the doctrinal formulation called Confession (Creed) of Dositheus. Orthodoxy still maintains this view.
See article An Eastern Orthodox View of Predestination (credohouse.org)
See in this same context The Great Heresies This is a list of heresies committed by Catholics who sowed division in the body of Christ. (compare 1 Corinthians 3:17, 12:27)
Orthodox and Catholic believers in the guaranteed infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit through the authentic Magisterium of Christian bishops in Apostolic succession safeguarding sacred tradition and holy scripture, seek to be obedient to what God has revealed in Matthew 18:15-20; John 15:1-10; Romans 13:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:27-28; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Galatians 1:6-9; Ephesians 3:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Timothy 2:14-16; Titus 1:9 and 3:1-2, 8-11; Hebrews 13:17; 2 Peter 1:20-21 and 3:3, 15-18; 1 John 2:18-25. Thus Orthodox and Catholic Christians rest assured in the belief that they have in the teaching of the Church and her Ecumenical councils the authentically infallible true interpretation of the Bible.
Many major Christian denominations, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant (Arminian), dogmatically teach in opposition to the doctrine of double predestination that the saving grace of God is not irresistible; that, in accordance with the dignity that God has bestowed on every individual soul, the saving grace of salvation is offered to all men (Titus 2:11) and that it can be freely (and tragically) resisted (Hebrews 12:25; Deuteronomy 30:19); and that those who have chosen to persist in resistance will incur judgment; but those who cease to resist, who freely accept the grace that God has given, will be saved. The free and unmerited grace of salvation is available to all souls, and those who freely choose to accept it by not resisting it become the chosen of God. Infants are incapable of voluntary resistance, and are therefore saved at the beginning of their lives by the infused grace of salvation in infant baptism. See Helpless babies and sinners. All who freely choose during their lives to accept the free gift of grace are thus predestined from all eternity to salvation. But if they reject it they are damned (Mark 16:16). God chooses those who freely choose Him, past, present and future, prompting them by his grace to accept his gift of salvation if they will (Romans 2:6-11; John 3:16-21). Those who do not resist Him will be saved.
Compare Natural Law.
Calvinists firmly warn that all Catholics, Orthodox and non-Reformed Protestant Christians, those who reject Calvinist doctrine, are anti-Calvinists working with the devil and are destined for hell. "The anti-Calvinists help to sow division in the body of Christ...do much to bring discord, division and resentment. In so doing, they disobey the word of God. We ask who is it who wants division in the body of Christ, God or the Devil? If they bring discord and division, then are they working for God? How can they be?" From the article What we Calvinists believe in response to anti-Calvinism (calvinistcorner.com). "We Calvinists believe that all people rightly deserve eternal damnation and that it is God's sovereign right to elect some into salvation and let the rest go their natural way, to hell."
Compare Acts 17:26-27 and James 4:8.
Calvinists argue that "falling from grace" does not in any way signify a loss of eternal salvation or the forfeiting of unconditional election by those who have actually been eternally saved by the irresistible grace of God, but rather a significant diminishing of glory in heaven, a personal loss surely, but not the utter ruin of condemnation to the eternal punishment of hell.
(Matthew 5:17-20; 11:11; 1 Corinthians 3:1-15),
and they argue that the actual meaning of the following scriptures has been twisted and distorted and taken out of context by the enemies of truth (1 Timothy 4:1-2)—
1 Corinthians 9:27; 10:12; 15:2
2 Corinthians 11:3
Galatians 5:4
Hebrews 3:12; 4:2; 4:11
James 1:12; 5:19-20
2 Peter 1:10-11; 2:20
Revelation 2:5; 3:11; 22:19
The heart of the controversy is the difference in interpretation of the meaning of eternal salvation:
  • The grace of eternal salvation is readily available to all who do not resist it, and to all who accept it and remain faithful by cooperating with the grace of God without which no one can be saved. His sovereign will to save "whosoever will" is everlasting, and nothing outside of themselves can take away their eternal salvation. Those who remain faithful to him by cooperating with the enabling help of his grace and confess their sins, who "endure to the end", will be eternally saved. But those who within themselves begin to resist his grace and "turn back" to the practice of sin will be lost, unless they repent. And those who begin to resist so willfully that they "fall away" from faith in Christ after receiving the grace of salvation, cannot repent again as long as they have utterly rejected him and despised the gift of God (Hebrews 6:1-8; 10:26-31). Through their own fault they have forfeited eternal salvation. This is conditional salvation.
  • The grace of eternal salvation is given freely to all whom God has predestined to election and chosen to save from being totally dead in their sins, who have no operative will, whom God has made eternally alive in the spirit, and by His Sovereign will cannot be lost, for they "cannot sin" (1 John 5:18; John 10:27-30). Eternal salvation is not eternal if it can be lost—it is an absolute contradiction. No human being has any active will whatsoever, like a dead corpse that can do nothing, being totally dead in trespasses and sin, and no human being can resist the sovereign will of God to save "whomsoever He will". Those he has saved for himself delight in his will by his grace, but not of themselves, for it is God himself who does his own work and takes his own pleasure in them, to glorify himself, for they of themselves can do nothing. This is unconditional salvation.
See article Eternal security (salvation)
Who is right? Either the Orthodox and the Catholics, and the Arminian Protestants, or the Calvinist Reformed Christians.
Who has the authority to determine the truth?
At issue for the Christian believer is the fact that the Reformation principle of rejecting the Orthodox and Catholic principle of obedience to the episcopal Magisterium, on the basis of the charge of corruption of the Gospel of the Lord through apostasy from the truth, and the basis of firmly holding instead to the foundational pillars of the Five Solas—rejection of the Orthodox and Catholic Magisterium has not historically guaranteed the individual Christian theologian, or more fundamentally the ordinary Christian, absolute certainty that his or her own personal doctrinal interpretation of the Bible is the truth, and not rather some deceptive aberration of mistaken interpretation which leads to departure from the faith of Christ, and to their own destruction as falsifiers of truth (Colossians 2:8-10; 2 Timothy 2:15-16; 2 Peter 3:16-17; Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; Sirach 3:24).
See article on the problems attending the principle of Sola fide (scborromeo.org). "...many Bible-believing Protestants are erroneously convinced that the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is by works, that is, one can 'earn' or 'merit' salvation on his own. Thus they reason that Catholics are not saved.... The teaching of the Council of Trent, however, is adamant on this point. 'If anyone says that man can be justified before God by his own works, whether done by his own natural powers or through the teaching of the law, without divine grace through Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.' [Council of Trent, Justification, Canon 1]. This decree is consistent with the revealed word of God (Rom 3:20, 27-28; Eph 2:8-9). "
See also Conservapedia entries Predestination, Arminianism, Pelagianism, Heresy, Free will and Fatalism.

"he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ He who was dead came out"

John 11:43-44
These verses among many others have been used as "proof texts" to refute the doctrine that salvation is sola fide "by faith alone". Lazarus was dead. He was a helpless corpse, four days dead. He could not express faith and hope in Jesus from the tomb before he was healed and restored to life.
Lazarus is only one among many. Jesus and the apostles healed many who did not ask, and many others whom they did not first ask if they believed before they were healed. Many others were healed by the faith of others exercised on their behalf when they were helpless and had no faith.
  • See Did Jesus or the apostles heal everyone because of their faith? - Let Us Reason Ministries (letusreason.org) —"Jesus also healed those who did not ask him.... Sometimes he required faith, other times he did not."
    An abundance of scriptural examples is provided in the article as evidence against the doctrine of sola fide. For example:
    Matthew 5:35-43; 8:5-10; 15:30
    Mark 2:2-12
    Luke 6:19; 8:26-39; 9:11
    John 5:1-15; 9:1-38.
    In this last text, John 9:1-38, the man born blind, who was healed in verses 6-7, was not asked by Jesus, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?", until verse 35, long after Jesus healed him, and the man did not say, "Lord, I believe", until the last verse 38.
Compare the following articles:

"Now he did not say this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation"

John 11:52
This is an example of the prophetic phenomenon of sensus plenior. The whole Christian community of the body of Christ since the days of the apostles, in accordance with apostolic tradition, has consistently seen abundant prophecy of Jesus as the Christ Messiah foretold throughout the entire Old Testament, even in passages of scripture not cited in the Four Canonical Gospels.

"he sent two of his disciples, saying [to the one]... and said to [the other of] them..."

Matthew 21:2-3, Mark 11:2-3.
Two-fold instruction: "this is important." Two inserted phrases. The two Greek texts differ in wording. In preserving the integrity of both texts by collating and redacting them here in simple sequence the reader is presented with the possibility that Jesus took the two disciples aside and first spoke quietly to one of them, telling him what they are to do, then turned to the other and quietly gave him essentially the same instructions, in similar words, then sent them into the village. After Jesus was risen, each of them remembered precisely what Jesus had said to him on this occasion. Matthew recorded one of the eyewitness accounts, and Mark recorded the other. (See John 14:26.) An elegant solution to confusion. The redaction is entirely realistic and reasonable.

"donkey", "colt"

Matthew 21:2 and Mark 11:2
"Donkey"—KJV "ass".
The middle eastern onager.
The middle eastern ass is not a donkey. According to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary 2003, it means "beast of burden" and "wild animal". Six different Hebrew words and two Greek words lie behind the various English translations. Onos can refer either to a male or female animal. John 12:15 sees the onos as the parent of the colt on which Jesus rode, while Matthew 21:2 sees both an ass and a colt involved. Onarion refers to a small ass and appears only in John 12:14 as evidence that the promise of Zechariah 9:9 was being fulfilled. The Old Testament Hebrew ayir refers to the stallion or young, vigorous male ass. These were apparently riding animals reserved for royalty (Judges 10:4; 12:14; Zechariah 9:9). King David rode a mule (pirdah), as did Solomon and Saul, and most of the kings of Israel and Judah (1 Kings 1:33, 38, 44). (edited from Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary page 132: "ASS").
Recent translators in English have chosen "donkey" as a close equivalent because of the animal's similar appearance to an ass. While "ass" is more accurate and preferable (in accordance with the Douay-Rheims and KJV versions) this Harmony of the Gospel retains "donkey" according to current convention. It is also a moral linguistic choice for the sake of purity and modesty, based on the almost certain probability of scandal and irreverence due to the currently prevalent cultural use of the English word "ass" as a crude reference to the human buttocks and rectal area, and pornographically as a reference to genitalia, usually female, and the immoral connotation of a purely lascivious sex act; also as a general term of disrespect and abuse, or corrective verbal discipline (often informal military): "I rode his/her/their ass".

"Hosanna!"

Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:9, John 12:13.
Luke 19:38 omits this word. Hosanna is Aramaic for "Save, I pray." The text could easily be rendered as "Save now in the highest!"
See commentaries:

"This is the Prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

Matthew 21:11
A direct allusion to Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
Compare John 1:19-21 "Are you the Prophet?"
See multiple commentaries on John 1:21 "Are you the prophet?"

"Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise"

Matthew 21:16
Matthew quotes the Septuagint text, Psalm 8:2.

"pure nard": KJV spikenard.

John 12:3
Old Testament Hebrew nerd, in the New Testament Greek nardos pistike. It was carefully prepared from the root of an Indian plant, the Nardostachys jatamansi, of the family of Valeriance, growing on the Himalaya mountains, having many hairy spikes shooting out from one root. The Arabs called it sunbul Hindi, "the Indian spike". The marginal notation in the Revised Version 1881 has "pistic nard," pistic being perhaps a local name. Some take pistic to mean "genuine" nard, and others "liquid" nard. The most probable opinion is that the word pistike (KJV "spike-") designates the nard as genuine or faithfully prepared. It was a much-valued perfume.
(See Song of Songs/Song of Solomon 1:12; Deuteronomy 4:13-14; Mark 14:3; John 12:3, 5).

"three hundred denarii"

John 12:5
KJV pence.
Plural denarii, singular denarius; plural pence, singular penny. A penny (denarius, 15 to 17 cents) was in first century Judea the day-wages of a laborer, and by custom the normal minimum wage (compare Matthew 20:2, 9). Three hundred denarii was three hundred days' wages to the average unskilled worker, roughly equivalent to about half of one month's average profit for a wealthy merchant. Many modern translations of John 12:5 say "a year's pay".
See "The Economy of First Century Palestine: State of the Scholarly Discussion", Philip A. Harland.
In Europe and the Americas during the Industrial Revolution in the final quarter of the 19th century this "denarius" of 15 to 17 cents a day was a fair wage for an unskilled laborer. During the Great Depression of the early 1930s many unskilled workers were similarly paid 15 to 25 cents an hour; but the gradual inflationary devaluation of U.S currency over subsequent decades since 1875 had made this a minimal poverty wage in 1945. Mary's alabaster box or jar of nard was worth about three-quarters of a year's pay to the average unskilled manual laborer receiving one denarius per day. Today, due to the constantly fluctuating purchasing power of the dollar and the euro, and the change in cost of mass production and marketing of this ointment in India, Europe and the Far East, a precise valuation is not possible. Putting an actual numerical U.S. dollar amount on the price of this box of ointment in terms of today's current market value would be misleading.
See Parable of the Two Debtors in Modern Terms, Philip Massey.

"it was not the season for figs"

Mark 11:13.
After the rainy winter season in the middle east some fig trees still retain a few figs that have not dropped off.
This episode is seen by the Evangelist Mark and others since the time of the apostles as a remarkable instance of Jesus using an object lesson to illustrate his prophetic teaching and warning to be ready for the sudden coming of the Lord in judgment "at a time you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44; Mark 13:33-37; Luke 3:8-9, 12:35-40, 19:41-44).
Many readers have superficially found this episode to be puzzling, and have taken it as an example of Jesus being unreasonable and arbitrary, punishing the poor fig tree for no fault of its own, just because he was hungry and frustrated. They have judged the Son of God according to their own understanding of the "clear and plain meaning" of the Bible's own words (see Specious reasoning and Proof texts).
This action of cursing the fig tree when it was not ready is wholly consistent with the actions of the Old Testament prophets who used unexpected behavior and ordinarily unremarkable objects to strikingly draw the attention of the people to the primary message they were delivering. See Isaiah 20; Jeremiah 13; Ezekiel 4–5 and 12; Ezekiel 24:15-27; Hosea 1. Compare Isaiah 5 and Mark 4:13.
According to the Mosaic law the people were free to pick grain and fruits from any neighbor's cultivated plot but not to use a sickle or to fill a basket (Deuteronomy 23:24-25). They were also commanded to not harvest all of the yield of their own crops, leaving some of it for the poor and for traveling strangers (Leviticus 23:22).

"Immediately the fig tree began to wither away. (But they did not perceive it before the morning of the second day.)"

An amplification of the text based on the harmony of Matthew 21:19 and Mark 11:20.
There is also here a certain allusion to Ezekiel 16, in particular verses 6 through 8: "When I passed by you...When I passed by you again, and looked upon you...", and verses 38 through 42, "And I will judge you as women who break wedlock and shed blood are judged...". Compare the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9.
"Immediately the fig tree withered away." Matthew 21:19b. A tree that is healthy one day, and 24 hours later is found withered away to its roots, has withered immediately. The ordinary course of nature would have been much longer. Fig trees are known for their hardy resistance to disease and ability to remain green longer than other trees during long periods of drought.
Bible readers penetrated by a modern western culture that expects instantaneous results in one minute see a contradiction between Matthew 21:19 "immediately" and the narrative of Mark 11:12-20 which concludes later "in the morning". A period of 24 hours is not currently interpreted as "immediate". In reading Matthew's account some readers think the disciples saw the leaves of the tree curl up and turn brown before their very eyes in a few seconds. A culturally conditioned comparative reading of Mark 11:12-20, representing what appears to be a "delay of 24 hours", seems to present a contradiction, because an entire day is not understood as "immediately". This is yet another example of (perhaps unintentional) eisegesis, of reading into a text what is not actually there. In accordance with the Augustinian hypothesis of Matthean priority, Mark has clarified more fully in detail what Matthew wrote about this sign.
Some film directors and playwrights in their dramatizations of this episode from the Gospel of Matthew have reinforced this interpretation by portraying the miracle of the fig tree as instantaneous, within an interval of 15 to 30 seconds. Moreover, few Bible notes and commentaries offer an explanation of this superficial discrepancy.
Compare Protestant commentaries on Matthew 21:19 and Mark 11:20, and Catholic Bible notes on Matthew 21:19 and Mark 11:12-20.
Those who seek to find fault with the Bible use comparative readings as a pretext to claim the Bible is full of errors and contradictions (see Atheism and the Bible). This is specious reasoning only.
"A text without a context is a pretext for a prooftext" —Evangelical Protestant scholar Dr. Donald A. Carson, who attributed this saying to his father.
Biblical texts are properly understood and interpreted within the context of the constant tradition of the Christian community from the time of the apostles to the present day, and within the context of the Bible itself as a whole (Sola scriptura). It is totally illicit for textual criticism to set one scriptural text against another to invalidate their integrity and the reliable consistency of the Bible as a whole. This does violence to the text.
See Proverbs 18:1 "In estrangement one seeks pretexts: with all persistence he seeks a quarrel." (NAB)

"In the morning, as he returned to the city...Peter, remembering, said to him...Seeing a fig tree...Immediately the fig tree withered away...".

A harmonizing of Mark 11:20-21 and Matthew 21:18-22.
The text of Matthew is placed with Mark's narrative here as being essentially an account of Peter remarking the condition of the fig tree and in response recalling the details of the previous morning—what is now called in literature a "flashback". An amplification of the text of Matthew 21:19 ("But...And") is provided at both places in the text of this Harmony for clarification in an editorial harmonization of four accounts which are superficially difficult to reconcile by a simple comparative reading: Mark 11:12-21, Luke 19:36-48, Matthew 21:12-42, John 12:12-19. The redactor is aided by the evident fact of the pattern of Matthew's frequent compression of the essential details of some events in his original presentation of the first written form of the Gospel, episodes which were later more fully amplified by Mark or Luke as clarifications for their audiences and readers.
Textual critics who support the 19th and 20th century hypothesis called Marcan priority assert that Matthew summarized the narrative details of Mark, and reject the more ancient and traditional Augustinian hypothesis that Mark drew upon and amplified Matthew, according to the recollections of St. Peter. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, III, 39.)

"with foreknowledge having found a young donkey"

Amplification of the text of Matthew 21:1b.
This explicit phrase is based on the implicit meaning of the text of John 12:14 drawn from a comparative reading of Luke 19:32 and Matthew 21:1-7 to clarify the meaning of the statement that Jesus "found" a young ass. He found it in the same way as he has found each of us before we have found him and have been brought to him.

"you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her."

Matthew 21:2
This appears to be the second time Jesus rode into Jerusalem mounted on an ass.
The first time, in Mark 11:1-7 and Luke 19:29-46, late on Friday afternoon, as they approached Jerusalem, Jesus told two disciples to go into the village and untie a colt of an ass and bring it to him. Here in Matthew, on Sunday, he told them to untie and bring both an ass and the colt with her to him. In a comparative reading of the Gospels the redactor sees in John 12:18 a possible double reference to both the sign of raising Lazarus from the dead and the Messianic sign of already fulfilling (in part) the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9, "The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign". This is seen as including the fact that the crowd had heard also that two days before, on the Friday before the Sabbath, Jesus had entered Jerusalem riding on an ass's colt, and they went to meet him because of this sign. Jesus, seeking to fulfill completely the literal meaning of the words of Zechariah before the eyes of the people who had heard that he had done this, and already knowing that an ass and her colt would be found in the village, commanded that both of them be brought to him. "Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, and on a colt the foal of an ass."
Some artists have portrayed Jesus as riding on the colt with its mother beside him. And some biblical commentators have speculated that Jesus rode the she-ass seated "sidesaddle" on the disciples' cloaks, with the colt positioned beside her as his footstool as he rode, and that this would be how he literally rode on both of them, "on an ass, and on a colt the foal of an ass". The disciples helped set Jesus upon this living "throne" and he sat on it.
Textual critics point out that in the parallelism of Hebrew poetry the words of Zechariah probably refer to only one animal. In accordance with this literary device the prophet states that the king rides upon an ass, and then more precisely specifies that the ass is the foal of an ass, thus gradually introducing a greater degree of gentleness and humility as emphasis. Some textual critics represent Matthew as forcing a literal fulfillment of the prophesy by inventing a second animal, as a literary method of emphasizing that Jesus is the expected Messiah. They take the accounts of John 12:12-19, Luke 19:28-36, Mark 11:1-10 and Matthew 21:1-9 as relating a single episode. This introduces an unnecessary difficulty in reconciling Mark 11:11 with Matthew 21:11-12 and Luke 19:35-45. However, similarity of narrative does not demonstrate or prove it is the same event.
Conservative textual critics see no difficulty inserting John 12:1-19 between Mark 11:11 and Matthew 21:11-12, Luke 19:35-45. This makes unnecessary the more liberal textual critical suggestion that Matthew invented a second ass. When "artistic license" is introduced as an interpretive element in the analysis of the written accounts of the Gospel (and as a euphemism for saying the writer altered the facts and lied), uncertainty is introduced regarding the accuracy and truthfulness of the Bible.

"the ground trembled"

Matthew 21:10. "all the city was moved" (KJV) "all the city was stirred" (RSV).
The Greek word ἐσείσθη eseisthē can mean both earthquake and social agitation, alarm and excitement. See Strong's number 4579 σείω seio: to rock (to vibrate sideways, to and fro), that is, (generally) to agitate (in any direction, to cause to tremble); figuratively to throw into a tremor (of fear or concern). The word is related to seis- seismo- and the study of seismology.
Christian translators seeing the significance of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem do their best to select an English word which most closely conveys both the literal physical meaning and the figurative meaning together. See multiple translations and commentaries on Matthew 21:10.
Seismologists see in a literal reading of Matthew 21:10, 27:51-54, 28:2 signs of an initial tremor occurring when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, followed by subsequent quake activity on two occasions five days later, the primary quake occurring the moment after Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday afternoon, and a secondary violent tremor or aftershock early Easter Morn which moved the large stone, accompanied by an associated blinding geoelectrical arc (which resembles lightning). This is the naturalistic explanation.
See article Metamorphic Contributions to Electrical Phenomena in the Earth's Crust, by Daniel S. Helman, August 2013, pdf (academia.edu), specifically Chapter 6. Electricity and Magnetism Within Metamorphic Reactions and Deformation Mechanisms, page 136)
However, no lightning bolt and no geoelectrical arc phenomenon ever spoke to anyone. See Matthew 28:2-7.
The Kidron Valley east outside of Jerusalem's Old City walls is part of the Great Syria-African Rift, the earth's longest fault-line. All the whole region immediately east of the Mediterranean Sea has a long history of quake activity. Archaeological evidence shows that Jerusalem has been the site of earthquakes since before the time of the prophets and up to the present day (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Encyclopedia Britannica). Earthquake activity associated with significant biblical events is presented by the biblical authors as evidence of divine activity and judgment, either condemning or approving.
See Genesis 19:25 ("overthrew"); Exodus 19:18; Numbers 16:30-33; 1 Samuel 14:15; Psalm 29:8; Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5; Acts 4:31, 16:26.
See article Earthquakes: On the Increase or Warning of Judgment to Come?, by Gordon Franz (1dolphin.org)

"as he was walking in the temple"..."began saying to him "..."while he was seated teaching"

Mark 11:27; Matthew 21:23
Boldface emphases to highlight differences in detail indicating similar but different occasions.
The word "seated" is an amplification of Matthew 21:23, according with the meaning of the traditional rabbical teaching posture. The text of Mark 11:27 says in contrast to this teaching posture that the chief priests and scribes and elders came to him as he was "walking" in the temple. A conservative reading of these two texts shows that these are two separate episodes. The third text of Luke 20:1-19 is accordingly read as a third episode in which he is not only teaching but preaching the Gospel of God. There is a difference in the meaning of the two Greek terms for teaching διδάσκοντος didaskontos and preaching the gospel εὐαγγελιζομένου euangelizomenou. These three episodes differing in circumstantial details each contain the same teaching. Each of the three Synoptics features one of these episodes.
Three groups of Jewish authorities formally submit their question three times on three separate occasions, and Jesus responds to each of them with the traditional rabbinical form of teaching by asking a question, and then giving the same substantial reply to their answer each time. Three times the question is put to him and three times he is offered opportunity to affirm or deny. Three times he exposes their duplicity.
See article Why are many things in Judaism done three times? (askmoses.com)

"When they sought to seize him, to lay hands on him"

Matthew 21:46
Compare "no one laid hands on him"
John 7:30 and 7:44; John 8:20
Also Matthew 26:50; Mark 12:12; 14:46; Luke 20:19
"lay hands on him", "laid hands on him", "laid hands on Jesus".
An allusion to the sacrificial offering.
See Exodus 29:10-11, 15-16, 19-20; Leviticus 1:4; 3:2, 8, 13; 4:4, 24, 29, 33; 8:14, 18, 22; 16:21.
See interlinear texts of John 7:30 and Matthew 26:50. The translations of ἐπέβαλεν ἐπ’αὐτὸν τὴν χεῖρα as "seized him, arrested him, took him" totally obscure the Gospel allusion to the Old Testament type of the sacrifice fulfilled in the antitype of the sacrifice of Christ on the wood of the cross. "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" 1 Corinthians 5:7b.
Compare parallel versions of John 7:30
In this Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) this phrase "laid hands on [Jesus]" is emphasized in boldface type.

"On one of those days (that is, the next day, Tuesday)"

Luke 20:1.
The third day, Tuesday of Passion Week.
The whole segment Luke 19:47–20:1 grammatically separates the cleansing of the temple in chapter 19 from the (third) episode of the challenge of authority in chapter 20.
This omission of a specific day appears to be an intentional circumlocution or euphemism for the third day of the week, Tuesday (which many people today think of as the "second day", even when the ordinary calendar displays Sunday as the first day of the seven days of the calendar week). This Tuesday, "one of those days", can be determined by a reckoning of the number of days found in the narratives of each of the Synoptics, beginning with Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and ending with the Sabbath rest in the tomb through Holy Saturday. Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit speaking through the Gospel writers explicitly designate "the third day" and "the seventh day" only when speaking directly with reference to the resurrection of the Lord: Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 20:19, 27:64; Mark 9:31, 10:34; Luke 9:22, 13:32, 18:33, 24:7 and 21, 24:46; Acts 10:40. The significance of the miracle of the water transformed into wine at the marriage feast at Cana "on the third day" in John 2:1 has likewise traditionally been seen by biblical commentators since the third century as a direct foreshadowing of the Easter Sunday consummation and fulfillment of the sacrifice on the cross ("it is consummated" John 19:30 Douay-Rheims) and the marriage feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19:6-9. A comparative reading of Matthew 17:1, Mark 9:2 and Luke 9:28, "after six days" and "about eight days after", clearly demonstrates that the same day is meant, but they do not explicitly say, "the seventh day". These indirect expressions are seen by some biblical commentators as circumlocutions in place of the more direct statement of fact, "on the seventh day" or "seven days later". See the commentaries on these verses. (Compare Numbers 19:12 with reference to baptism together with 1 Peter 3:21.)

"He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others."

Mark 12:9
In this Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version), Jesus concludes his (second) relating of the parable of the vineyard by the irony of using the very words of the chief Jews themselves (Matthew 21:41) in their answer to his asking them their opinion of what they judged would be done to the tenants of the vineyard. Their response (in Matthew) was prophetic, and Jesus here (in Mark) affirms it.
This text among many others in the New Testament has been cited as support for the doctrine of "Supersessionism" in its various forms, in teaching that the Church is superior to Judaism, some "supersessionist" theologians firmly maintaining that God has utterly replaced Judaism with Christianity and wholly rejected the Jews, others equally firm in maintaining that God in Christ Jesus and the Church He founded has fulfilled all the promises He made to Israel, yet God has not utterly abandoned them. See the following:

"He began to tell the people this parable."

Luke 20:9.
Jesus is now directly addressing himself to a larger audience, the people. Compare this verse with Mark 11:27-29 and Matthew 21:23, 28, 31-32, 41-43.
The sequential redaction of the texts of the Synoptics based on differences in the narratives of the episodes in which the chief priests, the scribes and the elders confront Jesus, strongly suggests that Jesus used the same parable lesson three different times, varying the details each time. This arrangement also retains the distinct character of each of the narrative dialogues in a manner that seems natural in tone and progression.

"The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour,"

Luke 20:19
See above, note on Matthew 21:46.

Compare the Conservative Bible text (conservapedia.com):

A certain man, Lazarus of Bethany, from the village of Mary and her sister Martha, was sick. This was the same Mary who anointed the Lord with myrrh and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So his sisters sent a message to Jesus, saying, "Lord, Look! He whom you love is sick."

When Jesus heard their message, He said, "This is not a sickness that will lead to death. Far from it, it is for the glory of God, so that through it the Son of God can be gloried."

Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus, yet, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two more days. After that, He finally said to His disciples, "We should go back to Judea again."

His disciples responded, "Rabbi, the Jews just tried to stone you, and you want to go back there again?"

Jesus answered, "There are twelve hours in the day, right? If anyone walks around during the day, he doesn't trip over anything, because the physical light allows him to see where he is going."

He said these things after He had told them, "Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, however, I am going so that I can awaken him."

So His disciples responded, "Lord, if he is sleeping, then he shall recover."

Because although they thought He was talking about sleeping restfully, Jesus had been talking about Lazarus' death. So Jesus explained, "What I mean is, Lazarus is dead. I am glad, for your sakes, that I was not there to prevent it, so that you can believe. Therefore, we must now go to him."

Then Thomas, whose name means 'The Twin,' said to his fellow disciples, "We should go too, so that we can die with Him."

When Jesus arrived, He discovered that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Because Bethany was near Jerusalem, being a little less than two miles away, many Jews came to see Martha and Mary, to comfort them at the loss of their brother. Therefore, when Martha heard about Jesus coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know, even now, that whatever you ask of God, God shall give to you."

Jesus answered her, "Your brother shall be resurrected."

Martha replied, "I know that he shall be resurrected in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus responded, "I am the resurrection and the Life. The one believing in me, although he dies, he shall live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never, ever die. Do you believe this?"

She replied, "Yes, Lord. I have long believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the very one coming into the world."

After saying this, she went back to her sister, Mary, and whispered to her, "The Rabbi is here, and is calling for you."

As soon as she heard that, she jumped up and went to meet Him. At this point, Jesus was not yet in the village, but was still where Martha met Him. When the Jews who were in the house comforting her saw Mary suddenly get up and leave, they followed her, saying, "She is going to the grave to weep there."

As soon as Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell to the ground at His feet, and sobbed, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

When Jesus saw her and the Jews who came with her weeping, His spirit was grieved, and He was deeply saddened.

So He asked, "Where have you placed him?" They responded, "Lord, come with us and we will show you."

Then Jesus burst into tears. So the Jews said, "Look how much He loved him!"

Then some of them said, "This man who gave sight to the blind could have done something so that he didn't die, couldn't He?"

Then Jesus, still grieving inside, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone across the opening. Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Then Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time he will stink as it has been four days."

Jesus responded, "I told you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God, didn't I?"

Then they moved the stone, and Jesus raised His eyes upward, and said, "Father, I thank you that you heard me. And I knew that you always hear me, however, I mention it for the sake of the surrounding crowd, so that they might believe that you have sent me."

And after He said that, He shouted very loudly, "Lazarus, come out!"

And the dead man come out, his feet and hands still bound with strips of burial cloth, and his face still wrapped with a burial napkin. Jesus told them, "Untie him and let him go."

Then many of the Jews who visited Mary, and saw the things which He did, believed in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees, and told them the things that Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a leadership meeting, and said, "What are we going to do when this man performs so many of miracles?"

Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, said to them, "You don't know anything! You don't realize that it is better for you that one man dies for the people so that the whole nation does not perish?

However, he did not say this on his own, but being the high priest that year, he unknowingly prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but so that the widely scattered children of God could be gathered together into one. So from that day on they resolved to find a way to murder Him. Therefore, Jesus no longer walked out publicly among the Jews, but left there and went to a city called Ephraim, in a region near the desert, and lived there with His disciples. Now the Jewish Passover was near, so many from the surrounding region went into Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then they watched for Jesus and asked each other as they stood in the temple grounds, "What do you think? There is no way He will come to the festival, is there?" Because both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, so they could arrest Him.

They came to Bethphage and Bethany, near Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of His students.

When He had come close to Bethpage and Bethany, by the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples ahead, saying, "Go into the village over there, and you'll find a colt tied on whom no man has ever sat. Untie him and bring him here. If any man asks you, 'Why did you untie him?' you tell them, 'The Lord has need of him.'"

with these instructions: "Go to the next village ahead. Just within its limits, you'll find a tied up colt, which no man has ever sat upon. Untie him and bring him here. If anyone asks you why you're doing so, tell them that the Lord needs the colt, and he will send the colt along at once."

So they went ahead, and found exactly what He had described.

They went to complete their task, finding the colt tied up at a street crossing and releasing him.

So they untied the colt, and the owners said, "Why are you untying the colt?"

Some people loitering there asked, "why are you releasing that colt?"

And they said, "The Lord needs him."

The disciples said what Jesus had told them to say, and the people let them pass. They returned to Jesus, put their garments on the colt, and Jesus sat on it.

So they brought him to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt, so Jesus could sit on him.

Lots of people put their clothes on Jesus' path, while others cut palm branches down and placed them on the path. And all the people along the route sang "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of David, our father, which comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest."

And as He rode, they spread clothes before him. When He came near to the descent of the Mount of Olives, the crowds of disciples began to rejoice and praise God loudly, for they had seen His mighty works. They said, "Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest."

Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said, "Rabbi, rebuke your disciples!"

But He answered them, "If these people were silent, the stones themselves would immediately cry out."

When He came near, He gazed upon the city and wept, saying, "If only you already knew what could bring you peace! But now that truth is hidden from you. For a day will come when your enemies will dig a trench around you, and surround you and lay siege to you, and will raze the city, and the children within it, and they will not leave a single stone upon another, because you did not realize when you had been visited."

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, and when he had seen everything and it was evening, went to Bethany with the Twelve apostles.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead. They made supper for Him there, and Martha was serving the dinner, while Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him. So Mary took twelve ounces of very expensive perfume, made of pure Nard, and anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the scent of the perfume. Then Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples who was planning to betray Him, said, "Why wasn't this perfume sold for a year's wages and given to the poor?"

He did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, as he carried the group's money box, and he would take for himself what was put in it. Then Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has kept this specifically for the day of my burial. For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me."

When a large crowd of Jews found out He was there, they came, although not just because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to murder Lazarus, too, because he was the reason so many of the Jews were leaving and believing in Jesus.

On the following day,

Leaving Bethany the following day, he was hungry. He saw a fig tree in the distance, which had leafed, and went to see if there was fruit upon it. But there was nothing but leaves, for the fig season hadn't begun. Jesus declared a parable in the hearing of His students, "no man will eat your fruit evermore."

a large crowd who came to the festival heard, "Jesus is coming to Jerusalem," so they took the branches from palm trees, and went out to meet Him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, The King of Israel!"

When they approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, to Mount Olive, Jesus sent two of His students, and told them, "Go into the next village you come to. As soon as you enter it, you will find a tethered donkey and a colt next to her. Untie them and bring them to Me. And if any man says anything to you, tell them, 'The Lord needs them,' and he'll send them right away."

All this was done in order to fulfil that which was spoken by Isaiah, who said, "Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King comes unto you, meek, and sitting on a donkey, and a colt that is a donkey's foal."

And the students went and did as Jesus told them, and brought the donkey, and the colt, and put their clothes on them, and they set Him on it.

And finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it; just as it is written, "Do not fear, daughter of Zion; Look! Your king comes, seated upon a donkey's foal."

His disciples did not understand any of this at first, but once Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things were written about Him, and that they did these things to Him. So the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, continued to tell others about what they had seen. This is why the crowd continued to go out and meet Him, because they heard that He had performed that miracle. So the Pharisees said to each other, "You see how nothing you do works? Look! The whole world has left to follow Him."

And a very large crowd spread their cloaks in the road; others cut down branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. And the crowds that walked ahead and behind shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!"

And when he had entered Jerusalem, everyone in the city was moved, and said, "Who is This?"

And the crowd said, "This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."

They entered Jerusalem and Jesus entered the Temple. He threw out the vendors and toppled the moneychangers' tables and dove-sellers' seats. And Jesus went into the Temple and threw out everyone who was selling and buying goods in the Temple, and turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of the dove-sellers,

He went into the temple, and cast out anybody buying or selling inside it, saying, "It is written, 'My house is the house of prayer', but you have made it a den of thieves."

He would not let any man carry their wares through the temple. He then taught the true doctrine: "Isn't it written that My house will be the house of prayer for all people? But you have turned it into a den of robbers."

And He told them, "It is written, 'My House shall be called the House of prayer.' But you have made it into a robbers' den."

The scribes and leading priests heard about this and conspired to destroy him, fearing him and the people who were amazed by his teaching.

And blind and lame people came to Him in the Temple, and He healed them. And when the leading priests and the scribes saw the absolutely amazing things that He did, and the children crying in the Temple, and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were very much displeased. They told Him, "Do you hear what they're saying?"

And Jesus told them, "Of course I have. Haven't you ever read, 'Out of the mouths of babies and sucklings you have made praise complete'?"

In the evening, Jesus left the city.

And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany, and took up residence there.

Jesus taught in the temple every day, but the high priests and scribes and the governor all wished Him dead. They could not figure out their plan of action, for the people were eager to listen to Jesus.

The next morning, as He came back into the city, He was hungry.

In the morning, they passed a fig tree which had dried from the roots up. Peter remembered what Jesus had said, and declared, "Master, look! The fig tree you condemned has withered away!"

And when He saw a fig tree in the road, He came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. He told it, "Let no fruit grow on you from this moment forward, forever." And immediately the fig tree withered away.

And when the students saw it, they were bug-eye shocked, saying, "Look at how fast that fig tree withered away!"

In answer, Jesus told them, "I tell you truly: If you have faith, and don't doubt it, you will not only do what was just done to this fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Remove yourself and throw yourself into the sea,' it will happen. And all things, whatever you ask in prayer and while believing, you will receive."

Jesus then provided the answer, "Have faith in God. I tell you the truth. Anyone who says to a mountain, 'move out of my way and jump into the sea,' and has no doubts in his soul but believes it will come to pass, that man's words will become true. So I tell you, if you pray for whatever you desire, and believe that you'll receive it, you will. And when you're praying, forgive anyone that you have anything against, so that your father God in heaven will forgive you your sins as well. If you don't forgive, God your heavenly father will not forgive you."

When they returned to Jerusalem, the leading priests, scribes, and elders came to Him as He was walking in the Temple. And they asked him "Who gave you the authority to do these things?" Jesus replied, "If you will answer one question, I'll tell you by whose authority I do these things. Tell me. Did John's baptism come from Heaven, or from men?"

They debated with each other, "If we say 'from heaven,' then He will reply, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'of men,...!'" In fact they were afraid of the people because everyone considered John a true prophet. So they replied to Jesus, "We don't know." And Jesus responded, "Neither do I reveal to you My authority for my deeds."

And when He had entered the Temple, the leading priests and elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority do You do these things, and who gave You this authority?"

And in answer Jesus told them, "I will ask you one thing only. If you tell me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Where did the baptism of John the Baptist come from? From heaven, or from men?" And they spoke among themselves, and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' then He will ask us, 'So why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' then there's no telling what all these people will do, because everyone thinks that John was a prophet."

So in answer to Jesus, they said, "We don't know."

And He told them, "In that case, I won't tell you by what authority I do these things.

But what do you think? A certain man had two sons. He came to the first, and said, 'Son, go and work today in my vineyard.' In answer, he said, 'I don't want to.' But later he changed his mind, and went. And he came to the other one, and said the same thing. And in answer, He said, 'I am going, sir,' but he did not go. Which of those two did what his father wished?" They said to him, "The first." Jesus told them, "I tell you truly: the tax-collectors and the prostitutes will go into the Kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you by the road of justice, and you didn't believe him. But the tax gatherers and prostitutes believe him. And you, when you saw that happen, did not change your minds afterward, so that you might believe him. I'll tell you another parable: A certain householder planted a vineyard, and planted a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to tenant farmers and went away on a long trip. When vintage time approached, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect the fruits of the vintage. And the tenants took his slaves, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, in fact more the second time, and they did the same thing to them. But he finally sent his son to them, saying, 'They will have proper respect for my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Let's kill him and seize the inheritance for ourselves.' And they caught him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"

They told Him, "He will ignominiously destroy those wicked men, and rent out his vineyard to other tenants, who will pay him his rightful share of the vintage."

Jesus told them, "Didn't you ever read in the Scriptures, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the primary cornerstone: this is the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'? So I tell you: The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that will produce Its fruits. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken. But whomever it falls on will be crushed."

And when the leading priests and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they recognized that He was talking about them. But when they looked for a way to lay hands on him, they were afraid of the crowd, because they took Him for a prophet.

One day, as He taught the gospel to people in the temple, the high priests and scribes came to Him, surrounded by politicians, and said to Him, "On whose authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?"

He answered them, "I will answer you with a question: Was the baptism of John from heaven, or of men?"

And they discussed this amongst themselves, saying "If we say, 'from heaven,' he will say, 'Why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'of men,' all the people will stone us, for they are convinced the John was a prophet."

So they answered that they could not know from where John's power came. And Jesus said to them, "In the same way, I can't tell you by what authority I do what I do."

Jesus began to teach them parables. "A businessman planted a vineyard and placed a hedge around it. He dug a place for the windpress, built a tower, rented it to tenant vinedressers, and traveled abroad. When the grape season arrived, he sent one of his slaves to them, to return with the fruit of the vineyard. But they caught him, beat him, and sent him back empty-handed. So the owner sent another slave, but they threw stones at him, wounding him in the head. He too was rebuffed, badly treated. He sent a third, and they killed him, as well as many others. They beat some, killed some. He still had a son, whom he loved, and sent him to them last, thinking they would respect his son. But the tenants plotted with each other: 'This is his heir. If we kill him, we can take the inheritance.' So they killed him and left his body outside the vineyard. So what should the vineyard owner do? He will return to annihilate the tenants and give the vineyard to other, more honest tenants. Have you not read in the scripture, 'The stone rejected by the builders becomes the cornerstone, This is the Lord's way, and it is wonderful to see'?"

Furious, the intellectual classes wanted to seize him, but feared the public; they knew this parable was directed at them.

Then He began to tell the people a parable: "A certain man planted a vineyard, and entrusted it to unionized farmers, and left the country for a long time. When it was time for harvest, he sent one of his servants to the union farmers, instructing them to gather and give him the harvest. But the farmers beat the servant, and sent him away empty handed. The man sent another servant, and the farmers beat him too, and mocked him, and sent him away empty handed as well. And he sent a third, and the farmers wounded him, and sent him away. The owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps the union will treat him with reverence.' But when the farmers saw him, they thought to themselves, 'This is the owner's heir - if we kill him, we shall inherit the vineyard!' So the union threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What, then, should the owner of the vineyard do to the union? He will come and bust the union, and hire others to work his vineyard."

When the people heard this, they said, "God forbid!"

He said to them, "Why, then, is it written, 'The stone which the builder rejected has become the capstone?' Those who fall upon that stone will may break a bone, but those whom the stone falls upon will be ground to powder."

Immediately the high priests and scribes began looking for a way to harm Him, and they feared the people, for they knew He had spoken this parable to rebuke them.

They gave up for now and walked out.

Twenty-five

Chapter 25 Bible texts

As the chief priests, the scribes and the elders left him, Jesus responded and spoke to the people again in parables, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ For many are called, but few chosen.”

The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people—for they knew he had spoken this parable against them. They watched him and sent out spies, who pretended to be righteous, that they might trap him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor. They asked him, “Teacher, we know that you say and Teach what is right, and are not partial to anyone, but truly Teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test me? Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”

They answered, “Caesar’s.”

He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

They were not able to trap him in his words before the people. They marveled at his answer and were silent.

Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk. They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words. They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, instructing them, and saying, “ ‘Teacher, we know that you are honest, and Teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you Teach, for you are not partial to anyone. Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ ”

This they were instructed to say. So when they had come, they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and do not defer to anyone; for you are not partial to anyone, but truly Teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?”

But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it.”

They went and brought it.

Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money.”

They brought to him a denarius.

He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?”

They said to him, “Caesar’s.”

He asked them, “Whose is this image and inscription?”

They said to him, “Caesar’s.”

Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Jesus answered them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

When they heard it, they marveled greatly at him, and left him, and went away. For the coin had the image of Caesar, but man is the image of God.

On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him, saying, “Teacher, Moses said,

“ ‘If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’

“Now there were with us seven brethren. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her.”

But Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like God’s angels in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,

“ ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

“God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his Teaching.

Some more Sadducees came to him. They asked him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us,

“ ‘If a man’s brother dies, and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’

“There were seven brethren. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring. The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise; and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife.”

Jesus answered them, “Is this not because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God? For when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But about the dead, that they are raised; have you not read in the book of Moses, about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying,

“ ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are therefore badly mistaken.”

One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”

Jesus answered, “The greatest is,

“ ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

“This is the first commandment. The second is like this,

“ ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

“There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The scribe said to him, “Truly, Teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he, and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.”

Some of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection. They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife and raise up children for his brother. There were therefore seven brethren. The first took a wife, and died childless. The second took her as wife, and he died childless. The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.”

Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. For they cannot die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord

“ ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

“Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”

Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you speak well.”

They did not dare to ask him any more questions.

But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him,

“ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

“This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this,

“ ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

“The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

No one dared ask him any question after that.

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?”

They said to him, “Of David.”

He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, to the day I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’?

“If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forward.

Matthew 22:1-14
Luke 20:19-26
Matthew 22:15
Mark 12:13
Matthew 22:16-17
Mark 12:14-16a
Matthew 22:18-19
Mark 12:16bc
Matthew 22:20-21
Genesis 1:27 adapted
Mark 12:17
Matthew 22:22-33
—LXX Tobit 3:8; 7:11
Mark 12:18-34a
—LXX Tobit 3:8; 7:11
Luke 20:27-40
—LXX Tobit 3:8; 7:11
Matthew 22:34-40
Mark 12:34b
Matthew 22:41-46

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Bible maps (click initial letter of place name)
Bible Encyclopedias: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (studylight.org)
Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic Online (catholic.org)
Hebrew Calendar Converter See exact equivalents of Gregorian Calendar dates.

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Table of Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, in English translation, Joel Kalvesmaki 2013 (kalvesmaki.com)

List of 300 Septuagint Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, by Steve Rudd 2017 (bible.ca)

Table of LXX quotes and allusions in the New Testament


Church History (Eusebius): The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine (newadvent.org)

The Works of Flavius Josephus William Whiston, Translator, 1737 (sacred-texts.com)

Suetonius: Twelve Caesars: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquilus; To which are added His Lives of the Grammarians, Rhetoricians, and Poets. The Translation of Alexander Thomson, M.D., Revised and corrected by T. Forester, Esq., A.M. (Gutenberg.org)

Tacitus: The Annals, Written 109 A.C.E. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb

Sextus Aurelius Victor: Epitome De Caesaribus (roman-emperors.org)

Eutropius: Breviarium - Eutropius's Abridgement of Roman History (tertullian.org)

Cassius Dio: Roman History Epitome (penelope.uchicago.edu)

Early Christian Writings A.D. 30 through 380 (earlychristianwritings.com)
See Biblical Canon and Apocrypha.


"he saw there a man who did not have on wedding clothing"

Matthew 22:11
This is directly parallel to Revelation 19:6-9 in which the clothing of the pure, white linen of the Bride at the marriage of the Lamb is the righteous deeds of the saints: "Works of righteousness." Psalms 15:2; 103:6; Isaiah 64:5; Acts 10:35; 1 John 2:29; 3:7; Matthew 5:16; John 9:4; Hebrews 6:10; 1 Peter 2:12; 1 John 3:7.
Compare Matthew 25:31-46 and Revelation 3:2-3, 15-18; Ephesians 2:10 and 2 Peter 1:3-11; Romans 2:6-10 and James 2:24.
See Corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
The parables of Jesus teach that the gift of salvation cannot be earned, and those do nothing good with the grace given to them, or presume that they are now free to produce bad fruit, will be condemned. A man is justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24). This is illustrated by the pounds and the talents freely entrusted to the servants of the Lord as an unmerited gift, which they had never earned, but were given to each of them to do good works: Ephesians 2:8-10.
Matthew 3:8-10; 7:21-27; 18:23-35; 25:14-30; Mark 13:34-36; Luke 3:8-9; 6:43-49; 12:35-48; 13:6-9, 23-30; 19:11-27; John 3:21; 4:36-38; 14:12; 15:1-8; Romans 6:15-23; Romans 2:6-10; Hebrews 6:7-8; 1 Peter 2:16.
The wedding garment is Christ Jesus himself and his works of righteousness.
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14).
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).
"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).
"and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Colossians 3:10).
"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous" (1 John 3:7).
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (Isaiah 61:10).
"Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see" (Revelation 3:18).
" 'Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure'—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints" (Revelation 19:7-8).
" ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ " (Matthew 22:12-13).
See also Titus 3:5; John 3:5; Revelation 7:13-14; 22:12-14; Ezekiel 36:25; Isaiah 1:18; also Infant baptism and Debate: Infant baptism.
Compare Eternal security (salvation).

"The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour,"

Luke 20:19
"The chief priests and the scribes" -— These are Sadducees, in contrast to the Pharisees and the Herodians of Matthew 22:15 and Mark 12:18.
Compare "no one laid hands on him" John 7:30 and 7:44; John 8:20
Also Matthew 21:46; 26:50; Mark 12:12; 14:46
"lay hands on him", "laid hands on him", "laid hands on Jesus".
An allusion to the sacrificial offering.
See Exodus 29:10-11, 15-16, 19-20; Leviticus 1:4; 3:2, 8, 13; 4:4, 24, 29, 33; 8:14, 18, 22; 16:21.
See interlinear texts of John 7:30 and Matthew 26:50. The translations of ἐπέβαλεν ἐπ’αὐτὸν τὴν χεῖρα as "seized him, arrested him, took him" totally obscure the Gospel allusion to the Old Testament type of the sacrifice fulfilled in the antitype of the sacrifice of Christ on the wood of the cross. "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" 1 Corinthians 5:7b.
Compare parallel versions of John 7:30
In this Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) this phrase "laid hands on [Jesus]" is emphasized in boldface type.

"sent out spies"
"sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians"

Luke 20:20 "sent out spies"
Matthew 22:16 parallel Mark 12:13 "their disciples".
In accordance with the difference in detail, these texts are presented here as representing two groups, the first (Sadducees) sent by the scribes and the chief priests (Luke 20:19-20), the second sent by the Pharisees (Matthew 22:15). When the spies sent by the scribes and the chief priests failed, the Pharisees decided on using their own disciples together with the enlisted aid of the Herodians whom they hated and normally avoided, those political partisans of Herod Antipas within Jewish society who represented the local governmental authorities in support of the tetrarch Herod Antipas, a client ruler sponsored by Rome. Both groups saw in Jesus and his followers a common enemy and a threat to the established social order, and they had decided to cooperate. They sought to avoid an uprising, which Rome would put down with more bloodshed, if they should publicly arrest Jesus and imprison him at the height of his popularity (Matthew 26:3-5; Mark 14:1-2; Luke 22:1-2; John 11:47-53). To prevent this, they had first to discredit him in the eyes of his followers, and afterward deal with him more directly. The amplification "instructed them" and the double quotation marks enclosing the quoted words indicate to the reader that the Pharisaic disciples and the Herodians were being sent with a revised question, and that they were coached on the words they were to say to Jesus. The Greek grammatical construction of the sentence in Matthew 22:16 allows this reading of the text as a verbatim instruction, carefully rehearsing beforehand what they were sent to say, "and they sent them, saying [λέγοντες] (the words they were to say)".
Greek text 16a
16 καὶ ἀποστέλλουσιν αὐτῷ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτῶν μετὰ τῶν Ἡρῳδιανῶν λέγοντες·
Greek "λέγο lego", denoting speech in progress (λέγοντες). See Strong's number 3004.
Mark 12:14-15 relates what they actually said to him.

"For the coin had the image of Caesar, but man is the image of God."

Matthew 22:22 amplified.
Genesis 1:27 adapted.
See Redaction and Hermeneutics. This sentence is an amplification of the meaning of Jesus's words according to the consistent tradition of Christian exegetical interpretation from the third century to the present day. In accordance with Revelation 22:18-19, this neither adds to nor takes away from the meaning of the words of the text.
See multiple commentaries on Matthew 22:20-21, Mark 12:16-17, Luke 20:24-25.
Compare Romans 13:1-10, Titus 3:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:13-17.
See also John 19:10-11 where Jesus gave due respect to the authority of Pilate as Caesar's representative, and Deuteronomy 17:8-13 where the people are commanded to obey the judges God has appointed over them, and Isaiah 45:1-7, Jeremiah 25:8-9 and 28:14 where God appointed pagan rulers as his authorized representatives over the people and commanded the people to obey them.
Catholic apologists also cite these scriptures together with Hebrews 13:17 against the Protestant Reformers.
See article "The Legacy left by Martin Luther, the first Protestant!", by Bob Stanley (thecatholictreasurechest.com)
Compare article "A list of false teachings in the Roman Catholic Church", by Matt Slick (CARM Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry carm.org)

"On that day Sadducees ... came to him."

Matthew 22:23
The first of three groups of Sadducees who approached Jesus: Matthew 22:23-33; Luke 20:27-40; Mark 12:18-27 (the redacted sequence presented here in this Harmony of the Gospel). Each of them explicitly cites the well-known tragic situation of Sarah and her seven dead husbands in the Book of Tobit, changing only the ending of the story to make their hypothetical case.

"Now there were with us seven brethren".
"There were seven brethren"
"There were therefore seven brethren."

Matthew 22:25—Mark 12:20—Luke 20:29
These three passages, Matthew 22:25, Mark 12:20 and Luke 20:29, are an allusion to the Septuagint text, Tobit 3:8; 7:11
According to the informal tradition of teaching the people in the temple, every male Jew from the age of twelve was free to arrive at any time and participate in gatherings for discussions with scholars and rabbis on the Law of Moses, and they were free to depart at any time (see Luke 2:46-47; Matthew 26:55; Mark 11:28; John 18:20). There are indications of this in the discussions of the Tannaim in the Talmud.
See History Crash Course #39: The Talmud (kenspiro.com)
"To read the Talmud is to read a lot of arguments. On every page it seems that the rabbis are arguing. This kind of argument—the purpose of which was to arrive at the kernel of truth—is called pilpul."
See also Jewish Virtual Library article "Hillel and Shammai".
Based on the reliability of the narrative texts and the difference in detail in statements made by both the Sadducees and Jesus himself in replying to them, three separate groups of Sadducees approached Jesus independently, the second and third groups arriving separately, the second not having heard his reply to the first group, and the third not having heard him responding to the second. Each of them came prepared to ask the same primary question the Sadducees had always used, intending to show irrefutably in a public forum in the presence of the people that belief in the resurrection of the dead is irrational and inconsistently self-refuting; and more specifically to discredit Jesus as being ignorant of the law of Moses, and thus by his own words and expected inability to give answer to their riddle prove that he is unqualified as a teacher of the people. The substance of their question is the same, but each of them phrased it somewhat differently. Jesus also patiently gives the same substantive and unexpected answer without any rigid formulation, each time phrasing it with lively variation for the benefit of those who were listening.
The only scriptures the Sadducees recognized as authoritative were the Five Books of Moses, the Torah, apart from the traditions of the elders revered by the Pharisees and later compiled in the Talmud as the "Oral Law" (see Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 12:32; 17:20; 28:14). On this Jewish principle of sola scriptura, their plain and simple reading of the text of the words of the Torah of Moses alone did not show them anywhere any reference to "resurrection".
Compare Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18. "I will raise up [Heb. קום koom]—I will raise up a Prophet".

"They did not dare to ask him any more questions."

Luke 20:40
This is in reference to the immediate group of Sadducees who had confronted and challenged Jesus with the question about the resurrection of the seven men who had married the woman. One of the scribes acknowledged how well he had answered them. It does not say that no one else asked him any questions. The conservative redactor who believes in the accuracy of the biblical text is as equally sensitive to what the text does not say as to what it does say.
Some readers think there is a contradiction here in comparative reading between Luke 20:19-40 and Matthew 22:23-40 and Mark 12:18-34, because after Luke states that "They did not dare to ask him any more questions" the Pharisees in Matthew (one of them, a lawyer) additionally asked him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?", and one of the scribes in Mark also additionally asked him, "Which commandment is the greatest of all?".
However, the silencing of the Sadducees is the immediate context of the meaning of Luke 20:40. It does not refer to the Pharisees and the scribes, who, subsequent to the confrontation by the Sadducees, present their own questions to him.
Scribes and lawyers in the New Testament are not the same kind of experts on the interpretation of the Torah. Both know the text with exactitude, but the lawyers are also those scriptural experts who probe more carefully to draw forth more explicitly the implied meanings of consequential application to the details of Jewish life hidden within the text, and are the original authoritative sources cited later in the disputations of the Talmud.
The period of the Tannaim lasted about 210 years (10-220 C.E.). The principal tannaim of the First Generation (10-80 C.E.) were:
the Shammaites (Bet Shammai, "House of Shammai") and the Hillelites (Bet Hillel, "House of Hillel"), 'Aḳabya b. Mahalaleel, Rabban Gamaliel the Elder, Ḥanina, chief of the priests ("segan ha-kohanim"), Simeon b. Gamaliel, and Johanan b. Zakkai.
"One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?” ... They did not dare to ask him any more questions." Mark 12:28, 34.
"They did not dare...". This last statement in Mark relating to the scribes does not refer directly to the Pharisees, because in Matthew 22:34-46, after Jesus had silenced the Sadducees (and had answered the scribe in Mark), the Pharisees ask him their own question.
"But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. ... No one dared ask him any question after that." Matthew 22:34=35, 46.
Psalm 119:99. (See commentaries).
Compare Wisdom 7–9 "and men were saved by Wisdom", Wisdom 9:18
(1 Corinthians 1:18-31 is a direct allusion to this Septuagint text of Wisdom 9:18: "[God] is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom...and redemption", 1 Corinthians 1:30).

Compare the Conservative Bible text (conservapedia.com):

In answer, Jesus spoke to them again by means of parables, and said, "The Kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his slaves to call the invitees to the wedding, and they didn't want to come. He sent his slaves out again, saying, 'Tell the invitees, "I have gotten my dinner ready; my oxen and my fatted calves have been slaughtered; everything is ready. Come to the wedding."' But they blew it off, and went their ways. One went to his farm, and another to his merchandise. And the rest of them took his slaves, treated them disgracefully, and killed them. The king was furious, as a magistrate might be, and he sent out his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned down their city. Then he told his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but the original invitees didn't deserve to come. So go into the roads, and invite as many people as you can find to the wedding.' So those slaves went out into the roads, and gathered together everyone they could find, good or bad, and the wedding had plenty of guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who was not properly dressed for a wedding. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without the proper clothes for a wedding?' And he couldn't say a word. Then the king told his slaves, 'Tie him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.' For many are called, but few chosen."

Immediately the high priests and scribes began looking for a way to harm Him, and they feared the people, for they knew He had spoken this parable to rebuke them. They watched Him, and sent out spies, who pretended to be just men, so they could record His words, and report them to the power and authority of the governor. They tried to trick Him, saying, "Master, we know you speak correctly, teaching not the ways of men but only the ways of God; So is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

But He caught their trick, and said to them, "Why do you try to trick me? Show me a penny. Whose image and inscription is on it?"

They answered, "Caesar's."

And He said to them, "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's, and to God that which is God's."

And they could not find issue with His answers to the people: and they were impressed with his response, and offered no objection.

Then the Pharisees went away and held a meeting about how they might trap Him into saying something embarrassing.

Instead they chose a group of Pharisees and Herodians, and sent them to Jesus to try and catch Him out by using His own words against Him.

And they send out to Him their own students with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth, and that You don't care about any man, because You are no Respecter of persons. So tell us what you think? Is it proper to pay the census tax to Caesar, or not?"

When they came, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and play no favorites among men. You are no Respecter of persons, but teach the Way of God in truth. Now: is it lawful to pay capitation taxes to Caesar, or not? What do we do: give, nor not?"

But He, knowing full well how hypocritical they were, said to them, "Why are you always testing Me? Bring me a shilling, so that I may examine it."

They brought one.

But Jesus knew exactly the sort of wicked people He was dealing with. So He said, "Why are you always testing Me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that you use to pay the census tax."

And they brought him a Roman shilling.

He said to them, "Whose face and epigram is this?" They told him, "Caesar's."

And He said to them, "Whose face and epigram is this?"

They told Him, "Caesar's."

So He told them, "So give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God."

In answer, Jesus told them, "Give Caesar what is Caesar's, and God what is God's."

And they were struck completely speechless by Him.

When they heard these words, they were stupefied, and left Him, and went on their way.

So God created mankind in His image. In the image of God He created mankind; He created them both male and female.

On the same day the Sadducees came to Him. (The Sadducees say that there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead.) They asked Him, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies and leaves no children, his brother must marry his wife.' Now there were seven brothers with us. The first brother married, then died and left no issue, so his wife married his brother. And the second brother did the same, and the third, and so on to the seventh. Finally the woman died as well. Now: in the resurrection, whom is she married to? All seven had married her!"

In answer, Jesus said, "You are mistaken. You don't know either the Scriptures or the power of God. People in the resurrection neither marry nor are given away in marriage. To the contrary, they are like God's Messengers in heaven. But while we're on the subject of the resurrection of the dead: haven't you read what God Himself said? He said, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He is not the God of dead people, but of live people."

When the crowd heard this, they were amazed at His teaching.

Then some Sadducees came to Him. They say that there is no such thing as the resurrection. They asked Him, "Teacher, Moses wrote this law: 'If a man's brother dies, and leaves a wife but no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up a son to inherit his brother's estate.' Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife, and died without issue. Then the second married her, then died, and also left no issue. So did the third. Indeed all seven married her, and left no issue. Last of all the woman died. Now: in the resurrection, when they're all risen from the dead, whose wife will she be? After all, all seven married her!"

Jesus replied, "You are mistaken, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. You see, when they rise from the dead, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. They'll be like God's Messengers in heaven. And while we're on the subject: I'll prove to you that the dead will rise. Haven't you read in the Books of Moses, how God spoke to him in a burning bush, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He isn't the God of dead men, but the God of living men. So you are vastly mistaken."

One of the scribes came, who had heard them debating this issue, and realizing that He had given a good answer to the riddle. So he asked Him, "Which is the most important commandment of all?"

Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.' And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength. This is the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is just like it: 'you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself'. No other commandment is more important than these two."

The scribe said back to Him, "Well, Teacher, You speak the truth: 'There is one God, and there is no one else but Him, and to love Him with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love one's neighbor as one loves himself, is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices a man can make.'"

Jesus saw that he had given a sensible answer. So He said to him, "You aren't far from the Kingdom of God."

Then Jesus was approached by some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked Him, saying, "Master, Moses wrote that if any man's brother dies and leaves behind a childless widow, then his brother should marry the widow and raise children with her in his deceased brother's name. There were once seven brothers: and the first of them took a wife, but died without having children. So the second brother married the widow, but he died without fathering children. And the third brother then married the widow; he died childless as well, though, as did the remaining brothers who followed him: they all left the widow without children before dying. Finally the woman herself died. Then when all are resurrected in the end, which brothers' wife would she be? For she was married seven times."

And Jesus answering them, saying, "The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But those who have been found worthy of Heaven, and of everlasting life there, do not marry, and are not given away in marriage: They cannot die any more: for they are then equal in nature with the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Moreover, with the resurrection of the dead, as Moses showed at the burning bush when he called out to the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto Him."

Then some of the scribes answered, saying, "Master, you have spoken well".

And after that they dared not ask Him any question at all.

When the Pharisees heard that He had shut the Sadducees up, they held a meeting. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him, and said, "Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?"

Jesus said to Him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and most important commandment. The second is just as important: 'You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.' On these two commandments, the entire law depends, and the prophets."

After that, no man dared ask Him anything.

While the Pharisees were still meeting, Jesus asked them, "What do you think about the Anointed One? Whose son is He?"

They said to him, "The son of David."

He said to them, "So how does David in spirit call Him Lord, when he said, 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool?" ' So if David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son?"

And no one could say a word to Him in answer, and neither did any man dare ask Him any more questions from that day forward.

Twenty-six

Chapter 26 Bible texts

Jesus answered their casuistry, as he Taught in the Temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ, the Anointed One, is the son of David? For David himself said in the Holy Spirit,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, unto the day I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.” ’

“Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?”

The common people heard him gladly.

In his Teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts: those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

He said to them, “Why do they say that the Christ, the Anointed One, is David’s son? David himself says in the book of Psalms,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, to the day I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.” ’

“David therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

In the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, “Beware of those scribes who like to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts; who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these will receive greater condemnation.”

He looked up and saw the rich people who were putting their gifts into the treasury. Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much. A poor widow came, and she cast in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrans coin. He saw a certain poor widow casting in two small brass coins. He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury, for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”

He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them, for all these put in gifts for God from their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.”

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’s seat. All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but do not do their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. But they do all their works to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments, and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men. But do not you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your Teacher, the Christ, the Anointed One, and all of you are brethren. Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ, the Anointed One. But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you do not enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.

“Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Temple, he is obligated.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the Temple that sanctifies the gold? ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated’? You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it. He who swears by the Temple, swears by it, and by him who has been living in it. He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna? Therefore behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, to the day you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

As he went out of the Temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!

Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down.”

Jesus went out from the Temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the Temple. But he answered them, “You see all of these things, do you not? Most certainly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down.”

As some were talking about the Temple and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts, he said, “As for these things which you see, the days will come, in which there will not be left here one stone on another that will not be thrown down.”

They asked him, “Teacher, so when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are about to happen?”

He said, “Watch out that you do not get led astray, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I AM,’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ Therefore do not follow them. When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not come immediately.”

Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake. It will turn out as a testimony for you. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict. You will be handed over even by parents, brethren, relatives, and friends. They will cause some of you to be put to death. You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake. And not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will win your lives.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the middle of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein. For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, to the day the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”

He told them a parable. “See the fig tree and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see it and know by your own selves that the summer is already near. Even so you also, when you see these things happening, know that God’s Kingdom is near. Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away before all things are accomplished.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.

“So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly. For it will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth. Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are all about to be fulfilled?”

Jesus, answering, began to tell them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I AM!’ and will lead many astray.

“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. For those must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines and troubles. These things are the beginning of birth pains. But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. The Good News must first be preached to all the nations. When they lead you away and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

“Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. But when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house. Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days! Pray that your flight will not be in the winter. For in those days there will be horrifying distress, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created unto now, and never will be. Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom he picked out, he shortened the days. Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ, the Anointed One!’ or, ‘Look, there!do not believe it. For there will arise false christs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. But you: watch.

“Behold, I have told you all things beforehand. But in those days, after that horrifying distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.

“Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near; even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors. Most certainly I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things happen.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father. Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

“It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping. What I tell you, I tell all: Watch.”

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples, his followers came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I AM the Christ, the Anointed One’ and will lead many astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the beginning of birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake. Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another. Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

“When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house. Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath, for then there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world before now, no, nor ever will be. Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.

“Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ, the Anointed One’ or, ‘There,’ do not believe it. For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

“Behold, I have told you beforehand. If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, that is where the vultures gather together. But immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

“Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near. Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, before all these things are accomplished.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

“As the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered into the ship, and they did not know before the flood came, and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one will be left. Watch therefore, for you do not know in what hour your Lord comes. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for in an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an hour when he does not know it, and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there is not enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

“For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

“Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them. He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents in addition to them.’

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

“He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents in addition to them.’

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

“He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’

“But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You “knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter”? You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who does not have, even that which he has will be taken away. Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’

“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you did not give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and you did not take me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.’

“Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not help you?’

“Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

When Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

By all reckoning he said these things to them on Tuesday, the third day of that week. Every day Jesus was Teaching in the Temple, and every night he would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet. Everyone went to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.

Mark 12:35-40
Luke 20:41–21:1
Mark 12:41-42
Luke 21:2
Mark 12:43-44
Luke 21:3-4
Matthew 23
Mark 13:1-2
Matthew 24:1-2
Luke 21:5-36
—LXX Sirach 28:18
—LXX 2 Maccabees 8:16-17
—LXX 1 Maccabees 2:28
—LXX 2 Maccabees 5:19-20
—LXX 1 Maccabees 14:36-37
Mark 13:3-37
Matthew 24:3–26:2
Luke 21:37
John 7:53–8:1
John 18:1, 2b

Compare
World English Bible text
Greek original text
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Scofield Reference Bible (1917 Edition)
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multiple versions of any verse
multiple commentaries any passage
interlinear Bible: Hebrew, Greek, English
Bible maps (click initial letter of place name)
Bible Encyclopedias: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (studylight.org)
Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic Online (catholic.org)
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,
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Table of Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, in English translation, Joel Kalvesmaki 2013 (kalvesmaki.com)

List of 300 Septuagint Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, by Steve Rudd 2017 (bible.ca)

Table of LXX quotes and allusions in the New Testament


Church History (Eusebius): The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine (newadvent.org)

The Works of Flavius Josephus William Whiston, Translator, 1737 (sacred-texts.com)

Suetonius: Twelve Caesars: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquilus; To which are added His Lives of the Grammarians, Rhetoricians, and Poets. The Translation of Alexander Thomson, M.D., Revised and corrected by T. Forester, Esq., A.M. (Gutenberg.org)

Tacitus: The Annals, Written 109 A.C.E. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb

Sextus Aurelius Victor: Epitome De Caesaribus (roman-emperors.org)

Eutropius: Breviarium - Eutropius's Abridgement of Roman History (tertullian.org)

Cassius Dio: Roman History Epitome (penelope.uchicago.edu)

Early Christian Writings A.D. 30 through 380 (earlychristianwritings.com)
See Biblical Canon and Apocrypha.


"Jesus answered their casuistry..."

Mark 12:35.
An amplification of the implicit meaning of the explicit statement "Jesus answered, as he taught in the temple ... " (WEB text)
See casuistry at dictionary.com.
Jesus is not answering a question here. Jesus responds (answers) in the immediate context of having silenced the casuistic challenges put to him by the chief priests, scribes, elders, lawyers and Pharisees (Mark 12:12-35). As the one they have challenged, He is now responding, answering (them) in turn, Greek ἀποκριθεὶς apokritheis "answering".
35 Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς , ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν διδάσκων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ,
35 And answering , - Jesus said teaching in the temple , (literal)
"And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said ..." (RSVCE Mark 12:35a).
"And Jesus answered and said, ..." (KJV Mark 12:35a)
The chief priests and scribes, and the Pharisees with the Herodians, had each attempted to trap Jesus with subtly worded questions. This strategy is one of several forms of casuistry, which can be either licit or illicit, proper or improper, depending on the motive. He defeated them with brilliant, legitimate answers they could not refute. Jesus then "answered" them in turn (responded) with a proper casuistic response by using against them their own method of reasoning from the words of the scriptures, to expose both the fallacy of their reasoning and their more substantive refusal to hear what is written in the words. This is teaching with a justifiable sarcasm which highlights both the absurdity and futility of their position and the fact of their resistance to God together with their refusal to accept correction. A 21st century courtroom objection might call this response of Jesus "abusive".
See Acts 18:15; 1 Timothy 6:4-5; 2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9-11; Proverbs 1:20-33, 8:1-36; Jeremiah 8:8-9; Malachi 2:7-9.
Actually, according to the literal sense of scripture within the context of 1 Kings 1:32-47 and Psalm 110:1, David, while still alive, had designated Solomon king over Israel, and had thus relinquished his own immediate title to the throne without establishing a co-regency with him; and he bowed to Solomon as his lord and king and ruler, even over himself, Solomon's own father.
"And the king bowed himself upon the bed. And the king also said, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted one to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it."
In this immediate context David wrote:
"The LORD said to my lord: "Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool."
This literally refers to Solomon as David's immediate lord in Israel, sitting on David's throne. However, as Solomon was first subject to David as David's son and then was made David's lord and king over even him, his father, these words are even more profoundly read according to the allegorical sense of scripture as a transcending prophesy of the long-expected Son of David descended from him, who should one day redeem Israel from its sins and restore the kingdom as true Lord and God, the Messiah who is David's true Lord. The plain literalism of the chief priests and the scribes and elders and the Pharisees had blinded them to the fuller meaning of the scriptures (John 5:39-40). Jesus broke open the seal on this scripture passage and removed the veil from it.

"Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’s seat...."

Matthew 23:1-39
See Matthew 23: A Commentary on the New Testament From the Talmud and Hebraica by John Lightfoot (biblestudytools.com)

"Call no man on the earth your father"

Matthew 23:9.
Jesus did not say, "Call no man on earth, 'father' ".
He said, "Call no man on the earth your father"
Greek—
καὶ πατέρα μὴ καλέσητε ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
kai patera mē kalesēte hymōn epi tēs gēs
(literally) "And father no call your on the earth"
(Gk. μὴ "no" = no [one] = none)
"And father no [one] call your on the earth"
"And father none call your on the earth"
A literalistic reading of ὑμῶν hymon as "you" instead of "your" in the context of the statement makes no sense in the Greek: "And you father no call on earth". Here ὑμῶν hymon "you, your" is the modifier of πατέρα patera "father"—"your father". Some however, ignorant of the rules of Greek semantics and syntax, or being dishonest, twist the Greek vocabulary and grammatical structure, reading this phrase according to what they think (or would like to think) is the literal sense: "And father none call you [your] on earth"—"And father call you [your] no on earth"—"And 'father' call you not on earth".
Instead of this eisegetical reading, the literal sense is rather: "And father not call your on earth"—"And your father call not [man] on earth."
See the interlinear English and Greek text and multiple commentaries on Matthew 23:9.
Jesus does not say, "Do not be called fathers".
In verse 10, he does say, "Neither be called masters".
(Yet Paul and Peter address men as "masters":
Ephesians 6:5, 9; Colossians 3:22; 4:1; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9; 1 Peter 2:18.)
The meaning of this text in Matthew 23:9 "your father" is that no male parent in the most absolute sense is to be regarded most ultimately as the true father of any son or daughter naturally sired (procreated) by him. Jesus is correcting a distortion of the meaning of Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother".
Middle eastern cultural tradition taught each child to regard their own natural father with absolute claim to their personal loyalty and obedience, above and apart from any other consideration of affection, respect, duty and reverence they might owe to another, to mother or sibling or spouse or children or friend or comrade-in-arms or teacher or commander or king or country, or even life itself.
Students who came to regard their teachers and rabbis and founders of schools of knowledge with reverent affection and loyalty, even awe, for imparting the knowledge of Torah to them, were traditionally encouraged to address them as "my father" and to regard them as their spiritual fathers, Abba. Jesus is setting them free of the tradition of unquestioning imitation of those abusers of legitimate Jewish authority as fathers who set aside the substance of the teaching of Moses and the scriptures for the sake of their own self-promoting customs and ritual traditions, as leaders beyond any possible reproach and as Icons of God's Authority on earth. See Scribes (Bible).
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Matthew 23 verses 8-10 states unequivocally:
"It is most certain that our Saviour doth not here forbid the giving of the titles of masters and fathers to his ministers, for then Paul would not have given himself the title of father, 1 Corinthians 4:15; nor called the Galatians his little children, Galatians 4:19: nor called Timothy his son, and himself his father, Philippians 2:22; nor called himself a doctor of the Gentiles, 1 Timothy 2:7 2 Timothy 1:11."
This text in Matthew has been cited as condemning any use of the word "father" as an address or title of respect to any man, as if it said, "Call no man on earth, 'father'...". However, against this defective reading of the meaning of the text, and apart from the fact that a word (ὑμῶν hymōn) has been removed by such a reading (interpretation) of the text, multiple passages in sacred scripture itself demonstrate that the apostles and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ themselves addressed others as "father" and were called "father". St. Paul told the Corinthians that though they had many guides, he was their father through the gospel, and he also said he was a father to Timothy. There is a substantial difference in saying "my father" and simply saying "Father". For example, no Catholic says to a priest, "my father, ... ", but says instead, "Father", as a title of respect. In the same way, for example, St. Stephen addressed the high priest and members of the council as fathers, and John explicitly addresses the fathers of the Christian community as "fathers". See Acts 7:2, 22:1; 1 John 2:12-14; 1 Corinthians 4:14-15; Philippians 2:22; 1 Thessalonians 2:11; Hebrews 13:17. Most translations of Matthew 23:9 faithfully say "your father"; others explicitly omit the word ὑμῶν "your" in translation as an anti-Catholic reading which has no grammatical basis and cannot be justified according to the New Testament Greek text of Matthew 23:9
9 καὶ πατέρα μὴ καλέσητε ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ ὑμῶν, ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. (boldface emphasis added)
Omitting to include in translation a doctrinally significant word that is present in every extant manuscript of this verse in Matthew is a deliberate act involving substantial alteration of the meaning of the scriptural text, an act which every Bible-believing Christian condemns.
See Jeremiah 8:8 and Revelation 22:19.
Here is a list of some of the more widely published and distributed English translations which exclude the word "your" in Matthew 23:9, among their other violations of the Bible:
  • NIV New International Version
  • NLT New Living Translation
  • ISV International Standard Version
  • ABE Aramaic Bible in English

It is better to adjust our understanding to the scripture, than to adjust the scripture to our understanding.

"the Christ, the Anointed One"

Mark 12:35; Luke 20:41; Matthew 23:10
An amplification of the Greek Χριστός Christos "Christ", which means "anointed". Here, both the literal word "Christ" and its English translation "Anointed" are joined inclusively.
A dynamic reading of the text would simply be "the Anointed"
Mark 12:35 "How can the scribes say that the Anointed is the son of David?"
Luke 20:41 "How can they say the Anointed is David's son?"
Matthew 23:10 "Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Anointed."

"But you ought to have done these, and not left the others undone"

Matthew 23:23
GRK: ἔδει ποιῆσαι κἀκεῖνα μὴ ἀφιέναι
NAS: without neglecting the others.
KJV: and not to leave the other undone.
INTERLINEAR: it behoved [you] to do and those [others] not to be leaving aside
See interlinear text of Matthew 23:23
See especially Strong's number 863 ἀφίημι aphiémi "send away, exclude, disregard, ignore"
"Neglecting the others" is not referring to neglect of others, of other people's needs for compassion and help. Jesus is specifically speaking of the law of Moses. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17). Attention to even the smallest points of the law of God is proper religion. Jesus does not condemn these points of the law, but emphasizes that concern with the smaller details of the law properly performed should not interfere with or replace in importance the "higher" and more important parts of the very heart of that same law in the hearts and minds of the member of the religious community, those "other" commandments and ordinances which exemplify in practical forms the sincere love of God and love of man (our neighbor), heart, soul, mind, and strength. "To fulfill" includes the respectful performance of the ritual ceremonies of sincerely reverent worship of God in spirit and in truth and in merciful compassion, as a professing member of the community of the Lord, and not an empty, mechanical, performance of external beauty and formality only, as a kind of badge of identity, devoid of the greater and weightier motivations of adoration and awe and love within.
Pagan forms of worship, and the ceremonial magic rituals of New Age practitioners, have as their common seduction a kind of worship of the art of ceremonial beauty and ritual actions simply for their own sake, and of the intoxicating delight in the elitism of knowing mysterious secrets reserved for members only, all for the emotionally uplifting and esthetic satisfaction of the participants, who are most often more preoccupied with the enjoyment they derive from these things as entertaining distractions that seem most personally self-fulfilling than with dedicating themselves to also doing any practical good to others in need.
One of the scandals of Christianity is the fact that too many professing Christians appear devout and reverent toward God and the Bible and to daily and weekly worship services morning and evening, with a consistently faithful commitment to home family devotions and Bible reading (but not actual Bible study). They are faithfully committed to Christian fraternal organizations and clubs, members of the church who are comfortably accepted and successful in school and at work (and every one of these is good). But they regularly fail as individuals to personally manifest even the smallest evidence of practical compassion, support, mercy, and forgiveness toward the poor who need help (1 John 3:17-18); members of the church who regularly fail as individuals to personally manifest even the smallest evidence of practical compassion, support, mercy, and forgiveness toward repentant sinners, redeemed sinners who have turned away from their evil pasts and by the grace of God have reformed their lives. These Christians fail them by excluding them as inherently unworthy of respect (Luke 18:9-14; Romans 12:9-16; James 2), unworthy of inclusion as possible friends, simply because they are not regarded by them as evident members of an undefined and unspoken "acceptable social and economic status favored by God" (sometimes including the same basic style of clothing, as a kind of religious clique). They derive their religious satisfaction from playing the role of Christian and being busily occupied in the church without putting forth the practical effort of actively seeking ways to serve or sacrifice themselves for others, because they are (too busy) "doing the Lord's work". "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Matthew 15:8 KJV; compare Matthew 7:21-23; 24:45–25:46)
(See Elitism and Cafeteria Christianity and Christian In Name Only—also Hypocrites.)

"how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?

Matthew 23:33
KJV "how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"
The judgment of Gehenna is a metaphor for the judgment of burning, an allusion to condemnation to eternal torment in the lake of fire in Revelation 14:9-11; 20:10, 14-15.
See Matthew 23:33
See also Strong's number 1067 γέεννα geenna, used figuratively as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment (hell).
Matthew 5:22, 29-30; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6.

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her!"

Matthew 23:37-39
Jesus here in the temple before all the people repeats the lamentation he had uttered earlier in Luke 13:34-35 during his final journey when he had set his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–19:44), when some Pharisees came and said to him "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." Luke 13:31-35.
Compare Luke 13:33-34 and this passage Matthew 23:37-39.

"Jesus went out from the temple...They asked him,..."
"As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,..."
"As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately,..."

This is a progression of three separate discourses of increasing instruction. (1) Jesus answers their question as he leaves the temple, inside Jerusalem. (2) Later, as he is sitting on the Mount of Olives, outside Jerusalem, Peter, James, John, and Andrew come to him privately, asking for more details. (3) When he has answered them, as he is sitting there, other disciples arrive and ask the same question, and Jesus expands on what he has said. Differences in setting and differences in the words of the three discourses, which cannot be combined as one discourse when taken literally as faithful verbatim eyewitness reports of what Jesus actually said to them, is evidence that these are three distinct episodes.
Many (not all) professional biblical textual critics, who read these accounts a priori as three separate recollections of one single episode, maintain that the differences are rather due simply to the way ordinary witnesses vary in their testimony, especially two decades after the events, and that while we probably do have the essential teaching Jesus gave to his disciples, they assert that the differences are overwhelming evidence that we have no certainty that these discourses in Luke and Mark and Matthew are Jesus' own exact words. Some strongly suggest that the account in Mark predates A.D. 70 before or during the destruction of Jerusalem and that the accounts of Matthew and Luke are revisions of Mark written long after the fact. Matthew 22:7 which refers to the destruction of Jerusalem by burning, a detail not included in Mark 12:9, is read as a confirmation that Matthew was written after A.D. 70 (NAB, Introduction to Matthew). If this assertion is true, and if it is impossible that Jesus twice repeated and amplified what he had first said to them as he left the temple, then the promise of Jesus to them on the night of his last supper was empty and false, and has not been faithfully kept. See John 14:25-26. However, these textual difficulties are removed on the principle that similarity of narrative does not demonstrate or prove identity of event. These three discourses are not necessarily from the same identical speech spoken on the same identical occasion, in the same identical location, to the same identical person(s), and later remembered somewhat differently.

"Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away before all things are accomplished."
"Most certainly I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things happen"
"Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, before all these things are accomplished."

Luke 21:32; Mark 13:30; Matthew 24:34-35
The overall universal message of the "end times" here, also known as the Olivet Discourse, as first spoken by Jesus to his disciples as they left the temple, and then later outside the city to those who came to him on the Mount of Olives, is to always be ready and constantly prepared for his coming by doing the will of God the Father. St. Paul summed up the same message in Romans 2:6-10. See Ephesians 2:10 and Titus 3:3-11.
It is significant that the wicked are condemned for failure to perform corporal and spiritual works of mercy, not for any failure to be baptized, read the Bible, pray, trust in his salvation by faith alone, and attend worship services at church to "continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name" (Hebrews 13:15-16; Matthew 7:19-23). They are condemned for failure to do good to him in his people who are the members of his body—"you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone." See Acts 9:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-29; 1 John chapter 3.
St. James clearly stated (James 2:24) "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (See the controversy over Infant baptism.)
As to the proper interpretation of the particular details of the prophecy, there is no universal agreement among biblical commentators.
Most understand the meaning of Luke 21:8-36; Mark 13:3-36; Matthew 24:4–25-46 as applying immediately to the coming siege under Titus and the destruction, first of the Temple itself, and finally of the whole city, at the end of forty years in A.D. 70, when all of that generation was still living, as described by Josephus and Eusebius.
In this interpretive reading, "The day and the hour" refer not to the destruction of Jerusalem, but separately to the time when
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away" Lk 21:33
—"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" Mk 13:31
—"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But no one knows of that day and hour..." Mt 24:35.
This interpretive eschatological reading, fully in accord with the grammatical structure of the Greek text, does not directly refer these words back to what the Lord foretold regarding the just judgment to come on Jerusalem at the end, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, an end time which was completely fulfilled in A.D. 70. These words about "that day and hour" when "heaven and earth will pass away" are instead read interpretively as a separate statement of universal truth regarding his eternal doctrine and the inevitable eschaton of the whole Universe, illustrated by contrast with the judgment soon to come on Jerusalem.
Others reject this immediate context of the divine judgment on Jerusalem and the Jews during the first century, as being instead the great tribulation to come on all who dwell on the earth (Matthew 24:21; context 24:15-31). They strictly connect all of this prophecy exclusively to the Book of Revelation and the time of the Parousia of the Lord, when "Heaven and earth will pass away".
But because the Second Coming was never fulfilled before the death of the apostles, opposing critics reject this "erroneous" connection with the end-times vision of The Revelation to John as opening the door of opportunity to sceptics, giving pretext for a false and erroneously facile attempt by unbelievers to demonstrate human ignorance in Christ and prove Him wrong, thus turning a fundamentalist doctrine against itself as proof to "those gullible Christians" that Jesus cannot be God and never was because he has never yet descended from heaven in glory for all to see, and certainly not during the final lifetimes of that whole early Christian generation even into the middle and late decades of the 2nd century of the Christian Era (CE). Many sceptical critics mock Christian hope by saying that the early Christians "waited in vain for the fulfillment of the promise of the Second Coming of Jesus" and cite the undeniable historical fact that this is why some "fell away" and apostatized. The Epistle to the Hebrews was written to encourage those who were beginning to lose hope in the promises of Christ and the eternal reward for remaining faithful to the end.
Still others see in Luke 21:32; Mark 13:30; Matthew 24:34-35 both an immediate and distant application, both the destruction of Jerusalem A.D. 70, and the Great Tribulation of the Apocalypse (Revelation) preceding the Second Coming of the Lord, followed by the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment. Compare Luke 17:20-21.
See multiple commentaries on
Luke 21:32; Mark 13:30; Matthew 24:34.

"They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, to the day the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

Luke 21:24
An allusion to the Septuagint text:
Sirach 28:18
1 Maccabees 14:36-37
2 Maccabees 5:19-20.

"For wherever the carcass is, that is where the vultures gather together."

Matthew 24:28 (WEB).
"For wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." Luke 17:37 (KJV).
This is a proverbial expression of "inevitable certainty". The certainty that the Son will suddenly come in an undeniable glory clearly visible to every creature on earth is as certain as the gathering of vultures to feed on a dead body. Equivalent slogans are used in the U.S., such as, "sure as the sun rises and sets", or "sure as death and taxes", and "relatives appear when a huge fortune is inherited".
This is read by many as saying that the appearance of the Son of Man will be a Judgment resulting in the death of the wicked, with the gathering of vultures and eagles to devour their corpses (Revelation 19:17-21).
See 2 Thessalonians 1:5-8; Revelation 1:7
Many Christians read the three verses of Matthew 24:26-28 as saying that the appearance of the Son of man like lightning shining from the east to the west and illuminating the whole sky is in stark contrast to the appearance of the false christs and false prophets (corpses) "in the wilderness" or "in the inner rooms", and wherever they appear the vultures will gather around them to feed on their corrupt doctrine
(Cults2 Timothy 4:3-4; Luke 17:22-24; Matthew 24:26-27),
Many other Christians read this verse (Matthew 24:28) as directly linked to the following one, Matthew 24:29,
"But immediately after the suffering of those days...".
The "suffering" here is interpreted by them as indicating the Great Tribulation of Revelation 6–16 and 19:17-21 when the wicked and the followers of the false Christs and false prophets will either die horribly from what will come on the earth, or be slaughtered in battle, and the birds will gorge themselves on their dead bodies.
Others instead read the opposite: the "body", corpse or "carcass" is interpreted as a figure of Christ himself in his second coming, where the "eagles" or "vultures" of the saved will be raptured up into the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and gathered together for the marriage feast of worship and rejoicing (Revelation 19:6-9) to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood (John 6:32-58) and partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

"But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father." Mark 13:32.
"But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Matthew 24:36.

The controversial phrase "nor the son" is omitted in many of the most ancient manuscripts of Mark's Gospel. It is not found in the earliest manuscripts of Matthew, traditionally the first Gospel ever written. Ancient commentators including Saint Ambrose assert that the Arians inserted the phrase in copied manuscripts of the later Gospel of Mark after it was subsequently first published, to prove that the Son of God is inferior to God the Father by nature and therefore a being created by God and not God. Some later copies of Matthew from the fifth and sixth centuries show that the phrase has also been inserted in them. Likewise, a more recent example of this kind of insertion can be found in the published editions of the New World Translation (NWT) Bible of Jehovah's Witnesses which famously renders John 1:1 with the added word "a" as saying, "...and the word was a god", to support their Arian theology. Greek New Testament scholars and linguists, Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant, claim there is no grammatical justification in the Greek text for this reading of the meaning of the verse ("The Jehovah's Witnesses New World Translation and John 1:1" (christiandefense.org)).
See commentaries on Mark 13:32 and Matthew 24:36.
In the text of Mark 13:32 Jesus is not represented as saying, "nor the Son–of David", "nor the Son–of man", "nor the Son–of the Father", "nor the Son–of God". Throughout the New Testament these titles refer directly to Jesus himself. Throughout the Old Testament Law and the Psalms and the Prophets, the unmodified terms "son" and "my son" are used to refer directly to the nation of Israel as a people and as God's son, in dignity just below the angels. The Greek text does not capitalize the word "son" in any text. This phrase in Mark 13:32 can be read as referring to the community of the Lord rather than as a self-reference to Christ Jesus himself the Lord who is one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Compare Exodus 4:22-23; Deuteronomy 29:29 the Lord; Psalm 8:3-8; 80:17-18; Isaiah 1:2; 49:13-16; 56:1-5; Jeremiah 31:20; Hosea 11:1-2; 13:12-13; Malachi 1:2, 6; 3:16-17; Acts 1:6-7; Galatians 4:21-30; Hebrews 12:5-7.
The Christian scriptures testify that Jesus himself knew what no man on earth knew, knowing in himself all that God knows; and Paul spoke of a man he knew in Christ who was "caught up to the third heaven" and saw and heard things that no man may utter, which the church, the body of Christ the Head, as a whole did not know and does not know. John 14:10-11; 16:12-15; Colossians 1:19; 2:3, 9; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4; see 1 Corinthians 12.
The Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God the Son, undivided in his two distinct natures, fully divine and fully human, could not simultaneously be consciously aware in the cerebral cortex of his brain at every second immediately of all that he knows as God the Son of the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Even human beings not divine have a consciousness, a subconsciousness, and an unconscious mind mentally active without having three minds, even if our personal motives are "self-conflicted" (undecided). Our physical bodily functions normally do not require our fully conscious attention every moment of each of the 24 hours in a day in order to properly fulfill their separate functions. We each have not several bodies, only one. Jesus from the first instant of his Incarnation as man always had and has even now immediate access to all that he knows as God. We ourselves who have healthy brains can (usually) access any memory of what we have experienced and read and heard and come to know with understanding in our past to the present moment. But we are not consciously aware with full attention at every waking moment of our lives of all of the vividly detailed content of our experience and physical bodily functions simultaneously. No one can say that we have no knowledge of all of this. Any aspect of our own personal knowledge is accessible to us as needed, but we are not always conscious of it. No one of us could function if we were. The established knowledge of fully human nature applies to Jesus, as does what is competently known of the fully divine nature of God the Holy Trinity through revelation in the scriptures. And this was primary in resolving the various Christological heresies by leading Christian theologians led by the guidance of the Holy Spirit in precisely formulating the conclusive dogmas of the canons of the Ecumenical councils (John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-15). Hence, it is very close to an heretical error to say that Jesus was humanly ignorant of his own divine knowledge. He himself testified that all that the Father has he himself has (again, John 16:15, also John 17:20-23, 25; and again John 14:10-11). See Nestorianism.
Many less conservative historical-critical analysts, supporting the more recent 19th century hypothesis of Marcan priority that Mark was the first Gospel ever written, against the traditional 4th-5th century Augustinian hypothesis of Matthew as the first Gospel written, point to the unusual and unexpected nature of this text in Mark, found nowhere else in the earliest textual witnesses of the New Testament, as proof that the words are original to Jesus himself, and that Matthew (writing later) deliberately omitted the phrase as an embarrassment to the claims of orthodox Christianity that Jesus is fully divine. They base this conclusion on the specious principle that
if it contradicts the tradition of the constant teaching of the Church it must be true.
This in itself contradicts the fundamental Christian principle that scripture cannot contradict scripture, because God the author of scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) cannot contradict himself (Romans 3:4; 1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Timothy 2:13). Reading "the son" here in Mark 13:32 as a direct reference to Jesus sets scripture against scripture. The superficial "problem" presented by the specious interpretation of Luke 2:52—"And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man"—is easily resolved by reading the passage as expressing the increasing outward manifestation and unfolding of His inherent divine wisdom as he grew up from a small child of Nazareth to young adult Jew, as He who kept his own counsel by not revealing immediately who He Is to men (John 2:24-25), because His Hour had not yet come (Matthew 26:45; Mark 14:35, 41; Luke 22:42, 53; John 2:3-5; 12:27). It is not impossible for Jesus as a human being in his human nature to know without any doubt within Himself who He Really Is as a Person. As Paul testified, "Within him dwells the whole fullness of Godhead bodily" (Colossians 1:19; 2:9). This fully accords with the constant, faithful tradition of conservative Christian doctrine, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, regarding the divine knowledge of the Incarnate Word of God (John 1:1, 14, 18; 14:10-11).
See Specious reasoning and Jesus Seminar.
From all the above evidence, according to the principle of sola scriptura in conservative biblical textual criticism, the phrase "nor the son" in Mark 13:32 cannot be a reference to Jesus as the Son of the Father in him, one God with him and he in the Father (John 17:20-24). It refers to the people of God as the son he first adopted and called out of Egypt and formed for himself as his beloved inheritance and witness to the nations and then redeemed and formed as the body of his Son and the temple of his indwelling Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 32:8-14; 1 Peter 2:2-10. Christ the Head knows what the body does not know, just as the man "caught up to the third heaven" also came to know what the body of Christ as a whole does not know. The Only-begotten Son of God knows everything the Father knows, by his own divine nature and unity with God, because the fullness of deity dwells bodily in him; but the Adopted Son does not know because "it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority." Acts 1:7-8; Romans 8:14-17.
Thus, consistent with the whole context of the Bible, according to the literal sense of scripture following the rules of sound interpretation, and comparing scripture with scripture, the clear and plain meaning of Mark 13:32 is understood and read as follows:
"But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor Israel, but only the Father." Compare
Matthew 8:11-12; 21:28-30; Luke 13:28; 15:11-32; Galatians 3:23-29; 6:16 "the Israel of God".

"When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains"

Matthew 24:15-16
See multiple commentaries on Matthew 24:15.
Matthew 24:16 is an allusion to the Septuagint text, 2 Maccabees 8:17; 1 Maccabees 2:28-29—"Then many who were seeking righteousness and justice went down to the wilderness to dwell there".
NOTE: Jerusalem was desolated by the Babylonians 587 B.C. Then 70 years afterward in 517 B.C. the Prophet Daniel perceived in the books the number of years which, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years—and the number had been fulfilled (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10-15). God had revealed to Jeremiah that the city would be desolated for its sins. Then the word went forth from him to Jeremiah that the city is to be restored and rebuilt. The going forth of the word of the LORD to restore and rebuild Jerusalem had first gone forth to Jeremiah even before the desolation of the city 587 B.C. (Jeremiah 29:10-11). Then Daniel turned his face to the LORD God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, begging him to give heed and act; "Delay not, for thy own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name." The man Gabriel came to him in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice to give him wisdom and understanding. He told him that seventy weeks of years (490 years) were decreed to finish the transgression (Daniel 9:1-24).
(587 - 490 = 97 B.C. during the high priesthood of John Hyrcanus in Jerusalem.)
The going forth to Jeremiah of the word of the LORD God in 587 B.C. to restore and rebuild Jerusalem after seventy years (Daniel 9:25) was issued in 538 B.C. by Cyrus the Persian in the first year of his reign as sovereign over the world empire which began with his conquest of Babylon in 538 B.C. (Ezra 1:1-2; 4:12; 6:1-15; 7:12-26). Reckoning from that word in 538 B.C. to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, 490 years extends to 48 B.C. (538 - 490 = 48 B.C.).
Daniel 9:24-25
  • corresponds to the utterance of Jeremiah's prophesy of restoration;
  • the anointed one and a leader corresponds to either Cyrus, who was called the anointed of the Lord to end the exile (Isaiah 45:1), or the high priest Joshua/Jeshua, who presided over the rebuilding of the altar of sacrifice after the exile (Ezra 3:2);
  • the seven weeks or forty-nine years is a close historical approximation of the time of the exile;
  • the sixty-two weeks, a period of four hundred thirty-four years, corresponds to the interval between the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the exile and the beginning of the Seleucid persecution.
Daniel 9:26
  • corresponds to the 171 B.C. murder of the anointed (Hebrew messiah, Greek christed) high priest Onias III, dating the beginning of the persecution; Onias was in exile when he was killed;
  • the leader here corresponds to Antiochus IV (2 Maccabees 4–5).
Daniel 9:27
  • corresponds to the seven years of the final phase of Antiochus' persecution of the Jews;
  • the many correspond to the faithless Jews who allied themselves with the heathen (1 Maccabees 1:11-15);
  • the temple wing and the horrible abomination and the half week corresponds to the desecration by Antiochus from 167 to 165 B.C. (1 Maccabees 1:54–4:58; 2 Maccabees 6–10)
Gabriel says nothing about any long interval of years, decades, centuries, millenia between the events of the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel 9:27. Some (like apologist John Henry, "Pre-Tribulation Rapture Proofs") explain, "It is that ‘time out’ period between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel." None of the prophets mention or indicate such an intervening period of waiting between events corresponding to the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel 9:27.
Some Bible interpreters and supporters of sola scriptura insert a silent gap of thousands of years between the 69th and 70th weeks of years set forth by "the man Gabriel" in Daniel 9:24-27 (7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks, verses 25-26). Those who strictly limit the Hebrew term מָשִׁ֣יחַ meshiach to Jesus alone, have added to the Bible an eisegetical reading which has no textual support in scripture (see Strong's number 4899 Meshiach and Strong's number 5547 Christ; compare KJV reading of Daniel 9:24-27 and Douay-Rheims reading of Daniel 9:24-27 and interlinear text of Daniel 9:25 and 9:26).
There are some biblical exegetes (see Fundamentalist exegesis of Daniel 9 tribulation and antichrist) who dogmatically maintain an unwavering interpretation of Daniel 9:26 as strictly signifying
  • the crucifixion of Christ Jesus on Thursday in A.D. 30 (not the Passover of Good Friday in A.D. 33)
  • and the invasion, siege and desolation of the Second Temple and the city of Jerusalem under Titus in A.D. 70,
  • with an added unknown interval of an enormous gap of uncountable years, decades, and millenia before the fulfillment of verse 27,
This need for an inserted interval demonstrates that such an interpretation has no scriptural warrant, and demonstrates an implicit rejection of the principle of sola scriptura. Daniel does not mention it. It is not found in any of the other prophets. On the basis of sola scriptura alone, it is an entirely unbiblical interpretation. It appears to its critics as an unnecessary assumption adopted by its adherents solely for the purpose of supporting an unsound doctrinal position. See Occam's razor.
The facts are these:
  • The book of Daniel was sealed, "For the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end" (12:9 RSVCE).
  • It was actually opened and finally made known during the time of the Maccabees (manuscript copies of Daniel date to the Hasmonean era 104–63 B.C.)
  • This demonstrates that the meaning of "the time of the end" is the end of the domination of Judah by the Gentile nations under the Seleucid rule of Syrian Antioch (otherwise we should still not know what the Book of Daniel says).
  • This historically indicates that the "Anointed" who was "cut off" signifies the martyred high priest Onias III, and the "prince" who destroys (ruins) the city and the sanctuary (Daniel 9:26) and "came to his end, with none to help him" (Daniel 11:31-45) signifies the tyrannical Antiochus IV Epiphanes with his pagan cult of Zeus Olympios "the god of fortresses" (2 Maccabees 4–9; 1 Maccabees 1–6).
  • The "abomination of desolation" is specified in 1 Maccabees 1:54 and Daniel 9:27; 11:31.
  • On the basis of these facts, the great majority of biblical scholars and exegetes understand Antiochus IV to be the "one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator."
A detailed knowledge of the history of the period 400–100 B.C., together with the more literal counting of the years given to Daniel by Gabriel during the reign of Babylon by Darius son of Ahasuerus (Daniel 9:1-2) under Cyrus the Persian (Daniel 10:1) 423-404 B.C., with the direct historical parallels of the facts of the history of the Seleucids and Ptolemies (Daniel 11:2-44), appears to indicate with certainty that the interpretation of the fourth beast (Daniel 7:7-8) and the he-goat (Daniel 8:5-14) and the fourth king arising in Persia (Daniel 11:2) as Darius III, is the time of the Syrian oppression ending with the beginning of the Maccabean-Hasmonean period under the rule of the High Priests of Judea, not the time of the Roman Empire under the Caesars or the Papacy of Europe reprehended and denounced as the Antichrist by the Protestant Reformation.
According to this interpretation of Matthew 24:15-16, Jesus is warning that the devastation to come on Jerusalem in their own generation will be far worse.
See Preterism and Partial Preterism.
This is the carefully considered majority reading of the most cautious authoritative Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic textual exegetes of the past several centuries, going back as early as the third century and the anti-Christian philosopher-historian Porphyry.
The Book of Daniel and the 'Maccabean Thesis', Arthur Ferch, Avondale College (bing.com).
See Bible manuscript evidence and Historical-critical method (Higher criticism).
Compare notes 269 "Zagros mountains" and 270 "unsealed" on the Book of Daniel, in Literalist Bible chronology: Jaddua the high priest to John Hyrcanus 333—104 B.C. [163—160 The death of Antiochus IV to the death of Judas Maccabeus].

"took them"..."taken"..."taken"

Matthew 24:39-41.
These verses refer to "those who did not know" as referring to the wicked who perished and the wicked who will perish.
The grammar of the text in Greek and the parallel structure of the three verses 39-41 textually demonstrate that those who were taken and those who will be taken were evil. The text itself clearly indicates by its grammatical structure that these are the wicked. As the wicked were taken away by the flood after Noah entered the ark, so those who will be taken when the Son of man comes are the wicked, and the righteous will be left.
“As the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in those days which were before the flood [...] and they did not know until the flood came, and took ἦρεν them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken παραλαμβάνεται and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken παραλαμβάνεται and one will be left. Watch therefore, for you do not know in what hour your Lord comes. [...] the lord of that [wicked] servant will come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an hour when he does not know it, and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.” Matthew 24:37-51.
“Then the soldiers of the governor took παραλαβόντες Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.” Matthew 27:27-31.
“Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took παραλαβόν Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.” John 19:16-18
The Greek terms ἦρεν eren "take away" and παραλαμβάνεται paralambanetai "taken, taken from" have a broad range and variety of meanings and shades of meaning, depending on the context. In accordance with the parallel context of the flood which "took them all away" in this passage (Matthew 24:37-51) the Greek term παραλαμβάνεται paralambanetai "taken, taken from" is legitimately understood and interpreted as referring to the wicked as those who are "taken" [away] "from" the earth (removed) to be condemned.
The same term is used in Matthew 27:27 and John 19:16 when Jesus was "taken" and they "took" him to be judged and condemned, and "took" him out and crucified him.
παραλαβόντες paralabontes "having taken with [them]" Matthew 27:27
παραλαβόν paralabon "they took" John 19:16
These Greek terms παραλαμβάνεται, παραλαμβάνεται, παραλαβόν, are keyed to Strong's number 3880 παραλαμβάνω paralambano—aggressively taken, forcefully taken.
The Greek term in Matthew 24:39 ἦρεν eren "took, take away" is keyed to Strong's number 142 αἴρω airo—put away, remove, take (away).
A strictly literalist reading which rigidly restricts the meaning of this term solely to the meaning of "received [to myself]" (as valuable, not necessarily money)—not its only meaning—without taking account of its broader usage and meaning in Greek within the context of this passage and its parallel construction, does violence to the literal sense of scripture which accords with the speaker's intent, the spirit of its actual meaning. It is not legitimate. It "takes away from the words" of "this Book" of the Bible (Revelation 22:18-19; 2 Peter 2:20; 3:15-18). See the variety of meanings of παραλαμβάνεται paralambanetai according to Strong's number 3880 especially "taken", "taken from", "taken up"—"I take with me [to judgment, to hell]"—"taken [entirely, gone, found no more]"—"taken up [before the court, for judgment, condemnation]. A knowledgeable exegete and translator is responsible for choosing an interpretive reading of the Greek which most clearly expresses the meaning in accordance with the context of the whole of the passage, and the intention of the author (see Hermeneutics). The uninformed literalist who reads the Greek word according to its most limited and restricted mechanical literal meaning in isolation apart from the fuller range of its legitimate usage and not in harmony with the context of the whole of the passage is not reading its literal meaning and is in danger of violating the Word of God and distorting scripture to his or her own destruction (2 Peter 1:20; 3:15-18; 1 Timothy 4:1-2). "For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life" (2 Corinthians 3:6c KJV).
Beginning in 1824 with the preaching of John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren, verses 40 and 41 have been more widely read by many Christians as referring instead to the rapture of the righteous who will be taken when the Son of Man returns. The wicked were taken in the flood, and the righteous were left (alive, in the ark), but, in a stunning reversal of grammatical meaning, when the Son of Man appears the righteous who have been saved will be taken, and the wicked will be left. The grammatical structure of the text does not support this reading: in both instances, in "parallel construction", it is the wicked who were taken and the wicked who will be taken; the righteous were left, alive (when the waters receded), and the righteous will be left, alive, with the Lord, "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." 2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8. The wicked will be taken away by himπαραλαμβάνεται paralambanetai emphasizes the meaning of "received [to Himself]—the wicked will be taken away by him to judgment and condemnation and "found no more" anywhere on earth, and "marched off to the king of terrors" [death] (Job 18:14).
"The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13:41-42.
"I passed by again, and he could not be found."—compare Psalm 37. "But the wicked perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures, they vanish—like smoke they vanish away" (Psalm 37:20 RSVCE boldface emphasis added). See also Malachi 4:1-3; Matthew 13:40-43. The righteous will be left.
"Immediately after the tribulation" [] "he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heave to the other." Matthew 24:29-31.
Every single example in the Bible of the wrath and judgment of God follows the exact same pattern.
The world is warned.
The wicked are destroyed.
The righteous are preserved, and are left AFTER the ENTIRE TIME OF JUDGMENT has passed. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" 1 Thessalonians 5:9 KJV
The Bible consistently shows multiple examples of those who are left alive after the wicked are taken away and destroyed. “Left” (remaining) is a condition after the fact – it is a condition after the actual judgment.
Genesis 7:21-23 Only Noah and his family and the animals in the ark were left.
Genesis 19:27-29 Only Lot and his daughters were left.
Exodus 8–12 The people of Israel was not removed before the ten plagues fell on Egypt. Only Israel was left unharmed.
Exodus 14:28-30 Only the people of Israel was left.
Numbers 14:2-12, 21-24, 36-38; 26:64-65 Only Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun were left.
Numbers 21:6-9 Only those who obediently looked at the bronze serpent after they were bitten by the serpents were left.
Deuteronomy 1:35-39; 2:14-15 Only the children of the entire generation of the rebellious men of war who had departed with Moses out of Egypt were left.
Joshua 6:21-25 Only Rahab the harlot and all who belonged to her were left.
Joshua 11:19-20 Only the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon who made peace, were left.
1 Samuel 30:11-17 Only the young man of Egypt and the four hundred young men on camels who fled were left.
2 Samuel 8:1-2 Only one third of David's defeated Moab captive survivors were left.
1 Kings 19:18 Only 7,000 in Israel were left.
2 Kings 17:17-18 Only the tribe of Judah was left.
2 Kings 19:4 Only a remnant of those within the city was left.
2 Kings 19:30-31 Only the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall be left.
2 Kings 25:2-12 Only a remnant remained alive to be exiled, and some of the poorest of the land were left.
2 Chronicles 30:6 Only the remnant of those still living within Israel and Judah who had escaped the hand of the kings of Assyria were left.
2 Chronicles 34:9 Only Manasseh and Ephraim and the remnant of Israel and all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem were left.
Ezra 3:8 Only Zerubbabel and Jeshua with the remnant of their brethren, the priests, and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity were left.
Ezra 9:8, 13-15 Only a remnant was left.
Nehemiah 1:2-3 Only the survivors in the province of Judah who had avoided being exiled were left.
Job 1:13-19 Only the three messengers who came to Job were left.
Job 22:19-20 Only the wicked are cut off while the righteous are left.
The books of the Psalms and the Proverbs and Wisdom repeatedly declare that the wicked are destroyed while the righteous in the very midst of those being destroyed are left.
Psalm 91:7 The righteous are preserved in the midst of pestilence and destruction all around. Only they are left.
Isaiah 1:9; 10:20-22; 11:11; 37:4, 31-32; 46:3; Jeremiah 23:3-8; 31:7; 39:9-10;
Ezekiel 6:8-10; chapter 9; 14:21-23;
Daniel 12:1-3; Amos 5:3; 9:8-12; Micah 7:18; Haggai 1:12-14
Malachi 4:1-3 / Malachi 3:19-21 —Only those who fear God's name will be left.
Romans 9:27-29 Only a remnant will be saved.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Only those who are alive, who are left.
1 Peter 4:17 Only those who survive the judgment that begins with the household of God will be left.
Revelation 11:13 Only those who were not killed, and were terrified, and gave glory to God, were left.
Revelation 12:7-17 Only those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus were left—and the dragon made war on them.
Revelation 14:9-20 Only those who endure, and keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus will be left.
John 17:15 "I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one."
“Left” (remaining) is a condition after the fact – it is a condition after the actual judgment.
Compare multiple commentaries on John 17:15; and Acts 14:22, keyed to Strong's number 2347 θλίψις thlipsis. We must through great Tribulation enter the kingdom of God. The term in Acts 14:22 is the same in Revelation 7:14 and here in Matthew 24:21.
See interlinear texts of Revelation 7:14 θλίψεως; Acts 14:22 θλίψεων; Matthew 13:21 θλίψεως; 24:21 θλῖψις and 29 θλῖψιν; Mark 13:24 θλῖψιν; John 16:33 θλῖψιν; Romans 2:9 θλῖψις; 5:3 θλίψεσιν; 8:35 θλῖψις; 12:12 θλίψει; 2 Corinthians 1:4 θλίψει; 7:4 θλίψει; 1 Thessalonians 3:4 θλίβεσθαι; 2 Thessalonians 1:6 θλῖψιν; Revelation 1:9 θλίψει; 2:9 θλῖψιν, 10 θλῖψιν, 22 θλῖψιν; and Revelation 7:14 θλίψεως.
The people of Israel was not removed before the Tribulation of the ten plagues fell on Egypt.
In Revelation 7:14 those clothed in white robes are not those who have "escaped" the Great Tribulation. They are those "coming out from among / coming out of the midst of" the Great Tribulation. The phrase ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ erchomenoi ek "coming out of [the midst of]" does not mean "escaped from". The Greek present tense is used: "These are those coming out of / from ἐκ the midst of the great tribulation". The Greek ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ is a present tense "continuous, on-going" activity, not a past tense, single, sudden event. The interpretive reading "escaped from the great tribulation" is false, having utterly no linguistic basis or textual justification in any extant manuscript of the Greek text, including the Textus Receptus. No forms of the New Testament Greek words for "escape", "escaped from", are used in Revelation 7:14.
Compare Strong's numbers 575, 668, 1295, 1545, 1628, 1831, 5343.
See Greek and English versions of Revelation 7:14 ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ and ἐρχόμαι ἐκ (biblehub.com).
See "Matthew 24 and the Rapture" Richard Kendrick (tribulationrisingcom.fatcow.com) (excellent example of Pre-Tribulation Rapture reasoning !!) While reading, bear in mind 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 "the dead in Christ will rise first" and "This is the first resurrection" in Revelation 20:5-6. Only after the completion of the whole Tribulation Period of Revelation 6–19 comes Revelation 20:5-6 "This is the first resurrection", the same resurrection mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 "and the dead in Christ will rise first".
Author Richard Kendrick warns "that those who deny the pre-trib rapture are actually in danger of perishing", unless they change their minds and hearts and accept the pre-trib rapture that God has clearly revealed and ordained in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. His literal exegesis of the Greek term παραλαμβάνεται paralambanetai emphasizes the meaning of "received [to Himself]", those whom Jesus comes to "take up / receive" to Himself, those He has saved from the wrath which comes on all those disbelievers in the pre-tribulation rapture who are left behind.
"Pre-Tribulation Rapture Proofs", by John Henry (landmarkbiblebaptist.net) (outstanding example of Pre-Tribulation Rapture reasoning !!).
Author John Henry declares that the whole physical devastation of the Great Tribulation on earth is the Wrath of God (Revelation 6–16), which the saved will escape, citing 1 Thessalonians 5:9, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ". The intelligence of his reasoning is disclosed in the following representative statement, "1 Corinthians 15:51-52 indicates that the Rapture will take place 'at the last trump'. The question is, which last trump?" He then says there are two. Citing "1 Thess. 4:14; cf. Rom. 4:25, 5:1, 9", he says "The prerequisite for one to go in the rapture is faith in Jesus Christ's death for his sins and resurrection for his justification. This prerequisite is found at the beginning of the 1 Thessalonians 4 rapture passage where it says: ‘For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him’." This "prerequisite necessity" of a consciously aware and understanding faith clearly excludes newborns, babies, children in arms who cannot talk or walk, the mentally incompetent, and the ignorant, all who do not believe simply because they have never heard the Gospel nor were they capable of understanding it. Author John Henry does not represent the Wrath of God as being expressed in the final condemnation of the cursed human followers of the Devil and his angels (and of death and even hell itself), he takes no notice of the fact that in Revelation 20:11-15 the Wrath of God is clearly evident in their total and irrevocable condemnation to the Second Death of eternal torment in the lake of fire on the Last Day, but instead he restricts the Wrath of God to the Great Tribulation of Revelation 6–16, ending with chapter 16, the Wrath of God which the saved will escape.
Moreover, in the midst of the Wrath of God in the Tribulation, in Revelation 7:2-8 and 9:4, those on earth with the seal of God upon their foreheads were not harmed, evidently because God hath not appointed them unto wrath, but to obtain salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9): as Psalm 91 says, "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee." The author's citation of Revelation 4:1 as the Rapture of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 before the Great Tribulation clearly contradicts and violates the whole entire biblical sequential context of the position of Revelation 20:6 "And the dead in Christ will rise first", "This is the first resurrection", which follows the Great Tribulation of Revelation 6–16.
The New Testament repeatedly warns believers whose names are written in heaven that their names can be blotted out of the book of life. See KJV Luke 10:20; Exodus 32:33; Revelation 3:5; Philippians 4:3; Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 25:41-46; Romans 1:18; 2:3-11; 5:9; Ephesians 2:3; 5:3-6; Colossians 3:3-10; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9; Revelation 20:10-15; 22:14-15. See Eternal security (salvation).
Compare "Who will be left behind? Rethinking the meaning of Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-35" Benjamin L. Merkle, WTJ 72(2010): 169-79 pdf (excellent !!)
Author Benjamin L. Merkle presents parallels with Old Testament judgment texts, together with critical grammatical exegesis of the Greek terms ἦρεν eren "take away" and παραλαμβάνεται paralambanetai "taken, taken from", and emphatically concludes, "Although many assume that those taken in Matt 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-35 are taken to be with Jesus and those left behind are left for judgment, this interpretation should be rejected. Throughout the context of these passages Jesus uses judgment language reminiscent of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of its inhabitants. Those who were taken away were the ones judged by God whereas those left behind were the remnant who received grace."
Author Benjamin L. Merkle cites Isaiah 4:2-4; Zephaniah 3:11-13; Zechariah 13:8; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
For What Saith the Scriptures? Is the Rapture in Matthew 20:40-41 and Luke 17:34-36?", by Shawn Brasseaux (Berean Assembly) (outstanding !!).
Author Shawn Brasseaux firmly states, "Who was taken in the Great Flood? Friend, if you know your Bible, you understand it was certainly the unbelievers taken away in the Flood. No believers perished. Remember, the believers were safe in the Ark that Noah built according to God’s instructions. Jesus Christ’s Second Coming will likewise take away the unsaved/lost people, leaving only the believing remnant (Israel and her Gentile blessers) on Earth."
Advent and the End Times: Refuting the Rapture Doctrine, By Allison Low (catholicstand.com)
Author Allison Low asserts the Catholic doctrine that the Rapture and the Second Coming are simultaneous, on the Last Day. She cites 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 as a highly visible public return of Christ, and the fact that the Latin text of this passage has the word translated as "rapture". "Another key element in this passage is that when the rapture event is described, there is nothing secret or silent about it! Paul's describes Jesus' second coming in a very visible manner, obvious to all."
This last statement corresponds to Revelation 1:7 "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him."
Critics of the secret Rapture doctrine point to a multitude of passages in the New Testament as consistently teaching only one Parousia, one Second Coming of the Lord, not a secret second coming (1) and a glorious second coming (2), two Second Comings. Paul speaks consistently of The Coming of the Lord, not of A Coming of the Lord occurring on one occasion as distinct from other kinds of Comings of the Lord to occur on other occasions. Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:3, 27, 30, 37; Mark 13:20, 24-27, 34-36; Luke 21:25-28; John 5:25-29; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:8; James 5:7-9; 1 John 2:28.
Do Catholics Believe in the Rapture? by John Switzer - U.S.Catholic (usacatholic.org)
Author John Switzer includes an explanation of "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 as the Second Coming according to the Greek meaning of a Parousia, a joyful going out (up) to meet him as the escort accompanying him on his glorious descent to the earth on the Last Day "and so shall we ever be with the Lord".
—"In the Greco-Roman world, a parousia was a celebration of the arrival of someone of distinction. It could be a person of political or military status or a god represented by an idol and accompanied by priests. [] At the appointed time, those being visited by the arriving dignity or deity would go out of the city gate as a sign of welcome and respect. The townsfolk would then process back into the city with the honored visitor, along with devotions or merriment. [] [W]hen Paul spoke of being carried off to meet Christ in the clouds, it was not for the purpose of flying away to heaven but to welcome the Lord and return with him in glory. This moment represents the culmination of God’s plan, the great Eschaton, for which all Christians pray when they cry out, ‘Thy kingdom come.’"
There are two mutually exclusive doctrines about the Rapture:
either
  • Pre-Tribulation Rapture is false and must be rejected as opposed to the Gospel of salvation.
or
  • Pre-Tribulation Rapture is true and must be believed to be saved.
There are two mutually exclusive doctrines about what is required for salvation:
either to (A)—
  • Be brought helpless to the laver of salvation, regenerated by Baptism (by water and the Spirit, or by blood, or by an unconscious inner hidden desire to do the whole will of God).
—No one is excluded from Baptism unto salvation (no one is self-baptized).
—(if able) Believe in the Resurrection of the dead.
—(if able) As far as possible learn to do good works pleasing to the Father with faith in Christ.
—(if able) Believe that God will reward every one according to their works.
"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." Romans 2:6-8
Compare Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed.
or to (B)—
  • Personally decide to hear the Gospel, understand, acknowledge sin, repent, accept Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and publicly profess Him as personal Lord and Savior.
–Good works are not required to be saved by faith alone.
–All who do not believe because they have never heard or accepted the Gospel, newborns, babies, children in arms who cannot talk or walk, who die before they understand anything, the mentally incompetent, and the ignorant, are not saved if they do not believe with faith, and confess with their lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead. "For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved." Romans 10:8-10.
Compare Traditionalism.
  • Highlights of this doctrine:
    —Traditionalism affirms that the Gospel is the good news that God, through Jesus Christ, has made a way for any who will to accept salvation.
    —It affirms that God loves everyone and wishes for every person to come to salvation.
    —It denies that any sinner is saved apart from a free response to the Holy Spirit's drawing through the gospel, though not because of his actions.
    —It affirms that any person who responds to the Gospel with repentance and faith is born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. He is a new creation in Christ and enters, at the moment he believes, into eternal life.
    —It denies that any person is regenerated prior to or apart from hearing and responding to the Gospel.
    —It affirms that when a person responds in faith to the Gospel, God promises to complete the process of salvation in the believer into eternity. This process begins with justification, whereby the sinner is immediately acquitted of all sin and granted peace with God; continues in sanctification, whereby the saved are progressively conformed to the image of Christ by the indwelling Holy Spirit; and concludes in glorification, whereby the saint enjoys life with Christ in heaven forever.
    —It affirms that the proclamation of the Gospel is God’s means of bringing any person to salvation.
    —It denies that salvation is possible outside of a faith response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This particular Protestant doctrine of salvation denies that any person is regenerated prior to or apart from hearing and responding to the Gospel. This clearly excludes newborns, babies, children in arms who cannot talk or walk, who die before they understand anything, the mentally incompetent, and the ignorant—they are not saved if they do not respond and believe with faith in the Gospel. See Infant baptism.

"after two days the Passover is coming"

After Wednesday and Thursday, the fourth and fifth days of the week.
The day of Passover that year began sundown Thursday, at the end of the fifth day, which is the beginning of the next day of the calendar by Jewish reckoning, the sixth day, Friday. In the Jewish calendar, evening precedes the morning of the day (see Genesis 1), so the solemn celebration of the Passover Seder begins at sundown (Exodus 12:6-8) and Passover continues through the night into the next morning and lasts the whole day until sunset. The Feast of Unleavened Bread then begins when the day of Passover ends, at sunset, and continues seven days (Exodus 13:6-7).
By the first century both observances were called Unleavened Bread and both were called Passover, including Passover as the first day and the seven days following also called Passover, so that both names of "Passover" and "Unleavened Bread" designated a single ritual season of celebration lasting eight days in all.
The evening and night of Passover until morning is traditionally spent awake, a "night of watching" (Exodus 12:42), which is why Jesus said, "remain here and watch" (Mark 14:34, 37-38), and why all the Jews were awake the night Jesus was taken, on Passover, and explains why the Jews who brought Jesus to Pilate on Friday morning of Passover did not enter the Pretorium, so that they "might eat the Passover", which includes the chagigah sacrificial meals of the Passover sacrifice "from the flock or the herd" (Deuteronomy 16:2-3) during the day of Passover which they cannot eat defiled, continuing on into the second evening (John 18:28) "between the twilights", that evening regarded as a continuation of Passover with the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the second day of Passover) on which they were to hold a solemn assembly (Leviticus 23:5-8). Thus, according to the normal mode of expression, they "ate the Passover" on the seven days of Unleavened Bread.
The beginning of the second day of Passover, officially the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, happened this same year to coincide with the beginning of the regular Sabbath day, the seventh day of the week. And because of its elevated importance as a day of solemn assembly, being both the Sabbath and the solemnity of Unleavened Bread as the second day of Passover, "that Sabbath was a high day" (John 19:31).
They "ate the Passover" all eight days, a synecdoche which included the eating of other sacrificial meats and foods and drink offerings as the eating of the Passover, also called chagigah (meals from the portions of the sacrifices of goat meat, oxen meat, bulls given back to the worshipers to partake as a blessing), besides the Passover lamb, during the entire season of Unleavened Bread called Passover.
See Exodus 29:38-42; Leviticus 6:8–7:38; 22:3-8, 29-30; 23:4-20, 33-41; Deuteronomy 15:19–16:15
Compare 2 Chronicles 30 (specifically verses 30:1, 30:13, 30:22-23), and 2 Chronicles 35:7-9 and 35:17.
The Christian New Testament also calls Passover "the first day of Unleavened Bread".
Matthew 26:2, 18-19
Mark 14:1, 12-16
Luke 22:1, 7-15
John 13:1
The solemn first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was the second day of the eight-day observance of the Passover season of Unleavened Bread and was therefore also the Passover, "an high day" which also that year fell on the Sabbath day. The chief priests did not wish to become ritually defiled during this season of deliverance, so that they might participate in the religious partaking of the sacred sacrificial foods of chagigah later that day and on through to the evening just before the setting of the sun at the end of "the first day of Unleavened Bread called Passover". If they had not already eaten breakfast before bringing Jesus to Pilate, entering the Praetorium would have ritually defiled them and compelled them to forego eating anything before sunset, when according to the law they would again be clean.
See Exodus 12:2-20; 13:3-10; Leviticus 23:5-8; Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:2-8.
See John Lightfoot's Commentary on the Gospels: John 18:28 (studylight.org)

"Every one went to his own house..."

John 7:53–8:1 (end of this chapter).
See below, next chapter 27, marginal note "a woman caught in adultery".
The text of 7:53–8:1 has been inserted here in the narrative of Passion Week according to textual critical linguistic evidence accepted by some and rejected by others that the episode of the woman caught in adultery belongs to the Synoptic tradition and probably followed Luke 21:38, which begins the next chapter of this Harmony of the Gospel. In accordance with what some regard as overwhelming critical evidence, the narrative text of this episode (John 8:2-11) continues immediately after the text of Luke 21:38 in the following chapter 27 of this Harmony of the Gospel.
See multiple commentaries on John 7:53, 8:1.

Compare the Conservative Bible text (conservapedia.com):

Jesus said in answer, while He was teaching in the Temple, "How can the scribes say that Christ is the Son of David? After all, David himself said, under the influence of the Divine Guide, 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies something to put Your feet on."' So David himself calls Him Lord. So how can He be his son?"

And many people were glad to hear this.

In His lessons He told them, "Watch out for the scribes. They want to go about in long clothing, and want people to greet them in the public square. They want the seats of honor in the synagogues, and the ranking dining rooms at banquets. And they also devour widows' homes, and put up a pretense by making long prayers. They will receive an even greater punishment."

And He said to them, "How can they say that Christ is David's son? As David himself said in the book of Psalms, 'The LORD said unto my Lord, sit at my right side, Until I bring your enemies under your feet'. David therefore called Him Lord, so how is he then his son?"

Then before the entire audience He said to His disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and love fawning attention in the markets, and the most prestigious seats in the synagogues, and the elite rooms at feasts; who foreclose on widows' houses, while making lengthy prayers for show: these types shall receive greater damnation".

And He looked up, and saw the rich men adding their donations to the collection.

Jesus was sitting next to the treasury, and watched how people threw money into the treasury. Many rich people threw in a lot of money. Then came a certain poor widow, who threw in two mites, which together were worth a quarter-penny.

And He also saw a certain poor widow contributing two coins.

He called His students to Him, and told them, "I tell you truly: This poor widow has thrown in more money than everyone else combined. All they did was to throw in a sample of their abundance. She, in her poverty, threw in everything she had, even everything she had to live on."

And He said, "Truly I tell you, that this poor widow has contributed more than any of the others: For all of the affluent have given but a portion of what they could have in tribute to God: but she in her poverty has given all that she had".

Now Jesus spoke to the crowd, and to His students, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses. So whatever they tell you to do, you do and keep. But don't follow their example. They say, but they don't do. They prepare burdens that are heavy and hard to carry, and lay them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help anyone carry them. They do everything that they do in order to be seen by men. They make their Scripture carrying cases broad, and make their tassels large, and love the couches of honor at public banquets, and seats of honor in the synagogues, and greetings in the public squares, and to be called 'Rabbi! Rabbi!' by men.

"Don't ask to be called 'Rabbi.' You have only One Teacher, namely Christ; and all of you are brothers. And don't call any man your father on earth. You have only One Father, Who is in heaven. Don't ask to be called masters. You have only One Master, namely Christ. But the greatest among you will be your table-waiter. And anyone who brings himself up will be brought low, and anyone who brings himself low will be brought up.

"But it will be terrible for you, you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are shutting people out of the Kingdom of heaven. You don't go in yourselves, and don't let anyone else go in. How terrible for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You eat widows out of their houses, and make a long prayer, but you're only pretending. So you will be condemned all the worse for that. How terrible for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You scour sea and land to make one convert, but when you've converted him, you make him twice the child of hell you are. How terrible for you, you blind guides! You say, 'If you swear by the Temple, that's nothing, but if you swear by the gold of the Temple, you're in debt.' You blind morons! Which is more important, the gold, or the Temple that makes that gold holy? And: 'If you swear by the altar, that's nothing, but if you swear by the gift on the altar, you're in debt.' You blind morons! Which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes that gift holy? So in fact, if someone swears by the altar, he's swearing by the alter and everything on it. And if he swears by the Temple, he's swearing by the Temple and everything in it. And if he swears by heaven, he's swearing by the throne of God, and by Him Who sits on it. How terrible for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay ten percent of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the more important matters of law, and judgment, and mercy, and faith. You blind guides! You're straining at a gnat while swallowing a camel.

"How terrible for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the things in the cup and platter, and then the outside will be clean, too. How terrible for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. They certainly look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they are full of dead men's bones and all sorts of unclean things. And just like them, you also look just to men on the outside, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. How terrible for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are building the tombs of the prophets, and decorating the burial caves of the just. And you say, 'If we had been alive in the days of our father, we wouldn't have taken part with them in killing the prophets.' Thus you are testifying against yourselves, that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. So fill up the measure of your fathers.

"You snakes, you jerks, how can you escape being sentenced to the eternal fire? For this reason, behold: I am sending you prophets, and wise men, and scribes. You will kill and crucify some of them, and have some of them scourges in your synagogues, and persecute them from one city to another, in order that all the just blood that has been shed on the earth will come on your heads, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the Temple and the altar. I tell you truly: this generation will be held to answer for all of these things.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those that are sent to you, how often have I wanted to gather My children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you didn't want that! Your house is left to you empty and abandoned. Because I say to you: You will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.'"

As they left the temple, one of Jesus' students said, "Teacher, just look at the sort of stones and magnificient buildings in this place!"

Jesus responded, "See these grand buildings? Not one stone will remain atop another which will not be destroyed."

And Jesus went out, away from the Temple. His students came to Him to show Him the Temple buildings. And Jesus told them, "Do you see all these things? I tell you truly: there won't be one stone left on top of another, that won't be torn down."

And as some spoke of the temple, and how it was adorned with precious gems and treasures, He said, "As for these things which you see before you, the time will come, in which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that will not have been thrown down".

They asked Him, "Lord, when will this happen? What warning will there be?

And He said, "Take care that you are not deceived: for many shall pretending to be me, saying, 'I am Christ'; and the time approaches: do not follow them. But when you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be terrified: for these things must happen first; but the end is not unknown".

Then said he to them, "Ethnic groups will make war against one another, as will political nation-states: And great earthquakes shall occur in diverse places, and famines, and pestilence; and fearful sights and great signs shall come from heaven. But before all these occur, they shall attack you, and persecute you, handing you over to their authorities, and into prison, being brought before kings and rulers for my sake. And it shall be up to you to defend me. Resolve within your heart then, not to question yourself before you answer: For I will inspire you with eloquence and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to counter or resist. And you shall be betrayed by your parents, and brothers, and family, and friends; and some of you will be betrayed by them and sent to your death. And you shall be hated by men for supporting me. But not a hair on your head be harmed. In your patience hold on to your faith.

"And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the end times are near. Then let those who are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let those who are in the midst of it depart; and do not let those who are in the outlying areas enter back in. For these are the days of vengeance, when all things that are foreseen may be fulfilled.

"But woe to them who are pregnant, and to those who nurse, in those times! For there shall be great distress across the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away as prisoners to other nations: and Jerusalem shall be beaten into submission by the Gentiles, until the prophesy regarding the Gentiles is fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth turmoil across nations, with panic; the sea and the waves roaring; the hearts of Men failing out of fear, and for looking upon those things which are taking place on Earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then they shall see the Son, a human being, coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

"And when these things begin to occur, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near".

And He told them a parable, saying, "Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now begin to bloom, you see it and realize that summer is coming soon. So likewise you, when you see these things occur, will know that the kingdom of God is coming soon. Truly I tell you, this generation shall not pass away, until all is fulfilled. Heaven and Earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

"And be mindful of yourselves, in concern that at any time you might become caught up in gluttony, and drunkenness, and material things, and as a result this time comes upon you by surprise. For as a trap will it come on all who dwell on the face of the Earth. Be alert then, and pray always, that you may be judged worthy to avoid all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son, a human being".

As Jesus sat atop the Mount of Olives, looking at the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew requested a private conference. They asked, "When will these events take place, and what will be the sign of their fulfillment?"

Jesus answered them, "Be on guard and don't let any man fool you. Many will come shouting My Name and say 'I am Christ!', and will fool many people. When you hear news of war and false rumor about them, don't worry, because they must occur but will not be the end. Ethnic groups and nation-states will attack one another. Earthquakes will occur in many lands. Famine and chaos will rule. These are the beginnings of the birth-pains.

"So take care of yourselves. The masses will hand you over to the tribunals, you will be beaten in houses of worship, and be hauled before leaders and kings for My sake, to testify against them. The good news has to be published among all ethnic groups first. But when they drag you in or betray you, don't worry about what to say. In that hour, you'll be given the words to say, because the Divine Guide will be speaking for you and through you. Brother will betray brother to his death, father to son, children will rebel against their parents, and shall sign their death warrants. And you will be hated by every man on account of My Name, but you will be saved if you endure to the end. And when you see the Abomination of Desolation standing where it shouldn't - let the reader understand - then everyone living in Judea must flee into the mountains. If you are standing on the housetop, don't go down or into the house to take anything out. If you're in the field, don't turn back even to get your cloak. And it will be bad for pregnant and nursing women in those days! And pray that you don't have to flee in the wintertime.

"In those days you will see such oppression as hasn't been seen from the beginning of God's creation until today, nor will ever be seen again. If the Lord hadn't limited those days, no flesh would survive. But for the sake of His chosen ones, He has set a limit on the time.

"And then if any man tells you, 'Look! Here's Christ!' or 'Look! There He is!', don't believe him. False Christs and false prophets will rise up, working enough signs and wonders to lead even the chosen ones down the garden trail, if that were possible. But you look sharp: I have forewarned you about everything. But in those days that follow that oppression, the sun will go dark, and the moon not give her light, the stars of the sky will fall, and the powers in heaven will be shaken. Then people shall see 'the Son of man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory. Then He will send His Messengers, and will gather his chosen ones together from the four winds, from the furthest part of the earth to the furthest part of the sky.

"You can learn a great deal from the fig tree: when its branch is still tender, and it's putting out leaves, you know that summer is coming. Similarly, when you see these things happening, you know that My return is practically at your door. I tell you truly: this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth might pass away, but My Words will not pass away. But no man knows about that day or that hour. Even the Messengers in heaven don't know. I, the Son, don't know. Only the Father knows. Take care and stay alert, because you don't know what time it is.

"The Son of man is like a man traveling abroad, who left his house, and gave his slaves the proper authority, and a work assignment to every man, and ordered the doorkeeper to keep watch. So you keep watch. You don't know when the master of the house is coming. He could come in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or later in the morning. Don't let Him catch you napping! I'm telling you what I'm telling everyone: stay on watch."

And as he sat on Mount Olive, the students came to Him privately, and said, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the world?"

And Jesus in answer told them, "Make sure not to let anyone lie to you. Many men will come in My Name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many others. You are about to hear about wars and rumors of wars. Make sure not to worry about that; all these things have to happen, but this isn't the end. Ethnic groups and nation-states will fight against one another, and famines and earthquakes will strike in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth-pains.

"Then they will bind you over to be punished, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all ethnic groups on account of My Name. And then many people will start to have doubts, and will double-cross one another, and will come to hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many people. And because lawlessness will be overwhelmingly present, the love of many people will die out. But anyone who can endure until the end, will be saved. And this Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all ethnic groups. That's when the end will come.

"So when you see the Abomination that Makes Desolate, that Daniel the prophet spoke about, standing in the Holy Place (and those who read about this will know what I'm talking about), then anyone in Judea needs to run to the high hills. If anyone is on the housetop, he should not come down to take anything out of his house. If anyone is in the field, he should not come back even to take his clothes. And it will be terrible for pregnant and nursing women in those days! And pray that you won't have to flee in the wintertime, or on the Sabbath day. Because then a great oppression will supervene, such as has not been seen since the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever will be seen again. In fact, if those days weren't cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be cut short.

"Then if anyone says to you, "Look! Christ is here!" (or "there!"), don't believe it. False Christs, and false prophets, will arise, and will show great signs and wonders, so much so that they could deceive even the chosen ones if they could. Remember, I went over this before. So if they tell you, 'Look! He's in the desert!' don't go. Or if they say, 'Look! He's in the private rooms!" don't believe it. Because as lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the western sky, that's how the coming of the Son of man will be. For wherever the dead body is, the vultures will be flocking together.

"Immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the skies will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. And He will send His Messengers with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

"Learn now a parable of the fig tree. When its branch is still tender, and puts out leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way you, when you see all these things, know that it is practically at your doorstep. I tell you truly: This generation will not pass away until all these things are fulfilled. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Truth will not pass away. But no man knows that day and hour, not even the Messengers of heaven, but only My Father.

"And as it was in the days of Noah, the coming of the Son of man will be. In the days before the Great Flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving away in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the Ark. And they didn't know anything until the Flood came, and swept them all the way. That's how the coming of the Son of man will be. Two men will be in a field, and one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain at the mill; one will be taken and the other left. So stay alert, because you don't know at what hour your Lord will come. But know this: If the master of the house had known in advance what time the thief would come, he would have been watching, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. So you be ready as well, because the Son of man will come when you least expect Him.

"Who, then, is a faithful and wise slave, whom his lord has made master of his household, to pay them their wages on time? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord, when he comes, will find doing as he asked. I tell you truly, that he will make that man the steward of all his goods. But if that evil servant will tell himself, 'My lord will be late in coming', and will start striking his fellow slaves, and to eat and drink with intoxicated people, that slave's lord will come on a day when he least expects him, and in an hour that he doesn't know, and will punish him severely, and will treat him the same as any hypocrite: there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five sensible. The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the sensible ones took oil in vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom took time to come, they all grew drowsy and slept. At midnight a cry went out, 'Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Go out to meet him!' Then all those bridesmaids woke up, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps have gone out.' But the sensible ones said in answer, 'We can't do that; we wouldn't have enough oil for all of us. Instead, go to the sellers and buy oil for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. Afterward the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But in answer he said, 'I tell you truly: I don't know you.' So stay alert, because you don't know either the day or the hour."

"A certain man was going away from home on a long trip. He called his own slaves and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his particular ability, and left on his trip right away. Then the one who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise the one who received the two, also made another two. But the one who received the one talent went and dug in the earth and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of these slaves came back and settled accounts with them. And so the one who had received the five talents came and brought five more talents, and said, 'Lord, you entrusted five talents to me; I have made five talents more.' His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You have been faithful over a few things, so I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' Also, the one who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you entrusted two talents to me. Behold, I have made two more talents besides these.' His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You have been faithful over a few things, so I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew that you are a hard man, and that you reap where you haven't sown, and gather where you haven't threshed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Here is your money back.' In answer, his lord told him, 'You wicked and lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I haven't sown, and gather where I haven't threshed. So you should have given my money to the moneychangers, and then when I came back I would have had my money back with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. Because to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundant amount. But from him who has nothing, even what little he has will be taken away. And throw the worthless slave into outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'

"When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the holy Messengers with Him, He will then sit on the throne of His glory. Before him will be gathered all races of man, and he will separate them from one another, the way a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. When I was hungry, you gave Me food. When I was thirsty, you gave Me drink. When I was a stranger, you took Me in. When I was naked, you clothed Me. I was sick, and you visited Me. I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the just will say in answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You? Or thirsty, and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and take You in? Or naked, and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will tell them in answer, 'I tell you truly: to the extent that you have done it for the least of these My brothers, you have done it for Me.' Then he'll also say to those on His left hand, 'Go away from Me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the Slanderer and his messengers. I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't take Me in. I was naked, and you didn't clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will tell Him in answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and not wait on You?' Then He will say in answer to them, 'I tell you truly: to the extent that you failed to do this for one of the least of these, you failed to do it for Me.' And these people will go away into eternal punishment, but the just into eternal life."

And it happened, when Jesus had finished saying all these things, He said to His students, "You know that the feast of Passover takes place in two days, and the Son of man will be betrayed to be crucified."

And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple; and at night He went out, and stayed at the mountain that is called the Mount of Olives.

[Then every one of them went home.] [Jesus went to the Mountain of Olives

He went out with His students over the Kidron brook. A garden grew there, and He and His students walked into it.

Jesus had gone there often with His students.

Twenty-seven

Chapter 27 Bible texts

Now very early in the morning, he came again into the Temple. And all the people came to him early in the morning seeking Him in the Temple, to hear Him there. He sat down and Taught them.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle, they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?”

They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.”

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.”

Now the feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put him to death, for they feared the people. Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas. They took counsel together that they might take Jesus by deceit, and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest a riot occur among the people.”

It was now the fourth day of the week, Wednesday, two days before the feast of the Passover and the Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might seize him by deception, and kill him. For they said, “Not during the feast, because there might be a riot among the people.”

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, while he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.

But there were some who were indignant among themselves, saying, “Why has this ointment been wasted? For this might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.”

So they grumbled against her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want to, you can do them good; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying. Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News may be preached throughout the whole world, that which this woman has done will also be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

But when his disciples also saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.”

However, knowing this, Jesus said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for me. For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have me. For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.”

Then Satan entered into Judas, one of the twelve, who was also called Iscariot, Judas Iscariot, who was counted with the twelve. Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests, that he might deliver him to them. He went away, and talked with the chief priests and captains about how he might deliver him to them. They, when they heard it, were glad, and agreed, and promised to give him money. He consented, and said, “What are you willing to give me, that I should deliver him to you?”

They weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver. From that time he sought opportunity to betray him. He sought how he might conveniently deliver him, and sought an opportunity to deliver him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast. These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus.

Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time’? But I came to this time for this cause. Father, glorify your name!

Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Therefore the multitude who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

Jesus answered, “This voice has not come for my sake, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die. The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness does not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.”

Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them. But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke,

“Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again,

“He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.

“In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the LORD sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the Temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. One called to another, and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!
“The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Armies!
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. He touched my mouth with it, and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.’
“I heard the LORD’s voice, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’
“Then I said, ‘Here I am. Send me!
“He said, ‘Go, and tell this people, “You hear indeed, but do not understand. You see indeed, but do not perceive.” Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.’
“Then I said, ‘Lord, how long?’
“He answered, ‘To the day cities are waste without inhabitant, houses without man, the land becomes utterly waste, and the LORD has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many within the land. If there is a tenth left in it, that also will in turn be consumed, as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stump remains when they are cut down; so the holy seed is its stock.’ ”

Thus Isaiah saw his glory, and spoke of him. And for this cause they could not believe in him.

Nevertheless even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue, for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. He who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness. If anyone listens to my sayings, and does not believe, I do not judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me, and does not receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke will judge him in the last day. For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”

The day of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover must be sacrificed. Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, knowing that he must be sacrificed, in sacrificing himself prepared to be sacrificed. It was now the fifth day of that week, Thursday.

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

His disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare that you may eat the Passover?”

He sent two of his disciples. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”

They said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare?”

He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.” ’ ”

And he said to them, “Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and wherever he enters in, tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ He will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Get ready for us there.”

They did not understand. He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house which he enters. Tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ He will show you a large, furnished upper room. Make preparations there.”

The disciples did as Jesus commanded them. His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found things as he had said to them; they went, found things as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

John 8:2a
Luke 21:38
John 8:2b-11
Luke 22:1-2
Matthew 26:3-5
Mark 14:1-2
Matthew 26:6
Mark 14:3
Matthew 26:7
Mark 14:4-9
Matthew 26:8-13
Luke 22:3
Matthew 26:14
Mark 14:10
Luke 22:4
Mark 14:11a
Luke 22:5-6a
Matthew 26:15-16
Mark 14:11b
Luke 22:6b
John 12:20-41
—LXX Isaiah 53:1
—LXX Isaiah 6:10
Isaiah 6
John 12:42-50
Luke 22:7br>John 13:1 adapted
Matthew 26:17
Mark 14:12-13a
Luke 22:8-9
Matthew 26:18-19
Mark 14:13-15
Luke 22:10-12
Matthew 26:19a
Mark 14:16a
Luke 22:13
Matthew 26:19b
Mark 14:16b

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Table of Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, in English translation, Joel Kalvesmaki 2013 (kalvesmaki.com)

List of 300 Septuagint Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, by Steve Rudd 2017 (bible.ca)

Table of LXX quotes and allusions in the New Testament


Church History (Eusebius): The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine (newadvent.org)

The Works of Flavius Josephus William Whiston, Translator, 1737 (sacred-texts.com)

Suetonius: Twelve Caesars: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquilus; To which are added His Lives of the Grammarians, Rhetoricians, and Poets. The Translation of Alexander Thomson, M.D., Revised and corrected by T. Forester, Esq., A.M. (Gutenberg.org)

Tacitus: The Annals, Written 109 A.C.E. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb

Sextus Aurelius Victor: Epitome De Caesaribus (roman-emperors.org)

Eutropius: Breviarium - Eutropius's Abridgement of Roman History (tertullian.org)

Cassius Dio: Roman History Epitome (penelope.uchicago.edu)

Early Christian Writings A.D. 30 through 380 (earlychristianwritings.com)
See Biblical Canon and Apocrypha.


John 7:53–8:11

The woman taken in adultery. (repeated)
The most reliable early manuscripts omit this text in John, but do have it here after Luke 21:38.
Textual analysis shows 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. It has most resemblance to the language of Luke, and has been found there after Luke 21:38, or appended to the end of John or to the end of Luke.
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 judgment on a particular case. In accordance with the majority opinion of expert conservative textual critics and the corresponding conservative policy regarding this text as expressed in the Conservative Bible Project the text is here inserted at the place corresponding to Luke 21:38 in the redacted account of the controversies with the Jews during the week before Passover, 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 sensus fidei regarding 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.
"The sensus fidei fidelis also enables individual believers to perceive any disharmony, incoherence, or contradiction between a teaching or practice and the authentic Christian faith by which they live."
Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church, International Theological Commission (2014), 62
See Hebrews 13:17, Revelation 22:19, John 7:17 and 14:26, and Apostolic succession.
John 7:53 "They went each to his own house" RSVCE
This verse is not found in P66, P75, Sinaiticus or Vaticanus nor most early manuscripts. Alexandrinus and Ephraemi Rescriptus are too damaged to know for sure, but the space that would have been available on the damaged page strongly suggests that it was not in either of them. It is found in Bezae Cantabrigiensis and many other later manuscripts. Most scholars agree that it is not original to John.
John 8:1-11 See
—"it is possible to adduce still more important testimony in favour of the authenticity of the passage. As for the manuscripts, we know on the authority of St. Jerome that the incident ‘was contained in many Greek and Latin codices’ (Contra Pelagium, II, xvii), a testimony supported today by the Codex Bez of Canterbury (D) and many others. The authenticity of the passage is also favoured by the Vulgate, by the Ethiopians’ Arabic, and Slavonic translations, and by many manuscripts of the Itala and of the Armenian and Syrian text."

"we found this woman in adultery, in the very act."

John 8:4
They did not bring the man. The woman does not deny the charge.
There are only three possibilities, each of them speculative. (1) the man ran away before they could hold him, (2) he was too strong for them when they took hold of him and he escaped their grasp, or (3) he was a deliberate participant in a plot against Jesus through a strategy of cunning legal entrapment by victimizing a woman they knew could be easily compromised by clever manipulation and seduction, in which she was clearly prepared to commit the act and there was absolutely no doubt about her intention, but in which the man himself, in acting his part to that point, had not actually disrobed (completely), and at that moment the waiting authorities and the husband burst into the room as witnesses. This last speculative possibility is a form of what is currently called a "police sting operation" against organized prostitution and slavery. It is also called a "set up". Given what is known of the Jews from both the New Testament and the legal traditions related in the Talmud, and given the fact that the man involved "in the very act" was not also accused and brought to Jesus along with the woman, this is the most probable explanation.
See multiple commentaries on John 8:4

"Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, 'I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.' Therefore the multitude who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered." Greek φωνή "voice"

John 12:28-29.
The word here translated as "voice" is φωνή "phōné", which strictly speaking is just "a sound," but when used of speaking, "voice" is usually the best translation.
φωνή does not emphasize what is being said (the actual words), but the SOUND of the voice that is saying it, and as such, is used in the NT, almost without exception, to emphasize the VOLUME or TONE of the voice (and is usually accompanied by some indicator of volume - loud voice, raising the voice, shouting - particularly of a voice that thunders from the clouds, etc.). Note that many of those who heard it here in John 12:28-29 did not actually hear words, but only heard a loud sound that they assumed to be thunder.
Unknown is whether the voice spoke Greek or Hebrew. John quotes the voice in Greek and does not specify the language.
Anyone who does not understand Greek might think the sound of Greek words spoken in a deep tone is like the rumbling and cracking sound of thunder.
Access the following audio resource for listening to the sound of Greek Gospel of John:
Anyone who does not understand Hebrew might think the sound of Hebrew words spoken in a deep tone is like the rumbling and cracking sound of thunder.
Access any online site that offers audio reading of the Hebrew text and listen to the sound of Psalm 29:1-2 and Isaiah 25:1.
Psalm 29:1-2 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness
(See entire text of Psalm 29)
The online audio source for Psalm 29 in Hebrew is
Psalm 29 (mechon-mamre.org)
(Click on "Listen to this Chapter in Hebrew".)
Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
(See text of Isaiah 25:1-9)
The online audio source for the following chapters of Isaiah is
Isaiah (mechon-mamre.org).
(Click on "Listen to this Chapter in Hebrew".)

"For this cause they could not believe"

John 12:30.
"could not" in the sense of a stubborn unwillingness to change, not a lack of freedom to believe if they chose to believe.
See Isaiah 1:2-6, 18-20; 6:9-10; 53:1.
God did not actively keep them from believing, but personal pride did. There are many individuals who are so offended by the evident goodness of others who are willing to forgive them and help them to change, which by obvious contrast exposes to their shame the guilt of their failures and self-centeredness and unwillingness to change, that an acceptance of forgiveness is an admission of guilt which from pride they "cannot accept" (read "will not accept"). By their own standard of conduct they not only cannot believe such mercy to be sincere, they find it to be offensive, contemptible and disgusting. They cannot accept it, yet no one is forcing them to reject it. (See Wisdom 2:12-16). This is found today in Jews confronted by Christian claims about Jesus who say, "You just do not understand. I am a Jew. There are certain things that I cannot deny. I cannot believe this. You can quote all the scripture you like, and based on scripture, I cannot believe that Jesus is the Messiah."
Compare the following three articles:
Asher Norman uses the Jewish term Hashem, literally The Name, from Hebrew הָשַׁם , an indirect way of referring to God in ordinary writing, because the spelling יהוה (transliterated YHVH) is regarded as holy, not to be misused (Exodus 20:7). Other Jewish writers sometimes use the form G-D or G-d. Most non-Jewish publications of the Bible use instead the translation LORD or LORD for the Hebrew Adonai, in place of the transliteration YaHVeH of the Tetragrammaton, commonly pronounced "Yahweh". Jewish prayerbooks use a double-apostrophe [ '' ] or quote-mark [ " ] to indicate to the participant in the recitation of the public prayers in the synagogue that the word "Adonai" is to be said. (The visual forms of the words displayed here in this note are considered by orthodox Jews to be forbidden and their use in a secular context as a serious offense of sacrilege, even when the intention of the user is one of respect. All Bible commentaries and audio and printed and online encyclopedias such as Conservapedia which explain the various forms of the Name of God are regarded by Orthodox Jews as guilty of sacrilegious use of names of God)
Moses was the chosen Lawgiver in Israel and a prophet. Moses was not anointed with oil by a prophet of the LORD. Moses was not a descendant of David. God raised up (resurrected) a Prophet like Moses in Israel. He worked wonders and taught righteousness. The Temple is his body, raised up in Jerusalem. His body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit seen by all the world. The whole world sees his body the Church. Isaiah chapter 53 is an unavoidably clear prophecy of Jesus Christ. Acceptance of Jesus as HaMashiach has caused many to understand the Tanakh as full of prophecies about him. See 2 Corinthians 3:15-16.

"if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself....How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? "

John 12:32-34
"Lifted up ύψώθω hupsotho, ύψωθήναι hupsothenai" can mean "be exalted, praised, admired, raised up, lifted up, placed in authority". See Strong's number 5312 ύψόω hupsŏō
This is an allusion to the lifting up of the bronze serpent in the wilderness as the means of healing all who were bitten by the fiery serpents if they fulfilled the requirement of looking on it with faith in the promise of God through Moses, Numbers 21:9. Jesus himself had already alluded to this episode in John 3:14-15; 8:28.

"Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

John 12:38
John quotes the Septuagint text, Isaiah 53:1.

"He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them."

John 12:40
John quotes the Septuagint text, Isaiah 6:10.

"Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, ... ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.’ "

Isaiah 6:6-7
Compare Malachi 3:1-4; Matthew 3:3-11; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 1 John 1:8-9. See Purgatory.

"as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stump remains when they are cut down; so the holy seed is its stock."

Jesus.
Isaiah chapter 6 has been inserted here as an amplification of John 12:41 "Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him".
See Matthew 2:23 note in Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version) Chapter Four, last marginal note—"which means 'Branch'":
"that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets: 'He will be called a Nazarene,' which means 'Branch'. As it is written in Isaiah, 'A Shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a Branch out of his roots will bear fruit.' ".
"Stock" or "Stem"—the more correct translation of the word מַצַּבְתָּֽהּ maṣṣaḇtāh in Isaiah 6:13. The word usually denotes the upright shaft, stem, or stock of a tree. This text in Isaiah has been understood allegorically to refer to Jesus Christ the true Son of God and seed of David, the Righteous Branch and Root and Stem of Jesse.
See interlinear text of Isaiah 6:13 "מַצַּבְתָּֽהּ maṣṣaḇtāh"—substance, stock, stem.

"The day of unleavened bread came, on which the Passover must be sacrificed."

Luke 22:7
The fifth day of that week, Thursday.
By the time of the first century, the Passover lambs were ritually sacrificed in the temple in the afternoon during the traditional "time of preparation", beginning about three hours before the beginning of the evening meal of the Passover Seder, which began at sunset; and thus they were actually slaughtered during the afternoon of the 13th day of the lunar month, ending an hour before sundown and the beginning of the Passover itself, which marks the beginning of the 14th day of the lunar month. The Jewish historian Josephus states that the sacrifices were slain "from the ninth hour to the eleventh" (Wars 6.9.3 [422-425], by modern reckoning from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.), the number amounting to 256,500 lambs, with ten to twelve Israelites per lamb accounting for at least 2,700,200 "persons that were pure and holy". All Israelites spent the hours from midafternoon to sunset of the 13th day of the first month in preparing rooms set aside for the solemn evening observance of the seder.
Compare Exodus 12:18-20 and Leviticus 17:1-10. This change in the original law that was first revealed to Moses removed the possibility that all of the house of Israel would be able to slaughter their Passover lambs simultaneously "at sunset".
See 2 Chronicles 35:7-17, in particular verse 13 (multiple versions) and verse 16 (multiple versions).

"Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, knowing that he must be sacrificed, in sacrificing himself prepared to be sacrificed."

John 13:1 adapted
See Acts 2:23
John 13:1 has been adapted here, and inserted between Luke 22:7 and Matthew 26:17, in accordance with the principles of redaction and harmonization, that Jesus, "his hour" having now come, in resolutely accepting the Father's will before the Passover, irrevocably sacrificed himself simultaneously at that moment of the afternoon period with the preparation of the Passover lambs in the temple in sacrifice. Events foreordained by God were now set in motion
We have here the preparation of the lamb in the afternoon of the 13th before sunset beginning the 14th, Passover with unleavened bread at twilight of the 14th, the vigil all night, and the destruction by fire of whatever remains in the morning, and the removal of the ashes to a place outside the city. Exodus 12:2-10, 18; Leviticus 6:8-11.

"Go into the city to a certain person...Go into the city, and there you will meet a man...Behold, when you have entered into the city"

Matthew 27:18-19, Mark 14:13-15, Luke 22:10-13.
Jesus carefully clarifies his instructions to Peter and John by reiteration, repeating what he said so they will know with complete assurance that they have not misunderstood his command. This Harmony of the Gospel shows here that it is not impossible, as some believe, to redact or collate these three texts, while still preserving the integrity of every inspired word spoken by Jesus as faithfully recorded by each of the evangelists (John 14:26). "They did not understand" is an amplification based on the carefully detailed instructions Jesus gave them, and the difference in detail between Mark and Luke in their faithful report of the actual eyewitnesses (Peter and John) of what Jesus said to them, plus the obvious and general lack of understanding manifested by the apostles throughout the Gospels (Matthew 15:15-16; Mark 9:32; Luke 24:45; John 12:16). Given the unexpected and seemingly mysterious character of what he has instructed them to do in answer to their question, it is natural that they should need to hear it again before they proceed to go out and do what he commands. Such a command, with every sign he foretold them to expect fulfilled in every detail, only highlights the already established fact that Jesus has divine knowledge as the expected prophet of God and the Messiah. Compare what Samuel said to Saul (1 Samuel 10:1-10).
Against this conservative Christian reading, some theorists speculate that Jesus had most probably already made covert arrangements with members of a secret esoteric inner circle that the apostles knew nothing about, just as espionage agents today carefully arrange surreptitiously coordinated actions with their accomplices, so that a man with a water jar for identification, not a slave and not a woman, on the lookout for Peter and John, would come forth as they approached and precede them to a "safe house" kept in readiness for Jesus by an influential and high-ranking personal confidant and co-conspirator unknown to the apostles and to the Jews and to Pilate's own spies. They point to texts such as John 18:15-16 and 19:38-39, and suggest also that the Essenes were involved. This last suggestion is highly improbable since according to what is known today about the Essenes they avoided the cities, and had no personal real estate holdings in them. As to this speculation about a secret esoteric inner circle, it suggests deception of the part of Jesus, whom these theorists represent as carefully arranging, with the secret cooperation of members of his inner circle of supporters, certain key events as contrived evidence to correspond with prophetic signs of the messiah, in order to produce in his apostles an awed impression of supernatural foreknowledge.
For a more detailed assessment of this heretical New Age theory of Jesus as an esoteric deceiver see the Naturalist and New Age explanations of the resurrection of Jesus in the Conservapedia article Philosophical Naturalism — In Esotericism: Difference between philosophical naturalism and spiritual or religious naturalism: Rejection of naturalist views as blasphemy.

Compare the Conservative Bible text (conservapedia.com):

And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him;

And all the people came early in the morning seeking Him in the temple, to hear Him there.

Early in the morning He came back to the temple where all the people were coming to Him, and sitting down, He taught them.

The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Him who had been caught committing adultery, and they shoved her into the center. They said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. In the law Moses commanded us that such a one should be stoned, so what do you say?"

They were saying this to test Him, so that they could accuse Him. But instead, Jesus bent down, and wrote in the dirt with his finger. But when they persisted in asking Him, He stood up and said to them, "The one among you who is sinless throw the first stone."

Then He bent back down and continued writing in the dirt. And after hearing this, they began to leave, beginning with the oldest, until the woman was standing alone in the center. When Jesus stood back up, and saw no one except the woman, He asked her, "Woman, where are they? Is there no one to condemn you?"

She answered, "No one, Lord."

Then Jesus said to her, "And I do not condemn you either. Go now, and do no sin any more."]

It was the eve of the feast of unleavened bread, which they called Passover. The religious establishment looked for ways to kill Jesus, while fearing the people. Then the leading priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled together, in the palace of the High Priest, Caiaphas by name, and held a meeting on how they might arrest Jesus by treachery and have Him killed. But they said, "We cannot do it on the feast day; if we do, the people will riot."

Two days later, it was time for the Passover holiday of unleavened bread, and the leading priests and scribes were trying to figure out how to catch Him by stealth and have Him executed. But they said, "Not on the day of the festival! Do you want to have a riot among the people?"

Now when Jesus was staying in Bethany, in the home of Simon the leper,

At that time, he was in Bethany at Simon the leper's house, having a meal. A woman came in with an expensive white crystal container of valerian oil, which she opened and poured over his head.

a woman came to him who had an alabaster box of very expensive ointment. She poured it out onto his head as he reclined to dine.

Some of the onlookers were indignant, saying "Why did she waste that nice oil like that? We could have sold that for more than three hundred shillings and charitably donated the money to the poor!"

They kept whispering about what a bad thing she had done. But Jesus said, "Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She had done Me a favor. There will always be poor people around, and whenever you feel like helping them you can, but I am not going to be around forever. She did what she could: She came in advance to get my body ready for burial. Truly I tell you: Anywhere in the world that people preach the good news about me, they are also going to remember what she did and talk about it."

And when His students saw it, they were indignant. "What a waste!" they said. "This ointment might have been sold for a lot of money, money we could have given to the poor!"

When Jesus realized what was happening, He said, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a good work for Me. You will always have the poor with you, but you won't always have Me. When she poured out this ointment on My body, she did it for My funeral. I tell you truly: wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, this thing that this woman has done will also be talked of as a memorial of her."

Next Satan took hold of Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve Apostles.

Then one of the Twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the members of the Sanhedrin,

After that, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, went to betray Jesus to the leading priests,

And he moved on, meeting with the chief priests and temple guards about how to turn over Jesus to them.

who were happy to hear it and offered to pay him.

Thrilled, they agreed to pay Judas with silver. He agreed,

and asked them, "What will you pay me if I deliver Him to you?"

They hired him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time forward he looked for a chance to betray Him.

So Judas thought about how it would be best to do the deed, and the best time to do it.

and sought an opportunity to deliver Jesus to them without the crowds around.

Now there were some Greeks among them who came up to worship at the festival. And they came to Phillip, who was from Bethsaida, in Galilee, and were asking him, "Lord, we wish to see Jesus."

Phillip came and told Andrew, and together, Andrew and Phillip told Jesus. Then Jesus responded to them with this, "The hour has come, when the Son, a human being, shall be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground, and dies, it remains a lone grain. However, if it dies, it produces a lot of seed. Whoever loves his life destroys it, and the one hating his life in this world guards it all the way to eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me, so wherever I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him. Now my soul has become agitated, so what shall I ask? Shall I ask, 'Father, save me from this hour'? But it is for this very reason that I came to be here during this hour. Father, glorify your name!"

Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

But the crowd who were standing nearby, and heard it, said, "It has thundered."

Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."

Jesus responded, "This voice did not come for my sake, but for yours. Now the judgement of this world is here. Now shall the ruler of this world be driven out. And if I am lifted up from the earth, then I shall draw everyone to me."

He said this to indicate the kind of death he was about to die. The crowd responded, "We heard from the law that Christ remains forever, so how can you say, 'The Son, a human being, must be lifted up?' Who is this Son of God, a human being?"

Then Jesus told them, "For a little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have light, so that the darkness will not overtake you. Because the one walking in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have light, believe in the light, so that you may become the sons of light."

Jesus said these things, then departed and hid himself from them. And although He had done many miracles in their presence, they did not continue to believe in Him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled when he said, "Lord, who believed our report? And to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?" For this reason they could not believe, because Isaiah also said, "He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, so that they shall not see with their eyes, nor perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I would heal them." Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory, and talked about Him.

(Isaiah 6 Conservative Bible text has not been translated.
See Conservative Bible Isaiah 1-8 (Translated) Isaiah chapter 6 KJV.)

However, some of the leaders did believe in Him, but because of the Pharisees, they did not dare confess Him openly, for fear that they would be expelled from the synagogue. Because, even they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

Jesus shouted, "The one believing in me, does not believe in me but in He who sent me, and the one who sees me, sees Him who sent me. I am light come to the world, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. I do not judge the one who hears the words I am speaking right now, but does not heed them: for I came so that I could save the world, not so that I could judge it. The one who rejects me, and does not accept the words I am speaking right now, has a judge: Every word I have spoken, these shall be his judge on the last day. Because I do not speak from myself, but the Father who sent me gave me a directive in which He told me what I should say. I know that this directive of His is life everlasting; therefore, you can be sure that whatever I say, that is what the Father has said to me.

The day before the official Passover day arrived; this was the day for sacrificing the paschal lamb.

Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the students came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do you want us to prepare a place for You to eat the Passover meal?"

So on the first day of the Passover holiday, after they killed the lamb, the students of Jesus said to him, "Where do you want us to go and get this lamb ready for you to eat?"

He answered by sending two of the students to go to town.

And Jesus directed Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the passover meal for us to eat."

They responded, "Where do you want us to prepare it?"

And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and tell him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with My students."'"

He told them, "Go into the city, and you'll find a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him. When he goes into a house, tell the man in charge, 'Our teacher wants to know where the dining room is, so we can eat our lamb.' He will show you a large room on the second floor, furnished and already prepared. Prepare for us there."

Jesus replied to them, "Listen, when you enter into the city, a man shall meet you, holding a water pitcher; follow him to into his house. You shall then ask the man of the house, 'The Lord says to you, "Where is the dining room, where I shall eat passover dinner with my disciples?" ' He will then show you a large, furnished room upstairs: prepare for dinner there.

And the students did as Jesus had instructed them,

So the students went into town, and it happened exactly like he had told them,

They went and found everything as He told them, and they prepared for Passover.

and prepared the Passover.

so they got the lamb ready to eat.

Twenty-eight

Chapter 28 Bible texts

Now before the feast of the Passover, when evening had come, Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

When it was evening he came with the twelve. When the hour had come, he reclined at table with the twelve apostles, and they bring to mind and make present the first Passover of the Lord. As it is written in the Law of Moses:

“That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh during the evening twilight with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, not leaving any of it over before morning, nor breaking any of its bones, but observing all the rules of the Passover. It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole, with its head and shanks and inner organs. None of it must be kept beyond the next morning; whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up.”
“When your children ask you, 'What does this rite of yours mean?' you shall reply, 'This is the Passover of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt; when he struck down the Egyptians, he spared our houses.’ ”
“This was a night of vigil for the LORD, as he led them out of the land of Egypt; so on this same night all the Israelites must keep a vigil for the LORD throughout their generations.”

He was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you, I will no longer by any means eat of it before it is fulfilled in God’s Kingdom.”

He received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among yourselves, for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, before God’s Kingdom comes.”

As they reclined at table and were eating, he said, “Most certainly I tell you, that one of you will betray me.”

The disciples were amazed at his words.

Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, one of you will betray me—he who eats with me.”

They began to be sorrowful, and to ask him one by one, “Surely not I?” And another said, “Surely not I?”

He answered them, “It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish. For the Son of Man goes, even as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”

They were exceedingly sorrowful, and each began to ask him, “It is not me, is it, Lord?”

He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me. The Son of Man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”

Judas, who betrayed him, answered, “It is not me, is it, Rabbi?”

He said to him, “You said it.”

As they were eating, he took bread. For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread. Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and when he had given thanks, when he had blessed, he broke. He broke it, and gave to them, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body.”

He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body”.

And he gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me”.

And said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.”

Likewise, in the same way he also took the cup, after supper. He took the cup, gave thanks, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.

"All of you drink it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, before that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

They all drank of it.

He said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.

"Most certainly I tell you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine, before that day when I drink it anew in God’s Kingdom.

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

"But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it has been determined, but woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!

They began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

A dispute also arose among them, which of them was considered to be greatest.

He said to them, “The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘benefactors’. But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves. For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. But you are those who have continued with me in my trials. I confer on you a kingdom, even as my Father conferred on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. You will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have all of you, that he might sift you all as wheat, but I prayed for you, that your faith would not fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brethren.”

He said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!

He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will by no means crow today before you deny that you know me three times.”

He said to them, “When I sent you out without purse, wallet, and sandals, did you lack anything?”

They said, “Nothing.”

Then he said to them, “But now, whoever has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet. Whoever has none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. For I tell you that this which is written must still be fulfilled in me:

“ ‘He was counted with transgressors.’

“For that which concerns me has an end.”

They said, “Lord, behold, here are two swords.”

He said to them, “That is enough.”

During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came from God, and was going to God, arose from supper, and laid aside his outer garments. He took a towel and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”

Jesus answered him, “You do not know what I am doing now, but you will understand later.”

Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!

Jesus said to him, “Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”

For he knew him who would betray him, therefore he said, “You are not all clean.”

So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I AM. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you. Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither is one who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be fulfilled,

“ ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.’

“From now on, I tell you before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I AM. Most certainly I tell you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.”

When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”

The disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was at the table, leaning against Jesus’s breast. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.”

He, leaning back, as he was, on Jesus’s breast, asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus therefore answered, “It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it.”

So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

Now nobody at the table knew why he said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, “Buy what things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. Therefore having received that morsel, he went out immediately.

It was night.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him immediately. Little children, I will be with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I tell you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus answered, “Where I AM going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow afterward.”

Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for me? Most certainly I tell you, the rooster will not crow before you have denied me three times. Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.

“In my Father’s house are many homes. If it were not so, I would have told you. I AM going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I AM, you may be there also. You know where I go, and you know the way.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him, and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I AM in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works. Believe me that I AM in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I AM going to my Father. Whatever you will ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments. I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, another Defending Advocate, that he may be with you forever: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive; for it does not see him and does not know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I AM in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. One who has my commandments and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.”

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words. The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me. I have said these things to you while still living with you. But the Paraclete, the Defending Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will Teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I AM going to my Father’; for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens so that when it happens, you may believe. I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded me, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”

They rose up and sang a song, according to the custom of the Passover.

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock,
you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might!
Come to save us!
Turn us again, God.
Cause your face to shine,
and we will be saved.
LORD God of Armies,
how long will you be angry against the prayer of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in large measure.
You make us a source of contention to our neighbors.
Our enemies laugh among themselves.
Turn us again, God of Armies.
Cause your face to shine,
and we will be saved.
You brought a vine out of Egypt.
You drove out the nations, and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it.
It took deep root, and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shadow.
Its boughs were like God’s cedars.
It sent out its branches to the sea,
its shoots to the River.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that all those who pass by the way pluck it?
The boar out of the wood ravages it.
The wild animals of the field feed on it.
Turn again, we beg you, God of Armies.
Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine,
the stock which your right hand planted,
the branch that you made strong for yourself.
It is burned with fire.
It is cut down.
They perish at your rebuke.
Let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
on the Son of man whom you made strong for yourself.
So we will not turn away from you.
Revive us, and we will call on your Name.
Turn us again, LORD God of Armies.
Cause your face to shine,
and we will be saved.

When they had sung a hymn, Jesus said, “I AM the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I AM the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

“In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love. I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.

This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

“I command this to you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me, hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have had sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my Father. But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law,

“ ‘They hated me without a cause.’

“When the Paraclete, the Defending Advocate has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me. You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have said these things to you so that you would not be caused to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God. They will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have told you these things, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I AM going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Paraclete, the Defending Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I AM going to my Father, and you will not see me any more; about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.

“I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine and will declare it to you. A little while, and you will not see me. Again a little while, and you will see me.”

Some of his disciples therefore said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘Because I go to the Father’?”

They said therefore, “What is this that he says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what he is saying.”

Therefore Jesus perceived that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, “Do you inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? Most certainly I tell you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she does not remember the anguish any more, for the joy that a human being is born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

“In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Up to now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. But the time is coming when I will no more speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I will pray to the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father, and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.”

His disciples said to him, “Behold, now you are speaking plainly, and using no figures of speech. Now we know that you know all things, and do not need for anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”

Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, everyone to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I AM not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus said these things, then lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you; even as you gave him authority over all flesh, so he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him. This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do. Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.

“I revealed your name to the people whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me. They have kept your word. Now they have known that all things whatever you have given me are from you, for the words which you have given me I have given to them, and they received them, and knew for sure that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I AM glorified in them. I AM no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I AM coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. I have kept those whom you have given me. None of them is lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to you, and I say these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.

“I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I AM not of the world. I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I AM not of the world. Sanctify them in your truth. Your Word is truth. As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me and loved them, even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I AM, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you; and these know that you sent me. I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

When Jesus had spoken these words, they went out to the Mount of Olives. He came out and went, as his custom was, to the Mount of Olives. His disciples also followed him.

John 13:1a
Matthew 26:20a
John 13:1b
Mark 14:17
Luke 22:14
Numbers 9:11-12
Exodus 12:8-10, 26-27, 42
Matthew 26:20b
Luke 22:15-18
Mark 14:18a
Matthew 26:21
Mark 10:24a
Mark 14:18b-21
Matthew 26:22-25
Mark 14:22a
1 Corinthians 11:23
Matthew 26:26a
Luke 22:19a
1 Corinthians 11:24a
Mark 14:22b
1 Corinthians 11:24b
Luke 22:19b
Mark 14:22c
Matthew 26:26b
Mark 14:22d
Matthew 26:26c
Luke 22:19c
1 Corinthians 11:24c
Luke 22:20a
1 Corinthians 11:25a
Matthew 26:27a
Mark 14:23a
1 Corinthians 11:25b
Matthew 26:27b-29
Mark 14:23b-25
Luke 22:20b-22
Luke 22:23-38
John 13:2–14:31
Psalm 80
Matthew 26:30a
Mark 14:26a
John 15:1–17:26
—LXX Wisdom 4:5
John 18:1a
Matthew 26:30b
Mark 14:26b
Luke 22:39

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Bible maps (click initial letter of place name)
Bible Encyclopedias: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (studylight.org)
Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic Online (catholic.org)
Hebrew Calendar Converter See exact equivalents of Gregorian Calendar dates.

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Table of Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, in English translation, Joel Kalvesmaki 2013 (kalvesmaki.com)

List of 300 Septuagint Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, by Steve Rudd 2017 (bible.ca)

Table of LXX quotes and allusions in the New Testament


Church History (Eusebius): The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine (newadvent.org)

The Works of Flavius Josephus William Whiston, Translator, 1737 (sacred-texts.com)

Suetonius: Twelve Caesars: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquilus; To which are added His Lives of the Grammarians, Rhetoricians, and Poets. The Translation of Alexander Thomson, M.D., Revised and corrected by T. Forester, Esq., A.M. (Gutenberg.org)

Tacitus: The Annals, Written 109 A.C.E. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb

Sextus Aurelius Victor: Epitome De Caesaribus (roman-emperors.org)

Eutropius: Breviarium - Eutropius's Abridgement of Roman History (tertullian.org)

Cassius Dio: Roman History Epitome (penelope.uchicago.edu)

Early Christian Writings A.D. 30 through 380 (earlychristianwritings.com)
See Biblical Canon and Apocrypha.


"when evening had come...When it was evening he came with the twelve"

Mark 14:17 and Luke 22:14
Much confusion arises from ignorance of scripture in erroneously believing that the evening twilight of the 14th of Nisan was the end of the whole day of the 14th of Nisan before the 15th of Nisan supposedly beginning at midnight, instead of the evening twilight actually being according to Jewish reckoning the beginning of the 14th, when the "evening of the fourteenth" (from 3 p.m.) was the beginning of the 14th, followed by the night of the 14th, and the morning and the day of the 14th of Nisan, ending with the "evening twilight" of the 15th beginning the 15th of Nisan. Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31. Moses clearly said that the Passover was to be eaten on the 14th day of the month (13th/14th) "in the evening" (the beginning of the 14th of Nisan), not on the 15th. Exodus 12:6; the Feast of Unleavened Bread beginning "in the evening" of the 15th (14th/15th) beginning the 15th of Nisan Exodus 12:18.
In the year A.D. 33 Passover on the 13/14th of Nisan fell on Thursday/Friday that year according to the lunar calendar of the Jews.

"Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father"

John 13:1
See Acts 2:23
John 13:1 has been adapted in the previous chapter Twenty-seven (above) of this Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version), and inserted between Luke 22:7 and Matthew 26:17, in accordance with the principles of redaction and harmonization set forth in main article, "Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, knowing that he must be sacrificed, in sacrificing himself prepared to be sacrificed." This explains that Jesus, "his hour" having now come, in resolutely accepting the Father's will before the Passover, has already irrevocably sacrificed himself as the Lamb of God simultaneously at that moment of the afternoon period with the preparation of killing the Passover lambs in the temple in sacrifice. Events foreordained by God had already been set in motion.
We have here the sacrificial preparation of the lamb in the afternoon of the 13th before sunset beginning the 14th, Passover with unleavened bread at twilight of the 14th, the vigil all night, and the destruction by fire of whatever remains in the morning, and the removal of the ashes to a place outside the city. Exodus 12:2-10, 18; Leviticus 6:8-11.
Jesus resolutely and irrevocably sacrificed himself as the Lamb of God when the Passover lambs were sacrificed in the temple and he gave himself in his body and blood in the Eucharist and what remained of him in the morning was crucified.
Those who see "irreconcilable" differences between the Gospel of John and the Synoptics set scripture against scripture and make God—the Divine Author of the Gospels—the author of confusion.
See multiple commentaries on John 13:1, Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12, Luke 22:7.
(See also note below, "That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh...")

"reclined at table"

Luke 22:14
They did not sit down on chairs, but according to the Gospel writers they reclined, "sitting at table" according to the customary expression, leaning on cushions on their left sides, propping themselves up as needed on their left arms with their left hands concealed, leaving their right hands free to take the food with their fingers and hands. The Jews in accordance with the "tradition of the elders" by the time of the first century had long abandoned the commandment in the law of Moses, Exodus 12:11, to "stand with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet and your staffs in hand like those in flight" and instead reclined like free men, nobility and rulers. Mishna, Pesachim 10:1 scroll down to 53rd, 54th, 55th paragraphs:
"Even the meanest in Israel..." (53rd)
"Leaning backwards is not considered reclining..." (54th)
"The woman who sits with her husband..." (55th)
(see Passover and Passover Seder).
See interlinear texts
See articles:
Matthew Henry, a "nonconformist" Puritan minister in England, and presumably a staunchly anti-Catholic Christian, made the following remarkable statement in Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 12 (begins immediately with commentary on verses 1-20):
"The paschal lamb was not to be looked upon only, but to be fed upon. So we must by faith make Christ our own; and we must receive spiritual strength and nourishment from him, as from our food, see Joh 6:53,55." (boldface emphasis added)
This statement conforms to the orthodox catholic Church doctrine of receiving Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior in the Host and partaking of the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4) as food by thus feeding upon him in the Eucharist. See Transubstantiation and Real presence.

"and they bring to mind and make present the first Passover of the Lord"

An amplification based on the ritual of the Passover Seder.
The narrative of the Exodus from Egypt is read, and the participants see themselves as delivered by God from bondage. For devout Jews it is more than a mere remembrance. It is a "calling to mind and making present the first Passover", as a personal and living present experience, the events of their deliverance as a people.
According to Catholic and Orthodox tradition the apostles were ordained on Holy Thursday evening when Jesus commanded them: “Do this in remembrance of me,”
Touto poieite eis tan eman anamnesin
τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν in Greek (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24).
In the Greek text of the New Testament, where Jesus says, "Do this in remembrance of me", the primary word is anamnesis, not mneme. Where mneme is the simple memory of an event recalled as having happened in the past, anamnesis is the present reliving of an event as making it present and taking place now in a living, direct participation—for Christians believing in transubstantiation and the real presence of the Lord, a living memorial of the unique and unrepeatable Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord, which throughout all time and eternity saves from sin. (See Strong's numbers 364 άνάνησις anamnesis and 3420 μνήμη mnēmē with 3415, 3417, 3421.)
The major Christian churches in the celebration of the Eucharist of the Lord emphasize that Jesus himself is present and presiding on earth as in heaven as the eternal High Priest ("Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the world" Matthew 28:20), and through the ministry of the ordained priest as His visible representative on earth it is Jesus who is continually and without interruption eternally offering Himself entirely, body, blood, soul and divinity, to the Father at that moment of anamnesis with the people in the upper room and on the cross from the very moment of Creation to the very Day of Judgment as the one eternal unique single perpetual sacrifice for sin transcending all time and space, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" Revelation 13:8 (KJV). It is dogmatically defined as a "re-presentation", a re-presenting in spacetime, of the one eternal and unrepeatable event that transcends the bounds and limitations of time and space, an uninterrupted perpetual offering to God the Father since the foundation of the world, Hebrews 9:11–10:31. They teach that those who devoutly participate in the offering of the Eucharist are spiritually present in the upper room and on mount Calvary at the very moment of their salvation. Each time they receive communion, they receive Jesus as their personal savior, and partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Partaking of the sacrifice of the altar (Hebrews 13:10) is regarded as the ultimate fulfillment of the type of partaking of the portion of the consecrated sacrificial offering which was given back to the worshiper to be eaten as food and drink in the foreshadowing Israelite ritual of sacrifice in the Book of Leviticus chapter 7 (Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 8:1-6; 10:1), and as the ultimate surpassing fulfillment of the manna, the "bread of angels" the people daily ate in the wilderness as they journeyed toward the promised land (Exodus 16:14-15; Numbers 11:7-8; Deuteronomy 8:3, 16; Joshua 5:12; John 6:48-58). See
This doctrine was condemned by the Protestant Reformers as an "impious and monstrous superstition" borrowed from pagan practices of idolatry, and as the invention (A.D. 394) of the Popes, whom they identified as the Antichrist, "the man of sin", and on earth the visible head of the "one, holy, catholic ("universal") and apostolic church", which they identified as the Harlot of Babylon, "mother of harlots and of earth's abominations". Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians in both teaching and preaching urgently warn all Christian believers that Catholic and Orthodox doctrine regarding worship and devotion is to be utterly repudiated as being "straight from the pits of hell", and that those who truly believe in the Orthodox and Catholic sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharist are already damned and lost. See Polemic:
The absolute fundamental rejection by the 16th century Protestant Reformers of the Orthodox and Catholic offering of the Mass and the Divine Liturgy has equally been represented as a "trampling underfoot of the Son of God and the blood of the covenant, with which we have been sanctified, as an unholy thing, doing insult to the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:29, 12:18-29). See Polemic and Anathema.
—According to this article, The Patriarch of Constantinople, Jeremias, who was called Illustrious, finally, in 1583, convened a council in Constantinople, addressed
"To all the genuine Christian children of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ of the East residing in Trigovysti and throughout the world, be grace and peace and mercy from God Almighty. []
" 3) That whoever says that our Lord Jesus Christ at the Mystic Supper had unleavened bread (made without yeast), like that of the Jews, and not leavened bread, that is to say, bread raised with yeast, let him depart far away from us and let him be anathema as one having Jewish views and those of Apollinarios and bringing dogmas of the Armenians into the Church, on which account let him be doubly anathema."

"That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh..."

Numbers 9:11-12; Exodus 12:8-10, 26-27, 42 NAB text.
An amplification of the text citing the ritual of the Passover.
There is no compelling reason to assert that this was not the actual night of the official Passover Seder of the feast of Unleavened Bread on Thursday evening of the year 33. Calculations based on the lunar calendar of the Jewish year disclose that the observance of the Passover Seder in the year A.D. 33 was the sixth day of the week Thursday/Friday beginning sundown Thursday through the night into all day Friday, the sixth day beginning sundown Thursday immediately followed 24 hours later with sundown Friday/Saturday beginning the regular weekly seventh day Saturday Sabbath at sundown Friday through the night into all day Saturday, ending 24 hours later with the beginning of the first day of the week at sundown Saturday through the night into Sunday. The eight days of Unleavened Bread called Passover (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:1), which begins with the evening of the Passover Seder and the night of vigil before the morning of the day of Passover, continues for seven more days (Exodus 12:16-20; 13:3-10), from Friday sundown to Thursday sundown in the year 33. The period of 14 Nisan through 21 Nisan inclusive is eight days. This resolves the speciously perceived difficulty of harmonizing with the Synoptic Gospels John's statement about the Jews: "They themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover" (John 18:28b RSVCE)—that is, the second day of the Passover. By this reckoning Jesus was sacrificed on the first day of Passover, His Passion beginning after sundown with the Thursday evening Passover Seder, extending through the night vigil of "watching" without sleep, and the dawning of the day of his trial and crucifixion on Good Friday (the weekly "day of preparation of the Sabbath") and ending at sundown with the stone rolled over the door of the tomb at the beginning of the Sabbath day rest, which that year coincided with the solemn beginning of the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the second day of Passover. That is why "that Sabbath was a high day" (John 19:31). The day after the first day of Passover was a "day of solemn assembly" (Exodus 12:16). The Jews were careful to keep themselves ritually undefiled for the whole period of the eight days of Passover, and in particular most especially on that day in careful anticipation of the solemnity of the high day of Assembly on that Sabbath, the second day of the eight days of Unleavened Bread called Passover. The speciously perceived difficulty of "the impossibility" of harmonizing John 19:28 with the Synoptics simply results from the assumption that "the Passover" can only be the first day of Unleavened Bread called Passover and that "the day of preparation Παρασκευὴ of / during Passover" (John 19:14) was not Friday, the normal weekly Day of Preparation of the Sabbath occurring that year during Passover season, but rather the day to prepare for the Passover Seder sundown Thursday evening instead. (See Παρασκευὴ Paraskeuē, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath, Friday.) The danger of such an eisegesis of Παρασκευὴ Paraskeuē is that it creates unnecessary difficulties which do not actually exist, illicitly setting scripture against scripture. Jesus was crucified on Friday the day before the Sabbath according to John 19:31; John 19:42. This "sabbath" accords entirely with what the other Gospels attest: Jesus was crucified the day of preparation before the sabbath preceding the first day of the week Sunday. Matthew 27:57–28:1; Mark 15:42–16:2; Luke 23:50–24:1; John 19:31–20:1.
The conservative Christian has sound reasons for accepting the traditional reading of the Gospel texts, which state factually that the apostles prepared the Passover, and that the Lord's Supper was on the night of the Passover Seder with unleavened bread (made without yeast).
Biblical scholars are divided in their commentaries, saying the Lord's Supper was in Bethany, or was in Jerusalem, was on the 13th, 14th, or 15th of Nisan, at sunset Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evening, beginning Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday of that year, and that it was not Passover, or that it was the day before the actual evening of Passover, or that it was indeed the actual evening of Passover, so that they variously assert that Jesus was taken, scourged and crucified before Passover, on the day before Passover, or on the day of Passover itself, three days, two days, or one day before the Sabbath of Assembly of Unleavened Bread, the next day following as being either a distinctly separate Sabbath of Assembly before the weekly Saturday Sabbath which followed afterward, or as being in fact the weekly Saturday Sabbath which also happened to be the solemn Day of Assembly coincident that year with the same Sabbath day of the week, which made that Saturday Sabbath a High Day (John 19:31).
See multiple commentaries on John 13:1, Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12, Luke 22:7.

"He received a cup...'Take this, and share it among yourselves' "

Luke 22:17. The Elijah cup.
The Elijah cup concludes the ceremonial portion of the Passover seder, and the door is opened to welcome him. The celebrants then continue the meal and remain awake "watching" all night (Exodus 12:42).
Why Is Elijah the Prophet Invited to the Seder? Christians unfamiliar with the traditions of Passover often mistake the taking of this cup in Luke 22:17 as the beginning of the institution of the Christian Eucharist. In this verse 17 there is no mention of His blood. See multiple commentaries on Luke 22:17.
Two cups are mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The cup in verse 17 is the final Elijah cup. According to tradition, no one drinks from this cup before Elijah has come (Malachi 3:1-5, 4:5-6). Jesus had already announced privately to his disciples and to the people that Elijah has already come (Matthew 11:13-14; 17:10-12; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:13-17), and in the context of the fulfillment of the prophesy of Elijah's coming before the day of the Lord, it appears that for this reason he now gives the cup to his disciples to divide among themselves. The cup in verse 20 is the cup of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27). This is the "chalice", from the Latin word "calix", meaning "cup": hic est calix novum testamentum "This is the cup of the new testament". See Latin Vulgate text of Luke 22:20. It is also called the Holy Grail. After blessing it and saying, "This is my blood", Jesus does not drink from this cup (Luke 22:20, Matthew 26:27-29, Mark 14:23-25), but he gives it to his own disciples to drink.

"I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until God’s Kingdom comes"

Luke 22:14.
The nazarite vow, Book of Numbers, chapter 6. Every detail of Numbers 6 was fulfilled by Jesus, literally and spiritually. See the four senses of scripture: literal, allegorical, moral, anagogical.

"The disciples were amazed at his words"

Mark 10:24a.
A relevant Bible text inserted as an amplification appropriate to the setting. This verse inserted after Jesus' shocking announcement, expresses their natural reaction, parallel to the reaction they had to the astonishing words that he spoke to them in Mark 10:23-24. It also provides a link of progression between Matthew 26:21 and Mark 14:18 presenting the latter as an actual reiteration spoken by Jesus for emphasis, assuring them that they had not misunderstood him, instead of simply presenting the two statements as an unnecessary textual duplication. Mark 14:18 thus appears as a natural amplification of Matthew 26:21.

"Judas, who betrayed him, answered, 'It is not me, is it, Rabbi?' He said to him, 'You said it.' "

Matthew 26:25.
The apostles present there in the upper room do not react to this.
Readers who do not put themselves into the scenes of the Gospels as present onlookers often find this verse puzzling, and ask why the apostles did not apparently notice what Judas and Jesus said. According to the custom of the time they reclined comfortably at ease on their left sides on large bolsters or cushions arranged around the table, propping themselves up with their left arms and concealing as much as possible the left hand, and reaching and eating with their free right hands. On the conservative assumption that the Gospel is inerrant, faithful and accurate, Judas was reclining on his side next to Jesus and behind him, with the beloved disciple in front of Jesus also reclining on his side, and thus, Judas was able to lean forward and ask the question of his rabbi and master very quietly, probably in a soft whisper; and Jesus replied to him in the same quiet way. The apostles would then have perhaps noticed their lips moving without hearing what they said. The disciple whom Jesus loved, who was reclining on his side near Jesus' chest, also did not hear what they said to each other, if he heard them at all (John 13:23-25). Most ordinary people are normally able to whisper quietly to each other in a group setting without moving their lips as a conversation goes on around them. This is the most plausible and scientifically elegant answer, based on all the available textual evidence.
See the commentaries on Matthew 26:25.
Some may challenge this and ask how anyone could possibly know what was said, if it was said so unobtrusively as suggested here. Conservative Christians, believing the scriptures, are able to respond that Jesus himself told them what had happened and what he had said, in answer to their questions during the 40 days he was with them after he had risen from the dead (Acts 1:3). This equally applies to all those events in the Gospels when Jesus was alone, such as the three-fold temptation in the wilderness, and what he had said as he prayed a stone's-throw distance apart from them while they were asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed. His mother Mary was also the natural primary source of information about the circumstances surrounding the annunciation, birth and childhood of Jesus and what her husband Joseph had done (Luke 2:19, 51; Acts 1:14).

Critics of Christianity should not invent specious difficulties which can be so easily dismissed.

"After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him."

John 13:27
This invisible reality of a hidden fact is known with certainty to the writer John only by revelation of the truth of the matter, either by Jesus during the 40 days he was with the disciples after he was risen, in answer to their questions, as he spoke of the kingdom of God, or directly by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to John as he wrote his account of the Gospel. John 14:26.

"said to them...Take, eat...This is my body"

Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24; John 6:53 and 54.
Minimal redaction of the texts with intact collated words of Jesus from Matthew, Mark, Luke and First Corinthians.
Compare John 6:48-59.
The multiple repetition resulting from carefully retaining unaltered the integrity of each statement attributed to Jesus himself, instead of blending them as one, unexpectedly produces the same effect as if the Lord himself is giving to each of them individually, one-by-one, this first holy communion, with solemn words of repeated emphasis. The fully redacted text (WEB) with every word included might be presented as the following statement, uttered once only:
"Take, eat. This is my body which is given, broken for you. Do this in memory of me.
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood. All of you drink it, for this is my blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many for the remission of sins." (compact redaction).
"...broken for you..." He whom they saw before them in person bodily was already broken for them.
See Revelation 13:8; Acts 2:23.
He was already broken, already given, "slain from the foundation of the world" (KJV). "This is my body which is given, broken for you."
Compare St. Paul's statement, "We had the sentence of death in ourselves...". 2 Corinthians 1:9a
See multiple commentaries on these same verses:
Matthew 26:26 (commentaries)
Mark 14:22 (commentaries)
Luke 22:19 (commentaries)
1 Corinthians 11:24 (commentaries)
John 6:53 (commentaries)
John 6:54 (commentaries)
2 Peter 1:4 (commentaries).
Note that these commentaries are frequently in mutual contradiction to each other. What one affirms others deny. The collective thrust of the content of the biblehub.com commentaries linked here, taken together as a whole, is weighted in favor of the Zwinglian interpretation of the body and blood of the Lord as symbolism and metaphor only, as against the few commentaries in favor of the Lutheran Orthodox Catholic doctrines of the sacramental presence of the Lord, the Real presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity.
The Bible clearly and plainly says simply "This is my body"; "This is my blood". To those who say, "I don't see how the bread and wine could be his body and blood", two answers over many preceding centuries of reflection on the scriptures have been given:
(1) Jesus said it. We take him at his word. He is God. With God nothing is impossible. He made the bread one substance with his body. He made the wine one substance with his blood. He united them to his whole Person as one in substance with himself. He meant what he said. We eat his flesh and drink his blood. (John 6:27-59)
(2) Jesus said it. But we understand his word to be a symbolic metaphor. He did not make the bread his body. He did not make the cup his blood. This is plainly impossible. His word cannot be taken literally. The bread is not his body. The cup is not his blood. (John 6:35-47, John 6:63-64)
Those who "take him at his word" see in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 a condemnation and judgment of those who, even in the time of Paul, see only food and drink in the Lord's Supper, who see only a symbol, a condemnation and judgment of those who do not actually "discern the body and blood of the Lord". (Hebrews 13:10; 1 Corinthians 10:15-18; Hebrews 12:22-24; 10:29-31; John 1:29 and 1:36; John 6:40; 12:45; 14:9; John 6:53-58; John 17:23; 2 Peter 1:3-4)
Those who "don't see how the bread and wine could be his body and blood" see in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 a condemnation and judgment of those who irreverently disrespect the symbolism of Christ's sacrifice, a symbolism he himself ordained of using foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth, foods consecrated by the word of God and prayer, a condemnation and judgment of those who are not mindful of all he had done in sacrifice on the cross for their salvation, thinking only of their appetite and not of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:20-22; John 4:21-24; Jude 5 and 12; Hebrews 10:11-18; 13:8-10; 1 Timothy 4:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 John 5:21; Exodus 20:3-6; John 6:53-58; John 17:23; 2 Peter 1:3-4)
See Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version), longer form Chapter Fifteen — scroll down to marginal notes: "everyone who sees the Son" John 6:40 and "he who actually eats my flesh" John 6:54 — Sola scriptura textual analysis (Conservapedia).

"Eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom"

Luke 22:30
This verse is seen by many as a promise of the Eucharist. It is also taken as a promise of eternal salvation and everlasting life with Jesus forever in the unending banquet of rejoicing with him in heaven.

"Simon, Simon, ... I prayed for you, that your faith would not fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brethren."

Luke 22:31
Jesus does not say this to any one of his other apostles. He speaks to Peter as to the leader.
This verse together with Matthew 16:16 and John 21:15-17 have been adduced by Catholic apologists as scriptural support for the doctrine of Petrine Primacy.
See commentaries on Luke 22:31;
Matthew 16:18 and 19;
John 21:17.
The explanation, to which anti-popish controversies frequently had recourse, to the effect that the rock does not mean Peter himself, but instead the steadfast faith and the confession he made (Calovius, Ewald, Lange, Wieseler, for example), is incorrect, because the demonstrative expression, ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ, coming immediately after the ΣῪ ΕἾ ΠΈΤΡΟς (σὺ εἶ Πέτρος "you are Petros") can only point to the apostle himself, as does the καὶ δώσω, etc., which follows it.
See interlinear Matthew 16:18 ΣῪ ΕἾ ΠΈΤΡΟς and ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ
and interlinear Matthew 16:19 δώσω and what follows it.

"Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him, 'Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.' "

John 13:24
This presents no difficulty if Peter was lying close to the breast of the beloved disciple as they reclined at table, in just the same way as the disciple was lying close to Jesus in verse 23 "One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus."
This presents the reader, who places himself or herself in the scene in the Upper Room in front of them, facing the gathering at the table, with a sequence or order of seating, of reclining at table, as follows, from left to right [  ] Peter, John, Jesus, Judas: Simon Peter on the left, then the Beloved Disciple, then Jesus, and Judas behind Jesus, also lying close to him, their upper bodies toward the right, their feet behind them to the left and unseen. An observer standing behind the gathered participants would then see them reclining in this same positional order, their upper bodies to the left, the soles of their sandals and feet exposed, as reclining in their places from left to right [  ], Judas, Jesus, John, Peter (and from right to left [  ], Peter, John, Jesus, Judas). Jesus announces the betrayal, and Judas leans forward toward the Lord and asks him quietly, "Is it I?", and Jesus says, "You have said." (Matthew 26:25). After the washing of their feet, Jesus declares [again] that one of them will betray him, and Peter, lying near John, leans back and beckons to him with his right hand. John leans forward to Peter, who leans back toward John and says to him, "Tell us who it is," and John leans back toward Jesus and asks him quietly, "Lord, who is it?" (John 13:21-25)

"some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, 'Buy what things we need for the feast' "

John 13:27
On the erroneous assumption that the meaning of the Passover feast is of necessity strictly confined to the single night of Nisan 14 in the Jewish calendar (beginning sundown Nisan 13), and therefore that it could not possibly apply to the following days of the feast, many readers and scholars have assumed on the basis of this text John 13:27 that the Lord's Supper could not have been on the night of the actual Jewish Passover Seder on the evening of 13th/14th Nisan, and that they thought that the Lord on the evening of Wednesday/Thursday 12th/13th of Nisan was of necessity anticipating its observance, before He suffered on the morning of the next day (Thursday), dying in the afternoon (Thursday), and entombed just before sunset (Thursday) 24 hours later, which would have immediately preceded the beginning of the feast of the Passover at sundown Thursday evening A.D. 33 beginning Friday the 14th of Nisan, and therefore interpret this verse as saying that they thought Jesus was telling Judas to make preparations for the Passover to come the next day (Thursday evening beginning Friday), and thus assume that it had not yet occurred. This reading sets scripture against scripture and speciously presents an apparently unresolvable conflict of John against the Synoptics.
Matthew Henry says, "See the infidel, who only looks at the Scriptures with a desire to do away their authority and destroy their influence"—Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary (John 13:18-30).
As noted above, the feast of Unleavened Bread called Passover was a feast of eight days (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:1). On the assumption of many scholars that the Synoptics accurately present us with the fact that the Lord's Supper was indeed on the first night of the Passover Seder ("I have longed to eat this Passover with you" Luke 22:15, emphasis added), they interpret (read) this verse John 13:27 as John's explanation that the thought of the disciples was that Jesus had told Judas to procure the things needed also for the next evening, for the second (or third and fourth evenings) of the feast. Moreover, their thought regarding "things we need for the feast" can also more immediately be assumed instead to be additional chagigah foods perhaps needed that same night after the ceremonial observance of the Seder in order to conveniently extend the feast of celebration that followed on throughout the night until dawn, as was the normal custom on the night of the vigil, and this too could have been what they thought Jesus had told Judas to go and do. This harmonizing reading of the literal sense of scripture is presumptive of a complete agreement of John and the Synoptics, and resolves the dilemma on the assumption that scripture cannot be read as conflicting with scripture.
Critics of this reading in the context of the eight days of Unleavened Bread called Passover as "the feast" of verse 27 can point out that the assumption of scriptural harmonists, that verse 27 implicitly means "buy what additional things we need for the feast", is an unsupportable eisegetical reading of inserting an implicit word, "additional", in the text which is not there.
Apologists can point out that even without the implicit reading of the word "additional" the actual text does not of itself rigorously demand the conversely implicit reading that the apostles thought that Jesus told Judas to "buy what we need in preparation for the feast" (of Passover). This implicit reading of the words, "in preparation", is likewise an unsupportable eisegetical reading of inserting in the text what is not there, and it additionally introduces a conflict which opposes the harmony of the context of the whole of scripture.
An unwillingness to read scripture in harmony with the whole of the Bible together with the Christian traditional understanding that the Bible does not contradict itself is seen by Conservative Christian Bible believers as an example of Academic dishonesty. See Damning the Alternatives and Confirmation bias.
In either case of scriptural conflict or harmony of scripture the apostles were not aware of what Jesus had said to Judas just before he immediately departed and went out.
Compare multiple commentaries on John 13:27.

"I AM going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I AM, you may be there also."

John 14:2-3
A peculiarly odd eisegetical interpretive reading of these words of the Lord hears them, not as spoken before his crucifixion, death and burial in a tomb, as an assurance to them that he would rise from the dead and return to them again alive, but instead implicitly places them within a post-resurrection context, and interprets them just as if they were spoken to them after his resurrection and at the end of the 40 days when he took them outside of Jerusalem as far as Bethany and spoke to them in farewell just before his ascension, "I AM going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I AM, you may be there also."
This passage has been interpreted as both
(John 19:30 "It is finished!"; John 20:19 "Jesus came and stood among them"; Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me"; Mark 16:9-15 "Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves"; Luke 24:33-40 "Jesus himself stood among them")
—Jesus on the cross finished preparing a place for them to be able to participate with him in the fulfillment of his sacrifice on the cross for the salvation of the world
(Matthew 10:24-25; Ephesians 2:18-22; John 12:26; John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 1:5; 4:8-11; Acts 20:28; Colossians 1:24; Revelation 6:10-11; 12:11; Hebrews 12:7-11),
and then he came again to them after he rose from the dead and took them to himself as his own, as members of his own body, he in them and they in him
(Matthew 25:34-46; Acts 9:4-5; Philippians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 12:4-28; Ephesians 2:5-6, 19-22; John 17:20-24; Hebrews 12:18-29).
See multiple commentaries on John 14:3—this linked biblehub.com page features MacLaren's Expositions on The Forerunner (Christ) John 14:2 - John 14:3, in which he asserts:
"Death is Christ’s minister, ‘mighty and beauteous, though his face be dark,’ and he, too, stands amidst the ranks of the ‘ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them that shall be heirs of salvation.’ "
He is not alone in holding this opinion of death [1] [2] [3], a teaching which absolutely contradicts the biblical doctrine that death is the final enemy of man and God to be destroyed, the vile offspring of sin, destined to be condemned to the lake of fire, which is the second death:
Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 9:11 "Apollyon" = "Destroyer"; Revelation 12:7-9; Wisdom 1:12-13; 2:23-24; James 1:13-15; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:4 "no more death".
See The Parousia: A Careful Look at the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming (1878), By James Stuart Russell, 443 pages (preteristcentral.com). James Stuart Russell (1816-1895) "served as pastor of the Congregational Church in Bayswater, England during the years 1862-1888. He earned his M.A. degree from King's College, University of Aberdeen. Then after this book was published, they honoured him with a D.D. degree. The book was written during the then rising tide of dispensational millennialism that started gaining worldwide momentum after about 1850. Two editions were published, the first in 1878 and the second in 1887, both in London. The pdf link here is a 1996 reprint by Kingdom Publications, 122 Seaward Ave, Bradford, PA 16701. At the time of this reprint it was the most popular introduction to and defense of the preterist view of Bible Prophecy in print.
—On page 118 James Stuart Russell explains the preterist doctrine that John 14:3, 14:18, 14:28; 16:16, 16:22 and 21:22 were completely fulfilled within the lifetime of the Apostle John.

Compare Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis).

"another Paraclete, another Defending Advocate"

John 14:16, 24; 15:26; 16:7
An amplification of Greek Παράκλητον Paracleton (14:16) Παράκλητος Parakletos (14:24; 15:26; 16:7), "Paraclete" = Advocate, Defender, Counselor, Shield, Protector, Intercessor (see also Romans 8:26-27, 34).
Compare Romans 11:2 (Elijah intercedes against Israel); Hebrews 7:25 (Christ makes intercession); 1 Timothy 2:1 (Christians as intercessors). See Intercession and Mediation; compare Intercession of the saints.
The Greek term transliterated as Parakletos "Paraclete" has no fully adequate equivalent term in English. The commonly used term "Comforter" as a translation is incomplete, even weak and misleading, failing as it does to convey the powerful working of the Holy Spirit as the Supreme Paraclete against the enemy of souls. Included here is the semantical meaning of the Old Testament שָׁפַט "Judge" as a divinely appointed defender of Israel against the enemies of God's chosen people in the Book of Judges and the meaning of "Saviors" in the Book of Obadiah (Obadiah 21). This is comparable to the medieval European concept of the warrior as "champion" defender on behalf of one accused of a capital crime in a court of law, one who "champions" the cause of the accused, a knight who was appointed to do battle in combat against the "champion" assigned to take the part of the accuser or the prosecutor on behalf of the Ruling Monarch, in the belief that God will empower the right and true and righteous against the false and wrong and unrighteous. For this reason, the modern 20th-21st century meaning of the legal term "Advocate" as "Counsellor" and "Defense" in the Divine Court of the Lord is also incomplete; the meaning of "Rescuer" and "Divine Guide" is likewise included but also falls far short as insufficient to express the fuller meaning of Paraclete—"one who stands with, beside, taking the part of another, as champion, defender and advocate, and consoler of the weak, as invincible consolation from the Lord". See
The Conservative Bible reading of Παράκλητος Parakletos "Paraclete" and Πνύμα τό Άγιον Pneuma to Hagion "the Holy Spirit" as "Divine Guide" is consonant with the Christian theological phrase "holy Spirit, advocate and guide" most famously known in the Catholic Ambrosian Hymn Te Deum Laudamus (britannica.com) - Latin and English text
"...Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide."
Compare Revelation 12:7-12; Luke 10:17-20.

"I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, another Defending Advocate, that he may be with you forever: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive; for it does not see him and does not know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you."

John 14:16-17
see also pronoun "he" in John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13.
The Greek text of the New Testament does not present the masculine pronoun in referring to the Holy Spirit. The term the inspired sacred author uses is a gender neutral form, the Greek words for
"am" ē,
"he/she/it" αὐτὸ/αὐτὸς,
"this" ἐκεῖνος,
"the holy [thing/one]" τὸ ἅγιον.
Compare Luke 1:35, where the Archangel Gabriel says to Mary, "that holy [thing] which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (KJV). —τὸ "the" ἅγιον "holy" [one].
See interlinear texts of
Luke 1:35
John 14:16
John 14:17
John 14:26
John 15:26
John 16:13
Many translators of the Bible have carefully pondered the linguistic question of of how to refer to the Person of God the Holy Spirit with appropriately reverent dignity by a literal translation which is gender neutral, neither male nor female. Careful notes accompanying the text have been proposed. Because sacred scripture overwhelmingly refers to God as Father (in both the Old and New Testaments) and the fact that the Incarnation of the Word of the Father is God the Son, many of them read (use) the masculine gender in reference to God the Holy Spirit as a means of expressing the personal dignity of the Spirit of God, as a way of avoiding an uninformed ignorant misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the literal sense of scripture by the reader (2 Peter 3:15-18).
"God is Spirit, and those who worship him [αὐτὸν auton he/she/it] must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24)
See the interlinear text).
Some theologians on the basis of the gender neutral form in those Greek texts which refer to the Holy Spirit have persistently maintained that the Holy Spirit is not a divine Person but an impersonal "thing" that has not the dignity of being in any way the living personal Spirit of God but instead an Impersonal Divine Presence emanating from God the Father like a radiant Force or Influence, or an undefined infinitely pervasive Guiding Intelligence, a "this", a "thing", an "it", generated by God, simply the breath of God or the Pure Mind/Intelligence/Wisdom of God. This is the doctrinal position of some religions and denominations and thinkers in opposition to the trinitarian dogma defined by the ecumenical Council of Chalcedon.
Mainstream Christian theologians have acknowledged that God is beyond any limitation of gender, and as creator of all things is the Author of both the masculine and the feminine forms of nature ("male and female he created them" Genesis 1:27). Some theologians, exegetes and textual critics have asserted in their hermeneutic, against the gender neutral language of the Greek text, that the Holy Spirit is explicitly the Divine Feminine, God the Mother, although nowhere in the Bible is the feminine pronoun predicated of God; and as textual support (proof text) for their position they point to passages in the Bible such as—
Proverbs 1:20-33;
Proverbs 8:1-36;
Wisdom 6:12-16;
Wisdom 7:7–9:18;
Sirach 24;
Isaiah 66:13;
Matthew 23:37;
Luke 13:34
texts which orthodox catholic Christian exegetes consistently read as referring to Jesus Christ the Word of God "born of the Father before all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father".
Many readers of these texts object that the feminine pronoun predicated of wisdom is neither appropriate nor applicable to Jesus as the Son of God and as a man. Paul himself wrote that Jesus is the wisdom of God, which has made foolish the philosophical wisdom of man,
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and Colossians 1:15–3:11.
And because Jesus is Wisdom, the Word of God Incarnate, the Old Testament texts of Wisdom 1:4 and 8:20 have been cited as scriptural support for the doctrine that his mother Mary, the Theotokos, was sinless, body and soul. See Hebrews 10:5.
Because Proverbs 8:22 (and other parallel texts) as applied to Christ explicitly says of Wisdom that "the LORD created me in the beginning of his way", both ancient and modern Arian doctrine cites this and other texts as scriptural proof that the Word of God was created, "a god" (John 1:1 NWT), the highest creature of God, but a god nonetheless, resulting in more than one God (see Psalm 82:6; John 10:34-36). This polytheistic Aryan doctrine, which is strongly parallel to Mormon theology, contradicts the Christian doctrine of monotheism.
A parallel theology of the divine feminine aspect of the One is found in the teachings of the Jewish mystic Isaac Luria who was the fundamental genius and primary influence on the development of the medieval Kabbalah and its mystical doctrine of the feminine nature of the Shekinah glory of God. Compare Baruch Spinoza. A similar concept of the Divine Androgyne is prominent in the mystical doctrines of Gnosticism and of the modern esoteric Schools of Metaphysics, such as Theosophy and Rosicrucianism, which have influenced the new age movement.
Lucifer: The Divine Androgyne, the Ancient God of the Modern Transgender Movement, Steve Barwick (haveyenotread.com) Author Steve Barwick cites pagan, occultist, and Kabbalist texts.
This deviation from the constant, ancient Judeo-Christian tradition has been taken up as a rational argument by apologists and theologians of the feminist movement since the sexual revolution of the 1960's in the U.S. and Europe. This novel feminist doctrinal position is rejected by the majority of mainstream Protestant churches, although many of them have adopted aspects of it as a basis for the ordination of women as pastors, priests and bishops. It has long been formally condemned by the Orthodox Patriarchates and the Catholic Magisterium for centuries as a heresy.
The Lordship and teaching of Jesus Christ, the constant apostolic tradition of dogmatic Christian doctrine as guaranteed by the unfailing and infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit of truth, and the divinely established authority of the pastoral teaching offices of Christian leadership over the body of Christ are not invalidated or proven false by the appalling treachery of individual members of the Church like Judas (John 6:70; 13:2) and the false Christian brethren in the Church who acted independently on their own against the authorization and governing authority of Peter and James, Paul and Timothy, Titus, John and Jude
(Romans 13:1-5; Acts 15:24; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 2 Corinthians 11:13, 26; 1 Timothy 1:3-6, 18-20; 3:14-15; 4:11-16; 2 Timothy 2:12-13; Titus 1:10-16; 3:1-11; 3 John 9-11; Jude 3-4, 14-19; Revelation 2:18-26)
nor are they invalidated or proven false by the appalling treachery of the hypocrisy of the bad example of the corrupt moral scandal of those officially entrusted with the authoritative office of Christian leaders, rulers, instructors, teachers, politicians, who profess to be Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Independent, missionaries, evangelists, revivalists, televangelists, and those who publicly and privately profess to be saved. Their scandals and abuses do not invalidate doctrine or prove the Church is ruled by the Devil. Sinful moral behavior is not evidence of official doctrine.
Suggestions that Mary the Mother of Jesus is herself an incarnation or personal Manifestation of the Holy Spirit have been roundly condemned, being seen as being rooted in pagan syncretism and the Gnosticism of Simon Magus, and as thoroughly antithetical to the true Christian Doctrine handed on to us by the Apostles of the Lord and faithfully preserved and guarded and interpreted by constant Christian tradition. These suggestions, together with the condemnation uttered by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah against the pagan Mother Goddess under the title, "the queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-25), are the basis of hostility toward designating Mary as crowned by God Queen of Heaven, Queen of the Universe, Theotokos, Mediatrix, Co-Redemptrix and Advocate together with Jesus, hostility that mainstream Catholic theologians insist is generated by anti-Catholic and anti-Orthodox polemic based solely on a severe misunderstanding and deliberate misrepresentation of the true meaning and intent of the theology underlying these titles, and the erroneous belief of Christian Fundamentalists that both Catholicism and Orthodoxy teach that Mary is a goddess and worship her as one (Fallacy of analogy), which they categorically and absolutely deny without any qualification of any kind whatever, and which Catholic apologists take great pains to explain away.
When considering the truth or falsehood of polemical arguments of one denomination against another, especially the charge of apostasy from the pure doctrine of the Holy Spirit, every honest Christian is mindful of King Solomon's inspired observation in Proverbs 18:1 "In estrangement, one seeks pretexts; with all persistence he seeks a quarrel", and Proverbs 18:17 "The one who first states a case seems right, until the other comes and cross-examines him". This applies to Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant polemic and apologetics.
Even a superficial neutral and impartial observation of the religious scene makes patently absurd the Protestant accusation that Orthodox and Catholic worship exalts Mary as the one supreme Mother Goddess far above Christ and that Jesus has been dismissed and replaced by her as supreme in their worship in both the Divine Liturgy in the East and the Holy Mass in the West, because of the obvious historical fact that those Churches never did and do not even now assign to the commemoration of her birth on the 8th of September a greater importance than their celebration of the solemnity of the Birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day—for if they really believed and do believe that Mary is greater than Jesus, then beyond any doubt the annual Catholic and Orthodox celebrations of her birth would be greater and far more visible than the worldwide celebrations of either Christmas or Easter or both combined. See Nativity of the Theotokos - Orthodox Faith (oca.org) and The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: The birthday of the Mother of God (thoughtco.com). Moreover, a careful examination of the official liturgical texts of worship shows that none of the Prayers at the Altar of the Divine Liturgy in the East and the Holy Mass in the West is addressed to Mary, but instead are addressed only to God the Father and Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Compare James 5:19-20; James 5:16-18; Acts 1:14; 1 John 4:14; John 20:21-23; Ephesians 4:3-16; Philippians 2:13; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Romans 8:27; 2 Peter 1:12-15; see also 2 Maccabees 15:7-14.
See the following:
Two views are represented on the ordination of the apostolic ministry:
—that the apostles chosen by Christ were twelve men who were ordained priests by Christ at the last supper, and women are not mentioned in the accounts of the Gospel on either occasion (Matthew 10:1-4; 26:20-29; Mark 3:13-19; 14:17-25; Luke 6:12-16; 22:14-20, 28-29; John 13:1–16:26);
—that the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost ordained as priests all of the members of the assembly of the church in the gathering in the upper room together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brethren, in Acts 1:12-14 and 2:1-3.
On the principle of biblical exegesis according to sola scriptura the Greek words translated "ordained" and "ordain" as meaning ordination are found only in the King James Version of Mark 3:14; John 15:16; Acts 1:22; and in Acts 14:23; and Titus 1:5, as having to do with the ordination of presbyteroi "elders".
Other versions read "appointed" and "appoint", "chosen" and "choose", without suggesting the necessary connotation of the centuries-old Christian tradition of solemn spiritual ordination to authoritative ministry in Christ. See
interlinear text of Mark 3:14 and versions
interlinear text of John 15:16 and versions
interlinear text of Acts 1:22 and versions
interlinear text of Acts 14:23 and versions
interlinear text of Titus 1:5 and versions
In these texts women are not mentioned.
Two exegetical principles are put forth:
—whatever the Bible does not explicitly command as doctrine and practice is not authorized by God, and is condemned as anathema (an application of 1 Corinthians 4:6 "not to think above that which is written", omitting the KJV inserted italics "of men");
—whatever the Bible does not explicitly forbid and is in accordance with love through the prompting of the Holy Spirit as discerned by the people of God is permitted by God and cannot reasonably be condemned (an application of 1 John 2:27; John 14:26 "But the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things", omitting the KJV inserted italics "which is").
This raises the question of who has authority to say which of these is correct?
See Apostolic succession and Great Apostasy.

"They rose up and sang a song, according to the custom of the Passover."

An amplification of the text from Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26, followed by Psalm 80 (WEB text).
When they rise at Jesus' command in readiness to leave the upper room, they sing a sacred song according to traditional Pesach custom (see Passover Seder). After John 14:31 "Rise, let us go hence" (RSV), the words of Jesus in John 15:1-8 strongly evoke the several images and language of only one psalm, Psalm 80, the only one which speaks of the vine brought out of Egypt, the present longing for deliverance, and the Son of man whom they understood to be Jesus: "let thine hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the son of man whom thou hast made strong for thyself". It has accordingly been included here in this Harmony of the Gospel as the most probable song the apostles chose to sing that night, in line with the editorial principles explained in the main article of this feature and the general purpose of a Redaction, and what is known of first century Judean socio-religious customs and the restless sentiment of the people under the occupying power of the Roman Procurator, and the belief of the apostles that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14 (see John 1:43-50; 4:25, 39-42; Matthew 16:13-20).

"He who has seen me has seen the Father."

John 14:9b.
Anyone who did not believe this would have said, "I see only a man, not God."
The Catholic and Orthodox churches claim that the consecrated Host (unleavened wheat wafer) or Prosphora (flat leavened bread) of the Eucharist is Jesus himself truly present under the appearance of bread; and because of this doctrine the priest at the Roman Catholic Mass, when he lifts up the Host, says, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The priest at the Orthodox Divine Liturgy presents the Chalice and intones, "With the fear of God, faith and love, draw near."
Compare commentaries on John 6:40.
Those who do not believe in the Real presence say, "I see only a piece of bread." Catholic and Orthodox apologists assert that what Jesus said to Philip also applies directly to the Eucharistic Host. They claim that he who has seen a legitimately consecrated Host or Prosphora has seen Christ: "He who has seen me has seen the Father." See Transubstantiation.
(See also Leavened or Unleavened: What's the Difference? George R. A. Aquaro (prosphora.org))

"If a man does not remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered"

John 15:6a
An allusion to the Septuagint text, Wisdom 4:4-5

"If a man does not remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned."

John 15:8
Compare Hebrews 6:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:20; Matthew 13:30.
During the Middle Ages, and the Protestant Reformation, such texts were taken as scriptural approbation of the customary secular penalty for treason against Church and State. Both persistent heresy and apostasy from established authority were deemed to be serious threats to the stability and safety of society, as dangerous to public health, and as autocratic rebellion against God by promoting antinomianism and anarchy, as Satanic snares designed to destroy souls (murdering souls) by speciously drawing them away from the truth of the Gospel so that they might unwittingly separate themselves from God and damn themselves to hell. Both sides in doctrinal controversy quote Acts 5:29, with the authorities also citing Romans 13:1-7. Compare the case of Michael Servetus and John Calvin (see List of people burned as heretics - Wikipedia). Persistently unrepentant heretics and apostates were considered to be entirely self-excluded from Christianity through their own fault as ipso facto most definitively fallen from grace (Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31) and no longer under the protection of the Church, and were remanded to the civil authority, which subsequently exercised its own authority in the secular sphere according to the rule of law and either imprisoned them or (after long imprisonment and torture) executed them finally as traitors to the government and the people. Compare the case of Thomas More and Henry VIII.
In cases of wide-spread disorder, campaigns have been mounted against disruptive heretical movements, such as the Cathars, Waldensians, Albigensians (see Heresies based on abusive use of vernacular translations), and more recently Cults such as Jonestown and the Branch Davidians, and radicalized individuals such as the followers of Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and modern terrorist groups. See Clear and present danger.
Governments today use other methods against traitors, such as waterboarding, torture, indefinite imprisonment, hanging, electrocution, lethal injection; and in the case of Islamic Extremism, beheading—and in rare documented instances, also burning, e.g. Islamic State Video Shows Turkish Soldiers Walked Like Dogs, Burned Alive (breitbart.com).

"the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father...I came from the Father, and have come into the world."

John 15:26 "proceeds from the Father"
Greek ἐκπορεύεται ekporeuetai
John 16:28 "came from the Father"
Greek ἐξῆλθον exelthon
Compare Strong's numbers:
1607 ἐκπορεύεται (ekporeuetai) "come from"
1831 ἐξῆλθον (exēlthon) "come from"
These two Greek synonyms appear as a grammatical demonstration that both the Holy Spirit and the Son proceed, come forth, from the Father. This also appears to Catholic exegetes to resolve the controversy over the filioque clause. The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son, one God as one originating Principle from Whom the Spirit proceeds, "comes from" God. The Spirit of the Father is the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit Who proceeds from the Father simultaneously proceeds from the Son as proceeding forth from one God. The Son is eternally begotten by the Father, eternally begotten by the power of the Holy Spirit, eternally begotten by God. According to Galatians 4:6 the Spirit "comes from" the Son and the Father, the Father Who sends the Spirit forth from the Son, the Son Who sends the Spirit forth from the Father: see the interlinear text of Galatians 4:6. and the interlinear text of John 8:42, and the interlinear text of John 16:7. Moreover, sacred scripture testifies that the Spirit of the Father is the Spirit of the Son and is one Spirit of God. Romans 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11
See The Procession of the Holy Spirit and the Filioque Clause in the Nicene-Constantinople Creed, Michal Hunt (agapebiblestudy.com) The author cites St. John Chrysostom, the 4th century Archbishop of Constantinople, who contends that "there is no contradiction, since it is the Father who sends the Spirit and it is the Son who sends the Spirit, and the one Spirit who proceeds forth as sent from God is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son"—John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of St. John, Homily LXXV & LXXVII.
The Athanasian Creed of Saint Athanasius (ca. 296 to 298—2 May 373), the 4th century Bishop of Alexandria, Doctor of the Church, dogmatically states:
"21.The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten.
"22.The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten.
"23.The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding."
The Greek text from the time of Athanasius and the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed has no punctuation, no commas.
Note the position of the first comma in the last sentence of the translation as quoted here above.
"The Holy Ghost is of the Father,
and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding."
When the comma (or semicolon, in other translations) is removed from immediately after "the Father" and positioned immediately after "of the Son", it reads:
"The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son,
neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding."
The first punctuation is Orthodox, the second is Catholic.
Orthodoxy firmly defends the doctrine that the Holy Spirit proceeds forth from the Father alone fully according to the most ancient, unbroken apostolic faith of the original twelve apostles, and that the doctrine defended by Catholicism in the Filioque Clause is unquestionably and undeniably an unorthodox (heterodox) heresy. Orthodoxy maintains that the Holy Spirit does not, did not, and never has, proceeded eternally from the Son of the Father as the one originating principle of being (the one principle of origination) within the interior oeconomia of the Divine and Holy Trinity, but only dia "through" the Son.
See
See also
"Edicts of an ecumenical council are binding on Christians, but they are not binding on another ecumenical council unless they are pronouncing a matter of faith or morals."
At issue is the question of whether the eternal Father through the Holy Spirit proceeding eternally forth from him spirates or "breathes forth" the eternal Word the Logos, the eternally-begotten Son "born of the Father before all ages", or whether the eternal Father through the eternal Word the Logos, the eternally-begotten Son "born of the Father before all ages", spirates or "breathes forth" the Holy Spirit proceeding eternally forth from him, or whether the Father and the Son, in unity of being, eternally spirate or "breathe forth" their one Holy Spirit simultaneously into each other as being one Divine Essence in God the Holy Spirit as One Being. According to the most ancient Greek fathers, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father to the Son and proceeds from the Son to the Father, proceeding from each into the other, One God coming forth from One God, God from God to God in God. See
See the following Christian Monarchian articles against Trinitarianism:
—"The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God in three manifestations. There is one God and one Spirit and this God and this Spirit as to time and eternity is Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Spirit in regeneration." ...
—"No one can accept the trinity without becoming at that very instant a Catholic. The creeds state this, and those who use the Creeds to substanitiate their doctrine of the trinity proves they are Catholics." —G. Reckart (jesus-messiah.com)
Compare: Monarchianism; Modalism; Unitarianism.
Read John 14:10-23 (KJV) and 16:7-15 (KJV).

"when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth"

John 16:13.
The Third Person of the Holy Trinity, God the Holy Spirit.
The greatest challenge in history has always been the question of truth. It is the central issue of religion and philosophy, which directly involves controversies over authority and education and the central debate between theism and atheism, the differences between paganism and Judaism and Christianity, and the divide between Catholicism and Protestantism with issues of Heresy and controversies over the canon of the Bible.
See multiple commentaries on the following verses of the Bible relating to the Holy Spirit, and to discerning who has authority to teach the truth of God:
John 14:16
John 14:17
John 14:23
John 14:26
John 15:6
John 15:26
John 16:7
John 16:13
John 17:17 "thy word is truth"
John 18:37 "bear witness to the truth"
John 18:38 "What is truth?"
Deuteronomy 17:12
Deuteronomy 18:15
Matthew 10:40
Matthew 16:19
Matthew 18:17
Matthew 18:18
Matthew 28:20
Mark 9:37
Luke 10:16
John 13:20
Acts 4:18
Acts 4:19
Romans 13:1
Romans 16:17
1 Corinthians 3:16
1 Corinthians 3:17
Galatians 1:8
Ephesians 3:10 "through the church"
1 Timothy 3:15 "the pillar and ground of truth"
1 Timothy 4:1 "some", not "the church"
1 Timothy 6:3
1 Timothy 6:4
1 Timothy 6:5
2 Timothy 4:3
2 Timothy 4:4
Titus 3:1
Titus 3:10
Titus 3:11
Hebrews 12:15
Hebrews 13:17
2 Peter 1:20
2 Peter 1:21
2 Peter 2:1
2 Peter 2:10
2 Peter 3:16
2 Peter 3:17
1 John 2:18
2 John 10
Jude 8
Jude 11
Numbers 16:3
Revelation 22:18
Revelation 22:19
Both church authorities and those denounced by them as rebellious heretics firmly assert against each other,
"Whoever opposes my interpretation of scripture is heretical and apostate and antichrist, and by repeatedly stubborn opposition to the clear meaning of scripture which I have set before you resists the authority and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and is manifestly an enemy of the truth and follower of the Devil."
At issue is the fulfillment of the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ guaranteeing the discernment of the fulness of the truth of the Gospel as actually revealed by God through the infallible guidance of the Spirit of truth.
Two fundamentally opposed positions confront anyone seeking to discern the truth of Christian doctrine:
—The truth of any doctrine proposed by the magisterium is always subordinate and subject to correction according to the interpretation of scripture by the discernment of the individual Christian believer and by the discernment of any group of ordinary like-minded Christians in agreement with each other under the infallible guiding inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
—The truth of any doctrine proposed by the individual Christian believer and by the discernment of any group of ordinary like-minded Christians in agreement with each other is always subordinate and subject to correction according to the interpretation of scripture by the discernment of the magisterium under the infallible guiding inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The ordinary Christian who has read the whole of scripture according to its simple and plain sense is faced with the evident teaching in the Bible that no man nor company of men, no church nor public officers, are to interpret the Scripture of their own heads, according to their own minds, so as to make their private sense be the sense of Scripture, but to seek the understanding of it from God in humble obedience to those who are over them as chief shepherds of the flock (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-5), who through them shows them the fuller meaning of the word in the word itself, resolving doubts and controversies over it, and by his Spirit leads believers, in their searching the Scripture, into the understanding of his mind in it: God himself being the Author of the word. Those who reject authority reject God (Romans 13:1-2; Matthew 23:1-12; 1 Corinthians 4; 1 Peter 3:13-17). On the principle of sola scriptura the Bible has no text that commands foully insulting disrespect and disobedience toward authority, either pagan or Christian, civil authority or ecclesiastical head (1 Peter 2:12-23; 3:9-17; 2 Peter 2:9-11; Jude 8-10).
The following resources are relevant to the issue of discernment of truth "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth, forever." (John 14:15-16; 16:12-14)
Epistles of Ignatius about A.D. 110, regarding authority in the early church.
Pentarchy - Christianity - Britannica Encyclopedia (britannica.com) "Rule of Five"—The historical development of the five primary Patriarchates of the Christian Catholic Church, and the controversial removal of the Primacy of Authority from the Bishop of Rome to the Patriarch of Constantinople by the Emperor as earthly head of the Church.
Caesaropapism - Britannica Encyclopedia (britannica.com)
Conflict of Investitures - Catholic Encyclopedia (newadvent.org)
List of movements declared heretical by the Catholic Church - Wikipedia
Exsurge Domini Condemning the Errors of Martin Luther (papalencyclicals.net)
Against the Execrable Bull of the Antichrist (exerpt) (law2.umke.edu)
Luther: Sola Scriptura Had a "Devastating Effect"? – Beggars All (beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com)
Christian Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, by Archbishop Athenagoras (Kokkinakis) of Thyatira (orthodoxresearchinstitute.org)
Are Protestantism and Roman Catholicism Heretical? (orthodoxinfo.com)
How Should We Interpret the Bible, Part 1: Principles for Understanding God's Word. Apologetics, by Tim Chaffey (answersingenesis.org)
Tyndale's Ploughboy, Dr. Herbert L. Samworth (tyndalesploughboy.org) Protestant Hermeneutics on "Rightly dividing the Word of Truth"—Dr. Samworth offers a practical program of informed Biblical interpretation and systematic study from the Protestant perspective and Evangelical Christian tradition. (The Holy Spirit leading into all truth.)
Biblical Evidence for Catholicism with Dave Armstrong: Catholic Hermeneutics and Exegesis: Resources and Links, Dave Armstrong (patheos.com) Catholic Hermeneutics on "Holding to the traditions which you were taught" in which "we have the mind of Christ"—Dave Armstrong offers guidelines to an informed understanding of scripture without distortion and a listing of online sites and resources with practical programs of study from the Catholic perspective of 2000 years of orthodox catholic Christian tradition. (The Holy Spirit leading into all truth.)
An Orthodox Hermeneutic, by Fr. Stephen Freeman (ancientfaith.com) Orthodox Hermeneutics as the legitimate expression of the Christian doctrine that the Church is "manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart" (2 Corinthians 3:3)—Fr. Freeman declares that, to a certain extent, to say that the Scriptures are the Church’s book is a tautology, for either the Church as a whole, tradition, scripture and worship, is that epistle, written in the fleshy tables of the heart, or it is not the Church at all. Therefore a legitimately informed understanding of sacred scripture is properly done only according to the whole content of the pure Orthodox Faith of the Apostles apart from the adulterations of illegitimate and heretical distortions of non-Orthodox heterodoxy. See Orthodox Study Bible [4] [5] [6]. (The Holy Spirit leading into all truth.)
The So-called "Great Apostasy" Has Already Come to Pass! But it did not happen when non-Catholics claim it happened. And Holy Scripture teaches that it could not be the Church which Jesus Christ founded. Written by Bob Stanley (thecatholictreasurechest.com)
Neo-Montanism: Pentecostalism is the ancient heresy of Montanism revived (bible.ca)
Understanding The Charismatic Movement, Ed Stetzer (christianitytoday.com)
The most important key controversial argument drawn from the whole context of the above extensive list of Bible texts and others in the Bible is that "the true Church" is
  • not one founded by someone who teaches that the truth and the Holy Spirit departed from the earth for a time (centuries) so that the gospel of Christ was not taught in truth all that time
  • not one founded by someone who teaches that the gospel has "only now" been restored in all its fullness,
  • not one founded by someone who disobeyed those who were "over [him/her] in the Lord",
  • not one founded by someone who "went out from" a church and separated from it,
  • not one founded by someone who taught a doctrine different from the church he/she left,
  • not one founded by someone who teaches that the established secular governments and the religious authorities of any long-established institutional church of organized religion have no authority from God that the people of God are obligated to obey,
  • not one founded by someone who takes words out of the original languages of the book of the Bible or adds them,
  • not one founded by someone who falsifies copies of the Bible with changed texts, forged manuscipts or inaccurate translations which change its meaning,
  • not one founded by someone who removed books from the Bible or added books to the Bible,
  • not one founded by someone who changes the understanding of the meaning of biblical texts or the Bible as a whole with doctrinal distortions of interpretation and agenda-based commentaries,
  • not one founded by someone who claims a new revelation from God which contradicts the scriptures and abolishes all previous revelation and religion,
  • not one founded by someone who claims to be a messiah and savior superior to Jesus.
This argument is a form of mathematical logic or algebraic formulation (like the Argument from religious experience):
God exists,
God gave Jesus all authority in heaven and earth,
Jesus pointed to his miraculous works as evidence and cause to believe in his authority,
Jesus gave his twelve apostles all authority to teach and preach,
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit on the church to lead it into all truth forever,
the twelve apostles by their authority from Jesus from God under the Holy Spirit imparted the fullness of their authority to their successors through the laying on of their hands,
and the church was shepherded and ruled by the successors of the apostles with full apostolic authority,
who in turn by their authority imparted the fullness of apostolic authority to their successors,
who have guided infallibly by God the Holy Spirit the church established by Christ,
which has never lost its authority to preach and to teach and has never lost the truth:
therefore the one, holy, universal (catholic) and apostolic church is the only true church having the full Gospel of God and the full authority of Jesus Christ himself. See Apostolic succession.
Many former Protestants have accepted this argument to justify their conversion to the Catholic and Orthodox churches in direct opposition to the Protestant Reformation. Many Catholics and Orthodox Christians use this same reasoning to justify remaining with their churches. They insist that the doctrine and practices of the Church have been seriously maligned and erroneously misrepresented by both militant Protestants and militant Atheists.
See The Great Heresies (catholic.com)
a list of heresies committed by Catholics.
See Logical fallacy.
Against this argument, Evangelical, Reformed, Baptist and Fundamentalist Christians proclaim that a Great Apostasy occurred shortly after the death of the last of the twelve original apostles of Jesus, which destroyed the purity of the Gospel as early as A.D. 95, and by compromise with pagan cultural influences (Gradualism) diluted it with false doctrine, pagan philosophy and pagan practices of mysticism and idolatry, and then utterly rejected the true Gospel by replacing it with a merit-driven system of salvation based solely on good works alone, which cultivates pride, and turns people against the holiness of God and the simple gift of unmerited salvation to be found in Jesus Christ alone, an apostasy from the truth of God which drove the Holy Spirit away. They argue that the Holy Spirit returned after an absence of 1500 years to restore to the earth the fullness of the purity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the inspired ministry of the Reformers and the miraculous mass printing and distribution of the Bible which they had purged of false apocryphal writings they proclaimed were inspired by the Devil, writings which lent support to "the damnable pagan doctrines of Catholicism and Orthodoxy".
Many former Catholics and Orthodox have accepted this argument to justify their conversion to Protestantism in direct opposition to Catholic and Orthodox doctrines. Many Protestants, Evangelical, Reformed, Baptist, and Fundamentalist Christians, use this same reasoning to justify avoidance of all contact with Catholicism and Orthodoxy and all published Catholic and Orthodox apologetic literature as deceitful and soul-destroying lies cunningly inspired by Satan and coming from the pits of hell, speciously disguised as truth.
See The So-called "Great Apostasy" Has Already Come to Pass! But it did not happen when non-Catholics claim it happened (thecatholictreasurechest.com)
According to the logical form of the arguments above, If the truth of the Gospel has ever been lost for any length of time and the chief leaders and shepherds of the church led the people into apostasy after the death of the apostles then Jesus did not keep his promise and he is a false teacher.
If Jesus kept his promise and the Holy Spirit has never failed to infallibly guide the chief leaders and shepherds of the church into all truth then every charge of apostasy and false doctrine presented against the church (which has continued to exist and preach and teach since the time of the original apostles) is a false charge, and those who make these false charges are false teachers (who have been deceived).
Historical records of the 16th century debates between leading Catholic theologians and Protestant Reformation leaders and theologians show that Protestantism firmly rejects this argument as "clever sophistry" inspired by the Devil. See for example
I. PROTESTANT INTOLERANCE: AN INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
II. PROTESTANT DIVISIONS AND MUTUAL ANIMOSITIES
III. PLUNDER AS AN AGENT OF RELIGIOUS REVOLUTION
IV. SYSTEMATIC SUPPRESSION OF CATHOLICISM
V. VIOLENT RADICALISM AND THE PROTESTANT REVOLUTION
VI. DEATH AND TORTURE FOR CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANT DISSIDENTS
VII. PROTESTANT WITCH HUNTS
VIII. PROTESTANT CENSORSHIP

Conservapedia cannot tell the reader what to believe. Every effort is made to provide reliable and verifiable information in encyclopedic form for honest and balanced treatment. At issue is the promise of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to be with us forever and to lead us into all truth with the command to obey those he has appointed and sent with authority to shepherd his people.


"I pray not that you would take them from the world"

John 17:15
Compare this petition in the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus with the interpretive doctrine of the Prewrath Rapture and the Rapture, in which believers will be taken up from the world to be with Jesus before the Tribulation. See also End Times.

"Your Word is truth"

John 17:17
Greek text "Logos" λόγος.
ἁγίασον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ; ὁ λόγος ὁ σὸς ἀλήθειά ἐστιν .
See interlinear text of John 17:17.
Jesus has testified to them (and to us) that he is the truth: "I am the way and the truth and the life". John writes "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
Here, in Christ's High Priestly prayer to the Father, he says that his disciples are sanctified in himself, made holy: we are sanctified in Jesus who is the One Truth from God.
"Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth."—consecrated in him. (RSV text John 17:17-19)
All who are "in Christ Jesus" are consecrated to God.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Romans 8:1 - 8:1-39
1 Corinthians 1:2; 1:30
Galatians 3:26
Ephesians 2:6 and 10
Colossians 3:3
John 17:21 and 23
According to Christian doctrine, God's word is more than the words of human speech spoken by Moses and the Prophets, and Jesus, and the Apostles and Evangelists, and transmitted to us by the divine tradition handed down to us through the church as preserved in the inspired written word of the Bible.
God's Word, the Word of God, is Jesus, his Person, in his flesh, his blood, his sacrifice, his cross, in his deeds and in his spoken words to the eyewitnesses and ministers of the word; and in his Holy Spirit sent down upon and into his body the church, in our bodies, and our worship, our faith and love and works and words, in teaching and preaching and personal witness and acts of consoling and consolation, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). All of this taken together is the one Word of Truth from God. We are "in him". And God sanctifies us in the truth; we are "consecrated in truth". To many Christian believers this implies that the body of Christ, his Bride, the Church herself, embodies the word of truth and is herself the source of sanctification from God dwelling in her, being the temple of God, established and ordained to that purpose, as St. Paul has written.
See Ephesians 3:10 and 5:27; 1 Timothy 3:15.
Compare Ephesians 2:11-22 and Hebrews 12:18-28; also 1 Peter 2:5 and Matthew 18:15-17
Compare James 1:16-17 and Revelation 21:2-4
See the following:
"The Bible answer to that question ... We must be crystal clear here; the church does not save. Christ does that and only Christ. One must be in Christ to be saved and no one can be saved outside of Christ. Thus, the New Testament terms, 'being in Christ', 'being in the church', and 'being in the Lord's body', equally describe one condition, that of being saved or that of being a Christian (Refer to Gal. 3:27; Eph. 1:22,23; 1 Cor. 12:13)."
"Roman Catholicism is a false religion with deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1-3), a false gospel, a false Jesus, idolatry, and damning lies."
See Matthew 12:18-37; 10:25; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; 1 Corinthians 12:27-28; 2 Corinthians 11:3-4; 2 Peter 1:19-20; 3:14-18.

"As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world."

John 17:18
This has two interpretations:
  • This verse is seen in the context of the word of truth given to Christ to give to the apostles to give to the world as the message of salvation that they might believe in him and be saved. John 17:14-21; John 1:12-13; 3:16-21; Ephesians 3:8-12; 1 Timothy 3:14–4:16.
  • This verse is seen in the context of the work of salvation entrusted to the Church sent by Jesus Christ as Savior of the world, so that the Church herself through the sacraments ordained by him has been made by God the source of salvation of souls as the one Body of Christ united to him in his work of salvation in the Father and the Holy Spirit. John 20:21-23; 1 John 4:14; 1 Corinthians 12:4-13; John 14:12–15:8. See Infant baptism.

Compare the Conservative Bible text (conservapedia.com):

Before the Passover festival

That evening,

Jesus already knew that the hour had come when He would depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in this world, Jesus loved them until the very end.

That evening, Jesus and the Twelve arrived.

When the time came, He sat down, surrounded by the Twelve Apostles.

He sat down with the Twelve.


(Numbers 9:11-12 Conservative Bible has not been translated.
See Conservative Bible, Numbers 1-9 (Translated) Numbers 9. KJV)

"'They must eat the flesh in one night, roasted by fire, and served with matzoh and bitter herbs. You must not eat any of it either underdone or cooked with water; it must be roasted with fire, the head with the shanks and the inner parts. Do not reserve any of it for the morning. Anything left over until morning you must burn thoroughly.' "

"And when your children happen to ask you, 'What does this service mean to you?...' you are to tell them, 'This is the passover sacrifice of the LORD, Who passed over the houses of the Sons of Israel in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians, and rescued our households.' "

This is a night of observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt: this was the night of the LORD for observances for all the Sons of Israel for all their generations.


He revealed to them, "I have longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I declare to you, 'I will not eat again until it is fulfilled in the realm of God.'"

He then took the cup, gave thanks and said, "Take and share this. For I tell you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come."

While they were sitting and eating,

As they were eating, He said, "I tell you truly: one of you will betray Me."

Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you who is eating with Me here will betray Me."

They became very upset, and one after another said, "You don't mean me, do You?"

"It's not I, is it?"

Jesus told them, "It is one of you - the one who dips his bread in the bowl with me. The Son of man will die as the Scriptures said, but as for the man who betrays the Son of man, he would have been better off if he had never been born."

And they were very much distressed, and every one of them started asking Him, "Lord, it isn't I, is it?"

In answer He said, "The one dipping His hand with Me in the dish, is the one who will betray Me. The Son of man is going as it was written that He would go. But it will be terrible for that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."

Then Judas (who eventually did betray Him) said in answer, "Teacher, it isn't I, is it?" He said to him, "You've said it."

I received from the Lord what I also handed over to you: the Lord Jesus, in the very night in which He was betrayed, took bread.

And while they were eating,

As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it,

And he took bread, and gave thanks,

When He had given thanks,

Jesus took the bread,

He broke it,

and divided it,

blessed it, broke it,

and broke it,

and distributed it, saying "Take this and eat it. This is My body."

and gave it to the students, and said, "Take. Eat. This is My Body."

and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me."

and said, "Take. Eat. This is My Body, Which is for you. Do this to remember Me."

He did likewise with the cup after supper,

And in the same way, after supper, He took the cup,

And, taking a cup, He gave thanks,

And He took the cup, said a prayer, and passed it around,

and said, "This cup is the New Testament in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, to remember Me."

and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from this, all of you. For this is My Blood of the Testament, Which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. But I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom."

and everybody drank some.

Then he said to them, "This is My blood of the New Testament, which I bled for the sake of many people. Truly I say to you, I shall not drink wine again until the day I drink it anew in the kingdom of God."

saying, "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. But look, the man who will betray Me is seated with Me at the table. And truly the Son, a human being, shall go, as it was foreseen: but woe to that man who betrays Him!"

And they began to question each other, wondering which of them it was who would do this. They bickered about which of them should be considered the greatest.

Jesus explained to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exert power over them, and those with the power are called the ruling class. But you shall not be like that: instead, the senior among you should should show the humility expected of the junior; and he that leads should be willing to serve as a follower. For which is greater, the man who is served a dinner, or the man who does the serving? Would it not be the one who is served? Yet I live among you as one who serves others. You are the ones who have stayed with me throughout my ordeals. And I bequeath to you a kingdom, as my Father had bequeathed to me; that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon, observe; Satan has desired to overcome you, in order to that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for you, that your faith does not fail you: and that when you are converted, you give strength to your brothers."

And he replied to Him, "Lord, I am ready to follow you, both to prison, and to death."

And Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, that the rooster shall not crow on this day, until you have denied knowing me three times."

And He said to them, "When I sent you without a wallet, and money, and shoes, did you lack anything?"

And they replied, "Nothing".

Then He said to them, "But now, let him with a wallet take it, and likewise his money: and he that has no sword, let him sell his clothing, and buy one. For I say to you, that this part of what has been foretold must still be fulfilled by me, 'And he was regarded as one of the criminals': for the matters concerning me will have a conclusion."

And they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "That will do."

During the passover meal, the devil had already inserted betrayal into the heart of Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into His hands, and that He came from God, and was going to God, so He rose from the meal, took off his clothes, and wrapped a towel around himself. Then, He poured water into a large bowl, and began to wash His disciples' feet, and dry them with the towel He was wearing. When He came to Simon Peter, he said to Him, "Lord, you would wash my feet?"

Jesus answered, "You do not understand what I am doing right now, but you will understand it later."

Peter told Him, "You will never, ever wash my feet." Jesus answered, "If I do not wash you, you cannot be a part of me."

So then Simon Peter responded, "In that case, Lord, do not wash just my feet, but my hands and head as well."

Jesus said, "He who has bathes, despite only washing his feet, is completely clean. You are all clean . . . well, not every one of you."

He said, "Not every one of you are clean," because He knew who would betray Him.

After He washed their feet, got dressed, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and so you should, for I am. If I, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another's feet. I gave you an example, so that you could do to each other exactly as I did to you.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his lord and He that is sent is not greater than He that sent Him. If you know these things and do them, you will be blessed. I am not talking about all of you: I know whom I have chosen, but so that scripture may be fulfilled, one of you eating bread with me has lifted his heel against me. Now I tell you this before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I Am. Truly, truly I say to you, he who receives those who I send, receives Me; and whoever receives me, receives Him who sent Me."

Upon saying this, Jesus was deeply troubled, and said, "Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me."

Then the disciples looked at one another, wondering who He was talking about. Leaning back against Jesus' chest was one of His disciples, the one Jesus loved. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple, to get him to ask Jesus who it was that He was talking about. So the one leaning on Jesus' chest said to Him, "Lord, who is it?"

Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give a bit a bread dipped in sauce."

And when he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after he ate the bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are doing, do quickly."

No one sitting at the table knew why He said this to him. Some of them thought, since Judas had the money bag, that Jesus had meant, "Go buy the things we will need for the rest of the festival," or, "Go give something to the poor."

As soon as Judas received the bread, he went out into the night.

When he had left, Jesus said, "Now the Son, a human being, is glorified, and God is glorified in him. And if God is glorified in Him, God shall both glorify the Son, a human being, in Himself, and shall glorify Him instantly. Little children, I will be with you for just a little while longer. Then you shall seek me but, as I told the Jews, where I am going you cannot come. That is why I'm telling you this now. I give you a new directive: 'Love one another. Just like I have loved you, you should also love one another.' This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you show love to one another."

Then Simon Peter said, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "Where I am going, you cannot follow right now, but you will follow me later."

Peter responded, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I would lay down my life for you."

Jesus answered, "Would you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly I tell you, the rooster shall not crow until you have denied me three times.

"Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, and believe in Me. In my Father's house there are many rooms; I would have told you if it were not true. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I went and prepared a place for you, I will come back and receive you to myself, so that where I am, there you can also be. Because you know the route to where I am going."

Thomas replied, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the route?"

Jesus said, "I am the Route, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me. If you have known me, you shall know my Father also. From now on you know Him, and you shall see Him."

Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and it will be enough for us."

Jesus responded, "Am I with you for such a long time and you do not know me, Philip? The one having seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, 'show us the Father?' You believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, right? The words that I am speaking to you are not from me. It is the Father who lives in Me who does the works. Believe in Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Or if not for that reason, then believe in me because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, the one believing in Me shall also do the works that I do; in fact, he shall do even greater works than these, because I go to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will carefully follow my directives. I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Helper, so that He will be with you forever. He is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it can neither see nor know Him. However, you know Him, because He is staying with you and shall be in you.

"I will not abandon you like orphans, but I will come to you. In just a little while, the world will no longer see Me, but you see Me. Because I live, you too shall live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in Me, and I am in you. The one who loves Me is the one who has my commands and carefully observes them. The one who loves Me shall be loved by both my Father and Me, and I will reveal myself to him."

Then Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, "Lord, how are you going to reveal yourself to us, but not to the world?"

Jesus answered, "I anyone loves Me, he will carefully observe my teaching, my Father shall love him, We will come to him, and We will make our home with him. The one who does not observe my teachings does not love Me. The teaching which you hear is not mine, but come from the Father who sent Me. I have told you these things while living here with you. But the Helper, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father shall send in my name, He shall teach you everything, and shall remind you of everything I said to you. The peace I am giving to you and leaving with you is my peace. I am not giving to you like the world gives. Do not let your heart be distressed or afraid.

"You have heard me say, 'I go away and I will come back to you again.' If you were loving me, you would have rejoiced because I said, 'I go to the Father,' because my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you in advance, before it happens, so that when it does happen, you might believe. From now on I will not say very much to you, because the ruler of this word is coming, and there is nothing of him in Me. But so that the world may know that I love the Father, I will do exactly as the father has directed. Get up, it's time for us to leave."

Then, after they had sung a hymn,

And when they had sung a hymn,

(Psalm 80 Conservative Bible has not been translated.
See Conservative Bible, Psalms 71-80 (Translated) Psalm 80. KJV)

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine keeper. He removes every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it might bear more fruit. You are already clean through the teaching which I have spoken to you. Stay in Me, and I will stay in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it stays on the vine, neither can you unless you stay in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever stays in Me, and I in him, will bear a lot of fruit, because separated from Me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not stay in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Then they gather the dried branches and throw them into the fire where they are burned up. If you stay in Me, and these teachings of mine stay in you, then whatever you ask shall be done to you. This is how my Father is glorified, when you bear a lot of fruit. Then you demonstrate that you are My disciples. In the same way that the Father loved Me, I loved you. Now live in My love. If you follow My directives, you shall live in My love, in the same way that I have followed my Father's directives, and I live in His love.

"I have spoken these things to you so that my joy might be in you, and so that you joy might fill you up. This is the reason for my directive, so that you love each other, in the same way that I loved you.' No one has greater love than this: when someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatever I direct you to do. From now on I do not call you servants, because the servant does not know what his lord is doing. On the contrary, I have called you friends, because everything that I heard from my Father I thoroughly explained to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you, and established you so that you can go out and bear fruit that will last. That way, whatever you ask the Father in my name, He would give it to you. These are the directions I give you so that you love one another.

"If the world hates you, know that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. However, since you are not of the world, because I chose you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the teaching that I told you: The servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted Me, they shall also persecute you. If they followed My teaching, they shall follow yours as well. They will treat you like this because you follow My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me. If I did not come and speak to them, they would not have visible sin, but now they have no way to hide their sin. The one hating me, hates my Father also.

"If I had not done miracles among them which no one else has ever done, they would not have visible sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. Additionally, it was so that the word written in their law, 'They hated me for no reason,' was fulfilled, but when the Helper, the Spirit of Truth who speaks for the Father, whom I shall send to you from the Father, arrives, He will give testimony concerning me. And you will also give eye-witness testimony, because you have been with me from the beginning.

"I have said these things to you so that you would not stumble. They shall throw you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when everyone murdering you will think it is a service performed out of sacred duty to God. They shall do these things to you because they do not know the Father or Me. I have told you these things so that when the time comes for them to happen, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things before now because I was with you. But now I am going to the one who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Yet, because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. However, I am telling you the truth. It is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I leave, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will expose the truth to the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment. On the one hand, concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; but on the other hand, concerning righteousness, because I am going to my Father and you do not see me any more; and also concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

"I have many more things to say to you, but you are not strong enough to carry that burden right now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He shall guide you into all truth. Yet, He shall not speak from Himself, but He shall speak whatever He shall hear and He shall proclaim the coming things to you. He shall glorify me, because He shall take what was is mine, and He shall proclaim it to you. Everything the Father has is mine, which is why I can say this, 'He shall take what was mine, and He shall proclaim it to you.' In a little while you will not see me any more, and then, after a little while, you will see me again."

Then some of His disciples said to each other, "What is He talking about when He says, 'In a little while you will not see me anymore, and then, after a little while, you will see me again,' and 'because I go to the Father?'"

They kept saying, "What is this 'a little while' He keeps mentioning? We don't know what He is talking about."

Now Jesus knew that they wished to ask Him a question, so He said to them, "Are you consulting with each other concerning when I said, 'In a little while you will not see me anymore, and then, after a little while, you will see me again?' Truly, truly I tell you that you shall cry out in anguish and sorrow, but the world shall rejoice. You shall definitely grieve, but your grief shall turn into joy. Whenever a woman is in labor, she feels grief, because the time for delivery is here, but as soon as her child is born, she no longer remembers the hard part, because of her joy that a person was born into the world. One the one hand, you have grief right now, but on the other hand, I shall see you again. Then your heart shall rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. And when that happens, you shall not ask me for anything at all. Truly, truly, I tell you that the Father will give you anything you ask of Him in my name. Up to now you did not ask for anything in my name; but from now on, ask and you shall receive, so that your joy might be filled to overflowing.

"I have told you these things using similes and metaphors, but the time is coming when I shall not speak to you in symbolic language, but shall tell you about the Father openly. On that day you shall ask in my name, note that I am not saying that I will ask the Father for you; because the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me, and you have believed that I came from the Father. I came from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to the Father."

His disciples responded, "Wow, You are finally speaking clearly, and are not using even one metaphor. Now we know for sure that you know everything, and do not need anyone to check your accuracy. Because of this we believe that you came from God."

Jesus responded, "Now you believe? Look, the time is coming, in fact, it is here, when every one of you will be put to flight to save himself, and shall leave me alone. However, I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you these things so that you might have peace in me. You shall be persecuted by the world, but be encouraged, because I have conquered the world."

After Jesus spoke these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that your Son might glorify you. You have given Him authority over all flesh, so that He could give eternal life to everyone you have given to him. And this is eternal life: knowing You, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent. I glorified you on the earth when I completed the work you have given me to do. And now, Father, glorify me, together with yourself, with the glory I had with you before the world existed.

"I revealed your name to the men you gave to me from out of the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me; and they have clung tightly to your word. They now have known that everything, no matter what it is, that you have given to me is from you. Because I have given them the very words that you spoke to me, they received them, and genuinely understood that I came from you, and so, they believed that you sent me. I ask for them. I am not asking for the world, but for those which you gave to me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them.

"I am no longer in the world, while they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, carefully guard them in your name, the name which you have given to me, so that they might be one, just like we are. While I was with them in the world, in your name I carefully guarded and watched over the ones you gave to me; none of them perished, except the son of destruction, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my overflowing joy in themselves. I gave them My Word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

"I am not praying for You to take them out of the world, but only that You keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I do. Sanctify with your Truth: your word is the Truth. As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I am sanctifying Myself, so that they might also be sanctified by means of the Truth. Nor am I praying only for these, but also for those who will believe on Me through their word, so that they will all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so that they may also be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. And I gave them the glory that You gave Me, so that they may be one, in the same way that We are One, I in them, and You in Me, so that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world will know that You sent Me, and loved them, as You loved Me.

"Father, I want them also, those whom You gave me, to be with Me where I am, so that they might look upon My glory, that You gave Me. For you loved Me before the world itself was founded. O Just Father, the world has not know them. But I knew You, and these men have known that You sent Me. And I have let them know Your Name, and will let them know It, so that the Love with which You loved Me will be in them, and I in them."

When Jesus had said these things,

they went out into the Mount of Olives,

they went out into Mount Olivet.

And He left, and went, as He had tended to do, to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples followed him as well.


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Ad Gloriam Dei, 31 January 2019—developed by Michael Paul Heart and the editors of Conservapedia.