The Third Millennium
Gospel of Jesus Christ
(The Gospel of WorldPeace)
The designated Gospel of the Purple
Order of Spiritual Christians
Copyright 2009 by John WorldPeace All Rights Reserved
EDITING IN PROGRESS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
GOSPEL Part 3/9
Jesus the Cause of Division
The Widow’s Offering
The First Commandment
Jesus Blesses Little Children
The Rich Man
The True Kindred of Jesus
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
Who Is the Greatest?
Temptations to Sin
Perseverance in Prayer
The Narrow Door
Reproving Another Who Sins
The Labourers in the Vineyard
The Request of the Mother of James and John
True Blessedness
The Parable of the Rich Fool
Repent or Perish
The Judgement of the Nations
The Coming of the Kingdom
The One Who Comes from Heaven
The Authority of the Son
Witnesses to Jesus
The Bread from Heaven
The Words of Eternal Life
The Unbelief of Jesus’ Brothers
Jesus at the Festival of Booths
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Jesus the Cause of Division
LK 12:49 (MT 10:34)
49 ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were
already kindled! 50I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and
what stress I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think that
I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather
division! 52From now on, five in one household will be divided,
three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided:
father against son
and son against father,
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’
The Widow’s Offering
MK 12:41 (lK 21:1)
41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting
money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A
poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth
a penny. 43Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly
I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are
contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed
out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything
she had, all she had to live on.’
The First Commandment
MK 12:28 (LK 10:25, MT 22:34)
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one
another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which
commandment is the first of all?’ 29Jesus answered, ‘The
first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;
30you 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.”
31The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”
There is no other commandment greater than these.’ 32Then
the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have
truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”;
33and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding,
and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s
neighbour as oneself”,—this is much more important than
all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ 34When Jesus saw
that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far
from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him
any question.
Jesus Blesses Little Children
MK 10:13 (MT 19:13, LK18:15)
13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he
might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14But
when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let
the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such
as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15Truly I tell you, whoever
does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never
enter it.’ 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands
on them, and blessed them.
The Rich Man
MK 10:17 (LK 18:18, MT 19:16
17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before
him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit
eternal life?’ 18Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call
me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments:
“You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You
shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not
defraud; Honour your father and mother.” ’ 20He said
to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’
21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one
thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money* to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ 22When
he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had
many possessions.
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How
hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of
God!’ 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But
Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is* to enter
the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom
of God.’ 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another,*
‘Then who can be saved?’ 27Jesus looked at them and
said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for
God all things are possible.’
28 Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything
and followed you.’ 29Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you,
there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother
or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of
the good news,* 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this
age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and
fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’
MT 11:28
28 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take
my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.’
The True Kindred of Jesus
MT 12:46 (MK 3:31, LK 9:19)
46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his
brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone
told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing
outside, wanting to speak to you.’* 48But to the one who had
told him this, Jesus* replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who
are my brothers?’ 49And pointing to his disciples, he said,
‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the
will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
LK 4:16
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went
to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood
up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to
him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
20And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and
sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then
he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled
in your hearing.’ 22All spoke well of him and were amazed
at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
LK 4:22
They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s
son?’ 23He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to
me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will
say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have
heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ 24And he said, ‘Truly
I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.
25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time
of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months,
and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26yet Elijah was
sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There
were also many lepers* in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha,
and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ 28When
they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They
got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the
hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him
off the cliff. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went
on his way.
Who Is the Greatest?
33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he
asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’
34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one
another about who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve,
and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last
of all and servant of all.’ 36Then he took a little child
and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them,
37‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me,
and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
Temptations to Sin
42 ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block
before one of these little ones who believe in me,* it would be
better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and
you were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to stumble,
cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have
two hands and to go to hell,* to the unquenchable fire.* 45And if
your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you
to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.*,*
47And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better
for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two
eyes and to be thrown into hell,* 48where their worm never dies,
and the fire is never quenched.
Perseverance in Prayer
LK 11:5
5 And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and
you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me
three loaves of bread; 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I
have nothing to set before him.” 7And he answers from within,
“Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my
children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.”
8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything
because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he
will get up and give him whatever he needs.
The Narrow Door
LK 13:22
22 Jesus* went through one town and village after another, teaching
as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, ‘Lord,
will only a few be saved?’ He said to them, 24‘Strive
to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try
to enter and will not be able. 25When once the owner of the house
has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and
to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, then
in reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come
from.” 26Then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank
with you, and you taught in our streets.” 27But he will say,
“I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you
evildoers!” 28There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth
when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in
the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. 29Then people
will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat
in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.’
Reproving Another Who Sins
MT 18:15
15 ‘If another member of the church* sins against you,* go
and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member
listens to you, you have regained that one.* 16But if you are not
listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every
word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;
and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such
a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. 18Truly I tell
you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell
you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will
be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three
are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’
The Labourers in the Vineyard
MT 20:1
20‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went
out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. 2After
agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage,* he sent them
into his vineyard. 3When he went out about nine o’clock, he
saw others standing idle in the market-place; 4and he said to them,
“You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever
is right.” So they went. 5When he went out again about noon
and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6And about five
o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and
he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?”
7They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He
said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” 8When
evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call
the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and
then going to the first.” 9When those hired about five o’clock
came, each of them received the usual daily wage.* 10Now when the
first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them
also received the usual daily wage.* 11And when they received it,
they grumbled against the landowner, 12saying, “These last
worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have
borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” 13But
he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong;
did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?* 14Take what
belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as
I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what
belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?”*
16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’*
The Request of the Mother of James and John
MT 20:20
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons,
and kneeling before him, she asked a favour of him. 21And he said
to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Declare
that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and
one at your left, in your kingdom.’ 22But Jesus answered,
‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink
the cup that I am about to drink?’* They said to him, ‘We
are able.’ 23He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink
my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not
mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared
by my Father.’
24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers.
25But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are
tyrants over them. 26It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes
to be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wishes
to be first among you must be your slave; 28just as the Son of Man
came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom
for many.’
True Blessedness
LK 11:27
27 While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice
and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you and the
breasts that nursed you!’ 28But he said, ‘Blessed rather
are those who hear the word of God and obey it!’
LK 12:10 (MT 12:31, MK 3:28)
. 10And everyone who speaks a word against
the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against
the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11When they bring you before
the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about
how* you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; 12for
the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought
to say.’
The Parable of the Rich Fool
LK 12:13
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother
to divide the family inheritance with me.’ 14But he said to
him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over
you?’ 15And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your
guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not
consist in the abundance of possessions.’
Repent or Perish
LK 13:1
13At that very time there were some present who told him about the
Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans
suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?
3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they
did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam
fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than
all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless
you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’
LK 16:16 (MT 11:12)
16 ‘The law and the prophets were in
effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom
of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force.*
17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one
stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.
LK 16:18 (MT 5:32, MK 10:11)
18 ‘Anyone who divorces his wife and
marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced
from her husband commits adultery.
LK 17:5 (MT 17:20)
5 The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase
our faith!’ 6The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the
size of a* mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be
uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.
LK 17:7
7 ‘Who among you would say to your
slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the
field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”?
8Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me,
put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you
may eat and drink”? 9Do you thank the slave for doing what
was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were
ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done
only what we ought to have done!” ’
The Judgement of the Nations
MT 25:31
31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels
with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the
nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people
one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the
left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come,
you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and
you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave
me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison
and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him,
“Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that
we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?
39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited
you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell
you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members
of my family,* you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those
at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into
the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I
was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me
nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,
naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you
did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord,
when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked
or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then
he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not
do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”
46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous
into eternal life.’
The Coming of the Kingdom
LK 17:20
20 Once Jesus* was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God
was coming, and he answered, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming
with things that can be observed; 21nor will they say, “Look,
here it is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the
kingdom of God is among* you.’
The One Who Comes from Heaven
JN 3:31
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of
the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.
The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what
he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33Whoever
has accepted his testimony has certified* this, that God is true.
34He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the
Spirit without measure. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed
all things in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal
life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure
God’s wrath.
The Authority of the Son
JN 5:19
19 Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can
do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for
whatever the Father* does, the Son does likewise. 20The Father loves
the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will
show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.
21Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,
so also the Son gives life to whomsoever he wishes. 22The Father
judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son, 23so that
all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Anyone who
does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.
24Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes
him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement,
but has passed from death to life.
25 ‘Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now
here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those
who hear will live. 26For just as the Father has life in himself,
so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; 27and he
has given him authority to execute judgement, because he is the
Son of Man. 28Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming
when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and will
come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of
life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Witnesses to Jesus
30 ‘I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my
judgement is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the
will of him who sent me.
JN 5:31
31 ‘If I testify about myself, my testimony
is not true. 32There is another who testifies on my behalf, and
I know that his testimony to me is true. 33You sent messengers to
John, and he testified to the truth. 34Not that I accept such human
testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35He
was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice
for a while in his light. 36But I have a testimony greater than
John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete,
the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father
has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified
on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, 38and
you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe
him whom he has sent.
39 ‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them
you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.
40Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
JN 5:41
41I do not accept glory from human beings.
42But I know that you do not have the love of God in* you. 43I have
come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another
comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe
when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory
that comes from the one who alone is God? 45Do not think that I
will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom
you have set your hope. 46If you believed Moses, you would believe
me, for he wrote about me. 47But if you do not believe what he wrote,
how will you believe what I say?’
The Bread from Heaven
JN 6:22
22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the
lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw
that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that
his disciples had gone away alone. 23Then some boats from Tiberias
came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord
had given thanks.* 24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor
his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and
went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said
to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ 26Jesus answered
them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not
because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that
endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For
it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ 28Then
they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of
God?’ 29Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God,
that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ 30So they said
to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that
we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31Our
ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He
gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ 32Then Jesus
said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who
gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you
the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which*
comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34They
said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’
35 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes
to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never
be thirsty. 36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do
not believe. 37Everything that the Father gives me will come to
me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38for I
have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will
of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that
I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it
up on the last day. 40This is indeed the will of my Father, that
all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and
I will raise them up on the last day.’
41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I
am the bread that came down from heaven.’ 42They were saying,
‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother
we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’
43Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves.
44No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me;
and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45It is written
in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.”
Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
46Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from
God; he has seen the Father. 47Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes
has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate
the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This is the bread
that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats
of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give
for the life of the world is my flesh.’
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can
this man give us his flesh to eat?’ 53So Jesus said to them,
‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Those who
eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise
them up on the last day; 55for my flesh is true food and my blood
is true drink. 56Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide
in me, and I in them. 57Just as the living Father sent me, and I
live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because
of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like
that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats
this bread will live for ever.’ 59He said these things while
he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
The Words of Eternal Life
JN 6:60
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching
is difficult; who can accept it?’ 61But Jesus, being aware
that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does
this offend you? 62Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending
to where he was before? 63It is the spirit that gives life; the
flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit
and life. 64But among you there are some who do not believe.’
For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe,
and who was the one that would betray him. 65And he said, ‘For
this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it
is granted by the Father.’
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer
went about with him. 67So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you
also wish to go away?’ 68Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord,
to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We have
come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’*
70Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve?
Yet one of you is a devil.’ 71He was speaking of Judas son
of Simon Iscariot,* for he, though one of the twelve, was going
to betray him.
The Unbelief of Jesus’ Brothers
JN 7:7
7After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish* to go
about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity
to kill him. 2Now the Jewish festival of Booths* was near. 3So his
brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that
your disciples also may see the works you are doing; 4for no one
who wants* to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things,
show yourself to the world.’ 5(For not even his brothers believed
in him.) 6Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but
your time is always here. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates
me because I testify against it that its works are evil. 8Go to
the festival yourselves. I am not* going to this festival, for my
time has not yet fully come.’ 9After saying this, he remained
in Galilee.
Jesus at the Festival of Booths
10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also
went, not publicly but as it were* in secret. 11The Jews were looking
for him at the festival and saying, ‘Where is he?’ 12And
there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While
some were saying, ‘He is a good man’, others were saying,
‘No, he is deceiving the crowd.’ 13Yet no one would
speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.
JN 7:74
14 About the middle of the festival Jesus
went up into the temple and began to teach. 15The Jews were astonished
at it, saying, ‘How does this man have such learning,* when
he has never been taught?’ 16Then Jesus answered them, ‘My
teaching is not mine but his who sent me. 17Anyone who resolves
to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God
or whether I am speaking on my own. 18Those who speak on their own
seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who
sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.
19 ‘Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps
the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?’
20The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon! Who is trying to
kill you?’ 21Jesus answered them, ‘I performed one work,
and all of you are astonished. 22Moses gave you circumcision (it
is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you
circumcise a man on the sabbath. 23If a man receives circumcision
on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken,
are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body
on the sabbath? 24Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right
judgement.’
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In the Beginning was the Word
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