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A Sabbath Day's Journey

By: Rev. Paul Landgraf
What is a Sabbath day's journey? First of all, it is a Jewish expression. We measure distances in meters or yards. The Jews had a certain distance that they could walk on Saturday before it would be considered work. So their synagogues that they went to on Saturday could not be very far away. The word appears only in Acts 1:12 and indicates a distance of about three-quarters of a mile.

With that in mind, I think it is important to remember the origins of Christianity. Just because we have an Old Testament, it does not mean that we call it the 'Outdated Testament'. Much of the Old Testament has a literary structure that we are not aware of because of our modern emphasis on chapter and verse divisions. Within many of these blogs, I try to get the reader to see a bigger picture, a larger perspective that often includes the Old Testament and the environment that was present when the New Testament was seeing the Light of the day.

Second, a Sabbath day's journey is intentionally short. These 'journeys' with a text, almost always one of the three readings for that Sunday, are deliberately brief discussions. This blog was never designed to be a comprehensive look at any text. Sometimes a specific word is studied in detail. But, as a whole, a blog entry, by itself, is meant to be quite brief.

Finally, since the term 'Sabbath day's journey' appears in Acts, it is meant to appeal to a wide variety of people. This blog is meant for those who cannot come on Sunday mornings. And it is also for those who do come on Sunday mornings but would also like a further study of the text. It is also for those who live somewhere else in the world (besides Drake and Freedom, Missouri, USA) and would simply like a further study of the text. It was meant to get these different groups of people to start thinking about the biblical texts. Part of the reason for this blog is that I am not able to have a bible class on Sunday mornings with either congregation, and so, to have a blog like this seemed like a good idea. I hope it is helpful for you, in whatever situation you may be.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. And thank you for taking the time to read this!

December 6th, 2025

12/6/2025

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The season of Advent continues. This Sunday’s title is the Second Sunday in Advent. And although this year the Gospel Readings are basically focusing on the Gospel according to Matthew (with this week’s Gospel Reading being Matthew 3:1-12), the writings of this website are currently going through the significantly different Gospel according to John.

If you are unfamiliar with the writings of this website, it should be said that a part of the biblical text will be given in an EXTREMELY literal translation. What does this mean? The frequent hyphens are designed to point out when more than one English word is connected to one word in the language of the New Testament, the ancient Greek. Also important to note is that the order which the words appear below is the order in which they are given in the Greek. And regarding that point, it may be helpful to note that the important words tend to be at the forefront of the sentence. And hopefully it is obvious that words that are repeated are important. One more thing to note is that the verbs in capital letters are called ‘historical presents’, and they may be connected to the LIVING creature of the EAGLE as part of the LORD’s throne (see Ezekiel 1). A throne is how a king shows his glory, his significance, his importance, and these verbs may show that as well, especially when it comes to the LORD of all heaven and earth, the One with an especially larger perspective. To sum it all up, it may be helpful to have another translation or study bible nearby.

There are an EXTREMELY huge number of ways in which words can be translated into other languages. What follows is an extremely literal translation of John 1:19-34 (and you may check out some of the website writings of 2023 if you are interested in the translation of the Gospel according to Matthew): 

And  this  is  the  witness  of-the  John,  when  they-sent-out  toward  him,  the  Jews  out-of  Jerusalem,  priests  and  Levites,  that  they-might-question  him,  “You,  who  are-you?”

And  he-confessed,  and  not  he-denied,  and  he-confessed,  “I,  not,  I-am  the  Christ.”

And  they-questioned  him,  “What  therefore?  You,  Elias,  are-you?”

And  HE-SAYS  “Not  I-am.”

“The  Prophet,  are-you,  you?”

And  he-answered,  “No.”

Therefore,  they-said  to-him,  “Who  are-you,  that  an-answer  we-may-give  to-the-ones  having-sent  us;  what  are-you-saying  about  yourself?”

He-replied,  “I,  a-voice  of-one-shouting  in  the  wilderness,  ‘Making-straight  the  way  of-the-Lord,’  as  he-said,  Esaias,  the  prophet.” 

And  the-ones-having-been-sent-out  were  from  the  Pharisees.  And  they-questioned  him,  and  they-said  to-him,  “Therefore,  why  are-you-baptizing  if  you,  not,  are  the  Christ,  and-not  Elias,  and-not  the  Prophet?”

He-answered  them,  the  John,  saying,  “I,  I-baptize  in  water,  among  you  stands  he-whom  you,  not  you-know,  the-one  after  me  coming,  of-whom  not  I-am,  I,  worthy,  that  I-should-loosen  of-him,  the  strap  of-the  sandal.”  These-things  in  Bethany,  they-happened,  beyond  the  Jordan,  where  he-was,  the  John,  baptizing.

On-the  next-day  HE-SEES  the  Jesus  coming  toward  him,  and  HE-SAYS,  “Behold,  the  Lamb  of-the  God,  the-One  taking-away  the  sin  of-the  world.  This  is-he  on-behalf-of  whom  I,  I-said,  ‘After  me  he-comes  a-man  who  before  me  he-has-become,  because  first  of-me  he-was.’  And-I,  not,  I-knew  him,  but-on-the-contrary,  that  he-might-be-manifested  to-the  Israel,  on-account-of  this,  I-came,  I,  in  water  baptizing.”

And  he-witnessed,  John,  saying,  “I-have-beheld  the  Spirit  coming-down  as  a-dove,  out-of  heaven,  and  it-remained  upon  him.  And-I,  not  I-knew  him,  but-on-the-contrary,  the-one  having-sent-me  to-baptize  in  water,  that-one  to-me  he-said,  'Upon  whom  ever  you-see  the  Spirit  coming-down  and  remaining  upon  him,  this,  he-is  the-one  baptizing  in  Spirit,  Holy.'  And-I,  I-have-seen,  and  I-have-witnessed  that  this  is  the  Son  of-the  God.”
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November 29th, 2025

11/29/2025

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We are at the beginning of a new church year. The title for this Sunday is the First Sunday in Advent. If you have been reading the writings of this website for a while, you may have noticed that the last three years were spent looking at the entirety of the first three gospel accounts, namely, the Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Whereas the appointed readings for the Sundays select various parts of the appointed Gospel account for that year, and even the Gospel account could switch, for example, on Christmas Eve, and the second chapter of the Gospel according to Luke is the focus for a short while. The first Sunday in Advent, with the text being Matthew 21:1-11, also focuses on Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and this is not exactly a text that follows the chronology of Jesus’ life.
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With some readings jumping around and skipping some words, it has been the focus of these writings to lay out in sections in an orderly way the three similar accounts. It should be said very prominently that these texts were given in the form of an EXTREMELY literal translation, mainly in an effort to encourage the reader to study the text in a translation that he or she is more familiar with, having a bible nearby. (The point could be made at this time that the author is currently a pastor serving two small congregations, and since the two services are both on Sunday morning, I am not able to lead a Sunday morning bible study at either congregation, and this writing is meant to take the place of what is lacking at this time.)

Given that the three similar (sometimes called ‘synoptic’) gospel accounts have been laid out for the past three years in the way that was described above, taking a section and giving a unique translation, it was the decision of this writer to do much the same thing this year, but to look at the Gospel according to John.

It is this writer’s intention that the name of the Sunday will be given, along with the appointed Gospel Reading. That information may be helpful to the reader and may connect the reader even more strongly to the local congregation that focuses on the Word. Whatever the situation, it is hard to go wrong with the Word of God.

And speaking of the Word, that happens to be prominent at the start of the Gospel according to John. And certainly much could be written since this account is significantly different from the other three accounts. EXTREMELY much could be written! Perhaps it could be best stated most briefly in the following way:

The four gospel accounts, for many centuries, have been connected to the four living creatures of Yahweh’s throne. These creatures were given in the following order in the first chapter of Ezekiel: Man, lion, ox, and eagle. The first three are similar in that they are usually on the ground. The eagle, on the other hand, can fly high overhead. And often the perspective of the Gospel according to John is one with a much broader perspective.

With that in mind, it may be most helpful to have some of the first words of that special account, the Gospel according to John. Again, these words are a VERY literal translation of the text. If this is the first time with these writings, a couple things should be mentioned.

The hyphens below connect the words in English that are given in only one word in the language of the New Testament, ancient Greek. And the words are given in the order that they appear within the text. Generally either the verbs or the most important words are given first. Certainly exceptions occur. But it may be helpful to see the original order of the text. And other orderings are certainly allowed, so as to help the understanding in other languages.

One more thing to mention is that the so-called ‘historical presents’ will be noted by capital letters. These are verbs that have the expectation of a past tense, but they are given in the present. These verbs COULD be connected to the LIVING creature of the eagle. And a note could be made here that the New American Standard translation usually has an asterisk after the historical presents of the text, although the translation is still in the past.

So, as promised, what follows is a ‘special’ (starting-point) translation of John 1:1-18:

In  beginning  was  the  Word, and  the  Word  was  toward  the  God,  and  God  was  the  Word.  This-one  was  in  beginning  toward  the  God.  All-things  through  him  became,  and  without  him  became  not  one  which  has-become.  In  him  life  was,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of-the  humans.  And  the  light  in  the  darkness  shines,  and  the  darkness,  it  not  overtook. 

It-became  a-human,  having-been-sent-out  from  God,  name  to-him  John;  this-one  came  into  witness,  that  he-might-witness  concerning  the  light,  that  all  might-believe  through  him.  Not  he-was  that,  the  light,  but-on-the-contrary,  that  he-might-witness  concerning  the  light. 
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It-was  the  light,  the  true,  which  enlightens  every  human,  coming  into  the  world.  In  the  world  he-was,  and  the  world  through  him  it-became,  and  the  world,  him  not  it-knew.  Into  the  own-things  he-came,  and  the  own-ones,  him  not  they-received.  Now  as-many-as  received  him,  he  gave  to-them  authority,  children  of-God  to-become,  to-the-ones  believing  into  the  name  of-him,  who  not  out-of  bloods,  nor  out-of  will-of  flesh,  nor  out-of  will  of-a-man,  but-on-the-contrary,  out-of  God  they-were-born.
And  the  Word,  flesh  he-became,  and  he-tabernacled  in  us,  and  we-beheld  the  glory  of-him,  glory  as  of-an-only-begotten  from  Father,  full  of-grace  and  truth.  John  HE-WITNESSES  concerning  him,  and  he-has-cried-out  saying,  “This-one  he-was  of-whom  I-said,  ‘The-one  after  me,  coming  before  me  he-has-become,  because  first  of-me  he-was.’”  Because  out-of  the  fullness  of-him,  we  all,  we-received,  and  grace  anti  grace;  because  the  law  through  Moses  it-was-given,  the  grace  and  the  truth  through  Jesus  Christ  it-became.  God  no-one  has-viewed,  ever;  only-begotten  God,  the-one  being  into  the  bosom  of-the  Father,  that-one  exegeted.    
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November 22nd, 2025

11/22/2025

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We are at the end of the church year. The title of this Sunday is, therefore, very appropriate: The Last Sunday in the Church Year. The Gospel Reading for this Sunday is Luke 23:27-43. You might say that, while the text has an ending for some people, it is also a beginning for the Lord’s people.

As this past year went on, with these website writings we went through the Gospel according to Luke, a section at a time, not skipping over any parts, and this past Sunday we looked at the topic of “historical presents” that occurred within this account. These are the verbs that were expected to be in the past tense, but they appear in the text in the present.

The previous writing of this website laid out that the historical presents of the Gospel according to Luke will be examined in this week’s writing. In this writing, each will be given some of its context, and the verse which contains the historical present will be given in an EXTREMELY literal translation. The historical present verb will be in capital letters. You may wish to look up the verse in another translation or a study bible, to help you understand the text. (And a note should be made that the New American Standard Bible typically has an asterisk after the historical presents; you may want to look at that translation.)

Here are the historical presents in the Gospel according to Luke:

The first one is Luke 7:40 and has to do with SIMON, THE PHARISEE.

Jesus is at the house of Simon, the Pharisee. When a person is in the house of another, that other person who is the homeowner has the authority. In this verse, Jesus asks for permission to point out some faults, some of the things that were lacking with Simon’s hospitality, the kindliness that was usually given to guests. Jesus asks for permission to point out those things, and Simon receives it. It is interesting that Simon calls Jesus a teacher, but the other guests who are there, after Jesus says all he wants to say about the woman who washed his feet, they ask this question (v. 49): “Who is this, who also forgives sins?”

So here is an extremely literal translation of that verse with the historical present:
And having-answered, the Jesus said toward him, “Simon, I-have to-you, something to-say.”

Now the-one, “Teacher, say,” HE-REPLIES.

The second one is Luke 8:49 and has to do with THE SYNAGOGUE RULER.
Jesus had just healed a woman with a flow of blood for twelve years. And she wanted to be hidden at first, but she eventually started talking and admitting that she had been healed. And Jesus’ response to her was this: “Daughter, the faith of you has saved you. Go into peace.” What follows is one of the interruptions that happen within this account, and Jesus is the one who is interrupted this time. To interrupt someone while they are talking takes some authority. Jesus obviously has it. And the person who interrupts the conversation this time also has it, since he is from the house of a synagogue ruler. And obviously there is some authority with that position. Jesus was headed to that house to heal the daughter of that synagogue ruler.

Here is an extremely literal translation of that verse:

Still he speaking, HE-COMES, someone from the arch-synagogue saying, “She-has-died, the daughter of-you; no-more trouble the teacher.”

The third one is Luke 9:33 and has to do with PETER, THE DISCIPLE.
Peter, James, and John were all with Jesus on the “mountain-top” event of the transfiguration. Peter’s name appears again during that account, not only the first on the list, but the group is described as “Peter and the ones with him (verse 32)….” As Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter gives this “great” idea. He is easily seen as the leader of the disciples at this time. And it is a type of leadership that does not point to himself, and that is a good thing.

Here is another extremely literal translation, this time of Luke 9:33:

And it-happened in the to-separate-themselves, they from him, he-said, the Peter, toward the Jesus, “Overseer, good it-is for-us here to-be, and let-us-make tents, three, one for-you, one for-Moses, and one for-Elias,” not knowing what HE-SAYS.

The fourth one is Luke 11:37 and has to do with A PHARISEE.
Jesus is at a Pharisee’s house another time; this time we are not given the Pharisee’s name. This time the historical present is given when the request is made by the Pharisee to have Jesus come to his house. Jesus was saying a LOT of words before this. And his popularity was increasing. It is interesting that Jesus talks about the importance of the eyes and what is seen. He also mentions the “sign of Jonah”, a reference to his coming out of the tomb after three days. He also talks about the wisdom of Solomon, which was greatly appreciated by many. And similar things happened with Jesus. And his popularity grew tremendously. While Jesus is talking about all these things, he is again interrupted, and this also points to someone who has authority. It could also be noted that the Pharisee sees that Jesus does not wash before the meal, and Jesus starts saying “Woe” to the Pharisees and others. The intensity within this account is about to increase.

Here is an extremely literal translation of that verse with the historical present, Luke 11:37:

Now in the to-speak, HE-ASKS him, a-Pharisee, that he-would-dine beside him; now having-come-into, he-reclined.

The fifth one is Luke 11:45 and has to do with ONE OF THE LAWYERS.
This historical present is extremely close to the previous one. Jesus started his “Woes”, and he is going to get some feedback, this time from the lawyers. This grouping of “lawyers” has been mentioned already with some negativity (see Luke 7:30 and 10:25).
It should be noted that after these “Woes” have finished, at the end of the chapter, the two groups of the scribes and the Pharisees are terribly angry with Jesus, and they will try to “draw out” some words from him, and they will also try to “catch” him in what he says. That certainly implies some power on the power of those two groups. The intensity is certainly increasing as Jesus heads toward Jerusalem (see Luke 9:51).

Here is one example of an extremely literal translation of Luke 11:45:

Now having-answered, a-certain-one of-the lawyers, HE-SAYS to-him, “Teacher, these-things saying, also us you-insult.”

The sixth one is Luke 13:8 and has to do with A VINEYARD-WORKER (IN A PARABLE).
Now the historical present will be used in a few parables. But the people who speak these parables will also have some authority and a leadership role. In this parable of the vine that is not producing fruit, the owner has just insisted that a vine which is not producing fruit should be cut down, since it is using up the ground.

Here is an extremely literal translation of the beginning of the worker’s response, Luke 13:8:

“Now the-one, having-answered, HE-SAYS to-him, ‘Lord, leave it also this the year, until when I-may-dig round it and may-throw manure….’”

The seventh one is Luke 16:7 and has to do with THE WISE STEWARD (IN A PARABLE).
The steward will act wisely, prudently, since he had the authority to get what was owed his master, and he used that to his own advantage.

What follows is an extremely literal translation of Luke 16:7, a discussion between the steward and someone who owed his master a LOT of wheat:

“Thereupon to-another he-said, ‘Now you, how-much you-owe?’

Now the-one said, ‘A-hundred cors of-wheat.’

HE-SAYS to-him, ‘Take of-you the writing and write eighty.’

The eighth one is Luke 16:29 and has to do with THE WORDS OF ABRAHAM (IN A STORY BY JESUS).

You may have noted that this was not called a parable. The details of the rich man in hell and Abraham in heaven are too great to say that this is just a comparison as to what happens in reality. It seems EXTREMELY real. And obviously Abraham has a significant amount of authority.

Here is an extremely literal translation of Abraham’s second response to the rich man. The first time the rich man had asked for Abraham to send Lazarus to give the rich man just a few drops of water, but that did not happen. In the second response, the rich man’s idea was to send Lazarus to warn his brothers. Here is Luke 1:29:

“Now HE-SAYS, Abraham, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let-them-hear them.’”

The ninth one is Luke 17:37 and has to do with THE DISCIPLES.
In the past Jesus had been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come (Luke 17:20), and that brings up a talk that Jesus had with his disciples about the coming of the Kingdom of God. He talks about two people being together, and only one being taken. And the disciples respond in the historical present, with some authority. Other disciples may not have the same authority that would prompt an answer by Jesus.

Here is an extremely literal translation of Luke 17:37, the response of the disciples to Jesus’ previous comment; included is a reference to a dead body, and eagles (or vultures) gathering around it (eagles are sometimes seen around dead carcasses as well):

And having-answered THEY-SAY to-him, “Where, Lord?”

Now the-one said to-them, “Where the body, there also the eagles will-be-gathered-together.”

The tenth one is Luke 19:22 and has to do with A WELL-BORN MAN TO THE “LAZY” SERVANT (IN A PARABLE).
In this parable, two previous servants had done the work they were to do, and the final one, the one who took the money, and because he feared his master, he did not do anything with it. And the verse begins the master’s response to that servant.

Here is an extremely literal translation of Luke 19:22:

“HE-SAYS to-him, ‘Out-of the mouth of-you I-will-judge you, evil slave. You-knew that I, a-man, austere, I-am, taking what not I-placed, and reaping what not I-sowed.’”

The eleventh one is Luke 24:12 and has to do with THE ACTION OF PETER WITH THE NOW-EMPTY TOMB OF JESUS.
It should be noted that some ancient manuscripts do not have this verse. That should not take away its importance or its validity. Much could be said about the differences between the four gospel accounts. They do work together in a very upbuilding way. And we have already noted the authority that Peter has, and that will be seen in the Book of Acts as well.

Here is an extremely literal translation of that final verse in this account of the historical present:

Now the Peter, having-risen-up, he-ran upon the tomb, and having-bent-over, HE-SEES the cloths only, and he-came-back toward himself, marveling the-thing having-happened.​

You made it to the VERY end. Congratulations! And it is the end of the church year as well. This next year, the plan is to look at the Gospel according to John, in much the way as was done this year.
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November 15th, 2025

11/15/2025

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If you read last week’s writing, I would like to say THANKS again for making it that far. That was the last installment of the text of the Gospel according to Luke. The entire account was divided up into sections, given a week at a time, and given in the order in which they were first given, not skipping over any parts as the lectionary does, as the church year continues.

It should also be said that the style of translation given in that account was also hopefully helpful to its readers. There are a LOT of ways in which a biblical text may be translated, from literal to paraphrase. And hopefully the EXTREMELY literal translation of the text was at least a little bit helpful.

The church year is coming to an end as well. There are two more Sundays in the church year. This Sunday is called the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost. The appointed Gospel Reading is Luke 21:5-28, with the option of also including verses 29-36. And it should be no surprise that the text references an end, particularly the end of the temple in Jerusalem.

It may be helpful to go back and list some of the so-called “historical presents” that occurred within this account. The Gospel according to Luke has, by far, the fewest historical presents of the four accounts. When something is described that happened in the past, one would expect it to be described in the past tense. It would make sense if the text said, “He said some words.” A lot of the things that Jesus did happened a long time ago. But it may be a bit confusing to read the following: “He says some words.” Is the man still talking? In a way, when we are talking about Jesus, you could say, “Yes.”

What does this do? First of all, it is something significantly different. It is something special. People are somewhat familiar with reading what happened in the past. That is typically called “history,” and people typically do not like it. This is different. The Bible is different. Jesus is different. Jesus is still alive. Jesus is still doing things.

What is said about Jesus in the Apostles’ Creed? Perhaps you noticed a present tense within that as well, that he “sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” That is in the present tense, although he did a lot of things in the past. And he is not sitting down and relaxing after a tough job. He is sitting and ruling with God the Father Almighty.

How does that sitting and ruling show itself now? That certainly gets at the heart of the matter. If God wanted to be obvious with his power, he could certainly do that. But if he wanted to be obvious with his love, then his rule happens in a different way.

The Bible can sometimes be very specific about such a thing. In the book of Ezekiel, in the very first chapter, there is a vision of the LORD’s throne. And the throne is described as being four LIVING creatures. They are given in this order in verse 10: man, lion, ox, and eagle. These fit quite well with the four Gospel Accounts, that of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Why are they described as LIVING creatures? The throne shows the glory, the weight, the ramifications of the person sitting upon that throne. And these ramifications are seen in the historical PRESENTS of each Gospel account. And they are significantly different. Each has its own special strengths. Most of them are connected to Jesus, but all of them are connected to something good about his love, and that is the way he rules.
This type of ruling also happened in the Old Testament. Sometimes God was like a man in the Old Testament. Sometimes he was also like a lion, an ox, and an eagle. And in these ways God showed his love, along with his significance and his ramifications.


In the Gospel according to Matthew, the connection is to a man, and the historical presents are most often connected to speaking, but there are some other human actions as well. In the Gospel according to Mark, the connection is to a lion, and the historical presents are most often connected to actions. Jesus fights against evil. And the intensity of the actions is increased with the historical presents. In the Gospel according to John, the connection is to an eagle, and the historical present are very frequent and are often connected to small details that are going on within the text, both in words and in actions. This may be seen as the “eagle eye” at work.


In the Gospel according to Luke, the connection is to an ox, and it is probably the most unfamiliar of the creatures. With the advent of the farm machinery, there is very little use for an ox. In comparison to the others, an ox has the strength of the lion, but has the friendliness of the man. The tame ox can get along with a large variety of other animals and people.


There is another word in the language of the Old Testament for a wild ox, and that is NOT the word that is used in Ezekiel. And it also is not a popular animal to own. It is one thing to try to tame a wild cat or dog. Could you imagine trying to tame a wild ox?
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Now an ox is a very strong creature, and it can do the powerful jobs where strength is needed. Its significance is such that it was usually the first animal listed when it came to listing the possessions of a person or family. (You may note that in the Tenth Commandment, it is listed before the donkey and before anything else that belongs to the neighbor; it should also be noted that when the four living creatures are listed again in Ezekiel 10:14, since the ox is the first creature mentioned, so that it would not be so confusing, it is given the description of a “cherub”.)


It will be relatively easy to list the historical presents that are found within the Gospel according to Luke. Since it is such a short number, a bit more of their context will be given, and it will be stated on how much variety is given with these occurrences.


It may be helpful to remember that all of these historical presents occur after one of the significant turning points in the text, when Jesus is called “Lord” by the writer of this account. I do not consider it a coincidence that the first time this happened is when a son dies, and the mother is told by “the Lord” not to cry, the text says that Jesus had compassion, and he raises the son from the dead (7:13ff). This title “Lord” is the same title that was given to God in the Old Testament. And he is certainly LORD, but he does not always show that with his power. It may be said that God shows his lordship particularly when it comes to his LOVE. And he certainly shows that to a wide variety of people. And that is certainly seen in the Book of Acts, and that book is certainly connected to the Gospel according to Luke.


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November 8th, 2025

11/8/2025

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We are getting closer to The End in many ways. Hopefully it is obvious that The Last Day is getting closer every day. The church year is also coming to an end. This Sunday is typically called the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, with the number getting bigger every Sunday. And very soon the Sunday will be called the Last Sunday in the Church Year. The Gospel Reading for this Sunday is Luke 20:27-40, and Jesus is having interactions with the various religious groups in Jerusalem, right before his death. But that is also a wonderful beginning for God’s special people.

With the writings of this website, we are getting EXTREMELY close to the end of the Gospel according to Luke, taking a section in the order in which it was given, not skipping any parts. Last week’s writing looked at the unique text of Jesus on the way to Emmaus with a couple of his followers. 

It may be helpful to repeat the last section of the text of last week’s writing, since it is closely connected to this week’s writing. Those two followers of Jesus, after recognizing him when he broke the bread, made it all the way back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples. And the start of the new text this week is an interruption by Jesus as what happened was being told. (We could also talk about interruptions for a while.)

Before that section is given, if this is your first experience with these writings, it may be helpful to note several things. First of all, it should be stated that what follows could be called an EXTREMELY literal translation of the text. At times it may be difficult to understand. Hopefully it will still be helpful for you. It is recommended that you also use a study bible or at least another translation of this section of scripture.

The words below essentially appear in the order in which they appear in the language of the New Testament, ancient Greek. This is helpful to remember that the verbs are important, and they are often first. When other words come before them, they are also important to the writer.  Repetition is also a commonly used emphasis.

The hyphens below are meant to show how many English words are in a single Greek word. And the English words that are sometimes chosen are designed to show how often the Greek words are somewhat similar to the English. And some of the words in English were chosen to show how rare some of the words in Greek were. After all, this account was written by a doctor, and a doctor often uses a lot of rare words. 

And speaking of rare things, it may be helpful to remind the reader that the four Gospel Accounts have extremely different perspectives when it comes to the resurrection appearances. These accounts are not meant to be a huge history lesson. A brief yet helpful thing that could be stated is that the Gospel according to Luke is EXTREMELY connected to the book of the Acts of the Apostles. And Jesus gets his job done. 

One more thing should be noted, that the verb in capital letters is called an historical present, where a verb is expected in the past, yet it is given in the present. In a way, the job of Jesus continues to get done. Without further comment, what follows is Luke 24:33-53:

[And  having-risen-up,  the-same,  in-the  hour,  they-returned  into  Jerusalem,  and  they-found,  having-been-collected  the  eleven,  and  the-ones  with  them,  saying,  “Indeed  he-was-raised,  the  Lord,  and  he-appeared  to-Simon.”  And  they,  they-were-exegeting  the-things  in  the  way,  and  how  he-was-known  to-them  in  the  breaking  of-the  bread.]

Now  these-things,  they  speaking,  he,  he-stood  in  midst of-them,  and  HE-SAYS  to-them,  “Peace  to-you.”  Now  having-been-terrified  and  afraid  having-been,  they-were-thinking  a-spirit  to-behold.  And  he-said  to-them,  “Why  having-been-disturbed  are-you?  And  on-account-of  what  dialogues,  they-are-coming-up  in  the  cardiac  of-you?  See  the  hands  of-me  and  the  feet  of-me,  that  I,  I-am  he.  Touch  me  and  see,  that  a-spirit,  flesh  and  osteo  not  it-has,  as  me  you-behold,  having.  And  this  having-said,  he-showed  to-them  the  hands  and  the  feet.  Now  still  disbelieving  they,  from  the  joy  and  marveling,  he-said  to-them,  “Have-you  anything  edible  in-this-place?”  Now  the-ones  gave-over  to-him  of-fish  of-a-broiled  part.  And  having-taken  in-front-of  them,  he-ate.

Now  he-said  toward  them,  “These,  the  words  of-me  which  I-spoke  toward  you,  still  being  with  you,  that  it-is-necessary  to-be-fulfilled  all  the-things  having-been-written  in  the  Law  of-Moses  and  the  Prophets  and  Psalms  concerning  me.”  Then  he-opened-up  of-them  the  mind  of-the  to-understand  the  Scriptures.  

And  he-said  to-them,  “Thus  it-has-been-written,  to-suffer,  the  Christ,  and  to-rise-again  from  dead-ones  on-the  third  day,  and  to-be-proclaimed  upon  the  name  of-him,  repentance  into  forgiveness  of-sins  into  all  the  nations,  having-begun  from  Jerusalem.  You,  witnesses  of-these-things.  And  behold,  I,  I-am-sending-out  the  promise  of-the  Father  of-me  upon  you;  now  you,  you-sit  in  the  city  until  which  you-are-clothed  out-of  height,  dynamite.

Now  he-led-out  them,  out  until  toward  Bethany,  and  having-lifted-up  the  hands  of-him,  he-eulogized  them.  And  it-happened  in  the  to-bless  him,  them,  he-separated  from  them,  and  he-was-being-carried-up  into  the  heaven.  And  they,  having-worshipped  him,  they-returned  into  Jerusalem  with  joy,  great,  and  they-were  through  all  in  the  temple,  blessing  the  God.

Thank you for making it to the end. Actually it is just the beginning.
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November 01st, 2025

11/1/2025

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The season of Pentecost continues on during this unusual time of the year. This Sunday celebrates another important festival in the church year, that of All Saints’ Day. And it is no coincidence that this day comes right after the celebration of Reformation Day.

Dr. Martin Luther posted ninety-five theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, in an effort to get the discussion started regarding some of the things he knew were distracting people from the Gospel. And Dr. Luther knew that there would be a significant amount of people coming into the church on November 1, to celebrate All Saints’ Day. That was a day when the all saints were remembered, especially those who recently passed away. The importance of that day, along with the importance of the Gospel, as well as Dr. Luther’s gift of articulating these important issues, those things all combined to start a Reformation.

The texts for All Saints’ Day fit well with focusing on the gifts Christ gives to us and to others around us. If you are interested, the three readings for this Sunday are as follows: Revelation 7:9-17 (with the option of including verses 2 through 8), 1 John 3:1-3, and Matthew 5:1-12. If you interested in knowing the Gospel Reading that is associated with the number of Sundays after Pentecost, it is now the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, and that Gospel Reading is Luke 19:1-10.

It may be obvious with the chapter number of that last Gospel Reading, but we are very close to the end of this Gospel Account. If you have been following the writings of this website, you would know that we are EXTREMELY close to the end of that Gospel Account, the Gospel according to Luke. This is seen in that the last of these writings covered the first part of his resurrection, and this is from the last chapter of that account.

It was said before, and it is good to say it again, that there is a significant amount of diversity when it comes to comparing the resurrection accounts from the four Gospel Accounts. A significant amount of diversity has already been happening earlier in the texts, but this particular time in Jesus’ life attracts more attention. After all, he died on the cross, and then he came back to life. That does not happen every day, although it will happen A LOT on the Last Day.

Without doubting the historicity of the event, it may also be helpful to connect the following account, that of Jesus’ appearance to the two on the road to Emmaus, as a similarity to people who are on their path of life, and then, all of a sudden, Jesus appears. And he makes a significant difference. (Now the fact that the village of Emmaus has not definitely been found also does not decrease the historicity of the event, but that fact certainly makes it easier to apply to the present-day Christians.)

If this is the first time in dealing with the writings of this website, several things should be noted. First of all, it should be stated that what follows is an EXTREMELY literal translation of the text. Hopefully it will still be helpful for you. It is recommended that a study bible or at least another translation of this section of scripture is close at hand.

The words below appear in the order in which they appear in the language of the New Testament, ancient Greek. In general, the verbs (with their particular endings) usually appear at the beginning of the sentences. They can also appear in other places because of their special form,  along with the special forms of the nouns. A proper emphasis should be given the verbs or other words which appear before the verbs. (This happens in the first paragraph below, with both the two and Jesus.) An emphasis also is made when words are repeated.

It should also be stated that the hyphens below are meant to show how many English words are in a single Greek word. And the English words that are often chosen within this translation are designed to show how often the Greek words are somewhat similar to the English. And some of the words in English were also chosen to show how rare some of the words in Greek were. After all, this account was written by a doctor, and a doctor often uses a lot of rare words.

What follows is an EXTREMELY literal translation of Luke 24:13-35, sometimes summarized by the phrase, “On the road to Emmaus”:

And  behold,  two  from  them,  in  that,  the  day,  they-were  journeying  into  a-village being-distant,  stadia  sixty  from  Jerusalem,  whose  name  Emmaus;  and  they,  they-were-conversing  toward  each-other  about  all  the  things-having-occurred,  these.  And  it-happened  in  the  to-converse,  them,  and  to-jointly-search,  and  himself,  Jesus,  having-drawn-near,  he-was-journeying-with  them;  now  the  eyes  of-them,  they-were-being-held,  of-the  not  to-recognize  him.

Now  he-said  toward  them,  “What  the  words,  these,  which  you-anti-throw  toward  each-other,  walking?” 

And  they-stood  gloomy.  Now  having-answered,  one  by-name  Cleopas,  he-said  toward  him,  “You,  only  you-are-inhabiting-alone  in-Jerusalem,  and  not  you-know  the-things  happening  in  her,  in  the  days,  these?”

And  he-said  to-them,  “What-things?”

Now  the-ones  said  to-him,  “The-things  concerning  Jesus  of-the  Nazareth,  who  he-became  a-man,  prophet,  powerful  in  work  and  word,  in-front-of  the  God  and  all  the  people,  how  both  they-gave-over  him,  the  archpriests  and  the  arches  of-us,  into  judgment  of-death,  and  they-crucified  him.  Now  we,  we-were-hoping  that he,  he-is  the-one  being-about  to-redeem  the  Israel;  but-on-the-contrary,  indeed,  and  with  all  these-things,  third,  this  day,  it-leads  from  which  these-things  happened.  But-on-the-contrary,  also  women,  some  from  us,  they-stood-out  us,  having-happened  at-dawn   upon  the  tomb,  and  not  having-found  the  body  of-him,  they-came  saying  also  a-vision  of-angels  to-have-seen,  who  they-say  him  to-live.  And  they-went-away,  some  of-the-ones  with  us,  upon  the  tomb,  and  they-found  thus  just-as  also  the  women  said;   now  him,  not  they-saw.”

And  he,  he-said  toward  them,  “O  unintelligent-ones  and  slow  in-the  heart,  the  to-believe  upon  all-things  which  they-spoke,  the  prophets;  yes-not  these-things  it-was-necessary  to-suffer,  the  Christ  and  to-come-into,  into  the  glory  of-him?”  And  having-begun  from  Moses  and  from  all  the  Prophets,  he-interpreted  to-them  in  all  the  Writings,  the-things  concerning  himself.

And  they-drew-near  into  the  village  which  they-were-journeying,  and  he,  he-did-toward  farther  to-journey.  And  they-forced-along  him,  saying,  “Remain  with  us,  because  toward  evening  it-is,  and  it-has-declined,  already  the  day.”  And  he-came-into,  the  to-remain  with  them.

And  it-happened  in  the  to-recline,  he,  with  them,  having-taken  the  bread,  he-eulogized  and  having-broken,  he-was-giving-upon  to-them.  Now  of-them,  they-were-opened-up,  the  eyes,  and  they-recognized  him;  and  he,  not-visible  he-became  from  them.  And  they-said  toward  each-other,  “Yes-not  the  heart  of-us  burning,  it-was  in  us,  as  he-was-talking  to-us  in  the  way,  as  he-was-opening-up  to-us  the  Writings?”​

And  having-risen-up,  the-same,  in-the  hour,  they-returned  into  Jerusalem,  and  they-found,  having-been-collected  the  eleven,  and  the-ones  with  them,  saying,  “Indeed  he-was-raised,  the  Lord,  and  he-appeared  to-Simon.”  And  they,  they-were-exegeting  the-things  in  the  way,  and  how  he-was-known  to-them  in  the  breaking  of-the  bread.
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October 25th, 2025

10/25/2025

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The season of Pentecost continues on, but this Sunday is at an unusual time in the year. In an effort to focus on the Gospel once again, Dr. Martin Luther posted ninety-five theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, and many things happened as a result of that, the primary one being the Reformation. So on this Sunday, many churches observe the Reformation and have that as the theme for this Sunday. If you are interested, the three readings for this Sunday are as follows: Revelation 14:6-7, Romans 3:19-28, and John 8:31-36 (and there is also the alternate of Matthew 11:12-19). The Gospel Reading for the number of Sundays after Pentecost is usually given in the writings of this website, and it is now the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, and that text is Luke 18:9-17.​

We are coming to the end of the church year, and we are also coming to the end of the Gospel according to Luke. Each of these previous writings has taken a section at a time of the Gospel according to Luke, and these writings have translated in an EXTREMELY literal way. This is a translation that may be confusing to some, but hopefully it has also been helpful. Another translation or a study bible nearby you may be helpful when you go over the text that is below.

In the last of these writings, Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. Perhaps if you are familiar with one of the Creeds, you know what is coming next. The translation below will start talking about the resurrection, and it will look at what is normally called the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel according to Luke.

This is a very well-known part of Jesus’ life. And you probably also know that there are a total of four Gospel Accounts within the New Testament. Perhaps you did not know that these four accounts differ in some details, and this is especially true when it comes to the resurrection accounts of Jesus.

A point that could be made at this time is that these accounts have not been designed to be history lessons. A history lesson presumes some ignorance, but it also implies that the person is not in serious trouble and just needs some additional help to know what went on. The problem with the human race is much more serious than that.

Jesus was on a rescue mission, not to give a history lesson. And the Gospel according to Luke has been particularly emphasizing the great variety of people Jesus encountered as he made his way to Jerusalem, and that variety will continue, especially into that “second volume” of Luke, the book of Acts.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, in the resurrection account there, only one angel is described talking to the women, and in the account below, two angels are described. Was this written down so many years later that someone forgot? You would think that such an experience would be memorable.

The evidence does not point in that direction. Two angels support the perspective of variety. And one angel supports the perspective that was seen in the Gospel according to Matthew, with Jesus standing alone (or sitting) as a single (and extremely qualified) teacher to the followers around him.

When the text is given in the Gospel according to Matthew regarding the resurrection, it does not say that there is ONLY one angel. When the resurrection text is given below of the Gospel according to Luke, please note that there are two angels. And it would be good to remember that each angel is different. They are not nameless machines.

There are some other things to mention if this is your first time looking at these writings and this particular translation. The most significant thing is to note that the order of the words in the translation below is the order in which they appear within the Greek, the language of the New Testament. The verb is usually first in the sentence, and if another word precedes that, it is important.

The hyphens below are meant to show how many English words are in a single Greek word. And the English words that are often chosen within this translation are designed to show how often the Greek words are somewhat similar to the English. And some of the words in English were also chosen to show how rare some of the words in Greek were. This account was written by a doctor, and a doctor often uses a lot of rare words.
It should also be said at the beginning of this particular section is that the structure is also a complicated one. To help simplify the start, the last part of the previous verse in the previous chapter will be laid out and given in brackets. That will help clarify to the reader/listener to make the “on-the-one-hand/on-the-other-hand” connection to that verse in this chapter. As was promised, what follows is an EXTREMELY literal translation of Luke 24:1-12:

[And  the,  on-the-one-hand,  on-the-Sabbath  they-rested,  according-to  the  commandment.]

On-the-other-hand,  in-the  one  of-the  Sabbath,  early-morning,  deep,  upon  the  tomb  they-came,  carrying  which  they-prepared,  spices.  Now  they-found  the  stone  having-been-rolled-away  from  the  tomb,  now  having-come-into,  not  they-found  the  body  of-the  Lord  Jesus.

And  it-happened  in  the  to-be-non-going,  they,  concerning  this,  and  behold,  men,  two,  stood-upon  them  in  clothing,  flashing;  now  fearing,  having-become,  they,  and  bending  the  faces  into  the  ground,  they-said  toward  them,  “Why  are-you-seeking  the  living-one  with  the  dead-ones?  Not  he-is  here,  but-on-the-contrary  he-was-raised.  Remember  how  he-spoke  to-you  yet  being  in  the  Galilee,  saying  the  Son  of-the  Man  that  it-is-necessary  to-be-given-over  into  hands  of-men,  sinful,  and  to-be-crucified  and  in-the  third  day,  to-rise-again.”  And  they-remembered  the  words  of-him. 


And  having-returned  from  the  tomb,  they-reported  these-things,  all,  to-the  eleven  and  to-all  the  rest.  Now  they-were  the  Magdalene,  Maria,  and  Joanna,  and  Maria,  the  of-Jacob,  and  the  rest  with  them,  they-were-telling  toward  the  apostles  these-things.
Now  the  Peter,  having-risen-up,  he-ran  upon  the  tomb,  and  having-bent-over-to-look,  HE-SEES  the  cloths  only,  and  he-came-back  toward  himself,  marveling  the-thing  having-happened.

Much could be said about this last verse and the verb in capital letters. Thankfully it need not all be said in this writing. In the last few weeks of this liturgical year, after the entire text of the Gospel according to Luke has been translated in these writings, some time will be given to the use of what is typically called the historical present in this account. That is when a past tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given. (It may also be called an ‘historic present’.) Whatever it is called, it is significant that all four gospel accounts have different verbs in the historical present. More will be said after the translation of the final part of this last chapter.
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October 18th, 2025

10/18/2025

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The season of Pentecost continues on, and this Sunday is commonly known as the “Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost”. The Gospel Reading for this Sunday continues on with the Gospel according to Luke. The Gospel Reading for this week is Luke 18:1-8, and this is the first time that an appointed reading comes from this chapter. The writings of this website are also going through the Gospel according to Luke, we have been looking at a little bit at a time, and we are getting EXTREMELY close to the end. Jesus has been arrested, and he will be going to the cross and the grave in the text below.

This is a very well-known part of Jesus’ life. And it is seen by many as being very negative. The idea of power is important in today’s modern society. And Jesus both on the cross and in the grave does not show too much power for those immersed in today’s culture. (You will find the women below who were striking themselves as a sign of sorrow, and even in that ancient culture, that action gives an idea as to the power that is perceived in people who are still alive and have not been condemned to death.)

Today’s culture often praises smartphones which have a lot of power, and that is an interesting synonym for electricity. But God, the almighty God, the God who is the maker of heaven and earth—and that includes EVERYTHING—sometimes he wants to show his boundless power in a much more loving and gentle way. And it then becomes a boundless love. The way of the world is power, and that is a very limited power; the way of our God is love.

There are a lot of ways in which the biblical texts could be translated. If this is the first time with these writings, it will be helpful to know that what follows is an EXTREMELY literal translation. The most significant thing is to note that the order of the words in the translation below is the order in which they appear within the Greek, the language of the New Testament. To get a clearer translation, it may be helpful to look at another translation or a study bible.

It may be also helpful to note that the hyphens below are meant to show how many English words are in a single Greek word. And the English words that are often chosen are designed to show how often the Greek words are somewhat similar to the English. And some of the words in English were chosen to show how rare some of the words in Greek were. And just like you would expect from a doctor, this gospel writer—who was a doctor—used a lot of rare words.

Jesus is going to his place of sacrifice in the text below. And for that we are grateful. What follows is that EXTREMELY literal translation of what is usually called the twenty-third chapter of the Gospel according to Luke (verses 26-56):

And  as  they-led-away  him,  having-taken-upon  Simon,  a-certain  Cyrenian,  coming  from  country,  they-placed-upon  him  the  cross,  to-carry  behind  the  Jesus.  Now  it-was-following  him,  a-large  multitude  of-the  people,  and  of-women  who  were-striking-themselves,  and  they-were-singing-dirges-for  him.  Now  having-turned  toward  them,  the  Jesus  said,  “Daughters  of-Jerusalem,  not  do-weep  upon  me;  nevertheless,  upon  yourselves  weep  and  upon  the  children  of-you,  because,  behold,  they-are-coming,  days,  in  which  they-will-say,  ‘Blessed  the  barren,  and  the  wombs  which  not  gave-birth,  and  breasts  which  not  nourished.’  Then  they-will-begin  to-say  to-the  mountains,  ‘Fall  upon  us,’  and  to-the  hills,  ‘Cover  us.’  Because  if  in  moist  wood,  these-things  they-do,  in  the  dry,  what  may-happen?”

Now  they-were-being-led  also,  hetero,  evildoers,  two,  with  him,  to-be-taken-up.  And  when  they-came  upon  the  place,  the-one  being-called  “Cranium,”  there  they-crucified  him  and  the  evildoers,  on-the-one-hand,  one  from  right,  on-the-other-hand,  one  from  left.  Now  the  Jesus  was-saying,  “Father,  forgive  them,  for  not  they-know  what  they-are-doing.”  [This last sentence does not appear in some of the oldest manuscripts. See below for more information.]

Now  dividing-for-themselves  the  garments  of-him,  they-threw  lots.  And  it-stood,  the  people,  beholding.  Now  turning-the-nose-up-from  also,  the  rulers  saying,  “Others  he-saved,  let-him-save  himself,  if  this-one  is  the  Christ  of-the  God,  the  eclectic-one.” 

Now  they-played  with-him  also  the  soldiers,  coming-toward,  vinegar  bearing-toward  to-him,  and  saying,  “If  you,  you-are  the  king  of-the  Jews,  save  yourself.”  Now  there-was  also  an-epigraph  over  him:  THE  KING  OF-THE  JEWS,  THIS-ONE.  Now  one  of-the  having-been-hanged  evildoers  was-blaspheming  him.  Yes-not  you,  you-are  the  Christ?  Save  yourself  and  us!”

Now  having-answered,  the  hetero,  dishonoring  him,  he-replied,  “Not  do-you-fear,  you,  the  God,  because  in  the  same  judgment  you-are?  And  we,  on-the-one-hand  justly,  for   worthy  of-what  we-practiced,  we-are-receiving-back.  On-the-other-hand,  this-one  nothing  atopic  he-practiced.”  And  he-was-saying,  “Jesus,  remember  me  when  you-come  into  the  kingdom  of-you.”

And  he-said  to-him,  “Amen,  to-you  I-am-saying,  today,  with  me,  you-will-be  in  the  Paradise.”

And it-was  already  about  hour,  sixth,  and  darkness  happened   over  whole  the  land  until  hour,  ninth,  the  sun  having-eclipsed;  now  it-was-schismed,  the  thing-spread-thoroughly  of-the  temple,  middle.  And  having-called,  with-a-voice,  mega,  the  Jesus  said,  “Father,  into  hands  of-you  I-place-over  the  spirit  of-me.”  Now  this,  having-said,  he-breathed-out. '

Now  having-seen,  the  captain-of-a-hundred,  the-thing  having-happened,  he-was-doxologizing  the  God  saying,  “Really  the  man,  this,  righteous  he-was.”  And  all  the  having-arrived-together  crowds,  upon  the  beholding,  this,  having-beheld  the-things  having-happened,  beating  the  chests,  they-were-returning.  Now  they-stood,  all  the-ones  known  to-him,  from  a-macro-place,  and  women,  the-ones  following-with  him  from  the  Galilee,  seeing  these-things.

And  behold,  a-man  with-name  Joseph,  an-advisor  being,  and  a-man  good  and  righteous,  this-one  not  he-was  having-put-down-the-same-vote-with  the  advice  and  the  practice  of-them,  from  Arimathea,  a-city  of-the  Jews,  who  was-approving-toward  the  kingdom  of-the  God;  this-one  having-come-toward  the  Pilate,  he-asked-for-himself  the  body  of-the  Jesus,  and  having-taken-down,  he-wrapped-in  it  in-linen,  and  he-placed  him  in  a-tomb,  scraped-in-stone,  where  not  was  no-one,  not-yet  lying.  And  day  it-was,  of-preparation,  and  a-sabbath  was-lighting-upon.  Now  having-followed-after  the  women,  who  they-were  having-come-with,  out-of  the  Galilee  with-him,  they-observed  the  tomb  and  how  it-was-placed,  the  body  of-him;  now  having-returned,  they-prepared  spices  and  ointment,  and  the,  on-the-one-hand,  on-the-Sabbath  they-rested,  according-to  the  commandment.

The words of Jesus above while he is on the cross, when they are put together with the other words of Jesus in all the other gospel accounts, all of them together make a total of seven statements, and that is an important number that is often used throughout the scriptures. The number seven is a combination of three and four, numbers connected to both God and the world respectively. With such an important event, and with the four accounts working together so well, it would be hard to leave the number of sayings of Jesus at that “central time” to be six. Although these words are not in some of the oldest manuscripts, they most certainly can be taken as GOSPEL TRUTH. Jesus and forgiveness go together quite well. Now THAT is a powerful love.
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October 11th, 2025

10/11/2025

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The season of Pentecost continues on, and this Sunday is commonly known as the “Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost”. The Gospel Reading for this Sunday continues on to the next verses in the text of the Gospel according to Luke. The Gospel Reading for this week is Luke 17:11-19. And with the writings of this website, we are also not skipping any verses within the text. These writings are also currently going through the Gospel according to Luke, and we are getting VERY close to the end. Jesus has been arrested. His disciples have left him. Peter did what Jesus had predicted and denied his connection to Jesus three times. And after the text below, Jesus will be on the cross.

Perhaps you are very familiar with these events, but the way they will be translated below may be a bit unfamiliar. The text below could be called an EXTREMELY literal translation. For one thing, the order of the words in the translation below is the order in which they appear within the Greek, the language of the New Testament. That may be a bit confusing since we are used to having the subject first and the verb second. In the Greek language, the verb is usually first, although it can come up in other places since its ending also helps to point out the subject of the sentence. In either language, the verbs are important. What God does is VERY important.

A second thing is that there are a lot of hyphens below, and these are meant to show how many English words are in a single Greek word. And the English words that are often chosen are designed to show how often the Greek words are somewhat similar to the English. And some of the words in English were chosen to show how rare some of the words in Greek were. And just like you would expect from a doctor, this gospel writer uses a lot of rare words. (You may wish to look for the word “categorize” or “categorizing” below.)

The final thing that is be said is that, with such a translation, it is recommended that the text is studied with the help of another translation or a study bible. What follows is that EXTREMELY literal translation of the last part of what is usually called the twenty-second chapter of the Gospel according to Luke and the first part of the twenty-third chapter (Luke 22:63-23:25):

And  the  men,  the-ones  having-with  him,  they-were-mocking  him,  beating,  and  having-covered-around  him,  they-were-questioning,  saying,  “Prophesy,  who  is  the-one  having-hit  you?”  And  other-things,  many,  blaspheming,  they-were-saying  into  him.

And  as  it-happened,  day,  it-was-synagogued,  the  presbytery  of-the  people,  both  archpriests  and  grammatists,  and  they-led-away  him  into  the  Sanhedrin  of-them,  saying,  “If  you,  you-are  the  Christ,  say  to-us.”

Now  he-said  to-them,  “If  to-you  I-say,  certainly  not  will-you-believe.  Now  if  I-question,  certainly  not  will-you-answer.  Now  from  the  present,  he-will-be,  the  Son  of-the  Man,  sitting  at  right  of-the  dynamite  of-the  God.”

Now  they-said,  all,  “Therefore,  you,  you-are  the  Son  of-the  God?”

Now  the-One,  toward  them  he-replied,  “You,  you-say  that  I,  I-am.”

Now  the-ones  said,  “What  still  have-we  of-martyr  need?  For  ourselves,  we-heard  from  the  mouth  of-him.”
 
And  having-risen-up,  all  the  multitude  of-them,  they-led  him  unto  the  Pilate.  Now  they-began  to-categorize  him  saying,  “This-one  we-found  turning-aside  the  nation  of-us  and  forbidding  tributes  to-Caesar  to-give,  and  saying  himself,  a-christ,  a-king  to-be.

Now  the  Pilate  questioned  him,  saying,  “You,  you-are  the  king  of-the  Jews?”

Now  the-One  having-answered  him,  he-replied,  “You,  you-are-saying.”

Now  the  Pilate  said  toward  the  archpriests  and  the  crowds,  “No  I-find  a-cause  in  the  man,  this.”

Now  the-ones  were-strong-upon,  saying,  “He-stirs-up  the  people,  teaching  throughout,  whole  the  Judea,  and  having-begun  from  the  Galilee  until  here.”

Now  Pilate,  having-heard,  he-questioned  if  the  man,  a-Galilean  he-is,  and  having-recognized  that  from  the  authority  of-Herod  he-is,  he-sent-up  him  toward  Herod,  being  also  himself  in  Jerusalem,  in  these  the  days.
Now  the  Herod,  having-seen  the  Jesus,  he-rejoiced  greatly,  for  he-was  from  considerable  times  wanting  to-see  him,  on-account-of  the  to-hear  about  him,  and  he-was-hoping  some  sign  to-see  by  him,  being-done.  Now  he-was-questioning  him  in  words,  considerable.  Now  he,  nothing,  he-answered  him.  Now  they-had-stood,  the  archpriests  and  the  grammatists,  full-stretched  categorizing  him.  Now  having-counted-as-nothing  him,  also  the  Herod,  with  the  soldiery  of-him  and  having-mocked,  having-thrown-around  clothing,  bright,  he-sent-back  him  to-the  Pilate.  Now  it-happened,  friends,  both  the  Herod  and  the  Pilate,  in  that,  the  day,  with  each-other;  for  they-were-previously  in  enmity  being  toward  themselves.

Now  Pilate,  having-called-together  the  archpriests  and  the  leaders  and  the  people,  he-said  toward  them,  “You-brought-toward  to-me  the  man,  this,  as  turning-away  the  people,  and  behold,  I,  in-front-of  you,  having-judged-up,  nothing  I-found  in  the  man,  this,  crime  of-the-things  you-categorize  against  him.  But-on-the-contrary,  neither  Herod;  for  he-sent-back  him  toward  us;  and  behold,  nothing  worthy  of-death  is  having-been-done  by-him;  therefore,  having-punished  him,  I-will-release.”

Now  they-shouted-up  all-together,  saying,  “Take  this-man,  now  release  to-us  the  Barabbas,”  who  was  on-account-of  insurrection,  a-certain-one,  having-happened  in  the  city,  and  murder,  having-been-thrown  in  the  prison.  Now  again,  the  Pilate  called-toward  them,  wanting  to-release  the  Jesus.  Now  the-ones  were-shouting-upon,  saying,  “Crucify,  crucify  him.”
Now  the  third,  he-said  toward  them,  “For  what  evil  did  this-man?  Nothing  crime  of-death  I-found  in  him.  Therefore,  having-punished  him,  I-will-release.”  Now  the-ones  were-insisting,  with-voices,  mega,  asking  him  to-be-crucified,  they-were-strong-against,  the  voices  of-them.  And  Pilate  judged-upon  to-happen  the  request  of-them;  now  he-released  the-one  on-account-of  insurrection  and  murder,  having-been-thrown  into  prison,  whom  they-were-asking-for,  now  the  Jesus  he-gave-over  to-the  will  of-them.

Many people in the text were not very nice. Interestingly enough, more than once there is the idea of strength connected to their words. That idea of power continues to this day.​

This is not the last time Jesus had to deal with people; on the cross he communicates with that special thief nearby. And regarding what people said against Jesus, did you catch how the word “category” is so closely related to “accusation”? That may be a helpful reminder not to do that too often. The categories that God already made with his world function quite well.
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October 4th, 2025

10/4/2025

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The season of Pentecost continues on, we are getting closer to the end of the church year. This Sunday is commonly known as the “Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost”. The Gospel Reading for this Sunday goes to the next chapter in the Gospel according to Luke, but there are no verses in between the previous reading and this one. The Gospel Reading for this week is Luke 17:1-10.

With the writings of this website, we also are not skipping any verses within the text. These writings are currently going through the Gospel according to Luke, and we are getting close to the end of the work. Currently we are translating what is typically called chapter twenty-two.

Jesus is getting very close to the end of his life. He is at the Mount of Olives and is about to get arrested. Perhaps you are very familiar with these events. But the way they are translated may seem a bit unusual. The text below could be called an EXTREMELY literal translation of the text.

The order of the words in the translation below is the order in which they appear within the Greek, the language of the New Testament. In that language the verb usually is very near the front of the sentence, and when another part of the sentence is before that, a clear emphasis is to be understood. (You may see this emphasis in the dialogue that Peter has with the people around him as he denies that he knows Jesus.)

What is also a bit unusual with this translation is that the hyphens are below to show how many English words are in a single Greek word. And the English words that are often chosen are designed to show how often the Greek words are somewhat similar to the English. And some of the words in English were chosen to show how rare some of the words in Greek were. (After all, doctors like Luke have been known to know some rare words.) With such a translation it is recommended that the text is studied with the help of another translation or a study bible.

So hopefully you know that, at this point in Jesus’ ministry, things are not going too well. But there is still some good news. After all, that is an important part of what the word Gospel means. And here is a unique translation of what could be called the third part of chapter twenty-two of the Gospel according to Luke (22:39-62):​

And  having-come-out,  he-traveled,  according-to  the  ethos,  into  the  mountain  of-the  olives;  now  they-followed  him,  also  the  disciples.  Now  having-happened  upon  the  place,  he-said  to-them,  “Pray  not  to-come-into,  into  temptation.”  And  he,  he-was-withdrawn  from  them,  about  of-a-stone,  a-throw,  and  having-placed  the  knees,  he-was-praying,  saying,  “Father,  if  you-are-wanting,  take-away  this,  the  cup,  from  me,  nevertheless  not  the  will  of-me,  but-on-the-contrary,  the  of-you,  let-it-happen.”

Now  he-appeared  to-him,  an-angel  from  heaven,  strengthening  him.  And  having-happened  in  agony,  more-earnestly  he-was-praying;  and  it-happened,  the  sweat  of-him,  like  drops  of-blood  going-down  upon  the  ground.
And  having-risen-up  from  the  prayer,  having-come  toward  the  disciples,  he-found,  sleeping,  them,  from  the  sadness,  and  he-said  to-them,  “Why  are-you-sleeping?  Having-risen-up,  pray,  in-order-that  not  you-come-into,  into  temptation.”  Still  he  speaking,  behold,  a-crowd,  and  the-one  being-called  Judas,  one  of-the  twelve,  he-was-coming-before  them,  and  he-drew-near  to  Jesus  to-kiss  him.  Now  Jesus  said  to-him,  “Judas,  with-a-kiss  the  Son  of-the  Man,  you-are-handing-over?”

Now  having-seen  the-ones  around  him,  the-thing  going-to-be,  they-said,  “Lord,  if  we-shall-strike  with  a-sword?”  And  he-struck,  one,  a-certain  out-of  them,  of-the  archpriest,  the  slave,  and  he-took-off  the  ear  of-him,  the  right.
Now  having-answered,  the  Jesus  said,  “Allow  until  this.”  And  having-touched  the  ear,  he-healed  him.  Now  he-said,  Jesus,  toward  the  having-happened-along  upon  him,  archpriests  and  strategists  of-the  temple  and  presbyters,  “As  upon  a-robber  you-came-out  with  swords  and  clubs?  According-to  day,  being  I  with  you  in  the  temple,  not  you-stretched-out  the  hands  upon  me;  but-on-the-contrary  this  is  of-you,  the  hour,  and  the  authority  of-the  darkness.”
Now  having-taken-with  him,  they-led  and  they-led-into,  into  the  house  of-the  archpriest;  now  the  Peter  was-following  a-macro-distance.  Now  having-kindled-around  a-fire  in  the-midst  of-the  courtyard,  and  having-sat-down-together,  he-was-sitting,  the  Peter,  in-the-midst  of-them. 

Now  having-seen  him,  a-maidservant,  a-certain-one,  sitting  toward  the  light,  and  having-stared-at  him,  she-said,  “And  this-one  with  him,  he-was.”

Now  the-one  denied,  saying,  “Not  I-know  him,  woman.”

And  after  a-short,  another,  having-seen  him,  he-replied,  “And  you,  from  them,  you-are.”

Now  the  Peter  replied,  “Man,  not  I-am.”

Now  having-stood-apart  about  an-hour,  one,  another,  a-certain-one,  was-strongly-asserting  saying,  “Upon  a-truth,  also  this-one  with  him  he-was,  for  also  a-Galilean  he-is.”

Now  he-said,  the  Peter,  “Man,  not  I-know  what  you-are-saying.”  And  instantly,  still  speaking  he,  it-sounded,  a-rooster.  And  having-turned,  the  Lord  looked-in-at  the  Peter,  and  he-remembered,  the  Peter,  the  message  of-the  Lord,  as  he-said  to-him  that  before  a-rooster  sounded  today,  you-will-deny  me  thrice.  And  having-come-out,  outside,  he-wept  bitterly.

Jesus gets it right this time. He gets it right every time. And the message of his life, death, and resurrection for us is truly good news, the Gospel.
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