April 11th, 2026

The season of Easter continues. And it may be said that this Sunday is not known as the First Sunday after Easter. It is the Second Sunday OF Easter. The Easter event is a different one than just a looking back on what happened in the past. The death and resurrection of the Son of Man and Son of God is an incredibly different context for human life, even life two thousand years later. We are a different people. We have a different perspective. We have a different God than the ones that the world makes up.
For this Sunday though, no matter what year it is of the three-year series, the Gospel Reading is the same, John 20:19-31. That does not happen too often. And it is, of course, very appropriate for this Sunday.

With the writings of this website, we are currently going through the Gospel according to John, the significantly different Gospel account, and we approaching the middle of that account. Last week’s writing was the very first part of what is usually known as the ninth chapter of that account. Jesus just healed a man who was blind from birth. And since he did it on the Sabbath day, a day considered to be a day of rest, he is going to get in a little trouble with the Jewish leaders. Previously he was in trouble with some already. And the tension continues to climb.

There will be a schism described in the text below. And this will help to point out the critical dividing point. Another schism will happen later in the next chapter. It will all come down to Jesus.

There are countless ways to translate something from another language into English. Each of these writings will be a unique translation of the text. It may be called an EXTREMELY literal translation. If you are already familiar with the translations of this writing, you may skip the following paragraph which describes such a translation.

The first thing to mention regarding the description of this type of translation is that the verse numbers will not be included within the text itself. They were added much later after the document was written. It should also be noted that the words with hyphens occur when more than one English word is used to describe a single word of the ancient Greek. And some of the words chosen below are meant to point out the close connection that sometimes occurs between the English and Greek languages. It is also important to mention that the order of the words below is also the same order that is in the ancient Greek. This may help to show the important words, especially when another word besides the verb is first in the sentence. The exception to this translation order is that there are just a small number of words (like “therefore” and “now”) that are usually second in a sentence that are meant to be first when translated. It should be said that repetition of words is sometimes frequent and should be noted as an emphasis. One more thing to mention is that the verbs in capital letters are called HISTORICAL PRESENTS. That is when a verb in a past tense is expected, but a verb in the present tense is given. In the last section of the text that was given last time, this use of the historical present was used when relating the last words said by the man who was healed, that he did not know where Jesus was. This special characteristic of some of the verbs has been explained elsewhere in these writings, and it may be helpful to read some of the other writings of this website. It may also be helpful to have another translation nearby as you read the text below.

What follows is an EXTREMELY literal translation of some of what is known as the ninth chapter of the Gospel according to John (9:13-34):

THEY-LEAD  him  toward  the  Pharisees,  the-one  then  blind.  Now  it-was  a-Sabbath  in  which  day,  the  clay  he-made,  the  Jesus,  and  he-opened  of-him  the  eyes.  Therefore  again  they-were-questioning  him,  also  the  Pharisees,  how  he-saw-again.  Now  the-one  said  to-them,  “Clay  he-put-on  of-me,  upon  the  eyes,  and  I-washed-myself,  and  I-see.”

Therefore  they-were-saying,  out-of  the  Pharisees,  some,  “Not  is  this-one  from  God,  the  anthropoid,  because  the  Sabbath  not  he-keeps.”

Now  others,  they-were-saying,  “How  is-it-possible  an-anthropoid,  a-sinner,  such  signs  to-do?”  And  a-schism  there-was  in  them.

Therefore  THEY-SAY to-the  blind-man  again,  “What  you,  do-you-say  about  him,  because  he-opened  of-you  the  eyes?”  Now  the-one  said  that  a-prophet  he-is.

Therefore  not  they-believed,  the  Jews,  about  him,  that  he-was  blind  and  he-saw-again,  until  which  they-phoned  the  parents  of-him,  the  one-having-seen-again,  and  they-questioned  them  saying,  “This  is  the  son  of-you,  whom  you,  you-say,  that  blind  he-was-born?  Therefore  how  he-sees  now?”

Therefore  they-answered,  the  parents  of-him,  and  they-said,  “We-know  that  this-one,  he-is  the  son  of-us,  and  that  blind  he-was-born;  now  how,  presently,  he-sees,  not  we-know,  or  who  opened  of-him  the  eyes,  we  not,  we-know;  him  you-question;  age  he-has;  he,  about  himself  he-will-talk.”  These-things  they-said,  the  parents  of-him,  because  they-were-fearing  the  Jews;  for  already  they-had-agreed,  the  Jews,  that  if  anyone,  him,  he-should-homologize  Christ,  from-synagogue  he-would-become.  On-account-of  this,  the  parents  of-him  said  that  age  he-has,  him  you-question.

Therefore  they-phoned  the  anthropoid  from  deuteron,  who  was  blind,  and  they-said  to-him,  “Give  doxa  to-the  God.  We,  we-know  that  this,  the  anthropoid,  sinful  he-is.”

Therefore  he-answered,  that-one,  “If  sinful  he-is,  not  I-know;  one-thing  I-know,  that  blind  being,  presently  I-see.”

Therefore  they-said  to-him,  “What  did-he-do  to-you?  How  he-opened  of-you  the  eyes?”

He-answered  them,  “I-said  to-you  already  and  not  you-heard;  why  again  do-you-wish  to-hear?  Not  also  you,  you-want  of-him,  disciples  to-become?”

And  they-reviled  him,  and  they-said,  “You,  a-disciple  you-are  of-that-man;  now  we,  of-the  Moses,  we-are  disciples.  We,  we-know  that  to-Moses  he-has-spoken,  the  God;  now  this-man,  not  we-know  from-where  he-is.”

He-answered,  the  anthropoid,  and  he-said  to-them,  “For  in  this,  the  marvelous-thing  it-is,  that  you,  not  you-do-know  from-where  he-is,  and  he-opened  of-me  the  eyes.  We-know  that  to-sinners  the  God,  not  he-does-hear,  but-on-the-contrary,  if  anyone  God-fearing  he-is,  and  the  will  of-him  he-does,  this-man  he-hears.  From  the  age,  not  it-was-heard  that  he-opened,  anyone,  eyes  of-a-blind-one,  one-having-been-born.  If  not  he-was  this-man,  from  God,  not  he-would-be-able  to-do  nothing.”

They-answered,  and  they-said  to-him,  “In  sins  you,  you-were-born,  wholly,  and  you,  you-are-teaching  us?”  And   they-threw-out  him,  outside.

Obviously they did not use a telephone to call people. But the Greek word does sound like the word for “phone”. Hopefully it was not too distracting from the main point of the text. ​

Jesus certainly has power. As God he has all power. If God came to earth, how would that look? The Gospel according to John gives us some unique examples, and they are something we would not expect. And the account continues to surprise.