April 19th, 2025

This Sunday is very special. This Sunday we celebrate “The Resurrection of Our Lord”, and it is much more commonly known as Easter. And Jesus’ resurrection after his death is so important that it is also a long season, much like Lent. But where Lent is only forty days long, Easter beats Lent by being ten days longer.

This being the year that the Gospel Readings in the three-year series particularly focus on the Gospel according to Luke, the Gospel Reading for this “Easter Day” is Luke 24:1-12. In the weekly writings of this website, we are currently going through that same Gospel account, a little bit at a time, enough to get us through the entire account this year, in about fifty weeks, but we are going through that account in the order that was laid out by the writer. And obviously we are not anywhere near the last chapter of that Gospel account.

This week’s writing will begin what is commonly known as chapter nine of that account. And it should be made clear that this is an extremely literal translation of this account. It may be difficult to understand what is going on because of the words chosen and their unusual order. To say it in a very general way, it could be said that the verbs are usually quite early within the sentence. And in English that does not always happen (case in point).

Now the importance of verbs fits with history, since it really is HIS STORY. Jesus did not just sit around on a throne. He lived. He died. And now he lives again. And he does all those verbs for a very special reason—to save, to rescue, to do what his name means. Verbs are incredibly important. And here is the first part of chapter nine in the Gospel according to Luke (9:1-27):

(If this is your first encounter with the writings of this website, please note that the hyphens below are designed to give the reader an idea of how many words in English are from the one word in the Greek, the language of the New Testament. And the translation is designed to help the reader to see the close connections to the Greek language; and this is especially true since we have a doctor for a writer this year. A doctor tends to have a great vocabulary. And a strong recommendation is to look at this text also in another translation; a study bible may also be helpful.)

Now  having-called-together  the  twelve,  he-gave  to-them  power  and  authority  upon  all  the  demons  and  diseases,  to-be-therapeutic;  and  he  sent-out  them  to-proclaim  the  kingdom  of-the  God  and  to-cure  the-ones  without-strength,  and  he-said  toward  them,  “Nothing  take  into  the  way,  neither  staff,  nor  pouch,  nor  bread,  nor  silver,  nor  each  duo  tunics  to-have.  And  into  what  ever  house  you-come-into,  there  remain,  and  from-there,  you-come-out.  And  as-many  as  not  they-receive  you,  coming-out  from  the  city,  that,  the  dust  from  the  feet  of-you,  shake-off,  into  a-witness  upon  them.”  Now  coming-out,  they-were-going-through,  according-to  the  villages,  evangelizing  and  being-therapeutic  all-places.

Now  he-heard  Herod,  the  tetrarch,  the  things-happening,  all,  and  he-was-thoroughly-perplexed  on-account-of  the  to-be-said  by  some  that  John,  he-was-raised  from  dead-ones,  now  by  some  that  Elias  appeared,  now  others,  that  a-prophet,  a-certain-one  of-the  archaic-ones,  he-rose-up.

Now  he-said,  Herod,  “John  I,  I-beheaded;  now  who  is  this,  about  whom  I-hear  such-things?”  And  he-was-seeking  to-see  him.

And  having-returned,  the  apostles,  they-narrated  to-him  as-much-as  they-did.  And  having-taken-aside  them,  he-departed,  according-to  their-own,  into  a-city  being-called  Bethsaida.  Now  the  crowds,  having-come-to-know,  they-followed  him;  and  having-welcomed  them,  he-was-talking  to-them  about  the  kingdom  of-the  God,  and  the-ones  a-need  having  of-therapy,  he-was-curing.

Now  the  day  began  to-decline;  now  having-come-toward,  the  twelve,  they-said  to-him,  “Set-free  the  crowd,  so-that  having-gone  into  the  circular  villages  and  farms,  they-may-lodge,  and  they-may-find  provisions,  because  here  in  a-desert  place  we-are.”

Now  he-said  toward  them,  “Give  to-them,  you,  to-eat.”

Now  the-ones  said,  “Not  they-are  for-us  more  than  breads,  five,  and  fishes,  two,  if  not  having-gone,  we,  we-may-agora  into  all  the  people,  this,  foods.”  For  there-were  about  men,  five-thousand.
Now  he-said  toward  the  disciples,  his,  “Make-to-recline  them,  cliques  about  each  fifty.”  And  they-did  thus,  and  they-made-to-recline  all.

Now  having-taken  the  five  breads  and  the  two  fish,  having-looked-up  into  the  heaven,  he-eulogized  them  and  he-made-a-cataclysm,  and  he-was-giving  to-the  disciples  to-set-before  the  crowd;  and  they-ate,  and  they-were-satisfied,  all,  and  it-was-picked-up,  the  excesses  to-them  of-fragments,  wicker-baskets,  twelve.

And  it-happened  in  the  to-be  he,  praying  according-to  one,  they-were-with  him,  the  disciples,  and  he-questioned  them  saying,  “Whom  me,  they-say,  the  crowds,  to-be?”

Now  the-ones  having-answered,  they-said,  “John  the  Baptist,  now  others,  Elias,  now  others,  that  a-prophet,  a-certain-one  of-the  archaic-ones,  he-rose-up.”

Now  he-said  to-them,  “Now  you,  whom,  me,  you-say  to-be?”

Now  Peter,  having-answered,  he-said,  “The  Christ  of-the  God.”

Now  the-one  having-rebuked  them,  he-commanded  to-no-one  to-tell  this,  having-said,  ‘It-is-necessary,  the  Son  of-the  Man,  many-things  to-suffer,  and  to-be-rejected  by  the  presbyters  and  archpriests  and  grammatists,  and  to-be-killed  and  on-the  third  day,  to-be-raised.” 
​
Now  he-was-saying  toward  all,  “If  anyone  wants  after  me  to-come,  let-him-deny  himself  and  let-him-take-up  the  cross,  his,  according-to  a-day,  and  let-him-follow  me.  For  who  ever  wants  the  life,  his,  to-save,  he-will-lose  it;  now  who  ever  loses  the  life,  his,  for-the-sake  of-me,  this-one,  he-will-save  it.  For  what  is-profited  a-man,  having-gained  the  world,  whole,  now  himself   having-lost  or  having-suffered-loss?  For  who  ever  is-ashamed-of  me  and  the  my  words,  this-one,  the  Son  of-the  Man  will-be-ashamed-of,  when  he-comes  in  the  glory,  his,  and  of-the  Father  and  of-the  holy  angels.  Now  I-am-saying  to-you  truly,  they-are,  some  of-the-ones  here,  standing,  who  no  NO  they-may-taste  of-death  until  when  they-see  the  kingdom  of-the  God.”