August 30th, 2025

The season of Pentecost continues on, and this Sunday is the “Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost”. As in previous weeks, the Gospel Reading for this week continues after a little jump from the text that was last Sunday’s reading. The text for this Sunday is Luke 14:1-14. The jump that was made jumps over Jesus mentioning Jerusalem and how close he was getting to it, and a brief mention is also made to his death. As was said before in the in writings of this website, the tension is heightening. And Jesus is heading up to the cross.

It has also been said before that the current writings of this website are also going through the Gospel according to Luke, from beginning to end, not skipping any parts. And we are currently looking at what is usually called chapter twenty. And Jesus is in Jerusalem during this time, and the tension is at an all-time high. At the end of the last reading there were three groups of people wanting to destroy Jesus. At the end of this reading the first two groups are again mentioned, and this time they are described as wanting to “throw their hands upon him”. The first step toward the attempted destruction is laid out.

It will also probably be helpful to relate that the text below has been translated in an EXTREMELY literal fashion. Having another bible translation or study bible nearby may be helpful in a study of the text. The extremity of the following translation is mainly due to the fact that the order of the English translation below is given in the order in which it appears in the language of the New Testament. It may be said that the verb is often at the beginning of the sentence, so the early appearance of a significant word other than the verb is seen as significant.

The hyphens are designed to help the reader see how many English words have been given to explain one Greek word. It should also be said that some of the English words chosen have been deliberately chosen to show how close they are to the Greek language. It should also be said that the writer of this biblical text was a doctor, and since doctors tend to have a great vocabulary, some of these Greek words are extremely rare, and the attempt is to reflect that also in the translation. So what follows is an extremely literal translation of Luke 20:1-19:

And  it-happened  in  one  of-the  days,  teaching,  he,  the  people  in  the  temple,  and  evangelizing,  they-stood-upon,  the  arch-priests  and  the  writers  with  the  presbyters,  and  they-spoke,  saying  toward  him,  “Say  to-us  in  what  authority,  these-things  you-are-doing,  or  who  is  the-one  having-given  to-you  the  authority,  this?”​

Now  having-answered,  he-said  toward  them,  “I-will-ask  you,  also-I,  a-word,  and  say  to-me:  The  baptism  of-John,  from  heaven  was-it,  or  from  men?”
And  they-syllogized  toward  themselves,  saying,  “If  we-say,  ‘From  heaven’,  he-will-say,  ‘On-account-of  what,  not  did-you-believe  him?’  Now  if  we-say,  ‘From  men’,  the  people,  all,  they-will-stone  us,  for  having-been-persuaded,  it-is  John,  a-prophet,  to-be.  And  they-answered,  “Not  we-know  from-where.”

And  the  Jesus  said  to-them,  “Neither  I,  I-am-saying  to-you  in  what  authority,  these-things  I-do. 

Now  he-began  toward  the  people  to-tell  the  parable,  this:  “A-man,  a-certain-one,  he-planted  a-vineyard,  and  he-gave-out  it  to-tenant-farmers,  and  he-went-abroad  for-periods,  considerable.  And  in-time  he-sent-out  toward  the  tenant-farmers  a-servant,  in-order-that  from  the  fruit  of-the  vineyard  they-will-give  to-him;  now  the  tenant-farmers,  they-sent-out  him,  having-beaten,  empty.  And  he-placed-toward  hetero  to-send  a-servant;  now  the-ones,  also-that-one,  having-beaten  and  having-dishonored,  they-sent-out  empty.  And  he-placed-toward  a-third  to-send;  now  the-ones,  also  this-one,  having-traumatized,  they-threw-out.  Now  he-said,  the  lord  of-the  vineyard,  ‘What  will-I-do?  I-will-send  the  son,  my,  the  loved-one;  perhaps  this-one  they-will-respect.’  Now  having-seen  him,  the  tenant-farmers  were-dialoguing  toward  one-another  saying,  ‘This-one,  he-is  the  heir;  let-us-kill  him,  in-order-that  ours,  it-may-become,  the  inheritance.’  And  having-thrown-out  him,  out-of  the  vineyard,  they-killed.  Therefore,  what  will-he-do  to-them,  the  lord  of-the  vineyard?  He-will-come,  and  he-will-destroy  the  tenant-farmers,  those,  and  he-will-give  the  vineyard  to-others.”

Now  having-heard,  they-said,  “Not  may-it-happen!”

Now  the-one,  having-looked-at  them,  he-said,  “Therefore,  what  is  the  thing-having-been-written,  this,  ‘A-stone  which  they-rejected,  the-ones  building,  this  it-was-made  into  head  of-corner’?  Every,  the-one  having-fallen  upon  that,  the  stone,  he-will-be-shattered;  now  upon  whom  ever  it-falls,  it-will-pulverize  him.”

And  they-sought,  the  writers  and  the  arch-priests,  to-throw-upon,  upon  him,  the  hands  in  that  the  hour,  and  they-feared  the  people,  for  they-knew  that  toward  them,  he-said  the  parable,  this.