February 14th, 2026

We are nearing the end of the Epiphany season. This Sunday, the last Sunday after the Epiphany, is traditionally known as Transfiguration Sunday. It is as simple as that. But certainly the action of Jesus being transfigured is incredibly complex. Like many other things, it is to be taken by faith. In other words, it is to be seen as a gift. This is especially appropriate since this miracle is closely connected to Jesus’ predictions of what is going to happen very soon in Jerusalem.

The Gospel Reading for this Sunday is Matthew 17:1-9. Certainly there is a jump from last week’s reading being from the sixth chapter. Very soon the readings will jump to the Gospel according to John, and then very soon they will also jump to the Passion account in the last chapters of the Gospel according to Matthew. This is also fine. The central topic is a sure and certain One. The details are just that.

In the writings of this website, we are handling some of those details. In the last three years we went through the three similar Gospel accounts, and this year we are going through the Gospel according to John, a significantly different account. Some of these differences may be more obvious than others. And many of them have already been mentioned. These writings have been archived to give the reader an opportunity to see some of those differences.

The rest of this week’s writing will focus on the next section in what is commonly known as the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to John. The section from last week ended with a reference to Jesus as Lord, and the comment was made that the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand was summarized by the verb that he “gave thanks”. Certainly Jesus gave thanks for the little food that he received. And certainly five thousand men (and many others) were fed because of that food. But the word to give thanks is, in Greek, the word for Eucharist, the word for the Lord’s Supper, the Sacrament of the Altar.

After a connection within the Gospel according to Matthew and the Father, then the Gospel according to Mark to the Son, then the Gospel according to Luke and the Holy Spirit, why not a connection to the Sacraments in the Gospel according to John? These are special, holy things of God that reach out to his people living today and deliver some great gifts.

Now if you have been reading these writings in the past, and if you are familiar with the type of translation that is below, you may skip this and the following paragraph. The translation below may be described as EXTREMELY literal. It is designed to help the reader give a new perspective on a text, and it is one that may work well with another translation of the bible or study bible nearby.

The first thing to mention regarding the description of being EXTREMELY literal is that the verse numbers will not be included within the text itself. These numbers were added later and may be distracting from the overall message of the text. 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 the particular words chosen below are meant to point out the close connection that sometimes occurs between the English and Greek languages. Also important to mention is 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 that are usually second (or sometimes third) in a sentence that are meant to be first when translated. One more thing to mention is that, although this does not happen in the text below, the verbs in capital letters are called HISTORICAL PRESENTS, where a verb in a past tense is expected, but a verb in the present tense is given. These have been explained elsewhere, and here again it may be helpful to read some of the other writings of this website.

What follows is what was promised, an EXTREMELY literal translation of John 6:24-40.
Therefore  when  it-saw,  the  crowd,  that  Jesus,  not  is  there,  nor  the  disciples  of-him,  they-stepped-in,  they,  into  the  small-boats,  and  they-came  into  Capernaum,  seeking  the  Jesus.  And  having-found  him  across  the  sea,  they-said  to-him,  “Rabbi,  when  here  did-you-come?”

He-answered  them,  the  Jesus,  and  he-said,  “Amen,  amen,  I-am-saying  to-you,  you-are-seeking  me,  not  because  you-saw  signs,  but-on-the-contrary,  because  you-ate  out-of  the  breads,  and  you-were-satisfied.  Work  not  the  food,  the  perishing,  but-on-the-contrary,  for-the  food,  the  remaining  into  life  eternal,  which  the  Son  of-the  Man,  to-you  he-will-give;  for  this,  the  Father,  he-sealed,  the  God.”

Therefore  they-said  toward  him,  “What  may-we-do  that  we-way-work  the  works  of-the  God?”

He-answered,  the  Jesus,  and  he-said  to-them,  “This  is  the  work  of-the  God,  in-order-that  you-may-believe  into  he-whom  he-sent-out,  that-one.”

Therefore  they-said  to-him,  “Therefore  what  are-you-doing,  you,  a-sign,  in-order-that  we-may-see  and  we-may-believe  you?  What  are-you-working?  The  fathers  of-us,  the  manna,  they-ate  in  the  desert,  just-as  it-is  having-been-written,  ‘Bread  out-of  the  heaven,  he-gave  them  to-eat.’”

Therefore  he-said  to-them,  the  Jesus,  “Amen,  amen,  I-am-saying  to-you,  not  Moses  has-given  to-you  the  bread  out-of  the  heaven,  but-on-the-contrary,  the  Father  of-me,  he-gives  to-you  the  bread  out-of  the  heaven,  the  true.  For  the  bread  of-the  God,  it-is  the-one  coming-down  out-of  the  heaven  and  life  giving  to-the  world.”

Therefore  they-said  toward  him,  “Lord,  always  give  to-us  the  bread,  this.”

He-said  to-them,  the  Jesus,  “I,  I-am  the  bread  of-the  life;  the-one  coming  toward  me,  certainly  not  he-hungers,  and  the-one  believing  into  me,  certainly  not  he-will-thirst,  never.  But-on-the-contrary,  I-said  to-you  that  both  you-have-seen  me,  and  not  you-do-believe.  All  which  he-has-given  to-me,  the  Father,  toward  me  he-will-come,  and  the-one  coming  toward  me,  certainly  not  I-will-throw-out,  outside,  because  I-have-come-down  from  the  heaven,  not  in-order-that  I-may-do  the  will,  the  my,  but-on-the-contrary,  the  will  of-the-one  having-sent  me.  Now  this  is  the  will  of-the-one  having-sent  me,  in-order-that  all  which  he-has-given  to-me,  not  I-shall-lose  out-of  it,  but-on-the-contrary,  I-raise-up  it  in  the  eschaton  day.  For  this  is  the  will  of-the  Father  of-me,  in-order-that  all  who  beholding  the  Son  and  believing  into  him,  he-may-have  life  eternal,  and  I-raise-up  him,  I,  in  the  eschaton  day.”