July 4th, 2026

This Sunday’s title is the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. And the pattern continues of, with this year being the “A Series”, currently making our way through the Gospel according to Matthew. Last week’s reading was at the end of Jesus’ second sermon in that account, and this week’s reading makes a jump into the next chapter, with the reading being Matthew 11:25-30, and Jesus has some very gentle words within that text. There are certainly some passages of Law within the Gospel according to Matthew (and some of them were heard last week), but there are also many passages of Gospel. The text happens to be a passage of comfort and blessing. And there is certainly more to come.

With the writings of this website, we have been going through the Gospel according to John, a significantly different Gospel account, but also one with a lot of good news. We are much farther along in that account, getting closer to Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane. And we are taking a little bit of that account at a time, in the order in which it has been laid out, and we are not skipping any parts.

It should be mentioned that we are going through that Gospel account with a unique translation called an EXTREMELY literal translation. If you are familiar with this style of translation, then you may skip the next two paragraphs.

The first significant thing to mention regarding the description of this type of translation is that the chapter and verse numbers will not be included within the text itself. Both numbers were added quite later after the text was written, and they are certainly useful when someone is searching for a particular text, but the structure they imply is not always helpful. This pair of numerical designations tends to focus the reader on the very beginning of the text, where the writer started, and that is usually not be the most important thing that the writer wants to get across to the reader. The biblical writers basically wanted the readers to focus on God and not on themselves. The words are much more important than the numbers, and often those words lead the reader near the middle and/or the end of the text in some way, to give to the reader some structure to all the words being read. (Those two places of middle and end are often important, and they can also remind the reader of the layout of the tabernacle/temple; near the middle was the place of sacrifice, and that allowed one to go farther on to a place of great and wonderful significance, what was called “the Holy of Holies” or “the Most Holy Place”.)

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 often occurs between the English and Greek languages. (This can help to make the Greek language a bit easier to learn.) 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 or phrase. Sometimes this emphasis will be shown with a “(!)”. The exception to this translation order is that there are just a small number of words (like “therefore”, “now”) that are usually second in a sentence that are meant to be first when translated. And although it should be obvious, it should be said that repetition of words should be noted as another type of emphasis. One more thing to mention is that the verbs in capital letters are called HISTORICAL PRESENTS.  An historical present is when a verb in a past tense is expected, but a verb in the present tense is given. More detail regarding the historical present has been explained elsewhere in these writings, and it may be helpful to read some of the other writings of this website. With all of the above things to consider, it will probably be helpful to have another translation or a study bible nearby as you read the text below.

What follows is an EXTREMELY literal translation of what could be called the second part of the what has been called the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel according to John (14:15-31); Jesus is continuing to talk. And this time he is talking about the other “Paraclete” that is coming; more about that will be after the text:

“If  you-agape  me,  the  commands,  the  my,  you-will-watch.  And-I,  I-will-request  the  Pater,  and  another  Paraclete  he-will-give  to-you,  in-order-that  with  you(!)  into  the  age  he-may-be.  The  Spirit  of-the  truth,  whom  the  cosmos  not  is-able-to  to-receive,  because  not  it-beholds  him  nor  it-knows;  you,  you-know  him,  because  alongside  you  he-remains,  and   in  you  he-will-be.”

“Not  I-will-leave  you  orphans;  I-am-coming  toward  you.  Yet  a-micron  and  the  cosmos,  me,  no-longer  it-beholds;  now  you,  you-behold  me,  because  I,  I-live  also,  you,  you-will-live.  In  that  the  day,  you-will-know,  you,  that  I,  in  the  Pater  of-me,  and  you  in  me,  and-I   in  you.  The-one  having  the  commands  of-me  and  watching  them,  that-one  is  the-one-agape-ing  me;  now  the  one-agape-ing  me,  he-will-be-agape-ed  by  the  Pater  of-me,  and-I  I-will-agape  him,  and  I-will-be-apparent  to-him  myself.”

HE-SAYS  to-him,  Judas,  not  the  Iscariot,  “Lord,  and  what  has-happened  that  to-us  you-are-about  to-be-apparent,  yourself,  and  not  to-the  cosmos?”

He-answered,  Jesus,  and  he-said  to-him,  “If  anyone  agapes  me,  the  logos  of-me  he-will-watch,  and  the  Pater  of-me,  he-will-agape  him,  and  toward  him  we-will-come,  and  an-abode(!)  alongside  him  we-will-make.  The-one  not  agape-ing  me,  the  words  of-me,  not  he-watches;  and  the  logos  which  you-hear,  not  is  mine,  but-on-the-contrary,  of-the-one  having-sent  me,  Pater.  These-things  I-have-spoken  to-you,  alongside  you  remaining;  now  the  Paraclete,  the  Spirit,  the  Holy,  the-one-which  he-will-send,  the  Pater  in  the  name  of-me,  that-one,  you,  he-will-teach  all-things,  and  he-will-hypo-remind  you  all-things  which  I-said  to-you,  I.  Peace(!)  I-leave  with-you,  peace,  the  my,  I-give  to-you;  not  just-as  the  cosmos  gives,  I,  I-give  to-you.  Do-not  let-be-disturbed  of-you  the  cardiac;  nor  let-it-be-cowardly.  You-heard  that  I,  I-said  to-you:  I-am-going-away,  and  I-am-coming  toward  you.  If  you-agape-ed  me,  you-would-have-rejoiced  ever  that  I-am-traveling  toward  the  Pater,  because  the  Pater,  greater  than-me  he-is.  And  presently  I-have-said  to-you  before  to-happen,  in-order-that  when  it-happens,  you-may-believe.  No-longer  many-things  I-will-speak  with  you,  for  he-is-coming,  the  of-the  cosmos  ruler,  and  in  me,  not  he-has  anything,  but-on-the-contrary,  in-order-that  it-may-know,  the  cosmos,  that  I-agape  the  Pater,  and  just-as  he-enjoined  me,  the  Pater,  thus  I-do.  Rise,  let-us-go  from-here.”

As was mentioned in the previous blog, this part of the Gospel according to John contains one of the most talkative Jesus’s of all four accounts. He talks for almost four chapters, and that is a significant length.

Much could be said about that. Much will be said about that, God willing, in the near future, with these blogs. Probably the most helpful comment at the present time would be to direct the reader’s attention to the promise of a Paraclete. Note that it is NOT a parakeet. Literally  speaking, it is someone who is called alongside. And the implication is that, being alongside, the Paraclete is able to help.

Since Jesus is calling the Holy Spirit ANOTHER Paraclete, that implies that he, himself, is also a type of Paraclete. That is a comforting thing. And THAT point brings up that there is a wide variety of ways to translate this word. You may want to look for some in some various translations of the bible.
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For this blog, we will be adding up all the verbs that this Paraclete will be doing. In the last section of the text above, the two basic verbs of this other Paraclete are the verbs “to teach” and “to remind”. Those may be helpful to remember as other verbs will be shared.