June 14th, 2025

The season of Pentecost continues, with the first Sunday after Pentecost being usually devoted to looking at the doctrine of the Trinity. Hopefully that happens since this year is also the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. Certainly the point is not to understand the Trinity, but to receive this knowledge of the Triune, Three-in-One God as a very wonderful thing, a gift.

The Gospel Reading for this special Sunday is from that special Gospel according to John (8:48-59). The readings for the weeks after that, through the long season of Pentecost, will be from the Gospel according to Luke, and they will follow a progression through a majority of that account. The writings of this website have been going through the four gospel accounts, and we are currently going through the entire text of the Gospel according to Luke, a section at a time, in the order that was laid out by the writer.

There is a section of the Gospel according to Luke below that is in italics. The text is given in an EXTREMELY literal translation, even taking into account the order in which the words appear in the language of the New Testament. Having the order of the words can be helpful to see what words come first; these are often the important ones.

The hyphens below are given to help give the reader an idea of how many words in English are from the one word in the Greek. And the particular words in English have been chosen to show a close connection between the English and the Greek. And with the immense vocabulary of a doctor being the writer of the text, a helpful clue may be given regarding the large and rare words that are sometimes used.

It should also be stated that, with such a translation, the strong recommendation is to look also at another translation, or perhaps a study bible, to help you better understand the text below. Although there are countless ways to translate a text, hopefully this is a helpful one. Now what follows is from Luke 13:1-21:

Now  they-were-present,  some  in  that,  the  time,  messengering  to-him  concerning  the  Galileans,  whose  the  blood  Pilate  mixed  with  the  sacrifices  of-them.  And  having-answered,  he-said  to-them,  “Do-you-think  that  the  Galileans,  these,  sinners,  beyond  all  the  Galileans,  they-became,  because  these-things  they-have-suffered?  No,  I-am-saying  to-you,  but-on-the-contrary,  if  not  you-repent,  all  likewise,  you-will-be-destroyed.  Or  those,  the  ten-eight,  upon  whom  it-fell,  the  tower  in  the  Siloam,  and  it-killed  them;  do-you-think  that  they,  debtors,  they-became  above  all  the  men,  the-ones  dwelling-in  Jerusalem?  No,  I-am-saying  to-you,  but-on-the-contrary,  if  not   you-repent-now,  all  likewise,  you-will-be-destroyed.”

Now  he-was-saying  this,  the  parable:  “A-fig-tree,  he-had,  a-certain-man,  having-been-planted  in  the  vineyard  of-him,  and  he-came  seeking  fruit  in  it,  and  not  he-found.  Now  he-said  toward  the  vinedresser,  ‘Behold,  three  years  from  of-which  I-come  seeking  fruit  in  the  fig-tree,  this,  and  not  I-find;  therefore  cut-down  it;  why  even  the  ground  does-it-use-up?’  Now  the-one  having-answered,  HE-SAYS  to-him,  ‘Lord,  leave  it  also  this,  the  year,  until  which  I-dig  around  it,  and  I-throw  manure.  And-if,  on-the-one-hand,  it-makes  fruit  into  the  future,  on-the-other-hand,  if  not  indeed,  you-will-cut-down  it.’”

Now  he-was  teaching  in  one  of-the  synagogues  in  the  Sabbath.  And  behold,  a-woman,  a-spirit  having  of-weakness,  years  ten-eight,  and  she-was  being-bent-over  and  not  being-able  to-straighten  into  the  completeness.  Now  having-seen  her,  the  Jesus,  he-called-toward,  and  he-said  to-her,  “Woman,  you-have-been-released  of-the  weakness  of-you.”  And  he-placed-upon  her,  the  hands,  and  at-once  she-was-straightened,  and  she-glorified  the  God.

Now  having-answered  the  synagogue-ruler,  being-angry  that  in-the  Sabbath  he-was-therapeutic,  the  Jesus;  he-was-saying  to-the  crowd,  “Six  days  there-are  in  which  it-is-necessary  to-work,  therefore  in  them,  coming,  be-therapeutic,  and  not  in-the  day  of-the  Sabbath.”

Now  he-answered  him,  the  Lord,  and  he-said,  “Hypocrites,  each-one  of-you  in-the  Sabbath,  not  does-he-loosen  the  ox  of-him  or  the  donkey  from  the  manger,  and  having-led-away,  give-drink?  Now  this-one,  a-daughter  of-Abraham  being,  whom  he-bound,  the  Satan,  behold,  ten  and  eight  years,  not  was-it-necessary  to-be-loosened  from  the  bond,  this,  in-the  day  of-the  Sabbath?”  And  these-things  saying  he,  they-were-being-shamed,  all  the-ones  opposing  him,  and  all  the  crowd  were-rejoicing  over  all  the  glorious-things,  the-ones  happening  by  him.

Therefore  he-was-saying,  “To-what  like,  is  the  kingdom  of-the  God,  and  to-what  may-I-compare  it?  Like  it-is  to-a-grain  of-mustard,  which  having-taken,  a-man  threw  into  a-garden,  his,  and  it-grew,  and  it-became  into  a-dendron,  and  the  birds  of-the  heaven  camped  in  the  branches  of-it.”  And  again  he-said,  “To-what  I-may-compare  the  kingdom  of-the  God?  Compare  it-is  to-leaven,  which  having-taken,  a-woman,  she-hid-in  into  of-flour,  satons  three,  until  of-which  it-was-leavened,  all.”

One may have noted the use of the historical present, where a past tense verb is expected, but a present tense appears. This appears in the text in capital letters, to help make it stand out among the rest of the words. The variety of people in this Gospel account who are connected to the historical present is significant.
​
You may have also noticed that, instead of using the name of Jesus, the writer responds to the synagogue leader with the title of “Lord.” This also has a variety of appearances within this account, the first use of it being when Jesus had compassion on a woman whose son had just died. With this title it is hard not to think of Jesus’ own death, and the use of that special title of “Lord” is much more frequent after his resurrection. And Jesus is certainly the Lord for a great variety of people.