June 20th, 2026

This Sunday’s title is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, and similar things certainly continue. With the Gospel Reading, this year being the “A Series”, we are going through the Gospel according to Matthew, the first of three somewhat similar accounts of Jesus. And you might say that the Gospel Reading for this Sunday continues after last week’s reading (of Matthew 9:35-10:8, with the option of also including verses 9-20). This week’s reading is Matthew 10:5a, 21-33. Jesus continues talking to his disciples. And he has some important things to say as his disciples go out to do his work.

With the writings of this website, we have been going through the Gospel according to John, certainly the dissimilar Gospel account. And we are farther along in that account, getting closer to Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane. 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. But we also reserve the right to repeat the things that are important. (After all, this happens frequently when it comes to God’s words.)

While mentioning the topic of repeating ourselves, 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 four paragraphs.

The first significant thing to mention regarding the description of this type of translation is that the verse numbers will not be included within the text itself. Both the chapter numbers and verse 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. These numerical designations tend 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 the reader to remember. The writers basically wanted the readers to focus on God and not on themselves. And 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. (After all, you might say that Jesus came the first time in the middle of time, and Jesus will come again at the end of time. That gives some structure to our lives, and to the text as well.)

Jesus says his “Amen, amen” near the beginning and ending of the section of the text below. It seems that what Jesus adds to those two instances distance him from his disciples, and it helps point to Jesus as true Savior. We should trust no other person, and that certainly includes ourselves.​

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. (Hopefully that is helpful and not confusing.) 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 is 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. In this section of the Gospel account, it is a very unique thing that this section contains the instances within this account of the historical present of the verb “to answer”. You might say that the answers that Jesus GIVES are always important for his followers. And Jesus keeps on giving.

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 is the second and final part of the what has been called the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel according to John (13:21-38).

These-things  having-said,  the  Jesus  was-troubled  in-the  spirit,  and  he-martyred,  and  he-said,  “Amen,  amen,  I-am-saying  to-you  that  one  out-of  you,  he-will-hand-over  me.”  They-were-looking  into  one-another,  the  disciples,  being-perplexed  about  whom  he-is-speaking.

He-was  reclining,  one  out-of  the  disciples  of-him,  in  the  bosom  of-the  Jesus,  whom  he-agaped,  the  Jesus.  Therefore  HE-NODS  to-this-one,  Simon  Petros,  to  inquire  who,  --  it-was  about  whom  he-is-speaking.

Therefore,  having-fallen-back,  that-one,  thus  upon  the  chest  of-the  Jesus,  HE-SAYS  to-him,  “Lord,  who  is-it?"

HE-ANSWERS,  the  Jesus, “That-one  he-is  to-whom  I,  I-will-dip  the  morsel,  and  I-will-give  to-him.”  Therefore  having-dipped  the  morsel,  HE-TAKES  and  HE-GIVES  to-Judas  of-Simon  Iscariot. 

And  after  the  morsel,  then  he-came-into,  into  that-one,  the  Satan.  Therefore  HE-SAYS  to-him,  the  Jesus,  “What  you-are-doing,  do  quickly.”  Now  this,  no-one  knew  of-the-ones  reclining,  toward  what  he-said  to-him;  for  some  were-thinking,  since  the  moneybag  he-had,  Judas,  that  HE-SAYS  to-him,  the  Jesus,  “Agora  of-what  we-need,  we-have  into  the  Feast,”  or  to-the  poor,  in-order-that  something  he-should-give.  Therefore  having-taken  the  morsel,  that-one,  he-came-out  immediately;  now  it-was  night.

Therefore  when  he-came-out,  HE-SAYS,  Jesus,  “Presently  he-was-glorified,  the  Son  of-the  Man,  and  the  God  is-glorified  in  him;  if  the  God  is-glorified  in-him,  both  the  God  will-glorify  him  in  him,  and  immediately  he-will-glorify  him.  Children,  still  a-micron  with  you  I-am;  you-will-seek  me,  and  just-as  I-said  to-the  Jews  that  where  I,  I-am-going-away,  you,  not  you-are-able  to-come,  also  to-you  I-am-saying  just-now.  A-commandment(!),  a-new-one,  I-am-giving  to-you,  in-order-that  you-agape  one-another,  just-as  I-agaped  you,  in-order-that  also  you,  you-agape  one-another.  In  this  they-will-know,  all,  that  my  disciples  you-are,  if  agape  you-have  in  one-another.”

HE-SAYS  to-him,  Simon  Petros,  “Lord,  where  are-you-going-away?”

He-answered  him,  Jesus,  “Where  I-go-away,  not  you-are-able,  me  presently  to-follow,  now  you-will-follow  hysteron.”

HE-SAYS  to-him,  the  Petros,  “Lord,  on-account-of  what,  not  I-am-able,  you  to-follow  yet?  The  psyche  of-me  on-behalf-of  you  I-will-place.”

HE-ANSWERS  Jesus,  “The  psyche  of-you  on-behalf-of  me  you-will-place?  Amen,  amen,  I-am-saying  to-you,  certainly  not  a-rooster  phones  until  which  you-deny  me  thrice.”
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Thank you for making it to the end. And you are right in thinking that a rooster cannot phone anyone. Hopefully you understood it to be the verb “to call” or “to crow”.