October 11th, 2025

The season of Pentecost continues on, and this Sunday is commonly known as the “Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost”. The Gospel Reading for this Sunday continues on to the next verses in the text of the Gospel according to Luke. The Gospel Reading for this week is Luke 17:11-19. And with the writings of this website, we are also not skipping any verses within the text. These writings are also currently going through the Gospel according to Luke, and we are getting VERY close to the end. Jesus has been arrested. His disciples have left him. Peter did what Jesus had predicted and denied his connection to Jesus three times. And after the text below, Jesus will be on the cross.

Perhaps you are very familiar with these events, but the way they will be translated below may be a bit unfamiliar. The text below could be called an EXTREMELY literal translation. For one thing, the order of the words in the translation below is the order in which they appear within the Greek, the language of the New Testament. That may be a bit confusing since we are used to having the subject first and the verb second. In the Greek language, the verb is usually first, although it can come up in other places since its ending also helps to point out the subject of the sentence. In either language, the verbs are important. What God does is VERY important.

A second thing is that there are a lot of hyphens below, and these are meant to show how many English words are in a single Greek word. And the English words that are often chosen are designed to show how often the Greek words are somewhat similar to the English. And some of the words in English were chosen to show how rare some of the words in Greek were. And just like you would expect from a doctor, this gospel writer uses a lot of rare words. (You may wish to look for the word “categorize” or “categorizing” below.)

The final thing that is be said is that, with such a translation, it is recommended that the text is studied with the help of another translation or a study bible. What follows is that EXTREMELY literal translation of the last part of what is usually called the twenty-second chapter of the Gospel according to Luke and the first part of the twenty-third chapter (Luke 22:63-23:25):

And  the  men,  the-ones  having-with  him,  they-were-mocking  him,  beating,  and  having-covered-around  him,  they-were-questioning,  saying,  “Prophesy,  who  is  the-one  having-hit  you?”  And  other-things,  many,  blaspheming,  they-were-saying  into  him.

And  as  it-happened,  day,  it-was-synagogued,  the  presbytery  of-the  people,  both  archpriests  and  grammatists,  and  they-led-away  him  into  the  Sanhedrin  of-them,  saying,  “If  you,  you-are  the  Christ,  say  to-us.”

Now  he-said  to-them,  “If  to-you  I-say,  certainly  not  will-you-believe.  Now  if  I-question,  certainly  not  will-you-answer.  Now  from  the  present,  he-will-be,  the  Son  of-the  Man,  sitting  at  right  of-the  dynamite  of-the  God.”

Now  they-said,  all,  “Therefore,  you,  you-are  the  Son  of-the  God?”

Now  the-One,  toward  them  he-replied,  “You,  you-say  that  I,  I-am.”

Now  the-ones  said,  “What  still  have-we  of-martyr  need?  For  ourselves,  we-heard  from  the  mouth  of-him.”
 
And  having-risen-up,  all  the  multitude  of-them,  they-led  him  unto  the  Pilate.  Now  they-began  to-categorize  him  saying,  “This-one  we-found  turning-aside  the  nation  of-us  and  forbidding  tributes  to-Caesar  to-give,  and  saying  himself,  a-christ,  a-king  to-be.

Now  the  Pilate  questioned  him,  saying,  “You,  you-are  the  king  of-the  Jews?”

Now  the-One  having-answered  him,  he-replied,  “You,  you-are-saying.”

Now  the  Pilate  said  toward  the  archpriests  and  the  crowds,  “No  I-find  a-cause  in  the  man,  this.”

Now  the-ones  were-strong-upon,  saying,  “He-stirs-up  the  people,  teaching  throughout,  whole  the  Judea,  and  having-begun  from  the  Galilee  until  here.”

Now  Pilate,  having-heard,  he-questioned  if  the  man,  a-Galilean  he-is,  and  having-recognized  that  from  the  authority  of-Herod  he-is,  he-sent-up  him  toward  Herod,  being  also  himself  in  Jerusalem,  in  these  the  days.
Now  the  Herod,  having-seen  the  Jesus,  he-rejoiced  greatly,  for  he-was  from  considerable  times  wanting  to-see  him,  on-account-of  the  to-hear  about  him,  and  he-was-hoping  some  sign  to-see  by  him,  being-done.  Now  he-was-questioning  him  in  words,  considerable.  Now  he,  nothing,  he-answered  him.  Now  they-had-stood,  the  archpriests  and  the  grammatists,  full-stretched  categorizing  him.  Now  having-counted-as-nothing  him,  also  the  Herod,  with  the  soldiery  of-him  and  having-mocked,  having-thrown-around  clothing,  bright,  he-sent-back  him  to-the  Pilate.  Now  it-happened,  friends,  both  the  Herod  and  the  Pilate,  in  that,  the  day,  with  each-other;  for  they-were-previously  in  enmity  being  toward  themselves.

Now  Pilate,  having-called-together  the  archpriests  and  the  leaders  and  the  people,  he-said  toward  them,  “You-brought-toward  to-me  the  man,  this,  as  turning-away  the  people,  and  behold,  I,  in-front-of  you,  having-judged-up,  nothing  I-found  in  the  man,  this,  crime  of-the-things  you-categorize  against  him.  But-on-the-contrary,  neither  Herod;  for  he-sent-back  him  toward  us;  and  behold,  nothing  worthy  of-death  is  having-been-done  by-him;  therefore,  having-punished  him,  I-will-release.”

Now  they-shouted-up  all-together,  saying,  “Take  this-man,  now  release  to-us  the  Barabbas,”  who  was  on-account-of  insurrection,  a-certain-one,  having-happened  in  the  city,  and  murder,  having-been-thrown  in  the  prison.  Now  again,  the  Pilate  called-toward  them,  wanting  to-release  the  Jesus.  Now  the-ones  were-shouting-upon,  saying,  “Crucify,  crucify  him.”
Now  the  third,  he-said  toward  them,  “For  what  evil  did  this-man?  Nothing  crime  of-death  I-found  in  him.  Therefore,  having-punished  him,  I-will-release.”  Now  the-ones  were-insisting,  with-voices,  mega,  asking  him  to-be-crucified,  they-were-strong-against,  the  voices  of-them.  And  Pilate  judged-upon  to-happen  the  request  of-them;  now  he-released  the-one  on-account-of  insurrection  and  murder,  having-been-thrown  into  prison,  whom  they-were-asking-for,  now  the  Jesus  he-gave-over  to-the  will  of-them.

Many people in the text were not very nice. Interestingly enough, more than once there is the idea of strength connected to their words. That idea of power continues to this day.​

This is not the last time Jesus had to deal with people; on the cross he communicates with that special thief nearby. And regarding what people said against Jesus, did you catch how the word “category” is so closely related to “accusation”? That may be a helpful reminder not to do that too often. The categories that God already made with his world function quite well.