September 20th, 2025

The season of Pentecost continues on, and this Sunday is known as the “Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost”. (This Sunday also happens to be Mission Observance Sunday at the congregation, but to talk about the texts for Mission Observance Sunday might be a bit distracting for the momentum that has been building for the past several months within the Gospel according to Luke. And the Gospel Reading for Mission Observance happens to be the last few verses of that Gospel account.) This Sunday’s usual Gospel Reading for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost does not jump as far the Mission Observance reading, but it is still a jump. Last week’s reading was Luke 15:1-10, and this week’s reading is Luke 16:1-15.

Within the writings of this website, we are also going through the Gospel according to Luke, but without skipping over any parts. And the writings are much farther along than the sixteenth chapter. These are the last few hours of Jesus’ life, before his death on the cross. That is certainly a memorable and important occasion. And this time a short section is given. But it includes the important institution of what is known as the Lord’s Supper (and it is also called the Eucharist). And the Gospel according to Luke contains a unique perspective with some unique words.

If this is your first encounter with these writings, it should be noted that what follows is an EXTREMELY literal account of the text. It can be difficult in some places, and having a study bible or at least another translation is encouraged so that there can be some understanding when some of those words are EXTREMELY unique.

Seeing the original language of the text is also important, and with such a translation, sometimes more of it can be seen than what is in a typical translation. The order of the words in English below shows the original order of the words in the Greek text. This helps to determine the importance of a word other than the verb, if that word is at or near the beginning of the sentence. 

The hyphens are designed 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, although the meaning can change slightly, since some of these words have been around for many centuries. And do not forget that the writer is a doctor, and doctors may tend to use some rare words that are not used by most people.

So what follows, as was mentioned above, is an EXTREMELY literal translation of what could be called the first part of chapter twenty-two of the Gospel according to Luke (22:1-23):

Now  it-was-drawing-near,  the  Feast  of-the  Unleavened,  the  being-called  Pascha.  And  they-were-seeking,  the  archpriests  and  the  grammatists,  the  how  they-might-take-away  him;  for  they-were-fearing  the  people. 

Now  he-came-into,  Satan,  into  Judas,  the  being-called  Iscariot,  being  out-of  the  arithmetic  of-the  twelve;  and  having-come-away,  he-conversed-with  the  archpriests  and  strategists,  the  how,  to-them,  he-might-betray  him.  And  they-rejoiced,  and  they-agreed,  to-him,  silver  to-give.  And  he-confessed-out,  and  he-was-seeking  a-good-time,  of-the  to-betray  him,  apart-from  a-crowd  to-them.

Now  it-came,  the  day  of-the  Unleavened,  in  which  it-was-necessary  to-be-sacrificed,  the  Pascha;  and  he-sent-out  Peter  and  John,  having-said,  “Having-traveled,  prepare  for-us  the  Pascha,  in-order-that  we-may-eat.”

Now  the-ones  said  to-him,  “Where  do-you-want  we-may-prepare?”

Now  the-one  said  to-them,  “Behold,  having-come-into,  you,  into  the  city,  he-will-meet  you,  a-man,  a-jar  of-water  carrying;  follow  him  into  the  house  into  which  he-travels-into;  and  you-will-tell  to-the  house-despot  of-the  house,  ‘He-says  to-you,  the  Teacher,  “Where  is  the  breaking-up,  where  the  Pascha,  with  the  disciples  of-me,  I-may-eat?”’  That-one,  to-you,  he-will-show  an-upper-room,  mega,  having-been-spread;  there  prepare.”  Now  having-come-away,  they-found  just-as  he-had-told  them,  and  they-prepared  the  Pascha.
And  when  it-happened,  the  hour,  he-reclined,  and  the  apostles  with  him.  And  he-said  toward  them,  “With-desire,  I-desired  this,  the  Pascha,  to-eat  with  you,  before  the  me,  to-suffer.  For  I-am-saying  to-you  that  certainly  not  I-eat  it,  until  when  it-is-fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of-the  God.”​

And  having-received  a-cup,  eucharistic,  he-said,  “Take  this  and  divide-up  into  yourselves;  for  I-am-saying  to-you  that  certainly  not  I-will-drink  from  the  now,  from  the  produce  of-the  vine,  until  which  the  kingdom  of-the  God  comes.”  And  having-taken  a-bread,  eucharistic,  he-broke,  and  he-gave  to-them,  saying,  “This  is  the-body  of-me,  the  on-behalf-of  you  being-given;  this  do,  into  the  my  remembrance.”  And  the  cup,  likewise,  after  the  to-eat-supper,  saying,  “This  the  cup,  the  new  disposition,  in  the  blood,  my,  the  on-behalf-of  you,  being-poured-out.”

“Nevertheless  behold,  the  hand  of-the  one-betraying  me,  with  me,  upon  the  table.  Because  indeed,  the  Son  of-the  Man,  according-to  the-thing  having-been-determined,  he-travels,  nevertheless  woe  to-the  man,  that-one,  through  whom  he-is-betrayed.”  And  they,  they-began  to-debate  toward  themselves,  the  which  then,  he-is  out-of  them,   the  this-thing  about  to-accomplish.