Chapter 1

¹ This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus, the Anointed One.

² It was written [in the book of] the Prophet IsaiAh,
'{Look!} I'm sending my messenger ahead,
To prepare the way before you.
³ Listen! Someone is calling in the desert,
Prepare the way for the Lord, you people;
Straighten out all of his roads!

⁴ Well, John was in the desert, and he came baptizing, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ And all those in Judea and JeruSalem went out to be baptized by him in the JorDan River, as they openly confessed their sins.

⁶ John wore clothes made of camel's hair and a wide leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. ⁷ He also preached, 'Someone greater is coming behind me,
The laces of whose sandals I'm unworthy to untie.
⁸ I baptized you with water,
But he'll baptize you with Holy Breath.'

⁹ Back then, Jesus came from Nazareth of GaliLee to be baptized in the JorDan by John. ¹⁰ And immediately after coming up out of the water, [John] saw the sky split open and the Breath [of God] coming down upon [Jesus] like a dove. ¹¹ Then a voice came from the sky, which said, 'You are My beloved Son and with you I'm very pleased.'

¹² Then, [God's] Breath immediately forced [Jesus] into the desert, ¹³ where he spent forty days among the wild animals, as he was being tempted by the Opposer. However, the messengers [of God] were serving [his needs].

¹⁴ It was after John was arrested that Jesus went into GaliLee to preach the good news of God, ¹⁵ saying, 'The period has been fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is near. So, repent and believe in the good news!'

¹⁶ Then, while he was walking alongside the Sea of GaliLee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets on the sea (they were fishermen). ¹⁷ So Jesus said to them, 'Come follow me and I'll make you fishers of men.' ¹⁸ And right away, they released their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ Then, going a little farther, he saw James the son of ZebediOu and his brother John. They were in their boat mending their nets. ²⁰ And right away he called them. So, they left their father ZebediOu in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

²¹ Then they entered CapharNaum; and as soon as the Sabbath came around, he went to the synagogue and started teaching. ²² [Well, everyone] was amazed by his way of teaching, because he taught with authority, not like the scribes.

²³ And at the time, there was a man in the synagogue who was under the influence of an unclean spirit, which shouted out, ²⁴ 'What dealings do we have with you, Jesus of NaZareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are; you're The Holy One of God!'

²⁵ But Jesus scolded it, saying, 'Put a muzzle on it and come out of him!' ²⁶ Then the unclean spirit (after throwing him into convulsions and yelling loudly) came out.

²⁷ Well, the people were shocked and started asking each other, 'What is this, some new teaching? He has the power to give orders to unclean spirits and they obey him!'

²⁸ So, the story about him was immediately spread throughout all the country around GaliLee.

²⁹ Thereafter, [Jesus] (along with James and John) walked out of the synagogue and went directly to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰ And there Simon's (Peter's) mother-in-law was lying down burning up with a fever, which they immediately pointed out to [Jesus]. ³¹ So, he took her by the hand to help her stand, and then the fever left her, so she started serving them.

³² Then that evening, after sunset, the people started bringing him all those who weren't doing well and the demon-possessed… ³³ why, the whole city gathered at the door! ³⁴ So he cured many who had various illnesses, and he expelled many demons. But he wouldn't allow the demons to speak, because they knew that he was the Anointed One.

³⁵ Then early the next morning, while it was still dark, he got up and went outside to a lonely place, where he started praying. ³⁶ However, Simon (and those who were with him) searched ³⁷ for him and found him, then said, 'Every one is looking for you!'

³⁸ But he replied, 'Let's go somewhere else… into the nearby villages, so I can preach there also. That's why I came outside.' ³⁹ And he went preaching in the synagogues throughout all of GaliLee and casting out demons.

⁴⁰ Then a leper came to him, begging on his knees saying, 'If you just want to, you can make me clean!'

⁴¹ And moved with pity, he reached out his hand and touched him, saying, 'I want to… be clean.'

⁴² Well, the leprosy immediately left him and he was clean. ⁴³ Then he gave [the man] strict orders and sent him directly away, ⁴⁴ telling him, 'Don't talk about this to anyone! But go show yourself to the Priests and give the offering of cleansing that was specified by Moses, as a witness to them.'

⁴⁵ However, after he left, [the man] started telling everyone and spreading the word around, so that Jesus wasn't able to enter the cities openly. As the result, he stayed out in lonely places, but [people] kept coming to him from all directions.

Chapter 2

¹ When he entered CapharNaum several days later, word got out that he was at home, ² and so many people came to him that there wasn't any room around the door. Then he started preaching the Word to them.

³ In the meantime, they were bringing him a man who was paralyzed and being carried by four people. ⁴ But, because of the huge crowd, they couldn't carry him straight to [Jesus]. So, they removed part of the roof over where he was, digging an opening to lower the cot that the [man] was lying on. ⁵ And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, 'Child, your sins are forgiven.'

⁶ Now, some of the scribes who were sitting there were reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ 'Why is this man talking that way? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except the one God?'

⁸ But Jesus (who immediately realized in his spirit that they were thinking like that inside themselves) asked, 'Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to tell the paralyzed man, Your sins are forgiven, or, Get up, pick up your cot, and walk? ¹⁰ But [I said this so that] you men would know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth.'

Then he said to the paralytic, ¹¹ 'I tell you; Get up, pick up your cot, and go home.' ¹² And he got right up, picked up his cot, and walked out in front of them all.

Why, all were simply beside themselves and they glorified God, saying, 'We've never seen anything like this!'

¹³ Thereafter, he went outside again to the seashore, where huge crowds came to him and he taught them.

¹⁴ It was as he was passing by the tax office that he noticed Levi (Matthew), the son of AlphaEus, sitting there. And [he] said to him, 'Be my follower.' So, he got up and followed him.

¹⁵ Later on, Jesus was reclining at the table in [Levi's] home, and many tax collectors and sinners were reclining there with him and his disciples, because several of them had started following him. ¹⁶ But when the Pharisee scribes saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, 'Does he eat with the tax collectors and sinners?'

¹⁷ Having overheard this, Jesus said to them, 'Those who are well don't need a doctor, but those who are ill do. I didn't come to call the righteous, just the sinners.'

¹⁸ Now, John's disciples and the Pharisees all practiced fasting. So they came to him and asked, 'Why is it that the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?'

¹⁹ And Jesus replied, 'Do the bridegroom's best men fast while the groom is with them? [No, for] as long as the groom is with them, they can't fast. ²⁰ But the days are coming when the groom will be taken away… and then they will fast.

²¹ 'No one sews an unshrunk cloth patch onto old clothes; for if they do, the [shrinking] strength of the new [cloth] will pull the old [fabric], and the tear will become worse. ²² Also, no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For if they do, the [new] wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be lost. So, people put new wine into new wineskins.'

²³ Well, one day, [Jesus] was traveling through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and his disciples started plucking the heads of grain as they walked along. ²⁴ So the Pharisees asked him, '{Look!} Why are they doing something that's illegal on the Sabbath?'

²⁵ But he replied, 'Haven't you ever read what David did when he was in need, and he and the men with him got hungry… ²⁶ how he entered the [Temple] of God (in the account about AbiAthar, the High Priest) and ate the presentation bread, which isn't legal for anyone to eat except the Priests… and how he also gave some to the men who were with him?'

²⁷ Then [Jesus] said this: 'The Sabbath came into existence for the sake of men, not men for the Sabbath. ²⁸ Besides, the Son of Man is also the Lord of the Sabbath.'

Chapter 3

¹ Once again he entered a synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. ² They were watching [Jesus] closely to see if he would cure the man on the Sabbath, so they could accuse him of something.

³ Then he said to the man with the withered hand, 'Get up and come here into the center.' ⁴ And he asked, 'Is it legal to do something good or bad, or to save a life or destroy it, on the Sabbath?'

But they remained silent.

⁵ Then, after looking around at them angrily (because he was saddened by the dullness of their hearts), he said to the man, 'Now, stretch out your hand.' So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

⁶ With that, the Pharisees went outside and immediately met with the followers of Herod to discuss ways to destroy him.

⁷ Then Jesus and his disciples walked to the sea, followed by a huge crowd from GaliLee and Judea. ⁸ Why, even people from JeruSalem, from Idumea, from across the JorDan, and from around Tyre and Sidon (a huge number) came to him, when they heard the things he was doing.

⁹ Well, to keep the crowds at bay, [Jesus] had instructed his disciples to always keep a little boat available for him. ¹⁰ This is because he cured so many people that those with terrible diseases were virtually falling on him just to touch him. ¹¹ And when unclean spirits saw him, they would bow low before him and shout, 'You're the Son of God!' ¹² But he would scold them, telling them not to expose him.

¹³ [Thereafter, Jesus] walked up a mountain, then he called the ones he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ There he formed a [special] group of twelve that he called Apostles (Sent Ones), who were to stay with him; and he would send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have the authority to cast-out demons. ¹⁶ Well, the names of those in the group of twelve that he formed were, Simon Peter, ¹⁷ James (the son of ZebediOu) and John his brother (he called them BoanErges, which means Sons of Thunder), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, BarTholomew ([NathaniEl]), Matthew, Thomas, James (the son of AlphaEus), ThadDaeus (Judas), Simon the CanaNaean, ¹⁹ and Judas IsCariot (who later betrayed him).

Well, whenever he went into a house, ²⁰ so many would show up that they couldn't even eat a meal. ²¹ And when his relatives heard about this, they tried to take him away, because they claimed that he had lost his mind.

²² Then scribes (who had come down from JeruSalem) were saying that he was [under the influence of] BeElZebub and that he was casting out demons by the ruler of the demons. ²³ So, after calling [the scribes] to him, he reasoned with them using [these] illustrations:
'How can the Opposer throw out the Opposer? ²⁴ Why, if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom won't be able to stand.²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house won't be able to stand. ²⁶ So, if the Opposer is divided against himself, he won't stand, but is reaching his end. ²⁷ Nobody can enter the house of a strong man, and rob him of all his things, unless he first ties up the strong man… only then can he loot his house.

²⁸ 'I tell you the truth; The sons of men will be forgiven everything… no matter what sins they commit or what terrible things they say in blasphemy. ²⁹ But, whoever blasphemes the Holy Breath won't be forgiven in the age, and it remains as a sin of the ages' ³⁰ ([Jesus was saying] this to them, because they were saying he has an unclean spirit.)

³¹ Now, [Jesus'] mother and brothers came and were standing outside, and they asked [someone] to call him, ³² because there was a crowd sitting around him. And they said: 'Look; Your mother and brothers are outside searching for you!'

³³ But he replied to them, 'Who are my mother and brothers?'

³⁴ Then he looked at those who were sitting around him in a circle, and said, 'See… my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ For, whoever does the will of God are my brothers, sisters, and mother.'

Chapter 4

¹ Again he started teaching by the seaside. And such a huge crowd came to him there that he stepped into a boat and sat out on the sea, while the crowd stood on the shore. ² Then he started teaching them many things using illustrations.

He said: ³ 'Pay attention;
{Look!} A farmer went out to do some planting.
⁴ And as he was scattering seeds,
Some of them fell beside the road,
Which were eaten by birds that came along.
⁵ Other seeds fell in the rocks
Where there wasn't much soil, and they sprouted.
But, since they had so little soil;
⁶ When the sun arose they were scorched.
And they withered, because they didn't have roots.

⁷ 'Other seeds fell in the briers,
Which came up and choked them out,
So they did not produce any fruit.
⁸ But others fell on the good soil,
Where they then grew and flourished,
Bearing fruit thirty, sixty, and one hundred times.'
⁹ Then he added, 'Let he who has ears to hear, listen!'

¹⁰ However, those who were around him and the twelve asked him about the illustrations. ¹¹ And he told them, 'The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been given to you. But those on the outside only hear the illustrations. ¹² So, although they can look, they can't see. And although they can hear, they don't listen and understand, so they can ever turn back and be forgiven.'

¹³ Then he asked, 'If you don't understand this illustration, how will you understand all the other illustrations?'

¹⁴ 'The one who scatters the seed is planting the Word. ¹⁵ And as for those where the Word is planted alongside the road; as soon as they hear it, the Opposer comes and snatches the Word that was planted in them.

¹⁶ 'The same is true of those who are planted among the rocks; for as soon as they hear the Word, they accept it with joy. ¹⁷ However, because they don't have roots, they only last a little while. Because, when some difficulty or persecution comes along over the Word, they are trapped.

¹⁸ 'Those who are planted among the thorns are the ones who hear the Word, ¹⁹ but the cares of this life, the allure of wealth, and desire for other things comes in and chokes-out the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰ 'But, those who are planted on the fine soil are the ones who listen to the Word, accept it, and bear fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.'

²¹ Then he went on to tell them: 'A lamp isn't put under a measuring basket or under a bed, is it? Shouldn't it be put on a lampstand? ²² So, nothing has been made a secret that shouldn't be made known, and nothing has been hidden away that shouldn't be shown. ²³ Whoever has ears to hear; let him listen!'

²⁴ He continued, 'Pay attention to what you're hearing! For, whatever amount you measure out, is the amount that you will be given… and more will also be added to it. ²⁵ For, he who has will be given more. But he who doesn't have, will have everything taken from him.'

²⁶ He went on to say, 'The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. ²⁷ Then he goes to sleep that night and gets up the next day, to find that the seeds have sprouted and grown… and just how, he doesn't know, ²⁸ for the earth produces fruit all by itself… first the grass blade, then the stalk head, and finally the full head of grain. ²⁹ Then just as soon as it's ripe, he comes with the sickle, because it's time for the harvest.'

³⁰ And he asked, 'To what [else] can we compare the Kingdom of God… what illustration can we use to describe it? ³¹ It's like a mustard seed, which, before it's planted in the ground, is the smallest of all seeds on the earth. ³² But after it's planted it comes up and becomes larger than all other vegetation, producing big branches so the birds of the sky find places to live under its shadow.'

³³ This is how he taught the Word to them, using many illustrations… for as long as they were able to pay attention. ³⁴ It's a fact that if he wasn't using illustrations, he wasn't talking to them. However, when they were alone he explained everything to his disciples.

³⁵ Then that evening, he said to them: 'Let's cross over to the other shore.' ³⁶ So, after they dismissed the crowd, they took him out in the same boat that he was teaching from (and there were also some other boats with them).

³⁷ Now, there came some gale-force winds, and waves were pouring into the boat --- . ³⁸ However, at the time, [Jesus] was in the stern, sleeping on a pillow. So they woke him up and asked, 'Teacher, aren't you worried that we're about to die?'

³⁹ Then he got up and scolded the wind, and told the sea, 'Be quiet! Hush!' And at that, the wind died down and a great calm set in. ⁴⁰ Then he asked them, 'Why are you so cowardly? Don't you have any faith yet?'

⁴¹ This really scared them and they asked each other, 'Who really is this? Why, the wind and the sea also obey him!'

Chapter 5

¹ Well, when they got to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Garasenes, ² [Jesus] got out of the boat and was immediately confronted by a man with an unclean spirit, who came from the tombs. ³ He lived there among the tombs and absolutely no one had been able to restrain him, even with chains. ⁴ In fact, he had often been bound with leg irons and chains, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons… nobody had enough strength to hold him. ⁵ So, all day and all night long he would go yelling crazily amid the tombs and in the mountains, while he beat himself with rocks.

⁶ But when he saw Jesus in the distance, he ran to him and bowed low. ⁷ Then he screamed, 'What dealings do I have with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I put you under oath by God not to torment me!' ⁸ [He said this] because [Jesus] had told [the spirit], 'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.' ⁹ Then [Jesus] asked him, 'What's your name?' And it replied, 'My name is Legion, because there are many of us!' ¹⁰ And he begged [Jesus] many times not to send the spirits away.

¹¹ Now, there was a large herd of pigs feeding up on the mountain. ¹² So, [the demons] begged him, saying, 'Send us to the pigs, so we can go into them!' ¹³ And he gave them permission.

With that, the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. Then the herd ran down a steep drop-off into the sea, and about two thousand of them drowned in the sea.

¹⁴ Well, the herders ran off and reported [what had happened, to those] in the city and in the fields. So, people came there to see. ¹⁵ And when they reached Jesus, they noticed the demonized man who had once been possessed by the legion [of demons], sitting, wearing clothes, and in his right mind. And this frightened them. ¹⁶ Then those who were watching explained what had happened to the demon-possessed man, and about the pigs. ¹⁷ So, they started begging [Jesus] to leave their districts.

¹⁸ Now, when [Jesus] got into the boat, the man who used to be demonized begged him to let him come along with them. ¹⁹ However, [Jesus] wouldn't allow this, but said, 'Go back to your home and family and tell them all the things that Jehovah has done for you, and about the mercy He has shown you.'

²⁰ So, [the man] went off to the ten cities and started telling everyone about the many things that Jesus did for him, which amazed all the people.

²¹ Then, after Jesus had crossed back to the other side by boat, a huge crowd gathered to him as he stood by the sea. ²² And one of the synagogue's head people (named JaIrus) saw him and fell at his feet, continuously ²³ begging, saying: 'My little daughter is [about to breathe her] last. Come and put your hands on her so she can recover and live!'

²⁴ And at that, [Jesus] went off with him, as a huge number followed, all crowded against him.

²⁵ Well, there was a woman who had [endured] a blood flow for twelve years, ²⁶ and she had suffered a lot at the hands of the healers, spending everything she had to no avail (she only got worse). ²⁷ And when she heard about Jesus, she came up behind [him] in the crowd and touched his clothes, ²⁸ because she kept saying, 'If I can just touch his clothes I will be saved [from this condition].' ²⁹ And right away, her fountain of blood dried up and she knew in her body that she had been healed of this plague.

³⁰ But Jesus recognized in himself that power had gone out of him. So, he turned around in the crowd and asked, 'Who touched my clothes?'

³¹ And his disciples replied, 'You see all these people crowded around you and you ask, Who touched me?' ³² But he kept looking around to see who did this.

³³ Then the woman (who was frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her) came and fell down before him, telling the truth about the whole thing. ³⁴ And he said to her, 'Daughter; Your faith has saved you! Go in peace, and may this be the last of the plague.'

³⁵ However, while he was still speaking, a message came from the home of the synagogue chief, saying, 'Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher?'

³⁶ But when Jesus overheard this, he told the chief of the synagogue, 'Don't be afraid, just have faith.'

³⁷ Then he didn't allow anyone to follow along, other than Peter, James, and John (James' brother). ³⁸ And when he got to the synagogue chief's house and saw all the confusion, crying, and wailing, ³⁹ he went in and asked, 'Why are you creating such an uproar and crying? The little child isn't dead, she's just sleeping!'

⁴⁰ Well, they all started laughing at him. But, after ushering them outside, he took the father, mother, and those with him into [the room] where the child was. ⁴¹ Then he took her hand and said, 'Talitha; Cumi!' (which translates as, 'Little girl; Wake up!'). ⁴² And the twelve-year-old girl got up right away and started walking around.

Well, [the parents] were ecstatic. ⁴³ Then he told them to give her something to eat, and he ordered them repeatedly not to tell anyone what had happened.

Chapter 6

¹ He left from there and traveled with his disciples to the place where he was raised. ² And when it got to be Sabbath, he started teaching in the synagogue.

Well, most of those who heard him were shocked, and asked, 'Where did he get these things? Why has such wisdom been given to this man, and why are such powerful deeds being performed through his hands? ³ For this is the carpenter – the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon – isn't it? And aren't his sisters here among us?'

So they were stumbled at him. ⁴ But Jesus told them, 'A Prophet doesn't go without honor, except in his home territory, among his relatives, and in his own house.'

⁵ As the result, he wasn't able to do any powerful deeds there, except to lay his hands on a few who were sick and cure them. ⁶ And he was amazed by their lack of faith.

From there he traveled around the villages in a circuit, teaching. ⁷ Then he called the twelve and started sending them out by twos, and he gave them power over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He also ordered them not to carry anything along the way, except a staff… no bread, food pouch, or copper money in their sashes. ⁹ [He also told them to] tie on their sandals and not to wear two pairs of underclothes.

¹⁰ Then he said: 'Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you get ready to leave that place. ¹¹ But wherever they won't welcome you or listen to you; as you leave, shake off the dirt that's under your feet as a witness to them.'

¹² So, they went out and preached, calling for people to repent. ¹³ They also cast out many demons, and greased many sick people with oil and cured them.

¹⁴ Now, King Herod heard about [Jesus'] name becoming famous. And people were saying, 'John (who did the baptizing) has been raised from the dead. And because of this, great powers are working in him.' ¹⁵ But others said, 'He's EliJah,' while still others were saying, 'He's a Prophet like one of the Prophets [of old].'

¹⁶ But, having heard all this, Herod concluded: 'The John whom I beheaded has been raised!'

¹⁷ It was Herod himself who had John arrested and locked in prison. This was because he married Herodias, the wife of his brother. ¹⁸ John kept telling Herod, 'It isn't legal for you to take the wife of your brother.' ¹⁹ As the result, Herodias hated him and wanted to kill him, but she wasn't able to do so.

²⁰ Herod was afraid of John, because he knew that he was a righteous and holy man, so he kept him safe. And after listening to him, he was at a loss as to what to do, so he gladly continued listening to him.

²¹ But there came a day that turned out to be convenient for Herod… it was when he held a supper to celebrate his birthday. He had invited high-ranking men, military commanders, and the foremost people of GaliLee; ²² and then the daughter of Herod and Herodias came in and danced. This pleased Herod and those at the table so much that the king said to the little girl: 'Ask for whatever you wish and I'll give it to you.' ²³ Yes, he swore to her, 'Whatever you ask of me I'll give you… up to half of my kingdom!'

²⁴ Well, she went out and asked her mother, 'What should I ask for?' And [her mother] replied, 'The head of John… the one who does the baptizing.'

²⁵ Then she ran back to the king and said, 'I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter… right now.'

²⁶ And although this deeply disturbed the king, he didn't want to ignore her, because of the oaths and because of those who were reclining at the table. ²⁷ So, the king immediately sent his bodyguard and commanded him to bring back [John's] head. And [the guard] went off and beheaded him in prison, ²⁸ brought in his head on a platter, gave it to the young girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

²⁹ Well, when [John's] disciples heard about this, they came and took his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

³⁰ All of the Apostles had assembled to meet with Jesus to report to him about everything they had done and taught. ³¹ And he said to them, 'I want you to come with me to a private place where you can rest up for a while,' (because there were so many coming and going that they virtually had no free time… not even to eat a meal). ³² So, they went off in the boat to a remote place by themselves.

³³ However, people saw them leaving and many others got to know about it, and they all ran from the cities on foot and got ahead of them. ³⁴ Well, on getting out of the boat, [Jesus] saw an enormous crowd. But he felt sorry for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he started teaching them many things.

³⁵ Well, by then it was getting quite late, and his disciples came up to him and said, 'This place is isolated and it's getting late. ³⁶ Send them off to the countryside and villages around here, so they can buy themselves something to eat.'

³⁷ But [Jesus] said, 'You give them something to eat.' And they replied, 'That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?' ³⁸ Then [Jesus] asked, 'How many loaves do you have? Go see!'

And after checking, they said, 'Five, plus two fish.'

³⁹ So he told all the people to recline on the green grass in rows, ⁴⁰ and they reclined in rows of fifties and hundreds. ⁴¹ Then [Jesus] took the five loaves [of bread] and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and spoke a blessing. Then he broke up the bread and divided the two fish, giving them to the disciples so they could set them in front of the people, ⁴² and they all ate and were satisfied. ⁴³ And when they picked up the scraps, there were twelve baskets full – in addition to the fish – ⁴⁴ but there were five thousand men who ate the bread!

⁴⁵ Well right away, [Jesus] instructed his disciples to get into the boat and to go on ahead of him, toward BethSaida on the opposite shore, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ Then after excusing himself, he went off to a mountain to pray.

⁴⁷ It was late in the evening and the boat was well out to sea, leaving [Jesus] alone on the land. ⁴⁸ And he could see that they were rowing with all their might, because they had a strong headwind blowing against them.

Then, while it was still dark the next morning, he came toward them walking on the sea. But he started to walk straight past them; ⁴⁹ and when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought, 'It's a phantom!' And they screamed in fright. ⁵⁰ For, they all saw him and were deeply disturbed. But right away he spoke to them and said, 'Be brave, it's me! Don't be afraid.' ⁵¹ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind died down. However, all these events left them stunned, ⁵² because they really didn't understand the meaning of the bread, and their hearts had been dulled.

⁵³ Well, when they got across to the land, they arrived at GenNesaret and they anchored nearby. ⁵⁴ But as soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized [Jesus], ⁵⁵ and they ran throughout all that area and carried those who weren't doing well to the place where they heard he was, on cots.

⁵⁶ Thereafter, wherever he went into a village, city, or even into the fields, they would bring the sick people into the markets, and there they would beg him just to let them touch the fringes of his clothes. And all who touched them were healed.

Chapter 7

¹ Now, some Pharisees and scribes came from JeruSalem and surrounded him. ² This is because they had seen some of his disciples eating bread with unwashed hands… ³ for none of the Pharisees or any of the Judeans would eat [anything] unless they vigorously washed their hands first, because they followed the traditions of the elders. ⁴ Nor did they eat anything that they brought [home] from the market until they rinsed it first. And they observed many other traditions that had been passed down, such as soaking cups, pitchers, and copper pots in water.

⁵ So these Pharisees and scribes asked him: 'Why don't your disciples follow the traditions of the elders, for they eat bread with unwashed hands!'

⁶ But [Jesus] replied, 'IsaiAh prophesied well about you hypocrites when he wrote, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. ⁷ So, it's a waste for them to keep worshiping me, because they teach commandments of men as doctrines. ⁸ Why, you ignore the Commandments of God, but you hang onto the traditions of men!'

⁹ Then he said, 'You go to a lot of trouble to set aside the Commandments of God, just so you can observe your traditions. ¹⁰ For example, Moses said: Honor your father and mother, and Let the one who says bad things to his father or mother die! ¹¹ But you say that if a man tells his father or his mother, everything that I have that I might help you is Corban (a sacred gift)! ¹² So you don't allow him to do anything at all [to help] his father or mother, ¹³ and you are nullifying the Word of God by the traditions you pass on… and you do many other things like that!'

¹⁴ Then he called the crowd to him again and told them, 'All of you, listen to me and make sure that you understand; ¹⁵ There's nothing on the outside that goes into a man which can make him unclean. Rather, it's the things that come out of a man that make him unclean.' ¹⁶ – –

¹⁷ Then, after he left the crowd and went into the house, his disciples asked him about the illustration. ¹⁸ So he said, 'Don't you understand either? Don't you realize that nothing from the outside that enters a man can make him unclean, ¹⁹ for it doesn't go into his heart, but into his belly and then into the sewer… and this makes everything that can be eaten clean!' ²⁰ Then he added; 'It's what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. ²¹ It's the things on the inside – from the heart – that bad thoughts come… things such as immorality, thefts, murders, ²² adulteries, selfish desires, wicked actions, deceit, lack of restraint, eyes that are wicked, blasphemy, arrogance, and unreasonableness. ²³ All these wicked things that come from the inside are what make a man unclean.'

²⁴ Then he got up and left, traveling [north] into the area of Tyre and Sidon, where he entered a house. And although he didn't want anyone to know about it, he was unable escape their notice; ²⁵ so immediately, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, heard about him and came, bowing at his feet. ²⁶ The woman was a Greek of Syrian-Phoenician extraction. And she kept asking [Jesus] to cast a demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ But he told her, 'The children should be satisfied first… and it isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to the puppies.'

²⁸ But she replied, 'Yes Lord; But don't the puppies under the table eat the crumbs [that fall from] the little children?'

²⁹ So he said to her, 'Because you said this, go! The demon has left your daughter.'

³⁰ Then she went back home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

³¹ [After that], he left the area of Tyre, traveling through Sidon to the Sea of GaliLee, and then up through the middle of the region called ten cities. ³² And here they brought him a man who was deaf and dumb, and they begged [Jesus] to lay his hands on him.

³³ Then [Jesus] took him away from the crowd to a private spot and put his fingers into the man's ears. And after spitting, he touched his tongue, ³⁴ and looked up to the sky and groaned. Then he said: 'Eph phatha,' (which means, 'Be opened'). ³⁵ Well, the man's hearing ability was opened and the thing that held his tongue was loosened, and he started speaking normally… ³⁶ and Jesus commanded [the crowd] not to tell anyone. But, the more he commanded them, the more they told it. ³⁷ Everyone was amazed beyond belief, and said, 'He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and those who can't talk, speak!'

Chapter 8

¹ In those days, there was another huge crowd that had nothing to eat. So he called the disciples and said to them: ² 'I feel sorry for the crowd, because they've stayed here with me for three days, and they have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them home hungry, they will give out on the road, for some of them have for a fact come a long way.'

⁴ But his disciples asked: 'Where will anyone find enough loaves [of bread] here in this isolated place to satisfy all these people?'

⁵ And he asked: 'How many loaves do you have?'

And they answered: 'Seven.'

⁶ Next, he told the crowd to get down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to serve; and they passed them out to the crowd. ⁷ They also had a few little fish. And after offering a blessing over them, he told [the disciples] to serve these too. ⁸ So, everyone ate and was satisfied. And when they picked up the leftovers, [they filled] seven provision baskets. ⁹ Yet, [they fed] about four thousand!

Finally, he sent them away, ¹⁰ and he immediately got into the boat with his disciples and traveled to parts of DalmaNutha. ¹¹ Here the Pharisees came up and started arguing with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. ¹² So, he breathed a deep sigh and asked, 'Why is this generation always looking for a sign? I tell you the truth; This generation won't be given a sign!' ¹³ And with that, he walked away, got back into the boat, and traveled to the opposite shore.

¹⁴ However, [the Apostles] forgot to bring any [extra] loaves [of bread] along, and except for one loaf, they had nothing with them in the boat. ¹⁵ So when [Jesus] started warning them, saying, 'Keep your eyes open… watch out for the fermentation of the Pharisees and the fermentation of Herod,' ¹⁶ they began arguing with each other over the fact that they didn't have any bread.

¹⁷ Well, when he realized this, he asked them: 'Why are you arguing about not having any bread… don't you understand yet and get the meaning… are your hearts dull when it comes to understanding? ¹⁸ You have eyes; Can't you see? And you have ears; Can't you hear? Do you remember ¹⁹ when I broke the five loaves [to feed] five thousand? Just how many baskets full of scraps did you pick up?'

They replied, 'Twelve.'

²⁰ 'Then, when I broke the seven loaves [to serve] four thousand men, how many provision baskets full of leftovers did you pick up?'

And they said, 'Seven.'

²¹ Then he asked them, 'Don't you get the meaning yet?'

²² Next, they went to BethSaida, where people brought him a blind man, begging [Jesus] to touch him. ²³ So he took the blind man by the hand, brought him outside of the village, and spit on his eyes. Then he laid his hands on him and asked, 'Do you see anything?'

²⁴ Well, the man looked up and said, 'I see men. They look a little like trees, but they are walking around.'

²⁵ Then [Jesus] laid his hands on the man's eyes again, and he started to see through. Finally, [his eyesight] was restored and he started seeing everything clearly. ²⁶ So [Jesus] sent him home with the warning, 'Don't go [back] into the village.'

²⁷ Well, Jesus and his disciples then left for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way, he asked his disciples: 'Who are people saying that I am?'

²⁸ And they replied: '[Some say you are] John the Baptist, others EliJah, while others say [you're] one of the Prophets.'

²⁹ Then he asked, 'So, who do you say that I am?'

And Peter answered, 'You're the Anointed One.'

³⁰ Then he ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

³¹ And that's when he started teaching them that the Son of Man would have to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, Chief Priests, and scribes, and be killed; then [he would] wake up three days later. ³² He told them plainly [what was going to happen], but Peter took him aside and started scolding him. ³³ Well, [Jesus] turned and looked at his disciples, and then scolded Peter saying, 'Get behind me opposer, because you aren't thinking God's thoughts, but those of men.'

³⁴ Then he called the crowd and his disciples to him and said, 'If anyone wants to be my follower, [he will have to] deny his own wants, then pick up his impaling pole and follow me continuously. ³⁵ Because, whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake and for the [sake of the] good news, will save it.

³⁶ 'What good does it do a man to gain the whole system of things if he loses his life; ³⁷ and what would a man give in exchange for his life? ³⁸ If anyone becomes ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he arrives in the glory of his Father with the holy messengers.'

Chapter 9

¹ Then he went on to say to them: 'I tell you the truth; Some of you who are standing here won't taste death before you see the Kingdom of God coming in power.'

² And six days later, Jesus took just Peter, James, and John along and brought them to a private spot on a high mountain. There he changed form in front of them, ³ and his clothes started to glow much whiter than anyone on earth who washes and bleaches clothes could whiten them. ⁴ Then EliJah and Moses also appeared, and they were talking to Jesus.

⁵ Well, in reaction, Peter said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, it's good for us to be here, so let's make three temporary structures… one for you, one for Moses, and one for EliJah.' ⁶ (For a fact, he didn't know what he was saying, because they were all really scared.)

⁷ Next, a cloud formed that covered them, and a voice came from the cloud that said, 'This is My loved Son; Listen to him!'

⁸ Then they looked around and suddenly they didn't see anyone but Jesus by himself.

⁹ And as they were coming down the mountain, [Jesus] ordered them not to tell anyone what they saw until after the Son of Man had been resurrected from the dead. ¹⁰ Well, they took these words to heart, but they talked among themselves about what [he meant by] being resurrected from the dead.

¹¹ Then they asked him, 'Why do the scribes say that EliJah must come first?'

¹² And [Jesus] answered, 'EliJah does come first and he restores everything. However, why do you suppose it was written about the Son of Man, that he will be tried, suffer greatly, and be treated as a no-account? ¹³ I tell you this; EliJah has in fact come and they did whatever they wanted to him, just as it was written would happen to him.'

¹⁴ Well, when they got back to the rest of the disciples, they noticed a large crowd standing around them, and some scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ However, as soon as the crowd saw [Jesus], they were stunned and they ran up to him and started greeting him.

¹⁶ Then he asked [the disciples], 'What are you arguing about?'

¹⁷ And someone in the crowd answered, 'Teacher, I brought my son to you, because he has a spirit that won't allow him talk. ¹⁸ Whenever it takes control of him, it throws him on the ground, he foams [at the mouth] and grinds his teeth; and then he just goes limp. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they couldn't.'

¹⁹ And Jesus replied: 'O faithless generation; How much longer do I have to be with you… how much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me!'

²⁰ So they brought [the boy] to him. And at the sight [of Jesus], the spirit immediately threw [the child] into convulsions… he fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming [at the mouth].

²¹ Then [Jesus] asked the father, 'How long has this been happening to him?'

And he replied, 'Since he was a child… ²² it has thrown him into the fire and into the water repeatedly to destroy him. If you can do anything, [please] pity us and help us.'

²³ And Jesus told him, 'You said, If you can! Why, everything is possible for one who has faith.'

²⁴ Then the father of the young boy immediately shouted, 'I have faith… but help me out where I need faith!'

²⁵ Now, Jesus saw that a crowd was running toward [them], so he scolded the unclean spirit saying, 'I order you to come out of him, you spirit of speechlessness and deafness… and don't go back into him anymore!'

²⁶ Then, after shouting and going through several convulsions, [the spirit] came out, and [the boy] looked like he was dead. So, most of the crowd was saying 'He's dead!' ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand, lifted him up, and he stood erect.

²⁸ Well, after [Jesus] went into the house, his disciples came to ask him in private, 'Why couldn't we cast it out?'

²⁹ And [Jesus] replied: 'This is the kind that will only come out by means of prayer.'

³⁰ Thereafter, they left that place and traveled through GaliLee. But [Jesus] didn't want anyone to know [where they were going], ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples and telling them, 'The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men and they will kill him. Then after being dead for three days, he will be resurrected.' ³² However, they just didn't grasp what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him any more questions.

³³ Then they returned to CapharNaum. And when [Jesus] got home, he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?'

³⁴ Well, they didn't answer, because while they were on the road they had been arguing about which of them is the greatest. ³⁵ So he sat down and called the twelve over, then he said to them: 'If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last and the servant of all.'

³⁶ Then he took a little boy and stood him in their midst, put his arms around him, and said, ³⁷ 'Whoever welcomes someone like this little boy in my name, welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, doesn't just welcome me, [he also welcomes] the One who sent me.'

³⁸ [Later], John said to him, 'Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he isn't one of our followers.'

³⁹ But Jesus said, 'Don't stop him, because nobody who does powerful deeds in my name will be too quick to say bad things about me. ⁴⁰ So, anyone who isn't against us is for us. ⁴¹ Why, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you walk in the name of the Anointed One, I tell you the truth; he won't lose his reward. ⁴² But whoever traps one of these little ones that believes; it would be better if a millstone – the type that's turned by a burro – was hung around his neck and he was thrown into the sea.

⁴³ 'Why, if your hand traps you, cut it off; for it's better for you to go through life physically handicapped than to have both hands and go into the garbage dump… into the fire that can't be put out. ⁴⁴ – – ⁴⁵ If your foot traps you, cut it off; for it's better for you to go through life lame than to have both feet and end up in the garbage dump. ⁴⁶ – – ⁴⁷ If your eye traps you, throw it away; for it's better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye, than to have both eyes and to be thrown into the garbage dump, ⁴⁸ where there are always maggots and the fire is never put out.

⁴⁹ 'Everyone must be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good; but if salt loses its salty flavor, what will you use it for seasoning in? Have salt in yourselves and stay at peace with each other.'

Chapter 10

¹ From there, he traveled on to the border of Judea and crossed the JorDan. But the crowds still came to him; and as was his custom, he started teaching them.

² It was there that the Pharisees came, and to test him, asked whether it was legal for a man to divorce his wife. ³ So [Jesus] asked, 'What Commandment did Moses give you?'

⁴ And they replied, 'Moses allowed [us to] write out a certificate of dismissal and divorce [her].'

⁵ Then Jesus said, 'He wrote this commandment for you because you're so hardhearted. ⁶ But from the early [days] of their creation, He made them male and female [and said]: ⁷ This is why a man will leave his father and mother, ⁸ and the two will become one flesh. So, they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Thus, what God has put together under the same yoke should be separated by no man.'

¹⁰ Well, when they got back home again, the disciples asked him about this. ¹¹ And he told them, 'Whoever releases his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her. ¹² And if a woman who is released by her husband marries another, she commits adultery.'

¹³ Thereafter, people started bringing their young children for [Jesus] to touch them, but the disciples discouraged them. ¹⁴ And when Jesus saw this, he was irritated and said to them, 'Let the young children come to me! Don't try to stop them, because God's Kingdom belongs to people like this. ¹⁵ I tell you the truth; Whoever doesn't welcome the Kingdom of God as though they are young children, won't ever get into it.' ¹⁶ Then he took the children in his arms and started blessing them, laying his hands on them.

¹⁷ Well, while Jesus was on his way out, someone ran up and fell to his knees before him, then asked, 'Good Teacher; what must I do to inherit age-long life?'

¹⁸ And Jesus replied, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. ¹⁹ You know the Commandments: don't murder; don't commit adultery; don't steal; don't give false testimony; don't defraud; honor your father and mother.'

²⁰ Then the man said, 'Teacher, I've kept all these things since my youth.'

²¹ Well, Jesus saw what he was on the inside, and feeling love for him, said: 'Then just one thing is missing; Go and sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven… then come be my follower.'

²² But [the young man] grew very sad at what [Jesus] said and went off grieving, because he owned many things.

²³ Well, Jesus looked around, and then he said to his disciples, 'What a difficult thing it is for those with money to enter the Kingdom of God!' ²⁴ But the disciples were surprised at those words. So Jesus added, 'Children; It's difficult to enter the Kingdom of God. ²⁵ Why, it's easier [to thread a rope] through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God.'

²⁶ And at that, they were even more shocked and asked, 'Then, who can be saved?'

²⁷ Well, looking straight at them, Jesus said: 'With men it's impossible. But that isn't true of God, for all things are possible with [Him].'

²⁸ Then Peter said, 'Look! We've left everything to follow you.'

²⁹ And Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth; There is no one who has left a house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news, ³⁰ that won't get a hundred times more now --- and in the coming era, age-long life. ³¹ However, many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.'

³² Now, while they were on their way up to JeruSalem, Jesus was walking out in front of them, and they were all amazed [by this]; so his followers started to worry. Then he took the twelve aside to tell them the things that were about to happen to him, saying, ³³ '{Look!} We are walking up to JeruSalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the Chief Priests and scribes, who will then condemn him to death, and turn him over to [men of] the nations, ³⁴ who will make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and then kill him. But three days later, he will be resurrected.'

³⁵ [Then later], James and John (the two sons of ZebediOu) came up to him and said: 'Teacher, we want to ask you to do something for us.'

³⁶ And he replied: 'What do you want?'

³⁷ They said: 'Allow us to sit, one at your right hand and the other on your left, in your glory.'

³⁸ But Jesus replied: 'You don't know what you're asking. Can you drink the cup that I'm drinking, or to be baptized in the baptism that I'm being baptized with?'

³⁹ And they answered, 'We can.'

Then Jesus told them, 'You will indeed drink the cup that I'm drinking and you will be baptized in the baptism that I'm being baptized with. ⁴⁰ However, sitting at my right or left isn't mine to give. That belongs to those for whom it has been prepared.'

⁴¹ Well, when the ten others heard about [this request], they were very irritated at James and John. ⁴² But Jesus called [them all] to him and said: 'You know that those who appear to be ruling the nations act like masters over [their subjects], and how the greatest of them like to use their power. ⁴³ This isn't the way it should be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. ⁴⁴ And whoever wants to be first among you must be everyone's slave. ⁴⁵ Because, even the Son of Man didn't come to be served; [he came] to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.'

⁴⁶ Well, before long, they arrived at Jericho. And while [Jesus] (along with his disciples and quite a crowd) was leaving Jericho, BarTimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting alongside the road. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that Jesus the Nazarene [was passing], he started shouting, 'Jesus; Son of David; Have mercy on me!'

⁴⁸ But many [in the crowd] told him to be quiet. Yet he kept shouting even louder, 'Son of David; Have mercy on me!'

⁴⁹ So Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him over.'

Then they called the blind man and told him, 'Cheer up… Get up; He's calling you!'

⁵⁰ Well, he threw off his robe, jumped to his feet, and went to Jesus.

⁵¹ Then Jesus asked: 'What do you want me to do for you?'

And the blind man replied: 'My Teacher; Let me see again!'

⁵² And Jesus said to him, 'Go, for your faith has made you well.' And immediately he started to see, and he followed [Jesus] down the road.

Chapter 11

¹ Now, when they got close to JeruSalem (to BethPhage and BethAny at the Mount of Olives), he sent two of his disciples ahead, ² telling them: 'Go into the village across from us, and as soon as you enter, you'll find a colt that is tied, which no man has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ And if anyone asks why you're doing this, say, The Lord needs it. And he will immediately let you take it.'

⁴ So, they went and found the colt tied outside a door on a side street, and they untied it. ⁵ But some of those who were standing there asked, 'Why are you untying the colt?'

⁶ Then [the disciples] told them what Jesus said, and they let them take it.

⁷ So, they brought the colt to Jesus, put a robe over it, and he sat on it. ⁸ Also, many [who were there] spread their robes on the road, while others cut branches from trees in the fields. ⁹ And those who walked in front of him and behind him were shouting, 'May [God] save him! Praised is he who comes in Jehovah's Name! ¹⁰ Praised is the Kingdom of our Father David that is coming! May [God] in the highest places save him!'

¹¹ Then he rode into JeruSalem, went into the Temple, and looked around at everything; but because it was late, he [went back] to BethAny with the twelve.

¹² The next morning, as he was leaving BethAny, he became hungry, ¹³ and noticing leaves on a fig tree from a distance, he went over to see if he could find some [fruit] on it. But when he got there, he found nothing other than just leaves, because it was [a little early in the year] for figs. ¹⁴ Then [Jesus] said to [the tree], 'May no one eat fruit from you for the rest of the age' (and his disciples heard [him say] it).

¹⁵ Well from there, they went on into JeruSalem. Then [Jesus] went into the Temple and started throwing out those who were buying and selling. He also pushed over the moneychangers' tables, and the seats of those who sold doves, ¹⁶ and he wouldn't allow anyone to carry things through the Temple. ¹⁷ He kept teaching and saying, 'Isn't it written, My house will be called a House of Prayer for all the nations? Yet, you've made it a den of thieves!'

¹⁸ Well, the Chief Priests and scribes heard this and started looking for ways to destroy him. But they were afraid of him, because his teaching always amazed the crowds.

¹⁹ Then, after it got late, they left the city. ²⁰ But as they were traveling along early the [next] morning, they saw that fig tree all withered up from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered it and said to [Jesus], 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered!'

²² Then Jesus said, 'Have faith in God. ²³ I tell you the truth; Whoever would tell this mountain to rise and be thrown into the sea – if he doesn't doubt in his heart, but has faith – what he says will happen is what's going to happen. ²⁴ This is why I tell you; Have faith that you will receive everything you pray and ask for, and you will have them. ²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against others, so that your Father who is in the heavens will also forgive your mistakes.' ²⁶ – –

²⁷ So they returned to JeruSalem. And as he was walking around in the Temple, the Chief Priests, scribes, and elders came up to him ²⁸ and asked, 'Who authorized you to do these things… who gave you the authority?'

²⁹ Then Jesus replied, 'I'm going to ask you a question. And if you answer me, then I'll tell you where I got the authority to do these things: ³⁰ Did the baptism by John come from heaven or from men? Answer me!'

³¹ So they started reasoning among themselves and saying, 'If we say it was from heaven, he will ask; So, why didn't you believe him? ³² But if we say, from men… ' You see, they were afraid of the crowds, because [the people] believed that John was a Prophet. ³³ So they told Jesus, 'We don't know.'

And Jesus told them, 'Then I'm not going to tell you where I got the authority to do these things.'

Chapter 12

¹ Then he started teaching them by means of illustrations: 'A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a vat for the wine press, built a tower [to protect it], and contracted its care to some farmers, and then he traveled abroad.

² 'Now, when the [harvest] season came, he sent a slave to the farmers to get some of the vineyard's fruit. ³ But they grabbed [the slave], beat him up, and sent him away with nothing. ⁴ Again [the master] sent another slave to them. They hit this one on the head and treated him dishonorably. ⁵ So, he sent another, and they killed this one… and [he sent] many others, some of whom they flayed with whips, and others whom they killed.

⁶ 'Well, [the master] had one more [he could send], a dearly loved son. He sent [his son] to them last, saying, Surely they will respect my son!

⁷ 'But those farmers said to each other, This is the heir! Let's kill him and the inheritance will be ours! ⁸ So they grabbed him and killed him, and threw [his body] outside of the vineyard.

⁹ 'Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, then entrust the vineyard to others.

¹⁰ 'Didn't you ever read the scripture:
The stone that the builders rejected,
Became the chief cornerstone.
¹¹ By Jehovah this happened,
And we think it's just grand.'

¹² Well, they recognized that the illustration applied to them, so they started looking for ways to grab him. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they released him and left.

¹³ Next, they sent some of the Pharisees and followers of Herod to him to try to get [Jesus] to say something [that they could accuse him of]. ¹⁴ And when they got there, they said, 'Teacher; We know that you tell the truth and you aren't impressed by anyone. You don't look at what men are on the outside, but you truly teach the way of God. So, is it legal to pay the head tax to Caesar or not… ¹⁵ should we pay, or shouldn't we?'

But noting their hypocrisy, he said, 'Why are you testing me? Bring me a silver coin to look at.'

¹⁶ So they brought one, and he asked, 'Whose image and inscription is this?'

And they replied, 'Caesar's.'

¹⁷ Then Jesus said, 'Pay Caesar's things to Caesar, but God's things to God.' And he bewildered them.

¹⁸ Now. the SadDucees (who say there's no such thing as a resurrection) came to [Jesus] and asked, ¹⁹ 'Teacher; Moses wrote to us that if anyone has a brother who dies and leaves a wife without a child, his brother should take the wife and raise offspring for his brother. ²⁰ Well, let's say that there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, but he died without offspring. ²¹ Then the second took her, but he also died without offspring, as did the third… ²² none of the seven left any offspring. And finally, the woman also died. ²³ So, whose wife will she be in the resurrection, since all seven had her as a wife?'

²⁴ Then Jesus answered, 'This is why you're so misled; for you don't understand the Scriptures or the power of God! ²⁵ When the dead are resurrected, they won't marry or be married, for they are as the messengers in heaven.

²⁶ 'As for the dead who are raised; Didn't you read in the book of Moses – in the story about the thorn bush – how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? ²⁷ He isn't a God of the dead, but of the living! Yes, you are very misled!'

²⁸ Now, one of the scribes (who came up and heard the arguing), knew that [Jesus] had given a good answer. So he asked, 'Then, which is the primary Commandment?'

²⁹ And Jesus answered, 'The primary one is: Hear, O IsraEl; Jehovah our God is one Lord, ³⁰ and you must love your God our Lord with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. ³¹ The second is this: You must love your neighbor as yourself. No Commandments are greater than these.'

³² Then the scribe said, 'Good! You told the truth, teacher, when you say that He is One and there is no other. ³³ And loving Him with your whole heart, understanding, and strength; and loving your neighbor as yourself, is worth much more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.'

³⁴ So, Jesus (recognizing that he responded intelligently) said to him, 'You aren't far from the Kingdom of God.'

And from then on, no one else had enough courage to ask him any more questions.

³⁵ Well, in reply to a question that was raised while Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he asked, 'Why do the scribes say that the Anointed One is David's son? ³⁶ For, through the Holy Breath [of God], David said this: Jehovah said to my Lord; Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. ³⁷ So, since David called him Lord, how can he be his son?'

[All the while], the huge crowd was listening to him with a lot of pleasure.

³⁸ Then, as he was teaching, he warned, 'Watch out for the scribes who like to walk around in robes and who wish to be greeted in the markets. ³⁹ [They want] the front seats in the synagogues and the front positions at suppers. ⁴⁰ Yet, these devour the homes of widows while putting on a show and delivering long prayers; so they will receive a heavier judgment.'

⁴¹ Then he sat down across from the sacred Treasury and noticed the crowd dropping money into the boxes… and the rich people were dropping in many coins. ⁴² However, a poor widow came and dropped in two small copper coins that weren't worth much. ⁴³ So, [Jesus] called his disciples over and said, 'I tell you the truth; This poor widow put in more than all the rest who threw money into the treasury chest. ⁴⁴ Because, they all threw in what they had plenty of, but [this woman] who is in need, dropped in everything she had… her whole [means of] living.'

Chapter 13

¹ It was as he was leaving the Temple that one of his disciples said, 'Teacher; Look at these stones and these buildings!'

² However, Jesus said to him, 'Do you see these great buildings? There won't be a stone left on top of a stone here that won't be thrown down.'

³ And as he was sitting in a quiet spot on the Mount of Olives (across from the Temple), Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked, ⁴ 'Tell us; when will these things happen, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to end?'

⁵ And Jesus answered: 'Be careful so that no one misleads you. ⁶ For, many will come in my name, saying, I am [he], and will mislead many. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and reports of wars, don't be afraid, because [these things] must happen… but that isn't the end. ⁸ For nation will war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be rumblings in one place after another, and there will be food shortages. Yet these things are just the beginnings of the birth pains.

⁹ 'Watch out for yourselves, because you will be betrayed to local courts and you will be whipped in synagogues, then be put on the stand before governors and kings for my sake, as a witness to them. ¹⁰ Also, the good news has to be preached among all the nations first. ¹¹ But, as they are carrying you off to face accusation, don't worry ahead of time about what you will say. Just say whatever is given to you in that hour, because you aren't the ones speaking… the Holy Breath [of God] is.

¹² 'Then brothers will betray brothers for death, as will a father his own child; and children will stand against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³ Everyone will hate you because of my name; but he who endures to the end will be saved.

¹⁴ 'Whenever you see the disgusting destroyer standing where it shouldn't be (readers should pay attention to this), then those in Judea should flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ The one who is standing on his roof shouldn't come down or go inside to take anything out of his house, ¹⁶ and the one who is standing in the field shouldn't go back to pick up his clothes.

¹⁷ 'Woe to those who are pregnant and those nursing babies in those days… ¹⁸ keep praying that it doesn't happen during the winter. ¹⁹ Because, in those days, there will come a time of difficulty such as hasn't happened since the earliest creation by God until then, and shouldn't happen [again]. ²⁰ In fact, if the Lord doesn't shorten the days, it's likely that no flesh will be saved. But because of the elected ones whom He chose, He has shortened the days.

²¹ 'Then if anyone says to you, Look; Here's the Anointed One, or, Look; There he is; don't believe it. ²² Because, false anointed and false prophets will arise and they will give signs and omens to mislead, if possible, even the elected! ²³ Now, you be careful, because I've warned you!

²⁴ 'In the days that follow those difficult times, the sun will be darkened, the moon won't shine, ²⁵ stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will shake. ²⁶ And they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with much power and glory. ²⁷ Then he will send the messengers off to gather his elected ones from the four winds… from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky!

²⁸ 'Now, learn from the illustration of the fig tree:
When its branches become tender
And it starts putting out leaves,
You know that summer is near.
²⁹ So, when you see these things start to happen,
Know that he's near… at the doors.

³⁰ I tell you the truth;
This generation will not pass away,
Until all these things have occured…
³¹ The earth and sky will pass away,
But my words will not pass away.

³² No one knows that day or that hour… neither the messengers in heaven nor the Son, just the Father. ³³ So, stay awake and keep watching, because you don't know the time when he's coming!

³⁴ 'It's like a man, who, before leaving his house and traveling abroad, instructed each of his slaves to just go on doing their jobs… but he commanded his doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵ So, stay awake, because you don't know when the Master of the house is coming – whether it's late, or at midnight, or at rooster crowing, or early in the morning – ³⁶ so that when he suddenly arrives, he doesn't find you sleeping. ³⁷ What I'm saying to you I'm saying to everyone… Stay awake!'

Chapter 14

¹ Now, it was just two days before Passover and the festival of No fermentation. And the Chief Priests and the scribes were trying to come up with devious ways to grab [Jesus] and kill him. ² But they said, 'Not at the festival… not at any time when it will create a scene!'

³ Then, while he was reclining at a meal in the house of Simon the leper (in BethAny), a woman came in with a very expensive alabaster case of perfumed oil… genuine nard. And after breaking open the alabaster, she poured it over his head. ⁴ But some were grumbling among themselves, asking, 'Why this waste of perfumed oil? ⁵ This ointment could have been sold for up to three-hundred silver coins and given to the poor!' And they were very displeased with her.

⁶ But Jesus said, 'Leave her alone… why are you trying to make trouble for her? She did a good thing for me! ⁷ You always have the poor with you, and you can do good things for them whenever you want… but you won't always have me. ⁸ She did what she could… she put perfumed ointment on my body ahead of time, for my burial. ⁹ And I tell you the truth; Wherever the Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman did will be told in memory of her.'

¹⁰ [Meanwhile], Judas Iscariot (one of the twelve) had gone to the Chief Priests to betray him. ¹¹ And when they heard [his offer], they were delighted and promised to pay him in silver. So he started looking for an opportunity to betray [Jesus].

¹² Then, toward the first day of No Fermentation (when the Passover sacrifice is offered), [Jesus'] disciples asked him, 'Where do you want us to go to prepare for you to eat the Passover?'

¹³ So he sent two of his disciples off, telling them, 'Go into the city and you will meet a man there who is carrying a clay pot full of water… follow him, ¹⁴ and wherever he goes inside, tell the master of the house that the Teacher asks: Where is the guest room that I can eat the Passover with my disciples?' ¹⁵ And he will show you a large upper room that's already furnished. Prepare [the meal] for us there.'

¹⁶ So the disciples left and went into the city, and there they found everything just as he said; and they prepared for the Passover.

¹⁷ Then, that evening, [Jesus] came with the twelve. ¹⁸ And as they were reclining and eating at the table, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth; One of you who is eating with me will betray me!'

¹⁹ Well at this, they were all deeply saddened and asked, 'It isn't me, is it?'

²⁰ Then he answered: 'It's one of the twelve who is dipping into the common bowl with me. ²¹ It's a fact that the Son of Man is going to be taken away, just as it was written about him… but woe to the one who betrays the Son of Man, for it would be better for him if he had never been born!'

²² And as they ate, [Jesus] took a loaf, then offered a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them saying, 'Take it; for this is my body.'

²³ Then he took a cup, offered thanks, gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴ And he said to them, 'This is my blood of the Sacred Agreement, which is poured out over many. ²⁵ I tell you the truth; I definitely won't drink of the product of the vine anymore until the Day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of The God.'

²⁶ Finally, after singing praises, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

²⁷ Then Jesus said to them, 'All of you will be stumbled, because it's written, I will beat the shepherd and the sheep will all be scattered. ²⁸ But after I've been raised, I will go ahead of you into GaliLee.'

²⁹ However, Peter said to him, 'Even if all the others are stumbled, I won't be!'

³⁰ And Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth; Today… tonight… before a rooster crows twice, you will deny knowing me three times.'

³¹ But [Peter] insisted, saying, 'Even if I have to die with you, I definitely won't deny you.' And all the others were saying the same thing.

³² So, when they came to a spot named GethSemane, he said to his disciples, 'Sit down here while I pray.'

³³ Then he took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he became deeply upset and bothered. ³⁴ So he said to them: 'My soul is grieved to the point of death… so wait here and stay awake!' ³⁵ And then he went a little way forward and fell to the ground, praying that, if it was possible, he could be freed from that hour. ³⁶ And he said, 'Papa! Father! Everything is possible for you! Remove this cup from me! Yet, not as I wish, but as You wish it to be.'

³⁷ However, when he returned, he found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, 'Simon, are you sleeping… didn't you have enough strength to stay awake for just one hour? ³⁸ Now, stay awake and keep praying that you won't be put to the test! But indeed; though the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.' ³⁹ Then he went off and prayed once more, saying the same things.

⁴⁰ Then, when he returned, he once again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy… and they just didn't know what to say to him. ⁴¹ [And finally], he returned a third time and told them, 'Here you are resting and sleeping. That's enough! The time has come! Look! The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners! ⁴² Get up! Let's go! Look! The one who betrayed me is nearby!'

⁴³ And immediately (while he was still talking), Judas (one of the twelve) showed up with a mob, which included the Chief Priests, scribes, and elders, and all were carrying swords and clubs.

⁴⁴ Well, the betrayer gave [the mob] a sign that they had agreed on, saying, 'The one that I kiss is him… grab him and take him away securely!'

⁴⁵ So he came up [to Jesus] straight away and said, 'Rabbi!' And then he kissed him tenderly.

⁴⁶ And at that, they laid their hands on [Jesus] and grabbed him. ⁴⁷ However, one of those standing there drew his sword and struck the Chief Priest's slave, cutting off his ear.

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to [the mob]: 'Did you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like some robber? ⁴⁹ Why, I was with you in the Temple, where I taught for days, but you didn't grab me then. However, this has happened so that the Scriptures will be fulfilled.'

⁵⁰ Then [the Apostles] all abandoned him and ran away. ⁵¹ But a certain young man (who had slipped a linen nightgown over his naked body) started following close behind; and then [the mob] tried to grab him also, ⁵² so he ran away naked, leaving his covering behind.

⁵³ From there, they led Jesus away to the High Priest, where all the Chief Priests, elders, and scribes had assembled. ⁵⁴ But Peter (who had been following him at some distance) went into the courtyard of the High Priest, and he sat there with the building supervisors, warming himself as he faced the fire.

⁵⁵ Meanwhile, the Chief Priests and the entire Jewish religious court were all trying to find witnesses against Jesus, so they could put him to death; but they couldn't find any. ⁵⁶ Many did come forward to give false testimony against him, but their stories just didn't agree. ⁵⁷ Then, some stood up and perjured themselves with the words, ⁵⁸ 'We heard him say, I will tear down this Temple that was made with hands and I will build another that isn't made with hands in just three days.' ⁵⁹ Yet, even these witnesses couldn't agree.

⁶⁰ Finally, the High Priest stood up in their midst and questioned Jesus, asking: 'Don't you have an answer… what are they accusing you of?'

⁶¹ But [Jesus] remained silent and didn't reply to anything.

Then the High Priest started questioning him again, asking: 'Are you the Anointed One… the Son of the Praised One?'

⁶² And Jesus replied: 'I am… and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of the sky!'

⁶³ Well at this, the High Priest ripped his clothes and said: 'Why do we need any more witnesses? ⁶⁴ You heard the blasphemy! What's your opinion?'

Then they all condemned him to be held for death. ⁶⁵ And some started spitting on him, as they covered his face and hit him with their fists, shouting, 'Prophesy!'

[And finally], the building supervisors (after slapping him in the face) took him into custody.

⁶⁶ Now, while Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the High Priest's servant girls ⁶⁷ noticed him warming himself… she looked at him very hard and then said, 'You were also with the Nazarene… this Jesus!'

⁶⁸ But he denied it, saying, 'I don't know him and I don't know what you're saying.'

Then he went outside to the courtyard entrance. ⁶⁹ And there the servant girl, when she saw him again, said to those with her, 'This is one of them!' ⁷⁰ And he denied it again.

Then once more, those who were standing around him said to Peter, 'Sure you're one of them, because you're also a Galilean!'

⁷¹ But he started cursing and swore, 'I don't know the man you're talking about!' ⁷² And immediately a rooster crowed again. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him, 'Before a rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.' And he broke down and cried.

Chapter 15

¹ Well, at dawn, the Chief Priests sat down with the elders and scribes to consult with the complete Jewish religious court, and there they bound Jesus and took him to be handed over to Pilate.

² So Pilate asked: 'Are you the King of the Jews?'

And he replied, 'You said it yourself!'

³ Then the Chief Priests went on to accuse him of many other things.

⁴ Well, Pilate questioned him again asking, 'Don't you have any reply? Look at all the charges they're bringing against you!'

⁵ But Jesus didn't answer anymore, which caused Pilate to wonder.

⁶ It was [Pilate's] custom to release any prisoner that they asked for at the festivals. ⁷ And at the time, there was one man in jail called BarAbbas, who was with a group of rebels that had committed murder during a rebellion. ⁸ So when the crowd came [to Pilate] to petition him to release a prisoner (according to the custom), ⁹ Pilate asked, 'Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?' ¹⁰ (For he knew that the Chief Priests had only handed him over because they were jealous of him.) ¹¹ But the priests urged the crowd to ask him to release BarAbbas to them instead.

¹² So Pilate asked: 'Then, what shall I do with this one whom you call the King of the Jews?'

¹³ And once again, they shouted: 'Hang him on a pole!'

¹⁴ But Pilate asked: 'Why? What bad thing did he do?'

However, they just kept shouting louder and louder, 'Hang him on the pole!'

¹⁵ So, to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released BarAbbas to them. Then, after having Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be impaled.

¹⁶ Well, the soldiers took him out into the courtyard of the Governor's Palace and called all the troops together, ¹⁷ where they covered him with purple [cloth] and braided a crown of thorns, and slipped it on him. ¹⁸ Then they started greeting him saying: 'Rejoice, you King of the Jews!' ¹⁹ They were hitting him on the head with a reed and spitting on him… and after getting down on their knees, they were bowing before him.

²⁰ Finally (after they'd had their fun), they stripped him of the purple [cloth], put his clothes back on, and took him out to be hung on the pole, ²¹ drafting a man named Simon (a Cyrenian who was coming from the fields… the father of Alexander and Rufus) to carry the pole.

²² So, they took him to GolGotha (which translates as Skull Place). ²³ And there they tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh; but he wouldn't take it. ²⁴ Then they hung him on the pole and threw dice to see who would get his clothes.

²⁵ It was the third hour that they hung him on the pole. ²⁶ And there was a sign over him that showed the charge against him, 'The King of the Jews.'

²⁷ There were also two robbers who were hung on poles with him… one on his right and the other on his left. ²⁸ – –

²⁹ Then those who were passing by were saying terrible things to him, shaking their heads and shouting, 'Bah! O you who would tear down the Temple and rebuild it in three days; ³⁰ Save yourself… get down off the pole!'

³¹ And that's the way that the Chief Priests and scribes were joking about him, saying, 'He saved others, but he can't save himself! ³² Let the Anointed One who is the King of IsraEl come down off his pole, so we can see it and believe!'

And even those who were hanging with him mocked him.

³³ Then darkness came over the whole land from the sixth to the ninth hours. ³⁴ And at the ninth hour, Jesus shouted in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' (which translates as, 'My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?')

³⁵ And when some of those standing there heard it, they said, 'Look; He's calling for EliJah!'

³⁶ So, someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine and put it on a reed to give him something to drink. But they said, 'Leave him alone… let's see if EliJah comes to take him down.' ³⁷ And then Jesus let out a loud groan and died.

³⁸ Well, at that, the Temple curtain ripped in two from the top to the bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion who was standing across from him saw the things that happened when he died, he said, 'This man truly was God's Son!'

⁴⁰ At the time, there were women who were looking on from a distance. Among them was Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of Little James and Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹ These [women] used to travel with him and serve him when he was in GaliLee, along with many other women who came with him to JeruSalem.

⁴² Well, since it was already late in the afternoon, and because it was Preparation (the day before the Sabbath), ⁴³ Joseph of HariMathea (a well-known member of the Council who was also awaiting God's Kingdom) got up enough courage to go before Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ But, Pilate didn't know if he was dead yet, so he called the centurion to ask if he had died. ⁴⁵ Then, after checking with the centurion, he released the corpse to Joseph.

⁴⁶ So, he went out and bought some fine linen, took him down, and wrapped him in the cloth and laid him in a tomb that was cut into the bedrock; and he rolled a stone up to the tomb entrance. ⁴⁷ But Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joses [just sat there], looking at the place where he had been placed.

Chapter 16

¹ Then, after the Sabbath, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spiced ointments to grease the body with… ² going to the tomb early the next morning after sunrise. ³ Then one asked the other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the tomb entrance for us?' ⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the extremely large stone had already been rolled away.

⁵ So they entered the tomb and saw a young man sitting on the right side wearing a white robe, and they were shocked! ⁶ But he said to them, 'Don't be surprised; You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was impaled; but he arose… he isn't here. Look… here's the place where they laid him! ⁷ So, go tell his disciples and Peter that he's going ahead of them into GaliLee… you'll see him there, just as he said.'

⁸ Well, when they came out, they ran from the tomb, because they were shaking with excitement. But they didn't say anything to anyone, because they were too afraid.

NOTE: Neither of the supposed conclusions to Mark have been included, because their authenticity is in doubt.

Notes

Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus alone as having it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God's Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos, which is used throughout the Bible in various conjugated forms and is often translated as eternal and forever, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age or era.

Where the singular form (aionos) is used, this appears to mean a period such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the plural form of the word (aiōnōn) is used, it refers to a longer time… at least multiple generations. Also, where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can't mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus' Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: 'Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?' Notice that aionos is also translated as world here in many Bibles, such as the KJ, and as system of things in other Bibles, such as the NWT. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those things, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or arrangement), not aionos.

You can see that aionos obviously doesn't mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age, or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God's Temple in JeruSalem would be destroyed, because that's what Jesus was explaining to them.

Yet, there are instances when some forms of the word could imply forever, such as when we find it in the form aiōniŏn. This is an adjective in the singular case, which, when combined with the Greek word zoe (in its various forms) is usually translated in other Bibles as everlasting life. However, that isn't a totally-accurate description.

In the past, we had tried to reconcile the words zoe aiōniŏn as meaning, life in the age. However, the word age in this instance would not be an adjective, so we have recently chosen, in most cases where we find this word combination, to translate them more accurately as age-long life, which we will agree could mean everlasting life.

For more information, see the linked Scriptural Commentary, Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Soul or?

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the Wikipedia definition Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus' promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn't used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as EzekiEl 18:4 says, 'The person (gr. psyche or soul) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).'

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of 'My Soul' in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a 'soul' as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn't talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life or His person.

Then there are Jesus' words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, 'Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.' Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn't referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

In the Bible, the most common use of the word pneuma is to convey the idea of a force that can't be seen, such as breath or wind. And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost, is that those words have been given religious meanings that aren't implied by the Greek texts.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as 'spirits.' Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God's Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God's] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, 'Breath of Life.' This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It's the unseen force of life for all creatures… it's what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the 'pneuma' as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) 'return to God' at death,' because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God's Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, 'Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?' As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God's Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3, God said concerning the wicked people on earth before the Downpour: 'I won't allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.' In Greek that reads, 'Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,' or, 'Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.'

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God's Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though what God was saying here, is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as 'My Breath,' there may be a link implied between God's Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, 'The Powers of God's Holy Spirit.'

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), 'he hung his head and gave up the breath' (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to 'the breath of life,' or that force which gave him life as a human.

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Garbage Dump

The Greek word Gehenna is often translated Hell Fire. Yet, the word simply means the Valley (heb. ga) of Hinnom. The Valley of Hinnom (also referred to as 'the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom') was a garbage dump that was located along one of JeruSalem's outer walls. It was a beautiful park before JeruSalem's conquest by Babylon, but it was defiled when apostate Jews offered their children as sacrifices on an altar to the God Moloch there (see 2 Chronicles 28:3). Then, after the repatriation to JeruSalem, the valley was used in a disrespectful way.

As a garbage dump, it was customary to keep the garbage burning to reduce the stench and to limit vermin, so sulfur and brimstone were frequently poured into the dump to keep the fires burning hot. This is why Jesus, when using the term, spoke of the fire as not being put out. Also, because worms (maggots) bred along the edges of the dump, he could say that the worms don't die there. But there is no indication that he was really talking about humans.

The only cases where humans were actually thrown into Gehenna provides an insight into what Jesus was talking about when he referred to people going there: The dead bodies of particularly vile criminals were thrown into Gehenna's fires whenever the population felt that they were undeserving of a decent burial.

As you read the Scriptures, you will notice the importance that Hebrews placed on being 'laid to rest with their ancestors.' So, when Jesus spoke of people being thrown into Gehenna, he was obviously referring to unrepentant sinners being thrown into the 'garbage dump.' In other words, in the eyes of God they were unworthy of a resurrection. This same fate (of no resurrection) is implied by the death of the wicked Queen JezeBel, whose body was eaten by dogs.

Such an outcome for the willfully wicked is also referred to in Matthew's account as the fire of the age. Why was that term used? Because fire destroys, and this destruction is for the ages.

For more information, see the linked document, 'Is there a Burning Hell?'

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Cross or Pole?

The Greek word stauros simply means pole. So, regardless of popular tradition and doctrine, there is no mention of a pole with a cross piece (cross) in the original Bible. Also, the Greek word staurotheto (which is translated crucified or hung on a cross) is translated as impaled (put on a pole or stake) here, because that's what it means.

Does this mean that Jesus didn't die on a cross? Not necessarily, for there is a lot of historical evidence which indicates that he did (see the link Dispute about Jesus' Execution Method). Yet, whether the Romans used just an upright pole or one with a cross beam as a means of torture and execution is really unimportant. If one views such a thing as an object of worship (which many do), then this is condemned in the Bible as idolatry… and they are also missing the point. For, what should be held as sacred to us is the one who gave his life on our behalf, not the disgusting object of his execution.

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Eating with Unwashed Hands?

At Matthew 15:2, we read of how Jesus' Apostles (and likely Jesus himself) had simply failed to wash their hands before eating, and the Pharisees were objecting to this.

Now, it is often been preached that what the Pharisees were objecting to, was that they hadn't performed a 'ritual washing' (to the elbows). Yet, the words in the parallel account at Mark 7:2 clearly shows that this isn't what the Pharisees had accused them of. Notice how this verse reads: 'Kai idontes tinas ton matheton autou hoti koinais chersin taut estin aniptois esthiousin tous artous,' or, and having/seen some of disciples of/him as/great with/unclean hands this being unwashed eating the bread.'

Note that their hands were described as being 'koinais,' (meaning 'unclean' or 'dirty) and as 'aniptois' (unwashed). So their hands were simply dirty and unwashed, and no ritual washing is indicated.

It is a fact that the people of the southern Province of Judea believed in washing their hands vigorously (scrubbing) before eating a meal. And yes, it was a religious thing, which was based on the rabbinic teaching that they should be a clean people. But that wasn't the end of the matter; they also (as part of the 'ritual') rinsed the vegetables that they brought from the market and washed their dishes (see verses 3 and 4). However, such actions apparently weren't as strictly followed by Galileans in that ancient world (Jesus and eleven of his Apostles were from Galilee). And as proof that our conclusions about this are correct, notice what Jesus went on to say about the matter, as found at Matthew 15:20, 'Eating with unwashed hands doesn't dirty a man.'

Of course, Jesus wasn't really condoning or promoting eating without washing one's hands. For, as the Son of God, he surely knew that disease and infection could be spread that way. But, what he was more concerned with here, is a far more important matter: What the Pharisees were doing was taking Bible principles (such as cleanliness) and turning them into laws – which Jesus went on to point out that the Pharisees were also doing to promote disregard for parents.

Unfortunately, we see some of these same rules and laws being preached in 'Christian' religions today.

For more information, see the linked document God's Laws and Principles.

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The Kingdom

The word Kingdom is translated from the Greek word basileia, which refers to the realm of a king (basil).

A common misconception about the Kingdom of God, is that it isn't real… that it's just a state of mind. This conclusion is based on Jesus' words found at Luke 17:21, which say (in Greek), he basileia tou Theou entos hymon estin (the Kingdom of the God in you is). And we have quite literally translated this verse as, 'for God's Kingdom is within you.' However, some object to our translating his words this way, because, notice that (at Luke 17:20) Jesus said this in reply to a question which was raised by the Pharisees; and he probably didn't think that the Kingdom was in their hearts (although some Pharisees did become his followers).

So, what did Jesus really mean? Well, some religions have concluded he was saying that: He, the king of that Kingdom, was there in their midst, and that the hope of becoming kings in that Kingdom was being offered to them. But it's also true that real Christians ever since that time have believed and acted as members of that Kingdom in their hearts. So, the Kingdom of God was truly within some of them… but this doesn't necessarily mean (as some religions have concluded) that the Kingdom won't come at some actual future time and become the realm of the kingship of Jesus and his faithful followers.

Notice, for example, Jesus' own words found at Luke 22:16, where he told his disciples (concerning the fermentation-free bread), 'Because I say to you; I won't eat it again until it's fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.' So, he was clearly saying that the Kingdom was to be a future thing, and thus is was not just an existing frame of mind.

Also notice that; Since it appears as though he and his elected ones will rule from heaven, the place from which they will rule could be called 'the Kingdom of Heaven.' However, the term, the Kingdom of Heaven appears to refer to the rule from heaven, and not to the place where those who are ruled will all live. We draw this conclusion from Jesus' words as found at Matthew 8:11, where it is recorded that he said: 'Many from the sunrise and sunset will come and recline [at the table] with AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.'

Although those words would seem to confirm the thought that faithful ones such as AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob would rule from heaven; realize that AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob weren't really in heaven at the time when Jesus said that. This is confirmed by what Jesus said (at John 3:13), 'No one has gone to heaven other than he who came from heaven, the Son of Man.' And while not being dogmatic on this point, we understand that the ancient patriarchs were never promised life in heaven (for more information, see the linked document The Hereafter)

So, Matthew 8:10-12 must be referring to AbraHam and his descendants living under the rule of a heavenly Kingdom government. These faithful ones don't appear to qualify to be rulers in heaven themselves, because they weren't 'born again' to receive the value of a spiritual life, nor were they part of the 'Sacred Agreement for a Kingdom' (Luke 22:29) that Jesus had made with his Apostles just prior to his arrest and execution.

Notice again, how Jesus showed that the Kingdom of God hadn't already arrived at the time he was speaking; for we are told at Luke 19:11, 'While they were listening to these things, he told them another illustration, because he was getting close to JeruSalem, and they all thought that the Kingdom of God was about to happen instantly.' So, although the Kingdom of God (or as Matthew describes it, 'The Kingdom of Heaven') may have been in their hearts, there was still to be an actual Kingdom rulership over IsraEl and the earth.

Then Jesus told the parable about the Kingdom (in Luke 19:12-27)) of a man who (like himself) made a long trip to a distant land to receive kingship. So, this parable shows that there was to be a long period between the time when Jesus would leave on his journey (to receive kingship in heaven), and the time when he would return to reward his faithful slaves.

Therefore, there is a definite time for this Kingdom to start its rule, and this is made clear by the words of Revelation 12:10, where we read: 'Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, This is the moment when the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the authorization of His Anointed begin. Because, the one who has been accusing our brothers has been thrown down… he who has been complaining about them day and night in front of our God!'

So, when the Opposer and his messengers are expelled from heaven, God's Kingdom begins there.

Then, what IS the Kingdom? The term appears to refer to a coming rulership of the earth from the heavens by Jesus and his elected, who will rule on the earth, for John wrote at at Revelation 5:9, 10, that a heavenly group sang this song to him about Jesus:
'You bought people for God with your blood,
From every tribe, language, ethnicity, and country.
Then you made them rulers and Priests to our God,
And they'll rule as kings on (gr. epi) the earth.'

Then at Revelation 2:26 it's recorded that Jesus promised: 'I'll give he who conquers and obeys whatever I tell him to do down to the end, power over the nations.' And again (at Revelation 3:21) Jesus promised: 'Then I'll allow the one who conquers to sit down with me on my throne, just as my Father has allowed me to sit on His throne, because I have conquered.'

For more information, see the linked document, The 'Seed' – God's Kingdom.

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What did Mark Mean by Jew?

First, understand that the word 'Jew' is a unique English pronunciation of 'Judean.' And when Mark and John spoke of the Judeans, they were usually referring to people who came from or lived in the Roman Province of Judea. Since Jesus and eleven of his Apostles (although of the Tribe of Judah) lived in the (northern) Province of Galilee, the Judeans called them Galileans (see Mark 14:70), and the Galileans referred to the people around JeruSalem as Judeans (or Jews).

With the above said, it becomes easier to understand what the scriptures mean when they speak of the water jars at wedding reception at Cana being there for the 'Judeans' to wash in, and that the 'Judeans' were looking to kill Jesus, and that the 'Judeans' rejected Jesus. In these cases, the texts aren't referring to the nation as a whole, but to the people who lived in Judea and JeruSalem specifically.

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Fornication or Sexual Immorality?

The Greek word porneia means more than just copulation between individuals who aren't married to each other. The term literally means that which is sold (by prostitutes). So, it includes all types of sexual acts that might be sold by prostitutes; and it applies to such actions between those (whether male or female) who are not married to each other, even when there may be no exchange of money, because, wherever we find the word porneia in the Bible, the Hebrew Law shows that it involves any intimate relations between unmarried persons.

Therefore, because the English word fornication carries the nuance of just copulation between unmarried persons, we have used the broader term sexual immorality in this Bible to indicate the full range of meaning.

For more information, see the linked document Christian Morality.

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Satan, Devil, Lucifer, BeElZebub

It is appropriate that the heavenly name of the great Opposer and Slanderer of God is never given in the Bible. However, several terms (and one mistakenly) have been used to describe him. Here is a list of those descriptions:

· Satan: This is a Hebrew word meaning, opposer, resistor, and a wily person who does things just to serve his own interests. It was applied to the Evil One, because of his opposition to God. And so, to keep from misleading people into thinking of Satan as a name, it is translated as 'the Opposer' herein.

· Devil: This is the only Greek word (Diabolos) used in the Bible to describe the evil one. The first part of the word, dia, means through, and bolos means throw (it's where we get the English words ball and bowl). So, Devil means one who throws through, which amounts to being a slanderer (using the Greek colloquialism), so that's the way it's translated herein.

· Lucifer: Lucifer is commonly thought of as another name for the Biblical Opposer. However, this word doesn't appear as a name in most translations of the Bible. It does appear once in the King James Version, at Isaiah 14:12, in which the King of Babylon is referred to as Lucifer, Son of the Morning. However, the original Hebrew words were: Helel ben Shahar or, Day/star, son/of the/dawn. So, there is no direct link in the Bible between the entity known in Hebrew as Satan to Lucifer. Changing the description day star son of the dawn into a name (Lucifer) was done by Augustine, when he was translating the text in IsaiAh from the original Hebrew into Latin.

· BeelZebub: There are eight references in the Bible to this Hebrew noun, and it does refer to the Slanderer. However, once again, this is not a proper name. It appears to be a title. Beel (like Baal) means Lord, and Zebub appears to refer to flies (the insects). So, BeelZebub likely means Lord of Flies.

Is the Opposer (Slanderer or BeelZebub) a real person? All one has to do is look at the titles he was given above to realize that he is. To deny his existence negates the rest of the Bible. For example, when dealing with Adam's sin, why did God adhere so closely to a law, when other options were available to Him? Why didn't he just destroy rebellious Adam and create another man?

The fact is, He created men and His spirit sons (messengers or angels with the ability to choose whether to serve Him or not; so none are automatons. And as a man failed in the Paradise of Pleasure, we can assume (and as the Scriptures support) that there were failures (and rebels) in the heavens also. This is the reason why it became necessary to have a law that clearly outlined what rebellion against God constituted, and what the consequences for violating that law would be. It was obviously for the sake of the millions of millions of heavenly spirit (breath) creatures that the issue of rebellion here on the earth had to be resolved by legal means, and in a way that demonstrated the love and loyalty of God's first-born son, which resulted in the painful need for a 'ransom' (Jesus' death).

The idea (which some religions have promoted) that the Slanderer isn't real, but only a state of mind, creates some conundrums. For example:

· When Jesus was being tempted in the desert, was he simply struggling with the bad within himself rather than against a real, evil personality? If so, we would have to conclude that there was bad in Jesus.

· Is the battle in heaven that is spoken of at Revelation the Twelfth Chapter to be just figurative, and not a real war against the Opposer and his messengers? If so, then in what sense would 'the Opposer' and his 'messengers' lose the battle and be confined to the earth? Also, why would this entity, if just internal evil be 'angry' in knowing that he just has 'a short period of time left?'

· And lastly, when the Opposer entered God's presence and spoke to Him (as spoken of in Job the First Chapter), could we assume that this inherent evil was found in God? That isn't likely.

However, there is some question as to the use of the Greek word Diabolos found at 1 Chronicles 21:1 (in the Greek Septuagint), where 'a slanderer' had urged King David to take a census of Israel. Since Diabolos is a Greek word and First Chronicles was written in Hebrew, we would assume that Diabolos (Slanderer) was substituted for the Hebrew word Satan (Opposer) when the Bible was first translated into Greek. But the text seems to imply that a slanderer, not the Slanderer, had come to David. So, we don't really know if the text implies that the Evil One came to him personally, if it was just an evil spirit that came over or to him, or if some bad human had urged David to defy God and take a census of IsraEl.

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Minister or Servant?

For centuries, the proper translation of the Greek word diakonos has bothered people who wish to create levels of authority within the Christian Congregation. So, to add extra weight to this office, diakonos has been translated into many different titles (rather than just descriptions of a duty) in attempts to blur what it really means in English, just a servant. Words such as 'deacon' (from diakonos), minister, and even the redundancy 'ministerial servant' have been employed. However, what the qualified men who handled the work and odd jobs that were necessary in running the day-to-day affairs of a Christian gathering were called in the First Century, was just servants.

A later position of responsibility that was spoken of by Paul was the appointment of 'elders' or 'overseers' in the emerging Christian congregations. Elders likely had to be males, and their job was to shepherd and teach in the congregations. However, elders were also just servants – that is, servants with a small 's.' For, following Jesus' instructions found at Matthew 23:8-11, all Christians were to be considered as equals; so the taking of titles and the assigning of leaders was contrary to the instructions of Jesus. For, notice what Jesus actually said there: 'But not you! Don't [have people] call you rabbi, for you have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. So, don't address anyone on earth as Father, because there's just One who is your Father, the Heavenly One. Nor should you be called leaders, for you have but one Leader, the Anointed One. However, the greatest among you must be your servant. For, whoever promotes himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be promoted.'

The Scriptures also show that these servants in the congregation were then responsible to meet high standards of conduct and reputation. And although Paul didn't mention it specifically, they were expected to be able to make wise decisions and to show signs of having God's Breath. Notice that these were the qualifications for all who served in the Christian Congregation, since the first requirements to be considered as congregational servants (found at Acts 6:3) were: 'males (gr. andras) … among you who are filled with wisdom and the Breath [of God].'

For more information, see the linked document, Arrangement of the First Christian Churches.

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Stumble or Trap?

The Greek word scandalon means the trip lever of a trap. And while it is often translated as stumble, the meaning has more to do with stumbling into a trap.

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The Symbolism of 'Eating Jesus' Flesh and 'Drinking His Blood'

At Jesus' 'Last Supper,' which fell on the first day of the Jewish celebration of the Passover, he instituted a ritual that he told his Apostles to continue to do in memory of him and of his death. At Luke 22:19, 20, we read: 'Then he took a loaf [of bread], gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them saying, This is my body, which is being handed over for you. Keep doing this in memory of me. And he did the same thing with the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new Sacred Agreement of my blood, which is being poured out for you.'

Notice that he didn't say this means; he said this is (gr. tauto estin). However, contrary to the beliefs of some (that these emblems actually become flesh and blood), they appear to have been just symbols. So, partaking of Jesus' 'flesh and blood' likely symbolizes that those who do so are expressing their desire to become a party to the 'New Sacred Agreement,' which he had just inaugurated.

Speaking ahead of time concerning this ritual, Jesus said (at John 6:53-56), 'I tell you the truth; If you don't eat the flesh of the Son of Man or drink his blood, you won't live. For, if you chew my flesh and drink my blood, you'll have life within yourself, and then I'll resurrect you on the Last Day, because, my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly a drink. Those who chew on my flesh and drink my blood will stay in me and I [will stay] in them.'

It is isn't surprising that these words of Jesus were considered disgusting to most Jews that he was speaking to, for their dietary regulations (from the Law) forbade drinking any blood or eating unclean (human?) flesh. As the result, many of Jesus' disciples stopped following him at that time. So surely, Jesus said this to test and cull out those who believed in his miracles, but wouldn't understand his death and resurrection. However, Jesus' Apostles stayed, because, as Peter said (in verses 68, 69), 'Lord, whom should we go off to? You say the words of age-long life, and we have known and believed that you're the Holy One of God!'

When should this Memorial of Jesus' Death be observed? The fact that it was instituted on the Passover, gives us a clue. This Jewish Observance was held annually on the night of the full moon closest to the Spring Equinox in JeruSalem. And what the Jews were celebrating was symbolic of Jesus' death, namely, the saving of the IsraElite 'firstborn' when God's messenger brought the last plague upon Egypt (which resulted in God's people being set free). For more information, see the linked document, The Passover and the Lord's Evening Meal.

Who should partake of the symbolic bread and wine at that time? The Scriptures say, those who want 'age-long life' and who wish to be resurrected 'on the Last Day.'

For more information, see the linked document, 'The New Covenant.'

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Hypocrite

Hypocrite is a Greek word that is just spelled a little differently than it is in English (hypocritai). However, we give the English word a nuance that isn't implied in Greek. The first part of the Greek word, hypo, means under, and the second part, critai, means judge (it's what we get critical and criticize from). So in the Bible, a hypocrite is a 'lesser judge,' or one who is very judgmental of the actions or conduct and others. This differs from the meaning in English, which is: Someone who doesn't follow his own advice.

The Scribes and Pharisees were referred to as Hypocrites in the Bible, because they condemned the actions of others. And like anyone who tends to be critical of others, they likely failed in the same ways in which they condemned others… and that would make them also fit the English definition. However, the Bible meaning is 'judgmental.'

Being too judgmental is a very serious flaw, which is common to those who think they are very righteous. It is reported that the Pharisees especially thought of themselves as being more righteous than others, and it was their opinion that they would be the only ones to be found righteous. Notice what Jesus said would happen to those who are judgmental (Matthew 7:1): 'Don't judge [others], so you won't be judged. For, the [rules] that you use to judge others, are the rules that will be used to judge you; and the standards you are setting for them, are the standards that they'll set for you.'

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Demons

2 Peter 2:4 speaks of 'messengers' or 'angels' who were put into 'Tartarus' for bad acts they committed during the time of Noah. Genesis 6:3 speaks of these as 'sons of God' (gr. uioi tou Theou) and it tells of their coming to earth to marry 'the daughters of men' (gr. thygateras ton anthropon). However, these 'sons of God' don't appear to be quite the same as the 'messengers' who are to be thrown out of heaven during 'the Lord's Day,' mentioned at Revelation 12:7-9. Since the 'sons of God' who came to earth and assumed human bodies in Noah's day couldn't be destroyed by the downpour (flood) and they had forsaken heaven, they were apparently put into a prison-like state here on the earth, where they are no longer able to roam. This group is specifically referred to as the demons in the Bible.

It is interesting that; except among modern materialistic and scientific societies, demons are recognized as real throughout the world by almost all of its religions. And such universal acknowledgement by diverse peoples with no cultural ties, is one of the strongest arguments for their existence.

Demon is a Greek word that seems to be derived from diameno, which means, fixed in one place. From other Bible accounts about demons, it appears as though this 'fixing in one place' means that they must be associated with either living or non-living things, which is referred to as 'possession.'

At Acts 17:18 the Epicureans and Stoic Philosophers of Greece asked about Paul's teaching a 'foreign demon.' And although most translations render his words as 'foreign god,' they truly said 'demon' (gr. daimonion). This is also true of Paul's reply found at Acts 17:22, 'Men of Athens; I see that you have a greater fear of the demons than do others.'

The reason why this term was used is obvious: The many pagan idols and Gods of Athens, although made of metal and stone, had the backing of demons. And the people recognized the power that was given to these lifeless objects through 'possession' by their gods.

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No Marriage in the Resurrection?

At Matthew 22:30 Jesus said, 'In the resurrection, men won't marry nor will women be given in marriage, but they are like the messengers in heaven.'

This scripture is often quoted to show that those who are resurrected won't marry (as Jesus said). However, does this apply to all those whom the Bible says will be raised? We can't say for sure, but notice what Luke's parallel account says (Luke 20:34-36): 'The sons of this age marry and are married. But those who have been found worthy of that age and the resurrection from the dead don't marry, nor do they get married; neither can they die anymore, because they are equal to [God's] messengers and they are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.'

As you can see, it appears as though Luke's account quotes Jesus as speaking specifically of immortal 'God's sons' (gr. uioi eisin Theou – sons are/of God) not marrying in the resurrection. So, was he then just referring to only those who are raised in the 'first resurrection?' It is difficult to tell, because, no matter how you interpret Jesus' words in any of the three parallel Bible accounts, the answers are still unclear.

Notice that the question the Sadducees had asked was just about the resurrection in general. So, was Jesus just avoiding mention of the 'resurrection of the unrighteous,' sidestepping the question in order to avoid a common pitfall that the Sadducees had successfully used in past arguments, or was he saying that there would be no marrying in any form of the resurrection? Again, we simply don't know.

Yet, there may be another explanation for the meaning of what Jesus said. Notice how the words are laid out in Mark 12:24-27: 'Then Jesus answered, This is why you are so misled. You don't understand the Scriptures or the power of God! When the dead are resurrected, they won't marry or be married, they are as the messengers in heaven. As for the dead who are raised, didn't you read in the book of Moses – in the story about the thorn bush – how God said to him, I am the God of AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob? He isn't a God of the dead, but of the living. Yes, you are very misled.'

So, could Jesus have been saying that only those who are dead in God's eyes won't marry, but those whom He considers among the living will marry? That sounds logical. However, such a conclusion would seem to be contradicted by Jesus' words, 'neither can they die anymore, because they are equal to [God's] messengers and they are sons of God, because they are sons of the resurrection.'

And all of this raises the question: 'Will children be born after the Battle of Armageddon?' If you believe that the prophecy found in Isaiah 65 is talking about the same period, then yes. For at Isaiah 65:23, we were told, 'And My elected won't labor for nothing, nor will they produce children for a curse, for their seed will be blest by God, as well as even their children.' So, what Jesus really meant when he replied to the Sadducees is still unclear and open to interpretation.

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The Lesson of the Poor Widow

The real import of Jesus' observation about the widow who he says contributed more to the Temple treasury than all the others, is often distorted in its application. We usually hear this account told as the story of 'the Widow's Mite,' and it's used to show that people can have God's blessings even when they are unable to do much in serving Him (due to advanced age and/or poor circumstances). And while that is true, there is a large difference between what the widow did here and what people usually do in their public service to God.

Notice that this story isn't about serving God in a public way. Rather, it has to do with a very private act; contributing financially and secretly to support His place of worship. In this case, only Jesus (and God) knew what she did and what her circumstances were. However, when it comes to our serving God, many others usually know what we are doing, and many expect praise for that.

The true lesson of this story is, however: Do what you know is right, and then trust in God (who looks on in secret) to provide blessings and the things you need. For, this is the story of a private act of trust in God. Notice that this widow contributed 'her whole means of living.' So she did what she believed was right, and she was trusting in God with her whole heart to provide even her next meal.

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Day of the Lord

Throughout the Bible, we find references to 'the Day of Jehovah,' and 'the Day of the Lord' (Jesus). Are both of these references to the same time, and if so, how do we know?

There is no conflict between the two Days; in fact, they appear to be the same. Notice what we are told in the Revelation, when it is speaking of the beginning of that Day (at Revelation 12:10), 'Now it has come to pass; the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the empowerment of His Anointed One!'

As you can see, the purposes of that Day are tied together. For, the establishment of God's Kingdom (with the battle in heaven and the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers) and the empowerment for Jesus (the Lord) to begin his rule, appear to begin at the same time.

So, does the Lord's Day begin when the things spoken of in the Revelation start to happen? It appears to be so, because it starts out with John's words (at Revelation 1:10), 'Through the Breath [of God] I found myself in the Lord's Day.'

What are some of the features of that Day? Well, they appear to start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of 'The Great Babylon' (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the 'marriage of the Lamb,' the Battle of Armageddon, tossing the Opposer and his messengers into the abyss, and the resurrection (see Revelation 19, 20). And finally, the Opposer is released for a short time, which precipitates the battle against Gog of Magog , and is thereafter followed by the descent of 'New JeruSalem' to the earth and the making of the 'new earth and sky' (see Revelation 21).

Also, in the prophecy found at Joel 2:1-12, 'the Day of the Lord' appears to start with the destruction of JeruSalem by worldly armies, and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies (see Joel Chapter Three). Then, in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God's Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

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Bless or Praise?

This is a tough one, and we won't say that our position on the translation of this word can't be changed. The Greek word that we are struggling with is eulogetos. The first part of the word eu, is Greek for good. The last part of the word, logetos, means words (or expressions). So, a literal translation of eulogetos is good words. And our question is: Is this all that a blessing amounts to?

Yes, we know that eulogetos has been translated as bless, blest, and blessing in other Bibles. So why rock the boat? Because these translators have simply found too many errors in a lot of commonly-accepted renderings. And here, for example, if eulogetos is properly translated as blessing each time (which carries the English nuance, 'causing good things to happen'), then, how can humans 'bless God?' We do know that we can praise God, however.

Eulogetos is the word that we derive the English word eulogy from… that is, the kind words that are said of the deceased at a funeral. Such words are never said as a blessing (it's a bit late for that); they are said in praise of the deceased individual. However, there are definitely places where eulogetos can't be translated as praise or praising.

So, perhaps the real meaning is (or is at least is similar to) praise. And when praises come from God, this means blessings to humans.

This isn't the same word that we have rendered as blest in other portions of this translation (for an example, see Matthew 5:5). The word in question there is makarios, which is rendered as happy in certain other Bibles. However, we believe that blest is the proper way to translate that Greek word.

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The Disgusting Destroyer

History shows us that 'the disgusting destroyer' (gr. bdelugma tes eremoseos), which Jesus spoke of at Matthew 24:15, proved to be the armies of Rome (with their pagan standards or flags) when they camped around JeruSalem's walls in 66 of our Common Era. For, according to Eusebius, Christians in the city recognized this as the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy about its imminent destruction and fled JeruSalem. Then, in the year 70-C.E., 'all these things' ended when the Romans destroyed the city and its Temple.

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Difficult Time, Birth Pains, or Tribulation?

The Greek word thlipsis (pronounced: thel/eep/sees) is used several times in the Bible, but it is difficult to find an equivalent word in common American English to translate it. It implies a painful, difficult time, and it was used to describe a woman's childbirth labor. Tribulation and travail are nice old English words that describe the meaning fairly accurately, but they aren't the types of words you would read in a newspaper today, so we have tried to use more common words to translate it, depending on the circumstances.

Notice how Jesus applied thlipsis when he was describing the events leading up to the destruction of JeruSalem (at Matthew 24:21), 'Then there will come a difficult time such hasn't happened since the world's beginning until now, nor should ever happen again.'

Actually, Jesus appears to have been quoting a prophecy in the book of DaniEl here, as he had just done in verse fifteen. But this time, he is quoting the words found at DaniEl 12:1, which read (in the common Bible of his time, LXX), 'And in that hour, the Highest Messenger MichaEl (he who watches over the sons of your people) will arise, and then a time of difficulty will begin such as has never happened before and will never happen again. [And thereafter], [God] will raise all those whose [names] were written in the scroll.'

So, both scriptures are obviously speaking of this same period.

Will there be a future and greater fulfillment of this 'time of difficulty?' Many other prophecies indicate that there will. And if so, what signs should Christians look for? Well, notice that in ancient JeruSalem, it was to happen immediately after the sign described at Matthew 24:15, 16 was seen; 'When you see the disgusting destroyer standing in the Holy Place, then those in Judea should run to the mountains.'

In the First Century, the 'disgusting destroyer' was found to be 'standing in the Holy Place' when the armies of Rome first camped around JeruSalem. For, that's what Christians understood to be 'the sign,' and history tells us that they thereafter fled JeruSalem and hid in the mountains. Then, the 'difficult time' started for JeruSalem, as the Roman armies returned and built a fence of pointed stakes around the city, which caused the people to starve; and many of the survivors were later slaughtered by the tens of thousands.

So, what parallels will there be when the 'difficult time' that many Bible students expect still to come (in a greater fulfillment) finally arrives? Well, notice that what happened to ancient JeruSalem was the (God-inspired) action of a great worldly army against an unfaithful religious people. Revelation the Eighteenth Chapter speaks of a similar event when describing a symbolic woman called 'The Great Babylon.' There she is spoken of as being destroyed by worldly armies. So, the indication is that the symbolic destruction of JeruSalem and the destruction of The Great Babylon both picture a coming war upon unfaithful 'Christian' and possibly Jewish religions by worldly governments, and that is to be preceded by an exceedingly difficult time for those who remain in them.

Is this 'difficult time' the same thing as 'the Battle of Armageddon?' No, for that battle appears to come against the armies that attack the unfaithful sometime after the great time of difficulty, and after they destroy symbolic JeruSalem.

It would, of course, be presumptuous for us to try to set out the order in which all these things will happen. However, it is later in Jesus' account (at Matthew 24:29, 30) that we read, 'Then the sun will grow dark, the moon won't put out light, the stars will fall from the skies, and the powers of the Heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with great power and glory.'

And finally, Revelation the Seventh Chapter speaks of a huge crowd of people who apparently survive this 'great time of difficulty.' Notice that it says (in verses 9, 10) 'And after all that, I saw {Look!} a crowd so large that no one could count them. They came from all countries, nationalities, ethnic groups, and languages; and they were standing within sight of the throne and within sight of the Lamb. They were all wearing white robes, they carried palm branches in their hands, and they were shouting, We owe our salvation to our God who is sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb!'

Then verse 14 goes on to tell us, 'These are the ones that have come out of the great time of difficulty (gr. thlipsis).'

So, according to these verses, this faithful group escapes the 'great time of difficulty' by cleaning up their lives and accepting the salvation of God and Jesus. Then the Battle of Armageddon against the kings of the earth and their armies begins.

For more detailed information, see the linked commentary, The Great Tribulation.

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Who Was Mark?

Mark was really named John Mark, but he was referred to as just Mark to distinguish him from the others named John.

Mark was an eyewitness to Jesus' arrest in the Garden of GethSemane, for his account tells us (at Mark 14:50-52), 'Then [the Apostles] all abandoned him and ran. But, a certain young man who had slipped a linen nightgown over his naked body, started following close behind. However, [the mob] tried to grab him, so he ran away naked, leaving his covering behind.' The fact that mark doesn't identify this young man by name, indicates that he was talking about himself.

The next mentioning of him in the Bible, is when he traveled with Paul and BarNabas to AntiOch, then on to the Island of Cyprus. From there, he (against Paul's wishes) returned home to JeruSalem. And that departure later caused quite an argument between Paul and BarNabas, when BarNabas wanted to take Mark along on a subsequent missionary journey. However, in a letter written several years after that, Paul indicated that he had forgiven Mark and asked him to come to him.

Mark was a resident of JeruSalem, because the Bible tells us that Peter went to the home of Mark's mother (in JeruSalem) after a messenger from God freed Peter from the jail there. And the fact that Mark was present in a nightgown at Jesus' arrest, indicates that he lived nearby.

Some commentators have claimed that Mark's Gospel was the first to be written, but it is clear that much of Mark's story is actually borrowed from the more detailed account of Matthew. Note, for example, the comment at Mark 13:14, advising the readers to pay attention (or understand), and then compare this to the same comment made by Matthew at Matthew 24:15. So it can be seen that one borrowed the words from the other; but was it Matthew or Mark?

Now notice how Mark corrected Matthew's account in his description about the things that Jesus did after arriving at the Temple, shortly before his death. Matthew 21:10-12 tells us, 'Well, when he entered JeruSalem, the whole city was stirred up [as people asked], Who is this? But the crowd [that was with Jesus] answered, He's Jesus, the Prophet from NazarEth of GaliLee! Then Jesus went into the Temple and threw out all those who were buying and selling there, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those who were selling doves.' As you can see, Matthew's Gospel indicates that Jesus did this all on the same day! However, Mark wrote (at Mark 11:11), 'Then he rode into JeruSalem, went into the Temple, and looked around at everything; but because it was late, he [went back] to BethAny with the twelve.'

So it can be proven from the texts that Matthew wrote first, and then Mark borrowed from some of his writings (see the link, Augustinian Hypothesis). Of course, there is nothing wrong with one writer copying the words of another, since the books of Mark and Luke are admittedly compiled accounts, and the writings of Matthew were surely included in those compilations. While many of the things that Jesus said and did followed the same order as they are told in Matthew (but not in the same order as in Luke's Gospel), someone (probably Peter) appears to have added comments where his recollections differed, or where he remembered more.

The reason why Mark wrote this book, was apparently to eliminate many of Matthew's references to Hebrew prophecies. He likely did this so that gentiles (those to whom he was preaching) could see how Jesus' life and words applied to them, rather than to the Jews. His writing is definitely more direct, interesting, and abbreviated than the Book of Matthew.

Is Mark's Gospel more accurate than Matthew's Gospel? Well, he did have a second look at what Matthew wrote, which always provides an edge when it comes to accuracy. And his close adherence to the words of Matthew would indicate that his revisions are corrections. However, most of the poetry of Jesus' words is missing, so the beauty of what Jesus said was sacrificed for brevity.

Mark's Gospel seems to end in the middle of the story, which likely caused two later writers to add their own conclusions to his words. However, a study of ancient Bible manuscripts indicates that neither conclusion is likely authentic, so both have been omitted here.

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A Phantom

When Jesus' disciples saw him coming toward them walking across the water, what did they think they were seeing? The fact is; nobody knows what was going through their minds, although many commentators apparently claim such clairvoyance. However, the Greek word that the disciples used to describe it was phantasma, which is the root of the English word phantom. The meanings that are listed in Bible references to define this Greek word include, vision, apparition, and appearance.

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Mary from Magdala

Much has been said and written about this woman, with no basis, because the only record of her is in the Bible, and it tells us very little. What we do know, is that her name wasn't Magdalene, as most Bibles indicate, because surnames were seldom used in Bible times. Rather, her name was just Mary, and she was referred to as the Magdalean to differentiate her from other Marys who were also Jesus' disciples (there are six Marys mentioned in the Bible). This term may have referred to her coming from the town of Magdala or Magadan, which was on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee about halfway between CapharNaum and Tiberias.

Jesus expelled seven demons from this Mary, and that is likely why she was so devoted to serving him. We find the first mention of her in the second year of Jesus' preaching, as he and his Apostles were traveling from city to city proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom. There the Bible tells us that she and several other faithful women traveled among the crowd of Jesus' disciples, serving the needs of Jesus and his Apostles from their possessions. And finally, she was also among the large crowd of people who traveled with Jesus from Galilee to JeruSalem and witnessed his death on the pole… followed by seeing him in his resurrected form. Thereafter, there is no mention of her in the book of Acts.

Could she have possibly been Jesus' wife, as some have claimed? No, for the busy nomadic life of Jesus would have made him a poor provider and husband. And after Jesus' death, she isn't mentioned by Paul, James, John, Peter, or Jude… which would be strange if she had held such an important position in his life.

Actually, if Jesus had taken Mary as a wife, he would have disqualified himself for his high position before God, for notice what was to be true of him (Hebrews 3:1): 'Let's consider this Apostle and High Priest whom we confess, Jesus.'

As God's Highest Priest, Jesus could have never chosen Mary (with her reputed unsavory past) as his wife, for notice God's own requirements for His Priests (Leviticus 21:10-14): 'And the Priest who is the chief one among his brothers … may only take a wife who is a virgin and from his own tribe… not a widow, a divorcee, someone who has been violated, or a whore. He may only take a virgin from his own people as a wife.'

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Seismos

The Greek words seismos and seismoi are usually thought of as meaning earthquake and earthquakes, for the modern study of earthquakes is called seismology. Therefore, when Jesus was speaking about the signs of his being near, and he said one of the signs would be seismoi (Matthew 24:7), most have assumed that this referred just to a greater frequency of earthquakes.

However, the Greek word seismos appears to actually refer to a shaking or disturbance, which doesn't necessarily imply just earthquakes. For, Matthew used the word (at Matthew 8:24) to describe an agitated sea when Jesus was on a boat with his disciples. Then at 2 Kings 2:11, when the Prophet EliJah was taken into the sky in a flaming chariot, the word that was used to describe the storm that took him, was once again seismos. So, Jesus' use of the word at Matthew 24:7 implies more than just earthquakes. It could be speaking of any natural disasters, such as those brought by earthquakes, high winds, floods, or tsunamis.

It has also been recently brought to our attention that seismos could be translated as turmoil or unrest. So, could Jesus have implied even more than natural disasters in that single word? This is probably so.

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The Anointed

Notice that in this Bible translation, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 (for example) says, 'The One who guarantees that we all belong to the Anointed One, and He who anointed us, is God.'

So, why didn't these translators just go ahead and render the word (Anointed) as Christ – as countless other translators have done? For two reasons:

· Because Christ has almost totally lost its meaning to most Bible readers today, and most have come to believe that 'Christ' was Jesus' last name. It wasn't.

· Because Christ is a word that was made up by early Bible translators and is only used in that form when they think that the Bible was speaking of Jesus. In other places it is correctly translated as anointed.

If you look at the above verse in Greek, you'll see that it reads, 'Ho de bebaion hemas syn hymin eis Christon kai chrisas hemas Theos,' or, 'The of stabilizing us with you into Anointed and anointing us God.'

You will notice here that Christon (Christ or Anointed) and chrisas (anointing) are both derived from the same root word, which by the way, is Greek for olive oil. Why olive oil? Because that substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those whom God chose to be kings or priests over IsraEl. For example, David and Solomon were both anointed (oil was poured over their heads) in proof of the fact that they had been chosen by God to be kings over IsraEl.

So, the word means anointed. But if you prefer the word Christ, then Saul, David, and Solomon were Christs, for you can't have it both ways. As an example; look at the words that David spoke about Saul, as found at 1 Samuel 24:6 LXX): 'Kai eipin David pros tous andras autou: Medamos moi para kiriou ei poieso to hrema touto to kyrio mou to christo kyriou epenegkai cheira mou ep auton hoti christos kyriou estin autos,' or 'Said David to the men of/his: By/no/means of/me from the/Lord if I/should/do this thing to my/Lord to/the Christ (Anointed) of/the/Lord to/raise my/hand against him, for the/Christ (Anointed) of/the/Lord this is.'

So as you can see; if Christos should be translated as Christ, then unrighteous King Saul was also Christ. However, almost all Bibles translate christos as anointed in this case (one of many instances).

Such a physical anointing with oil appeared to picture receiving God's Holy Breath, which happened to Jesus at his baptism, to 120 of Jesus' disciples at Pentecost of 33-C.E., and to other First-century Christians. So Jesus didn't really become the Christon (Christ, Anointed, or Chosen One) until he was anointed with Holy Breath at his baptism (when the 'dove' came down on him).

If you understand this nuance, you get the true meaning of the word Christ (Anointed) as it applies to Jesus; it means that he was the one who God chose to be king over His people. Also, Paul was telling the Christians in Corinth that they too would be anointed… become 'christs.' For, when they were 'anointed' and sealed in their hearts by God's Holy Breath, they were selected to be 'kings on the earth' (Revelation 5:10).

Notice what can be learned from a proper understanding of the Greek words by looking at Matthew 24:24. For there, many Bibles say that Jesus foretold the coming of false Christs and false prophets. But what he actually said was, 'Because false anointed ones and false prophets (gr. pseudo christon kai pseudo prophetai) will arise and they will perform great signs and omens to mislead (if possible) even the elected.'

So, Jesus wasn't necessarily saying that people would come claiming to be him, but people would come falsely claiming to be the anointed and prophets. For more information, see the linked document, False Anointed and False Prophets.

Another example of the poor use of the title Christ (implying Jesus) by Bible translators can be found at 1 Peter 1:10, 11, which reads in this Bible: 'When it comes to salvation, the Prophets looked and searched for this loving-care that's being shown to you. They tried, through the spirit of anointing that was in them, to determine the exact time and circumstances of the sufferings of the Anointed One and of his being glorified, which they knew about even back then.'

Other Bible say that it was the Spirit of Christ that was in the ancient Prophets. However, as we pointed out above, Jesus didn't become the Christ or the Anointed until after his baptism.

So, what Peter was saying in those verses, is that those ancient Prophets tried through the power of God's Breath which had anointed them to be Prophets, to determine the time and circumstances of the glorification of Jesus. For, if you check the wording of those verses in Greek, you'll see that there is no definite article preceding the first christou (anointed), which would be required if it was saying that the Spirit of the Christ (or the Anointed One) was in them.

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The Unforgivable Sin

At Matthew 12:32, Jesus said, 'If someone speaks against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven; but if someone speaks against [God's] Holy Breath, he won't be forgiven… no, not in this age or in the one to come.'

What type of sin is this?

If you look at the surrounding context of the verse, you'll see that the local religious leaders had just accused Jesus of using BeelZebub's power to do his wonderful deeds of healing the sick and lame, and throwing out demons. However, despite the fact that they had been witnesses of powers that could only come from God's Breath, they were attributing these miracles to the Slanderer. And that was in fact, blaspheming the Breath of God. Therefore, Jesus was telling them that if they didn't repent, they would be found guilty of a sin that would never be forgiven.

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Jesus' Mother and Brothers

Mark 3:31-35 makes it very clear that Jesus did have other (half) brothers and sisters. In this case, he was apparently indoors speaking as his mother (Mary) and his brothers (James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas) stood outside waiting to talk to him. But when he was told that his mother and brothers were outside, he pointed out that his disciples were his true mother and brothers.

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Messengers of God

Most Bible translations render the Greek word aggelos (pronounced ahn-gel-ose – with a hard g) as angel wherever it is found. However, aggelos is just the Greek word for messenger. True, in most cases where the Bible speaks of angels, it is referring to spirit messengers from God. However, this may not be the meaning in every instance, and always translating it as angel may distort what was meant.

For example, consider the words at Acts 12:15, where Peter had just been released from prison and came to the door of some faithful Christians. Here the housemaid told the people inside that Peter was outside. And according to many other Bibles, they thought that it was 'his angel' at the door. However, this rendering doesn't sound reasonable, for it would have been unusual for Christians to assume that an angel from God (who looked like Peter) was standing and knocking at their door. Rather, the rendering we have used herein makes more sense, 'So they said, It's his messenger.'

Another good example of why aggelos shouldn't always be translated as angel can be found at Genesis 32:3, which reads in Greek, 'Apasteile de Iakob aggelous emprosthen autou pros Hesau ton adelphon autou' or, 'Sent of Jacob angels(?) ahead of/him toward Esau the brother of/him.' Here Jacob was obviously sending human messengers to his brother, not heavenly ones (angels).

And consider the words at Numbers 20:14, where we read that Moses sent messengers (gr. aggelous – messengers, plural) from Cades to the king of Edom.' Then in verse 16, it says that 'Jehovah … heard our voice and sent His messenger (gr. aggelon – messenger, singular) who brought us out of Egypt.'

Obviously, the same word (with only conjugated variations) is used there to speak of two different types of messengers… those who were human and the one who was sent from heaven by God. And in this case, most Bibles translate the first instance as messengers, but the second as angel. We have not chosen to make this distinction, however, for the readers should be able to discern from the context which ones are human and which ones are spirit by themselves. And when there is some question, each person should keep an open mind.

Consider the words of Haggai 1:13, where we read: 'Then the Messenger (or angel) of Jehovah, Haggai, one of the messengers (or angels) of Jehovah, said to the people: Jehovah says, I am with you!'

Yet, Haggai was just a man, not a spirit. So, there may be other cases in the Bible where some translations have presumptuously written angel, when the one that God sent was a human messenger!

Also consider that; Translating aggelos as messenger when it is truly speaking of a spirit from God, helps to provide readers a better, deeper understanding of the actual role that such sons of God play in His dealings with mankind… and that the term angel isn't a type of creature or a heavenly rank (as most think), but an assignment that may even be temporary. It also helps us to understand why the Bible never speaks of female or baby angels (because dead men, dead women, and dead babies don't become angels, since heavenly spirits are direct creations by God).

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Caesarea Philippi

While some critics have claimed the Bible's Gospel accounts weren't written for more than a century after Jesus' death, internal proofs, such as Matthew's use of the city name, Caesarea Philippi, show that this book had to be written prior to the middle of the First Century. For, archeologists have found that about 50-C.E., the Romans changed its name from Caesarea Philippi, to Banas (meaning Baths). Since this fact would have been lost to history just a few years after that date, it proves that the Book of Matthew had to be written shortly after Jesus' execution and before 50-C.E.

In addition, this city is also mentioned three times in the Gospel of Mark, which indicates the antiquity of that book.

For more information, see the linked document, The Bible's Internal Proofs of its Authentic History

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What Was the Dip or Sop of the Last Supper?

The Bible tells us that Jesus and his Apostles ate yeast-free bread during his Last Supper, and that they dipped the bread into something that was in a bowl (or bowels) that ancient Bibles referred to as a sop. Exactly what was this sop… was it a gravy?

Actually, it was likely a mixture of olive oil, herbs, and salt, which has been a favorite dipping sauce for bread through countless generations (try it sometime if you are unfamiliar with it). We know that it likely wasn't gravy or meat sauce, because the lamb was to be sacrificed and eaten on the following night (see the link, The Passover and the Lord's Evening Meal), and meat wasn't normally eaten with every meal in ancient times. However, the Bible does tell us that part of the Passover celebration involved the eating of bitter herbs and bread), and surely salt and olive oil were used to add flavor and to soften the bread.

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Mark 7:19

At Mark 7:19 we have translated Jesus as saying, 'for, it doesn't go into his heart, but into his belly and then into the sewer, making all edibles clean.' However, in Greek, the last portion of this verse literally says, 'katharizon (cleansing) panta (all) ta (the) bromata (eatables);' giving the impression that the eating, digesting, and eliminating food makes it clean, which makes no sense to us.

But consider the point that Jesus was making here, for he said in verse 15, 'There's nothing on the outside that goes into a man which can make him unclean. Rather, it's the things that come out of a man that make him unclean.' Then he added (in verses 20-23), 'It's what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. It's the things on the inside – from their hearts – that bad thoughts come… things such as immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, selfish desires, wicked actions, deceit, lack of restraint, eyes that are wicked, blasphemy, arrogance, and unreasonableness. All these wicked things that come from the inside are what make a man unclean.'

So, it is our assumption that the wording of verse 15 reflects the same thought as verse 19; that all food which a human consumes is (in a figurative way) clean. Therefore, consuming it doesn't make him unclean.

Notice that these words in Mark seem to be the same as the account at Matthew 15:10, 11, where Jesus said: 'Listen and understand: It isn't the things that go into his mouth that dirty a man, it's the things that come out of his mouth that pollute him.'

However, Hebrew Law specifically laid out guidelines to show which eatable things were clean, and which were unclean. So, it comes as no surprise that Jesus' Apostles said (in verse 12), 'Don't you know that the Pharisees were stumbled by what you said?'

Then he went on to clarify his point to his Apostles in verses 16-19, saying, 'Don't you get the point? Don't you realize that whatever you put into your mouth goes into your belly and then into the sewer? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart… these are the things that dirty a man. Because, out of the heart comes wicked thinking, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, thievery, false testimony, and blasphemy. These are the things that pollute a man. But eating with unwashed hands doesn't dirty a man.'

So, in the account in Matthew, we read nothing of food being cleansed by being eaten and expelled.

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Adultery

According to The Complete WordStudy Dictionary, the true meaning of Matthew 5:32 (as well as similar verses in Mark and Luke) is often misconstrued due to poor translating. For, most Bibles render the words there as reading, 'But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.'

As you can see, the implication is that any divorced woman, regardless of whether she is actually innocent of committing adultery, is deemed an adulteress when she is divorced. And anyone who thereafter marries her is then termed an adulterer. However, the dictionary mentioned above points out that these conclusions are incorrect, for they fail to recognize the subject of the sentence, which is the need to provide a rejected wife with a certificate of divorce. And when such a certificate is not given upon dismissal, it implies that she has been an adulteress. And thereafter, anyone who marries her is assumed to be an adulterer.

Actually, according to the Old Law, marrying a legally-divorced woman was allowed, and neither person was styled as an adulterer or adulteress; and if such a thing were true, it certainly would have been mentioned in that detailed list of God's Laws (see Deuteronomy 24:3-6).

Notice that the Greek word often translated as divorcing, is apoluon, which simply means to loose or unbind, and it doesn't necessarily imply a legal (certificated) divorce.

Please note the following definitions:

· Fornication (gr. porneia, pronounced Por-neh-ee-ah) means, 'that which is sold,' and it refers to the types of illicit services that are sold by (male and female) prostitutes. So, it covers a wide range of lewd acts that one may engage in outside the marriage arrangement (but not masturbation).

· Adultery (gr. moicheia, pronounced moh-ee-keh-ee-ah) refers to an act of unfaithfulness or betrayal (not necessarily fornication).

Moicheia is a Greek word, not a Christian word. And in a male-dominated society, it was generally used to describe an unfaithful wife. However, Jesus expanded the term to include husbands who were unfaithful to their wives, and to those men who would marry someone else's unfaithful wife.

So, what Jesus appears to be saying at Matthew 5:32 (and we're not being dogmatic here), is that legal (certificated) divorce (though not God's way) is the end of a marriage contract. Thus, if the faithful but legally released wife chooses to remarry, being given a divorce certificate frees her from the social stigma of being called an adulteress.

While admitting that our view of these scriptures may be wrong (and we don't wish to mislead), the problem we have with the customary translation of these verses (and the reason why we have done further research on the meanings of these words) is that such an apparent law is the only one that we are aware of in the Bible, which identifies the victim (a faithful wife who has been unfairly released) as a sinner.

For More information, see the linked document Christian Morality.

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Called and Chosen

There seems to be quite a bit of difference between the Bible's use of the words, called, and chosen, and their implications for the people involved. For, notice what Jesus said (as recorded at Matthew 22:14): 'Many are called but few are chosen (gr. polloi eisin gar cletoi, oligoi de eclectoi).' And this verse could be possibly even be translated as 'Many are nominated but few are elected.'

These words of Jesus seem to put an end to the notion that everyone who is called by God was foreordained to a favored position before his/her specific birth. Rather, what is implied in this parable, is that there would be people in general (not specific individuals) who would be chosen from among a larger number of those who are 'called.' Because, as Jesus makes clear here, not all who are among the called (or the nominated) to this hope are thereafter counted among the chosen (elected). For, why would God call people if He already knew that there was no chance of their being chosen?

Notice how this was stated at Revelation 17:14; for there we are told: 'Then they will go and fight against the Lamb. But, because he's the Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb and those who are with him (the called, elected, and faithful) will conquer them.'

So, 'the called' also have prove faithful in order to become 'the elected' who will serve with Jesus.

Yes, that was the point of Jesus' parable at Matthew 22:1-14, which (as Jesus said) was an illustration concerning 'the Kingdom of Heaven.' In that parable, many were initially 'called' to the banquet of the King, but they didn't want to come. The obvious reference here is to the Jews who were invited first to become kings in that Kingdom, but who, for the most part, rejected the invitation.

The king then ordered his slaves to go out into the streets and 'call' anyone who wishes to come to the banquet. These words obviously refer to the calling of people of the nations, or the gentiles (gr. tas ethne – the ethnics).

So, is this parable talking about being called to heaven to rule there with Jesus… for isn't the wedding banquet for God's son to be held in heaven, and aren't those who are invited to God's banquet the bride who will be with Jesus in heaven? We have always thought so, but notice that the guests in this parable aren't referred to as virgins (as was the case of those mentioned in Revelation 14:1-4). Rather, they are called 'both the wicked and the good,' which is a strange way to refer to the 'Saints.'

Also, notice that in the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 65:23, the elected are spoken of as fathering children, for there it says: 'My elected won't labor for nothing, nor will they produce children for a curse; for their seed and all their descendants, will then be a blessing from God.'

Next, as the parable continues, the king noticed a guest who wasn't properly dressed for a wedding feast (he didn't have the required qualities). This guest was then bound and thrown back outside (but not killed). So, as you can see, he was called but not chosen. Now, if we were to assume that this banquet is held in heaven (since the man was already there at the feast), we must ask: Was he then kicked out of heaven… and if so, then we would also have to ask, Why was he taken there to begin with?

Now, we do suspect that there are those who are taken to heaven to rule with Jesus, but if so, they are likely the bride at the wedding feast, not the guests (see Revelation 19:7-9). For, notice what Paul said of himself at Philippians 3:11, '… so I can somehow be found worthy of an out-resurrection from the dead'

What was Paul talking about here? It appears as though (when speaking of 'the out resurrection') he was saying that although he had been 'called,' he may not have been 'chosen' yet for heavenly life. That this is what he was likely talking about, can be seen from what he said at Philippians 3:12, '[I'm not saying] that I've made it yet, or that I'm already perfect.' Then he continued with the words (at Philippians 3:14), 'I'm running toward the goal, the prize of the higher (gr. ano – upward or higher) calling from God, through the Anointed Jesus.'

So, notice that the Bible speaks both of a 'calling' and of an 'upward calling,' which we assume refers to being called to heaven. And how would Paul know that he had been 'chosen' for this lofty reward? It appears as though such a person must first endure incredible suffering for his/her beliefs (as did Jesus), for notice what Paul wrote at Romans 8:17, 'We have to suffer together so we can also be glorified together.'

Such suffering must be much more than what is typical of the common suffering and death of mankind. Does this 'suffering' require a dying a martyr's death? That seems to be the gist of the prophecy at Revelation 6:9-11, which says, 'When he opened the fifth seal, I saw the lives of those who had been slaughtered because of the Word of God and because of the testimony that they gave, underneath the altar… Then they were each given a white robe and they were told to take it easy for just a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow slaves and brothers was filled (who were going to be killed, as they were).'

But in the case of Jesus' words found Matthew 22:14 ('Many are called but few are chosen'), we would have to conclude that God calls many people from among mankind to become His faithful slaves and to thereafter attend the wedding banquet of the Lamb (whether in heaven or earth is not stated), but not all who are called are found worthy.

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