6 There appeared a man sent from God, whose name was John; 7 He came as a witness: to bear witness to the light that through him all men might believe. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness to the Light. 9 That was the true Light which enlightens all who come into the world. 10 He was in the world; and through him the world came into being, yet the world did not know him.

11 He came to his own, yet his own did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him he gave power to become Children of God, to those who believe in his name. 13 For not to natural conception, nor to earthly passions, nor to human will did they owe the new life, but to God.

14 And the Word became Man, and dwelt among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the only Son sent from the Father, full of love and truth. 15 John bores witness to him; he cried aloud—for it was he who spoke: “‘He who is Coming’ after me is now before me, for he was ever first;” 16 Out of his fullness we have all received some gift, gift after gift of love; 17 For the law was given through Moses, but love and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever yet seen God; the only begotten Son, who is ever with the Father—He has revealed him.

19 When the Jews sent some priests and Levites to John from Jerusalem, to ask, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed and did answer: “I am not the Christ.” 21 “What then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he said, “I am not.” “Are you ‘the prophet’?”

He answered, “No.” 22 “Who then are you?” they continued; “tell us, that we may have some answer to give to those who have sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said: “I am the voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness; make straight the way of the Lord,” as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 These men had been sent from the Pharisees; 25 And their next question was: “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor yet ‘the prophet’?” 26 John’s answer was: “I baptize with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know; 27 He is coming after me, yet I am not worthy even to unfasten his sandal.” 28 All this took place at Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was then baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him, and exclaimed: “Here is the Lamb of God, who is to take away the sin of the world! 30 It was of him that I spoke when I said: ‘After me there is coming a man who is now before me, for he was ever first.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but, that he may be made known to Israel, I have come, baptizing with water.”

32 John also made this statement: “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of the heavens, and it remained upon him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, he said to me: ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon him—he it is who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 This I have seen myself, and I have declared my belief that he is the Son of God.”

35 The next day, when John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 He looked at Jesus as he passed and exclaimed: “There is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and followed Jesus. 38 But Jesus turned round, and saw them following. “What are you looking for?” he asked.

They answered: “Rabbi,” (or, as we would say, “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come, and you shall see,” he replied. So they went, and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was then about four in the afternoon.

40 One of the two, who heard what John said and followed Jesus, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him: “We have found the Messiah!” (a word which was being interpreted as the ‘Christ’). 42 Then he brought him to Jesus. Fixing his eyes on him, Jesus said: “You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Kephas” (which means a stone).

43 The following day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip, and said to him: “Follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, and a fellow townsman of Andrew and Peter. 45 He found Nathanael and said to him: “We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law, and of whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph’s son!” 46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” asked Nathanael. “Come and see,” replied Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said: “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 “How do you know me?” asked Nathanael. “Even before Philip called you,” replied Jesus, “when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael exclaimed, “you are the Son of God, you are King of Israel!”

50 “Do you believe in me,” asked Jesus, “because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You shall see greater things than those! 51 In truth I tell you,” he added, “you shall all see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

—

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 2.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 2 – Jesus Turns Water into Wine

Two days after this there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and Jesus’ mother was there. 2 Jesus himself, too, with his disciples, was invited to the wedding. 3 And, when the wine ran short, his mother said to him: “They have no wine left.” 4 “What do you want with me?” answered Jesus. “My time has not come yet.” 5 His mother said to the servants: “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 There were standing there six stone water-jars, in accordance with the Jewish rule of ‘purification,’ each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants: “Fill the water-jars with water;” 8 And, when they had filled them to the brim, he added: “Now take some out, and carry it to the master of the feast.” The servants did so.

9 And, when the master of the feast had tasted the water which had now become wine, not knowing where it had come from—although the servants who had taken out the water knew—10 He called the bridegroom and said to him: “Everyone puts good wine on the table first, and inferior wine afterwards, when his guests have drunk freely; but you have kept back the good wine till now!”

11 This, the first sign of his mission, Jesus gave at Cana in Galilee, and by it revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this, Jesus went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; but they stayed there only a few days. 13 Then, as the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 In the temple courts he found people who were selling bullocks, sheep, and pigeons, and the money-changers at their counters. 15 So he made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and bullocks as well; he scattered the money of the money-changers, and overturned their tables, 16 And said to the pigeon-dealers: “Take these things away. Do not turn my Father’s house into a market-house.”

17 His disciples remembered that scripture said: ‘The zeal of thy house hath consumed me.’ 18 Upon this the Jews asked Jesus: “What sign are you going to show us, since you act in this way?” 19 “Destroy this temple,” was his answer, “and I will raise it in three days.”

20 “This temple,” replied the Jews, “has been forty-six years in building, and are you going to ‘raise it in three days’?” 21 But Jesus was speaking of his body as a temple. 22 Afterwards, when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the passage of scripture, and the words which Jesus had spoken.

23 While Jesus was in Jerusalem, during the Passover festival, many came to trust in him, when they saw the signs of his mission that he was giving. 24 But Jesus did not trust himself to them, since he could read every heart, 25 And because he did not need that others should tell him what people were; for he could of himself read what was in them.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 3.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 3 – In Christ We Are Reborn

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a leading man among the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one could give such signs as you are giving, unless God were with him.”

3 “In truth I tell you,” exclaimed Jesus, “unless you are reborn, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 “How can someone,” asked Nicodemus, “be born when they are old? Can we be born a second time?” 5 “In truth I tell you,” answered Jesus, “unless you owe your birth to water and spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 All that owes its birth to human nature is human, and all that owes its birth to the spirit is spiritual. 7 Do not wonder at my telling you that you all need to be reborn. 8 The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes, or where it goes; it is the same with everyone that owes his birth to the spirit.” 9 “How can that be?” asked Nicodemus.

10 “What! You a teacher of Israel,” exclaimed Jesus, “and yet do not understand this! 11 In truth I tell you that we speak of what we know, and state what we have seen; and yet you do not accept our statements. 12 If, when I tell you earthly things, you do not believe me, how will you believe me when I tell you of heavenly things?”

13 “None have ascended to heaven, except those who descended from heaven—the Son of Man himself. 14 And, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 That everyone who believes in him may have everlasting life.”

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him may not be lost, but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him escape condemnation, while those who do not believe in him are already condemned, because they have not believed in the only Son of God.”

19 “The ground of their condemnation is this: that though light has come into the world, they preferred the darkness to light, because their actions were wicked. 20 For those who live an evil life hate the light, and will not come to it because they fear that their actions will be exposed; 21 But those who act upon the truth come to the light, that their actions born in God may be made manifest.”

22 After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the country parts of Judea; and there he stayed with them, and baptized. 23 John, also, was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there were many streams there; and people were constantly coming and being baptized 24 (For John had not yet been imprisoned).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew on the subject of ‘purification;’ 26 And the disciples came to John and said: “Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, and to whom you have yourself borne testimony, he also is baptizing, and everybody is going to him.” 27 John’s answer was: “We can gain nothing but what is given to us from heaven.

28 You are yourselves witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but ‘I have been sent before him as a messenger.’ 29 It is the bridegroom who has the bride; but the bridegroom’s friend, who stands by and listens to him, is filled with joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This joy I have felt to the full. 30 He must become greater, and I less. 31 He who comes from above is above all others; but a child of earth is earthly, and his teaching is earthly, too. He who comes from heaven is above all others.”

32 “He states what he has seen and what he heard, and yet no one accepts his statement. 33 They who did accept his statement attested the fact that God is true. 34 For he whom God sent as his messenger gives us God’s own teaching, for God does not limit the gift of the spirit. 35 The Father loves his Son, and has put everything in his hands. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, while he who rejects the Son will not even see that life, but remains under God’s displeasure.”

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 4.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 4 – Christ Is The Living Water

Now, when the Master heard that the Pharisees had been told that he was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (Though it was not Jesus himself, but his disciples, who baptized), 3 He left Judea, and set out again for Galilee. 4 He had to pass through Samaria, 5 And, on his way, he came to a Samaritan town called Shechem, near the plot of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s spring was there, and Jesus, being tired after his journey, sat down beside the spring, just as he was. It was then about midday.

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water; and Jesus said to her: “Give me some to drink,” 8 For his disciples had gone into the town to buy food. 9 “How is it,” replied the Samaritan woman, “that you who are a Jew ask for water from a Samaritan woman like me?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans). 10 “If you knew of the gift of God,” replied Jesus, “and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me some water,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

11 “You have no bucket, sir, and the well is deep,” she said; “where did you get that ‘living water?’ 12 Surely you are not greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us the well, and used to drink from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle!” 13 “All who drink of this water,” replied Jesus, “will be thirsty again; 14 But all who drink once of the water that I will give them shall never thirst anymore; but the water that I will give them shall become a spring welling up from within—a source of everlasting life.”

15 “Give me this water, sir,” said the woman, “so that I may not be thirsty, nor have to come all the way here to draw water.” 16 “Go and call your husband,” said Jesus, “and then come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” answered the woman. “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’” replied Jesus, 18 “For you have had five husbands, and the man with whom you are now living is not your husband; in saying that, you have spoken the truth.”
19 “I see, sir, that you are a prophet!” exclaimed the woman. 20 “It was on this mountain that our ancestors worshiped; and yet you Jews say that the proper place for worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Believe me,” replied Jesus, “a time is coming when it will be neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, that you will worship the Father. 22 You Samaritans do not know what you worship; we know what we worship, for salvation comes from the Jews.”

23 But a time is coming, indeed it is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father spiritually and truly; for such are the worshipers that the Father desires. 24 God is spirit; and those who worship him must worship spiritually and truly.” 25 “I know,” answered the woman, “that the Messiah, who is called the Christ, is coming; when once he has come, he will tell us everything.” 26 “I am he,” Jesus said to her, “I who am speaking to you.”

27 At this moment his disciples came up, and were surprised to find him talking with a woman; but none of them asked ‘What do you want?’ or ‘Why are you talking with her?’ 28 So the woman, leaving her pitcher, went back to the town, and said to the people: 29 “Come and see someone who has told me everything that I have done. Can he be the Christ?” 30 And the people left the town and went to see Jesus.

31 Meanwhile the disciples kept saying to him: “Take something to eat, Rabbi.” 32 “I have food to eat,” he answered, “of which you know nothing.” 33 “Can anyone have brought him anything to eat?” the disciples said to one another. 34 “My food,” replied Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me, and to complete his work.”

35 “Do not you say that it still wants four months to harvest? Why, look up, and see how white the fields are for harvest! 36 Already the reaper is receiving wages and gathering in sheaves for eternal life, so that sower and reaper rejoice together. 37 For here the proverb holds good: ‘One sows, another reaps.’ 38 I have sent you to reap from that which you have spent no labor; others have labored, and you have entered upon the results of their labor.”

39 Many from that town came to believe in Jesus—Samaritans though they were—on account of the woman’s statement: ‘He has told me everything that I have done.’ 40 And, when these Samaritans had come to Jesus, they begged him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 But far more came to believe in him on account of what he said himself, 42 And they said to the woman: “It is no longer because of what you say that we believe in him, for we have heard him ourselves and know that he really is the Christ, the savior of the world.”

43 After these two days Jesus went on to Galilee; 44 For he himself declared that a prophet is not honored in his own country. 45 When he entered Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, for they had seen all that he did at Jerusalem during the festival, at which they also had been present. 46 So Jesus came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.

Now there was one of the king’s officers whose son was lying ill at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had returned from Judea to Galilee, he went to him, and begged him to come down and cure his son; for he was at the point of death. 48 Jesus answered: “Unless you all see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” 49 “Sir,” said the officer, “come down before my child dies.” And Jesus answered: “Go, your son is living.”

50 The man believed what Jesus said to him, and went; 51 And, while he was on his way down, his servants met him, and told him that his child was living. 52 So he asked them at what time the boy began to get better. “It was yesterday, about one o’clock,” they said, “that the fever left him.” 53 By this, the father knew that it was at the very time when Jesus had said to him ‘Your son is living’; and he himself, with all his household, believed in Jesus. 54 This was the second occasion on which Jesus gave a sign of his mission on coming from Judea to Galilee.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 5.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 5 – The Father Judges No One

Sometime after this there was a Jewish festival; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 There is in Jerusalem, near the sheep market, a bath with five colonnades round it. It is called in Hebrew ‘Bethesda.’ 3 In these colonnades, a large number of afflicted people were lying—blind, lame, and crippled—waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For it was said that an angel would go down at a certain time into the pool and stir the water, so that whoever went first in afterwards would be made whole from their afflictions. 5 One man who was there had been infirm for thirty-eight years.

6 Jesus saw the man lying there, and, finding that he had been in this state a long time, said to him: “Do you wish to be cured?” 7 “I have no one, sir,” the afflicted man answered, “to put me into the bath when there is a troubling of the water, and, while I am getting to it, someone else steps down before me.” 8 “Stand up,” said Jesus, “take up your mat, and walk about.” 9 The man was cured immediately, and took up his mat and began to walk about.

10 Now it was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured: “This is the Sabbath; you must not carry your mat.” 11 “The man who cured me,” he answered, “said to me: ‘Take up your mat and walk about.’” 12 “Who was it,” they asked, “that said to you: ‘Take up your mat and walk about’?” 13 But the man who had been restored did not know who it was; for Jesus had moved away because there was a crowd there.

14 Afterwards Jesus found the man in the temple courts, and said to him: “You are cured now; do not sin again, for fear that something worse may befall you.” 15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. 16 And that was why the Jews began to persecute Jesus, because he did things of this kind on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus replied: “My Father works to this very hour, and I work also.”

18 This made the Jews all the more eager to kill him, because not only was he doing away with the Sabbath, but he actually called God his own Father—putting himself on an equality with God. 19 So Jesus made this further reply: “In truth I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself; he does only what he sees the Father doing; whatever the Father does, the Son does also.”

20 “For the Father loves his Son, and shows him everything that he is doing; and he will show him still greater things—so that you will be filled with wonder. 21 For, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he pleases. 22 The Father himself does not judge anyone, but has entrusted the work of judging entirely to his Son, 23 So that all men may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son fails to honor the Father who sent him.”

24 “In truth I tell you that those who listen to my message and believes him who sent me, has immortal life, and does not come under condemnation, but has already passed out of death into life. 25 In truth I tell you that a time is coming, indeed it is already here, when the dead will listen to the voice of the Son of God, and when those who listen will live. 26 For, just as the Father has inherent life within him, so also he has granted to the Son to have inherent life within him; 27 And, because he is Son of Man, he has also given him authority to act as judge.”

28 “Do not wonder at this; for the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice, 29 And will come out—those who have done good rising to life, and those who have lived evil lives rising for condemnation. 30 I can do nothing of myself; I judge as I am taught; and the judgment that I give is just, because my aim is not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

31 “If I bear testimony to myself, my testimony is not trustworthy; 32 It is another who bears testimony to me, and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is trustworthy. 33 You have yourselves sent to John, and he as testified to the truth. 34 But the testimony which I receive is not from man; I am saying this for your salvation. 35 He was a burning and shining light, and you were ready to rejoice, for a time, in his light.”

36 “But the testimony which I have is of greater weight than John’s; for the work that the Father has given me to carry out—the work that I am doing—is in itself proof that the Father has sent me as his messenger. 37 The Father who has sent me has himself borne testimony of me. You have neither listened to his voice, nor seen his form; 38 And you have not taken his message home to your hearts, because you do not believe him whom he sent as his messenger.”

39 “You search the scriptures, because you think that you find in them eternal life; 40 And, though it is those very scriptures that bear testimony to me, you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 I do not receive honor from people, 42 But I know this of you, that you have not the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if others come in their own names, you will receive them.”

44 “How can you believe in me, when you receive honor from one another, and do not desire the honor which comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have been resting your hopes. 46 For, had you believed Moses, you would have believed me, for it was of me that Moses wrote; 47 But, if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my teaching?”

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 6.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 6 – Christ is the Life Giving Bread

After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee—otherwise called the Lake of Tiberias. 2 A great crowd of people, however, followed him, because they saw the signs of his mission in his work among those who were afflicted. 3 Jesus went up the hill, and sat down there with his disciples. :4 It was near the time of the Jewish festival of the Passover. 5 Looking up, and noticing that a great crowd was coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip: “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he meant to do.

7 “Twenty pounds’ worth of bread,” answered Philip, “would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” 8 “There is a boy here,” said Andrew, another of his disciples, Simon Peter’s brother, 9 “Who has five barley loaves and two fishes; but what is that for so many?”

10 “Make the people sit down,” said Jesus. It was a grassy spot; so the men, who numbered about five thousand, sat down, 11 And then Jesus took the loaves, and, after saying the thanksgiving, distributed them to those who were sitting down; and the same with the fish, giving the people as much as they wanted.

12 When they were satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples: “Collect the broken pieces that are left, so that nothing may be wasted.” 13 The disciples did so, and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves, which were left after all had eaten.

14 When the people saw the signs which Jesus gave, they said: “This is certainly the prophet who was to come into the world.” 15 But Jesus, having discovered that they were intending to come and carry him off to make him king, retired again up the hill, quite alone.

16 When evening fell, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 And, getting into a boat, began to cross to Capernaum. By this time darkness had set in, and Jesus had not yet come back to them; 18 The sea, too, was getting rough, for a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed three or four miles, they caught sight of him walking on the water and approaching the boat, and they were frightened.

20 But Jesus said to them: “It is I; do not be afraid!” 21 And after this they were glad to take him into the boat; and the boat at once arrived off the shore, for which they had been making.

22 The people who remained on the further side of the sea had seen that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not gone into it with his disciples, but that they had left without him. 23 Some boats, however, had come from Tiberias, from near the spot where they had eaten the bread after the Master had said the thanksgiving.

24 So, on the next day, when the people saw that Jesus was not there, or his disciples either, they themselves got into the boats, and went to Capernaum to look for him. 25 And, when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said: “When did you get here, Rabbi?”

26 “In truth I tell you,” answered Jesus, “it is not on account of the signs which you saw that you are looking for me, but because you had the bread to eat and were satisfied. 27 Work, not for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts unto life everlasting, which the Son of Man will give you; for upon him the Father—God himself—has set the seal of his approval.”

28 “How,” they asked, “are we to do the work that God would have us do?” 29 “The work that God would have you do,” answered Jesus, “is to believe in him whom God sent as his messenger.” 30 “What sign, then,” they asked, “are you giving, which we may see, and so believe you? What is the work that you are doing? 31 Our ancestors had the manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 “In truth I tell you,” replied Jesus, “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father does give you the true bread from heaven; 33 For the bread that God gives is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.”

34 “Master,” they exclaimed, “give us that bread always!” 35 “I am the life-giving bread,” Jesus said to them; “he that comes to me shall never be hungry, and he that believes in me shall never thirst again. 36 But, as I have said already, you have seen me, and yet you do not believe in me.”

37 “All those whom the Father gives me will come to me; and no one who comes to me will I ever turn away. 38 For I have come down from heaven, to do, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me; 39 And his will is this: that I should not lose one of all those whom he has given me, but should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is the will of my Father that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I myself will raise them up at the last day.”

41 Upon this, the Jews began murmuring against Jesus for saying, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven.’ 42 “Is not this Jesus, Joseph’s son,” they asked, “whose father and mother we know? How is it that he now says that he has come down from heaven?” 43 “Do not murmur among yourselves,” said Jesus in reply.

44 “No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws them to me; and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is said by the prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who is taught by the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except him that is from God—He has seen the Father.”

47 “In truth I tell you, those who believe in me have eternal life. 48 I am the life-giving bread. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, and yet died. 50 The bread that comes down from heaven is such that whoever eats of it will never die. 51 I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, they will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

52 Upon this the Jews began disputing with one another: “How is it possible for this man to give us his flesh to eat?” 53 “In truth I tell you,” answered Jesus, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have not life within you. 54 You who take my flesh for your food, and drink my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise you up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood true drink. 56 You who take my flesh for your food, and drink my blood, remain united to me, and I to you.”

57 “As the living Father sent me as his messenger, and as I live because the Father lives, so are you who take me for your food shall live because I live. 58 That is the bread which has come down from heaven—not such as your ancestors ate, and yet died; you who take this bread for his food shall live for ever.”

59 All this Jesus said in a synagogue, when he was teaching in Capernaum. 60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said: “This is harsh doctrine! Who can bear to listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, aware that his disciples were murmuring about it, said to them: 62 “Does this offend you? What, then, if you should see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?”

63 “It is the spirit that gives life; mere flesh is of no avail. In the teaching that I have been giving you there is spirit and there is life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe in me.” For Jesus knew from the first who they were that did not believe in him, and who it was that would betray him; 65 And he added: “This is why I told you that no one can come to me, unless enabled by the Father.”

66 After this many of his disciples drew back, and did not go about with him any longer. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve: “Do you also wish to leave me?” 68 But Simon Peter answered: “Master, to whom shall we go? The words of eternal life are in your teaching; 69 And we have learned to believe and to know that you are that Christ, the Son of the living God.”

70 “Did not I myself choose you to be the twelve?” replied Jesus; “And one is playing the devil’s part.” 71 He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who was about to betray him, though he was one of the twelve.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 7.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 7 – Your Time Is Always Here

After this, Jesus walked about in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews were eager to put him to death. 2 When the Jewish festival of tabernacles was near, 3 His brothers said to him: “Leave this part of the country, and go into Judea, so that your disciples, as well as we, may see the work that you are doing. 4 For no one does a thing privately, if he is seeking to be widely known. Since you do these things, you should show yourself publicly to the world.” 5 For even his brothers did not believe in him.

6 “My time,” answered Jesus, “is not come yet, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me, because I testify that its ways are evil. 8 Go yourselves up to the Festival; I am not going to this Festival yet, because my time has not yet come.” 9 After telling them this, he stayed on in Galilee.

10 But, when his brothers had gone up to the festival, Jesus also went up, not publicly, but privately. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the festival and asking ‘Where is he?’ 12 And there were many whispers about him among the people, some saying: ‘He is a good man;’ others: ‘No! he is leading the people astray.’ 13 No one, however, spoke freely about him, for fear of the Jews.

14 About the middle of the festival week, Jesus went up into the temple courts, and began teaching. 15 The Jews were astonished. “How has this man got his learning,” they asked, “when he has never studied?”

16 So, in reply, Jesus said: “My teaching is not my own; it is his who sent me. 17 If anyone has the will to do God’s will, they will find out whether my teaching is from God, or whether I speak on my own authority. 18 Those who speak on their own authority seek honor for themselves; but those who seeks the honor of him that sent them are sincere, and there is nothing false in them. 19 Was not it Moses who gave you the law? Yet not one of you obeys it! Why are you seeking to put me to death?”

20 “You must be possessed by a devil!” the people exclaimed. “Who is seeking to put you to death?”

21 “There was one thing I did,” replied Jesus, “at which you are all still wondering. 22 But that is why Moses has instituted circumcision among you—not, indeed, that it began with him, but with our ancestors—and that is why you circumcise even on a Sabbath. 23 When a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath to prevent the law of Moses from being broken, how can you be angry with me for making someone sound and well on a Sabbath? 24 Do not judge by appearances; judge justly.”

25 At this some of the people of Jerusalem exclaimed: “Is not this the man that they are seeking to put to death? 26 Yet here he is, speaking out boldly, and they say nothing to him! Is it possible that our leading men have really discovered that he is the Christ? 27 Yet we know where this man is from; but, when the Christ comes, no one will be able to tell where he is from.”

28 Therefore, Jesus, as he was teaching in the temple courts, raised his voice and said: “Yes; you know me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on my own authority, but he who sent me may be trusted; and him you do not know. 29 I do know him, for it is from him that I have come, and he sent me as his messenger.” 30 So they sought to arrest him; but no one touched him, for his time was not come yet.

31 Many of the people, however, believed in him. “When the Christ comes,” they said, “will he give more signs of his mission than this man has given?” 32 The Pharisees heard the people whispering about him in this way, and so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him;

33 On which Jesus said: “I shall be with you but a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will look for me, and you will not find me; and you will not be able to come where I shall be.”

35 “Where is this man going,” the Jews asked one another, “that we shall not find him? Will he go to our countrymen abroad, and teach foreigners? 36 What does he mean by saying: ‘You will look for me, and you will not find me; and you will not be able to come where I shall be’?”

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus, who was standing by, exclaimed: “If anyone thirsts, let them come to me, and drink. 38 You who believe in me, as scripture says, out of your heart shall flow rivers of living water.” 39 By this he meant the spirit, which those who had believed in him were to receive; for the spirit had not yet come, because Jesus had not yet been exalted.

40 Some of the people, when they heard these words, said: “This is certainly ‘the prophet’!” 41 Others said: “This is the Christ!” But some asked: “What! Does the Christ come from Galilee? 42 Is not it said in scripture that it is of the race of David, and from Bethlehem, the village to which David belonged, that the Christ is to come?” 43 So there was a sharp division among the people on account of Jesus. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, and yet no one touched him.

45 When the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, they were asked: “Why have you not brought him?” 46 “No man ever spoke as he speaks!” they answered. 47 “What! Have you been led astray too?” the Pharisees replied. 48 “Have any of our leading men believed in him, or any of the Pharisees? 49 As for these people who do not know the law—they are cursed!”

50 But one of their number, Nicodemus, who before this had been to see Jesus, said to them: 51 “Does our law pass judgment on people without first giving them a hearing, and finding out what they have been doing?” 52 “Are you also from Galilee?” they retorted. “Search and you will find that no prophet is to arise in Galilee!” 53 Then everyone went back to their own houses.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 8.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 8 – Jesus Judges No One

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he went again to the temple courts, and all the people gathered around him; and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman who had committed adultery; and when they set her before him, 4 They said to the Master: “This woman was taken in the very act of adultery. 5 Now, the law of Moses says that we must stone her. What do you say?”

6 They asked this to tempt Jesus, so that later they may have something to accuse him with. But Jesus only stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground. 7 When they continued asking, he stood up and said: “He that among you is without sin, let him cast the first stone at her.” 8 And again he stopped down and wrote on the ground. 9 And those which heard it, being stricken by their own conscience, left one by one, beginning with the eldest unto the last. Jesus was thus left alone with the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus lifted himself up and saw no one but the woman, he said to her: “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?” 11 She said: “No man, Lord.” And Jesus replied: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

12 Then Jesus spoke again to the people, saying: “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” 13 “You are bearing testimony to yourself!” exclaimed the Pharisees, “your testimony is not trustworthy.”

14 “Even if I bear testimony to myself,” answered Jesus, “my testimony is trustworthy; for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from, nor where I am going. 15 You judge by appearances; I judge no one. 16 Yet, even if I were to judge, my judgment would be trustworthy; because I am not alone, but the Father who sent me is with me.”

17 “Why, in your own law it is said that the testimony of two persons is trustworthy. 18 I, who bear testimony to myself, am one, and the Father who sent me also bears testimony to me.” 19 “Where is your father, then?” they asked. “You know neither me nor my Father,” replied Jesus. “If you had known me, you would have also known my Father.”

20 These statements Jesus made in the treasury, while teaching in the temple courts. Yet no one arrested him, for his time had not then come.

21 Jesus again spoke to the people. “I am going away,” he said, “and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin; you cannot come where I am going.” 22 “Is he going to kill himself,” the Jews exclaimed, “that he says: ‘You cannot go where I am going’?”

23 “You,” added Jesus, “are from below, I am from above; you are of this present world, I am not; 24 And so I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am what I am, you will die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Why ask exactly what I have been telling you?” said Jesus. 26 “I have still much that concerns you to speak of and to pass judgment on; yet he who sent me may be trusted, and I speak to the world only of the things which I have heard from him.”

27 They did not understand that he meant the Father. 28 So Jesus added: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will understand that I am what I am, and that I do nothing of myself, but that I say just what the Father has taught me. 29 Moreover, he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone; for I always do what pleases him.”

30 While he was speaking in this way, many came to believe in him. 31 So Jesus went on to say to those Jews who had believed him: “If you remain constant to my message, you are truly my disciples; 32 And you find out the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” was their answer, “and have never yet been in slavery to anyone. What do you mean by saying ‘you will be set free’?” 34 “In truth I tell you,” replied Jesus, “everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 And a slave does not remain in the home always; but a son remains always. 36 If, then, the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!”
37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you are seeking to put me to death, because my message finds no place in your hearts. 38 I tell you what I have myself seen in the presence of my Father; and you, in the same way, do what you have learned from your father.” 39 “Our father is Abraham,” was their answer.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” replied Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But, as it is, you are seeking to put me to death—a man who has told you the truth as he heard it from God. Abraham did not act in that way. 41 You are doing what your own father does.”

“We are not bastards,” they said, “We have one Father—God himself.” 42 “If God were your Father,” Jesus replied, “you would have loved me, for I came out from God, and now am here; and I have not come of myself, but he sent me as his messenger. 43 How is it that you do not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my message?”

44 “As for you, you are children of your father the devil, and you are determined to do what your father loves to do. He was a murderer from the first, and did not stand by the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he does what is natural to him; because he is a liar, and the father of lying.”

45 “But, as for me, it is because I speak the truth to you that you do not believe me. 46 Which of you can convict me of sin? Why then do not you believe me, if I am speaking truth? 47 He who comes from God listens to God’s teaching; the reason why you do not listen is because you do not come from God.” 48 “Are not we right, after all,” replied the Jews, “in saying that you are a Samaritan, and are possessed by a demon?”

49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” Jesus answered, “but I am showing reverence for my Father; and yet you have no reverence for me. 50 Not that I am seeking honor for myself; there is one who is seeking my honor, and he decides. 51 In truth I tell you, if anyone lays my message to heart, they will never really die.”

52 “Now we are sure that you are possessed by a demon,” the Jews replied. “Abraham died, and so did the prophets; and yet you say: ‘If anyone lays my message to heart, they will never know death.’ 53 Are you greater than our ancestor Abraham, who died? And the prophets who died too. Whom do you make yourself out to be?”

54 “If I do honor to myself,” answered Jesus, “such honor counts for nothing. It is my Father who does me honor—and you say that he is your God; 55 And yet you have not learned to know him; but I know him; and, if I were to say that I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him, and I lay his message to heart. 56 Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; and he did see it, and was glad.”

57 “You are not fifty years old yet,” the Jews exclaimed, “and have you seen Abraham?” 58 “In truth I tell you,” replied Jesus, “before Abraham was, I am.” 59 At this they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and left the temple courts.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 9.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 9 – I am the Light of the World

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who had been blind from his birth. 2 “Rabbi,” asked his disciples, “who was it that sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither the man nor the parents,” replied Jesus; “but he was born blind that the work of God should be made plain in him. 4 We must do the work of him who sent me, while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 Saying this, Jesus spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he said, “and wash your eyes in the pool of Siloam” (a word meaning ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed his eyes, and returned able to see.

8 Upon this his neighbors, and those who had formerly known him by sight as a beggar, exclaimed: “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 “Yes,” some said, “it is”; while others said: “No, but he is like him.” The man himself said: “I am he.”

10 “How did you get your sight, then?” they asked. 11 “The man whom they call Jesus,” he answered, “made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: ‘Go to Siloam and wash your eyes.’ So I went and washed my eyes, and gained my sight.” 12 “Where is he?” they asked. I do not know,” he answered. 13 They then took the man, who had been blind, to the Pharisees.

14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and gave him his sight. 15 So the Pharisees also questioned the man as to how he had gained his sight. “He put clay on my eyes,” he answered, “and I washed them, and I can see.”

16 “The man cannot be from God,” said some of the Pharisees, “for he does not keep the Sabbath.” “How is it possible,” retorted others, “for a bad man to give signs like this?” 17 So there was a difference of opinion among them, and they again questioned the man; “What do you yourself say about him, for it is to you that he has given sight?”

18 The Jews, however, refused to believe that he had been blind and had gained his sight until they had called his parents and questioned them. 19 “Is this your son,” they asked, “who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he can see now?”

20 “We know that this is our son,” answered the parents, “and that he was born blind; 21 But how it is that he can see now we do not know; nor do we know who it was that gave him his sight. Ask him—he is old enough—he will tell you about himself.”

22 His parents spoke in this way because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that, if anyone should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, they should be expelled from their synagogues. 23 This was why his parents said: ‘He is old enough; ask him.’

24 So the Jews again called the man who had been blind, and said to him: “Give God the praise; we know that this is a bad man.” 25 “I know nothing about his being a bad man,” he replied; “one thing I do know, that although I was blind, now I can see.”

26 “What did he do to you?” they asked. “How did he give you your sight?” 27 “I told you just now,” he answered, “and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Surely you also do not want to become his disciples?”

28 “You are his disciple,” they retorted scornfully; “but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses; but, as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

30 “Well,” the man replied, “this is very strange; you do not know where he comes from, and yet he has given me my sight! We know that God never listens to bad people, but, when we are god-fearing and do God’s will, God listens to us. 32 Since the world began, such a thing was never heard of as anyone giving sight to a person born blind. 33 If this man had not been from God, he could not have done anything at all.”

34 “You,” they retorted, “were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?” So they expelled him.

35 Jesus heard of their having put him out; and, when he had found the man, he asked: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Tell me who he is, sir,” he replied, “so that I may believe in him.” 37 “Not only have you seen him,” said Jesus; “but it is he who is now speaking to you.”

38 “Then, sir, I do believe,” said the man, bowing to the ground before him; 39 And Jesus added: “It was to put men to the test that I came into this world, in order that those that cannot see should see, and that those that can see should become blind.”

40 Hearing this, some of the Pharisees who were with him said: “Then are we blind too?” 41 “If you had been blind,” replied Jesus, “you would have had no sin to answer for; but, as it is, you say, ‘We can see,’ so your sin remains.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 10.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

False Christs & False Prophets

Gospel of Matthew 24

Leaving the temple courts, Jesus was walking away, when his disciples came up to draw his attention to the temple buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you, not a single stone will be left here upon another, which will not be throne down,” 3 So, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came up to him privately and said: “Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the close of the age.”

4 Jesus replied to them as follows: “See that no one leads you astray; 5 For, many will take my name, and come saying ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; take care not to be alarmed, for such things must occur; but the end is not yet here. 7 For ‘nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,’ and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All this, however, will be but the beginning of the birth pangs!”

9 “When that time comes, they will give you up to persecution, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations on account of my name. 10 And then many will fall away, and will betray one another, and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets, also, will appear and lead many astray; 12 And, owing to the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. 13 Yet those who endure to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed throughout the world as a witness to all nations; and then will come the end.”

15 “As soon, then, as you see ‘the foul desecration,’ mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place,” (whosoever reads this let them understand) 16 “Then those of you who are in Judea must take refuge in the mountains; 17 And those on the housetops must not go down to get their things that are in their houses; 18 Nor must those who are on their farm turn back to get their cloaks. 19 And woe to the women that are with child, and for those that are nursing infants in those days!”

20 “Pray, too, that your flight may not take place in winter, nor on a Sabbath; 21 For that will be ‘a time of great distress, the like of which has not occurred from the beginning of the world down to the present time’—no, nor ever will again. 22 And had not those days been limited, not a single soul would escape; but for the sake of ‘God’s People’ a limit will be put to them.”

23 “And, at that time, if anyone should say to you: ‘Look! Here is the Christ!’ or ‘Here he is!’ do not believe it; 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will display great signs and marvels, so that, were it possible, even God’s people would be led astray. 25 Remember, I have told you beforehand. 26 Therefore, if people say to you: ‘He is in the wilderness!’ do not go out there; or: ‘He is in an inner room!’ do not believe it; 27 For, just as lightning will start from the east and flash across to the west, so will it be with the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever a dead body lies, there will the vultures flock.’”

What does the Lord’s Prayer mean?

To continue reading Chapter 24 of the Gospel of Matthew, please click on page 2 below.

John – Gospel 10 – You are Gods

“In truth I tell you, whoever does not go into the sheepfold through the door, but climbs up at some other place, that person is a thief and a robber; 2 But the person who goes in through the door is shepherd to the sheep. 3 For him the watchman opens the door; and the sheep listen to his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4 When he has brought them all out, he walks in front of them, and his sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but will run away from him; because they do not know a stranger’s voice.”

6 This was the parable that Jesus told them, but they did not understand of what he was speaking. 7 So he continued: “In truth I tell you, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door; you who go in through me will be safe, and you will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly.”

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 12 The hired man who is not a shepherd, and who does not own the sheep, when he sees a wolf coming, leaves them and runs away; then the wolf seizes them, and scatters the flock. 3 He does this because he is only a hired man and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me; 15 Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

16 “I have other sheep besides, which do not belong to this fold; I must lead them also, and they will listen to my voice; and they shall become one flock under one shepherd.’ 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life—to receive it again. 18 No one took it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to receive it again. This is the command which I received from my Father.”

19 In consequence of these words a difference of opinion again arose among the Jews. 20 Many of them said: “He is possessed by a demon and is mad; why do you listen to him?” 21 Others said: “This is not the teaching of one who is possessed by a demon. Can a demon give sight to the blind?”

22 Soon after this the festival of the dedication was held at Jerusalem. 23 It was winter; and Jesus was walking in the temple courts, in the Colonnade of Solomon, 24 When the Jews gathered round him, and said: “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us so frankly.”

25 “I have told you so,” replied Jesus, “and you do not believe me. The work that I am doing in my Father’s name bears testimony to me. 26 But you do not believe me, because you are not of my flock. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me; 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall not be lost; nor shall anyone snatch them out of my hands. 29 What my Father has entrusted to me is more than all else; and no one can snatch anything out of the Father’s hands. 30 The Father and I are one.”

31 The Jews again brought stones to throw at him; 32 And seeing this, Jesus said: “I have done before your eyes many good actions, inspired by the Father; for which of them would you stone me?” 33 “It is not for any good action that we would stone you,” answered the Jews, “but for blasphemy; and because you, who are only a man, make yourself out to be God.”

34 “Are there not,” replied Jesus, “these words in your law: ‘I said “Ye are gods”‘? 35 If those to whom God’s word were addressed were said to be ‘gods’—and scripture cannot be set aside—36 Do you say of one whom the Father has consecrated and sent as his messenger to the world: ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said ‘I am the Son of God’?”

37 “If I am not doing the work that my Father is doing, do not believe me; 38 If I am doing it, even though you do not believe me, believe what that work shows; so that you may understand, and understand more and more clearly, that the Father is in union with me, and I with the Father.” 39 Upon this the Jews again sought to arrest him; but he escaped their hands.”

40 Then Jesus again crossed the Jordan to the place where John used to baptize at first, and stayed there some time, during which many people came to see him. 41 “John gave no sign of his mission,” they said; “but everything that he said about this man was true.” 42 And many learned to believe in Jesus there.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 11.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 12 – The World Is On Trial

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead, was living. 2 There a supper was given in honor at which Martha waited, while Lazarus was one of those present at the table. 3 So Mary took a pound of choice spikenard ointment of great value, and anointed the feet of Jesus with it, and then wiped them with her hair. The whole house was filled with the scent of the ointment.

4 One of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was about to betray Jesus, asked: 5 “Why was not this perfume sold for thirty pounds, and the money given to poor people?” 6 He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and, being in charge of the purse, used to take what was put in it.

7 “Let her alone,” said Jesus, “that she may keep it till the day when my body is being prepared for burial. 8 The poor you always have with you, but you will not always have me.”

9 Now great numbers of the Jews found out that Jesus was at Bethany; and they came there, not solely on his account, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 The chief priests, however, plotted to put Lazarus, as well as Jesus, to death, 11 Because it was owing to him that many of the Jews had left them, and were becoming believers in Jesus.

12 On the following day great numbers of people who had come to the festival, hearing that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, took palm-branches, 13 And went out to meet him, shouting as they went: “‘God save Him! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: the King of Israel!”
14 Having found a young ass, Jesus seated himself on it, in accordance with the passage of scripture: 15 ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, thy king is coming to thee, sitting on the foal of an ass.’ 16 His disciples did not understand all this at first; but, when Jesus had been exalted, then they remembered that these things had been said of him in scripture, and that they had done these things unto him.

17 Meanwhile the people who were with him, when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, were telling what they had seen. 18 This, indeed, was why the crowd met him, because people had heard that he had given this sign of his mission. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another: “You see that you are gaining nothing! Why, all the world has run after him!”

20 Among those who were going up to worship at the festival were some Greeks, 21 Who went to Philip of Bethsaida in Galilee, and said: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew, and then together they went and told Jesus.

23 This was his reply: “The time has come for the Son of Man to be exalted. 24 In truth I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains solitary; but, if it dies, it becomes fruitful. 25 Those who love their life lose it; while those who hate their life in the present world shall preserve it in eternal life.”

26 “If you are ready to serve me, then follow me; and where I am, there my servant shall be also. If you are ready to serve me, my Father will honor you. 27 Now I am distressed at heart and what can I say? Father, bring me safe through this hour—yet it was for this very reason that I came to this hour—28 Father, honor thine own name.” At this there came a voice from heaven, which said: “I have already honored it, and I will honor it again.”

29 The crowd of bystanders, who heard the sound, said that it was thundering. Others said: “An angel has been speaking to him.” 30 “It was not for my sake that the voice came,” said Jesus, “but for yours. 31 Now this world is on its trial. Now the spirit that is ruling this world shall be driven out; 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, shall draw all people to myself.” 33 By these words he indicated what death he was destined to die.

34 “We,” replied the people, “have learned from the law that the Christ is to remain for ever; how is it, then, that you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?” 35 “Only a little while longer,” answered Jesus, “will you have the light among you. Travel on while you have the light, so that darkness may not overtake you; you who travel in the darkness do not know where you are going. 36 While you still have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light.” After he had said this, Jesus went away, and hid himself from them.

37 But, though Jesus had given so many signs of his mission before their eyes, they still did not believe in him, 38 In fulfillment of the words of the prophet Isaiah, where he says: ‘Lord, who has believed our teaching? And to whom has the might of the Lord been revealed?’

39 The reason why they were unable to believe is given by Isaiah elsewhere, in these words: 40 ‘He has blinded their eyes, and blunted their mind, so that they should not see with their eyes, and perceive with their mind, and turn—and I should heal them.’ 41 Isaiah said this, because he saw Christ’s glory; and it was of him that he spoke.

42 Yet for all this, even among the leading men there were many who came to believe in Jesus; but, on account of the Pharisees, they did not acknowledge it, for fear that they should be expelled from their synagogues; 43 For they valued honor from men more than honor from God.

44 But Jesus had proclaimed: “You who believe in me believe not in me, but in him who sent me; 45 And you who see me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that no one who believes in me should remain in the darkness. 47 When anyone hears my teaching and pays no heed to it, I am not their judge; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”

48 “You who reject me, and disregard my teaching, has a judge already—the very message which I have delivered will itself be your judge at the last day. 49 For I have not delivered it on my own authority; but the Father, who sent me, has himself given me his command as to what I should say, and what message I should deliver. 50 And I know that immortal life lies in keeping his command. Therefore, whatever I say, I say only what the Father has taught me.”

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 13.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 13 – Jesus Washes Feet

Before the Passover festival began, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave the world and go to the Father. He had loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them to the last. 2 The devil had already put the thought of betraying Jesus into the mind of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon;

3 And at supper, Jesus—although knowing that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God, and was to return to God—4 Rose from his place, and, taking off his upper garments, tied a towel round his waist. 5 He then poured some water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel which was tied round him.

6 When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said: “You, Master! Are you going to wash my feet?” 7 “You do not understand now what I am doing,” replied Jesus, “but you will learn by and by.” 8 “You shall never wash my feet!” exclaimed Peter.

“Unless I wash you,” answered Jesus, “you have nothing in common with me.” 9 “Then, Master, not my feet only,” exclaimed Simon Peter, “but also my hands and my head.” 10 “He who has bathed,” replied Jesus, “has no need to wash, unless it be his feet, but is altogether clean; and you,” he said to the disciples, “are clean, yet not all of you.”

11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said: ‘You are not all clean.’ 12 When he had washed their feet, and had put on his upper garments and taken his place, he spoke to them again. “Do you understand what I have been doing to you?” he asked. 13 “You yourselves call me ‘the Teacher’ and ‘the Master’, and you are right, for I am both. 14 If I, then—’the Master’ and ‘the Teacher’—have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet; 15 For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you.”

16 “In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. 17 Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking about all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but this is in fulfillment of the words of scripture: ‘He that is eating my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 For the future I shall tell you of things before they take place, so that, when they take place, you may believe that I am what I am.”

20 “In truth I say that you who receives anyone that I send receives me; and you who receives me receives him who sent me.” 21 After saying this, Jesus was much troubled, and said solemnly: “In truth I tell you that it is one of you who will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, wondering whom he meant.

23 Next to Jesus, in the place on his right hand, was one of his disciples, whom he loved. 24 So Simon Peter made signs to that disciple, and whispered: “Tell me who it is that he means.” 25 Being in this position, that disciple leant back on Jesus’ shoulder, and asked him: “Who is it, Master?”

26 “It is the one,” answered Jesus, “to whom I shall give a piece of bread after dipping it in the dish.” And, when Jesus had dipped the bread, he took it and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot; 27 And it was then, after he had received it, that Satan took possession of him. So Jesus said to him: “Do at once what you are going to do.” 28 But no one at table understood why he said this to Judas. 29 Some thought that, as Judas kept the purse, Jesus meant that he was to buy some things needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.

30 After taking the piece of bread, Judas went out immediately; and it was night. 31 When Judas had gone out, Jesus said: “Now the Son of Man has been exalted, and God has been exalted through him; 32 And God will exalt him with himself—yes, he will exalt him forthwith.”

33 “My children, I am to be with you but a little while longer. You will look for me; and what I said to the Jews—’You cannot come where I am going’—I now say to you. 34 I give you a new commandment: love one another; love one another as I have loved you. 35 It is by this that everyone will recognize you as my disciples—by your loving one another.”

36 “Where are you going, Master?” asked Peter. “I am going where you cannot now follow me,” answered Jesus, “but you shall follow me later.” 37 “Why cannot I follow you now, Master?” asked Peter. “I will lay down my life for you.” 38 “Will you lay down your life for me?” replied Jesus. “In truth I tell you, the cock will not crow till you have disowned me three times.”

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 14.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 14 – Christ Is The Way

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s home there are many dwellings. If it had not been so, I should have told you, for I am going to prepare a place for you. 3 And, since I go and prepare a place for you, I shall return and take you to be with me, so that you may be where I am; 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 “We do not know where you are going, Master,” said Thomas; “so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one ever comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had recognized me, you would have known my Father also; for the future you will recognize him, indeed you have already seen him.”
8 “Master, show us the Father,” said Philip, “and we shall be satisfied.” 9 “Have I been all this time among you,” said Jesus, “and yet you, Philip, have not recognized me? Those who has seen me have seen the Father, so how can you say then: ‘Show us the Father’?

10 Do not you believe that I am in union with the Father, and the Father with me? In giving you my teaching I am not speaking on my own authority; but the Father himself, always in union with me, does his own work. 11 Believe me,” he said to them all, “when I say that I am in union with the Father and the Father with me, or else believe me on account of the work itself. 12 In truth I tell you, those who believe in me will themselves do the work that I am doing; and they will do greater work still, because I am going to the Father.

13 Whatever you ask, in my name, I will do, that the Father may be honored in the Son. 14 If you ask anything, in my name, I will do it. 15 If you love me, you will lay my commands to heart, 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you always—the Spirit of Truth. 17 The world cannot receive this Spirit, because it does not see him or recognize him, but you recognize him, because he is always with you, and is within you.”

18 “I will not leave you bereaved; I will come to you. 19 In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will still see me; because I am living, you will be living also. 20 At that time you will recognize that I am in union with the Father, and you with me, and I with you. 21 It are those who have my commands and lay them to heart that love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them, and will reveal myself to them.”

22 “What has happened, Master,” said Judas (not Judas Iscariot), “that you are going to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 “Whoever loves me,” Jesus answered,” will lay my message to heart; and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our dwelling with them. 24 Those who do not love me will not lay my message to heart; and the message to which you are listening is not my own, but that of the Father who sent me.”

25 “I have told you all this while still with you, 26 But the Helper—the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name—he will teach you all things, and will recall to your minds all that I have said to you.”

27 “Peace be with you! My own peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, or dismayed. 28 You heard me say that I was going away and would return to you. Had you loved me, you would have been glad that I was going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And this I have told you now before it happens, that, when it does happen, you may still believe in me.”

30 “I shall not talk with you much more, for the spirit that is ruling the world is coming. He has nothing in common with me; 31 But he is coming that the world may see that I love the Father, and that I do as the Father commanded me. Come, let us be going.”

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 15.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 15 – Christ Is The Vine

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. 2 Any unfruitful branch in me he takes away, and he cleanses every fruitful branch, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the message that I have given you. 4 Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains united to the vine; no more can you, unless you remain united to me.”

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. You that remain united to me, while I remain united to you, will bear fruit plentifully; for you can do nothing apart from me. 6 If anyone does not remain united to me, they will be thrown away, as a branch would be, and wither up. Such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and are burnt.”

7 “If you remain united to me, and my teaching remains in your hearts, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be yours. 8 It is by your bearing fruit plentifully, and so showing yourselves my disciples, that my Father is honored. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; remain in my love. 10 If you lay my commands to heart, you will remain in my love; just as I have laid the Father’s commands to heart and remain in his love. 11 I have told you all this so that my own joy may be yours, and that your joy may be complete.”

12 “This is my command: love one another, as I have loved you. 13 No one can give greater proof of love than by laying down his life for his friends. 14 And you are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you ‘servants,’ because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have given you the name of ‘friends,’ because I made known to you everything that I learned from my Father.”

16 “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that should remain, so that the Father might grant you whatever you ask in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands that you may love one another.”

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has first hated me. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world—that is why the world hates you.”

20 “Remember what I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have laid my message to heart, they will lay yours to heart also. 21 But they will do all this to you, because you believe in my name, for they do not know him who sent me.”

22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin to answer for; but as it is, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Those who hate me hate my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them such work as no one else ever did, they would have had no sin to answer for; but, as it is, they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.”

25 “And so is fulfilled what is said in their law: ‘They hated me without cause.’ 26 But, when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of Truth, who comes from the Father—he will bear testimony to me; 27 Yes, and you also are to bear testimony, because you have been with me from the first.”

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 16

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

Luke – Gospel 20 – Give to Ceasar What Is Ceasar’s

On one of these days, when Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, joined by the councilors, confronted him, 2 And addressing him, said: “Tell us what authority you have to do these things. Who is it that has given you this authority?”

3 “I, too,” said Jesus in reply, “will ask you one question. Give me an answer to it. 4 It is about John’s baptism—was it of divine or of human origin?”

5 But they began arguing together: “If we say ‘divine,’ he will say ‘Why did not you believe him?’ 6 But, if we say ‘human,’ the people will all stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know its origin. 8 “Then I,” said Jesus, “refuse to tell you what authority I have to do these things.”

9 Then Jesus began to tell the people this parable; “A man once planted a vineyard, and then rented it out to tenants, and went abroad for a long while. 10 At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants, that they should give him a share of the produce of the vineyard. The tenants, however, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.”

11 “The owner afterwards sent another servant; but the tenants beat and insulted this man too, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 He sent a third; but they wounded this man also, and threw him outside. 13 ‘What shall I do?’ said the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my son, who is very dear to me. Perhaps they will respect him.’”

14 “But, on seeing him, the tenants consulted with one another. ‘Here is the heir!’ they said. ‘Let us kill him, and then the inheritance will become ours.’ 15 So they threw him outside the vineyard and killed him. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and put those tenants to death, and will rent the vineyard to others.”

“Heaven forbid!” they exclaimed when they heard it. 17 But Jesus looked at them and said: “What then is the meaning of this passage: ‘The very stone which the builders despised has now itself become the corner-stone.’ 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces, while anyone on whom it falls—it will scatter them like dust.”

19 After this, the teachers of the law and the chief priest were eager to lay hands on Jesus then and there, but they were afraid of the people; for they saw that it was at them that he had aimed this parable. 20 Having watched their opportunity, they afterwards sent some spies, who pretended to be good men, to catch Jesus in the course of conversation, and so enable them to give him up to the governor’s jurisdiction and authority.

21 These men asked Jesus a question. They said: “Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and that you do not take any account of a man’s position, but teach the way of God honestly; 22 Are we right in paying tribute to Caesar or not?”

23 Seeing through their deceitfulness, Jesus said to them: 24 “Show me a coin. Whose head and title are on it?” 25 “The Emperor’s,” they said; and Jesus replied: “Well then, pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” 26 They could not lay hold of this answer before the people; and, in their wonder at his reply, they held their tongues.

27 Presently there came up some Sadducees, who maintained that there is no resurrection. Their question was this: 28 “Teacher, Moses laid down for us in his writings that: ‘Should a man’s married brother die, and should he be childless, the man should take the widow as his wife, and raise up a family for his brother.’”

29 “Well, there were once seven brothers; of whom the eldest, after taking a wife, died childless. 30 The second and third brothers both took her as their wife; 31 And so, too, did all seven—dying without children. 32 The woman herself was the last to die. 33 About the woman, then—at the resurrection, whose wife is she to be, all seven brothers having had her as their wife?”

34 “The men and women of this world,” said Jesus, “marry and are given in marriage; 35 But, for those who are thought worthy to attain to that other world and the resurrection from the dead, there is no marrying or being married, 36 Nor indeed can they die again, for they are like angels and, having shared in the resurrection, they are children of God.”

37 “As to the fact that the dead rise, even Moses indicated that, in the passage about the bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 Now he is not God of dead men, but of living. For all live unto him.”

39 “Well said, Teacher!” exclaimed some of the teachers of the law, 40 For they did not venture to question him any further. 41 But Jesus said to them: “How is it that people say that the Christ is to be David’s son? 42 For David, in the Book of Psalms, says himself: ‘The Lord said to my lord: “Sit at my right hand, 43 Until I put thy enemies as a stool for thy feet.”‘ 44 David, then, calls him ‘lord,’ so how is he David’s son?”

45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to the disciples: 46 “Be on your guard against the teachers of the law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and like to be greeted in the streets with respect, and to have the best seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at dinner. 47 These are the men who rob widows of their houses, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier.”

To read the next chapter of the Book of Luke, please go to The Gospel of Luke – 21.

This Online New Testament Gospel of Luke is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

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