Parable of the Vineyard Workers

Gospel of Matthew 20

“For the kingdom of heaven is like an employer who went out in the early morning to hire laborers for his vineyards. 2 He agreed with the laborers to pay them two shillings a day, and sent them into his vineyard. 3 On going out again, about nine o’clock, he saw some others standing in the market-place, doing nothing. 4 ‘You also may go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you what is fair.’”

5 “So the men went. Going out again about mid-day and about three o’clock, he did as before. 6 When he went out about five, he found some other men standing there, and said to them ‘Why have you been standing here all day long, doing nothing?’ 7 ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. ‘You also may go into my vineyard,’ he said.”

8 “In the evening the owner of the vineyard said to his steward ‘Call the vineyard workers, and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, and ending with the first. 9 Now when those who had been hired about five o’clock went up, they received two shillings each. 10 So, when the first went up, they thought that they would receive more, but they also received two shillings each; 11 On which they began to grumble at their employer. 12 ‘These last,’ they said, ‘have done only one hour’s work, and yet you have put them on the same footing with us, who have borne the brunt of the day’s work, and the heat.’”

13 “‘My friend,’ was his reply to one of them, ‘I am not treating you unfairly. Did not you agree with me for two shillings? 14 Take what belongs to you, and go. I choose to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Have not I the right to do as I choose with what is mine? Are you envious because I am liberal?’ 16 So those who are last will be first, and the first last.”

17 When Jesus was at the point of going up to Jerusalem, he gathered the twelve disciples round him by themselves, and said to them as they were on their way: 18 “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem; and there the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law, and they will condemn him to death, 19 And give him up to the Gentiles for them to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify; and on the third day he will rise.”

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The Lord’s Prayer is More Than You Think

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20 Then the mother of Zebediah’s sons came to him with her sons, bowing to the ground, and begging a favor. 21 “What is it that you want?” he asked. “I want you to say,” she replied, “that in your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right, and the other on your left.”

22 “You do not know what you are asking,” was Jesus’ answer. “Can you drink the cup that I am to drink?” “Yes,” they exclaimed, “we can.” 23 “You shall indeed drink from my cup,” he said, “but as to a seat at my right and at my left, that is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

24 On hearing of this, the ten others were very indignant about the two brothers. 25 Jesus, however, called the ten to him, and said: “The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them as you know, and their great men oppress them. 26 Among you it is not so. 27 No, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to take the first place among you, must be your slave; 28 Just as the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

29 As they were going out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men, who were sitting by the road-side, hearing that Jesus was passing, called out: “Take pity on us, Master, Son of David!” 31 The crowd told them to be quiet; but the men only called out the louder: “Take pity on us, Master, Son of David!” 32 Then Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he said. 33 “Master,” they replied, “we want our eyes to be opened.” 34 So Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight, and followed him.

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To read the Chapter 21 of the Gospel of Matthew, please go to: Den of Thieves.

The Lord’s Prayer is a short prayer but one that is layered with meaning. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life to begin discovering the prayer’s hidden teachings. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

Browse the entire Gospel of Matthew here: Gospel of Matthew

Den of Thieves

Gospel of Matthew 21

When they had almost reached Jerusalem, having come as far as Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent on two disciples. 2 “Go to the village facing you,” he said, “and you will immediately find a donkey tethered, with a foal by her side; untie her, and lead her here for me. 3 And, if anyone says anything to you, you are to say this: ‘The Master wants them’; and he will send them at once.” 4 This happened in fulfillment of these words by the prophet: 5 ‘Say to the daughter of Zion: Behold, thy King is coming to thee, Gentle, and riding on an ass, and on the foal of a beast of burden.’”

6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They led the ass and the foal back, and, when they had put their cloaks on them, he seated himself upon them. 8 The immense crowd of people spread their cloaks in the road, while some cut branches off the trees, and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that led the way, as well as those that followed behind, kept shouting: “God save the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God save him from on high!”

10 When he had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred, and asked: 11 “Who is this?”, to which the crowd replied: “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” 12 Jesus went into the temple courts, and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of the pigeon-dealers, 13 And said to them: “Scripture says: ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it ‘a den of thieves.’”

14 While he was still in the temple courts, some blind and some lame people came up to him, and he cured them. 15 But, when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things that Jesus did, and the boys who were calling out in the temple courts, “God save the Son of David!”, they were indignant, 16 And said to him: “Do you hear what these boys are saying?” “Yes,” answered Jesus; “but did you never read the words: ‘Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou has called forth perfect praise’?”

17 Then he left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there. 18 The next morning, in returning to the city, Jesus became hungry; 19 And, noticing a solitary fig tree by the road-side; he went up to it, but found nothing on it but leaves. So he said to it: “Never again shall fruit be gathered off you.” And suddenly the fruit tree withered up.

20 When the disciples saw this, they exclaimed in astonishment: “How suddenly the fig tree withered up!” 21 “I tell you,” replied Jesus, “if you have faith, without ever a doubt, you will do what not only has been done to the fig tree, but, even if you should say to this hill: ‘Be lifted up and hurled into the sea!’ it would be done. 22 And whatever you ask for in your prayers will, if you have faith, be granted you.” 23 After Jesus had come into the temple courts, the chief priests and the councilors of the nation came up to him as he was teaching, and said: “What authority have you to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

24 “I, too,” said Jesus in reply, “will ask you one question; if you will give me an answer to it, then I, also, will tell you what authority I have to act as I do. 25 It is about John’s baptism. What was its origin? Divine or human?” But they began arguing among themselves: “If we say, ‘divine,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did not you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘human’, we are afraid of the people, for everyone regards John as a prophet.” 27 So the answer they gave Jesus was: “We do not know.”

Investigating the Lord’s Prayer

To continue reading Chapter 21 of the Gospel of Matthew please click on page 2 below.

Render to Caesar

Gospel of Matthew 22

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables. 2 “The kingdom of heaven,” he said, “may be compared to a king who gave a banquet in honor of his son’s wedding. 3 He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the banquet, but they were unwilling to come. 4 A second time he sent some servants, with orders to say to those who had been invited: ‘I have prepared my breakfast, my cattle and fat beasts are killed, and everything is ready; come to the banquet.’ 5 They, however, took no notice, but went off, one to his farm, another to his business; 6 While the rest, seizing his servants, ill-treated them and killed them.”

7 “The king, in anger, sent his troops, put those murderers to death, and set their city on fire. 8 Then he said to his servants: ‘The banquet is prepared, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 So go to the cross-roads, and invite everyone you find to the banquet.’ 10 The servants went out into the roads and collected all the people whom they found, whether bad or good; and the bridal-hall was filled with guests.

11 But, when the king went in to see his guests, he noticed there a man who had not put on a wedding-robe. 12 So he said to him ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding-robe?’ The man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants: ‘Tie him hand and foot, and ‘put him out into the darkness’ outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’14 For many are called, but few chosen.”

15 Then the Pharisees went away and conferred together as to how they might lay a snare for Jesus in the course of conversation. 16 They sent their disciples, with the Herodians, to say to him: “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man, and that you teach the way of God honestly, and are not afraid of anyone; for you pay no regard to a man’s position. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Are we right in paying taxes to the Emperor, or not?”

18 Perceiving their malice, Jesus answered: “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin with which the tax is paid.” And, when they had brought him a florin, 20 He asked: “Whose head and title are these?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they answered; on which he said to them: “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 They wondered at his answer, and left him alone and went away.

Do you know the Lord’s Prayer’s meaning?
To continue reading Chapter 22 of the Gospel of Matthew, please click on page 2 below.

Jesus, Pharisees, & Hypocrites

Gospel of Matthew 23

Then Jesus speaking to the crowds and to his disciples, said: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees now occupy the chair of Moses. 3 Therefore practice and lay to heart everything that they preach but do not copy their works, for they do not follow what they preach. 4 While they make up heavy loads and pile them on other men’s shoulder’s they decline, themselves, to lift a finger to move them. 5 All their actions are done to attract attention. They widen their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and like to have the place of honor at dinner, and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted in the markets with respect, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by everybody.”

8 “But do not allow yourselves to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master, Christ, and all you are brothers and sisters. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Nor must you allow yourselves to be called ‘leaders,’ for you have only one leader, the Christ. 11 Those who would be the greatest among you must be your servant. 12 Whoever shall exalt themselves will be humbled, and whoever shall humble themselves will be exalted.”

13 “But woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You turn the key of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you do not go in yourselves, nor yet allow those who try to go in to do so. 14 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You destroy widow’s houses, even while pretending to make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation.”

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You scour land and sea to make a single convert, and, when he or she is gained, you make them twice as deserving of the pit as you are yourselves. 16 Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, ‘if any swear by the temple, it counts for nothing; but, if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, their oaths are binding’! 17 Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the temple which has given sacredness to the gold?”

18 “You say, too, ‘If any swear by the altar, their oaths count for nothing, but, if anyone swears by the offering placed on it, their oaths are binding’! 19 Blind indeed! Which is the more important? The offering? Or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering? 20 Therefore anyone, swearing by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it, 21 And anyone, swearing by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it, 22 While anyone, swearing by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it.”

What is the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer?

To continue reading Chapter 23 of the Gospel of Matthew, please click on page 2 below.

Luke – Gospel 19 – House of Prayer & Den of Thieves

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there, known by the name of Zacchaeus, who was a commissioner of taxes and a rich man. 3 He tried to see what Jesus was like; but, being short, he was unable to do so because of the crowd. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed into a mulberry tree, to see Jesus, for he knew that he must pass that way.

5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him: “Zacchaeus, be quick and come down, for I must stop at your house today.” 6 So Zacchaeus got down quickly, and joyfully welcomed him.

7 On seeing this, everyone began to complain: “He has gone to stay with a man who is a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood forward and said to the Master: “Listen, Master! I will give half my property to the poor, and, if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give him back four times as much.” 9 “Salvation has come to this house today,” answered Jesus, “for even this man is a son of Abraham. 10 The Son of Man has come to ‘search for those who are lost’ and to save them.”

As the people were listening to this, Jesus went on to tell them a parable. He did so because he was near Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to be proclaimed at once. 12 He said: “A nobleman once went to a distant country to receive an appointment to become king and then to return. 13 He called ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds each, and told them to trade with it until his return. 14 But his subjects hated him and sent envoys after him to say, ‘We will not have this man be our king.’ 15 On his return, after having been crowned king, he directed that the servants to whom he had given his money be summoned, so that he might learn what amount of trade they had done.”

16 “The first came up, and said: ‘Sir, your ten pounds have made a hundred.’ 17 ‘Well done, good servant!’ exclaimed the master. ‘As you have proved trustworthy in a very small matter, I appoint you governor over ten towns.’ 18 When the second came, he said: ‘Your ten pounds, sir, have produced fifty.’ 19 So the master said to him: ‘And you I appoint over five towns.’ 20 Another servant also came and said: ‘Sir, here are your ten pounds; I have kept them put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a stern man. You take what you have not planted, and reap what you have not sown.’ ”

22 “The master answered, ‘Out of your own mouth I judge you, you worthless servant. You knew that I am a stern man, that I take what I have not planted, and reap what I have not sown? 23 Then why did not you put my money into a bank? And I, on my return, could have claimed it with interest. 24 Take away from him the ten pounds,’ he said to those standing by, ‘and give them to the one who has the hundred.’” 25 ‘But, Sir,’ they interposed, ‘he has a hundred pounds already!’

26 ‘I tell you,’ he answered, ‘that, to him who has, more will be given, but, from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for my enemies, these men who would not have me as their king, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.’” 28 After saying this, Jesus went on in front, going up to Jerusalem.
29 It was when Jesus had almost reached Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, that he sent on two of the disciples. 30 “Go to the village facing us,” he said, “and, when you get there, you will find a colt tied, which no one has yet ridden; untie it and lead it here. 31 And, if anybody asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you are to say this: ‘The Master wants it.’”

32 So the two who were sent went and found it as Jesus had told them. 33 While they were untying the foal, the owners asked them: “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And the two disciples answered: “The Master wants it.” 35 Then they led it back to Jesus, and threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus upon it. 36 As he went along, the people kept spreading their cloaks in the road.

37 When he had almost reached the place where the road led down the Mount of Olives, every one of the many disciples began in their joy to praise God loudly for all the miracles that they had seen: 38 “Blessed is He who comes—Our King—in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him: “Teacher, reprove your disciples.” 40 But Jesus answered: “I tell you that if these men are silent, the very stones will call out.”

41 When he drew near, on seeing the city, he wept over it, and said: 42 “Would that you had known, while yet there was time—even you—the things that make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your sight. 43 For a time is coming upon you when your enemies will surround you with earthworks, and encircle you, and hem you in on all sides; 44 They will trample you down and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know ‘the time of your visitation.’”

45 Jesus went into the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling, 46 Saying as he did so: “Scripture says, ‘My House shall be a House of Prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of thieves.’”

47 Jesus continued to teach each day in the temple courts; but the chief priests and teachers of the law were eager to take his life, and so also were the leading men. 48 Yet they could not see what to do, for the people all hung upon his words.

To read the next chapter of the Book of Luke, please go to The Gospel of Luke – 20.

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.

Happiness: Brando & Money

Vanity Fair recently issued a press release on its new interview with actor Johnny Depp. By association Depp aligns himself with the likes of Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Hunter S. Thompson, and especially Marlon Brando, who (like Depp) once owned an island.

One thing that celebrities share with regular folks is that we all like to associate ourselves with people whom we admire, and fancy the notion that we’re a little like them. Yet in reality we often are not like our idols. We often display neither the courage nor the insight of those who have become our icons–for if we did, we would turn our attention away from them and turn it inward to listen for the Christ within.

This fact is clearly revealed in Johnny Depp’s recitation of an old adage on happiness that sounds profound but really isn’t.¹ Depp justifies his pursuit of wealth by saying, “Money doesn’t buy you happiness. But it buys you a big enough yacht to sail right up to it.”

One can’t help but feel that Depp’s idols would be shaking their heads at such talk, especially his old colleague Marlon Brando. Among all of the actors of his generation, it was Brando who best personified Kerouac’s recognition that money (and fame) could neither buy happiness nor the yacht to sail up to its banks.

Brando in his later years became the ultimate “fool,” the jester of the celebrity court of Hollywood (who can forget his eccentic barefoot interview with Larry King), and all of his excesses were ways of escape, as well as modern day parables on the trappings of ego and pride. At the same time he held steadfast to his own sense of right and wrong (career be damned): principles that dramatically revealed themselves in 1972 when Brando rejected his Academy Award and sent Sacheen Littlefeather to explain why.

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, said Jesus of Nazareth. Of all the actors of the 20th century, none understood that better than Marlon Brando.

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The Living Hour’s SBNR motivational series combines history, literature, philosophy, religion, and pop culture to help bring about new perspectives on Progressive Christianity and spirituality. Sign up by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page.

1. Studies have shown that individuals typically get richer during their lifetimes, but not happier. According to happiness studies, it is family, social and community networks that bring joy to one’s life. Once people have enough money to cover the necessities of life, money has little impact on happiness. [↩]

Jesus, Graham Greene, & Ways of Escape

The Catholic writer Graham Greene famously summed up his life as a search for “Ways of Escape.” He said that his abundant writing and travels were simply a means to escape the panic fear, madness, and melancholia of contemporary life. Green’s life summation goes a long way in helping to explain some events found in the canonical Gospels of Jesus the Christ.

It often strikes the objective reader as odd that the future disciples drop everything on a dime when the stranger named Jesus comes walking along and says “follow me.”¹ But is it really that strange? As Thoreau said, the majority of us do live lives of quiet desperation, and thus are seeking ways of escape.

Yet few of us have the intestinal fortitude of Graham Greene–the courage to fashion an escape route on our own. But if we have the opportunity to follow someone else, someone who can lead us, then the decision to break away becomes much easier. Strength in numbers, as they say. That is why cult leaders are so successful.

Jesus wasn’t a cult leader, though, no matter how much his disciples wished him to be one.² Jesus sought to give his followers the strength to escape the chains that bound them, but once the break was clean, he wanted them to walk their own path.

Jesus Christ calls us all to be strong. Not strong for him, but rather our true selves, for the Christ in us.

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The Living Hour’s SBNR motivational series combines history, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religion to help bring about new perspectives on Progressive Christianity and spirituality. Sign up by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page.

1. As Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers–Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew–casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. “Come and follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” The two men left their nets at once and followed him. – Matthew 4:18-20 [↩]
2. 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!” – John 12:12-13 [↩]

How to Teach The Lord’s Prayer to Children

The book The Lords Prayer for Daily Life was written in a way that we hope appeals to both teens and adults, each group of readers being able to take certain lessons from it, or simply food for further thought. But what about the child?

The Lord’s Prayer is the kind of prayer that children can learn at a young age, and it far surpasses that old standard: Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake; I pray the Lord my soul to take–a prayer which makes children think that the Grim Reaper is going to descend upon them in their sleep.

To assist Progressive Christian parents we’ve taken inspiration from the material of The Living Hour book to write some thoughts on how you can teach the Lord’s Prayer to your kids in a meaningful way, so that the act of childhood prayer goes beyond simple recitation. So, if you are asking how to teach the Lord’s Prayer to children, here are our suggestions:

Our Father who art in heaven. Jesus begins the Lord’s Prayer by letting us know that we are all in this together. God, the Father, is the father of all people. He is the father of people who we like and who we dislike; people who we agree with and who we disagree with; people who look like us and don’t look like us; people who believe in him and who don’t believe in him. By telling us that our one true Father is in heaven, Jesus is reminding as that we are all Sons and Daughters of God, and that our lives go on forever.

Hallowed be thy name. You know how when someone calls you by your name, it is like they think they know you? Well, Jesus doesn’t tell us God’s name in the Lord’s Prayer because God is so big we can never know all of him. Jesus can describe God’s name, though. He calls it hallowed. The word “hallowed” comes from the word “holy,” which comes from the word “whole”. Jesus wants us to see us and God always together as a whole being. We are not separate. We are one.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Jesus teaches us in the Bible that the kingdom of God is within us and all around us right now. The problem is that we often don’t see it. Because we don’t see his kingdom, we end up making a lot of bad choices. When we make good choices though we are doing the will of God. We are making his kingdom come alive inside of us and in other people. That is why we should always try hard to make good choices and love each other.

On earth as it is in heaven. When people die they go to heaven, but when they live they go to heaven too. It is just that on earth, heaven (like the kingdom) is pretty hard to see sometimes. People hurt each other and do bad things. We get angry when we don’t get what we want or when people are not nice to us. But Jesus wants us to know that if we can just let those bad feelings go and forgive people, the world can be a pretty wonderful place.

Give us this day our daily bread. We all need food to live, right? Well, in this part of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus also is talking about something that we need to live. But he is not talking about food. When Jesus taught he liked to use symbols. You know, like a smile is a symbol that you are happy. Jesus is using bread as a symbol of our experiences. Every day we have new experiences. These experiences can make us happy, sad, angry, or whatever. But we need them all, even if we don’t like them all. Because every experience helps us grow.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. We all makes mistakes. Sometimes we hurt the feelings of other people and don’t even know it. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus calls these things that we do wrong “trespasses”. When we trespass the most important thing is to understand what we’ve done. Then to ask for forgiveness. If you forgive other people, then they are more likely to forgive you. It is no good to stay angry at someone. It doesn’t feel good to be angry. When we get angry we just hurt ourselves. So, just forgive people, and you’ll feel a whole lot better. You will also feel a lot better when they forgive you, too.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. When we talk to God, sometimes we are tempted to ask him for things we don’t need. We pray to him for special favors. But with this line of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus is telling us that God is not our private wish factory. God already knows what we need, so we shouldn’t be tempted to pray for stuff. We can though pray for him to protect us all from harm; to protect us from doing things that hurt ourselves and other people–that is what deliver us from evil means.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen. Jesus ends the prayer with some great news. He tells us that God, our Father, has a great kingdom, has great power, and has great glory. It must be great because it lasts forever and ever. Why is this such great news? Because God shares all of this with his children. That means us! We can share in his kingdom, his power, and his glory, if we pray a lot, forgive a lot, love a lot, and treat others like we want to be treated.

If Jesus were a Zen teacher what might he say? Click on Zen to find out.

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The Lord’s Prayer is a short prayer but one that is layered with meaning. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life to begin discovering the prayer’s hidden meanings. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

Jesus & The Wiz

On reading that Broadway was reproducing the classic 1970s musical The Wiz, we were reminded of one of its most memorable songs, Ease on Down the Road, sung by a spirited Diana Ross (Dorothy) and Michael Jackson (Scarecrow) while on their way to see The Wiz (Richard Pryor).

The song tells us don’t you carry nothing that might be a load, come on, ease on down, ease on down the road.

For Progressive Christians called by Jesus to repeatedly lay down our lives for others¹, this is good advice. We are not asked to carry the burdens of others, but to lift up the fallen. Jesus teaches this in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The charitable man from Samaria doesn’t fret over the fate and circumstances of his fallen brethren but lifts him up from the road, does what he can to tend to the man’s needs, then eases on down, eases on down the road..

When we Christians feel compelled to carry the burdens of others, more often than not, it reveals a compulsion to martyrdom: a strong desire to identify ourselves with Jesus on the Cross. But it was through life and joy that Jesus sought to teach us about the kingdom of God (The Wiz), not through suffering and death.

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The Living Hour’s SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) motivational series combines history, literature, philosophy, religion, and popular culture to help bring about new perspectives for Progressive Christians and anyone who seeks a better understanding of “God” and life’s purpose. Sign up to have these progressive Motivationals delivered to your e-mail box three times a week.

1. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life to receive it again. 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. – John 10:17-18 [↩]

Jesus, Dostoevsky & The Grand Inquisitor

In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s parable of The Grand Inquisitor, Jesus reappears on Earth during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Although the crowds adore him, he is promptly thrown in prison and sentenced to death. While in his cell, Jesus is visited by the Grand Inquisitor who says that he must kill him, even though he knows that he is truly Jesus Christ. The Inquisitor defends Jesus’s death sentence because:

Instead of giving a firm foundation for setting the conscience of people at rest for ever, you chose all that is exceptional, vague and enigmatic; you chose what was utterly beyond the strength of others, acting as though you did not love them at all; you who came to give your life for them! Instead of taking possession of people’s freedom, you increased it, and burdened the spiritual kingdom of mankind with its sufferings for ever.

The Inquisitor says that the Church, by giving people strict rules and telling them exactly what to believe in, is saving them from suffering the burden of making choices and doing them a greater service than Jesus ever did.

Instead of debating with the Inquisitor, Jesus remains silent and at the end simply kisses the old man on his “bloodless” lips. Shocked, the Inquisitor releases him from the cell and sends him away, telling him never to come back into the world.

That Jesus chooses not to argue or debate with the Inquisitor is perhaps the most important part of this parable. In the Gospels, Jesus is conspicuous for never getting into tit-for-tat theological debates or arguments. Instead, he simply speaks his mind when confronted with hypocrisy¹ and answers the questions asked of him by his disciples, the scribes, and others.²

Why was Jesus against arguing? Because he realized that the “winner” of an argument is a momentary champion. When it comes to personal beliefs, lasting changes of heart never come not from persuasive rhetoric. They only arise from inner awakenings.

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To read about M. Scott Peck, Buddha, and The Road Less Traveled, please go to: Life is NOT Difficult.

1. “Hypocrites! It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you: ‘This is a people that honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far removed from me; But vainly do they worship me, for they teach but the precepts of men.’” Matt 15:7-9 [↩]
2. “Teacher, are we right in paying tribute to Caesar or not?” Seeing through their deceitfulness, Jesus said to them: “Show me a coin. Whose head and title are on it?” “The Emperor’s,” they said; and Jesus replied: “Well then, pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” Luke 20:21-25 [↩]

Jesus & Miguel de Unamuno – Solitude & Society

Jesus tells us we cannot enter the kingdom of God unless we are born of both water and spirit¹. Most of us can work out what Jesus means by born of spirit but born of water is a bit trickier. The literalist will just say, “Oh, he must mean baptism,” and leave it at that. But Jesus never wanted us to leave his words just at that. He infused all of his teachings with many levels of meaning, discernible to those who have the ears ready to hear it.²

As well all know, Jesus liked using parables to teach. Sometimes these parables are explicit, such as in the parable of the prodigal son, and other times they are implicit. For Jesus, water is a natural element that is a parable in itself. For example, if we look at Jesus’s life as depicted in the Gospels, we see that it echoes the flowing in and receding back of the ocean’s tides. Jesus would repeatedly flow out into society to teach, spread the gospel of Christ, and share fellowship with his neighbors, only to recede back into himself, into lonely places to pray³.

If we are truly to realize Christ in its fullness, we should remember that both solitude and society are essential. The artist, poet, or musician who spends their life creating great works yet ignores regular fellowship with his community is as spiritually off-kilter as the good hearted soul who dedicates their life to helping others yet ignores that solitary inner dialogue which is essential to self-growth. Solitude and society are like a tidal river, each side continually feeding the other. Or in the eloquent words of the Spanish author and statesman Miguel de Unamuno:

Only in solitude do we find ourselves; and in finding ourselves, we find in ourselves all our brothers [and sisters] in solitude–in solitude and only in solitude can you know yourself as a neighbor, and as long as you do not know yourself as a neighbor, you can never hope to see in your neighbors other I’s–It is solitude that makes [us] really sociable and human.

——

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To read about Teilhard de Chardin and the inherent goodness of the world, please go to: Having Faith in the World.

1. “In truth I tell you,” exclaimed Jesus, “unless you are reborn, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” “How can someone,” asked Nicodemus, “be born when they are old? Can we be born a second time?” “In truth I tell you,” answered Jesus, “unless you owe your birth to water and spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:3-5 [↩]
2. “Nothing is hidden unless some day it comes to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day. 23 Let all who have ears to hear with hear.” Mark 4:22-23 [↩]
3. The story about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came together to listen to him, and to be cured of their illnesses; But Jesus used to withdraw to lonely places and pray. Luke 5:15-16 [↩]

Heaven in a Wildflower

To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower. Those are lovely sentiments from the brilliant 19th century poet William Blake–some folks may even take inspiration from them. But few of us actually are changed by such words. They simply strike our fancy for a moment, as we smile at their profundity. Then our thoughts eventually turn back to the problems and annoyances of daily life. One expects that William Blake well knew the impotency of words in manifesting change in others, and thus penned his lofty verse simply for himself–a way of honoring his personal relationship with God and celebrating the magnificence of creation.

As we’ve elevated famous artists to the rank of nobility, enshrining their works in museums, immortalizing their lives in books, and lavishing them with money and praise, we have forgotten that art is ultimately a democratic endeavor to be pursued by everyone–for it is through art (be it painting, writing, sketching, crafting, building, carving, sewing, or what have you) that we grow closer to God and begin to truly see the world as He sees it–a co-creator within His creation.

When we work diligently, patiently, and lovingly at our art/craft (whatever that may be), we slowly approach that destination which the novelist Lawrence Durrell said was the ultimate goal of all true artists: developing a personality which transcends art. This transcendent personality is the one we find realized in Jesus of Nazareth, who having achieved union with the Father thru Christ not only saw heaven in a wildflower but in every living thing, including the worst sinners among us.

It was then by the force of that personality (and not his words alone) that Jesus became a “fisher of men,” truly capable of transforming the lives of others.

Please subscribe to The Living Hour’s free Daily SBNR Motivationals by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page. This Progressive Christianity series is written for Unitarians, Agnostics, and all who seek a richer life

The Gospel of the Kingdom

Gospel of Mark 1

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 It is said in the prophet Isaiah: ‘Behold! I send my messenger before thy face; He shall prepare thy way.’ 3 ‘The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness: “Make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ 4 And in fulfillment of this, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism upon repentance, for the forgiveness of sins.

5 The whole of Judea, as well as all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, went out to him; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 John was clad in clothing of camels’ hair, with a belt of leather round his waist, and lived on locusts and wild honey; 7 And he proclaimed: “There is coming after me one more powerful than I, and I am not fit even to stoop down and unfasten his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

9 Now about that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent apart, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him, 11 And from the heavens came a voice: “Thou art my Son, the Beloved; in thee I delight.” 12 Immediately afterwards the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness; 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and among the wild beasts, while the angels ministered to him.

14 After John had been committed to prison, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God: 15 “The time has come, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe the gospel.” 16 As Jesus was going along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the sea, for they were fishermen.

17 “Come and follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They left their nets at once, and followed him. 19 Going on a little further, he saw James, Zebediah’s son, and his brother John, who also were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Jesus at once called them, and they left their father Zebediah in the boat with the crew, and went after him. 21 And they walked into Capernaum.

On the next Sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught them like one who had authority, and not like the teachers of the law. 23 Now there was in their synagogue at the time a man under the power of a foul spirit, who called out: 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God!” 25 But Jesus rebuked the spirit: “Be silent! Come out from him.” 26 The foul spirit threw the man into a fit, and with a loud cry came out from him.

Discover the Mysteries of the Lord’s Prayer.

To continue reading Chapter 1 of the Gospel of Mark, please click on page 2 below.

Your Sins Are Forgiven

Gospel of Mark 2

Some days later, when Jesus came back to Capernaum, the news spread that he was in a house there; 2 And so many people collected together, that after a while there was no room for them even round the door; and he began to tell them his message. 3 And some people came bringing to him a paralyzed man, who was being carried by four bearers. 4 Being, however, unable to get him near to Jesus, owing to the crowd, they removed the roofing below which Jesus was; and, when they had made an opening, they let down the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man: “Child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the teachers of the law who were sitting there were debating in their minds: 7 “Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God?”

8 Jesus, at once intuitively aware that they were debating with themselves in this way, said to them: “Why are you debating in your minds about this? 9 Which is easier? To say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven‘? or to say, ‘Get up, and take up your mat, and walk about’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to forgive sins on earth.” He then said to the paralyzed man: “To you I say, get up, take up your mat, and return to your home.” 12 The man got up, and immediately took up his mat, and went out before them all; at which they were amazed, and, as they praised God, they said: “We have never seen anything like this!”

13 Jesus went out again to the sea; and all the people came to him, and he taught them. 14 As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax-office, and said to him: “Follow me.” Levi got up and followed him.

15 And later on he was in his house at table, and a number of tax-gatherers and outcasts took their places at table with Jesus and his disciples; for many of them were following him. 16 When the teachers of the law belonging to the party of the Pharisees saw that he was eating in the company of such people, they said to his disciples: “He is eating in the company of tax- gatherers and sinners!” 17 Hearing this, Jesus said: “It is not those who are in health that need a doctor, but those who are ill. I did not come to call the religious, but the outcast.”

What is the ‘Our Father’ Prayer?

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

The Kingdom of God is Like…

Gospel of Mark 4

Jesus again began to teach by the sea; and, as an immense crowd was gathering round him, he got into a boat, and sat in it on the sea, while all the people were on the shore at the water’s edge. 2 Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! The sower went out to sow; 4 And while sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up.

5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once; 6 But, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. 7 Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return. 8 Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold.” 9 And Jesus said: “Let anyone who has ears to hear with hear.”

10 Afterwards, when he was alone, his followers and the twelve asked him about his parables; 11 And he said: “To you the hidden truth of the kingdom of God has been imparted; but to those on the outside, teaching takes the form of parables, 12 That ‘though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; and though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.’” 13 He then went on to ask them: “Do you not know the meaning of this parable? Then how will you understand all the other parables? 14 The sower sows the message.”

15 “The people meant by the seed that falls along the path are those where the message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the message that has been sown in them. 16 So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the message, at once accept it joyfully; 17 But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, they fall away at once.”

18 “Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the message, 19 But the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the message, so that it gives no return. 20 But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold.”

Learn the Gospels through the Lord’s Prayer.

To continue reading Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Mark and learn what the Kingdom of God is like, please click on page 2 below.

My Name is Legion

Gospel of Mark 5

And they came to the other side of the sea—the country of the Gerasenes; 2 And, as soon as Jesus had got out of the boat, he met a man coming out of the tombs, who was under the power of a foul spirit, 3 And who made his home in the tombs. No one had ever been able to secure him, even with a chain; 4 For, though he had many times been left secured with fetters and chains, he had snapped the chains and broken the fetters to pieces, and no one could master him. 5 Night and day alike, he was continually shrieking in the tombs and among the hills, and cutting himself with stones.

6 Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed to the ground before him, 7 Shrieking out in a loud voice: “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the most high God? For God’s sake do not torment me!” 8 For Jesus had said: “Come out from the man, you foul spirit.” 9 And he asked him: “What is your name?” “My name is legion,” he said, “for there are many of us;” 10 and he begged Jesus again and again not to send them away out of that country.

11 There was a large drove of pigs close by, feeding on the hill-side. 12 And the spirits begged Jesus: “Send us into the pigs, that we may take possession of them.” 13 Jesus gave them leave. They came out, and entered into the pigs; and the drove—about two thousand in number—rushed down the steep slope into the sea and were drowned in the sea. 14 On this the men who tended them ran away, and carried the news to the town, and to the country round; and the people went to see what had happened.

15 When they came to Jesus, they found the possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right mind—the very man who had had the ‘legion’ in him—and they were awe-struck. 16 Then those who had seen it related to them all that had happened to the possessed man, as well as about the pigs; 17 Upon which they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the possessed man begged him to let him stay with him. 19 But Jesus refused. “Go back to your home, to your own people,” he said, “and tell them of all that the Lord has done for you, and how he took pity on you.” 20 So the man went, and began to proclaim in the district of the ten towns all that Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

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To continue reading Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Mark, please click on page 2 below.

A Lonely Place

Gospel of Mark 6

On leaving that place, Jesus, followed by his disciples, went to his own part of the country. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue; and the people, as they listened, were deeply impressed. “Where did he get this?” they said, “and what is this wisdom that has been given him? and these miracles which he is doing? 3 Is not he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? And are not his sisters, too, living here among us?” This proved a hindrance to their believing in him; 4 On which Jesus said: “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relations, and in his own home.”

5 And he could not work any miracle there, beyond placing his hands upon a few infirm persons, and curing them; 6 And he wondered at the want of faith shown by the people. Jesus went round the villages, one after another, teaching. 7 He called the twelve to him, and began to send them out as his messengers, two and two, and gave them authority over foul spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—not even bread, or a bag, or pence in their purse; 9 But they were to wear sandals, and not to put on a second coat.

10 “Whenever you go to stay at a house,” he said, “remain there till you leave that place; 11 And if a place does not welcome you, or listen to you, as you go out of it shake off the dust that is on the soles of your feet, as a protest against them.” 12 So they set out, and proclaimed the need of repentance. 13 They drove out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were infirm, and cured them.

14 Now King Herod heard of Jesus; for his name had become well known. People were saying: “John the Baptist must have risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are active in him.” 15 Others again said: “He is Elijah,” and others: “He is a prophet, like one of the great prophets.”

16 But when Herod heard of him, he said: “The man whom I beheaded, John, he must be risen!” 17 For Herod himself had sent and arrested John, and put him in prison, in chains, to please Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had said to Herod: ‘You have no right to be living with your brother’s wife.’

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To continue reading Chapter 6 of the Gospel of Mark, including Jesus and a lonely place, please click on page 2 below.

Ears to Hear

Gospel of Mark 7

One day the Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus. 2 They had noticed that some of his disciples ate their food with their hands ‘defiled,’ by which they meant unwashed. 3 For the Pharisees, and indeed all strict Jews, will not eat without first scrupulously washing their hands, holding in this to the traditions of their ancestors. 4 When they come from market, they will not eat without first sprinkling themselves; and there are many other customs which they have inherited and hold to, such as the ceremonial washing of cups, and jugs, and copper pans.

5 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Jesus this question: “How is it that your disciples do not follow the traditions of our ancestors, but eat their food with defiled hands?” 6 His answer was: “It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you hypocrites in the words: ‘This is a people that honor me with their lips, While their hearts are far removed from me; 7 But vainly do they worship me, For they teach but the precepts of men.’

8 You neglect God’s commandments and hold to the traditions of men. 9 Wisely do you set aside God’s commandments,” he exclaimed, “to keep your own traditions! 10 For while Moses said ‘Honor thy father and thy mother,’ and ‘Let him who reviles his father or mother suffer death,’ 11 You say: ‘If a man says to his father or mother: “Whatever of mine might have been of service to you is Korban”‘ (which means ‘Given to God’), 12 Why, then you do not allow him to do anything further for his father or mother! 13 In this way you nullify the words of God by your traditions, which you hand down; and you do many similar things.”

14 Then Jesus called the people to him again, and said: “Listen to me, all of you, and mark my words. There is nothing external to you, which by going into you that can ‘defile’ you; but the things that come out from you are the things that defile you. 16 Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.” 17 When Jesus went indoors, away from the crowd, his disciples began questioning him about this saying.

18 “What, do even you understand so little!” exclaimed Jesus. “Do not you see that there is nothing external to a man, which by going into a man, can ‘defile’ him, 19 Because it does not pass into his heart, but into his stomach, and is afterwards got rid of?—in saying this Jesus pronounced all food ‘clean.’ 20 “It is what comes out from a man,” he added, “that defiles him, 21 For it is from within, out of the hearts of men, that there come evil thoughts: unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, 22 Greed, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, haughtiness, folly; 23 All these wicked things come from within, and do defile a man.”

The meaning of the Jesus Prayer may surprise you.

To continue reading Chapter 7 of the Gospel of Mark, please click on page 2 below.

You are the Christ

Gospel of Mark 8

About that time, when there was again a great crowd of people who had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him, and said: 2 “My heart is moved at the sight of all these people, for they have already been with me three days and they have nothing to eat; 3 And if I send them away to their homes hungry, they will break down on the way; and some of them have come a long distance.” 4 “Where will it be possible,” his disciples answered, “to get sufficient bread for these people in this lonely place?”

5 “How many loaves have you?” he asked. “Seven,” they answered. 6 Jesus told the crowd to sit down upon the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, and, after saying the thanksgiving, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to serve out; and they served them out to the crowd. 7 They had also a few small fish; and, after he had said the blessing, he told the disciples to serve out these as well. 8 The people had sufficient to eat, and they picked up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left. 9 There were about four thousand people. Then Jesus dismissed them.

10 Immediately afterwards, getting into the boat with his disciples, Jesus went to the district of Dalmanutha. 11 Here the Pharisees came out, and began to argue with Jesus, asking him for some sign from the heavens, to test him. 12 Sighing deeply, Jesus said: “Why does this generation ask for a sign? I tell you, no sign shall be given it.” 13 So he left them to themselves, and, getting into the boat again, went away to the opposite shore.

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take any bread with them, one loaf being all that they had in the boat. 15 So Jesus gave them this warning. “Take care,” he said, “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They began talking to one another about their being short of bread. 17 And, noticing this, Jesus said to them: “Why are you talking about your being short of bread? Do not you yet see or understand? Are your minds still so slow to comprehend?

18 ‘Though you have eyes, do you not see? And though you have ears, do you not hear?’ Do not you remember, 19 When I broke up the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets of broken pieces you picked up?” “Twelve,” they said. 20 And when the seven for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you pick up?” “Seven,” they said. 21 “Do not you understand now?” he repeated.

The Lord’s Prayer means more than you think.

To continue reading Chapter 8 of the Gospel of Mark, including Peter saying ‘You are the Christ,’ please click on page 2 below.

When Will Christ Come? The Second Coming Is Now

When will the Second Coming occur? This seems to be a question of utmost importance to many Christians today, as we struggle through seemingly endless economic and environmental crises. The question of the Second Coming though has been front and center in the minds of Christians ever since Jesus shuffled off his mortal coil. John didn’t help matters much in penning Revelations, the New Testament book that causes the literal Bible reader to suddenly have a change of heart and see hidden metaphors and signs in every turn of phrase.

What exactly is a sign of Christ’s Second Coming? For the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats it was when “The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity.” Even though Jesus warned us against looking for signs, Yeats seems to be on the right track. What better way to describe our politics, media, and the overall coarsening of American life than by saying the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. The Second Coming must surely be at hand.

And in fact it is. The Second Coming is now. It has always been now. From Jesus’s day through Yeats’s time to today, the best (more often than not) have always lacked conviction, while the worst have continued to behave like the Pharisees and Sadducees: full of passionate intensity. The real question for Christians is whether or not we are ready to answer the call of the Holy Spirit, accept our divinity in Christ, and begin that journey down the road less traveled, yet which makes all the difference.

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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.

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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 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.

Top Progressive-Liberal Christian Websites

The Progressive Christian Alliance: The PCA hopes to provide a venue for those individuals who feel somewhat out-of-step with their home congregations to raise their own voices in a more progressive message; for progressive congregations to join their voices with other progressives across denominational lines without sacrificing their own denominational identity; and for independent churches to form a stronger denominational bond with other like-minded congregations without compromising their identity.

The Center for Progressive Christianity: From its inception, the focus of TCPC has been primarily about rethinking and re-conceptualizing the theological and Christological foundations of the Christian faith. The leadership of the organization was and has remained convinced that our supporters and readers are expressing a deep desire to find resources and constructive ways to understand and teach what the newest science, biblical, sociological and historical scholarship has to say about the Christian religion and ways to integrate that information into one’s faith and to create healthy, dynamic Christian communities.

Crossleft: A grassroots organization created to address questions like: What if our faith and our politics could clearly come together? What if we were no longer made to feel like we had to choose? What if we, as progressive Christians, could help to reframe the ongoing conversation about faith?

Progressive Christian Network of Victoria: This progressive Christian network provides opportunities for sharing experience, knowledge and resources among members and other interested persons; organizes seminars, colloquiums and discussions. Coordinates and promote speaking tours by eminent international and Australian thinkers and teachers; and interacts with kindred bodies at the national and international level to pursue common aims.

The Progressive Christian (formerly Zion’s Herald): One of the oldest truly progressive religious publications in the United States, created in 1823. It’s had a largely Methodist and New England identity but today is a national bi-monthly with an ecumenical/interfaith editorial outlook. Since reviving in 2000 in its current magazine format, it has earned national/international recognition, and is reaching a growing readership across the U.S.

The Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship: Serves Christian Unitarians and Universalists according to their expressed religious needs; upholds and promotes the Christian witness within the Unitarian Universalist Association; and upholds and promotes the historic Unitarian and Universalist witness and conscience within the church universal.

Westar Institute: An independent research and education organization that promotes religious literacy by promoting and disseminating contemporary biblical and religion scholarship to a wider audience. Through its well known Jesus Seminar project, Westar has made a significant contribution to the rediscovery of Jesus’ distinctive vision of life under the divine domain.

Radical Faith: Thinking about Christianity inevitably involves a degree of technical detail which many find off-putting. Radical Faith attempts to step back from the technical trees to take in the wider forest of faith. In short, it tries to narrow the gap between theology and the ordinary Christian.

The Effective Living Centre (ELC): The Centre grew out of a vision that people appreciate space for reflection, learning, new beginnings, vitality and joy. The vision is based on these core values: there is growth and learning throughout life; the integrity and value of each individual and community grouping must be respected; there is richness and diversity among citizens and within families; the sacred and creative dimensions of life are an integral part of living. All ELC programs are pro-active and respect clients’ belief systems.

Common Sense Christianity: An online resource for books, articles, reviews and other materials that explore ways to “hold Jesus central in our faith-lives, without calling him God or adopting doctrines developed for the Roman Empire — and without abandoning modern science, ignoring suffering in the world, or pretending that we have all the answers.”

Faith Voices for the Common Good: Faith Voices seeks to educate the wider public about the shared values, issues, and ethical concerns of religious people and their organizations. It enhances community interconnections among its diverse member organizations to coordinate efforts to educate others about major social issues. We make use of a powerful new technology, Synanim, an internet system that educates through dialogue and collaborative creation of ideas.

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.

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