Day 102: NT John C17-18; Everyone Who is of the Truth Hears My Voice…

These pages of the red stuff (mostly all Jesus’ spoken words in red) in John’s Gospel can easily be a written book on each and every word, phrase, sentence, or certainly each and every lengthy undivided paragraph. The full text of Jesus words are to be found in the notes below and excerpted here with my personal insights and reactions.

Glorification and praise is consentual and reciprocal in a unified and free self and a unified and free world. It is a peaceful experience amidst a being of peace and a world of peace. Jesus and His Father were a prime example—“Glorify thy Son, that thy son may glorify thee.” If you want to receive praise, give praise continually starting with our overwhelming gratitude to God for this day of life!

Jesus continued as His eyes rose to heaven: “Glorify thy Son, that thy son may glorify thee, even as thou hast given him power over all flesh, in order that to all thou hast given him he may give everlasting life.” Jesus is the truth and the way to have power over all flesh, over all worldly desires, especially overcoming addictions and the ultimate power over flesh, over the death of our flesh, our body—everlasting life!

 

Jesus continues His prayer to God with confidence that God will bring Him home to heaven and everything will be alright, that he will not die a human life and die forever but be resurrected to be with God side-by-side again:

“Now this everlasting life, that they may know thee, the only true God, and him whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified thee on earth; I have accomplished the work that thou hast given me to do. And now do thou, Father, glorify me with thyself, with the glory that I had with thee before the world existed.”

What have we manifested with our lives that glorifies God and His Son Jesus Christ?

Jesus prayed to God Our Father for his disciples of biblical times and his disciples of modern times:  “Holy Father, keep in thy name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one even as we are… I do not pray that thou take them out of the world, but that thou keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. Even as thou hast sent me into the world, so I also have sent them into the world. And for them I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

That we all may seek truth and unity in our time in order to selflessly and humbly glorify God, Jesus, and ourselves. Yes, humbly and in truth we are glorified too!

Jesus: “Yet not for these only do I pray, but for those also who through their word are to believe in me, that all may be one, even as thou, Father, in me and I in thee; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory that thou hast given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them and thou in me; that they may be perfected in unity, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and that thou hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.”

But for those also who through their word are to believe in me… that they may be perfected in unity…

I pray that I will be perfected through TROML and my Splendid Spiritual Self and live a life of peace, joy, unity and freedom here and forever more!

The red lettering turns to mostly sorrowful black in Chapter 18 as Jesus is arrested in the garden and eventually brought to Pilate. Peter, His disciple has denied knowing him three times and the cock crowed. Before the beatings begin, Jesus’ final answer to Pilate inquisition is this:

“Thou sayest it; I am a king. This is why I was born, and why I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice…

Day 102: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice…

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint John Chapter 17-18.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

Saint John, the disciple and Apostle whom Jesus loved, was the brother of James and the son of the fisherman Zebedee and Salome.

First a disciple of John the Baptist, he was called to follow Christ.

The purpose of his Gospel he states as follows: “these are written that you may believe the Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing you may have life in his name.”

John Chapter 17:  Christ’s prayer; Prayer for His Apostles; Prayer for their unity; Prayer for the whole Church; Conclusion of Christ’s prayer.

Jesus, rising his eyes to heaven: “Father, the hour has come! Glorify thy Son, that thy son may glorify thee, even as thou hast given him power over all flesh, in order that to all thou hast given him he may give everlasting life. Now this everlasting life, that they may know thee, the only true God,., and him whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified thee on earth; I have accomplished the work that thou hast given me to do. And now do thou, Father, glorify me with thyself, with the glory that I had with thee before the world existed.”

Jesus: “I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou hast given me out of the world. They were thine, and thou hast given them to me, and they have kept my word, Now they have learnt that whatever thou hast given me is from thee; because the words that thou hast given me I have given to them. And they have received them, and have known of a truth that I came forth from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.”

Jesus: “I pray for them; not for the world do I pray, but for those whom thou hast given me, because they are thine, and all things that are mine are thine, and thine is mine; and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep in thy name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one even as we are. While I was with them, I kept them in thy name. Those whom thou has given me I guarded: and not one of them perished except the son of perdition, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, in order that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou take them out of the world, but that thou keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. Even as thou hast sent me into the world, so I also have sent them into the world. And for them I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

Jesus: “Yet not for these only do I pray, but for those also who through their word are to believe in me, that all may be one, even as thou, Father, in me and I in thee; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory that thou hast given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them and thou in me; that they may be perfected in unity, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and that thou hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.”

Jesus: “Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be with me; in order that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, because thou hast loved me before the creation of the world. Just Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have made known to them thy name, and will make it known, in order that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

John Chapter 18:  Jesus enters the garden; The soldiers come to Jesus; Peter draws his sword; Jesus arrested; Peter’s denial; The high priest questions Jesus; A soldier strikes Jesus; Peter again denies Christ; Jesus before Pilate; Pilate and the Jews; Pilate and Jesus; The Jews prefer Barabbas.

After saying these things, Jesus went forth with his disciples… now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place since Jesus had often met there together with his disciples.

Jesus therefore knowing all that was to come upon him, went forth and said to them:

Jesus: “Whom do you seek?

Soldiers: “Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus: “I am he.”

Jesus: “Whom do you seek?”

Soldiers: “Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus: “I have told you that I am he. If, therefore, you seek me, let these go their way.”

That the word might be fulfilled, “Of those whom thou hast given me, I have not lost one.”

Simon Peter therefore, having a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the high priest (Malchus) and cut off his right ear.

Jesus to Peter: “Put up thy sword into the scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

The cohort (Judas, attendants/servants from the chief priests and Pharisees) therefore and the tribune and the attendants of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him. And they brought him to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiphas, who was the high priest for that year. Now it was Caiphas who had given the counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man shall die for the people.

But Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple… The maid who was portress, said therefore to Peter, “Art thou also one of this man’s disciples?”

Peter said, “I am not.”

High Priest (Annas) therefore questioned Jesus…

Jesus answered: “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where all Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why dost thou question me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; behold, these know what I have said.”

One of the attendants… struck Jesus a blow, saying, “Is that the way thou dost answer the high priest?”

Jesus answered: “If I have spoken ill, bear witness to the evil; but if well, why dost thou strike me?”  

And Annas sent him bound to Caiphas, the high priest.

They therefore said to Peter: “art thou also one of his disciples?”

Peter denied it and said, “I am not.”

One of the servants of the high priest… said, “Did I not see thee in the garden with him?”

Again, therefore, Peter denied it; and at that moment a cock crowed.

They therefore led Jesus from Caiphas to the praetorium. Now it was early morning, and they themselves did not enter the praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.

Pilate therefore went outside to them, and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”

They said to him in answer: “If he were not a criminal we should not have handed him over to thee.”

Pilate: “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

The Jews: “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”

This was a fulfilment of what Jesus had said, indicating the manner of his death.

Pilate to Jesus in the praetorium: “Art thou the king of the Jews?”

Jesus: “Dost thou say this of thyself, or have others told thee of me?”

Pilate: “Am I a Jew? Thy own people and the chief priests have delivered thee to me. What hast thou done?”

Jesus: “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my followers would have fought that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

Pilate: “Thou art a king?”

Jesus: “Thou sayest it; I am a king. This is why I was born, and why I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

Pilate: “What is the truth?”

Pilate to the Jews: “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you wish, therefore, that I release to you the king of the Jews?”

Jews: “Not this man, but Barabbas!”

 

 

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