you may believe, jesus is son of god, because for you become life by your faith in jesus.
John 20:31 , John 11:1-44

Monday 31 August 2009

Jesus pictures part 2

More than one hundred years ago, on 28th May, 1898 an amateur Italian photographer, Mr. Secondo Pia, took the first photograph of the shroud. He was startled by the resulting negative which seemed to give the appearance of a positive image. See below more recent Jesus pictures of the actual image on the Shroud and the photo negative of it. The actual image on the Shroud of Turin *Photo negative of same image.* Ever since Mr. Secondo Pia took the first photograph of the shroud in 1898, the Shroud of Turin has been the subject of intense scientific study. A negative image is what appeared on a developed film (negative) back in the days of 35mm photography. No one could understand how a perfect, full length negative image of a human body could be formed on an ancient piece of linen cloth. Scientists found it difficult to accept the fact that it was a Jesus Miracle, but to date no one has been able to find an explanation. When the scientists did investigations with very modern sophisticated instruments, even more surprising facts emerged. They discovered that the image on this ancient cloth is more than just an ordinary photo negative, it also has digital information from which 3D images could be made. Many other surprising findings were also made, as detailed below.

Normally a photo captures the reflected light bouncing off the subject being photographed. This means that there will always be some areas with shadows on the photo, like on the eyes or behind the nose. The Shroud photo has absolutely no shadows; it is as if the light originated from the body of the subject, and radiated out of the body itself to form the image.

Sunday 30 August 2009

Photo of JESUS

Photo of JESUS
Taken from a negative on his burial cloth
This Jesus photo is taken from a negative image formed on his burial cloth known as The ‘Shroud of Turin’ or the ‘Holy Shroud’. The Shroud of Turin or the Holy Shroud is a long piece of linen cloth, believed by millions to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. The cloth is 1.1 Meter wide and 4.4 Meters long (3.6 x 14.4 feet). A picture of the Holy Shroud is seen below stretched out to its full length. This ancient linen cloth, yellowed with age, bears a very faint image of the frontal and back view of a human being. The painting below shows how Jesus was buried using a burial cloth, as was the Jewish custom in those ancient days. This explains the formation of images with frontal and back views in the two halves of the cloth. The holy Shroud has been preserved with utmost care in the Royal Chapel of the ex-kings of Italy in the city of Turin, Italy from the year 1578 onwards. Since the holy Shroud is preserved and kept in the Royal Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, it is commonly referred to as the 'Shroud of Turin' or the 'Turin Shroud'.

Before the year 1578 historical facts traces this cloth back to France, then to Constantinople (now renamed as ‘Istanbul’), then back to the city of Edessa (now ‘Urfa’ in Turkey) where the Shroud was found hidden in a wall in about the year 525 AD, before this several historical documents point to The Holy Shroud being given to King Abgar of Edessa (an independent kingdom aligned with the Kingdom of Parthia during the time of Jesus) by the Apostles of Jesus - St. Thomas and the newly appointed appostle, Thaddaeus (Addai)

Saturday 29 August 2009

relationship with Jesus

Is Jesus your friend? I certainly hope so, and yet I know that some people are not comfortable with that phrase. Some men are not comfortable expressing love for Jesus Christ. They may or may not be able to say that they love their dad and love their children, but they are not comfortable saying, "I love Jesus." They find themselves embarrassed to express love for their Savior.

By his grace, through faith in Jesus, we can come to God with tremendous respect and awe, with never-ending worship. But also through Jesus we can come to God with joy, thanksgiving and confidence, with full assurance, knowing that the blood of Christ cleanses us from every sin (Hebrews 4:14-16). There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We come before God spotless and pure, clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

We have an eager longing to enter the throne room of heaven, knowing that we are welcome. God wants us to be there. He loves us so much that he sent his only Son to die for us. We are his children, and we can enter his gates with praise. He earnestly wants us to come in, to feel the splendor, to know the power, to experience the love and kindness.



Do you need a better relationship with our Lord and Master? Yes, we all do. So how can we have it? Let me suggest three things: prayer, study and fellowship.

*

Pray. Ask God to give you the joy of salvation. Ask him to help you know his love for you in the sacrifice and resurrection of his Son. Ask him to help you adore him, to know and feel his love for you. Ask him for faith in Jesus, and for his power to walk in his love.
*

Study. In this case, I suggest studying the four Gospels. Sometimes we study for doctrine and for commands regarding what we should do. This time, I suggest that we study simply to see what Jesus is like as a person. Get a feel for his love and compassion, his desire for friendship, his zeal for his Father's glory. Walk with him in the mountains, across the lake, into the city of his death. Meditate on it. Feel with him. Our life is hidden with Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:3) — discover what his life is like.
*

Fellowship. Our love for the Lord is expressed in part by our love for one another. Share with others the joy that you have in the Lord. Let it shine. In Christ, we will live forever with one another, with ever-growing love for one another. Let's express his love in us now! Encourage others, as often as we meet them (Hebrews 10:24-25). Treat others with the courtesy that Jesus would give them. Forgive them as he would forgive them, and as he has forgiven you.

Christianity is indeed a way of life, changing our thoughts, our actions, and our emotions. It is Christ in us who makes it possible. May he live in us all.

Thursday 27 August 2009

Our Relationship With Jesus

Jesus said the most important command in the Scriptures was to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). When we focus on the Word of God, we often focus on doctrines. That is because the Holy Spirit leads us to bring our minds, our thoughts, into conformity with God's will. But the Spirit does not stop there. Knowledge of God's purpose and will must be put to use, or it is worthless.

Our relationship with God is characterized by love. Love is more than emotion, but it certainly includes emotion — a powerful affection. When we love him, we will adore him, seek him, desire to be like him and seek to please him in everything we do.

The Bible describes a good relationship with God in several ways. In a simple analogy, he is the Lord and Master, and we are his slaves. This analogy is correct — we should honor, reverence, and obey our perfect and good Lord — but it is not the complete picture. Jesus said we could have even more: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15).

It is often said that Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. "Relationship," of course, is a rather general word. We must ask what kind of relationship we have. Some people ignore Jesus. Some are afraid, and some are angry. These are defective relationships.

Wednesday 26 August 2009

The Glory of Jesus

After the burial of Jesus, the Holy women returned and prepared spices and ointments. The next day, the chief priests and Pharisees made the sepulchre secure with guards, sealing the stone. When the Sabbath was passed, the Holy women brought sweet spices that they might anoint Jesus. But Jesus rose early the first day of the week, and there was a great earthquake, and an angel descended from heaven, and rolled back the stone. The guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men. On arriving at the sepulchre the holy women found the grave empty; Mary Magdalen ran to tell the Apostles Peter and John, while the other women were told by an angel that the Lord had arisen from the dead. Peter and John hasten to the sepulchre, and find everything as Magdalen has reported. Magdalen too returns, and, while weeping at the sepulchre, is approached by the arisen Saviour Who appears to her and speaks with her. On the same day Jesus appeared to the other Holy Women, to Peter, to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, and to all the Apostles excepting Thomas. A week later He appeared to all the Apostles, Thomas included; later still He appeared in Galilee near the Lake of Genesareth to seven disciples, on a mountain in Galilee to a multitude of disciples, to James, and finally to His disciples on the Mount Olivet whence He ascended into heaven. But these apparitions do not exhaust the record of the Gospels, according to which Jesus showed Himself alive after His Passion by many proofs, for forty days appearing to the disciples and speaking of the kingdom of God.

By his Real Presence in the Eucharist Christ fulfils his promise to be with us "always, until the end of the age" (Mt 28:20). As St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "It is the law of friendship that friends should live together. . . . Christ has not left us without his bodily presence in this our pilgrimage, but he joins us to himself in this sacrament in the reality of his body and blood" (Summa Theologiae, III q. 75, a. 1). With this gift of Christ's presence in our midst, the Church is truly blessed. As Jesus told his disciples, referring to his presence among them, "Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it" (Mt 13:17). In the Eucharist the Church both receives the gift of Jesus Christ and gives grateful thanks to God for such a blessing. This thanksgiving is the only proper response, for through this gift of himself in the celebration of the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine Christ gives us the gift of eternal life.


Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. . . . Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. (Jn 6:53-57)

Tuesday 25 August 2009

Why does Jesus give himself to us as food and drink?

The Lord Jesus, on the night before he suffered on the cross, shared one last meal with his disciples. During this meal our Savior instituted the sacrament of his Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages and to entrust to the Church his Spouse a memorial of his death and resurrection. As the Gospel of Matthew tells us:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mt 26:26-28; cf. Mk 14:22-24, Lk 22:17-20, 1 Cor 11:23-25)

Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist as spiritual nourishment because he loves us. God's whole plan for our salvation is directed to our participation in the life of the Trinity, the communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our sharing in this life begins with our Baptism, when by the power of the Holy Spirit we are joined to Christ, thus becoming adopted sons and daughters of the Father. It is strengthened and increased in Confirmation. It is nourished and deepened through our participation in the Eucharist. By eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist we become united to the person of Christ through his humanity. "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him" (Jn 6:56). In being united to the humanity of Christ we are at the same time united to his divinity. Our mortal and corruptible natures are transformed by being joined to the source of life. "Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me" (Jn 6:57).

By being united to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we are drawn up into the eternal relationship of love among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As Jesus is the eternal Son of God by nature, so we become sons and daughters of God by adoption through the sacrament of Baptism. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation (Chrismation), we are temples of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, and by his indwelling we are made holy by the gift of sanctifying grace. The ultimate promise of the Gospel is that we will share in the life of the Holy Trinity. The Fathers of the Church called this participation in the divine life "divinization" (theosis). In this we see that God does not merely send us good things from on high; instead, we are brought up into the inner life of God, the communion among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the celebration of the Eucharist (which means "thanksgiving") we give praise and glory to God for this sublime gift.

Monday 24 August 2009

Jesus Christ is God the Son, who became man for us.

Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is God the Son, who became man for us.

Is Jesus Christ truly God?

Jesus Christ is truly God, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son, the Eternal Word, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit always was, is, and always will be.

‘In the beginning was the Word’ (John 1:1)

Is Jesus Christ truly Man?

Jesus Christ is truly man because he has the nature of man, having a body and soul.

Was Jesus Christ always man?

Jesus Christ was not always man but he became man in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

What do we call the mystery of God becoming Man?

We call this mystery ‘the Incarnation’ which means that God the Son, became man, a human being like us in all things except sin. ‘the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14).

How many natures are there in Jesus?

There are two natures in Jesus, the Divine nature of God and he Human nature of man.

How many persons are there in Jesus?

There is only one person in Jesus, the person of God the Son.

Why did God the Son become Man?

God the Son became man to free us from sin and open to us the way to Heaven and everlasting life with God.

What does the name ‘Jesus’ mean?

The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘Saviour’.



What do these names tell us ?

That Jesus was anointed by God the Father to be our Saviour.

Sunday 23 August 2009

Meaning of the Jesus Name

Life of Jesus Christ



Jesus means in Hebrew: "God saves." At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both his identity and his mission.18 Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, "will save his people from their sins".19 in Jesus, God recapitulates all of his history of salvation on behalf of men.

The name of the Savior God was invoked only once in the year by the high priest in atonement for the sins of Israel, after he had sprinkled the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies with the sacrificial blood. The mercy seat was the place of God's presence.25 When St. paul speaks of Jesus whom "God put forward as an expiation by his blood", he means that in Christ's humanity "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.

Jesus' Resurrection glorifies the name of the Savior God, for from that time on it is the name of Jesus that fully manifests the supreme power of the "name which is above every name".27 The evil spirits fear his name; in his name his disciples perform miracles, for the Father grants all they ask in this name.

The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer. All liturgical prayers conclude with the words "through our Lord Jesus Christ". The Hail Mary reaches its high point in the words "blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." The Eastern prayer of the heart, the Jesus prayer, says: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Many Christians, such as St. Joan of Arc, have died with the one word "Jesus" on their lips.

Saturday 22 August 2009

If you want be Jesus disciple.

A great multitude followed Jesus. So Jesus turned around and said to them:

If any man comes to me and hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sister, and even his own life, cannot be my disciple.

Whoever does not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Which of you wanting to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to make sure he has enough money to complete it?

Otherwise after he has laid the foundation, and runs out of money to finish the project, everyone will mock him. They will say:

The man began to build, and he was not able to finish.

What king goes to war against another king without first sitting down and considering the odds of winning the battle?

If he only has ten thousand soldiers and his enemy has twenty thousand, perhaps he should send an ambassador to make peace.

If you do not renounce everything that you have, you cannot be my disciple.

Salt is only good as long as it has flavor. If salt looses its flavor, how will it be seasoned? It is not good for anything and will be thrown into the trash heap.

He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

Friday 21 August 2009

Jesus explain about Sabbath day.

The time came when Jesus went into one the rulers of the Pharisees home to eat bread on the Sabbath day. They were watching him to see what he would do.

And a man with the dropsy came and stood before Jesus.

Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking, and said:

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?

The Pharisees didn’t say a word.

Jesus then healed the man.

Then he said to the Pharisees:

Which one of you whose ox or donkey fell into a well on the Sabbath day would not immediately pull him out?

They couldn’t answer him.

When Jesus saw how the Pharisees honored themselves by taking the chief seats. He told them a parable.

Jesus said:

When you are invited to a marriage feast, don’t sit in the place of honor, or someone who is more important than you will come in and you will be asked to move to one of the lesser seats.

But instead, find the lowest seat you can and take it so that when the host comes he will invite you to take a better seat next to the host, and you will receive honor from everyone there.

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

And then he said to the Pharisee who had invited him to eat:

When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, or your brothers, or your relatives or your rich neighbors. They can all pay you back with the same hospitality.

When you make a feast, invite the poor, the injured, the lame and the blind. You will be blessed because they do not have any way to repay you. You will receive a reward in the resurrection of the just.

One of the guests at the meal with Jesus, after hearing what Jesus said, exclaimed:

Blessed is the person that eats bread in the kingdom of God.

But Jesus answered him:

A man made a great supper, and he invited many to come. He sent his servants out to ask his friends to come because the feast was just about ready.

But the friends began to make excuses as to why they could not come.

One invited guest said:

I have just purchased a field and I need to go see it, please excuse me from coming.

Another invited guest said:

I have just purchased five yoke of oxen, I need to go and try them out, please excuse me.

And another said:

I have just gotten married and I cannot come.

When the servant came to his master and told him how his invited guests had replied, the man became very angry. He said to his servant:

Go quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor, the maimed and the blind.

After that had been done there was still room at the feast. So the servant was sent to find guests in the highways and hedges, until the man’s house was full.

The Master of the feast said:

None of those men who were first invited will ever taste my feast.

Thursday 20 August 2009

Herod wants to kill Jesus

Archway in Jerusalem's Old City




Jesus went on his way through the cities and villages, teaching and making his way back to Jerusalem.

Someone said to him:

Are there only a few who are saved?

Jesus said to them:

Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many will seek to enter and will not be able.

Once the master of the house has risen up and has shut the door, many will stand on the outside and knock, saying:

Lord, open up to us.

The Master will say:

I do not know who you are.

Then they will say:

We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.

The Master will say:

I tell you, I do not know you; go away from me all of you who do evil.

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you are kept out.

They will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south, and they will all sit down in the kingdom of God. The last will be first and the first will be last.

During the same hour that Jesus was teaching this, a group of Pharisees came to Jesus saying:

Get out of here, for Herod wants to kill you.

Jesus said to them:

Go and say to that fox:

Look I cast out demons and perform many healings today and tomorrow, and the third day I am perfected.

I must go on doing what I am doing until the time comes for me to suffer martyrdom in Jerusalem.

Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone them that are sent to you! How often I would have gathered your inhabitants together, even as a hen gathers her brood under her wing, but you would not!

Look, your temple is left desolate, I tell you, You will not see me until you say:

Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

Wednesday 19 August 2009

The Jews put down their stones and decided to arrest Jesus

It was the time of the feast of dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

The Jews came around him and said to him:

How much longer will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.

Jesus answered them:

I told you and you did not believe. The works that I do in my Fathers name, they testify to who I am. But you don’t believe because you are not my sheep.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish, and no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.

Hearing this, the Jews took up stones and tried to kill him.

Jesus said to them:

Many good works I have you shown you from the Father. And for which of these good works are you going to stone me?

The Jews answered by saying:

We will not stone you for one of your good works, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself out to be God.

Jesus answered them:

If he called them gods, the ones to whom the word of God came. Are you going to say to the one the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said:

I am the Son of God.

If I do not do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. But if I do the works of my Father, even if you do not believe my testimony, believe me because of my works.

Then you will know and understand the Father is in me and I am in the Father.

The Jews put down their stones and decided to arrest Jesus instead. But Jesus left without them being able to put a hand on him.

Jesus went to the area where John the Baptist had started baptizing, and he stayed there.

Many came to Jesus and said:

John the Baptist did no miracles, but everything he spoke about Jesus is true.

Many more came to believe on Jesus.

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Jesus Healed woman on the Sabbath

Colonnade along excavated Roman street




Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. There was a woman who had been suffering for 18 years from an infirmity that left her twisted so badly that she could not stand up straight.

Jesus saw the woman, called her over and said:

Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.

He laid hands on her and she was immediately healed. She was able to stand tall, and she began glorifying God.

The ruler of the synagogue became indignant at Jesus because he had healed on the Sabbath day.

The ruler said to the crowd:

There are six days in which to do your work and you can be healed on any one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.

Jesus answered him:

You hypocrites, doesn’t each one of you lead your ox or your donkey to water on the Sabbath?

Shouldn’t this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound for 18 years, be freed from her bondage on the day of the Sabbath?

As Jesus said these things, his adversaries were put to shame, and the whole crowd rejoiced because of all the glorious things that Jesus did.

Jesus continued:

What is the kingdom of God like? What should I compare it to?

It is like the grain of the mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his garden and it grew, and it became like a tree.

Then the birds of the sky made homes in its branches.

What else can I compare the kingdom of heaven to? It is like yeast, which a woman hid in three measures of flour, until it permeated all of the dough.

Monday 17 August 2009

Jesus teach how to pray

Jesus and his 12 disciples were praying, and after the prayer, one of the disciples said to the Jesus:

Lord teach us to pray, just like John the Baptist taught his disciples.

Jesus said to them:

When you pray, say, Father, Holy be your name. May your kingdom come. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation.

Then Jesus said to them:

Which one of you who has a friend? Would you go to him at midnight and say to him:

Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. A friend of mine has just arrived from a journey and I do not have anything to feed him.

Would the friend answer:

Don’t bother me now, all my children are in bed and it is too late. I cannot get up and help you?

I tell you this, even though he would not get up and help you because of your friendship, he would get up just to get rid of the nuisance and noise you caused at the midnight hour.

I say to you:

Ask, and it will be given to you.
Seek, and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened to you.

If a son asks for a loaf of bread will the father give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg will he give him a scorpion?

If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them who ask him?

Sunday 16 August 2009

Jesus the Guest of Martha and Mary

As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he entered the village of Bethany. A woman named Martha received him into her house.

She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus to hear him teach.

Martha was very busy serving. She came to Jesus and said:

Lord doesn’t it bother you that Mary has left me alone to serve?

Jesus answered and said:

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is the most important: Mary has chosen what is important, and I will not take it away from her.

Saturday 15 August 2009

Jesus answer about eternal life

There was a lawyer who stood up and tried to put on trial the skill of Jesus to answer a difficult question:

Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus answered him:

What is written in the law? How do you read it?

The man said:

You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. You should love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Jesus said to him:

You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.

But trying to justify himself, he said to Jesus:

Who is my neighbor?

Jesus told the man:

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by robbers who stripped him and beat him, leaving him half dead.

By chance, a priest was going down the same way and when he saw the man he walked on the other side of the road and passed him by.

A little later a Levite, also traveling down the road, saw the man and moved to the other side of the road and ignored him.

But a Samaritan, who was traveling down the same road, saw the injured man and had compassion on him. He bound up his wounds, and poured oil and wine on them.

He then put the man on his donkey and brought him to the closest inn, and took care of him.

The following day he took out a day’s wage from his purse and gave it to the innkeeper with instructions to take care of the man.

He also told him that if he needed more money, he’d repay him on his next trip.

Jesus asked:

Which of the three proved to be the neighbor to the man who was attacked by the robbers?

The lawyer replied:

The one who showed him mercy.

Then Jesus said to him:

You go and do the same.

Friday 14 August 2009

Jesus Sends Out 70 messengers

Road through Armageddon, Israel




Now after this, Jesus appointed 70 messengers in addition to the 12 disciples.

He sent them two-by-two into every city and place that he was going to visit.

He told them:

The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers into the harvest.

Go on your way. Look, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Do not carry any money, or extra shoes, and don’t talk to anyone on the way.

Whatever house you enter, first say:

Peace be to this house.

If you are received then your peace will rest upon that house. If you are not received, then there will be no blessing on that house.

Stay in the same house, and eat and drink what they give you, for a laborer is worthy of his hire. Do not go from house to house.

Whatever city you enter, receive whatever they put in front of you and eat what you are served.

Heal the sick and tell them, The kingdom of God is very near to you.

If you go into a city and are not received, then go into the streets and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. Tell them that the kingdom of God is very near.

I tell you that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for that city.

Woe to you, Chorazin!

Woe to you Bethsaida! If the mighty works that were done in you were done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

What about Capernaum, will it be exalted to the heavens? Or will it be brought down to hell.

The person who hears you is hearing me, and the person who rejects you is rejecting me. The person who rejects me, rejects the one who sent me.

The 70 went out and did as Jesus had commanded them. When they returned to Jesus, they were full of joy:

Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.

Jesus said to them:

I saw Satan falling as lightning from heaven. Look, I have given you the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and to trample over all the power of the enemy. Nothing can hurt you.

But do not be happy that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

In the same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said:

I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and Earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and educated, and have revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for this was well pleasing to you.

All things have been given to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is, except the Father and whoever the Son reveals himself to.

Turning to the disciples he said privately:

Blessed are the eyes that see the things that you see. I tell you this, many prophets and kings have desired to see and hear the things that you have seen, and they didn’t see or hear them.

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Jesus spoke, I am the door. If anyone enters in through me, he will be saved

Jesus continued to teach the Pharisees who were questioning him:

The person who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but instead climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.

But the one who enters in by the door, he is the shepherd of the sheep.

The gatekeeper opens the door to the shepherd from the inside, and when the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice as he calls his own sheep by name, they follow.

They recognize the shepherd’s voice and they follow him. They will not follow a stranger but will flee from him, because they do not recognize his voice.

Jesus spoke to them in parables but they did not understand what he was saying. He tried again:

I am the door to the sheep. Everyone who came before is a thief or robber, and the sheep did not hear them.

I am the door. If anyone enters in through me, he will be saved, and will go in and out, and will find pasture.

The thief only comes to steal and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays his life down for the sheep. The hired hand will not lay his life down for his sheep.

If the wolf comes, the hired hand runs away and lets the sheep be scattered and killed. He runs because he does not care about the sheep; he is just a hired hand.

I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and they know me. Just like the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must be their shepherd also. They will hear my voice and they will follow me. They will all become one flock with one shepherd.

The Father loves me because I lay down my life, so that I can take it up again. No one is going to take it away from me, but will lay it down myself.

I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father.

These words caused a division among the Jews of Jerusalem. Many said:

He has a demon or he is insane, why are you listening to him.

Others said:

These are not the words of a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?

Monday 10 August 2009

Jesus told, If you were blind, you would have no sin. But because you say that you see, your sin remains.

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth.

His 12 disciples who were with him asked:

Teacher, whose sin caused this man to be born blind -- his own or his parents?

Jesus answered:

Neither. He was born blind so that the works of God could be displayed in him. We must do the work of he who sent me while it is daytime.

The night is coming when no man can work. When I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

After Jesus had said these things he spat on the ground and made clay and anointed the man’s eyes with it. He told the man to go to the pool of Siloam.

The man did as Jesus said and came away seeing.

The neighbors of the blind man who had known him for a long time and had seen him often begging for a living, said:

Isn’t this the blind man who sat and begged?

Others said:

It is.

Others disagreed.

But the man himself declared:

I am the man.

They asked him:

How is it that you can now see?

He said:

The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me to go wash at the pool of Siloam. I did what Jesus said, and now I can see.

The people asked:

Where is Jesus?

The man answered:

I do not know.

The people brought the blind man to the Pharisees to see how they would respond to the man who had been born blind.

Jesus did this miracle on the Sabbath day.

So the Pharisees asked the man how he had received his sight. He told them the same story he had told his neighbors.

When they heard this, some of the Pharisees said:

This man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath day.

Other Pharisees said:

How is it that a man who is a sinner can do such miracles?

So they questioned the blind man again.

The man who had been blind said:

He is a prophet.

The Jews did not believe that the man had actually received his sight. They called his parents and asked them how he had received his sight.

His parent answered:

Yes this is our son, and he was born blind. But we don’t know how he has received his sight. He is old enough, ask him yourself.

The parents feared the Jews because they knew that they had already agreed among themselves that anyone who confessed that Jesus was the Christ would be thrown out of the synagogue.

That is why they told the Pharisees to ask their son how he had received his sight.

So the Pharisees called a second time for the man who had been born blind. They said to him:

Give glory to God, not Jesus, because we know he is a sinner.

The man answered:

Whether he is a sinner or not I do not know, but I do know one thing, I was blind and now I can see.

They said to him, What did he do to you?

The man answered:

I have told you over and over what he did. Do you want to hear it again? Would you like to become one of his disciples?

The Pharisees, after hearing this, reviled the man and said:

You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, we don’t know who this man is.

The man said:

Why, here is a real mystery. He opened my eyes and yet you do not know who he is.

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a true worshipper of God and does his will, he will listen to that man.

Since the world began I have never heard of a man who was born blind who had his eyes opened and received his sight.

If Jesus were not from God, he could do nothing.

They told him:

You were born into sin and you presume to teach us? They threw him out.

Jesus heard that they dismissed from the assembly and he went and found him.

Jesus said to the man:

Do you believe in the Son of God?

He answered:

Who is the Lord, that I might believe in him?

Jesus said:

You have both seen him and he is the one who is speaking to you right now.

The man said:

Lord, I believe.

The man worshipped him.

Jesus summed it up by saying:

Judgment came into this world so that those who could not see can now see, and those who can see have become blind.

There were Pharisees nearby who heard what Jesus said. They asked Jesus:

Are you saying that we are blind?

Jesus answered:

If you were blind, you would have no sin. But because you say that you see, your sin remains

Sunday 9 August 2009

Jesus answered: If you knew Jesus,you would know the Father also.

Jesus continued to teach in the temple in Jerusalem.

Jesus said:

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

The Pharisees said to him:

You are testifying about yourself; your testimony is not true.

Jesus answered:

Even if I do bear witness of myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and I know where I am going.

But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.

You judge superficially and according to appearances. I judge no man, but if I do judge, my judgment is true; for I am not alone, the Father has sent me.

In your law, it is written that the witness of two men is true. I am the one who bears witness of myself and the Father that sent me also bears witness of me.

They said to him:

Where is your Father?

Jesus answered:

You do not know me or my Father. If you knew me you would know the Father also.

Jesus spoke these words in the treasury where the chests for offerings were placed, in the most public part of the temple. No one came to arrest him because his hour had not yet come.

Jesus continued:

I will go away and you will look for me but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.

The Jews began asking among themselves:

Will he kill himself? Is that what he means when he says:

Where I am going, you cannot come?

Jesus said to them:

You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

This is what I have to say to you. Unless you believe that I am who I say that I am, you will die in your sins.

Then they asked Jesus:

Who are you?

Jesus said to them:

I have told you who I am from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you.

He who sent me is true and the things that I heard from him are the things I am telling the world.

Finally! They understood that Jesus was speaking of God the Father.

Jesus said to them:

When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but I only do what the Father has taught me.

The one who has sent me has not left me alone, and I always do the things that please him.

As Jesus spoke these words, many believed him.

Jesus said to the Jews from Jerusalem who had believed him:

If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.

They answered Jesus:

We are Abraham’s seed, and have never been in bondage to any man. What do you mean when you say:

You will be made free?

Jesus answered:

Every one who commits sin is in slave to sin. The slave does not live in the house forever, but the Son lives forever.

So if the Son shall make you free, you will be free indeed.

I know you are Abraham’s seed, yet you are trying to kill me because my words have not changed your hearts.

I speak about things that I have seen with my father, and you do the things that you have heard from your father.

They answered Jesus:

Our father is Abraham.

Jesus said to them:

If you really were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

But now you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I have heard from God. Abraham would not act this way. You do the works of your Father.

They said to him:

We were not born out of an act of fornication, we have one Father, even God.

Jesus said to them:

If God really was your Father then you would love me, for I came from God. I have not come on my own. God sent me.

Why don’t you understand the words that I am saying? It is because you cannot hear my word.

You are from your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father are what it is your will to do.

He was a murderer from the beginning, and never did what was true because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie it is his nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you can convict me of sin?

I tell you the truth. Why is it that you do not believe me? The person who is of God hears the words of God.

The reason you cannot hear these words is because you are not of God.

The Jews of Jerusalem answered by saying:

Aren’t we right about you when we say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?

Jesus answered:

I do not have a demon. I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. I am not seeking my own glory.

I am going to tell you an important truth, so you need to pay attention. If a man cherishes and obeys my words, he will never see death.

The Jews said to Jesus:

Now we know you have a demon. Abraham is dead and so are all the prophets. You say that if a man keeps your word he will never taste death.

Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died, and the prophets who died? Who are you making yourself out to be?

Jesus answered:

If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me; the same one who you say is your God. You do not know him, but I do.

If I said I did not know him I would be a liar like you are liars: But I know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it by faith and was glad.

The Jews said to him:

You are not even 50 years old and you have seen Abraham?

Jesus said to them:

I am going to tell you a truth that is very important. Pay attention! Before Abraham was born, I am.
The Jews took up stones and threw them at Jesus, but Jesus hid himself from them and went out of the temple.

Saturday 8 August 2009

They asked Jesus: The law of Moses commands us to stone adulterers. What do you say about it?

Zion Gate in Jerusalem




The assembly of chief priests and Pharisees broke up and went home. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Early the next morning he returned to the temple. People came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had just been caught in the act of adultery and put her in the middle of the group that Jesus was teaching.

They asked Jesus:

The law of Moses commands us to stone adulterers. What do you say about it?

Jesus stooped down, and with his finger, he wrote on the ground. They continued to taunt Jesus with the question.

Jesus stood up and said to them:

He who is without sin among you, let him be the first one to throw a stone at her.

Again Jesus stooped down and continued writing on the ground. The scribes and Pharisees, after hearing Jesus’ answer, were silent.

They left Jesus, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest.

Then Jesus stood up and asked the woman:

Where are the ones who accuse you? Does no man condemn you?

She said:

No man, sir.

Then Jesus said:

Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on sin no more.

Friday 7 August 2009

Jesus said, You know me and you know where I came from.

The Jews from Jerusalem who were at the Feast of the Tabernacles kept looking for Jesus. They asked:
Where is he?
There was a lot of murmuring and rumors among the multitudes about Jesus.

Some said:
He is a good man.

Others said:
No, he leads the people astray.

But no one spoke openly about Jesus for fear of the Jews of Jerusalem.

During the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. The Jews from Jerusalem were amazed:

How is this man so learned and wise since he has had no formal education?

Jesus told them:
The teaching is not mine, it comes from the one who sent me.
The person who speaks for himself is looking for his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him, is a man of truth and no unrighteousness is in him.
Didn’t Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keep the law? Why do you want to kill me?

The multitude answered:
You have a demon. Who is trying to kill you?

Jesus answered:
I did one work and you all marvel because of it. Moses gave you circumcision, and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
If a man is circumcised on the Sabbath so the law of Moses is not broken, then why are you infuriated with me for making a man completely whole on the Sabbath?
Stop judging things by their appearance, but judge by what is right.

Some of the people in Jerusalem said:
Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Look, he speaks openly and they don’t say anything to him. Could it be that the rulers know that he is the Christ?
How is it that we know where this man comes from? But when the Christ comes, no one will know where he came from.

Jesus, in the temple, said:
You know me and you know where I came from. I have not come of myself but the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him; because I am from him, and he sent me.

They tried to capture Jesus, but no one could lay a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.

Many in the multitude believed in Jesus, and they said:
When the Christ comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?

The Pharisees heard what the crowds were saying about Jesus, and they sent the officers to capture him.

Jesus knew that his time was short and said:
I am only going to be with you a little while longer, and then I will go to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me. Where I am going you cannot come.

The Jews from Jerusalem said to themselves:
Where will this man go that we cannot find him? Will he go to the be with the Jews who live among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
What does he mean when he says, You will look for me but you will not find me; and where I am going you cannot come.

Now on the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying:
If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. The person who believes in me, as the Scriptures say, from within him will flow rivers of living water.

Jesus spoke these things of the Holy Spirit, which those who believe in him were going to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Some of the multitude, when they heard Jesus, said:
This is truly a prophet.

Others said:
This is the Christ.

But some said:
What, does the Christ come from Galilee? Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ is going to come from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?

So there was a division among the people because of Jesus.

Some wanted to arrest him; but no man laid a finger on him.

When the officers sent to arrest Jesus returned empty handed, the chief priests and the Pharisees asked them why.
The officers said:
We have never heard a man speak like this man.

The Pharisees answered them and said:
Have you also been led astray? Have any of the rulers believed in him?
Have any of the Pharisees believed in him? The crowd is ignorant of the law and under a curse.

Nicodemus (the ruler who came to Jesus by night) said to them:
Does our law judge a man before it hears the case and learns the facts?

They answered Nicodemus:
Are you also from Galilee? Search the Scriptures and you will find that no prophet arises out of Galilee.

Thursday 6 August 2009

Jesus said, If a man puts his hand to the plow, and looks back he is not fit for the kingdom of God.

As they went on their way through Samaria to Jerusalem, a man came up to them and said that he would follow Jesus wherever he went. Jesus turned to the man and said:

The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of man has no where to lay his head.

Jesus said to another:

Follow me.

The man replied:

I will follow you, but first let me say goodbye to my relatives.

But Jesus said to him:

If a man puts his hand to the plow, and looks back he is not fit for the kingdom of God.

Wednesday 5 August 2009

Jesus arrived in Samaria, he was not welcomed or received

After his brothers had left for Jerusalem to go to the feast, Jesus also went, not publicly, but in secret.

The time had come when Jesus was about to embrace his final mission on Earth.

Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead to the village of the Samaritans to make things ready for him. But when Jesus arrived in Samaria, he was not welcomed or received.

When James and John saw how their Lord was treated, they asked if they could call down fire from heaven on them. Jesus rebuked them for this, and went on to the next village.

Tuesday 4 August 2009

Jesus' Brothers Advise Him

The feast of the tabernacles was at hand. Jesus’ brothers came to him and said to him:

Leave this place and go to Judea so that your disciples can see the works that you do.

For no man does anything in secret while he seeks to be known openly. If you are going to do these things, make yourself known to the world.

Even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Jesus said to them:

My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.

You go up to the feast: I will not go up to the feast because until the right time.

After saying these things he stayed in Galilee.

Monday 3 August 2009

Peter ask Jesus about how often should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Should I forgive him seven times?

Roman city under excavation



Jesus said:

If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault, between you and him alone.

If he listens, you have gained a brother.

But if he will not listen then take one or two more witnesses with you, so that the matter is made clear.

If he still refuses to hear then take the matter to the church.

If he refuses to hear the church, then leave him alone and stop having any dealing with him and treat him like an outsider.

The important truth that you need to understand is that whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven.

Again I tell you, if any two of you will agree on anything that you ask, it will be done for you by my Father who is in heaven.

Where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am among them.

Then Peter came and asked:

Lord, how often should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Should I forgive him seven times?

Jesus said to Peter:

Not seven times, but 70 times seven times.

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who called upon all of his servants to account for the debts they owed him.

One of the servants who was brought to the king owed the equivalent of $1.5 million.

Because the servant could not pay the debt, the king commanded that the servant’s land and property all be sold and that he and his family be sold as slaves in order to settle the debt.

The servant fell down and worshipped the king, and begged him to have patience with him, promising to pay it all.

The king was moved with compassion and released him from bondage and forgave him the entire debt.

That day, the servant went out and found another fellow servant who owed him $500. He grabbed the servant by the throat and told him that he must pay what he owed.

The fellow servant fell down and begged the man to have patience with him, and he would pay what he owed. But instead of showing him mercy, he had the fellow servant thrown into prison.

When the other servants saw how their fellow servant had been treated they were very upset, and they went to the king and told him everything that the unforgiving servant had done.

The king then summoned the unforgiving servant and said to him:

You wicked servant, I forgave you the all the debt you owed because you pleaded with me to do so. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?

The king became very angry with the wicked servant and had him taken to the tormentors until he could pay all that was due.

Then Jesus said:

Your heavenly Father will treat you the same way if you do not forgive you brother from you hearts.

Sunday 2 August 2009

the disciples came to Jesus and asked:Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

The disciples began to argue with each other about who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus asked them:

On the way here, were you talking among yourselves about who would be the greatest?

But they kept silent.

Jesus sat down and called the 12 to come and sit around him. He told them:

If a man would be first, he will be last of all and the servant of all.

Later on that day, the disciples came to Jesus and asked:

Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Jesus called over a small child and set him by his side while he sat in the middle of the disciples. He took the child into his arms and said:

Unless you change and become as a little child you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever humbles himself as this little child, that person is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus continued:

Whoever receives a little child in my name, receives me. Anyone who receives me, does not only receive me but also receives the one who sent me.

The one who is the least among you, is the one who is great.

John said:

Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.

Jesus said to them:

Don’t stop him. No one who is doing mighty works in my name will be quick to speak evil of me. The person who is not against us is for us.

Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to me; truly, he will not lose his reward.

Whoever causes one of these little ones that believes in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he was thrown into the sea to sink to the bottom.

The wickedness of man makes sin inevitable, but that does not remove the responsibility from the person that causes others to sin.

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than to have two hands and go into hell.

If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life limping on one leg than to have both your feet, and to be cast into hell.

If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better to enter into life with only sight in one eye than to have two eyes and enter into hell.

In hell the worm never dies, and the fire never goes out.

For everyone is salted with salt, but if the salt has lost its saltiness then how will it be seasoned? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.

See that you do not despise these little ones.

What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the 99 and go find the missing sheep?

When he finds the lost sheep, won’t he be happier about finding it than the 99 that had not gone astray? It is the will of your Father in heaven that not one of these little ones should perish.

Saturday 1 August 2009

Jesus pay the temple tax

When Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum the people collecting the temple tax came to Peter and asked:

Doesn’t the teacher pay the temple tax?

Peter answered:

Yes.

When they came into the house where they were staying, Jesus asked Peter:

What do you think, Simon? Who do the kings of the Earth receive their tax, toll or tribute from? From their sons or from strangers?

Peter answered:

From strangers?

Jesus said:

So the sons are free. But in order not to cause them to stumble, go to the sea and cast a line with a hook on it, and then open the mouth of the first fish you catch.

In it you will find enough to pay the temple tax. Take it and give it to those who are collecting the tax.