But Martha was preoccupied with all the preparations [i.e., for entertaining her beloved guest] and came up to Jesus and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Ask her to help me."

And He said to them, "When you pray you should say, 'Father, may your name be highly honored. May your kingdom come [to earth].

for a friend of mine has come to [visit] me while on a trip and I do not have anything to feed him?'

But, if I drive out evil spirits by the finger of God [i.e., by God's direct, supernatural intervention], then [that is evidence that] the kingdom of God has come into your midst [i.e., by my presence and ministry].

"When an evil spirit has been driven out of a man, it roams through desert regions trying to find rest, but [when it] cannot find any, it says [to itself], 'I will return to my house from which I came [i.e., the body of the person it dominated].'

The queen of the South [Note: This queen was from Sheba, which was probably in Arabia. See I Kings 10:1] will stand up on the judgment day, along with the people of this generation, and will condemn them because she came from a great distance to hear [and see] Solomon's wisdom [I Kings 10:1ff] and [now] Someone greater than Solomon is here [i.e., Jesus].

and be like men expecting their master to return from the wedding reception, so that when he does come and knock [at the groom's house, See note on Matt. 25:1-12], they will immediately open [the door] to him.

Those slaves whom their master finds being watchful when he returns are [certainly] blessed. Truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt [i.e., get things ready] and have them recline [at his dinner table] and will come and serve them.

"I have come to bring fire to the earth. [Note: This means division within families. See verses 51-53] And how I wish that fire were already started [i.e., so I could complete my mission sooner]!

Do you think that I came to bring [only] peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division instead.

Then He told them this parable: A certain man had a fig tree [which had been] planted in his orchard. When he came looking for figs on it, he did not find any.

But the official of the synagogue became angry because Jesus had healed [someone] on the Sabbath day. [Note: This was viewed as a violation of proper Sabbath day observance by certain Jews who interpreted the law of Moses with narrow legalism]. So, the official said to the crowd, "There are six days [in the week] for people to work. Therefore, you should come to be healed on one of them, and not on the Sabbath day."

Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, leaving you standing outside knocking on the door, [and] saying, 'Sir, [please] open [the door] for us.' and he answers you, 'I do not know you or where you came from,'

And He will say [i.e., the Lord is represented as saying this in the judgment. See Matt. 7:23; 8:11-12], 'I tell you, I do not know where you came from, [so] go away from me, all you people who have done sinful things.'

And people will come from the east and west and from the north and south to sit down in the kingdom of God.

At that very time certain Pharisees came to Jesus saying, "Get out of here and go someplace else, for King Herod wants to kill you."

Then the one who invited both of you will come [over] and say to you, 'Give this man your seat [at the table],' and then you will be embarrassed and have to move to the least important seat.

When the supper was about ready, he sent his slave out to tell those who were invited, 'Come, for everything is [now] ready.'

But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread to eat, and here I am, dying from hunger!

Now the father's older son was [out] in the field. And when he came in and got close to the house he heard music and dancing.

And the servant said to him, 'Your brother has come [home] and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he welcomed him back safe [from harm].'

But the older son got angry and refused to go into [the house]. So, his father came out and pleaded with him [i.e., to come in and join the celebration].

But when this son of yours came [home], after having squandered all you gave him on prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.'

He longed to be fed with scraps that fell from the rich man's table and even dogs came and licked his sores.

where I have five brothers. Then he could warn them so that they will not [have to] come to this [terrible] place of torment also.'

And Abraham replied, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded [even] if someone rises from the dead [i.e., to come back and warn them].'"

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that occasions which cause people to be led astray [from God] will come, but it is too bad for that person who is responsible for it happening.

"But which of you, whose slave is plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come and sit right down to eat'?

Did not anyone [else] come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner?"

And when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them, "The kingdom of God will not come the way you are looking for it.

For the Son of man [will come] in His day just like lightning which flashes from one part of the sky and lights up the other part.

People were eating and drinking and [men were] marrying and [women] were being given away in marriage [right up] until the day that Noah entered the ship and the Flood came and drowned them all.

But Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, "Allow these little children to come to me and stop trying to prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these [i.e., humble ones. See Matt. 19:14].

So, Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to Him. And when he came near, Jesus asked him,

And when Jesus came to the tree, He said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down [from that tree], for I need to stay at your house today."

So, he came down immediately and welcomed Jesus gladly.

Then Jesus said to him, "Salvation has come to this house today, since he too [i.e., Zacchaeus] is a descendant of Abraham.

For the Son of man came to search for and save those who were lost."

For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build a dirt wall around you, surrounding you, and hemming you in on every side.

And it happened on one of the days that Jesus was teaching people in the Temple and preaching the good news, that the leading priests and the experts in the law of Moses, [along] with the [Jewish] elders, came to Him.

And when the [grape harvest] season came, the owner of the farm sent a slave to the tenant farmers, asking them for the grape harvest [to be delivered to him]. But the tenant farmers beat the slave and sent him away empty handed.

He will come and kill those tenant farmers and will give the vineyard to other people." And when the people heard [Him say] this, they said, "May that never happen."

[Then] certain Sadducees came to Jesus (they are the ones who say there is no resurrection [of the dead]).

"As for these things you are looking at, the time will come when there will not be one stone left on another here that will not be thrown down."

And He replied, "Pay attention, so that you are not led astray [from the truth]. For many [false teachers] will come, claiming to be me, and saying, 'I am [the Christ],' and 'The time is near.' [But] do not go after them.

And when you hear of wars and uprisings [going on], do not be afraid, for such things must necessarily happen first. But the end will not come right away." [Note: By "the end" here Jesus probably alludes to the downfall of Jerusalem, in AD 70, with its attending destruction of the Temple buildings].

Men will become despondent from fear, and from dreading the [terrible] things which will come upon the earth, for the forces of the heavens will be shaken.

Although the sky and the earth will pass away [See II Pet. 3:10], my words will not pass away [i.e., they will certainly come true].

And all the people came to hear Him early [each] morning.

Then the day came for the Festival of Unleavened Bread [to be held], on which the Passover [lamb] was to be sacrificed.

And when the time came [for the Passover meal], Jesus reclined with His apostles [at the table]. [Note: See Matt. 23:6].

for I tell you, I will not drink this fruit of the vine [i.e., grape juice] from now on until [I do, figuratively, when] the kingdom of God has come."

While He was still speaking suddenly one of the twelve apostles, named Judas, [who was] leading a crowd, came near Jesus to kiss Him.

And Jesus said to the leading priests and captains of the Temple [guard] and the [Jewish] elders that came to take Him, "Have you come out [to arrest me] with swords and clubs as you would [apprehend] a thief?

For look, the time will come when people will be saying, 'Those [women] who are without children and who have never given birth or nursed babies are [truly] happy!'

And when they came to the place called "The Skull" [Note: The Latin word for this place is "Calvary"], they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one at His right side and one at His left.

The soldiers also mocked Him; they came to Him, offering Him sour wine [to drink],

Then he said, "Jesus, remember [to be merciful to] me when you come into your kingdom."

Now when it was about twelve o'clock noon, darkness came over all the land until three o'clock in the afternoon, for

And it happened, as they were talking and discussing together, that Jesus came near [them] and began walking along with them.

When they did not find Jesus' body they came and told us that they had also seen a vision of angels who said Jesus was alive.

Then Jesus led His apostles out [of Jerusalem] until they came near to Bethany [Note: This was a village fewer than two miles east of Jerusalem]. [There] He raised His hands and asked God's blessing on them.

Everything came into being through this Word, and apart from Him not a single thing came into being.

He came to be a witness, so that he might testify concerning that Light, so that all people would believe [in Jesus] through him [i.e., through his testimony. See Acts 19:4].

He himself was not that Light, but came [only] to testify concerning that Light.

[Actually] He was in the world [already], for the world came into being through Him, but the world did not acknowledge Him.

[Then] He came to His own [world, while on earth], but His own [people, the Israelites] did not welcome Him.

John gave testimony about Jesus, shouting out, "This person is the one about whom I said, 'He who will come after me ranks above me because He existed before me.'"

For the law was given through Moses; [but] God's favor and truth came through Jesus Christ.

He is the One about whom I said, 'A man will come after me who ranks above me, for He existed before me.'

And I would not have recognized Him, but I came immersing people in water so that He would become known to the Israelites."

Then He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So, they went and saw where He was staying and they stayed with Him that day. It was about ten o'clock in the morning. [Note: Hour designations in this book are being calculated by Roman time, but this would have been

Nathaniel replied to him, "Can anything worthwhile come from Nazareth?" [Note: Nazareth had a bad reputation and Jewish writings made no prediction of a prophet coming from that area. See John 7:52]. Philip answered him, "Come and see."

So, Jesus said to her, "[My dear] woman, what do you want me to do [about it]? My time [i.e., to be revealed to people as the Messiah] has not yet come."

and when the banquet host tasted the water, which had [now] been turned into wine, he did not know where it had come from. (But the servants who had poured out the water knew [full well]). So, the banquet host called the groom

The wind blows wherever it wants to, and you can hear the sound of it, without knowing where it came from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born from the Holy Spirit."

And no one has gone up to heaven except the One who has come down from heaven, [even] the Son of man. {{Most translations do not contain the added words "who is in heaven"}}.

Now this is [how God's] judgment [works]: The Light [See 1:5-9] has come into the world, but people loved darkness [i.e., sin] rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.

For every person who practices evil things hates the light [of truth] and does not come to it, for fear of having his deeds exposed [as sinful].

[About then] a Samaritan woman came [to the well] to draw water. Jesus said to her, "[Please] give me a drink."

The woman [then] said to Him, "Sir, [please] give me [some of] that water, so that I do not get thirsty [again], or have to come all the way here to draw [water]."

Jesus replied to her, "Go call your husband and [then] come here."

Jesus replied to her, "[My dear] woman, believe me [when I tell you], the time will come when you people will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.

But the time will come, and is now [actually] here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [i.e., from the heart] and truth [i.e., according to God's revealed will], for these are the people whom the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

[Then] the woman said to Jesus, "I know that Messiah is coming ([He is] the One who is called Christ). And when He does come, He will tell us everything."

"Come [and] see a man who told me everything I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"

[So], the people went out from the town and came to where Jesus was.

When the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Jesus to stay with them, so He remained there for two days.

When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Him and begged Him to come down [to Capernaum] and heal his son who was about to die.

The government official replied, "Sir, [please] come down [to Capernaum] before my child dies."

For an angel of the Lord came down to the pool [from heaven] at certain times and stirred up the water. Then the first person to enter the pool after the water became choppy was healed from whatever disease he had."}}

and they will come out [i.e., in the general resurrection on the last day]. Those who had done what was good will be raised [from the dead] to [never ending] life; and those who had done what was evil will be raised [from the dead] to judgment [i.e., to be condemned].

But you do not want to come to me [i.e., to believe in me. See verse 38] so that you will have [never ending] life.

I have come in my Father's name [i.e., by His authority] and you do not accept me. If someone else comes in his own name [i.e., by his own authority], you will accept him.

So, when the people saw the [miraculous] sign that Jesus had performed [i.e., the feeding of the large crowd with such a small amount of food], they said, "Truly, this is the prophet who was to come into the world." [Note: This was probably a reference to the promise made in Deut. 18:15-19].

So, [when] Jesus knew that the people were about to come and forcibly take Him and make Him [their] king, He left there again and went to the high plateau [to be] alone [i.e., to pray. See Mark 6:46].

Then when evening came, His disciples went down to the lake

and got into their boat, and were crossing over [i.e., to the west side of] the lake toward Capernaum. It was dark by now and Jesus had not yet come to them.

(However, meanwhile, some other [small] boats had come from Tiberias [i.e., a small town on the west side of the lake] near where they had eaten bread after the Lord had given thanks).

Every person [Note: The Greek says, "every thing"] whom the Father gives me will [eventually] come to me [i.e., for salvation]; and I will never turn away that person who comes to me.