Thematic Bible


Thematic Bible





"You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both. If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. read more.
In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them. 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.'

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. The Devil had already put the thought of betraying Jesus into the mind of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon; 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-- read more.
Rose from his place, and, taking off his upper garments, tied a towel round his waist. 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. When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said: "You, Master! Are you going to wash my feet?" "You do not understand now what I am doing," replied Jesus, "but you will learn by and by." "You shall never wash my feet!" exclaimed Peter. "Unless I wash you," answered Jesus, "you have nothing in common with me." "Then, Master, not my feet only," exclaimed Simon Peter, "but also my hands and my head." "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." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said 'You are not all clean.' 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. "You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both. If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them.





Then Judas, who betrayed him, seeing that Jesus was condemned, repented of what he had done, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priests and Councillors. "I did wrong in betraying a good man to his death," he said. "What has that to do with us?" they replied. "You must see to that yourself." Judas flung down the pieces of silver in the Temple, and left; and went away and hanged himself. read more.
The Chief Priests took the pieces of silver, but they said: "We must not put them into the Temple treasury, because they are blood-money." So, after consultation, they bought with them the 'Potter's Field' for a burial-ground for foreigners; And that is why that field is called the 'Field of Blood' to this very day. Then it was that these words spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled-- 'They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him who was valued, whom some of the people of Israel valued, And gave them for the Potter's field, as the Lord commanded me.'

"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." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said 'You are not all clean.' 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. read more.
"You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both. If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them. 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.'

After saying this, Jesus raised his eyes heaven-wards, and said: "Father, the hour has come; honor thy Son, that thy Son may honor thee; Even as thou gavest him power over all mankind, that he should give Immortal Life to all those whom thou has given him. And the Immortal Life is this--to know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent as thy Messenger. read more.
I have honored thee on earth by completing the work which thou has given me to do; And now do thou honor me, Father, at thy own side, with the honor which I had at thy side before the world began. I have revealed thee to those whom thou gavest me from the world; they were thy own, and thou gavest them to me; and they have laid thy Message to heart. They recognize now that everything that thou gavest me was from thee; For I have given them the teaching which thou gavest me, and they received it, and clearly understood that I came from thee, and they believed that thou has sent me as thy Messenger. I intercede for them; I am not interceding for the world, but for those whom thou has given me, for they are thy own-- All that is mine is thine, and all that is thine is mine-- and I am honored in them. Now I am to be in this world no longer, but they are still to be in the world, and I am to come to thee. Holy Father, keep them by that revelation of thy Name which thou has given me, that they may be one, as we are. Whilst I was with them, I kept them by that revelation, and I have guarded them; and not one of them has been lost, except that lost soul--in fulfillment of Scripture.

"Brothers," he said, "it was necessary that the prediction of Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit made by the lips of David about Judas, who acted as guide to the men that arrested Jesus, For he was one of our number and had his part allotted him in this work of ours." (This man had bought a piece of land with the price of his treachery; and, falling heavily, his body had burst open, and all his bowels protruded. read more.
This became known to every one living in Jerusalem, so that the field came to be called, in their language, 'Akeldama,' which means the 'Field of Blood.') "For in the Book of Psalms," Peter continued, "it is said-- 'Let his dwelling become desolate, and let no one live in it'; and also--'His office let another take.'

A discussion arose among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest; And Jesus, knowing of the discussion that was occupying their thoughts, took hold of a little child, and placed it beside him, And then said to them: "Any one who, for the sake of my Name, welcomes even this little child is welcoming me; and any one who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger. For whoever is lowliest among you all--that man is great."

But, if any one disowns me before his fellow men, I, too, will disown him before my Father who is in Heaven. Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring, not peace, but the sword. For I have come to set--'a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. read more.
A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, while he who, for my sake, has lost his life shall find it. He who welcomes you is welcoming me; and he who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger. He who welcomes a Prophet, because he is a Prophet, shall receive a Prophet's reward; and he who welcomes a good man, because he is a good man, shall receive a good man's reward.

On the same occasion the disciples came to Jesus, and asked him: "Who is really the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" Jesus called a little child to him, and placed it in the middle of them, and then said: "I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all. read more.
Therefore, any one who will humble himself like this child-- that man shall be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And any one who, for the sake of my Name, welcomes even one little child like this, is welcoming me.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said: "If any one wishes to be first, he must be last of all, and servant of all." Then Jesus took a little child, and placed it in the middle of them. Folding it in his arms, he said to them: "Any one who, for the sake of my Name, welcomes even a little child like this is welcoming me, and any one who welcomes me is welcoming not me, but him who sent me as his Messenger." read more.
"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons by using your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he did not follow us." "None of you must prevent the man," answered Jesus, "for no one will use my name in working a miracle, and yet find it easy to speak evil of me.

"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." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said 'You are not all clean.' 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. read more.
"You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both. If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them. 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.' 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. In truth I tell you, he who receives any one that I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me."

A discussion arose among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest; And Jesus, knowing of the discussion that was occupying their thoughts, took hold of a little child, and placed it beside him, And then said to them: "Any one who, for the sake of my Name, welcomes even this little child is welcoming me; and any one who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger. For whoever is lowliest among you all--that man is great."

In the Beginning the Word was; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. He was in the Beginning with God; Through him all things came into being, and nothing came into being apart from him. read more.
That which came into being in him was Life; and the Life was the Light of Man; And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness never overpowered it. There appeared a man sent from God, whose name was John; He came as a witness--to bear witness to the Light that through him all men might believe. He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness to the Light. That was the True Light which enlightens every man coming into the world. He was in the world; and through him the world came into being--yet the world did not know him. He came to his own--yet his own did not receive him. But to all who did receive him he gave power to become Children of God--to those who believe in his Name. For not to natural conception, nor to human instincts, nor to will of man did they owe the new Life, but to God.

But, if any one disowns me before his fellow men, I, too, will disown him before my Father who is in Heaven. Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring, not peace, but the sword. For I have come to set--'a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. read more.
A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, while he who, for my sake, has lost his life shall find it. He who welcomes you is welcoming me; and he who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger. He who welcomes a Prophet, because he is a Prophet, shall receive a Prophet's reward; and he who welcomes a good man, because he is a good man, shall receive a good man's reward.

"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." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said 'You are not all clean.' 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. read more.
"You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both. If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them. 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.' 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. In truth I tell you, he who receives any one that I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me."

"Any one who, for the sake of my Name, welcomes even a little child like this is welcoming me, and any one who welcomes me is welcoming not me, but him who sent me as his Messenger." "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons by using your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he did not follow us." "None of you must prevent the man," answered Jesus, "for no one will use my name in working a miracle, and yet find it easy to speak evil of me.

But, if any one disowns me before his fellow men, I, too, will disown him before my Father who is in Heaven. Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring, not peace, but the sword. For I have come to set--'a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. read more.
A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, while he who, for my sake, has lost his life shall find it. He who welcomes you is welcoming me; and he who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger. He who welcomes a Prophet, because he is a Prophet, shall receive a Prophet's reward; and he who welcomes a good man, because he is a good man, shall receive a good man's reward.

"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." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said 'You are not all clean.' 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. read more.
"You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both. If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them. 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.' 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. In truth I tell you, he who receives any one that I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me."

Remember what I said to you--'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have laid my Message to heart, they will lay yours to heart also. Verse ConceptsFate Of The GodlyFaith, As A Body Of Beliefsdiscipleship, cost ofHumiliationRememberingServanthood, In SocietySuffering, Causes OfPersecution, Nature OfPersecution, OriginPersecution PredictedInferioritySlavesThey Do Not Keep CommandsPersecution

A scholar is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a scholar to be treated like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Baal-zebub, how much more the members of his household!

In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Verse ConceptsequalityInferiorityChrist Telling The TruthSlavesTruly TrulyPeople Sending People