Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible




Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside. They are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness on the inside.


We are not again commending ourselves to you. But we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us. That way you may have an answer for those who glory in appearance, and not in heart.

You look at the things that are before you. If any man trusts in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again within himself that, even as he is Christ's, so also are we.

A man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes and a poor man in shabby clothes comes into your synagogue. You pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and say: Sit here in a good place. Then you say to the poor man: Stand there, or Sit under my footstool. Do not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts.



Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside. They are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness on the inside.


We are not again commending ourselves to you. But we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us. That way you may have an answer for those who glory in appearance, and not in heart.

You look at the things that are before you. If any man trusts in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again within himself that, even as he is Christ's, so also are we.

A man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes and a poor man in shabby clothes comes into your synagogue. You pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and say: Sit here in a good place. Then you say to the poor man: Stand there, or Sit under my footstool. Do not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts.


Midway through the feast Jesus went to the temple and taught. The Jews wondered saying: How does this man know letters? He has had no formal education. Jesus replied: My teaching is not my own. It is his who sent me. read more.
If any man does his will he shall know the teachings. He will know if it is from God, or whether I speak from myself. He who speaks from his own authority seeks his own glory. He who seeks glory for the one who sent him is true. Unrighteousness is not found in him. Did Moses give you the law? Yet none of you obey the law! Why do you seek to kill me? The crowd answered: You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you? Jesus responded: I did one work and you all marveled because of it. Moses gave you circumcision. Not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers. And you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. A man receives circumcision on the Sabbath. That way the Law of Moses may not be broken. Are you angry with me, because I made an entire man whole on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance! Judge a righteous judgment. Some in Jerusalem asked: Is this he whom they seek to kill? He spoke openly and they said nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ? How is it we know where this man is from but when the Christ comes no one will know where he is from? Jesus shouted in the temple: You know me and from where I came. I did not come on my own. He who sent me is true and you do not know him. I know him because I am from him and he sent me. They looked for a way to capture him. But no man laid his hand on him. This is because his hour had not yet arrived. Many in the crowd believed in him. They asked: When the Christ comes will he do more signs than those this man has done? The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things concerning him. The chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to capture him. Jesus therefore said: I am with you a little while. Then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me and will not find me. You cannot come where I am going. The Jews said among themselves: Where will this man go that we shall not find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What is this word that he said: 'You will seek me, and will not find me; and you cannot come where I am going?' On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and shouted in a loud voice: If any man thirst let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will flow from the innermost being of the man who believes in me. This is according to the scriptures. He spoke this by the Spirit. Those who believed in him were to receive the Spirit. The Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words some of the crowd proclaimed: This truly is the prophet! Others said: This is the Christ. But some asked: Does the Christ come out of Galilee? Do the Scriptures say that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was? So there arose a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to apprehend him. Yet no man laid hands on him. The chief priests and Pharisees asked the officers: Why did you not bring him? No man has ever spoken the way he speaks, they replied. The Pharisees therefore answered them: Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in him? This crowd does not know the law. It is contemptible Nicodemus spoke to them. (He is the Pharisee who earlier went to Jesus.) Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to find out what he has done? They replied: Are you also from Galilee? Search, and see that no prophet comes out of Galilee. [Then each man went to his own house.] (questionable text)




Never pervert justice. Always be impartial. Never take a bribe, because bribes blind wise people and deny justice to those who are in the right.

Do not follow the majority to do wrong. Do not give testimony that perverts justice. Do not show partiality to a poor man at his trial.


You will not show partiality in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great. You will not fear man for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'

It is not good to accept the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

These sayings belong to the wise. It is not good to show partiality in judgment.



I charged your judges to hear the cases between your countrymen and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger with him. You will not show partiality in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great. You will not fear man for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'


He appointed judges in the country, in each fortified city of Judah. He told the judges: Be careful when you make your decisions in court. Remember these are Jehovah's people. He will know the judgements you decide. Do your work in honor of him and know that he will not allow you to be unfair to anyone or to take bribes.



Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside. They are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness on the inside.


We are not again commending ourselves to you. But we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us. That way you may have an answer for those who glory in appearance, and not in heart.

You look at the things that are before you. If any man trusts in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again within himself that, even as he is Christ's, so also are we.

A man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes and a poor man in shabby clothes comes into your synagogue. You pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and say: Sit here in a good place. Then you say to the poor man: Stand there, or Sit under my footstool. Do not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts.


There he saw a man who had a withered hand. They asked him if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? They wanted to accuse him. He said to them: Which of you having one sheep, if this sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath day, will not get it and lift it out. How much more value is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day! read more.
Then he said to the man: Stretch out your hand. He stretched it out and it was restored whole like the other.

Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath. A woman had an evil spirit that kept her sick for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not stand straight. Jesus called to her: Woman you are free from your sickness! read more.
He touched her and at once she stood straight up and praised God. The official of the synagogue was angry that Jesus healed on the Sabbath. He told the people: There are six days in which we should work. Come during those days and be healed, not on the Sabbath! The Lord answered: You hypocrites! You would untie your ox or your donkey from the stall and take it out to give it water on the Sabbath. Here is a descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept in bonds for eighteen years. Should she be released on the Sabbath? His answer shamed his enemies. The people rejoiced over the wonderful things he did.

The man went away and told the Jews Jesus made him whole. The Jews persecuted Jesus because he did these things on the Sabbath. Jesus responded to them: My Father works until now and I work. read more.
The Jews intensified their efforts to kill him for these reasons: he broke the Sabbath and he also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

There was in his presence a man who had the dropsy (swollen arms and legs). Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not? They did not speak. So he held the man and healed him and let him go. read more.
He said: Which of you who has an ass or a bull that falls into a well, and will not immediately pull him up on a Sabbath day?

Jesus responded: I did one work and you all marveled because of it. Moses gave you circumcision. Not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers. And you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. A man receives circumcision on the Sabbath. That way the Law of Moses may not be broken. Are you angry with me, because I made an entire man whole on the Sabbath? read more.
Do not judge according to appearance! Judge a righteous judgment.


Jesus answered him: I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues, and in the temple where all the Jews gathered. I spoke nothing in secret.

Chief priests and scribes approached him at the Temple in Jerusalem. They said to him: By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you authority to do these things? Jesus said: I will ask you one question. Give me an answer, and I will say by what authority I do these things. read more.
The baptism of John was it from heaven or from men? Give me an answer. They thought about it among themselves saying: If we say from heaven he will say why did you not have faith in him? They feared the people. If we say from men the people would not like it because they all thought John was a true prophet. They told Jesus We have no idea. Jesus said to them: I should not say to you by what authority I do these things.

Still teaching in the temple Jesus said: Do the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? Inspired by Holy Spirit David said: 'Jehovah said to my Lord sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' (Psalm 110:1) David called him Lord. How is it that he is his son? The people were pleased with what he said. read more.
He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces. They demand the front seats in the synagogues and prominent places at feasts. They devour widows' houses and for pretence make long prayers. These shall receive greater condemnation. He sat down near the collection boxes and observed how the crowd dropped money into the boxes. Many that were rich dropped in much. A poor widow came along and dropped in two mites. He told his disciples: Truly I tell you this poor widow gave more then all the others who gave to the collection box. They all gave out of their surplus. She gave out of her poverty. She gave all that she owned, all her living.

I was with you every day in the Temple teaching and you did not take me. This is done so that the scriptures will be fulfilled.

Later Jesus found him in the temple and told him: Now that you are healed do not sin anymore and avoid worse things happening to you. The man went away and told the Jews Jesus made him whole. The Jews persecuted Jesus because he did these things on the Sabbath. read more.
Jesus responded to them: My Father works until now and I work.

Midway through the feast Jesus went to the temple and taught. The Jews wondered saying: How does this man know letters? He has had no formal education. Jesus replied: My teaching is not my own. It is his who sent me. read more.
If any man does his will he shall know the teachings. He will know if it is from God, or whether I speak from myself. He who speaks from his own authority seeks his own glory. He who seeks glory for the one who sent him is true. Unrighteousness is not found in him. Did Moses give you the law? Yet none of you obey the law! Why do you seek to kill me? The crowd answered: You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you? Jesus responded: I did one work and you all marveled because of it. Moses gave you circumcision. Not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers. And you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. A man receives circumcision on the Sabbath. That way the Law of Moses may not be broken. Are you angry with me, because I made an entire man whole on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance! Judge a righteous judgment. Some in Jerusalem asked: Is this he whom they seek to kill? He spoke openly and they said nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ? How is it we know where this man is from but when the Christ comes no one will know where he is from? Jesus shouted in the temple: You know me and from where I came. I did not come on my own. He who sent me is true and you do not know him.

It was wintertime. Jesus was walking in the temple on Solomon's porch (the Colonnade of Solomon). The Jews came to him and asked: How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus replied: I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness of me. read more.
You do not believe because you are not my sheep! My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life. They will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father has given them to me. He is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one (united in purpose). The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied to them: I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him: We do not stone you for good work but for blasphemy. You are a man and you make yourself like God. (John 1:1) Jesus said: Is it not written in your law, I said, you are 'god-like ones'? So if he called them 'god-like ones,' those to whom the word of God came, and the Scriptures may not be annulled, do you say to the one whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, you blaspheme? And this because I said, I am the Son of God. (Psalm 82:1, 6) (John 1:34; 5:18) (Luke 1:35) If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them and you do not believe me, believe the works! That way you may know and understand that the Father is with me, and I am with the Father.