The Author of Life Everlasting

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The Author of Life Everlasting

Chapter 2

In New Nature and In Truth

Now, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, during the Governorship of Pontius Pilate in Judah, while Herod was Tetrarch in Galilee, and Philip his brother Tetrarch in Ituraea and in the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanius Tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and of Caiaphas; the word of Yahweh came to John, the son of Zachariah, in the wilderness; and in those days came John the Baptizer; and he proclaimed in the desert of Judah, and said, “Repent; the sovereignty of Yahweh has approached.” And he came into all the wilderness region about the Jordan, John baptized and proclaimed the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; and their went out to him all the region of Judah, and all the people of Jerusalem; and he baptized them in the River Jordan; and as to this John, he was clad in raiment of camel’s hair; and was girded with a cincture of skin about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey; and he said to the people, who came to him to be baptized, “You offspring of scorpions, who has instructed you to flee from the anger which is coming? Bring forth, therefore, fruits which are worthy of repentance; and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father; for I say to you, that Yahweh can, from these stones, raise up sons to Abraham; and lo, the ax is already placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which bears not good fruits, will be cut down, and cast into the fire.” And the people asked him, and said, “What, then, shall we do?” He answered, saying to them, “Whoever has two tunics, let him give one to him that has none; and whoever has food, let him do the same.” And tax collectors also came to be baptized; and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Exact no more than you are require to exact.” And those serving in war inquired of him, and said, “And what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Be insolent to no one, and oppress no one, and let your wages satisfy you.” And while the people were thinking of John, and all pondered in their heart, perhaps he is the Messiah; and he proclaimed, and said, “Behold, after me comes one more powerful than I, of whom I am not worthy to stoop and untie the fastenings of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptized you with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh and with fire. He holds his winnowing shovel in his hand, and he will make clean his threshing floor; and the wheat he gathers into his garners and the chaff he will burn with fire not extinguished; and many other things also, he taught and proclaimed to the people; but Herod the Tetrarch, because he was reproved by John, on account of Herodias the wife of his brother Philip, and as a result of all the evil things he had done, added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.

Then went out to John Jerusalem, and all Judah, and all the country about the Jordan; and they were baptized by John in the River Jordan; but when he saw a great many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were coming to be baptized, he said to them, “O offspring of scorpions, who has taught you to flee from the anger which is to come? Bring forth the fruits therefore, that accord with repentance; and do not think and say within yourselves, that Abraham is our father; for I say to you, that Yahweh is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham; and lo, the ax is already placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which bears not good fruits, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that comes after me is more powerful than I; whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh and with fire. His winnowing shovel is in his hand; and he will make clean his threshing-floor. The wheat he will gather into his storehouse; and the chaff he will burn with fire not extinguished.” And it occurred, in those days, that Yeshua came from Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized by him; but John refused him; and said, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet have you come to me?” And Yeshua answered, saying to him, “Allow it now, for this is necessary for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted him; and when Yeshua was baptized, he went up immediately from the water; and he saw the sky cleft; and he saw power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh descending like a dove, and it came upon him; and lo, a voice from the sky, which said, “This is my beloved son, in whom I have delight.” And it occurred, when all the people were baptized, that Yeshua also was baptized; and as he prayed, the sky cleft; and power from on high descended upon him, in the bodily likeness of a dove, and there was a voice from the sky, which said, “You are my beloved son, in whom I have delight.”

And Yeshua was about thirty years old; and Yeshua, having the fullness of power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh upon him, returned from the Jordan. Than was Yeshua led by Yahweh into the wilderness forty days, to be tempted by Satan; and during those days, he ate nothing; and he was with the wild beasts; and when he had completed them, he was at last hungry; and Satan said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, command this stone to become bread.” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is written, that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that Yahweh decrees.” And Satan conducted him to a high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the land, in a little time; and Satan said to him, “To you will I give all this dominion, and the glory of it, which is committed to me, and to whom I please, I give it; if therefore, you will worship before me, the whole shall be yours.” But Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is written, Revere only Yahweh, and worship him alone, to him shall you hold fast, and swear only by his name.” And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, cast yourself down from here, for it is written, He will give his angels charge over you, to keep you; and in their arms will they sustain you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” And Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is said, Do not try Yahweh.” And when Satan had finished all his temptations, he departed from him for a time; and Satan came, and said to Yeshua, “If you are the son of Yahweh, command these stones to become bread.” But Yeshua replied, and said, “It is written, That man does not live on bread along, but that man may live on anything that Yahweh decrees.” Then Satan took him to the Holy City, and set him on a pinnacle of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, cast yourself down; for it is written, That he will give his angles charge of you, and in their hands will they sustain you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Yeshua said to him, “It is moreover written, Do not try Yahweh.” Then Satan took him to a mountain that was very high, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and said to him, “All these will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Yeshua said to him, “Begone, Satan; for it is written, Revere only Yahweh, and worship him alone, to him shall you hold fast, and swear only by his name.” Then Satan left Yeshua; and lo, angels came, and ministered to him.

John testified of Yeshua, and cried, and said, “This is he, of whom I said, that he comes after me, and is before me, and of his plenitude we have all received, grace and truth; for the law was given by the hand of Moses; but truth and grace came into reality by the hand of Yeshua the Messiah.” And this is the testimony of John, when the Israelites sent to him priests and levites, to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed, and denied not, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they ask him again, “Who then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you a prophet?” And he said, “No.” And they said to him, “Who are you? That we may a answer to them that sent us. What say you of yourself?” And they who were sent, were of the Pharisees; and they asked him, and said to him, “Why then baptize you, if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor a prophet” John answered, saying to them, “I baptize with water; but among you stands one, whom you do not know. He it is that comes after me, and is before me, the one, even the strings of whose sandals I am not worthy to until.” These things occurred in Bethany, where John was baptizing. The day after, John saw Yeshua coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the lamb of Yahweh, that bears the sin of Israel. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man, who is before me, and I knew him not; but that he might be known to Israel, therefore, am I come baptizing with water; and I saw power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh descend from the sky, as a dove, and it rested upon him; and I did not know him; but Yahweh, who sent me to baptize with water said to me, The one upon whom you see power from on high descending and resting, he is the one who will baptize with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh; and I saw; and I testify, that this is the son of Yahweh.”

And the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked upon Yeshua as he walked, and said, “Behold, the lamb of Yahweh!” And when he said it, two of his disciples heard it; and they went after Yeshua; and Yeshua turned, and saw them coming after him, and he said to them, “What seek you?” They said to him, “Teacher, where do you stay?” He said to them, “Come, and see.” And they came and saw where he lodged; and they were with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour; and one of those who heard John, and went after Yeshua, was Andrew, the brother of Simon. He first saw Simon his brother, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah.” And he brought him to Yeshua, and Yeshua looked upon him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jona; you shall be called Cephas.” The next day, Yeshua was disposed to depart for Galilee; and he found Philip, and said to him, “Come after me.” And Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Simon; and Philip found Nathaniel, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets, Yeshua the son of Joseph, who is of Nazareth.” Nathaniel said to him, “Can there be any good thing from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come, and see.” And Yeshua saw Nathaniel coming towards him, and said of him, “Behold, a real Israelite, in whom is no deceit.” Nathaniel said to him, “Whence know you me?” Yeshua said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathaniel answered, saying to him, “Teacher, you are the son of Yahweh; you are the King of Israel.” Yeshua said to him, “Because I said to you, that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. Truly I say to you, that here after you will see heaven opened, and the angels of Yahweh ascending and descending unto the son of man.” And on the third day there was a feast in Cana, a city of Galilee; and the mother of Yeshua was there; and also Yeshua and his disciples were invited to the feast; and the wine fell short, and his mother said to Yeshua, “They have no wine.” Yeshua said to her, “What is it to me and to you? Not yet has my hour come.” His mother said to the helpers, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” And there were there six water-pots of stone, set for the purification of the Israelites, which could hold several gallons each. Yeshua said to them, “Fill those water-pots with water.” And they filled them to the top. Then Yeshua said to them, “Draw now, and carry to the master of the feast.” And they carried; and when the master of the feast tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know whence it came; although the helpers knew, as they had filled the pots with water. Then the master of the feast called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man first brings forward the good wine, and when they are satiated, then that which is inferior; but you have kept the good wine till now.” And Yeshua’s disciples believed in him.

Afterwards Yeshua went down to Capernaum, he and his mother, and his brothers, and his disciples; and they were there a few days; and the Passover of the Israelites drew near; and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem; and he found in the temple courts those who sold beeves, and sheep, and doves, and the moneychangers sitting there; and he made himself a whip from a cord, and turned them all out of the temple courts, and the sheep, and the beeves, and the moneychangers; and he poured out their money, and overset their tables; and he said to them that sold doves, “Take away these things; and make not my Father’s house, a house of trading.” But the Israelites replied, saying to him, “What sign show you to us, since you do these things?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Tear down this temple, and in three days it will raise up.” The Israelites said to him, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” And while Yeshua was in Jerusalem, at the feast of the Passover, many believed in him, because they saw the miracles which he did; and there was a man of the Pharisees there, whose name was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Israelites; and he came to Yeshua by night, and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a teacher sent from Yahweh; for no man can do these miracles that you are doing, unless Yahweh is with him.” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “Truly I say to you, that, unless a man be born anew, he cannot behold the sovereignty of Yahweh.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can an old man be born? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “Truly I say to you, that, unless a man be born of water and new nature, he cannot enter the sovereignty of Yahweh. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of new nature, is new nature. Be not surprised that I said to you, you must be born of new nature.” Nicodemus answered, saying to him, “How can these things be?” Yeshua answered, saying to him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?” After these things, came Yeshua and his disciples into the land of Judah; and there he abode with them, and baptized. John also was baptizing at the spring of Aenon, which is near to Shalim, because there was much water there; and the people came, and were baptized; for John was not yet cast into prison; and one of John’s disciples and an Israelite had disputed respecting purification; and they came to John, and said to him, “Teacher, he who was with you at the Jordan crossing, and of whom you gave testimony, lo, he also is baptizing; and a great many are coming him.” John answered, saying to them, “A man cannot take anything by his own choice, unless it be given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Messiah. He who has a bride is the bridegroom; and the best man of the bridegroom is he who stands up and listens to him, and rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice; this my joy, therefore, lo, it is full. To him must be increase, and to me decrease.”

When Yeshua was aware, that the Pharisees had heard; that he made many disciples, and baptized more than John. Yet, Yeshua himself did not baptize, but his disciples; and he left Judah, and went again into Galilee; and in going, he had occasion to pass through the midst of the Samaritans; and he came to a city of the Samaritans called Sychar, near the field which Jacob gave to Joseph; and Jacob’s well of water was there; and Yeshua was weary with the toil of traveling, and seated himself by the well; and it was at the sixth hour; and a woman from Samaria came to draw water; and Yeshua said to her, “Give me water to drink.” And his disciples had gone to the city, to buy themselves food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How do you, an Israelite, ask drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? For the Israelites have no familiarity with Samaritans.” Yeshua replied, saying to her, “If you only knew the gift of Yahweh, and who is the man who said to you, Give me to drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water?” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no leather bucket, and no deep well; where do you get the living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well, and he himself drank from it, and his sons, and his sheep?” Yeshua replied, saying to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water which I give him, shall never thirst; but the same water, which I shall give him, will be in him a well of water, springing up unto life eternal.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me of this water, that I may not thirst again, and need not come and draw from here.” Yeshua said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” She said to him, “I have no husband.” Yeshua said to her, “You have well said, I have no husband; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have, is not your husband; in this you did speak truly.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; but the Israelites say, That in Jerusalem is the place where it is proper to worship.” Yeshua said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, you will worship the Father. You worship, you know not what; but we worship what we know; for deliverance is from the Israelites; but the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in new nature and in truth; for the Father desires worshippers such as these; for Yahweh is spirit; and they that worship him, must worship in new nature and in truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah will come; and when he comes, he will teach us everything.” Yeshua said to her, “I, who talk with you, am he.” And while Yeshua was speaking, his disciples came; and they wondered that he would converse with the woman; yet no one said, “What seek you?” or, “Why, talk you with her?” And the woman left her water-pot, and went to the city, and said to the people, “Come, see a man that told me everything I ever did; is not this the Messiah?” And the people went out of the city, and came to Yeshua. In the mean time, Yeshua’s disciples entreated him, and said to him, “Teacher, eat.” But Yeshua said to them, “I have food to eat, of which you are ignorant.” The disciples said among themselves, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Yeshua said to them, “My food is to do the pleasure of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do not say, that after four months comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, and lift up your eyes, and look upon the grounds, that they are white, and have long been ready for the harvest; and he that reaps, receives wages, and gathers fruits unto life eternal; and the sower and the reaper equally rejoice, for in this, is the proverb true, that one is the sower and another the reaper. I send you to reap that, on which you labored not; for others toiled, and you are entering into their labor.” And many Samaritans of that city believed in Yeshua, because of the discourse of the woman, who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” And when these Samaritans come to Yeshua, they requested him to tarry with them; and Yeshua remained with them two days; and many believed in Yeshua, because of his discourse; and they said to the woman, “Henceforth, we believe in him, not on account of your word; for we have heard him ourselves, and we know that he truly is the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel.” And after two days, Yeshua departed from there and went into Galilee; for Yeshua himself testified, that a prophet is not honored in his own city; and when he came to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the wonders Yeshua did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast; and Yeshua came again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine; and there was at Capernaum a king’s servant, whose son was sick. He heard that Yeshua had come from Judah to Galilee; and he went to Yeshua, and besought him, that he would come down and heal his son; for he was near dying. Yeshua said to him, “Unless you see miracles and wonders, you will not believe.” The king’s servant said to him, “Sir, come down, before the boy dies.” Yeshua said to him, “Go, your son lives.” And the man believed the word which Yeshua spake to him, and went away; and as he was going down, his servants met him, and informed him, saying to him, “Your son lives.” And he asked them, at what time he recovered; and they said to him, “Yesterday, at the seventh hour the fever left him.” And his father knew, that it was at that hour in which Yeshua said to him, “Your son lives.” And he believed, and all his house.

After these things there was a feast of the Israelites, and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem; and there was there in Jerusalem a certain place of purification, which was called Bethesda; and there were in it five porches; and in them were laid a great crowd of the sick, and the blind, and the lame, and the withered, waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel, from time to time, descended into the purification pool, and moved the water; and whoever first went in, after the moving of the water, was cured of whatever disease he had; and a man was there, who had been diseased thirty and eight years. Yeshua saw this man lying down, and Yahweh told Yeshua that his disease had been a long time upon him, so Yeshua said to him, “Desire you to be healed?” And the sick man answered, saying, “Yes, sir; but I have no one who, when the water is moved, will put me into the purification pool; but while I am coming, another one goes in before me.” Yeshua said to him, “Arise, take up your quilt, and walk.” And immediately the man was healed; and he arose, took up his quilt, and walked; and it was the Sabbath day; and the Israelites said to him that was healed, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to bear your quilt.” But he answered, saying to them, “He that made me whole, he said to me, Take up your quilt and walk.” And they asked him, “Who is the man that said to you, Take up your quilt and walk?” But the man that was healed, knew not who it was; for Yeshua had slid away, in the great crowd that was in the place. After a time, Yeshua found him in the temple courts, and said to him, “Lo, you are healed; sin not again, lest something worse come upon you than before.” And the man went, and told the Israelites, that it was Yeshua who had cured him; and for this cause the Israelites began to persecute Yeshua, and sought to kill him; because he had done these things on the Sabbath; but Yeshua said to them, “My Father works until now, and I work.” And for this the Israelites sought the more to kill him not only because he had broken the Sabbath, but because he had said of Yahweh, that he was his Father, and had equalled himself with Yahweh; and Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Truly I say to you, the son can do nothing, of his own pleasure, but what he sees the Father do; for what things the Father does, these in like manner does the son; for the Father loves his son, and showed him everything he does; and greater works than these, will the Father show him, that you may wonder. For, when the Father raises the dead, and gives them life; so also the son gives life to whom he pleases; for neither does the Father judge anyone, but he has entrusted all judgment to the son, that every man may honor the son, as he honors the Father. He that honors not the son, honors not the Father that sent him. Truly I say to you, that he who hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has life eternal, and will not come into comndemnation, but has passed from death to life. Truly I say to you, that the hour comes, and it is now already here, when the dead will hear the voice of the son of Yahweh; and they that hear, will live. For, as the Father has life in himself, so has he given to the son also, TO HAVE life in himself; and has moreover given him authority to execute judgment, as he is also the son of man. Marvel not at this; for the hour comes, when all that are in their graves will hear his voice; and will come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can do nothing of my own pleasure; but as I hear, so I judge; and my judgment is just; for I seek not my own pleasure, but the pleasure of him that sent me. If I should bear testimony respecting myself, my testimony would not be valid. There is another that bears testimony concerning me; and I know that the testimony which he bears concerning me is true. You sent unto John; and he bore testimony to the truth; and I have not received testimony from men; but these things I say, that you may live. He was a burning and shining lamp; and you were willing for a time, to glory in his light; but I have a testimony, which is greater than that of John; for the works which my Father has given me to accomplish, these works which I do, testify of me, that the Father has sent me; and the Father who sent me, he testifies of me; and his word abides not in you, because you believe not in him whom he has sent. Search the scriptures; for in them, you think, there is life eternal for you; and they testify of me; and you are unwilling to come to me, that life eternal may be yours. I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that the love of Yahweh is not in you. I came in the name of my Father, and you receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and seek not the glory which comes from Yahweh only? Do you suppose, that I shall accuse you before the Father? There is one that will accuse you, that Moses, on whom you rely. For, if you believed Moses, you would also believe me; for Moses wrote concerning me; but if you believe not his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Now when Yeshua had heard that John was delivered up, Yeshua returned to Galilee; and fame concerning him spread in all the region around them; and he taught in their synagogues, and was lauded by everyone; and he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went as he was accustomed, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and rose up to read; and there was delivered to him the scroll of Isaiah the prophet; and Yeshua unrolled the scroll, and found the place where it is written, “The power of Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me; he has sent me as a herald of joy to the humble, to bind up the wounded of heart, to proclaim release to the captives, liberation to the imprisoned; to proclaim a year of Yahweh’s favor.” And Yeshua rolled up the scroll, and gave it to the servitor, and went and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing upon him; and he began to say to them, “This day, is this scripture which you have heard, is fulfilled in your ears.” And all bare him witness, and admired the gracious words which proceeded from his mouth; and they said, “Is not this the son of Joseph?” Yeshua said to them, “Perhaps, you will speak to me this proverb, Physician, heal yourself; and whatever we have heard of your doing in Capernaum, do you here also in your city. Truly I say to you, there is no prophet who is acceptable in his own city; for I tell you the truth, that there were many widows in the House of Israel, in the days of Elijah the prophet, when the sky was closed up three years and six months, and there was a great famine in all the land; but to no one of them was Elijah sent, except to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a widow woman; and there were may lepers in the House of Israel, in the days of Elisha the prophet; but none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” And when they heard these things, those in the synagogue were all filled with wrath; and they rose up, and thrust Yeshua out of the city, and brought him to the top of the hill on which the city was built, that they might cast him down from a cliff; but he passed through the midst of them, and went away.