A Prayer
of Jesus
I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.
ON TRUTH
Here are collected the utterances of Jesus that include the Greek words, aletheia, truth, alethes, true, alethinos, true, and alethos, truly.

This page discloses one of the mysteries of the gospels.  The Fourth Gospel places these words on the lips of Jesus 37 times, whereas the synoptics only once, and that an incidental reference in his sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth as reported by Luke.  Here is the sole synoptic usage; the Fourth Gospel usages are listed below.

Luke 4

23   And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Caper'na-um, do here also in your own country.'"
24   And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country.
25   But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Eli'jah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land;
26   and Eli'jah was sent to none of them but only to Zar'ephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

FROM THE FOURTH GOSPEL
Words Spoken to Nicodemus
John 3

19   And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20   For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21   But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.

A Discussion with the Woman of Samaria
John 4

7   There came a woman of Samar'ia to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."
8   For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9   The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samar'ia?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10   Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
11   The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water?
12   Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?"
13   Jesus said to her, "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again,
14   but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15   The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
16   Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
17   The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no  husband';
18   for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly."
19   The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
20   Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
21   Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
22   You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23   But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.
24   God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
25   The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things."
26   Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."
 

Words Spoken to His Disciples
John 4

34   Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.
35   Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest.
36   He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
37   For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.'
38   I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

A Discourse to the Jews
John 5

31   If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true;
32   there is another who bears witness to me, and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true.
33   You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
34   Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this that you may be saved.
35   He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
36   But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me.

Answering the People's Questions
John 6

30   So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform?
31   Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
32   Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33   For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world."
34   They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."
35   Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

Responding to the Jews
John 7

15   The Jews marveled at it, saying, "How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?"
16   So Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me;
17   if any man's will is to do his will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speakingon my own authority.
18   He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
19   Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?"

25   Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, "Is not this the man whom they seek to kill?
26   And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
27   Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from."
28   So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know.
29   I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me."
30   So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.

Responding to the Jews
John 8

12   Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
13   The Pharisees then said to him, "You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true."
14   Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness to myself, my testimony is true, for I know whence I have come and whither I am going, but you do not know whence I come or whither I am going.
15   You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one.
16   Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone that judge, but I and he who sent me.
17   In your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true;
18   I bear witness to myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness to me."
19   They said to him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered,"You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father also."

22   Then said the Jews, "Will he kill himself, since he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?"
23   He said to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.
24   I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he."
25   They said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Even what I have told you from the beginning.
26   I have much to say about you and much to judge; but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him."
27 They did not understand that he spoke to them of the Father.
28   So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me.
29   And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him."
30   As he spoke thus, many believed in him.
31   Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32   and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
33   They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, 'You will be made free'?"
34   Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin.
35   The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever.
36   So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
37   I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.
38   I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."
39   They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did,
40   but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did.
41   You do what your father did." They said to him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God."
42   Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
43   Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
44   You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45   But, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
46   Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
47   He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God."

Responding to the Disciples' Questions
John 14

5   Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"
6   Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.
7   If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him."
8   Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied."
9   Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10   Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
11   Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.
12   "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.
13   Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son;
14   if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.
15   "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16   And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever,
17   even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.
18   "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.
19   Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also.
20   In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21   He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."

The Parable of the Vine
John 15

1   "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2   Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
  You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.
4   Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5   I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6   If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.
7   If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
8   By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
9   As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.
10   If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
11   These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12   "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13   Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14   You are my friends if you do what I command you.
15   No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16   You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17   This I command you, to love one another.
18   "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19   If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20   Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
21   But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me.
22   If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23   He who hates me hates my Father also.
24   If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
25   It is to fulfil the word that is written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.'
26   But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me;
27   and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Some Final Words to the Disciples
John 16

1   "I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away.
2   They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
3   And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me.
4   But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
5   But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
6   But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.
7   Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
8   And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9   concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10   concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more;
11   concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12   "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13   When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Jesus Prays to the Father
 John 17

1   When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee,
2   since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him.
3   And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
4   I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do;
5   and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.
6   "I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word.
7   Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee;
8   for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9   I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine;
10   all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.
11   And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
12   While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13   But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14   I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15   I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one.
16   They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17   Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.
18   As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19   And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.
20   "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word,
21   that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22   The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
23   I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.
24   Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world.
25   O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me.
26   I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Pilate Questions Jesus
 John 18

3   Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
34   Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?"
35   Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?"
36   Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world."
37   Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."
38   Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again, and told them, "I find no crime in him.
39   But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?"
40   They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barab'bas!" Now Barab'bas was a robber.

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