October 1, 2006
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 WHY HE CAME

Here are collected the utterances of Jesus wherein he states his purposes in coming into the world, or to the earth from heaven.  There are two primary Greek verbs that he utilizes.  They are ἔρχομαι and καταβαίνω.

The definitions, as given by BDAG1

ἔρχομαι -- of movement from one point to another, with focus on approach from the narrators perspective, come

καταβαίνω -- to move downward, come/go/climb down

The corresponding English words are colored in blue where they occur in the English text below.

Arndt, William ; Danker, Frederick W. ; Bauer, Walter: A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2000

TO DESTROY THE LAW ?

Matthew 5
17 Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, one dot-of-an-"i" or cross-of-a-"t" will not pass away from the law, until all come to pass.
19 For whoever sets aside one of these least commandments and so teaches men, he will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens. [But whoever does and teaches [them], this [one] will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.
20 For I say to you that unless your justice abounds more than [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
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TO SEND PEACE?

Matthew 10
34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on the land. I did not come to bring peace but [a] sword.
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Luke 12
51 You suppose that I came to give peace to the earth? No, I say to you, but rather division.
35 For I came to set [a] man against his father and [a] daughter against her mother, and [a] wife against her in-laws. 
53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her bride and bride against mother-in-law.
36 And [a] man's enemies will be of his own house.

52 For it will be from now on five in one house divided, three against two and two against three.
37 The [one] philia-loving father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the [one] philia-loving son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.


38 And whoever does not receive his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.

39 The [one] finding his psyche-life shall lose it, and the [one] losing his psyche-life because of me will find it.


TO DELIVER THE PERISHING?

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Luke 19
1 And when he entered he came through Jericho.
2 And behold [there was a] man by name being called Zacharias, and he was chief tax collector, and he was rich.
3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus is, and was not able from the crowd, for he was small in stature.
4 And running before, he climbed up [a] sycamore tree, in order that he see him, for he was [about] to come by that [place].
5 And as he came to the place, having looked up, Jesus said to him: Zachariah, having made haste come down, for today I must remain in your house.
6 And having made haste he came down, and he hosted him rejoicing.
7 And when they saw, all grumbled saying that: With [a] sinful man did he enter to lodge.
8 But having stood, Zacharias said to the Lord: Behold half of my possessions, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I accuse something of anyone wrongly, I return fourfold.
9 But Jesus said to him that: Today has deliverance come to this house, although he is [a] son of Abraham.
10 For the son of man came to seek and to deliver the perished.

FROM THE FOURTH GOSPEL

So that the world be saved for eternal life?

John 3

9 Nicodemus answered and said to him: How are these [things] able to come to pass?
10 Jesus answered and said to him: You are the teacher of Israel and you do not know these [things]?
11 Truly truly I say to you that what we have known we speak and what we have seen we testify, and our testimony you [all] do not receive.
12 If I told the earthly to you [all] , and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell the heavenly to you?
13 And no one has gone up into heaven except the one having come down out of heaven, the son of man.
14 And just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, in this manner it is necessary for the son of man to be lifted up,
15 so that everyone believing in him may be having eternal zoe-life
16 For God thus agape-loved the world: so that he gave his uniquely-begotten son, so that everyone believing in him not perish but be having eternal zoe-life.
17 For God did not send his son into the world that he judge the world, but that the world be saved through him.


John 3
33 The [one] having received his testimony has set his seal [to this], that God is true.
34 For [the one] whom God sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the spirit by measure.
35 The father agape-loves the son, and has given everything into his hand.
36 The [one] believing in the son has eternal zoe-life, but the [one] disobeying the son will not see zoe-life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

To Do the Will of the Father?

John 6
32 So Jesus said to them: Truly truly I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is the [one] coming down from heaven and giving zoe-life to the world.
34 So they said to him: Lord, always give us this bread.
35 Jesus said to them: I am the bread of zoe-life; the [one] coming to me will not hunger, and the [one] believing in me will not thirst ever.
36 But I said to you that you have seen me and do not believe.
37 All that the father gives me will come to me, and the [one] coming to me I will not cast out.
38 For I am come down from heaven not in order that I do my will, but the will of the [one] having sent me.
39 This is the will of the [one] having sent me, that of all he has given me I not lose [any] of it, but raise it up in the last day.
40 For this is the will of my father, that everyone beholding the son and believing in him have zoe-life eternal, and I will raise him up in the last day.

50 This is the bread coming down from heaven, in order that anyone who eat of it also not die. 51 I am the zoe-living bread having come down out of heaven. If anyone eat of this bread, he will zoe-live to eternity. But the bread that I will give is my flesh in behalf of the zoe-life of the world.
To Bring Light Into the Darkness of the World?

John 8

12 So, again Jesus spoke to them saying: I am the light of the world. The [one] following me shall not walk in darkness, but will have the light of zoe-life .
13 So the Pharisees said to him: You witness concerning yourself, your witness is not true.
14 Jesus answered and said to them: And if I witness concerning myself, my witness is true, because I know from where I came and [to] where I depart. But you do not know from where I come or [to] where I depart.

To Give Sight to the Blind?

John 9

30 The man answered and said to them: But in this [one] is [an] amazing [thing], that you do not know from where he is, and he opened my eyes.
31 We know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone be godly and do his will, he hears this [one].
32 From eternity it has not been heard that anyone opened [the] eyes of [one] born blind.
33 If this [one] was not from God, he would not be able to be doing anything.
34 They answered and said to him: You were born entirely in sins, and you teach us? And they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they threw him out, and having found him he said: Do you believe in the son of man? 
36 That [one] answered and said: And who is he, Lord, that I believe in him?
37 Jesus said to him: You have seen him and the [one] speaking with you is that [one].
38 So he said: I believe, Lord, and he worshipped him.
39 And Jesus said: For judgment did I come into the world, in order that those not seeing may see, and those seeing may become blind.
40 Those of the Pharisees being with him heard these [things], and said to him, Are we also blind?
41 Jesus said to them: If you were blind, you were not having sin. But now you say: We see. Your sin abides.

To Have Eternal (ZOE) Life Exceedingly?

John 10

7 So Jesus said again, Truly truly I say to you that I am the gate of the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers. But the sheep have not heard them.
9 I am the gate. If anyone enter through me, he will be saved, and he will come in and will go out and will find pasture.
10 The thief does not come except in order that he steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came in order that they have zoe-life and have [it] exceedingly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd appoints his psyche-life in behalf of the sheep.

To Cast Out the Ruler of This World?

John 12

The [one] philia-loving his psyche-life will lose it, and the [one] hating his psyche-life in this world will guard it to zoe-life eternal.
26 If anyone be serving me, he must be following me, and where I am, there also will be the [one] serving me. If anyone be serving me, the father will honor him.
27 Now my psyche-life is troubled, and what should I say? Father, save me from this hour? But because of this I came to this hour.
28 Father, glorify your name. [a] voice therefore came from heaven: I have glorified [it] and will again glorify [it].
29 The crowd therefore having stood and having heard were saying: Thunder came to pass, others were saying: [An] angel has spoken to him.
30 Jesus answered and said: This voice did not come to pass because of me but because [of you].
31 Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be thrown out.

To Save the World and Speak the Words of the Father?

John 12

44 But Jesus cried out and said: The [one] believing in me does not believe in me but [rather] in the [one] having sent me,
45 and the [one] beholding me beholds the [one] having sent me.
46 I am light come into the world, in order that everyone believing in me not abide in darkness.
47 And if anyone hear my words and not guard [them], I do not judge him, for I came not in order that I judge the world, but in order that I save the world.
48 The [one] setting me aside and not receiving my words has [one] judging him: the word that I spoke - that will judge him in the last day.
49 Because I have not spoken from myself, but the [one] having sent me, [the] father himself has given to me commandment what I should say and what I should speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is eternal zoe-life. What therefore I speak, just as the father has spoken to me, thusly I speak.

To Overcome the World?

John 16

27 For the father himself philia-loves you, because you have philia-loved me and have believed that I have come out from beside the father.
28 I came from the father and I am come into the world; again I leave the world and go to the father.
29 His disciples say: Behold now he speaks openly, and he no longer speaks in parables.
30 Now we know that you know everything and you have no need that anyone ask you. In this we believe that you came out from God.
31 Jesus answered them: You now believe?
32 Behold the hour comes and is [now] come in order that each be scattered to his own and you leave me alone. And you do not leave me along, because the father is with me.
33 These [things] have I spoken to you in order that you have peace in me. In the world you have affliction, but be of good courage, I have overcome the world.

To Witness to the Truth?

John 18

33 Pilate therefore went in again into the Praetorium and called Jesus and said to him: Are you the king of the Jews?
34 Jesus answered: Do you say this from yourself or did others tell you concerning me?
35 Pilate answered: Am I [a] Jew? Your nation and chief-priests have delivered you up to me. What did you do?
36 Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my officers would have fought in order that I not be delivered up to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here.
37 Pilate therefore said to him: So are you [a] king? Jesus answered: You say that I am king. I am born for this and am come into the world for this, in order that I witness to the truth. All those being from the truth hear my voice. Pilate says to him: What is truth?