On Witnessing and Testifying

Matt.8

[1] When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him;
[2] and behold, a leper came to
him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."
[3] And he stretched out his
hand and touched him, saying,

I will; be clean.
And immediately his leprosy
was cleansed.

[4] And Jesus said to him, See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.

Mark.1

[40] And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."
[41] Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him,
I will; be clean.
[42] And immediately the
leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
[43] And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once,
[44] and said to him, See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.

Luke.5

[12] While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."
[13] And he stretched out his
hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be clean.
And immediately the leprosy left him.

[14] And he charged him to tell no one; but

go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.

THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE

Matt.10

[1] And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity.

[9] Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts,
[10] no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food.
[11] And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart.
[12] As you enter the house, salute it.
[13] And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
[14] And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.

[15] Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah than for that town.

Mark.6

[7] And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

[8] He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;
[9] but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.
[10] And he said to them, Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.

[11] And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.

Luke.9

[1] And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
[2] and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.
[3] And he said to them, Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.

[4] And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.

[5] And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.

THE FATE OF THE DISCIPLES

Matt.10

[17] Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,
[18] and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.
[19] When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;
[20] for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
[21] Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;
[22] and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
[23] When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.

WHAT DEFILES A MAN

Matt.15

[10] And he called the people to him and said to them, Hear and understand:

[11] not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.
[12] Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
[13] He answered, Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.
[14] Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.
[15] But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."
[16] And he said, Are you also still without understanding?
[17] Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on?

[18] But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man.
[19] For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.

[20] These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.

Mark.7

[14] And he called the people to him again, and said to them, Hear me, all of you, and understand:
[15] there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.
[17] And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable.

[18] And he said to them, Then are you also without understanding?
Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him,
[19] since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
[20] And he said, What comes out of a man is what defiles a man.

[21] For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery,
[22] coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
[23] All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.

ON REPROVING A BROTHER

Matt.18

[15] If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
[16] But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
[17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

THE RICH YOUNG MAN

Matt.19

[16] And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?"

[17] And he said to him, Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.
[18] He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
[19] Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
[20] The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?"
[21] Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

[22] When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

Mark.10

[17] And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
[18] And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
[19] You know the commandments:

`Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'

[20] And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth."
[21] And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

22] At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

Luke.18

[18] And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

[19] And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
[20] You know the commandments:

`Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'

[21] And he said, "All these I have observed from my youth."
[22] And when Jesus heard it, he said to him,
One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
[23] But when he heard this he became sad, for he was very rich.

CONDEMNATION OF THE PHARISEES

Matt.23

[29] Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
[30] saying, `If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
[31] Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Luke.11

[46] Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
[47] Woe to you! for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.
[48] So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

Luke.16

[19] There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
[20] And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz'arus, full of sores,
[21] who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
[22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;
[23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz'arus in his bosom.
[24] And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz'arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.'
[25] But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz'arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
[26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'
[27] And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house,
[28] for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'
[29] But Abraham said, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'
[30] And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
[31] He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'

THE TIME OF TRIBULATION

Matt.24

[9A] Then they will deliver you up to tribulation,

Matt.10

Matt.24

[9B]and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.
[10] And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another.
[11] And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
[12] And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold.
[13] But he who endures to the end will be saved.
[14] And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.

Mark.13

[9] But take heed to yourselves;

for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues;

and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them.

[10] And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
[11] And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

[12] And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;
[13] and you will be hated by all for my name's sake.

But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Luke.21

[12] But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you,
delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and

you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.
[13] This will be a time for you to bear testimony.

[14] Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer;
[15] for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

[16] You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death;
[17] you will be hated by all for my name's sake.
[18] But not a hair of your head will perish.

[19] By your endurance you will gain your lives.

THE GREAT COMMISSION

Matt.28

[16] Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
[17] And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted.
[18] And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
[19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
[20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.

(Note: the trinitarian phrase in v. 19, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, was added sometime in the early Fourth Century, and is not part of the utterance of the Lord. ej)

Mark.16

[14] Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

[15] And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
[16] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

(Note:The above verses are not part of the original Gospel of Mark, but are part of the "Longer Ending" that was later tacked on. ej)

Luke.24

[44] Then he said to them, These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.
[45] Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,
[46] and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
[47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
[48] You are witnesses of these things.

Acts.1

[6] So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
[7] He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.
[8] But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth.

From the Fourth Gospel

JESUS INSTRUCTS NICODEUS

John.3

[7] Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be begotten from above.'
[8] The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is begotten of the Spirit.
[9] Nicode'mus said to him, "How can this be?"
[10] Jesus answered him, Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?
[11] Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony.
[12] If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

THE TWO WITNESSES

John.5

[30] "I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
[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.
[37] And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen;
[38] and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent.
[39] You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me;
[40] yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
[41] I do not receive glory from men.
[42] But I know that you have not the love of God within you.
[43] I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.
[44] How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
[45] Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope.
[46] If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me.
[47] But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words

JESUS AND HIS "BROTHERS"

John.7

[1] After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.
[2] Now the Jews' feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
[3] So his brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples may see the works you are doing.
[4] For no man works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world."
[5] For even his brothers did not believe in him.
[6] Jesus said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
[7] The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
[8] Go to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.
[9] So saying, he remained in Galilee.

John.8

[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.
[20] These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

John.10

[22] It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem;
[23] it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.
[24] So the Jews gathered round him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
[25] Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness to me;
[26] but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.

John.15

[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.

On Trial

John.18

[19] The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
[20] Jesus answered him, I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly.
[21] Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said.
[22] When he had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?"
[23] Jesus answered him, If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?
[24] Annas then sent him bound to Ca'iaphas the high priest.

[33] 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?"

Return to Logos Email Return to Home Page