Tag Archives: Mark 12:28-34

The New Covenant, Part 3

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In an article, “All of America Must Be a Hard Target to Prevent Mass Shootings,” James Pinkerton wrote:

Reacting to an earlier school shooting, former Los Angeles police officer J. Warner Wallace identified four driving causes: “an increase in social media use”; “an increased dependency on prescription medicine”; “an increase in single parent households”; and “a decrease in traditional Christian values,” including, we can add, the belief that bad people go to hell where they are tormented forever. It’s too bad that the idea of hell, just as the notion of evil, has been mostly banished by our secular culture.

This article was written in response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

On May 24, 2022, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos fatally shot nineteen students and two teachers, and wounded seventeen other people, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States.1

Mr. Ramos didn’t surrender to authorities but fought apparently to the death. If he had been raised with “‘traditional Christian values,’ including…the belief that bad people go to hell where they are tormented forever” would he have feared death more? Would he have feared death enough to dissuade him from shooting 39 people including his grandmother?2 Clearly, I don’t know the answer to those questions, but asking them helps me understand why some would prefer to deprive Mr. Ramos (and everyone else) of weapons that can kill so many so fast.

Fear of death didn’t dissuade Adam and Eve from eating the fruit God had forbidden. Granted, death may have been an abstract concept until Cain killed Abel. The law God gave to Israel added many fearful punishments including death (Exodus 21:12-22:20; Leviticus 7:20-27; 19:5-10; 20:1-9; 24:13-23; 26:14-38) for noncompliance. Israel didn’t keep the law in a way that satisfied God.

People may have been more or less satisfied with the law depending on whether they were victimized by lawbreakers or not. I know none of the children or adults killed or wounded in Uvalde at the Robb Elementary School. I’m more or less satisfied that the laws in Uvalde did what they could. At least, I’m not persuaded that any new laws would help significantly to prevent such killings.

Mr. Ramos seemed willing to die for his cause, whatever he perceived that cause to be.3

“Ramos’s social media acquaintances said he openly abused animals such as cats and would livestream the abuse on Yubo.[111] Other social media acquaintances said that he would also livestream himself on Yubo threatening to kidnap and rape girls who used the app, as well as threatening to commit a school shooting.[109] “On May 14, Ramos sent a private Instagram message reading, ’10 more days’. A person responded, ‘Are you going to shoot up a school or something?’ He replied, ‘No, stop asking dumb questions. You’ll see.’

Neither the law nor the fear of death deterred him from his course. At least, no one has reported that he curled up in a fetal position and cried when surrounded by armed men. Perhaps, there were no witnesses by that point.

Paul wrote (Romans 8:3, 4 NET):

God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

This fulfillment of the righteous requirement of the law…in us, who…walk according to the Spirit got short shrift from me when avoiding hell was my hope of “salvation.” Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead to save each of us first and foremost from our sinful selves.

Paul continued (Romans 8:5 NET):

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.

What is born of the flesh is flesh, Jesus told Nicodemus, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’4

Now the works of the flesh are obvious, Paul wrote, sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!5

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh…For the outlook of the flesh is death…because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.6

You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires,7 Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him,8 arguably the best of the best at suppressing the sins of the flesh while still in the flesh. I already admitted I didn’t take Jesus seriously here until recently.

I recall when my mother tried to teach me about hell by putting my hand in a gas flame on the stove. She failed. She wasn’t strong enough, whether physically or emotionally, to overcome my resistance.

That sounds obscene without context, but frankly, I don’t remember the context. I probably said or did something that highly offended her. I did that often. She told me many times how often she was surprised by the sinfulness of her precious first born baby boy. This was long after I had said a sinner’s prayer to Jesus to escape hell.

Mom was consistent in her expectation that someone born of God should be different. I see that now. At the time she was up against a religious establishment that defended its religious traditions, and I had said the sinner’s prayer those traditions required. At that time I resented being called sinful. So I lived 65 years before I could or would acknowledge that I in my flesh was from [my] father the devil.

Jesus continued to describe my father and my unwitting relationship to him (John 8:44b-46a NET):

He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies [Table]. But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? [Table]

Jesus was not some egoist bolstering his own self-esteem by denigrating others. He is God, come to earth as a human being to, among other things, teach us what we did not understand, what we refused to understand, about ourselves (John 8:46b, 47 NET).

If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me [Table]? The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond because you don’t belong to God.

I hear this as a relative measure. For I know that nothing good lives in me, Paul wrote, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.9 Even here, though, Paul recognized God’s law as the good (Romans 7:10b-12 NET):

So10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them [Pharisees and Herodians…Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection)] debating (Mark 12:28-34a NET).

When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’ [Table]. The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him. And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” [Table]. When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Paul continued (Romans 7:13-17 NET):

Did that which is good, then, become11 death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual—but I am unspiritual (KJV: carnal), sold into slavery to sin [Table]. For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want—instead, I do what I hate. But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me [Table].

I wasn’t so clear. The good was what I wanted, irrespective of God’s law. My faith in this understanding of the good reached its zenith when I became an atheist, but it didn’t vanish overnight. God’s laws were added more or less reluctantly over time to my understanding of the good as what I wanted, but still may not have entirely supplanted it on a day-to-day basis.

While I might have seen some benefit to a law that inhibits you from messing around with my wife, if I wanted yours more than you did and she wanted me more than you, I was kind of fuzzy why you or God should interfere with the good we wanted. So, I “loved” and lusted after a friend’s wife for twenty years.

To Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’ [Table] was a tall order when I thought of love as my feeling. It was all but impossible when I thought of the Gospel as an ultimatum: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or burn in hell for all eternity.” Socialized as a male American after Adolf Hitler’s death, during the reigns of Chairman Mao and Nikita Khrushchev anyone who made such an ultimatum was not one to be loved, but someone to be resisted to the death.

A better understanding of love (1 Corinthians 13) helped me to begin to love God. Even when I thought Paul’s description of love was rules for me to obey in my own strength, it gave me more practical things to do than trying to conjure a feeling of love. When I began to understand Paul’s description as God’s love, given freely to us as an aspect of the fruit of his Holy Spirit, everything began to change for the better. I began, in fact, to be born from above in practice.

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, Jesus taught, nor again12 does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from brambles. The good person out of the good treasury of his13 heart produces good, and the evil person14 out of his evil treasury15 produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills16 his17 heart.18

I didn’t know Mr. Ramos. I know the fruit of the Spirit through the word of God and personal experience. Mr. Ramos was not led by God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control when he shot 39 people. You people are from your father the devil, Jesus warned, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning…19

United States Congressmen take an oath of office:20

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

Members of the U.S. Congress have forsworn themselves to enact legislation to infringe “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms.”21 And the President of the United States, who made a similar oath,22 signed that legislation.23 Mr. Ramos’ acts of political terrorism have apparently succeeded where others have failed. Was this his conscious purpose and cause? I have no way of knowing.

Jesus warned us of a powerful liar and murderer who incites people to obey his will (John 8:44b, 44a NET):

He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies.

You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.

Do not be amazed that I said to you, Jesus said, ‘You must all be born from above.’24

As I wrote this essay the Supreme Court of the United States of America barely affirmed the rather obvious fact that no right of abortion is mentioned in the document that constitutes the federal government of the United States. What impact might this tepid affirmation have on those who want a right of abortion, who want to destroy their unborn children, who want me (among others) to consider them righteous if they do so? I don’t know.

Considering the question, however, helps to confirm for me the relative futility of political action vis-a-vis the privilege of sharing the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost (πρῶτος).25 In other words, God in Christ has done all the heavy lifting to save sinners like you and me from our sinful selves. Know Him. [T]his is eternal life,26 Jesus prayed.

“Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.

For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds, and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be my people.

And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest.

For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer” [Table].27

Tables comparing Romans 7:13; Luke 6:43 and 6:45 in the NET and KJV follow.

Romans 7:13 (NET)

Romans 7:13 (KJV)
Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Τὸ οὖν ἀγαθὸν ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο θάνατος; μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἵνα φανῇ ἁμαρτία, διὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μοι κατεργαζομένη θάνατον, ἵνα γένηται καθ᾿ ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς το ουν αγαθον εμοι γεγονεν θανατος μη γενοιτο αλλα η αμαρτια ινα φανη αμαρτια δια του αγαθου μοι κατεργαζομενη θανατον ινα γενηται καθ υπερβολην αμαρτωλος η αμαρτια δια της εντολης το ουν αγαθον εμοι γεγονεν θανατος μη γενοιτο αλλα η αμαρτια ινα φανη αμαρτια δια του αγαθου μοι κατεργαζομενη θανατον ινα γενηται καθ υπερβολην αμαρτωλος η αμαρτια δια της εντολης

Luke 6:43 (NET)

Luke 6:43 (KJV)
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν δένδρον καλὸν ποιοῦν καρπὸν σαπρόν, οὐδὲ πάλιν δένδρον σαπρὸν ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλόν ου γαρ εστιν δενδρον καλον ποιουν καρπον σαπρον ουδε δενδρον σαπρον ποιουν καρπον καλον ου γαρ εστιν δενδρον καλον ποιουν καρπον σαπρον ουδε δενδρον σαπρον ποιουν καρπον καλον

Luke 6:45 (NET)

Luke 6:45 (KJV)
The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his heart. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας προφέρει τὸ ἀγαθόν, καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ προφέρει τὸ πονηρόν· ἐκ γὰρ περισσεύματος καρδίας λαλεῖ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ο αγαθος ανθρωπος εκ του αγαθου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου προφερει το αγαθον και ο πονηρος ανθρωπος εκ του πονηρου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου προφερει το πονηρον εκ γαρ του περισσευματος της καρδιας λαλει το στομα αυτου ο αγαθος ανθρωπος εκ του αγαθου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου προφερει το αγαθον και ο πονηρος ανθρωπος εκ του πονηρου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου προφερει το πονηρον εκ γαρ του περισσευματος της καρδιας λαλει το στομα αυτου

2 “Robb Elementary School shooting,” Wikipedia: “Earlier in the day, he shot his grandmother in the forehead at home, severely wounding her.”

4 John 3:6, 7 (NET)

5 Galatians 5:19-21 (NET) Table

6 Romans 8:5-8 (NET)

7 John 8:44a (NET) Table

8 John 8:31a (NET)

9 Romans 7:18 (NET) Table

10 In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 verse 10 begins with ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπέθανον (NET: and I died). These words conclude verse 9 in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

15 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου (KJV: treasure of his heart) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

16 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article του preceding what fills (KJV: abundance). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

17 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article της preceding heart. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

18 Luke 6:43-45 (NET)

19 John 8:44a (NET) Table

21 The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

24 John 3:7 (NET)

25 1 Timothy 1:15b (ESV)

26 John 17:3 (NET)

27 Hebrews 8:8b-12 (NET) [See Greek comparison tables]

The Lost Son of Perdition, Part 2

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Lazarus had been buried four days.  Jesus raised him from the dead (John 11:38-44).  John recalled the aftermath (John 11:45-53 NET):

Then many of the people, who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him.  But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done [Table].  So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, “What are we doing?  For this man is performing many miraculous signs.  If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation.”

Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, “You know nothing at all!  You do not realize that it is more to your[1] advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”  (Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied[2] that Jesus[3] was going to die for the Jewish nation, and not for the Jewish nation only, but to gather together into one the children of God who are scattered.)  So from that day they planned together[4] to kill him.

The Greek word translated perish was ἀπόληται (a form of ἀπόλλυμι).  I don’t think for a moment that Caiaphas meant: it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to burn in hell for all eternity.  Caiaphas feared something more like what happened in 70 AD.  But Caiaphas was high priest that year, John recalled, he did not say this on his own but prophesied.  So what did the Holy Spirit mean?  The events of 70 AD were not averted by Jesus’ death.

I tell you, my friends, Jesus said, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do [Table].  But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who, after the killing, has authority to throw you into hell (γέενναν, a form of γέεννα).  Yes, I tell you, fear him![5]

The Greek word ἀπόληται was also translated perish in, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.[6]  If I’m not careful I read this as God…gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not burn in hell for all eternity but go to heaven.  This reading is so ingrained I find it difficult to accept Jesus’ judgment if He proposes different criteria for departing into the eternal fire (Matthew 25:31-46).

Condemning those, however, who have demonstrated no care or concern for Jesus’ brothers and sisters into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels[7] is consistent with Jesus’ teaching on the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-34a NET):

Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them debating.  When he saw[8] that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”[9]  Jesus[10] answered,[11] “The most important[12] is:[13] ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one [Table].  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’[14] [Table].  The[15] second is:[16] ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.”  The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say[17] that he[18] is one, and there is no one else besides him.  And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind,[19] and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important[20] than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” [Table].  When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

For there is no partiality with God [Table], Paul wrote believers in Rome (Romans 2:11-16 NET).

For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish (ἀπολοῦνται, a form of ἀπόλλυμι) apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged (κριθήσονται, a form of κρίνω) by the law.  For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous [Table].  For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves [Table].  They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them, on the day when God will judge (κρίνει, a form of κρίνω) the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.

We who have believed in Jesus, been born from above, received his Holy Spirit and rested in God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control have a clear advantage.  But do we have the monopoly on being among those who do not hear, Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels?  I could argue that we do.

Frankly, I expected so much more of the righteous before God…those who do the law, than merely something other than the absolute negation[21] of those who saw a brother or sister of Jesus hungry and…gave them nothing (οὐκ) to eat…thirsty and…gave [them] nothing (οὐκ) to drink…a stranger and…did not (οὐ) receive them as a guest, naked and…did not (οὐ) clothe them, sick and in prison and…did not (οὐκ) visit them.[22]  Perhaps Jesus didn’t mean what it sounds like He said.

How can one go from nothing one does pleases God (Romans 3:10-18) to almost anything one does that demonstrates some care or concern for Jesus’ brothers or sisters is sufficient to be called righteous by the Judge and to hear: Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world?[23]  Surely, this implies that one has been delivered…from the power of darkness and transferred…to the kingdom of the Son he loves[24] already!  But my argument falls apart faster than I can make it.

The great commission is to make disciples of all nations, not to save people from burning in hell for all eternity (Matthew 28:18-20 NET):

Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth[25] has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey (τηρεῖν, a form of τηρέω) everything I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”[26]

Should I be surprised if the righteousness of disciples exceeds that of those who escape the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels by demonstrating some care or concern for Jesus’ disciples?  (Yes, I’m equating Jesus’ disciples with his brothers or sisters.)  I’m tired of arguing with the Judge who has received all authority in heaven and on earth.  I lack standing to dispute with Him who gives life to whomever he wishes.[27]  As a matter of fear toward the one who, after the killing, has authority to throw me into hell I concede the point.

But who can live in a manner worthy of such a calling?

I begin to understand why the monastic system may have formed.  Don’t worry, I also see how it went awry.  Even if the master was led by the Holy Spirit, the initiates perceived that their master lived by following certain rules, and then eventually believed they could become like their master by obeying the rules they had mistakenly perceived as the source of the master’s way of life.  Still, I agree that the most important thing I do any and every day is to pray God’s grace and mercy for all in Jesus’ name.

He has tried to get me to reconsider my understanding of—God…gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not burn in hell for all eternity but go to heaven—before.  I can grasp the absolute negation in Greek.  Those who hear, Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels,[28] don’t hear it because of some minor lapses in their care or concern for Jesus’ brothers and sisters.  But the qualified negation—so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life[29]—is more difficult for me to grasp.

My first stab at it was that the qualified negation allowed for the possibility that one could both perish and have eternal life.  A tear streaked my cheek as I recognized that ἀπόληται could hardly mean “burn in hell for all eternity” if that were true.  Though I value such emotional experiences I don’t take them as proof of truth necessarily.  I get all teary-eyed when Reggie (Freddy Rodriguez) steps up as the Guardian to defend the Narf (Bryce Dallas Howard) from a Scrunt in the movie Lady in the Water.

I consider that emotional experience a testament to M. Night Shyamalan’s skill as a  story-teller, which is not to disparage Bryce Dallas Howard’s skill portraying a vulnerable and precious child or Paul Giametti’s skill portraying a bereaved father desperate to nurture and protect her.  Jesus is a better story-teller than Mr. Shyamalan and I have all kinds of emotional reactions to being folded into his story.  Besides I’ve already imagined a possible scenario where I the old human burn for all eternity in a lake of fire even as I the new human am face to face with God.  How’s that for a salvation by faith predicated on a human choice?

I looked online for some help understanding the qualified negation in Greek.  I found some shock therapy on Gary Gagliardi’s site “Christ’s Words — What Is Lost in Translation from Greek.”  His translation of John 3:16 and his explanation of the qualified negation in that verse follow:

Therefore, since God was fond of the world order, he appointed the son unique in order that all believing in him might not want to cease to exist but might possess life eternal.

The negative “not” used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that “you don’t want” to do something, not that it isn’t done or don’t think something that might be true. If it wasn’t done or wasn’t true, the objective negative of fact would be used. The sense here is that the person doesn’t “want” to cease to exist.

The word translated as “shall…perish” means “to cease to exist.” The form is one of possibility not the future tense. With the negative used, the sense is “might not want to cease to exist”. This seems…[to] indicate that those who do not trust in him do not want to continue to exist. The sense is that not trusting in his promise equates to no trusting in a continued life and having access to it.

I’m not implying that this is the one and only true translation and interpretation of John 3:16.  All things considered Mr. Gagliardi’s translation qualifies as an outlier among English translations of John 3:16.  It is interesting as a potential translation as I try to overcome my misunderstanding.

At his arrest Jesus said, “I told you that I am he.  If you are looking for me, let these men go.”  And John added, He said this to fulfill the word he had spoken, “I have not lost a single one of those whom you gave me.”[30]  The word translated lost was ἀπώλεσα, an active form of ἀπόλλυμι:  “to ruin, destroy; to demolish, dismantle, trash, wreck; to lose; to take away; to conceal and make inaccessible; to be unavailable, be taken away; not to be found, have vanished, have gone missing.”  The negation is ουκ (a form of οὐ) the absolute negation, so nothing tricky about it.

Before I continue I want to back up and consider Mr. Gagliardi’s translation and explanation of ἀπώλετο in John 17:12.

At that time I was with them, I watched over them in your name, whoever you appointed to me, and I have defended them [formed them into a tribe] and none from them has been lost except the child of the lost so that what is written might be completed.

Also, from the translation, you wouldn’t know that the word translated as “lost” from “none of them have been lost” is the verb form of the same word translated as “perdition.” The verse actually says that none have been lost except for the son of the lost. The word’s primary meaning is “to destroy” so the translation would then come out as “none have been destroyed except the son of destruction.”

So this leads me to a Gospel harmony of how Judas was lost or “destroyed.”

Matthew 26:1-5, 14-16 (NET)

 Mark 14:1,2, 10, 11 (NET)

Luke 22:1-6 (NET)
When Jesus had finished saying all these things (Matthew 24-25), he told his disciples,
“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching.
and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
Then the chief priests[31] and the elders of the people met together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas.
They planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. the chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. The chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find some way to execute Jesus,
But they said, “Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among the people.” For[32] they said, “Not during the feast, so there won’t be a riot among the people.”
for they were afraid of the people.
Then Satan[33] entered Judas, the one called[34] Iscariot, who was one of the twelve.
Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests Then Judas[35] Iscariot,[36] one of the twelve, went to the chief priests He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard
to betray[37] Jesus into their hands. how he might betray Jesus, handing him over to them.
and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?”
When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money. They were delighted and arranged to give him money.
So they set out thirty silver coins for him.
So Judas agreed
From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him. So Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray[38] him. and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus
when no crowd was present.

John let this stand without comment in his Gospel narrative, except to reinforce at the last supper that the devil had already put into the heart of Judas[39] Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray[40] Jesus.[41]  Jesus specified which prophecy Judas would fulfill: I know the ones[42] I have chosen.  But this is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who eats my[43] bread has turned against me.’[44]

A table comparing this to Psalm 41:9b (the presumed source text) in the Septuagint follows.  It is more thought for thought than a word for word quotation.

John 13:18a (NET Parallel Greek)

 Psalm 41:9b (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 40:10b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὁ τρώγων μου τὸν ἄρτον ἐπῆρεν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ τὴν πτέρναν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου, ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν

John 13:18b (NET)

 Psalm 40:10b (NETS)

Psalm 40:10b (English Elpenor)
The one who eats my bread has turned against me. he who would eat of my bread, magnified trickery against me. who ate my bread, lifted up [his] heel against me.

If I accept the NET translation piece of bread for ψωμίον, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy deliberately (John 13:21-27 NET):

When he had said these things (John 13:18-20), Jesus was greatly distressed in spirit, and testified, “I tell you the solemn truth, one of you will betray me.”  The[45] disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed to know which of them he was talking about.  One[46] of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was at the table to the right of Jesus in a place of honor.[47]  So Simon Peter gestured to this disciple to ask Jesus who it was he was referring to.  Then the disciple whom Jesus loved[48] leaned back[49] against Jesus’ chest and asked him, “Lord, who is it?”  Jesus replied, “It is the one to whom I will give[50] this piece of bread after I have dipped[51] it in the dish.”  Then[52] he dipped[53] the piece of bread in the dish and[54] gave it to Judas Iscariot,[55] Simon’s son.  And after Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.  Jesus said to him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

Before I did this study I assumed that Jesus’ concern in the garden was that his remaining disciples were not arrested and killed.  Now I’m reasonably convinced that He was concerned that they not be arrested, threatened with death perhaps, and apart from Him and before receiving the Holy Spirit, be turned away from Him as Judas was.  In other words, He did not want them to be lost or “destroyed.”

Tables comparing Psalm 41:9 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and Psalm 41:9 (40:10) in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.  Following those are tables comparing John 11:50, 51; 11:53; Matthew 28:18; 28:20; John 18:8; Matthew 26:3; Mark 14:2; 14:10, 11; Luke 22:3; John 13:2; 13:18; 13:22, 23 and 13:25, 26 in the NET and KJV.

Psalm 41:9 (Tanakh)

 Psalm 41:9 (KJV)

Psalm 41:9 (NET)
Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. Even my close friend whom I trusted, he who shared meals with me, has turned against me.

Psalm 41:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 40:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς εἰρήνης μου ἐφ᾽ ὃν ἤλπισα ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς εἰρήνης μου, ἐφ᾿ ὃν ἤλπισα, ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου, ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν

Psalm 40:10 (NETS)

Psalm 40:10 (English Elpenor)
Indeed, the person at peace with me, in whom I hoped, he who would eat of my bread, magnified trickery against me. For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, lifted up [his] heel against me.

John 11:50, 51 (NET)

John 11:50, 51 (KJV)
You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οὐδὲ λογίζεσθε ὅτι συμφέρει ὑμῖν ἵνα εἷς ἄνθρωπος ἀποθάνῃ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ μὴ ὅλον τὸ ἔθνος ἀπόληται ουδε διαλογιζεσθε οτι συμφερει ημιν ινα εις ανθρωπος αποθανη υπερ του λαου και μη ολον το εθνος αποληται ουδε διαλογιζεσθε οτι συμφερει ημιν ινα εις ανθρωπος αποθανη υπερ του λαου και μη ολον το εθνος αποληται
(Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation, And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
(τοῦτο δὲ ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ ἀρχιερεὺς ὢν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐκείνου ἐπροφήτευσεν ὅτι ἔμελλεν Ἰησοῦς ἀποθνῄσκειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἔθνους τουτο δε αφ εαυτου ουκ ειπεν αλλα αρχιερευς ων του ενιαυτου εκεινου προεφητευσεν οτι εμελλεν ο ιησους αποθνησκειν υπερ του εθνους τουτο δε αφ εαυτου ουκ ειπεν αλλα αρχιερευς ων του ενιαυτου εκεινου προεφητευσεν οτι εμελλεν ιησους αποθνησκειν υπερ του εθνους

John 11:53 (NET)

John 11:53 (KJV)
So from that day they planned together to kill him. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἀπ᾿ ἐκείνης οὖν τῆς ἡμέρας ἐβουλεύσαντο ἵνα ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτόν απ εκεινης ουν της ημερας συνεβουλευσαντο ινα αποκτεινωσιν αυτον απ εκεινης ουν της ημερας συνεβουλευσαντο ινα αποκτεινωσιν αυτον

Matthew 28:18 (NET)

Matthew 28:18 (KJV)
Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ [τῆς] γῆς και προσελθων ο ιησους ελαλησεν αυτοις λεγων εδοθη μοι πασα εξουσια εν ουρανω και επι γης και προσελθων ο ιησους ελαλησεν αυτοις λεγων εδοθη μοι πασα εξουσια εν ουρανω και επι γης

Matthew 28:20 (NET)

Matthew 28:20 (KJV)
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος διδασκοντες αυτους τηρειν παντα οσα ενετειλαμην υμιν και ιδου εγω μεθ υμων ειμι πασας τας ημερας εως της συντελειας του αιωνος αμην διδασκοντες αυτους τηρειν παντα οσα ενετειλαμην υμιν και ιδου εγω μεθ υμων ειμι πασας τας ημερας εως της συντελειας του αιωνος αμην

John 18:8 (NET)

John 18:8 (KJV)
Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he.  If you are looking for me, let these men go.” Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι. εἰ οὖν ἐμὲ ζητεῖτε, ἄφετε τούτους ὑπάγειν απεκριθη ο ιησους ειπον υμιν οτι εγω ειμι ει ουν εμε ζητειτε αφετε τουτους υπαγειν απεκριθη ιησους ειπον υμιν οτι εγω ειμι ει ουν εμε ζητειτε αφετε τουτους υπαγειν

Matthew 26:3 (NET)

Matthew 26:3 (KJV)
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people met together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Τότε συνήχθησαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τοῦ λεγομένου Καϊάφα τοτε συνηχθησαν οι αρχιερεις και οι γραμματεις και οι πρεσβυτεροι του λαου εις την αυλην του αρχιερεως του λεγομενου καιαφα τοτε συνηχθησαν οι αρχιερεις και οι γραμματεις και οι πρεσβυτεροι του λαου εις την αυλην του αρχιερεως του λεγομενου καιαφα

Mark 14:2 (NET)

Mark 14:2 (KJV)
For they said, “Not during the feast, so there won’t be a riot among the people.” But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἔλεγον γάρ μὴ ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ, μήποτε ἔσται θόρυβος τοῦ λαοῦ ελεγον δε μη εν τη εορτη μηποτε θορυβος εσται του λαου ελεγον δε μη εν τη εορτη μηποτε θορυβος εσται του λαου

Mark 14:10, 11 (NET)

Mark 14:10, 11 (KJV)
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ ὁ εἷς τῶν δώδεκα ἀπῆλθεν πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς ἵνα αὐτὸν παραδοῖ αὐτοῖς και ο ιουδας ο ισκαριωτης εις των δωδεκα απηλθεν προς τους αρχιερεις ινα παραδω αυτον αυτοις και ο ιουδας ο ισκαριωτης εις των δωδεκα απηλθεν προς τους αρχιερεις ινα παραδω αυτον αυτοις
When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money.  So Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες ἐχάρησαν καὶ ἐπηγγείλαντο αὐτῷ ἀργύριον δοῦναι. καὶ ἐζήτει πῶς αὐτὸν εὐκαίρως παραδοῖ οι δε ακουσαντες εχαρησαν και επηγγειλαντο αυτω αργυριον δουναι και εζητει πως ευκαιρως αυτον παραδω οι δε ακουσαντες εχαρησαν και επηγγειλαντο αυτω αργυριον δουναι και εζητει πως ευκαιρως αυτον παραδω

Luke 22:3 (NET)

Luke 22:3 (KJV)
Then Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Εἰσῆλθεν δὲ σατανᾶς εἰς Ἰούδαν τὸν καλούμενον Ἰσκαριώτην, ὄντα ἐκ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν δώδεκα εισηλθεν δε ο σατανας εις ιουδαν τον επικαλουμενον ισκαριωτην οντα εκ του αριθμου των δωδεκα εισηλθεν δε σατανας εις ιουδαν τον επικαλουμενον ισκαριωτην οντα εκ του αριθμου των δωδεκα

John 13:2 (NET)

John 13:2 (KJV)
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ δείπνου γινομένου, τοῦ διαβόλου ἤδη βεβληκότος εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἵνα παραδοῖ αὐτὸν Ἰούδας Σίμωνος |Ἰσκαριώτου| και δειπνου γενομενου του διαβολου ηδη βεβληκοτος εις την καρδιαν ιουδα σιμωνος ισκαριωτου ινα αυτον παραδω και δειπνου γενομενου του διαβολου ηδη βεβληκοτος εις την καρδιαν ιουδα σιμωνος ισκαριωτου ινα αυτον παραδω

John 13:18 (NET)

John 13:18 (KJV)
“What I am saying does not refer to all of you.  I know the ones I have chosen.  But this is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who eats my bread has turned against me.’ I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Οὐ περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν λέγω· ἐγὼ οἶδα τίνας ἐξελεξάμην· ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ· ὁ τρώγων μου τὸν ἄρτον ἐπῆρεν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ τὴν πτέρναν αὐτοῦ ου περι παντων υμων λεγω εγω οιδα ους εξελεξαμην αλλ ινα η γραφη πληρωθη ο τρωγων μετ εμου τον αρτον επηρεν επ εμε την πτερναν αυτου ου περι παντων υμων λεγω εγω οιδα ους εξελεξαμην αλλ ινα η γραφη πληρωθη ο τρωγων μετ εμου τον αρτον επηρεν επ εμε την πτερναν αυτου

John 13:22, 23 (NET)

John 13:22, 23 (KJV)
The disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed to know which of them he was talking about. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἔβλεπον εἰς ἀλλήλους οἱ μαθηταὶ ἀπορούμενοι περὶ τίνος λέγει εβλεπον ουν εις αλληλους οι μαθηται απορουμενοι περι τινος λεγει εβλεπον ουν εις αλληλους οι μαθηται απορουμενοι περι τινος λεγει
One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was at the table to the right of Jesus in a place of honor. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἦν ἀνακείμενος εἷς ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ὃν ἠγάπα |ὁ| Ἰησοῦς ην δε ανακειμενος εις των μαθητων αυτου εν τω κολπω του ιησου ον ηγαπα ο ιησους ην δε ανακειμενος εις των μαθητων αυτου εν τω κολπω του ιησου ον ηγαπα ο ιησους

John 13:25, 26 (NET)

John 13:25, 26 (KJV)
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved leaned back against Jesus’ chest and asked him, “Lord, who is it?” He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἀναπεσὼν |οὖν| ἐκεῖνος οὕτως ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λέγει αὐτῷ· κύριε, τίς ἐστιν επιπεσων δε εκεινος επι το στηθος του ιησου λεγει αυτω κυριε τις εστιν επιπεσων δε εκεινος ουτως επι το στηθος του ιησου λεγει αυτω κυριε τις εστιν
Jesus replied, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.”  Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.  And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἀποκρίνεται  [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς· ἐκεῖνος ἐστιν ᾧ ἐγὼ βάψω τὸ ψωμίον καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ. βάψας οὖν |τὸ| ψωμίον [λαμβάνει καὶ] δίδωσιν Ἰούδᾳ Σίμωνος Ἰσκαριώτου αποκρινεται ο ιησους εκεινος εστιν ω εγω βαψας το ψωμιον επιδωσω και εμβαψας το ψωμιον διδωσιν ιουδα σιμωνος ισκαριωτη αποκρινεται ο ιησους εκεινος εστιν ω εγω βαψας το ψωμιον επιδωσω και εμβαψας το ψωμιον διδωσιν ιουδα σιμωνος ισκαριωτη

[1] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὑμῖν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ημιν (KJV: for us).

[2] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐπροφήτευσεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had προεφητευσε.

[3] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Jesus.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[4] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐβουλεύσαντ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had συνεβουλευσαντο (KJV: took counsel together).

[5] Luke 12:4, 5 (NET)

[6] John 3:16b (NET)

[7] Matthew 25:41b (NET)

[8] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἰδὼν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειδως (KJV: perceiving).

[9] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πάντων here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πασων.

[10] The Stephanus Textus Receptu and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: And) preceding Jesus.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[11] The Stephanus Textus Receptu and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτω (KJV: him) following answered.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[12] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πασων των εντολων (KJV: of all the commandments) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[13] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐστίν here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[14] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτη πρωτη εντολη (KJV: this is the first commandment) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[15] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: And) at the beginning of this clause.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[16] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ομοια (KJV: like) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[17] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἶπες here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπας (KJV: thou hast said).

[18] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had θεος (KJV: God) here.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[19] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και εξ ολης της ψυχης (KJV: and with all the soul) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[20] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had περισσότερον here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πλειον (KJV: more).

[21] Here are a few essays where I began to grapple with the absolute and qualified or relative negation in New Testament Greek: Son of God – John, Part 2; Fear – Genesis, Part 7; Son of God – John, Part 3

[22] Matthew 25:42, 43 (NET)

[23] Matthew 25:34 (NET)

[24] Colossians 1:13 (NET)

[25] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the article τῆς preceding earth.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[26] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αμην (KJV: Amen) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not

[27] John 5:21b (NET)

[28] Matthew 25:41 (NET)

[29] John 3:16b (NET)

[30] John 18:8, 9 (NET)

[31] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και οι γραμματεις (KJV: and the scribes) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[32] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had γάρ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: But).

[33] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Satan.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[34] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καλούμενον here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had επικαλουμενον (KJV: surnamed).

[35] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο preceding Judas.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[36] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Iscariot was spelled Ἰσκαριὼθ, and ισκαριωτης in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[37] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had παραδοῖ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παραδω.

[38] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had παραδοῖ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παραδω.

[39] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Judas was spelled Ἰούδας, and ιουδα in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[40] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had παραδοῖ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παραδω.

[41] John 13:2b (NET)

[42] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had τίνας here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the pronoun ους (KJV: whom).

[43] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had μου here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μετ εμου (KJV: with me).

[44] John 13:18b (NET)

[45] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουν (KJV: Then) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[46] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: Now) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[47] NET note 57 explains the idiom.

[48] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐκεῖνος οὕτως here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had simply εκεινος (KJV: He).

[49] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἀναπεσὼν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had επιπεσων (KJV: lying on).

[50] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had επιδωσω (KJV: shall give).

[51] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had βάψω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had βαψας.

[52] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὖν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: And).

[53] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had βαψας here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εμβαψας (KJV: had dipped).

[54] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had λαμβάνει καὶ (λαμβάνει was not translated in the NET) here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[55] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had Ἰσκαριώτου here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ισκαριωτη.