Undeserving: Imperative Red Letters

Matthew 9, NIV 1984³

Some Bibles render the words of Jesus in red, which makes them easy to find.

According to the copy of Plain English Handbook¹ my Seventh Grade English teacher made my parents buy for me...

The imperative sentence expresses a command, request, or entreaty.²

Jesus told his guys in public...

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19, NIV 1984)

He also told them in private...

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. (John 15:10 NIV 1984)

It seems important we understand what His commands are. I decided to do an exercise to parse out His specific imperatives.

Surely, everything Jesus said is relevant for one of His apprentices. His teachings and parables all convey implied imperatives, but how many times was He specifically telling someone what to do, and what were the contexts of those sentences?

How is each of His imperatives relevant to us in our walks with Him today?

In the following list⁴, I have stripped out statements, questions, and other parts that are not clearly imperatives. It has been an interesting study.

I have made the contexts generic and removed specific names to help us recognize who Jesus is talking to today in our personal situations. Are we His apprentice? If so, I believe we need to see Him as speaking to us when he speaks to His apprentices.

Likewise, if we are in a leadership role in a church, or make our living from ministry, should we, perhaps, pay attention to what He says to "religious professionals" and "Bible teachers?" It is food for thought.

To the one who would immerse Him: Baptize me. (Matthew 3:13-15)
To His adversary: Away from me! (Matthew 4:10)
To everyone: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. (Matthew 4:17)
To His future main guy, and his brother: Come, follow me. (Matthew 4:19)
To His apprentices: Let your light shine before men. (Matthew 5:16)
To His apprentices: Be reconciled to your brother. (Matthew 5:24)
To His apprentices: Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way. (Matthew 5:25)
To His apprentices: If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. (Matthew 5:29)
To His apprentices: If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. (Matthew 5:30)
To His apprentices: Do not swear at all. Do not swear by your head. Simply let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No." (Matthew 5:34, 36-37)
To His apprentices: Do not resist an evil person. (Matthew 5:39)
To His apprentices: Give to the one who asks you. (Matthew 5:42)
To His apprentices: Do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42)
To His apprentices: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)
To His apprentices: When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. (Matthew 6:3)
To His apprentices: When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. (Matthew 6:6)
To His apprentices: When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans. (Matthew 6:7)
To His apprentices: When you fast, do not look somber like the hypocrites do. Put oil on your head and wash your face. (Matthew 6:16, 17)
To His apprentices: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth. Store up for your yourselves treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19, 20)
To His apprentices: Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Do not worry. Do not worry about tomorrow. (Matthew 6:25, 31, 34)
To His apprentices: Seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)
To His apprentices: Do not judge. Take the plank out of your own eye. (Matthew 7:1, 5)
To His apprentices: Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. (Matthew 7:6)
To His apprentices: Ask; seek; knock. (Matthew 7:7)
To His apprentices: Do to others what you would have them do to you. (Matthew 7:12)
To His apprentices: Enter through the narrow gate. (Matthew 7:13)
To His apprentices: Watch out for false prophets. (Matthew 7:15)
To the man with leprosy who came to Him: Be clean. (Matthew 8:3)
To the man He had just cured from leprosy: See that you don't tell anyone. Show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded. (Matthew 8:4)
To the centurion who came to Him asking in faith for Him to heal his servant: Go! (Matthew 8:13)
To an apprentice who wanted to first go bury his father: Follow me. (Matthew 8:22)
To the paralytic who had been brought to Him: Get up, take your mat and go home. (Matthew 9:6)
To the man sitting at the tax collector's booth: Follow me. (Matthew 9:9)
To the religious professionals: Go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." (Matthew 9:13)
To the two blind men whose sight He had restored: See that no one knows about this. (Matthew 9:30)
To His apprentices: Ask the Lord of the harvest...to send out workers into his harvest field. (Matthew 9:37)
To The Twelve: Do not go among the [non-Israelites] or enter any town of the [descendants of Babylonian transplants]. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. Preach this message: "The kingdom of heaven is near." Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff. (Matthew 10:5-10)
To The Twelve: Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. (Matthew 10:11-14)
To The Twelve: Be on your guard against men. (Matthew 10:17)
To The Twelve: When they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. (Matthew 10:19)
To The Twelve: When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. (Matthew 10:23)
To The Twelve: Do not be afraid of them. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Don't be afraid of them. (Matthew 10:26-28, 31)
To The Twelve: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. (Matthew 10:34)
To His predecessor's apprentices: Go back and report to John what you hear and see. (Matthew 11:4)
To the crowd: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 11:15)
To those in the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. (Matthew 11:28,29)
To the man with the shriveled hand: Stretch out your hand. (Matthew 11:13)
To the large crowd: He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:9)
To His apprentices: Listen to what the parable of the sower means. (Matthew 13:18)
To His apprentices: He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)
To His apprentices: You give them something to eat. (Matthew 14:16)
To His apprentices when they said that they only had five loaves of bread and two fish: Bring them here to me. (Matthew 14:18)
To His apprentices out on the lake: Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid. (Matthew 14:27)
To His main guy, when he asked to come on the water, too: Come! (Matthew 14:29)
To the crowd: Listen and understand. (Matthew 15:10)
To His apprentices when they told Him the religious professionals were offended: Leave them. (Matthew 15:14)
To His apprentices: Be careful! Be on your guard against the yeast of the [religious professionals] and [similar religious professionals]. (Matthew 16:6, 11)
To His main guy: Get behind me, Satan! (Matthew 16:23)
To His apprentices: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)
To His three main guys after The Transfiguration: Get up. Don't be afraid. (Matthew 17:7)
To His three main guys on the way down the mountain after The Transfiguration: Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. (Matthew 17:9)
To the man from the crowd who came to Him about his suffering son: Bring the boy here to me. (Matthew 17:17)
To His main guy: Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours. (Matthew 17:27)
To His apprentices: If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. (Matthew 18:8, 9)
To His apprentices: See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. (Matthew 18:10)
To His apprentices: If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the [assembly]. If he refuses to listen to the [assembly], treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17)
To His main guy when he asked how many times he should forgive his brother: I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18:22)
To His apprentices about those who can live without marriage: The one who can accept this should accept it. (Matthew 19:12)
To His apprentices: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. (Matthew 19:14)
To the man who came to Him and asked what good thing he must do to get eternal life: If you want to enter life, obey the commandments. (Matthew 19:17)
To that same man who said he obeyed the commandments, but wanted to know what he still lacked: If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor. Then come, follow me. (Matthew 19:21)
To His apprentices: You know that the rulers of the [non-Israelites] lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. (Matthew 20:25-27)
To two of His apprentices: Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell them that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away. (Matthew 21:2-3)
To the fig tree: May you never bear fruit again. (Matthew 21:19)
To the religious professionals who were trying to trap Him: Show me the coin used for paying the tax. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. (Matthew 22:19, 21)
To the religious professional who was a Bible scholar and asked Him which is the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37, 39)
To the crowds, His apprentices, and the religious professionals: You must do everything they [the Bible scholars and religious professionals] tell you. But do not do what they do. (Matthew 23:2-3)
To the crowds, His apprentices, and the religious professionals: You are not to be called "Rabbi." (Matthew 23:8)
To the crowds, His apprentices, and the religious professionals: You have only one Master and you are all brothers. (Matthew 23:8)
To the crowds, His apprentices, and the religious professionals: Do not call anyone on earth "father," for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. (Matthew 23:9)
To the crowds, His apprentices, and the religious professionals: Nor are you to be called "teacher," for you have one Teacher, the Christ. (Matthew 23:10)
To the religious professionals: Clean the inside of the cup and dish. (Matthew 23:26)
To the religious professionals: Fill up then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! (Matthew 23:32)
To His apprentices: Watch out that no one deceives you. (Matthew 24:4)
To His apprentices: So when you see standing in the holy place "the abomination that causes desolation," spoken of through the prophet Daniel...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. (Matthew 24:15-18)
To His apprentices concerning false Christs and false prophets: Do not believe it. Do not go out. Do not believe it. (Matthew 24:23, 26)
To His apprentices: Learn this lesson from the fig tree. (Matthew 24: 32)
To His apprentices: Keep watch. (Matthew 24:42)
To His apprentices: Understand this. (Matthew 24:43)
To His apprentices: Be ready. (Matthew 24:44)
To His apprentices: Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, "The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my [apprentices] at your house." (Matthew 26:18)
To His apprentices about the bread: Take and eat. (Matthew 26:26)
To His apprentices about the cup: Drink from it, all of you. (Matthew 26:27)
To His apprentices in Gethsemane: Sit here while I go over there and pray. (Matthew 26:36)
To His three main guys in Gethsemane: Stay here and keep watch with me. (Matthew 26:38)
To His three main guys in Gethsemane a second time: Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. (Matthew 26:41)
To His apprentices: Rise, let us go! (Matthew 26:46)
To His apprentice who was betraying Him: Friend, do what you came for. (Matthew 26:50)
To His apprentice who cut off the man's ear with his sword: Put your sword back in its place. (Matthew 26:52)
To two women apprentices who saw Him after His resurrection: Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me. (Matthew 28:10)
To The Eleven: Go and make [apprentices] of all nations, [immersing] them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20)
To people in Galilee: Repent and believe the good news! (Mark 1:15)
To the evil spirit in the man in the synagogue: Be quiet! Come out of him! (Mark 1:25)
To His apprentices: Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. (Mark 1:38)
To the man with leprosy who came to Him: Be clean! (Mark 1:41)
To the man He had just healed from leprosy: See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing. (Mark 1:44)
To the paralytic who had been brought to Him: I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home. (Mark 2:11)
To the man sitting at the tax collector's booth: Follow me. (Mark 2:14)
To the man with the shriveled hand in the synagogue: Stand up in front of everyone. Stretch out your hand. (Mark 3:3, 5)
To the crowd by the lake: Listen! He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mark 4:3, 9)
To His apprentices: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mark 4:23)
To His apprentices by the lake: Let us go over to the other side. (Mark 4:35)
To the waves on the lake: Quiet! Be still! (Mark 4:39)
To the man who met Him when He got out of the boat in the region of the Gerasenes: Come out of this man, you evil spirit! (Mark 5:8)
To the man who had been demon-possessed: Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. (Mark 5:19)
To the woman who touched his clothes and was healed: Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. (Mark 5:34)
To the synagogue ruler: Don't be afraid; just believe. (Mark 5:36)
To the dead girl: Little girl, I say to you, get up! (Mark 5:41)
To The Twelve: Take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave. (Mark 6:8-11)
To The Twelve when they returned: Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. (Mark 6:31)
To The Twelve: You give them something to eat. (Mark 6:37)
To The Twelve, after asking how many loaves they had: Go and see. (Mark 6:38)
To His apprentices as he walked on the water: Take courage! ... Don't be afraid. (Mark 6:50)
To the crowd, His apprentices, and religious professionals: Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. (Mark 7:14)
To the Greek woman who had been born in Syrian Phoenicia: First let the children eat all they want. (Mark 7:27)
To the deaf man who could barely talk who was brought to Him: Be opened! (Mark 7:34)
To His apprentices: Be careful. Watch out for the yeast of the [religious professionals] and that of [the puppet Israelite king]. (Mark 8:15)
To the blind man who was brought to Him: Don't go into the village. (Mark 8:26)
To His main guy: Get behind me, Satan! (Mark 8:33)
To His apprentices and the crowd: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)
To the man in the crowd who had brought his demon-possessed son to His apprentices: Bring the boy to me. (Mark 9:19)
To the evil spirit in the boy: You deaf and mute spirit, I command you come out of him and never enter him again. (Mark 9:25)
To The Twelve: If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all. (Mark 9:35)
To one of His three main guys who told Him they had stopped a man from driving out demons in His name because he was not one of His apprentices: Do not stop him. (Mark 9:39)
To His apprentices: If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with each other. (Mark 9:43, 45, 50)
To His apprentices: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Mark 10:14)
To the rich young man: Go sell everything you have and give to the poor... Then come, follow me. (Mark 10:21)
To His apprentices: You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the [non-Israelites] lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (Mark 10:42-44)
To those who were present where the blind man was calling to Him: Call him. (Mark 10:49)
To the blind man: Go. (Mark 10:52)
To two of His apprentices: Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, "Why are you doing this?" tell him, "The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly." (Mark 11:2-3)
To the fig tree: May no one ever eat fruit from you again. (Mark 11:14)
To His apprentices: Have faith in God. Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it. When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him. (Mark 11:22, 24, 25)
To the religious professionals and puppet government representatives: Bring me a denarius and let me look at it. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. (Mark 12:15, 17)
To the religious professionals when He was asked which is the most important commandment: The most important one is this: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:29-31)
To the large crowd: Watch out for the [religious professionals]. (Mark 12:38)
To His three main guys and His main guy's brother: Watch out that no one deceives you. Do not be alarmed. You must be on your guard. (Mark 13:5, 7, 9)
To His three main guys and His main guy's brother: Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time. (Mark 13:11)
To His three main guys and His main guy's brother: When you see the "the abomination that causes desolation" standing where it does not belong...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. Pray that this will not take place in winter. (Mark 13:14-16, 18)
To His three main guys and His main guy's brother, concerning false Christs and false prophets: Do not believe it. Be on your guard. (Mark 13:21, 23)
To His three main guys and His main guy's brother: Now learn this lesson from the fig tree. (Mark 13:28)
To His three main guys and His main guy's brother: Be on guard! Be alert! Keep watch. (Mark 13:33, 35)
To His three main guys and His main guy's brother, and to everyone: Watch! (Mark 13:37)
To those who rebuked the woman who anointed Him with perfume: Leave her alone! (Mark 14:6)
To two of His apprentices: Go into the city. Follow [the man who meets you carrying a jar of water]. Say to the owner of the house he enters, "The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my [apprentices]?" Make preparations for us there. (Mark 14:13-15)
To His apprentices about the bread: Take it. (Mark 14:22)
To His apprentices in Gethsemane: Sit here while I pray. (Mark 14:32)
To His three main guys: Stay here and keep watch. (Mark 14:34)
To His main guy: Watch and pray. (Mark 14:38)
To His apprentices: Rise! Let us go! (Mark 14:42)
To the Eleven after His resurrection: Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (Mark 16:15)
To an evil spirit: Be quiet! Come out of him! (Luke 4:35)
To his main guy: Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch. (Luke 5:4)
To his main guy: Don't be afraid. (Luke 5:10)
To a man covered with leprosy: Be clean! (Luke 5:13)
To the man who was just healed from leprosy: Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing. (Luke 5:14)
To the paralytic: Get up, take your mat and go home. (Luke 5:24)
To the tax collector: Follow me. (Luke 5:27)
To the man in the synagogue with the shriveled right hand: Get up and stand in front of everyone. Stretch out your hand. (Luke 6:8, 10)
To His apprentices: Rejoice in that day. (Luke 6:23)
To those who could hear Him: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:27-31)
To those who could hear Him: Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. (Luke 6:35)
To those who could hear Him: Do not judge. Do not condemn. Give. (Luke 6:37-38)
To those who could hear Him: First, take the plank out of your eye, then remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Luke 6:42)
To the widow with the dead son: Don't cry. (Luke 7:13)
To the dead son: Young man, get up! (Luke 7:14)
To the two messengers from His predecessor: Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard. (Luke 7:22)
To the large crowd: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 8:8)
To His apprentices: Let's go over to the other side of the lake. (Luke 8:22)
To the man from whom the demons had gone out: Return home and tell how much God has done for you. (Luke 8:39)
To the woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years and had come up behind him and touched the edge of His cloak: Go in peace. (Luke 8:48)
To the father of the dead girl: Don't be afraid; just believe. (Luke 8:50)
To all of the people who were wailing at the house of the father of the dead girl: Stop wailing. (Luke 8:52)
To the dead girl: My child, get up. (Luke 8:54)
To The Twelve: Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet as you leave their town. (Luke 9:3-5)
To The Twelve: You give them something to eat. (Luke 9:13)
To His apprentices: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
To the father of the son with an evil spirit that His apprentices could not drive out: Bring your son here. (Luke 9:41)
To His apprentices: Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. (Luke 9:44)
To one of His top three guys who had just told Him they had seen a man driving out demons in His name and they had tried to stop him: Do not stop him. (Luke 9:50)
To a man who He saw on the road: Follow me. (Luke 9:59)
To that same man who wanted to first go bury his father: Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:60)
To the seventy-two others: Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, "Peace to this house." Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you. Do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you." But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, "Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near." (Luke 10:2-5, 7-12)
To the seventy-two: Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:20)
To the Bible scholar who tested Him by asking what he should do to inherit eternal life, and who answered Him that the Bible says to love God and love your neighbor as yourself: Do this and you will live. (Luke 10:28)
To the Bible scholar, after He told the parable of the Good descendant of Babylonian transplants: Go and do likewise. (Luke 10:37)
To His apprentices: When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11:2-4)
To His apprentices: Ask, seek, and knock. (Luke 11:9)
To the crowds: See to it that the light within you is not darkness. (Luke 11:35)
To the religious professional who invited Him to eat with him: Give what is inside the dish to the poor. (Luke 11:41)
To His apprentices: Be on your guard against the yeast of the [religious professionals]. (Luke 12:1)
To His apprentices: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body. Fear him who has the power to throw you into hell. Fear him. Don't be afraid. (Luke 12:5, 7)
To His apprentices: When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. (Luke 12:11)
To the one in the crowd who asked Him to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him: Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. (Luke 12:15)
To His apprentices: Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. (Luke 12:22)
To His apprentices: Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. Seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke 12:29, 31)
To His apprentices: Do not be afraid, little flock. (Luke 12:32)
To His apprentices: Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. (Luke 12:33)
To His apprentices: Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning. You must be ready. (Luke 12:35, 40)
To the crowd: As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way. (Luke 12:58)
To someone who asked Him if only a few people are going to be saved: Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. (Luke 13:24)
To some religious professionals who came to Him and told Him the puppet Israelite king wanted to kill Him: Go tell that fox, "I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal." (Luke 13:32)
To the prominent religious professional who invited Him to eat in his house: When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors. When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. (Luke 14:12-13)
To the large crowd: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 14:35)
To His apprentices: Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves. (Luke 16:9)
To His apprentices: Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven time in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, "I repent," forgive him. (Luke 17:3-4)
To The Twelve: When you have done everything you were told to do, say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty." (Luke 17:10)
To the ten men with leprosy who met Him and called for mercy: Go, show yourselves to the priests. (Luke 17:14)
To the one descendant of Babylonian transplants who was the only one to come back of the ten who were healed of leprosy: Rise and go. (Luke 17:19)
To His apprentices concerning the coming time when they will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but will not see it, and men will tell them, "There he is!" or "Here he is!": Do not go running off after them. (Luke 17:23)
To His apprentices about the day the Son of Man is revealed: No one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. (Luke 17:31)
To His apprentices: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. (Luke 18:16)
To the ruler who asked Him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?": Sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then come, follow me. (Luke 18:22)
To the blind beggar: Receive your sight. (Luke 18:42)
To the wealthy, chief, tax collector in the tree who was trying to get a look at Him: Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. (Luke 19:5)
To two of His apprentices: Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?" tell him, "The Lord needs it." (Luke 19:30-31)
To the head ministers, Bible teachers, and elders: Tell me, John's baptism--was it from heaven, or from men? (Luke 20:4)
To the spies who were sent by the head ministers and Bible teachers: Show me a denarius. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. (Luke 20:24, 25)
To His apprentices while all the people were listening: Beware of the [Bible scholars]. (Luke 20:46)
To His apprentices: Watch out that you are not deceived. (Luke 21:8)
To His apprentices about the many who will come in His name, claiming they are Him: Do not follow them. (Luke 21:8)
To His apprentices: When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. (Luke 21:9)
To His apprentices when telling them how they will be persecuted: Make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. (Luke 21:14)
To His apprentices concerning when they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies: Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. (Luke 21:21)
To His apprentices: When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads. (Luke 21:28)
To His apprentices: Be careful. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke: 21:34, 36)
To His three main guys: Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover. As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, "The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my [apprentices]?" He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there. (Luke 22:8, 10-12)
To The Twelve at the Passover table, concerning the cup: Take this and divide it among you. (Luke 22:17)
To The Twelve at the Passover table, concerning the bread: Do this in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19)
To The Twelve as they disputed who of them was the greatest: You are not to be like [the kings of the non-Israelites]. The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. (Luke 22:26)
To The Twelve: Now, if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. (Luke 22:36)
To His apprentices on the Mount of Olives: Pray that you will not fall into temptation. (Luke 22:40)
To His apprentices after he rose from prayer, went back to them, and found them sleeping: Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. (Luke 22:46)
To His followers after one of them cut off the ear of the servant of the top religious figurehead: No more of this! (Luke 22:51)
To the women who were mourning and wailing for Him as He was on the cross: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. (Luke 23:28)
To The Father: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34)
To The Eleven: Peace be with you. Look at my hands and my feet. Touch me and see. (Luke 24:36, 39)
To The Eleven: Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)
To two of His predecessor's apprentices when they asked where He was staying: Come. (John 1:39)
To a specific man: Follow me. (John 1:43)
To the servants at the wedding at Cana: Fill the jars with water. Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. (John 2:7, 8)
To those who sold doves in the temple: Get these out of here! (John 2:16)
To the woman at the well: Go, call your husband and come back. (John 4:16)
To His apprentices at the well: Open your eyes and look at the fields! (John 4:35)
To the royal official in Cana whose son was sick and begged Him to heal his son: You may go. (John 4:51)
To the one at the pool near the Sheep Gate who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years: Get up! Pick up your mat and walk. (John 5:8)
To that same man later at the temple: Stop sinning. (John 5:14)
To His religious opponents: Do not think I will accuse you before the Father. (John 5:45)
To a specific pair of His apprentices: Have the people sit down. (John 6:10)
To His apprentices after they fed the five thousand people: Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted. (John 6:12)
To His apprentices when He was walking on the water: Don't be afraid. (John 6:20)
To the crowd: Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life. (John 6:27)
To His religious opponents: Stop grumbling among yourselves. (John 6:43)
To His physical brothers who told Him to go to the Feast of Tabernacles: You go to the Feast. (John 7:8)
To His religious opponents at the Feast of Tabernacles: Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment. (John 7:24)
To those present at the Feast on the greatest day of the Feast: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. (John 7:37)
To those accusing the woman of adultery: If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. (John 8:7)
To the woman who had been accused of adultery: Go now and leave your life of sin. (John 8:11)
To the man who was blind from birth: Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam. (John 9:7)
To His religious opponents: Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles. (John 10:37-38)
To His apprentices, concerning the man He loved and would raise from the dead: Let us go back to Judea. (John 11:7)
To His apprentices, concerning the man He loved and would raise from the dead: Let us go to him. (John 11:15)
To the dead man's mourners: Take away the stone. (John 11:39)
To the dead man in the tomb: Come out! (John 11:43)
To the dead man's mourners: Take off the grave clothes and let him go. (John 11:44)
To His apprentice who would betray him, concerning the woman He loved as she poured perfume on His feet and wiped them with her hair: Leave her alone. (John 12:7)
To His Father: Glorify your name! (John 12:28)
To the crowd: Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Put your trust in the light while you have it. (John 12:35, 36)
To His apprentices, concerning His example of washing their feet: You also should wash one another's feet. You should do as I have done for you. (John 13:14, 15)
To His apprentice who would betray Him, after Satan entered into him: What you are about to do, do quickly. (John 13:27)
To His apprentices, concerning a new command: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34-35)
To His apprentices: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (John 14:1)
To His apprentices: Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. (John 14:11)
To His apprentices: Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
To His apprentices: Come now; let us leave. (John 14:31)
To His apprentices, concerning the vine and the branches: Remain in me. (John 15:4)
To His apprentices: If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (John 15:7)
To His apprentices: Now remain in my love. (John 15:9)
To His apprentices: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
To His apprentices: Love each other. (John 15:17)
To His apprentices, concerning what the Counselor will testify about Him: You also must testify. (John 15:27)
To His apprentices, concerning asking for anything in His name: Ask. (John 16:24)
To His apprentices, concerning trouble they will have: Take heart! (John 16:33)
To His Father: Glorify your Son. Glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:1, 5)
To His Father, concerning His apprentices: Protect them by the power of your name. (John 17:11)
To His Father, concerning His apprentices: Protect them from the evil one. (John 17:15)
To His Father, concerning His apprentices: Sanctify them by the truth. (John 17:17)
To His Father, concerning those who believe in Him through His apprentices' message: I pray ... that all of them may be one. May they be brought to complete unity. (John 17:20-21, 23)
To His Father, concerning those He has given Him: I want them to be with me where I am, and to see my glory. (John 17:24)
To His apprentice who was betraying Him, and those he was leading: If you are looking for me, then let these men go. (John 18:8)
To his main guy who had used his sword: Put your sword away! (John 18:11)
To the top religious figurehead, concerning the questions he was asking Him: Ask those who heard me. (John 18:21)
To the top religious figurehead after He had been struck: If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. (John 18:23)
To His mother, concerning the apprentice He loved: Here is your son. (John 19:26)
To the apprentice He loved, concerning His mother: Here is your mother. (John 19:27)
To His woman apprentice, out of whom He had cast seven demons, when she recognized Him: Do not hold on to me. Go to my brothers and tell them, "I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." (John 20:17)
To His apprentices when he stood among them in the locked room: Peace be with you! Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:19, 21-22)
To His apprentices a week later in the same house with the doors locked, this time with His apprentice who had not been there and doubted: Peace be with you! (John 20:26)
To His apprentice who had been absent and doubted: Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop Doubting and believe. (John 20:27)
To His apprentices when they were fishing on the Sea of Tiberias: Throw your net on the right side of the boat. (John 21:6)
To His apprentices, after they caught the 153 fish and recognized Him: Bring some of the fish you have just caught! (John 21:10)
To His apprentices, after they had brought the fish ashore, concerning the fish on the burning coals: Come and have breakfast. (John 21:12)
To His main guy, who had denied Him three times: Feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep. Follow me! (John 21:15, 16, 17, 19)
To His main guy, when he asked about one of the other apprentices following them: You must follow me. (John 21:22)
To The Eleven: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised. (Acts 1:4)
To the super-zealous, religious professional who had been destroying people that believed in Him, when he was on the road near Damascus and had been blinded: Get up and go into the city. (Acts 9:6)
To His apprentice in Damascus: Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. Go! (Acts 9:11, 15)
To His apprentice who had replaced His betrayer as one of The Twelve, and whom He had sent to the non-Israelites, in a vision when he was in Corinth: Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. (Acts 18:9)
To His apprentice who had replaced His betrayer as one of The Twelve, and whom He had sent to the non-Israelites, in his account to the crowd in Jerusalem about what He told him on the road to Damascus: Get up, and go into Damascus. (Acts 22:10)
To His apprentice who had replaced His betrayer as one of The Twelve, and whom He had sent to the non-Israelites, in his account to the crowd in Jerusalem about when he was praying the the temple and He spoke to him: Quick! Leave Jerusalem immediately. Go. (Acts 22:18, 21)
To His apprentice who had replaced His betrayer as one of The Twelve, and whom He had sent to the non-Israelites, after he had been before the top assembly of religious leaders: Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome. (Acts 23:11)
To His apprentice who had replaced His betrayer as one of The Twelve, and whom He had sent to the non-Israelites, in his account to the puppet Israelite king about what He told him on the road to Damascus: Get up and stand on your feet. (Acts 26:16)
To His apprentices, according to His apprentice who had replaced His betrayer as one of The Twelve, and whom He had sent to the non-Israelites, concerning the bread: Do this in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:24)
To His apprentices, according to His apprentice who had replaced His betrayer as one of The Twelve, and whom He had sent to the non-Israelites, concerning the cup: Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:25)
To the writer of Revelation: Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. (Revelation 1:11)
To the writer of Revelation: Do not be afraid. Write what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. (Revelation 1:17, 19)
To the writer of Revelation: To the [messenger] of the church in Ephesus write... (Revelation 2:1)
To the church in Ephesus by the writer's message: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:7)
To the writer of Revelation: To the [messenger] of the church in Smyrna write... (Revelation 2:8)
To the church in Smyrna by the writer's message: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:11)
To the writer of Revelation: To the [messenger] of the church in Pergamum write... (Revelation 2:12)
To the church in Pergamum by the writer's message: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:17)
To the writer of Revelation: To the [messenger] of the church in Thyatira write... (Revelation 2:18)
To the church in Thyatira by the writer's message: Hold on to what you have until I come. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:25, 29)
To the writer of Revelation: To the [messenger] of the church in Sardis write... (Revelation 3:1)
To the church in Sardis by the writer's message: Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 3:2, 6)
To the writer of Revelation: To the [messenger] of the church in Philadelphia write... (Revelation 3:7)
To the church in Philadelphia by the writer's message: Hold on to what you have. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 3:11, 13)
To the writer of Revelation: To the [messenger] of the church in Laodicea write... (Revelation 3:14)
To the church in Laodicea by the writer's message: I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. Be earnest, and repent. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 3:18, 19, 22)
To the writer of Revelation, as he was looking through the door into heaven: Come up here. (Revelation 4:1)

All glory to God!

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¹ J. Martyn Walsh, Anna Kathleen Walsh, Plain English Handbook, A Complete Guide to Good English, Cincinnati: McCormick-Mathers Publishing Company, Inc., 1972, p. 5.

² Item number 26.

³ International Bible Society, The Holy Bible, New International Version®, Containing The Old Testament and The New Testament, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

⁴ The legal notices inside the front of my copy of the NIV 1984 Bible say, among other things...

The NIV text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

I suspect, in the case of this post, more than 25 percent of it is quotations (or approximate quotations) of the NIV 1984.

It should be noted that The International Bible Society, Zondervan Publishing House and Zondervan Corporation are corporations.

I am not a corporation, nor am I a legal fiction. I am a living man and am operating on the Land and Soil Jurisdictions of Michigan and michigan, respectively.

As part of correcting and clarifying my status on the public record to be a Michiganian, I have reclaimed all of the various corporations, trusts and legal fictions created using my Trade Name without my knowledge nor consent, and I am not operating in commerce. Commerce takes place between corporations and legal fictions.

These corporations cannot address me because I am not in their jurisdiction. If the living people who work for those corporations want to take issue with me as a man, they must do so on the Land and Soil Jurisdictions, and they must address me personally, man to man.

For there to be a dispute on the Land and Soil Jurisdictions, there must be actual harm. My use of these quotations for this post does not cause those people any harm. A corporation missing out on an opportunity to "seek rent" does not harm living people.

I have given appropriate credit to the makers of the translation and the book so my readers will know where the quotations came from. I trust the creators are honored I would consider their product of high enough quality to use it in my derivative work.

I traded for the book using agreed consideration, and that is the end of it. I have a right to say and publish as I please, and I reserve those rights, as well as all other rights, without prejudice.

I am bringing this up to demonstrate why it is important for people to return to the jurisdictions of their birth. Life is so much simpler.