The past several weeks, we've taken a break from John by studying the "Sons of God," mostly focused on the OT. [I made this its own separate series on sermoncentral, and today's won't make as much sense without reading that first].
Today, I think we are the place where we can jump back to the Gospel of John, and have it make sense. That said, this is the kind of passage where I'm not going to get everything right. Use discernment. Think about it for yourself. And try to hold on to what you think is good and helpful.
Let's start today by reading verse 22-23:
(22) Then, the Feast of the Dedication happened in Jerusalem.
Winter, it was,
and he was walking-- Jesus-- in the temple in the portico of Solomon. [scene setting with 2 imperfect verbs]
Our story picks back up again today three months later, during the Feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah). We are still in Jerusalem-- in the place where Judeans have been rejecting him, and trying to kill him. Jesus is in the temple. And we know that this temple, is the one that Jesus symbolically destroyed. We know that Jesus is the greater temple. That you come to God through him, and that the worship God seeks is the one done in the Holy Spirit, and in the Truth about who Jesus is (John 4:24).
We also know it's winter. So we understand that this is a depressing time of the year. It's a time of barrenness, and darkness. It's the time of year we expect nothing good to happen. [And I think the only reason AJ tells us it's winter-- since we are supposed to know what time of year the Feast of Dedication takes place-- is to make us feel depressed.]
So Jesus "was walking" in the temple [imperfect verbing, raising our expectations that something else will follow], and this is what happens next:
(23) Then, they surrounded/encircled him-- the Judeans--,
and they were saying to him,
"How long, our soul/life, do you take away?
If you are the Christ/Messiah, tell us with boldness/plainness."
The Judeans here "encircle" Jesus. English Bibles will tell you that they "gathered around" Jesus. But when we read this here, I think we are supposed to understand that this is a threatening act. They approach Jesus, but they do so with the wrong verb. You shouldn't "encircle" Jesus, or "surround" him-- you're supposed to "come to" Jesus.
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We find the same verb repeatedly in Psalm 118:1-12 (Greek OT; Lexham English Septuagint):
10 *All the nations encircled me,
and by the name of the Lord I warded them off.
11 *Encircling they encircled me,
and by the name of the Lord I warded them off.
12 *They encircled me like bees a honeycomb,
and they were kindled like a fire in brambles,
and by the name of the Lord I warded them off.
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So that's what the Judeans do. Now, let's focus on what they say.
"How long, our soul/life, do you take away?
If you are the Christ/Messiah, tell us with boldness/plainness."
English Bibles act like Jesus' words are an idiomatic phrase, that mean something like, "How long will you keep us in suspense?" It is an idiom. In Modern Greek, it means something like "How long will you keep annoying us?" (H/T Gail O'Day, who quotes C.K. Barrett, who gives examples apparently-- that's one I don't own). But I think we are supposed to hear their words very literally, and forget that it's an idiom.
When we read what's actually there-- "How long, our soul/life, do you take away,"-- we are supposed to hear incredible irony. The Judeans act like Jesus is killing them. He is "taking away" their life. But we know this is the complete opposite of what Jesus does. Jesus is the one offering to "take away" their sin, as the lamb of God. He is the one who "gives" the abundant life. He doesn't take life. He gives life.
So what is it the Judeans want? They sound like Jesus' brothers. They think, if Jesus is the Messiah, that he should tell people boldly, openly, publicly, who he is. They think his approach doesn't make sense.
In verses 25-30, we read Jesus' response:
(25) He answered/responded to them-- Jesus--
"I told you, (A)
and you don't believe/give allegiance. (B)
The works that I do in the name of my Father -- these testify about me, (A)
(26) but you don't believe/give allegiance, (B)
because you aren't of/from my sheep.
(27) My sheep, my voice, they hear,
and I know them,
and they follow me,
(28) and I give to them life eternal,
and they will absolutely not perish/be lost ever,
and no one will seize them from my hand.
(29) My Father, who has given [them] to me, greater than all, He is,
and no one is able to seize [them] from the Father's hand.
(30) I and the Father, one, we are."
Jesus' response to them, is that he has told them who he is. How? Through his works. Jesus doesn't expect anyone to come to him, and give allegiance to him, and follow him, apart from the works. The works that Jesus does-- the signs-- are the first step in people becoming his disciples. They are the first witness, that testifies on Jesus' behalf. They are how Jesus makes it as easy as possible, for people to come to him.
But the Judeans have proven unable to see the signs. When the man born blind was healed, they rejected the man, his family, and Jesus. This refusal to be open to the possibility that God is once again doing healings, and signs, and miracles through Jesus-- keeps them from being open to Jesus, as well.
And this is obvious from how they approach Jesus. They come to encircle him, and ask frustrated questions to him. They don't "come to" Jesus like his disciples, or the Samaritans. They aren't open-minded [like Nathaniel, or the Samaritan woman, or the man born blind].
And what's the end result of this? They aren't part of his sheep. Last week, we read about how Jesus is the one single gate, and the good and noble shepherd. But the Judeans are outsiders in all of this. They don't know Jesus' voice. They can't "hear" him, because they refuse to hear him. And their fate is tragic. Jesus comes to his own, but his own don't receive him (John 1:11). And so they don't receive eternal life. And they will perish.
We, as part of Jesus' flock, understand all of this. The fact that most Judeans didn't come to Jesus, is tragic. It's always tragic, when people refuse to come to Jesus, because we know how good of a shepherd he is. Let's reread verses 28-30:
(28) and I give to them life eternal,
and they will absolutely not perish/be lost ever,
and no one will seize them from my hand.
(29) My Father, who has given [them] to me, greater than all, He is,
and no one is able to seize [them] from the Father's hand.
(30) I and the Father, one, we are."
Who is Jesus, for us? Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the one who still speaks to us. He is the one who gives us eternal life. Jesus leads us. Jesus holds us in his hand, protecting us. And then, in verse 29, Jesus talks about how the Father holds us in his hand, and no one can seize us from the Father. And how the Father has given us to Jesus.
So whose hand are we in? Whose sheep are we? Jesus and the Father are one. The church, historically, has read this in a really complicated, metaphysical way, and used this verse to talk about really complicated Trinitarian things. I don't have a problem with any of that really complicated stuff. But I think the point Jesus is making here, is that there is a functional unity between the Father and Jesus. Jesus perfectly does his Father's will. He says what the Father tells him to say (John 8:26). He does what the Father tells him to do. And his hand, is the Father's hand.
And I think there's a lesson here for us. Sometimes, Christians act like the Father, and Jesus, are at odds with each other. Like Jesus saves us from the Father's wrath. Like Jesus mediates between us and God, to keep God from harming us. We are scared of God our Father, but we love Jesus.
But when you think about the Father, understand that you are serving, and worshipping, the God who loved the world so much He sent his son to die for your sins. Understand that God is patient, and kind, and slow to anger, and rich in mercy. Understand that you serve a God who is very good at protecting his people-- no one can snatch you out of hands. You are safe.
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This verse is often used to defend eternal security. But there's nothing in the context that really points in that direction. The language about no one being able to snatch you out of Jesus' hand, and the Father's hand, has more to do with protection from persecution. Nothing the Pharisees do to you, takes you out of Jesus' hand, and his flock. They can't separate you from God. Nothing here talks about what happens to people who decide to stop walking with Jesus (John 6:64).
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Verse 31:
(31) Then, they again picked up stones-- the Judeans--
in order that they would stone him.
The Judeans respond to Jesus, for the second time in this gospel, by trying to stone him. Jesus is not their shepherd. He is not their gate. And they reject him, and his words.
Verse 32:
(32) He answered/responded to them-- Jesus--
"Many good/noble works I showed you from the Father.
Because of which one of them, me, you are going to stone.
Every work that Jesus has done, has been from the Father, in the Father, and with the Father. He and the Father are one. And Jesus wants to know, for which of these good and noble works, are they stoning him? Is it the healing of the official's son, who was near death? The man who was lame for 38 years? The man born blind?
This brings us to verse 33. This is where it starts to get a "little" tricky:
(33) They answered him-- the Judeans--
"Concerning a good/noble deed we aren't going to stone you,
but concerning blasphemy,
and because you, a man being, make yourself [a] God/god.
I think-- and I could be wrong-- but I think, their problem with Jesus here is that he is elevating himself to a position equal to God. They charge Jesus with claiming to be, not "the" God, but "a" god-- "a" divine being. At the risk of nerding this out one step too far, I want to try to explain this. Because this Trinitarian language we are talking about, and around, here, is at the heart of what we believe as Christians. And maybe this will help us better understand who our Father in heaven is, and who our Savior Jesus Christ is. And when [not "if"] you reach the point where your brain starts to hurt, and you wonder how to put it all together, you will be in the same place as the early church, as they wrestled with how to best express Trinitarian theology. It's complicated, because what the Bible says is complicated. [But what we don't dare do, is throw out the verses that make it complicated, because that leads to heresy.]
There are four reasons to understand the Judeans' charge here as being, that Jesus is making himself "a" god, and not "the" God. One grammatical, three contextual:
(1) Every time that "God" is the direct object of the verb (an accusative), and immediately follows the verb (normal word order), everywhere else in the book (with the partial exception of 20:17, where it's modified by "my" and not straightforward), it's always "the God." If the Judeans had wanted to say that Jesus is claiming to be "the" God, there is an easy way to do it-- the way it's done everywhere else in the gospel.
(2) Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus calls God "the/his Father," and he calls himself "the son" (John 5:18-26). Judeans understand that Jesus is referring to God as his Father; they talk about God the same way (John 8:41).
Their problem with Jesus, is that Jesus claims sonship in an exclusive sense. Jesus is God's son, in a way that they are not (reading John 5:18 with John 8:41). But it's clear that Jesus and the Father are "distinct" from each other. They are a unity, working together, but it's not like Jesus is the Father, or the Father is Jesus. It's more like when you are dealing with the king's son, you are dealing also/actually with the king. [That said, we still need to keep in mind Thomas's confession in 20:28: "The God of me, and the Lord/Master of me."] So it seems unlikely that the Judeans would accuse Jesus of being "the" God.
(3) John 5:18:
"For this reason, then, even more, the Judeans were seeking to kill him,
because he not only was breaking the Sabbath,
but also, his own Father, he was calling the God,
equal himself making with the God."
In John 5, the Judeans want to kill Jesus because he is claiming an equality with the God. As if Jesus thinks there are two thrones in heaven, and Jesus is his Father's equal. I think this is basically the same thing as John 10. They think Jesus is lifting himself up, and claiming to be divine when he is not. They think he's just a man, like them. And only a man.
(4) Jesus' response, which we are about to read, makes more sense if Jesus heard "a god." His quotation of Psalm 82 shows that the idea of multiple "gods" (elohim) is biblical.
(5) This isn't really an argument. But Francis Moloney takes a similar position. That "god" here functions as an adjective, essentially-- "a divine being." [That said, Moloney doesn't really take Psalm 82 at face value.]
Jesus' response is long, and complicated, running from verse 34-38. Let's read the whole thing, and then try to unpack it:
(34) Jesus answered them,
"Isn't it written in your law that,
'I said, Gods/gods, you are'? (Psalm 82:6)
If, those ones, he called 'Gods'/'gods'--
-toward whom the word/Word of God came,
-and it can't be broken-- the Scripture--
- the one whom [the Word] the Father sanctified/consecrated and sent to/for the world--
[why] do you say,
'You are blaspheming,'
because I said,
'[A] Son of God, I am.' ?
(37) If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe/give allegiance to me.
(38) Now, if I do [them], even if in/to me you don't believe/give allegiance, in/to the works, believe/give
allegiance,
in order that you may know,
and you may continue knowing,
that in me, the Father [is],
and I [am] in the Father."
Jesus' answer divides into two halves. The first half is in verses 34-36:
(34) He answered them-- Jesus--
"Isn't it written in your law that,
'I said, Gods/gods, you are'? (Psalm 82:6)
If, those ones, he called 'Gods'/'gods'--
-toward whom the word/Word of God came,
-and it can't be broken-- the Scripture--
- the one whom [the Word] the Father sanctified/consecrated and sent to/for the world--
[why?] do you say,
'You are blaspheming,'
because I said,
"[A] Son of God, I am.' ?
Jesus challenges their charge of blasphemy, on the basis of Psalm 82. In that psalm, God challenges the sons of God to exercise authority rightly. God had delegated responsibility for ruling the nations to the sons of God (Deut. 32:8-9), but they did a rotten job. And here, God pronounces them guilty, and condemns them to a future death. Let's read it:
God (Elohim) is taking his stand in the community/assembly of God (El),
In the midst of the gods (Elohim) He is exercising authority.
(2) How long will you exercise authority wrongly,
and the faces of the wicked will you lift up? -Selah
(3) Exercise authority for the helpless and the orphan,
To the suffering and the weak act rightly.
(4) Rescue the helpless and the poor;
from the hand of the wicked deliver them.
(5) They haven't known,
and they haven't understood.
In the darkness they are going about/around.
The foundations of the earth are being shaken.
(6) I have said,
"Gods (Elohim) are you,
and sons of the Most High (Elyon) are all of you.
(7) However, like a man you will die,
and like one of the commanders you will fall.
(8) Rise up, God (Elohim),
Exercise authority over the earth,
because you possess/own all the nations/peoples.
So Jesus says, "Your own Bibles can call those sons of the Most High "gods."
Now, look at how Jesus views himself here. Jesus is not a son of God, in the same way that they are. He calls them "those ones." He holds them away from himself (using a far demonstrative); he doesn't say, "Your own Bibles call us sons of God." How does Jesus fit in here? Who is Jesus, if he is not part of that group of the sons of God? When God rises off his throne, and opens his mouth, and speaks judgment on them, it is his "word" that does this.
In comic strips, when someone speaks, they put a bubble around the words. God's "word" is sort of like this bubble. Imagine that you can grab all of God's words in Psalm 82, and hold them in your hands. What you have in your hands, is God's "word." God's "Word" came to the sons of God in judgment, exercising authority over them, condemning them to death.
Jesus then says he is this Word. He is God's Word who was consecrated, and sent to earth, and became flesh. And he does all of this, and is all of this, as God's [unique] son.
So how, in all of this, can Jesus be charged with blasphemy? The Father consecrated Jesus. The Father sent
Jesus. Jesus is one with the Father in everything. It's not that Jesus is lifting himself up against God, or trying to make himself equal with God. Jesus is the preexistent Word of God. Jesus is God's unique son. And their own Bibles, if they take Psalm 82 as Scripture, at face value, should show them that none of this is controversial. It just requires them to be open-minded.
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Verse 39:
(39) Then, they were seeking again, him, to seize,
and he departed from their hand,
Just like we are in Jesus' hand, and the Father's hand, and no one can snatch us away, so too, Jesus is in the Father's hand. And no one can snatch Jesus out his Father's hand. When Jesus dies, it will be on God's timing-- and not because some ragtag group of Judeans tries to kill him.
With this, we come to verses 40-41. Here, AJ ends this section by showing us how unnecessary, and ridiculous, the Judeans' response was. It isn't really that hard to learn who Jesus is, and come to him, and follow him, and become his disciples. And proof of that, is what happens when Jesus leaves Judea, and goes anywhere else.
Verse 40:
(40) and he went out again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John was baptizing earlier,
and he abided there,
(41) and many came toward him,
and they were saying (that),
"John, on the one hand, no signs he did.
No on the other hand, all that John spoke about this one , true, it was.
and many gave allegiance to him there.
Away from Judea, the reaction to Jesus is completely different. In this place, "many" hear John the Baptist's faithful testimony about Jesus. They understand that John points to someone greater than himself-- to the Lamb of God, the one taking away the sin of the world. And so they hear John's words, and they see Jesus' signs, and they understand that all of this is true. So what do they do? They do the discipleship verbs. They "come to" Jesus (instead of "surrounding him"), and they "give allegiance to" Jesus.
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This is a passage that could be applied lots of different ways. The best application, probably, would focus on understanding who Jesus is. But I tried to do that in the "teaching" section, so I could do something else in the "application" section. The main take away, about that, is that you shouldn't pit the Father and Jesus against each other. What's true about Jesus-- who he is, how he feels about you, what he does for you-- is true about the Father. If you love Jesus, you should love the Father.
What I'd like, is for you to leave today, instead thinking about the relationship between "works," and Jesus.
In the gospel of John, becoming Jesus' disciple is a process. No one comes to Jesus having figured everything out. They aren't spiritually mature, wise, committed followers of Jesus. In the beginning, especially, there is a vulnerability to all of this. We read in John 6:66 how many of Jesus' disciples turned back and stopped "walking with" Jesus. They found themselves unable, or unwilling, to give their full allegiance to Jesus (John 6:64). So becoming Jesus' disciple, again, is a process.
If coming to Jesus is a process, how do people take their first steps of faith toward Jesus? What makes them first "come toward" him?
The only way people come to Jesus, is if they first hear/see testimony about Jesus. They need witnesses, to point them to Jesus, and bring them toward Jesus.
In the gospel of John, we've seen a number of these witnesses. John the Baptist. The Bible. Jesus' own disciples. Moses.
And the other witness, that speaks on Jesus' behalf, are the signs that Jesus does. His works.
Let's reread John 10:23-25:
(23) Then, they surrounded/encircled him-- the Judeans--,
and they were saying to him,
"How long, our soul/life, do you take away?
If you are the Christ/Messiah, tell us with boldness/plainness."
(25) He answered them-- Jesus--
"I told you,
and you don't believe/give allegiance.
The works that I do in the name of my Father-- these testify about me,
Now, let's hop down to verse 37:
(37) If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe/give allegiance to me.
Jesus doesn't expect anyone to come to him, and give their allegiance to him, apart from a demonstration of God's power. He flat out tells them-- "If I'm not doing the works of my Father-- the signs-- don't believe me. Don't give allegiance to me."
The signs are the first thing that point people to Jesus. And people are either open-minded, when they hear/see these signs, or they're not. What happens next, depends on how open people are to the possibility of God doing new things.
So I think we are supposed to understand two things from this. The first, is about Jesus. When we read about the miracles that Jesus did, we are not working in the realm of fairy tales, or bedtime stories for kids, or children's church filler while the pastor preaches. We understand that people who were lame for 38 years, don't get healed. People who were blind from birth, don't see. These things just don't happen.
So when you read these stories, you find yourself having to make a decision. Do you believe AJ's testimony (John 20:30-31)? If these stories are true, then Jesus is who he says he is. And the promises Jesus makes to people-- promises to lead them, and protect them, and give them life-- are promises that he can keep. And what the signs do, is force you to make a decision, about whether all of this is true or not. And they push you in the direction of believing it. Blind people don't see. Lame people don't walk.
The second thing we are supposed to take away from this has to do with evangelism. Jesus doesn't expect anyone to come to him, and abide with him, and walk with him as his disciple, apart from the works. He tells people, if I'm not doing these works, walk away.
But when we try to bring people toward Jesus, we often view all of this very differently. Maybe, we try to give them some arguments to support Christianity. But at some point, usually, we start to talk about how faith, by definition, is illogical. We ask people to take a "leap" of faith. To step into the unknown. To do what doesn't make sense. We expect people to come to Jesus, without giving them anything solid to help. If people find themselves struggling with this, we tell them, "This is the way."
Sometimes, this works because of who you are. You shine like lights in the world. You reflect God's glory, and love. People can tell that you are Spirit people. And they find themselves drawn to God, because of your witness. Because of your love for them, and for others. Sometimes, this is enough. God is drawing them, and calling them, and they hear God's voice (John 6:44). They just need you to point them in the right direction, toward Jesus.
Other people, though, need a demonstration of God's power to come to Jesus (John 4:48). When I was in high school, I went on a short-term missions trip to a reservation somewhere in North Dakota. There was a white missionary working on the reservation, and he said something I haven't forgotten, 22 years later. "Native Americans need to see God's power to be saved." At least on this reservation, the tribe understood that the spirit world is real. That there is power in the mystical traditions of their ancestors. And if you offer them a powerless Christ, and powerless Christianity, most of them will simply reject it. You have to demonstrate that greater is the one living inside of us, than he who is living in the world.
At the time, this bothered me, and confused me. I think that's why it stuck in my head for two decades-- because it didn't fit everything I "knew" about the good news about Jesus.
But what I've realized, is that this isn't just true for many Native Americans. Lots of people need to see signs, and wonders, and healings done in Jesus' name, in order for them to come toward Jesus. These things are no guarantee that they will come to him. But they are very often the first, necessary, step.
Jesus understood all of this. He knew people needed the signs-- the demonstration of a power that can only come from someone who is from God, and abides with God.
Maybe our struggles in evangelism, are our fault. Maybe we want to think the fields are barren, because we don't know how to harvest. Maybe we are just looking for excuses, to make us feel better about ourselves. Maybe, God is perfectly willing to give people demonstrations of power, to prove that Jesus is his son. To prove that Jesus is the Gate, that he is the Noble Shepherd. That he is the Savior of the world.
Let me reread verse 37:
37) If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe/give allegiance to me.
Imagine being able to echo this. Imagine coming to people outside of Jesus' flock, and telling them, "If we don't do the works our Father, don't give your allegiance to Jesus."
I don't think God intended for our evangelism to be powerless. I don't think God intended for it to be so difficult to come to Jesus. I think we are the problem. We are what makes it hard.
The solution to this is simple-- we need to change how we pray. We need to echo Acts 4:28-29, on a daily basis: "Father, we pray that you would give us boldness to share the good news about Jesus, while you stretch out your hand for healings, and signs, and wonders through the name of your holy servant, Jesus."
Do this, and I think you'll be pleased to see how God answers it-- if you are bold. And when you do this, and God fills you with his Holy Spirit to enable this (Acts 4:30), I'd love to hear your stories of what happens next.
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On Jesus being "a god," this is what Michael Heiser writes.
Heiser, page 14: http://www.thedivinecouncil.com/Heiser%20Psa82inJohn10%20RegSBL2011.pdf
" Briefly, I view John’s use of Psa. 82:6 in John 10:34 as making the point (from Jesus himself) that there are other non-human sons of God. By referencing Psalm 82, which is not about “human elohim,” Jesus is in effect tweaking his opponents by claiming to be more than human. Had Jesus/John instead quoted something like Psa. 2:7, where the Israelite king was referred to as God’s son, the point would have been a claim to be the Davidic king (which, of course, his Jewish opponents could not have claimed). But instead we get Psa. 82:6 to distinguish Jesus. Situated as it is between clear claims to be one with the Father, and that the Father is in Jesus (cp. Exod. 23:20-23, where the Name—the presence/essence of Yahweh (cp. Deut. 4:37)—is in the angel, who is therefore Yahweh in human form), John is both asserting Jesus is divine and distinct from other divine sons of God. In effect, Jesus is lord of the council."
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Translation:
(22) Then, the Feast of the Dedication happened in Jerusalem.
Winter, it was,
and he was walking-- Jesus-- in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
Then, they surrounded/encircled him-- the Judeans--,
and they were saying to him,
"How long, our soul/life, do you take away?
If you are the Christ/Messiah, tell us with boldness/plainness."
(25) He answered them-- Jesus--
"I told you,
and you don't believe/give allegiance.
The works that I do in the name of my Father -- these testify about me,
but you don't believe/give allegiance,
because you aren't of/from my sheep.
My sheep, my voice, they hear,
and I know them,
and they follow me,
and I give to them life eternal,
and they will absolutely not perish/be lost ever,
and no one will seize them from my hand.
(29) My Father, who has given [them] to me, greater than all, He is,
and no one is able to seize [them] from the Father's hand.
(30) I and the Father, one, we are."
(31) Then, they again picked up stones-- the Judeans--
in order that they would stone him.
(32) He answered them-- Jesus--
"Many good/noble works I showed you from the Father.
Because of which one of them, me, you are going to stone.
(33) They answered him-- the Judeans--
"Concerning a good/noble deed we aren't going to stone you,
but concerning blasphemy,
and because you, a man being, make yourself [a] God/god.
(34) He answered them-- Jesus--
"Isn't it written in your law that,
'I said, Gods/gods, you are'? (Psalm 82:6)
If, those ones, he called 'Gods'/'gods'--
-toward whom the word/Word of God came,
-and it can't be broken-- the Scripture--
- the one whom [the Word] the Father sanctified/consecrated and sent to/for the world--
[why?] do you say,
'You are blaspheming,'
because I said,
"[A] Son of God, I am.' ?
(37) If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe/give allegiance to me.
(38) Now, if I do [them], even if in/to me you don't believe/give allegiance, in/to the works, believe/give allegiance,
in order that you may know,
and you may continue knowing,
that in me, the Father [is],
and I [am] in the Father."
(39) Then, they were seeking again him, to seize,
and he departed from their hand,
(40) and he went out again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John was baptizing earlier,
and he abided there,
(41) and many came toward him,
and they were saying (that),
"John, on the one hand, no signs he did.
No on the other hand, all that John spoke about this one , true, it was.
and many gave allegiance to him there.
