First Nations Version
Page 32
“How can this be?” they asked. “Will he give us his flesh to eat?”
53“I speak from my heart,” he answered. “The only way to have my life in you is to eat the body of the True Human Being and drink his blood. 54Then, the life of the world to come will be yours, and at the end of all days I will bring your body back to life. 55My body is true food. My blood is pure drink. 56The ones who eat and drink my body and blood live in me, and I live in them. 57In the same way the living Father sent me and gave me his life, the ones who feed on me will have my life. 58The bread from above is not like the bread our ancestors ate—and then died. This bread gives the life of the world to come that never fades away, full of beauty and harmony.”
59These are the words he spoke to the people at the gathering house in Village of Comfort (Capernaum).
MANY FOLLOWERS WALK AWAY
60When the ones who walked the road with Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard this, many of them said, “These words are too hard to hear. Who can even listen to them?”
61Creator Sets Free (Jesus) knew in his spirit what was troubling them, so he said, “Do these words make you stumble from the path? 62What will you do when you see the True Human Being going back up to where he came from?
63“Life comes from the spirit, not from the human body.16 My words have spirit and life in them—64but some of you have no faith in who I am.”
He said this because he knew, from the beginning, the ones who did not believe and who would betray him.
65He then finished by saying, “That is why I said no one can come to me on their own, but only as a gift from my Father.”
66When they heard this, many who followed him turned and walked away. 67Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked at the twelve and said, “Do you also want to walk away?”
68“Wisdomkeeper,” One Who Hears (Simon), also named Stands on the Rock (Peter), answered him, “who else would we walk the road with? You have the words that give the life of the world to come that never fades away, full of beauty and harmony. 69We have come to know and trust in you as the Holy One from the Great Spirit.”
70Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “Even though I chose all twelve of you, one of you is an enemy.”17
71He was talking about Speaks Well Of (Judas), one of the twelve, who would later turn on him and betray him.
FESTIVAL OF SHELTERS
1Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left the Land of Promise (Judea) because the Tribal Members there wanted to put him to death. To avoid conflict with them, he had been staying in the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee), going from village to village. 2But now it was almost time for the Festival of Shelters in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), which all the tribes participated in.
This festival was celebrated at the end of the harvest. The tribes were instructed to make temporary shelters from tree branches. In this way they remembered the time after they had been set free from their captivity in Black Land (Egypt), when their ancestors migrated in the desert wilderness under the care of the lawgiver, Drawn from the Water (Moses).
3The brothers from the family of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came to him and said, “You should leave here and go back to the Land of Promise (Judea) for the festival. This way more of your followers will see the powerful signs you can do. 4Why not show everyone who you are? The ones who want to be well known do not hide in secret. You should show all the world who you are.”
5Even his own brothers did not believe that he was the Chosen One.
6-7Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered them, “You are free to go anytime you want, for the people there do not hate you. But they do hate me, because I show them their bent and crooked ways. 8You can go to the festival, but I am not going now—it is not my time yet.”
9After he said this, he stayed behind in Circle of Nations (Galilee) 10until his family left. Then he went to the festival, not openly, but in secret.
LOOKING FOR HIM AT THE FESTIVAL
Tribal Members from all directions came to the festival. Village of Peace (Jerusalem) was crowded and overflowing with thousands of people walking, donkeys pulling carts, and merchants selling their crafts.
11Many were looking for Creator Sets Free (Jesus) at the festival. The people who had gathered there were whispering and wondering about him.
“Where is he?” they asked.
12Some of them said, “He is a true human being with a good heart.”
But others were saying, “No! He is leading the crowds down a false path.”
13No one was saying these things out in the open, because they feared what the tribal leaders might do to them.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?
14Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came secretly to the festival and stayed away from the crowds. He waited until the midpoint of the festival, went to the sacred lodge, and began to teach.
15The tribal leaders were amazed at his teaching.
“Where did he get this wisdom and understanding?” they asked. “He has not studied under our wisdomkeepers or attended our learning houses.”
16Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered them, “The wisdom I share is not my own but comes from the one who sent me. 17The ones who desire to walk in the ways of the Great Spirit will understand my wisdom comes from him. 18The one who represents himself is seeking his own honor. The one who represents the one who sent him is true and upright, and there is nothing false in him.
19“Drawn from the Water (Moses) gave you the law, but none of you keep it. Why do you want to kill me?”
20“You must have an evil spirit!” they answered back. “Why else would you think we are trying to kill you?”
21He answered them, “I did one work. I healed a man. You were amazed to see such power, but you were offended because this was done on the Day of Resting.
22“Do you not see? Drawn from the Water (Moses) gave you the cutting of the flesh ceremony, handed down to him from the ancestors. Sometimes this ceremony is performed for a baby boy on the Day of Resting. 23If this is permitted on the Day of Resting, then why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on that day? 24Do not decide things by their outward appearance. Instead, make your decisions in a good way, looking beyond what you see with your eyes.”
HOW COULD HE BE THE CHOSEN ONE?
25Some of the people who lived in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) began to say, “Is this not the one they are seeking to put to death? 26Look, he speaks boldly to all, and they have nothing to say to him. Does our tribal council think he truly is the Chosen One? 27But how could this be? When the Chosen One comes, no one will know where he comes from, but we know where this man is from.”
28-29Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then lifted up his voice in the sacred lodge and cried out, “You may think you know me and where I am from, but I know where I am truly from—the Father. He is the one who sent me. You do not know who I am or where I am from, because you do not know him.”
SOLDIERS SENT TO ARREST HIM
30The tribal leaders were looking for a way to arrest him, but no one could even lay a hand on him, for it was not yet his time. 31Many of the people chose to trust in him.
They said, “When the Chosen One comes, will he do more powerful signs than this man has done?”
32When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the head holy men heard what the crowds were saying about him, they sent the lodge soldiers to arrest him.
33“I will be gone soon,” he said to them. “I am returning to the one who sent me. 34You will look for me, but you will not find me. Where I am going you cannot follow.”
35The Tribal Members began to grumble, “Where will he go that we cannot find him? Will he go to where the Tribal Members live among the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks)? 36Will he teach them there? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will look for me, but will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow’?”
SOURCE OF LIVING WATER
37It was now the last and greatest day of the Festival of Shelters.
It has been said that
on this day, by ancient tradition, a holy man would be chosen to take a golden pot to the Waters of Sending Village (Pool of Siloam) and fill it with water. He would then bring the water to the sacred lodge for a special ceremony and celebration. The holy man would take the water to the great altar, and then at the sound of the ram’s horn, called the shofar, he would pour out the water on the altar. They would recite the words of the prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah), “With glad hearts we will draw from the wells, water that will set us free.”18
After the ceremony Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stood before the people and cried out with a loud voice, “The ones who thirst must come to me and drink! 38Put your hope and trust in me. I am the one the Sacred Teachings spoke of when they said, ‘Rivers of living water will flow out from inside him.’19”
39He was saying this about the Spirit, who would soon be given to the ones who believed in him. The Spirit had not yet been poured out, for Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had not yet risen to his place of honor, power, and beauty.
CONFLICT ABOUT WHO HE IS
40When they heard these words, some of the people gathered there were saying, “This must be the Prophet, the one of whom it was foretold would come.”
41Others were saying, “No! He is the Chosen One.”
Still others did not agree and said, “How can this be? Will the Chosen One come from Circle of Nations (Galilee)? 42Do not the Sacred Teachings tell us that the Chosen One will be a descendant of Chief Much Loved One (David) and come from House of Bread (Bethlehem), the village where he was born?”
43So the people could not agree about him. 44The lodge soldiers were amazed by his words and could not bring themselves to arrest him. 45They returned to the head holy men and the Separated Ones (Pharisees), who asked them, “Where is he? Why did you not arrest him?”
46The soldiers answered, “No one has ever spoken like this man!”
47“Has he turned you from the path also?” they said. 48“Does even one tribal leader or Separated One (Pharisee) believe in him? 49These people are ignorant of the Sacred Teachings given by Drawn from the Water (Moses). They are under a curse!”
50Conquers the People (Nicodemus), the same one who came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) in secret at night, was one of the Separated Ones (Pharisees). 51He boldly said to the other tribal leaders, “Our tribal law does not permit us to decide against a man without giving him a chance to stand before the council and give an answer for what he does.”
52The other tribal leaders scorned him and said, “Are you also from Circle of Nations (Galilee)? Look into the Sacred Teachings for yourself. You will see that no prophet comes from Circle of Nations (Galilee).”
53The Festival of Shelters was over, and the people all returned to the peace and safety of their own homes.
CONFLICT BETWEEN LAW AND KINDNESS
1But Creator Sets Free (Jesus) went to Olive Mountain to find lodging there. 2Early in the morning at the sunrise, he returned again to the sacred lodge. All the people began to gather around him, so he sat down and once again began to teach and tell his stories.
Across the plaza a cloud of dust was rising from a group of people who were walking toward Creator Sets Free (Jesus) as he was teaching. They were forcefully dragging a woman along with them. He could see her tears and the look of terror on her face.
3It was the scroll keepers and the Separated Ones (Pharisees). They brought the woman to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and forced her down on the ground in front of him and all the people.
4“Wisdomkeeper,” they said, “we found this woman in the very act of being unfaithful to her husband. 5Drawn from the Water (Moses) instructed us in the law to throw stones at her until she dies. What do you have to say about this?”
6They were putting him to a test, so they could have a way to accuse him.
The crowd was silent and waited to see what he would say, but he said nothing.
He bent over and with his finger wrote something in the dirt.
When he did not answer right away, the Separated Ones (Pharisees) became angry and kept questioning him.
7Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked up at them and said, “The one who has done no wrong should be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8He then bent over and again began to write in the dirt with his finger.
9When they heard his words, they all stood there silently. Then, beginning with the elders, one at a time they dropped their stones and walked away. Soon all were gone except for Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and the woman. 10He stood up and looked at her.
“Honored woman,” he said. “Where are the ones who were accusing you? Is there no one who finds fault with you?”
11The woman looked up timidly into his eyes and said, “No one, Wisdomkeeper.”
“Then I also find no fault with you,” he said to her. “You may go your way, but take care not to return to this broken path you have been walking.”
CONFLICT BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARKNESS
After the woman left, the people began to gather around him again, waiting to hear what he would say.
12Creator Sets Free (Jesus) lifted up his voice and said to them, “I am the light shining on this dark world. The ones who walk with me will not stumble in the darkness but will have the light that gives them life.”
13When they heard this, the Separated Ones (Pharisees) said to him, “When you say these things about yourself, you are the only one who says they are true. If no one else speaks for you, then we cannot receive your words.”
14Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered them, “If I am the only one who speaks for myself, my words are still true. I know where I came from and where I am going. You are the ones who do not know where I came from or where I am going. 15You are deciding about me with weak human minds. I am not deciding about anyone, 16but even if I did, my decisions would be true, for I do not stand alone. My Father who sent me is the one who stands with me. 17Your tribal law tells you it takes the word of two people to know the truth. 18So then, I speak for myself, and the Father speaks for me also.”
WHO IS YOUR FATHER?
19“Where is your Father?” they said back to him.
“You do not know me or my Father,” he told them. “If you knew me, you would know who my Father is.”
20Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said these things at the sacred lodge, where he was teaching, near the storehouse where they keep the ceremonial gifts. No one laid a hand on him, for his time had not yet come.
The people began to argue among themselves about him.
21So he lifted up his voice again and said, “You are not able to go where I am going. When I am gone, you will wander in the darkness looking for the Chosen One,20 and your bad hearts will lead you down the path of death to a bad end.”
22The people said to each other, “Is he going to kill himself, since he says he is going where we cannot follow?”
23So he said to them, “You are from below and belong to the ways of this world. I am from above, and this world and its ways have no place in me. 24This is why I said that your bad hearts and broken ways will lead you down a path of death. Unless you put your trust in who I am and follow my ways, your end will be death.”
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
25When they heard this, they said to him in anger, “Who do you think you are?”
He answered, “From the beginning I have been telling you who I am. 26I have many more things I could say and decide about you. The words I speak to the people of this world come from the one who sent me, and he is the Truth.”
27But no one could see that he was talking about the Father, who is the Great Spirit.
28So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “When you lift up the True Human Being on the cross, then you will know that I am who I say I am. For I only do and say the things taught to me by my Father. 29The one who sent me is with me now. He has never left me alone, for I always walk in the ways that make his heart glad.”
CONFLICT ABOUT FREEDOM
30Many b
egan to trust in him as they listened to his words, 31so Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to the Tribal Members who believed in him, “If you walk in my footsteps and follow my teachings, you will truly be my followers. 32Then you will see and understand the truth that sets all people free.”
33But they questioned him, “We are the descendants of Father of Many Nations (Abraham) and have never been anyone’s slave. How can you say, ‘You will be set free’?”
34“I speak truth from my heart,” he answered them. “All who walk in the broken ways of this world become slaves to their bad hearts. 35A slave is not a member of the family and will not always live with the family. But a son of the family always has a home. 36The freedom the Son gives you is the way of true freedom.
CONFLICT OVER FATHERHOOD
37“I know you are the descendants of Father of Many Nations (Abraham), but you still want to kill me 38because my message has no home in you. I am telling you the things my Father has shown me, but you are doing the things you have heard from your father.”
39“Father of Many Nations (Abraham) is our father,” they said back to him in anger.
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “If you were truly the children of Father of Many Nations (Abraham), you would do the same things he did. 40Instead, you want to put to death the one who has told you truth from the Great Spirit. This is not what Father of Many Nations (Abraham) did. 41You are doing the same things your father does.”