Sayings of Jesus

[Pages:10]Sayings of Jesus

The Lost Gospel of Q

Some scholars call it "The Lost Gospel of Q" - "Q" standing for Quelle, a German word for "source." As early as 1838, a German scholar Christian Weisse at the University of Leipzig, developed proof that Matthew and Luke not only copied large parts of their gospels from the book of Mark, but also shared another source of material, primarily sayings of Jesus. This leads us to believe that there were copies of Q being circulated among early Christians. To date, no manuscripts of Q have been found.

However, a group of scholars have dug through many layers of New Testament writings and have compiled what they believe is the original written sayings of Jesus that circulated between Jesus' crucifixion and the writing of Matthew's gospel about 80 C.E.

You may want to consult the new book "The Lost Gospel of Q," Dr. Marcus Borg, Consulting Editor, Mark Powelson and Ray Riegert are the editors. It is published by Ulysses Press, Berkeley, CA.

This Sayings of Jesus booklet has put together "the source" in one easy-to-read format using the New Revised Standard Version text and other translations including my own. It reads quite quickly, and it presents a new light on the early Christian understanding of who they understood Jesus to be.

Abiding Savior Lutheran Church

10689 Owen Brown Road, Columbia, MD 21044 The Rev. David Michel, Interim Pastor abiding-

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Q1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea,

proclaiming, "Repent, for the realm of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: `Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" Mt 3:1-3; Lk 3:2b-4

Q2 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him,

and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

John said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

The people asked him, "What are we to do, then?" John answered, "Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it." (Mt 3:5-10; Lk 3:7-11)

Q3 Even tax collectors came to John to be baptized, and they asked

him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." Lk 3:12-14

Q4 John the Baptist said, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but

one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Mt 3:11-12; Lk 3:16-17

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Q5 Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by

him. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, the sky opened up. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." Mt 3:13, 16-17; Lk 3:21b-22

Q6 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted

by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "One cannot live by bread alone." Mt 4:1-4; Lk 4:1-4

Q7 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the

pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, `He will command his angels concerning you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, `Do not put God to the test.'"

Mt 4:5-7; Lk 4:9-12

Q8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him

all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "It is written, `You must worship God, and serve only him.'"

Then the devil left him to return at a later time. (Mt 4:8-11; Lk 5-8, 13)

Q9 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he

sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Mt 5:1-2, 3, 6; Lk 6:12, 17, 20-21)

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Q10 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled."

"Blessed are you who weep, for you shall laugh. (Mt 5:6, 4; Lk 6:21)

Q11 "Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth." (Mt 5:5)

Q12 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy."

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see the face of God."

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." (Mt 5:7-9)

Q13 "Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and utter

all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Remember, the prophets were treated in the same way." (Mt 5:11-12; Lk 6:22-23)

Q14 "Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Bless those

who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you." (Mt 44, 46; Lk 6:27-28)

Q15 "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if

anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give them your shirt as well. Give to everyone who begs from you, and if someone robs you, don't demand you property back." (Mt 5:39b-42; Lk29-30)

Q16 "Treat others as you would like them to treat you; "

"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even sinners do the same? And if you do good to those who do good to you, what good is there in that? Even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what reward is there in that? Even sinners lend to sinners."

"Instead love you enemies and do good, expecting nothing in return. You will have a great reward, and you will be children of your

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Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on the bad and the good. He sends rain to fall on both the just and the unjust." (Mt 7:12, 5:46-47; Lk 6:31-

33, 35b)

Q17 "Be compassionate, therefore, as your heavenly Father is compas-

sionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven."

(Mt 5:48, 7:1-2; Lk 6:36-37)

Q18 "Give to others and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a

full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands - all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you." (Lk 6:38)

Q19 "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind

person guides another, both will fall into a pit."

"A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a servant above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the servant like the master." (Mt 15:14, 10:24-25; Lk 6:39-40)

Q20 "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not no-

tice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye." (Mt

7:3-5; Lk 6:41-42)

Q21 "You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns,

or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits."

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"A person's words flow from what is treasured in the heart." (Mt 7:16-

20, 12:35; Lk 12:43-45)

Q22 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the king-

dom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'"

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!" (Mt 7:21-27; Lk 6:46-49)

Q23 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing

to him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion answered, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes, and to another, `Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, `Do this,' and the servant does it." When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you according to your faith." And the servant was healed in that hour. (Mt 8:5-13; Lk 7:1b-10)

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Q24 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent

word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, `See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'"

"Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (Mt 11:2-11; Lk 7:18-20, 22-28)

Q25 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven

has suffered violent attacks and violent men try to seize it. Until the time of John all the prophets and the Law of Moses spoke about the Kingdom. (Mt 11:12-13; Lk 16:16)

Q26 "But to what will I compare this generation? They are like children

sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, `We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang sad songs, and you did not mourn.'"

"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon'; now the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." (Mt 11:16-19; Lk 7:31-35)

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Q27 A scribe then approached Jesus and said, "Teacher, I will follow

you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But that person replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; your duty is to spread the news of the realm of God."

Another man said, "I will follow you, sir; but first, let me go say good-bye to my family." Jesus said to him, "Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the realm of God."

(Mt 8:19-22; Lk 9:57-60)

Q28 "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so

be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." (Mt 10:16, 9:37; Lk 10:2-3)

Q29 "Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your

journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff. Don't stop to greet anyone on the road." (Mt 10:9-10; Lk 9:3, 10:4)

Q30 "Whenever you enter someones's home, let your first words be,

`Peace be to this house!' If a person who loves peace lives there, they will accept your blessing. If not, your words will return to you. Stay in this house, receiving what food and drink they offer, for the laborer deserves his reward. Do not keep moving from house to house. When you enter a town and the people welcome you, eat the food they provide. Heal the sick who are there. Say to the people of the town, `The kingdom of God is at your door..'" (Mt 10:11-12; Lk 10:5-9)

Q31 "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes

me welcomes the one who sent me.

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of

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