The Passion Translation New Testament Masterpiece Edition (2020 edition) : with Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Songs (The Illustrated Passion Translation) (The Passion Translation (TPT))

by Brian Simmons

Interpreting Mary’s words for today we could say, “Religion has failed, it has run out of wine.” The traditions of religion cannot gladden the heart, but Jesus can (Ps. 104:15). Moses (the law) turned water into blood, but Jesus (grace) turned water into wine.

Our bodies (temples) have forty-six chromosomes in every cell.

5Jesus answered, “I speak an eternal truth: Unless you are born of waterc and the Spirit, you will never enter God’s kingdom. 6For the natural realm only gives birth to things that are natural, but the spiritual realm gives birth to supernatural life! 7“You shouldn’t be amazed by my statement,d ‘You all must be born from above!’e 8For the Spirit-Wind blows as it chooses. You can hear its sound,f but you don’t know where it came from or where it’s going. So it is the same with those who are Spirit-born!”g

And just as Moses in the desert lifted up the brass replica of a venomous snake on a pole for all the people to see and be healed,i so the Son of Man is ready to be lifted up, 15so that those who truly believe in himj will not perish but be given eternal life. 16For here is the way God loved the world—he gave his only, unique Son as a gift.k So now everyone who believes in himl will never perish but experience everlasting life. 17“God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it!

The Greek word can be translated “born from above.” However, in the context Nicodemus understood it as a rebirth. The Aramaic word is clearly “born from the origin.” Nicodemus came seeking knowledge; Jesus offered him life.

7 A common poetic form of Hebraic teaching is to use a play on words, which Jesus utilizes in this poetic masterpiece with multiple words containing dual meanings. The word for “reborn” can also be translated “born from above.” f3:8 The word for “blow” can also be translated “breathe.” The word for “sound” can be translated “voice.” And the same word for “Spirit” can also mean “wind.” If our new birth is so mysterious, how much more will be the ways of living each moment by the movement of the Holy Spirit? One can understand how confused Nicodemus was, for he took everything at face value and couldn’t see a deeper meaning. g3:8 Or “The Spirit moves you as he chooses, and you hear his voice, but you don’t know where he came from or where he goes.” The Aramaic is so rich and multilayered in this passage. Perhaps it could be paraphrased as “The wind, the breath, and the Spirit are moved by mysterious moods and in their own wonderful ways. When you feel their touch and hear their voices, you know they are real, but you don’t understand how they flow and move over the earth. The same mysterious way is the way of everyone born by wind, breath, and Spirit.”

The brass snake symbolizes sin and disease. The Hebrew uses a word, seraph, which means a fiery one (fiery serpent). All of humanity has been bitten by the “snake of sin,” but Jesus was raised up on a cross for all people to see. We only need to look to him and believe, and we are healed and saved from sin.

17“But I’m not married,” the woman answered. “That’s true,” Jesus said, 18“for you’ve been married five times,h and now you’re living with a man who is not your husband. You have told the truth.”i

24From now on, worshiping the Father will not be a matter of the right place but with a right heart. For God is a Spirit,m and he longs to have sincere worshipers who adore him in the realm of the Spirit and in truth.”

The Greek verb for “springing up” is hallomenou, and is never used for inanimate objects (water). It is a verb used for people (living things) and means “jumping” or “leaping up.” The Septuagint translates this verb elsewhere as an activity of the Holy Spirit.

In a sense, every one of us has married five husbands: our five senses. The six men speak of our fallen humanity, for six is the number of man (who was created on the sixth day). Our heart can never be satisfied with what is on this earth; we must drink the living water that comes from heaven. Christ is the seventh husband, the only One who satisfies. Christ is the real husband.

“I am the I AM who speaks to you.”

7The sick man answered, “Sir,j there’s no way I can get healed, for I have no one to lower me into the water when the angel comes. As soon as I try to crawl to the edge of the pool, someone else jumps in ahead of me.”

You are busy analyzing the Scriptures, poring over them hoping to gain eternal life. Everything you read points to me, 40yet you still refuse to come to me so I can give you the life you’re looking for—eternal life!

I do not accept the honor that comes from men, 42for I know what kind of people you really are, and I can see that the love of God has found no home in you.

44Of course you’re unable to believe in me. For you live to enjoy the praises of others and not the praise that comes from the one true God.

60And when many of Jesus’ followers heard these things, it caused a stir. “That’s disgusting!” they said. “How could anybody accept it?”

66And so from that time on many of the disciples turned their backs on Jesus and refused to be associated with him.af

However, the Greek uses a word, paidarion, which can also mean a girl or young woman.

Manna means “What is it?”

The Aramaic can be translated “a rainbow sign.” Just as Noah was given a rainbow sign of the covenant God was making with him, Jesus’ earthly life was a rainbow sign from heaven of the new covenant life given to every believer today.

24Stop judging based on the superficial.m First you must embrace the standards of mercyn and truth.”

Or “Never judge as a hypocrite wearing a mask.” n7:24 Jesus was teaching that the law of mercy (healing the lame man) overrides the laws of Moses (regulations of the Sabbath). Seeing situations and people with the lens of mercy gives us true discernment.

“Let’s have the man who has never had a sinful desiref throw the first stone at her.”

12Then Jesus said, “I amm light to the world, and those who embrace me will experience life-giving light, and they will nevern walko in darkness.”

“I Am Not from This World”

24That’s why I’ve told you that you will all die in your sins if you fail to believe that I AM who I AM.”

11 The Aramaic contains a powerful testimony from this woman. Apparently the woman had the revelation of who Jesus really was, for she addressed Jesus with the divine name in the Aramaic, MarYah, Lord Yahweh! See also 1 Cor. 12:3. The Greek texts use the word kurios for “Lord,” which can also mean “sir” or “landowner.”

It should be noted that this entire episode (referred to commonly as the “Pericope Adulterae”) is missing in the majority of the most reliable Greek manuscripts. There are some manuscripts that have this story at the end of the book of John and at least two that include it in the Gospel of Luke. Many scholars surmise that this episode in the ministry of Jesus was added after the Gospel of John had been completed. However, it is the conclusion of this translation that the above text is indeed an inspired account of the ministry of Jesus and may have been deleted by many translators and copyists who doubted that Jesus could tell an adulterer that he would not condemn her. Augustine, one of the early church fathers, mentioned this story and stated that many translators had removed it because they interpreted it as Jesus giving license to immorality. God’s grace always seems to startle the religious (Augustine, De Conjug. Adult., II:6.)

The word for “devil” in Greek means “slanderer-accuser.” The Aramaic word is akelqarsa, or “adversary.” It is taken from a root word that means “to ridicule” or “to gnaw.”

a10:3 In this parable the gatekeeper would represent John the Baptizer who recognized Jesus as the Shepherd. John opened the gate for him to be introduced to Israel at Jesus’ baptism.

b10:6 They didn’t understand this allegory of the Old Testament law as the sheepfold that became the religion of Judaism, like a pen that confined the people. Christ is the gate that not only allowed everyone in, but he let them out in the New Testament to enjoy all the riches of the pasture. The Holy Spirit is the gatekeeper and the false prophets and Pharisees are the thieves and robbers (Col. 2:8). Remember that this chapter follows the healing of the blind man who was cast out of the “sheep pen” but accepted in Christ. See Gal. 3:23–26. Jesus is the shepherd, the gate, and the pasture.

c10:7 As translated from the Aramaic. There is a word play with “I” (ena) and “flock” (ana). As the gateway, he brings us to the Father and his kingdom realm. As the shepherd, he cares for us and shows us his loving heart.

But Teacher,” they said to him, “do you really want to go back there? It was just a short time ago the people of Judea were going to stone you!”

33When Jesus looked at Mary and saw her weeping at his feet, and all her friends who were with her grieving, he shuddered with emotionm and was deeply moved with tenderness and compassion.

38Then Jesus, with intense emotions, came to the tomb—a cave with a stone placed over its entrance.

The Greek word used here (enebrimēsato) can also mean “indignant and stirred with anger.” Was he angry at the mourners? Not at all. He was angry over the work of the devil in taking the life of his friend, Lazarus. The Aramaic, however, has no connotation of indignation, only tenderness and compassion (lit. “his heart melted with compassion”).

24Let me make this clear:t A single grain of wheat will never be more than a single grain of wheat unless it drops into the ground and dies. Because then it sprouts and producesu a great harvest of wheat—all because one grainv died.w

25“The person who loves his life and pampers himself will miss true life! But the one who detaches his life from this world and abandons himself to me, will find true life and enjoy it forever!

31From this moment on, everything in this world is about to change,ab for the ruler of this dark worldac will be overthrown.ad

u12:24 The Aramaic has an interesting word play with “it dies” (myta) and “it produces” (mytya).

ab12:31 Or “the time of judging the world (system) has come.” The judging of the world is the overthrow of the kingdom of darkness. The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ is passing a sentence of judgment on this fallen world and declaring treason in the kingdom of darkness. Everything changes because of the cross—the hinge of history.

2Before their evening meal had begun, the accuserb had already deeply embedded betrayalc into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

Don’t worry or surrender to your fear.a For you’ve believed in God, now trust and believe in me also.b 2My Father’s house has many dwelling places.c If it were otherwise, I would tell you plainly, because I god to prepare a place for you. 3And when everything is ready, I will come back and takee you to myself so that you will be where I am. 4And you already know the way to the place where I’m going.”f

17And I will ask the Father and he will give you anotherk Savior,l the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you. The world won’t receive him because they can’t see him or know him. But you know him intimately because he remains with you and will live inside you.m

30I won’t speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this dark worldt is coming. But he has no power over me, for he has nothing to use against me.

a14:1 Or “Don’t let your hearts be distressed.” The Aramaic is translated “Let not your heart flutter.” b14:1 Or “Believe in God and believe in me.” c14:2 Or “There are many resting places on the way to my Father’s house.” Or “There are many homes in my Father’s household.” The Father’s house is also mentioned by Jesus in John 2:16, where it is his temple on earth, his dwelling place. This is not just heaven, but the dwelling place of God among men. There is ample room for people from every nation and ethnicity, room to spare, for the church, the body of Christ, is now the house of God. See 1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:21–22; 1 Tim. 3:15; Heb. 3:6; 1 Peter 2:5. Every believer is now one of the many dwelling places that make up God’s house (temple).

The Greek verb used here, paralambano, is the word used for a bridegroom coming to take his bride.

k14:16–17 The Greek word allos means “another of the same kind.” As Jesus is the Savior from the guilt of sin, the Holy Spirit is the Savior who saves us from the power of sin by living through us in fullness. l14:16–17 The Greek word used here is paráklētos, a technical word that could be translated “defense attorney.” It means “one called to stand next to you as a helper.” Various translations have rendered this “Counselor,” “Comforter,” “Advocate,” “Encourager,” “Intercessor,” or “Helper.” However none of these words alone are adequate and fall short in explaining the full meaning. This translation has chosen the word Savior, for it depicts the role of the Holy Spirit to protect, defend, and save us from our self and our enemies and keep us whole and healed. He is the One who guides and defends, comforts and consoles. Keep in mind that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, our Savior. The Aramaic word is paraqleta, which is taken from two root words: (1) praq, “to end, finish, or to save,” and (2) lyta, which means “the curse.” What a beautiful word picture: the Holy Spirit comes to end the work of the curse (of sin) in our lives and to save us from its every effect! Paraqleta means “a redeemer who ends the curse.” (See Strong’s Concordance, Gr. 6561 and 6562; A Compendious Syriac Dictionary, p. 237; and Oraham’s Dictionary, p. 250.)

14“You show that you are my intimate friends when you obeyk alll that I command you. 15I have never called you ‘servants,’m because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you my most intimate and cherished friends,n for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.