Is it possible to keep the 10 commandments?

[Phil 1:21]

Rom 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so

Rom 7:15 "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 19 "For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

Rom 7:15, does that sound like a man living by the spirit or someone living by the flesh?

See post #250.

 

[1stcenturylady]

Here is a good read about the old testament and its laws, it was a ministry of death and it was glorious, everything God does is glorious, including sending sinners to hell for their sins against Him. But the OC has completely passed away, it is no more in effect, God is no longer there. The New Covenant established in Christ's blood is the only covenant God has with people today, either jew or gentile. If a jew is to be saved, then he must do so under the new covenant and this new covenant of obedience to Jesus Christ is perfected by God and will not be done away with ever. Before the Law was given by Moses, there was grace by faith as Abraham experienced with God, and Paul in another place calls Abraham the father of us all. We who believe in Christ are the seed of Abraham, and it is us Jesus helps to salvation, not the world, Christ does not pray for the world, Christ prays only for those the Father has given to Him as believers.

7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Yes, we are under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ which is also called the law of Liberty as verse 17 says in your text.

 

[ladodgers6]

Before I respond to your question. I need clarification. Is this keeping before or after conversion??

 

[GodsGrace101]

I Peter 1, tells use we are begotten again according to His mercy, that is His choice for us.
And if needs be, we suffer in this evil world for the purpose of demonstrating to principalities, powers, every creature the genuineness of our faith which is much more precious than gold, which will result in praise honor and glory at the revelation of Christ, Christ does not want that damaged, if He were to order the uprooting of the tares, it could change the fruit produced by the wheat.

A Heavenly Inheritance
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been [c]grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not [d]seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

This just came up.
Am marking for later reply. On phone now...

 

[GodsGrace101]

Before I respond to your question. I need clarification. This is keeping before or after conversion??

To whom are you speaking??

 

[GodsGrace101]

Yes he does but Christians are supposed to live by God's Spirit and should know how to act and love.

Should, should, should !
Jesus told us so we could
Know, know, know !

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

"No one, not even Yeshua could follow ALL 613", do you know Who "Yeshua", is?

In the Old Testament He is called, "Elohim", and "Yahweh", and "the Mighty God", and "Immanuel", and "the Angel of the Lord", etc, etc. In the New Testament, "God", "Lord=Yahweh", "the First and the Last", "the Beginning and the End", and "the Creator". The Father says of "Yeshua", "Your Throne O God...", and "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands". YES, Jesus Christ IS YHWH, the Eternal, Self-Existing and Uncreated Almighty God.

Yes Yeshua is the incarnate Son. He is not a woman, so again you are wrong. Are you not Trinitarian?

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

So you believe Jesus sinned?

No. You say that because you know nothing regarding Torah.

 

[zoidar]

See post #250.

Rom 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so

Rom 7:15 "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 19 "For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

Do you think Paul in Rom 7:15, 19 has a mind subjected to the law of God?

 

[zoidar]

Examples please. What does Jesus tell us to do, and not do?

Ah ... just a few things ...

• Repent
  “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
  
  
• Follow Me
  “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”(Matthew 4:19).
  
  
• Rejoice
  “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12).
  
  
• Let Your Light Shine
  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
  
  
• Honor God’s Law
  “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).
  
  
• Be Reconciled
  “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift”(Matthew 5:23–25).
  
  
• Do Not Lust
  “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:28–30).
  
  
• Keep Your Word
  “Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:37).
  
  
• Go the Second Mile
  “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away”(Matthew 5:38–42).
  
  
• Love Your Enemies
  “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:44–46).
  
  
• Be Perfect
  “If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:46–48).
  
  
• Practice Secret Disciplines
  “. . . When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. . . . When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. . . . When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:1–18).
  
  
• Lay Up Treasures
  “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).
  
  
• Seek God’s Kingdom
  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
  
  
• Judge Not
  “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:1–3).
  
  
• Do Not Cast Pearls
  “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you”(Matthew 7:6).
  
  
• Ask, Seek, Knock
  “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7–8).
  
  
• Do Unto Others
  “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
  
  
• Choose the Narrow Way
  “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13–14).
  
  
• Beware of False Prophets
  “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matthew 7:15–16).
  
  
• Pray for Laborers
  “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38).
  
  
• Be Wise as Serpents
  “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
  
  
• Fear Not
  “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
  
  
• Hear God’s Voice
  “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).
  
  
• Take My Yoke
  “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).
  
  
• Honor Your Parents
  “For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death” (Matthew 15:4).
  
  
• Beware of Leaven
  “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees”(Matthew 16:6).
  
  
• Deny Yourself
  “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:23–25).
  
  
• Despise Not Little Ones
  “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
  
  
• Go to Offenders
  “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican” (Matthew 18:15–17).
  
  
• Beware of Covetousness
  “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15).
  
  
• Forgive Offenders
  “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21–22).
  
  
• Honor Marriage
  “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:4–6).
  
  
• Be a Servant
  “. . . Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26–28).
  
  
• Be a House of Prayer
  “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer . . . ” (Matthew 21:13).
  
  
• Ask in Faith
  “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea: it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:21–22).
  
  
• Bring In the Poor
  “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12–14).
  
  
• Render to Caesar
  “Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:19–21).
  
  
• Love the Lord
  “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38).
  
  
• Love Your Neighbor
  “And the second [commandment] is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”(Matthew 22:39–40).
  
  
• Await My Return
  “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:42–44).
  
  
• Take, Eat, and Drink
  “As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins”(Matthew 26:26–28).
  
  
• Be Born Again
  “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:5–7).
  
  
• Keep My Commandments
  “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
  
  
• Watch and Pray
  “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
  
  
• Feed My Sheep
  “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (John 21:15–16).
  
  
• Baptize My Disciples
  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).
  
  
• Receive God’s Power
  “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).
  
  
• Make Disciples
  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations . . . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:19–20).

What are the commands of Christ?

Also:

• Give to the poor
  "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3).

 

[GodsGrace101]

Yes, absolutely, there are true Christians. Let's look at 1 John 1.

A true Christian has God in them. So look at verse 5.

"...that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

Therefore, verse 7 is a true Christian.

7 "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

This verse confirms 1 John 3:9 "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

Where did you learn this?
John is writing a letter and he goes back and forth talking to Christians and non-Christians? He is talking to Christians, and also those who would like to be Christian, throughout his letter.
These letters were for Christians---I'm sure some hopeful Christians were always in the mix in all the letters. This does not change the fact that they were written to existing Christians.

1 John 3:9
You're saying that a Christian never sins? Please be clear.
1 John 3:9 says that no one who is born of God PRACTICES sin.
Those who PRACTICE SIN are of the devil. Verse 8.
John is not saying we will never sin because he gives the solution for this in 1 John 1:9.

Now compare that with verses 6, 8 and 10. These persons are lacking the knowledge of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They measure themselves by carnal standards.

John is speaking about those that are not saved in these verses. He's comparing Christians with non-Christians who practice sin. So, you're saying that non-Christians are not TRUE CHRISTIANS? Of course they're not. I'm losing your point here.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (These are righteous in their own eyes, but have never accepted Christ, and walk in the light. They do not have the Holy Spirit in them, as He is the Spirit of Truth. Since Adam's sin, all have sinned. Without Christ, none is righteous, no not one.)

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (Same comments as 8)

---
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Acts 2:38-39) When we are cleansed of all sin, even the desire to commit sin (Romans 6:2), we are free indeed. But we must have been given the Holy Spirit, which is only given to those who repent and confess their sins (again Acts 2:38-39.) This verse is how to become a true Christian. Once free from sin, we are no longer a sinner of willful sins. (Those we know to be sin). The imperfections we commit regarding the fruit of the Spirit as opposed to the "law" are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And fruit grow. Jesus also prunes us to make bigger fruit (John 15). Those with no fruit at all are like those in verse 6 - they walk in darkness- and are cut off.

1 John was written to believers. I believe he's admonishing them not to sin since, as today, some believed they could sin and still be called Christian. By "sin" I mean specifically those that believe we are not required to follow the law of God, the moral law. This was a heresy back then as it is now, but it is not easily recognizable. Chapter 3:8-10 speaks to this immorality.

 

[GodsGrace101]

No, not all sins are willful in God's eyes. His word tells us in Numbers 15 that there was a sacrifice for UNINTENTIONAL sin, but reading further, there was no sacrifice for presumptuous, willful sin - they killed them.

This should answer your question also about "aren't all sins willful?" I assume you mean "the same." I think Catholics use the terms 'mortal sins' and 'venial sins.'

1 John 5:16-17
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

As for a list of unintentional sin...

Let's use the fruit of the Spirit.

love,
joy,
peace,
longsuffering,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control.

They would be unintentionally against one of these fruit.

Seeing as these unintentional and unknown sins are committed while walking in the Spirit, they do not require confession and repentance, and the blood of Jesus cleanses them automatically. However, it is my personal belief, that if it is a habit that injures someone's feelings, the Spirit will show them the injury so they can then repent and grow out of the habit.

I remember in Hollywood I was in a store and one of the customers was famous. All the staff vied around her and ignored me. They unintentionally and unknowingly sinned against me. Understand? James 2 speaks of that example. It is not against the old "law" of commandments; it was against our Law of Liberty.

LOL I understand!
I'd say that a willful sin is thought of beforehand. It's intentional.
The other sins we commit are done because we're human and this will happen. I spoke about this in a post of mine at the beginning of this thread.
I like to ask forgiveness for all sins, those I know about and those that escape my thought.
This is why I say that we sin every day --- even if we're not aware of it.

Good post.

 

[GodsGrace101]

The Law of Moses is holy. It applies to those under that Law, the Jewish people. It will remain in place over the Jewish people until all things which God deems accomplished are done.
For those who place themselves under those laws they must follow all 613 and not break any and not teach anyone the break even one.

This is all very nice.
But could you please exegete
Mathew 5:17-20
You know what exegete means, apparently, so please do it.

(since you say we are no longer under the law and Jesus says we are)

 

[GodsGrace101]

The 10 commandments are part of the 613.
Jesus' new commandment wraps everything into a nice simple statement. Love.

If you know how to love, why do you need a bunch of laws to tell you how to apply that love.?

Please post scripture that states ALL WE HAVE TO DO is love.
Thanks.

 

[GodsGrace101]

I get lost in all of these post. Sorry. ..

Oops. Already did. It takes time and I had to go cut my church's grass. (I didn't do anything, I watched the Holy Spirit do it for me. Lol.)

So you only reply to the posts you like??
Here they are again:
no. 352
no. 354
no. 355

 

[GodsGrace101]

Is it possible to keep the Ten Commandments?

Yes, for last night in my sleep I think I did pretty darn well for at least an hour or two.

Sanctification process -- still working on it.

M-Bob

Sometimes we agree!

 

[GodsGrace101]

"No one, not even Yeshua could follow ALL 613", do you know Who "Yeshua", is?

In the Old Testament He is called, "Elohim", and "Yahweh", and "the Mighty God", and "Immanuel", and "the Angel of the Lord", etc, etc. In the New Testament, "God", "Lord=Yahweh", "the First and the Last", "the Beginning and the End", and "the Creator". The Father says of "Yeshua", "Your Throne O God...", and "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands". YES, Jesus Christ IS YHWH, the Eternal, Self-Existing and Uncreated Almighty God.

We all know the above...
Yeshua pulled grain on the Sabbath and healed on the Sabbath.
That's work.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Yes he does but Christians are supposed to live by God's Spirit and should know how to act and love.

It's true, being with the Holy Spirit we should know.

When we do or say wrong we should repent quickly. Should be common and not foreign.

M-Bob

 

[Yarddog]

No. You say that because you know nothing regarding Torah.

Hey, you were the who said Jesus couldn't follow the law.

 

[Yarddog]

This is all very nice.
But could you please exegete
Mathew 5:17-20
You know what exegete means, apparently, so please do it.

Hmmm, maybe the problem is that you don't read what was written.

(since you say we are no longer under the law and Jesus says we are)

Jesus doesn't say that we are under the law. Who is Jesus talking to or do you read the text?