The Rightly-Guided Injil

Section 18: Greatness, the Samaritans and the children

The Gospel According to Islam · Chapter 4, Preaching, Signs and the Disciples · Section 18

Greatness, the Samaritans and the children. 23 verses. With the Qur’an: 57:26-28; 5:82-86.

18

1And Jesus and his disciples and his mother and his brethern came to Capernaum and stayed there not many days.1 2And there he asked the twelve, what was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 3But they held their peace; for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 4And he sat down, and said unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 5And he took a little child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom.2

6Then Jesus departed thence, and sent his messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 7But they received him not; and Jesus said, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but this messenger of God hath not where to lay his head. 8And when James and John saw this, They said, Pray to the Lord that he sendeth down fire from heaven to consume them, as Elias did. 9But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and nicknamed the two brothers Boanerges, meaning, sons of thunder.

10And they went to another village; and there one man said to him, I will follow thee, allow me to bury my father. 11But Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury the dead: but go thou and preach about the kingdom of God.3 12Then Jesus and those with him came to the coasts of Judea: and, as he was wont, he taught again. 13And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife, testing him? 14And he answered and said unto him, What did Moses command you? 15And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

16And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 17But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife. 18And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 19What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.4 20And one day people brought young children to him: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 21But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.

22Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 23And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.5

Jesus and His Followers

57:26And indeed, We sent Noah and Abraham and reserved prophethood and revelation for their descendants. Some of them are rightly guided, while most are rebellious. 57:27Then in the footsteps of these prophets, We sent Our messengers, and after them We sent Jesus, son of Mary, and granted him the Gospel, and instilled compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers. As for monasticism, they made it up—We never ordained it for them—only seeking to please God, yet they did not even observe it strictly. So We rewarded those of them who were faithful. But most of them are rebellious. 57:28O people of faith! Fear God and believe in His Messenger. And He will grant you a double share of His mercy, provide you with a light to walk in on Judgment Day, and forgive you. For God is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.6

Christians Who Are Sincere

5:82You will surely find the most bitter towards the believers to be the Jews and polytheists and the most gracious to be those who call themselves Christian. That is because there are priests and monks among them and because they are not arrogant. 5:83When they listen to what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears for recognizing the truth. They say, “Our Lord! We believe, so count us among the witnesses. 5:84Why should we not believe in God and the truth that has come to us? And we long for our Lord to include us in the company of the righteous.” 5:85So God will reward them for what they said with Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever. And that is the reward of the good-doers. 5:86As for those who disbelieve and reject Our signs, they will be the residents of the Hellfire.7

  1. Mark 9:33, John 2:12. According to Mark 9:30, the journey through Galilee, the tetrarchy of Herod Antipas, was undertaken in some secrecy, presumably because of Herod’s threat (cf. note 122). ↩
  2. Mark 9:36-37; Matt. 18:1-5; 10:40-42; Luke 9:47-48; Thomas 4b, 27a, 6c. The disciples and the brothers encouraged Jesus to take up the role of the Messiah partly in the hope that they would have a share in his power. Such selfish concerns soon began to give rise to rivalries among them. They began to compete for the highest positions in the messianic kingdom (cf. Mark 10:35-37). ↩
  3. Luke 9:51-60. ↩
  4. Mark 10:2-9. ↩
  5. Mark 10:13-16. ↩
  6. Qur’an 57:26-28. ↩
  7. Qur’an 5:82-86. ↩

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