The first sermon by Rabbi Jesus

The first evangelist to break the mold of writing Jewish scripture in Hebrew is the only book to contain the word "messiah." John puts it once each in the mouth of Simon Peter's brother Andrew and a very certain Samaritan woman in chapter four. Also in the original twenty chapters, "Lord" is used 44 times, 27 times in the vocative (9+9+9); "God" is used 81 times (9x9), of which 18 (9+9) are in the rare form to signify concrete from abstract. The other Gentile evangelist places it nine times at a number ending with 99 in Acts of the Apostles.

The supper sermon straddles three chapters (14:23-16:16) and is 912 words. A noun and two pronouns form the trio of single-, double- and triple-six words. "Word" is the sixth word of the sermon (14:23). "Name" is book word 11166 and "me" is sermon word 66 in the phrase "in the name of me | ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου" (14:26). The 666th sermon word is in 15:26. The Rabbi prophesies that the Spirit of the Truth, "shall witness concerning Me! | μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ." The genitive pronoun is used 124 times of which 26 are the emphatic (ἐμοῦ is five times in the sermon, the first at 15:5 which is 18x26 and 88x124). This focus on two nouns and an intensified repetition of a pronoun seems to suggest that he is the man with the title, the Word of the God, in Revelation 19:13 and the man with the numbers (666 and 888) who is referred to in Revelation 13:18.

Taking up a new thread of eights, "earth-worker" is the word John 15:1 labels the Father. It is book word 11288. In the penultimate sermon verse 700 words later, "the Father | ὁ πατὴρ" is book word 11988 and sermon word 888 in 16:15. That is also the numeric value of the Greek letters of the Rabbi's name.

In the above prophecy about a masculine "spirit," Jesus now uses a verb that means he may send him on a mission. That verb form is used three times: first as book word 10388 (13:20), then the prophecy at 15:26, and finally, as book word 11888 (16:7). The pronoun is sermon word 788. This seems to suggest a relationship between the two, and connecting them with the listeners is the command to "love ye each others | ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους" in 15:17. The verb is book word 11588 and the plural reciprocal pronoun is sermon word 488.

Leaving the sermon, other words numbered by triple-eights as book words are "man" as 2888 (5:5); "ship" as 3888 (6:17); "temple" as 7888 (10:23); "feet" as 8888 (11:44); "father" as 10888 (14:11) which is also talk word 66; and "them" as 14888 (20:23). Two verbs of special note are "he was knowing" (Judas, book word 12888 at 18:2) and "he led" (Pilate, book word 13888 at 19:13). The other person taking this form of the verb is the brother who led Simon Peter to Rabbi Jesus. Andrew is book word 688 at 1:44. Jesus calls to a man in a cave and the vocative "Lazarus!" is book word 8880 at 11:43.

John's book is rife with the emphatic "I | ἐγὼ" (English "ego") and of the eight-score (less one including the redaction at 8:11), except for 33 times it is spoken by the Rabbi, 11 times spoken by the Baptist, and 22 times by others. Though our focus has been on double- or triple-eights, ἐγὼ never occurs as a book word of those numbers. It does once each as numbers ending with 99 and 77, twice ending with 44 and three times each as book words ending with 33 and 55.

Twice John writes to emphasize what the Rabbi's cousin is absolutely not, specifically, not worthy to loose the strap of his sandal (ἐγὼ is book word 388 at 1:27) and not the Christ (ἐγὼ is book word 1766 at 3:28). Three times ἐγὼ is in the mouth of the Rabbi as a book word ending in double-six: 6166 at 8:24, 8566 at 11:25 and 13266 at 18:21 (note the third six). For our purposes, the middle example is perfect.

Having quoted Daniel 12:2 about resurrections, the Rabbi saves for emphasis the 66th time he uses the emphatic for his assertion: "I AM the Resurrection! | Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις!" Even more provocative is John's usage in 9:9 of ἐγὼ as 66th overall when the blind man adds a demonstrative to the Divine Name: "That I AM! | ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι!"

Equally impressive is a word in the Rabbi's prayer (17:1-26) that makes a direct numerical connection to a statement in the sermon (15:20) referring to his sabbath-breaking (5:16). The verb "to pursue" is used three times; the last is sermon word 550, "they shall pursue." Another verb, "to keep," is used 18 times; the 13th, "they kept," is sermon word 555. They are the Judeans. The prayer is on behalf of "the men," who are twice marked by a pronoun numbered 188 and 488. The third "father" he invokes is the sixth last nominative and the sixth of six vocatives. "Father!" is book word 12555 (17:11).

If his third invocation is to "Father Holy!" and keepers of his word are the Judeans and both are identified by triple-fives, then who are the triple-eights? The answer is in the sermon in Matthew where groups are numerically established as follows: the Pure Ones (444), the Peace-makers (555) and the Poor Ones (888).

The final plea of the messiah is for peace.