Translations
vary in the way the words of Lord Jesus are presented in verse 14 of Chapter 14
of the Gospel of John.
Some
translations, like the New Jerusalem version, or the New International Version
translate the verse:
“You may ask ME for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
But other
translations like the King James or the American Standard Version read:
“If ye shall ask anything in my name,
that will I do.”
In the
second reading, the expression “με”
(Me), is not written, leaving the impression that Jesus was telling us to ask
the Father in his Name (Jn 14:13); and not to Himself (Jesus). Furthermore, as
the first expression in verse 13 does not contain that pronoun, it seems
logical to some, that the translation that contains “Me” is a later
interpolation, and that the original version would have been written without it;
thus Lord Jesus would be teaching us to ask only the Father in his Name, and never
to ask Him (Jesus) in his own Name.
This
assumption, supported by some manuscripts from the time of Erasmus’s Textus
Receptus (1516 CE), is used by some sects to affirm that prayer to Jesus Christ
is forbidden in the Scripture.
However, in
support of the manuscripts that did contain the pronoun “με” during the 16th century; the late discoveries of Papyrus
66 (125 CE), Papyrus 75 (220 CE), Codex Sinaiticus (330-360 CE), and Codex
Vaticanus (300-325 CE) that do contain the word με (ME) in John 14:14, have proven that the word was part of the
ancient texts, and was later removed by copyists who doubted the expression for
being so unique.
LAST WORD
John 14:14
is an express declaration by Jesus Christ, that prayers can be addressed to
Him, as did St Stephen before martyrdom (Acts 7:59-60), Saul (Acts 9:4-5) and
Ananias (Acts 9:10-16). It is an implicit proof text as well, of the divinity
of Jesus, since prayers were only offered to God within their historical
context.
Omar
Flores.
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