They Fell to the Ground (Caddero a terra)

Italian: «Appena egli disse loro: 'Io sono', essi indietreggiarono e caddero a terra.» (Giovanni 18:6, LND)

English: "Now when He said to them, “' am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground.'" (John 16:6, NKJ)

Call me a Christian with her head in the clouds (or heavenly places as I like to call it); but some of my favorite types of Scriptures are those that speak of how Christ was both God and man.

Ah. Fully God and fully man. What an amazing truth. Just imagine, a man, someone who got hungry and thirsty and felt pain,... could also have the fullness of God dwelling inside His human body.

And I think that Giovanni (John) 18:6 is one of the Scriptures that refer to this truth; although in a not so obvious way. A hidden nugget, a buried treasure, just there waiting for anyone willing to dig a little bit to find it. So what am I referring to? This may take a bit but just stay with me and I'll help you dig.

That My joy May Remain in You (Affinché la mia Gioia Dimori in Voi)

Italian: «Vi ho detto queste cose, affinché la mia gioia dimori in voi e la vostra gioia sia piena» (Giovanni 15:11, LND)

English: "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.'" (John 15:11, NKJ)

I must say, out of all the weeks journeying through the New Testament in Italian, reading Giovanni, (John), 13-17 has been my favorite so far. I've always loved the book of John in general. But there's just something about these capitili, (chapters) where Jesus talks just to His disciples about the things they should remember and do, during the days to come.

There are so many good passages, reading it made me feel like a kid in a heavenly candy store. And reading them all together in l'Italiano for the first time, made it più dolce, (sweeter).

Just to mention a few, in capitolo 14 versetto 6, Jesus declares, "Io sono la via, la verità e la vita..." (I am the way, the truth and the life...)

In 16:33 He encourages us by saying, I have told you these things that in me you might have pace, peace. In the world you will have trouble but fatevi coraggio, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

But what I really want to  call your attention to his how much interest Jesus shows in our personal joy, la gioia.

Lazarus Come Forth! (Lazzaro Vieni Fuori!)

Italian: «E, detto questo, gridò a gran voce: 'Lazzaro, vieni fuori!'» (Giovanni 11:43, LND)

English: "Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!'" (John 11:43, NKJ)

Have you ever been in a desperate situation where you needed God to step in right away or else something tragic would happen in your life? And were you discouraged because God didn't intervene just then? But... Did God do something you didn't expect that winded up fixing your situation anyway in a manner that let's say... Blew your mind? Well this is basically what happens here in Giovanni, John, chapter eleven.

Jesus had heard that his friend Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was sick. And the two sisters were expecting Him to come and heal Lazarus. But Jesus, decided to use the situation to stretch their faith. So he waited until Lazarus was fully dead before showing up.

When he arrived on the scene, they thought Jesus was late. But He assured everyone that they yet needed to believe and all would be well. He knew that neither healing from sickness or la risurrezione, resurrection, from the dead, was too hard for Him. For He Himself was la Risurrezione e la Vita, the Resurrection and the Life. There was no need to fear or be sad, because God was about to work in their midst.

True Worshippers (I Veri Adoratori)

Italian: "Ma l'ora viene, anzi è già venuta, che i veri adoratori adoreranno il Padre in spirito e verità, perché tali sono gli adoratori che il Padre richiede." (Giovanni 4:23, LND)

English: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." (John 4:23, NKJ)

When I first started learning Italian, (at least the Bible and Christian related words), one of the first things I wanted to know was how to say worship in Italian. Because I wanted not just to understand Italian, or even just read the Bible in Italian. I knew that if I was going to get the full experience of the Italian language, I would have to be able to worship and praise God in Italian.

And though I know that many words can express our praise to God, I like to actually say, "Lord I worship you."

So my research began. And I found the Italian word adorare in use quite often. This was good but it seemed to be a form of worship that expressed only adoration or to adore, (which is what adorare also means).

So I continued my search and came up empty until I realized that there is no separate word in Italian for worship.

With Fervent Desire (Ho Grandemente desiderato)

"Luca 22:15 Allora egli disse loro: 'Ho grandemente desiderato di mangiare questa Pasqua con voi' prima di soffrire»" (LNR)

"Then He said to them, 'With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer'" (NKJV)

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I once read about a conversation an Americano man had with a man from l'Italia. And not surprisingly, the conversation turned to the topic of food, il cibo.

The man from l'Italia shared about the importance of il cibo in their everyday lives. Not just for the goodness of il cibo itself, but also for its seemingly inherent power to bring people together.

L'Italiano went on to talk about what he would want his last meal to be if he were dying, and even who he'd eat that meal with.

Obviously he was on to something. For he even pointed out that the last act of Jesus, Gesù, before He died on the cross was to eat dinner with friends. We see this here in Luca chapter twenty-two.

As They Went, They Were Cleansed (Mentre Andavano, Furono Purificati)

"Vedutili, egli disse loro: «Andate a mostrarvi ai sacerdoti». E, mentre andavano, furono purificati." (Luca 17:14  NR)

"So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed." (Luke 17:14 NKJV)

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One of the many things I love about La Parola di Dio, the Word of God, is that there are so many different ways Jesus gave healing to those who were sick.

Luca 17 tells one of those ways that I just find so amazing.

It's the story of ten lebbrosi, lepers, who came to Jesus, seeking to be healed, guarito. But here's the thing. Jesus, Gesù didn't touch them as he often did. He told them  in 17:14 to Andate a mostrarvi ai sacerdoti, go and show yourselves to the priest. And what was the significance of this?

Back in those days, lebbrosi  were considered to be unclean and had to live outside the city/village. And if ever they needed to come inside the city they had to warn people by crying out "unclean."

The only way they could live and move freely within the city would be if for whatever reason, the leprosy was gone from their bodies. And this had to be verified by a priest.

(Stay with me, I'm trying to bring out a point.)

I Shall be Perfected (Giungo al Termine della mia Corsa)

I was never much of a runner; at least not a very fast one. But late in my teens, I discovered something I was better at… running distance. I may have lacked speed but I did have some endurance. This is similar to how our Christian walk is. As we mature in Cristo we learn that this is not a sprint but more of a long distance marathon.

And not only is our walk like a marathon, it's also like an obstacle course. We see an example of this in the life of Christ.

In Luca 13:31 Jesus, Gesù, received a warning that Herod was out to kill him. (I'd say that qualifies as an obstacle.) But He didn't respond in fear. He knew that these "obstacles" were an unavoidable part of His mission. Gesù remained confident because He also knew that He had entered His final lap.

Today and tomorrow I cast out demons and heal, He said in versetto 32. And the third day I shall be perfected. But what did He mean when He said I shall be perfected?