Oh, There’s my Jawn - The Anonymous Gospels Pt. 2

A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody. – Thomas Paine

Outside tending to bulls and cows, he looked over the flocks; the animals he couldn’t pronounce. He gathered round the foxes, sheep, and hounds–Urocyons and Chippipurai–bittersweet as it sounds. It was harvest season for bitter melons and sweet potatoes. Fruit’s unappealing to common people til’ flavors are unavailable. He picked up four among the buffalo and started to tremble. He must’ve overdosed on responsibilities the way his seizures kindled. Inflamed not by the weight of his tread, but by the cares of his farmstead, he looks up, hearing a voice up ahead.

“Who's that?,” 
“Your Auntie Peg!” 
“Peg who?,” he said.

The man walks through the maze, and like a thrilling book with a turn of the page, you find horror in hide and seek. The man's knees became weak.

“Auntie Peg! Don’t you remember me?”
“Peg? Wait, I thought you were dead?”

I was sitting in a café recently, half-listening to a man next to me try to explain the intricacies of a high-level hobby to a group of wide-eyed tourists. He spoke with absolute, unearned authority. The tourists nodded along, absorbing his words as gospel truth, entirely unaware that the man giving the lecture was actually just an enthusiast who had stumbled into the conversation five minutes prior. They didn’t ask for his credentials. They didn't ask how he knew what he knew. They just trusted the voice because it sounded confident.

We do the exact same thing when we open the Third Gospel. We see the name "Luke" stamped at the top of the page, and we assume we are reading the verified diary of a first-century doctor. But if we pull back the curtain of history, we find ourselves standing before another profound shadow.

The Healing of No Names

Let us look at a moment in scripture discovering the nameless:

John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling <two of them>, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you <the one who is to come>, or should we expect someone else?” When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

At that very time Jesus cured <many who had >diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to <many who were> blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The <blind receive sight>, <the lame walk>, those who <have leprosy are cleansed>, <the deaf hear>, <the dead are raised>, and <the good news is proclaimed to the poor.> Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” — Luke 7:18–23 NIV <emphasis added>

Notice the anatomy of this miracle. John the Baptist sends two unnamed disciples. They arrive to find a crowd of unnamed people being healed, delivered, and literally resurrected from the dead. The entire foundation of this monumental verification of Jesus's identity relies on these ‘no names’ who encountered Jesus. And in this book recording, it is no different.

Papyrus 75 and Luke 

The force behind these obscure people seems to be untapped. Especially as we continue the train of thought of recognizing The Gospel of Luke is entirely anonymous. 

Could it be that you are THE ONE promised to have life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10)? Could it be that you are THIS ONE who saw Jesus in the eternal past and will be raised up on the last day (John 6:40)? Could it be that through a timeless, mystical fellowship, you are actually ONE of THE TWELVE (John 13:23)? - The Prototype, “Where’s Johnny, The Anonymous Gospels Pt. 1”

Nowhere within the text does the author sign their name. Furthermore, the Book of Acts—the historical sequel to this Gospel—is equally anonymous.

Traditionalists will point to our oldest manuscript evidence, a famous manuscript known as Papyrus 75 (P⁷⁵), which clearly contains the scribal inscription, “According to Luke,” therefore both the Gospel and the Book of Acts can be ascribed to the scholarship of Luke. But there are a few glaring catches: Papyrus 75 is highly fragmented at its beginning. Secondly, there isn’t concrete evidence that Luke composed the rest of the Gospel in P⁷⁵.

The manuscript text physically starts at Chapter 3, verse 18. The grand, cinematic birth narratives found in Luke Chapters 1 and 2 are missing from this earliest witness. While foul play could be at work, it is far more reasonable to suggest that the Papyrus was fragmented due to wear and tear.

To understand the weight of Papyrus 75, we have to understand that it is not a traditional, sprawling scroll, but a codex—the ancient ancestor of the modern book. Before the codex, the ancient world recorded long-form texts on sheets of papyrus or parchment glued end-to-end and rolled up into scrolls. While scrolls were the standard for centuries, they were incredibly cumbersome; a reader had to use both hands to constantly roll and unroll the text, and finding a specific passage meant winding through feet of material. Sometime around the late 1st century, the codex emerged as a revolutionary invention in book writing. By cutting sheets of papyrus to a uniform size, stacking them, and binding them along one edge, early bookmakers created a double-sided, multi-page format that allowed readers to simply flip to a page, write on both sides of the material, and easily access specific verses.

²⁵ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. – John 21:25 NIV

This technological leap from scroll to codex played a massive, defining role in how early Christian texts were copied and transmitted up to the 3rd century. Interestingly, while the secular Roman world and traditional Jewish communities initially rejected the codex in favor of the prestigious scroll, the early Christian movement adopted the codex format almost universally and with incredible speed. For an underground, rapidly spreading movement, the codex was a game-changer: it was highly portable, easier to conceal during times of Roman persecution, and far more cost-effective because scribes could utilize both sides of the papyrus. More importantly for our study of the Gospels, a single codex could physically contain multiple texts bound together—like Luke and John in (P⁷⁵)—whereas a scroll could typically hold only one. This binding capacity allowed early Christian communities to group specific letters together for the first time, forever shaping how these anonymous writings were compiled, circulated, and ultimately standardized across the ancient world.

Critical Analysis of Ancient Texts

With all due respect to paleontologists, some jarring possibilities persist:

1.) Where did the first two Chapters of Luke come from?

2.) Were the first two chapters of Luke later additions stitched onto an originally anonymous text?

3.) Did it say something entirely different with someone’s name?

There is no concrete, historical evidence that a man named Luke wrote a single word of these books. In fact, the text of Acts betrays its own chaotic construction. In Acts 16:10–17, 20:5–15, 27:1, and 28:16, the narrative abruptly and violently shifts from the third person ("they did this") to the first-person plural ("we went here," "we set sail"). The author suddenly changes from an objective historian into a firsthand character without any explanation, suggesting a patchwork of different anonymous diaries stitched together if not by the same author, then different editors.…

The author suddenly changes from an objective historian into a firsthand character without any explanation, suggesting a patchwork of different anonymous diaries stitched together if not by the same author, then different editors.…

Not the Whole Truth

It’s a beautiful thing to hear The Good News of Jesus wasn’t ableist or elitist in nature. It gives restoration to those who were suffering from disease or debilitating injuries, soundness of mind to those who go through bouts of incurable madness, perception and sight to those who are blind, and strength to those who cannot stand or walk. Except, there’s a lingering elephant in the room….the present day is full of those who undergo sickness, injury, and madness. It doesn’t help that some of the most beloved are blind, disabled, and many have died. 

It’s a beautiful thing to hear The Good News of Jesus wasn’t ableist or elitist in nature.

I mean, to those who have eyes to see, look around us. We face the agonizing reality of the modern world where the overt miracles of old seem to have ceased. How could we blame the skeptic, agnostic, or unbeliever for their lack of faith? We watch our loved ones succumb to cancer, blindness, and the finality of death without a dramatic resurrection in sight. When we turn to history for answers, we discover that palaeography (the study of ancient writing systems) and historical-critical methodologies are fundamentally fallible, shifting sands of human speculation, if not at worst, discriminatory. How can the New Testament Scriptures be infallible considering the present day dysfunctions of the Church, and its gross manifestations within Christian Nationalism?

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.  - Luke 1:37

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” - Luke 18:27

Even the early church struggled with this textual fluidity. The famous second-century figure Marcion—condemned by the institutional church as a heretic—compiled one of the earliest known Christian canons. His Gospel? A heavily redacted version of Luke. Marcion completely omitted Chapters 1 and 2, entirely bypassed the birth narrative, and famously used his texts to preach against the institution of marriage.

If the scriptures are textually stable, why are they so easily carved up? 

¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. ¹⁷ For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. – Luke 8:16-17 NIV

Yet, centuries later, the original autographs of these texts are still gone, leaving behind only fragmented pieces like Papyrus 75. Despite all their sincere teaching and seeking God, pastors, missionaries, bishops, and theologians today haven’t recovered these lost pieces of Scripture. They preach from copies upon copies of anonymous letters. Despite the most invigorating sermons from certain preachers, the only raising of the dead that is seen in the past two millennia, is the growing number of those who have died.

A Justified Hope

I would completely side with agnostics or atheists if I haven’t experienced first hand the power of God, remembering the small anomalies that have happened in the few decades of my life. For example, just recently, Homer’s ‘Iliad’ was discovered from a mummy temple.

Archaeologists stunned after Homer’s Iliad found on Egyptian Mummy 

Additionally, an international research team has recovered 42 lost pages of Codex H, a sixth century Greek New Testament manuscript of St. Paul’s letters. On December 27, 2025, archaeologists were able to reconstruct with the help of AI, a 250-line hymn celebrating the glory of Babylon and its citizens. 

It’s these discoveries within ancient ruins where Biblical Divine oracles have more substance. 

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” – Mat 13:52 NIV

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. - Mat 13:58 NIV

If these texts are animated by a Living God, then the things that remain hidden in our faith will come to light on God’s terms, not on man’s terms. We do not need a perfect, unbroken paper trail of human history to experience a cosmic reality of God’s power, love, or faithfulness towards us. However, a perfect, unbroken trail of God’s plan of redemption of humanity is believed to be seen before the end of the world. Up to now, how God’s plan of redemption and covenant of grace as it relates to the Holy Scriptures and resurrection is still hidden, but we know some things are interactive.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  - Mat 5:7 NIV

To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless; - Ps 18:25 NIV

If these words are Divine, we can look past human scribal errors and see the objective, historical fulfillment of His words regarding the Jewish people, the survival of Israel, and the relentless march of the Gospel across the globe (Luke 21:20–24). If these words are true, the ultimate validation will not be found in an ancient library, but in the living fulfillment of prophecy within Christ and among the body of believers (Hosea 6:1–2; Jonah 1:17; Luke 24:36–49).

If God's word is perfect, it requires no human validation. It is tried by fire; it springs up from the earth and descends from the heavens like water (Deut 32:2; Psalm 85:11; Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 55:10–11; Isaiah 61:11; Hos 10:12; Mal 3). Even the emerging climatic disruptions of the incoming El Niño can be read as a prophetic marker—a reminder that God’s sovereign word utterly overcomes human institutions, the stagnant modern Church, and humanity’s futile quest for autonomous knowledge and superficial happiness (Habakkuk 2:1–14; Luke 21:5–8).

Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. – Habakkuk 2:13-14 NIV

Let this word serve as the 6th prophetic warning for California as well as the US States that are among the coastal lines.

The Narrative Mirror

Languishing in the darkness of Herod’s dungeon, John the Baptist is consumed by the uncertainty surrounding the ministry of Jesus. Though he may have shared deep, intimate bonds with those who followed him into the wilderness, the text leaves those relationships hidden from the reader. As a prophet intimately acquainted with the rugged demands of the Scriptures, John ascribed to himself martyrdom through his prophetic voice. Yet, the reality unfolding Christ’s ministry as it relates to him outside his cell did not match his prophetic expectations. He was not seeing the immediate, fiery arrival of a Messianic rule that would crush God’s enemies and instantly restore peace and righteousness to the earth.

Trapped in the quiet before his own execution, John believes he will never see the full scope or historic effects of his ministry. That is–until after his head is taken from his shoulders and Jesus publicly acknowledges him. (Matthew 17:11; Mark 9:12). Desperate for a sign of the cosmic reality he had sacrificed everything for, he calls upon two obscure disciples—sending them out as his eyes and ears into the world to confront Jesus with the ultimate question: “Are you the one?”

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. – John 14:12 NIV

Being Found in Him

²¹ At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.  - Luke 7:21 NIV

Here, the deep disconnect between the reader and Jesus becomes blindingly apparent, serving as both a profound encouragement and a stark warning. Across history, countless individuals have attempted to perform miraculous works in their own names, only to be exposed as powerless cons when confronted by the reality of death. But the reader of this Gospel is being called to something entirely different: to engage with this narrative not as a flat, static historical record, but as an interactive, instructive space where they can participate in a reality that directly contradicts their present selves in a broken world.

Yet, it remains completely presumptuous and foolish to force assumptions onto a text that deliberately keeps its secrets. If you are truly meant to step into this narrative and participate, who are John’s two anonymous disciples? Were they men? Women? Angels? How can you prove they weren't beings completely outside of our ordinary human experience? 

Aliens?

Calling <two of them>, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you <the one who is to come>, or should we expect <someone else?> – Luke 7:18-19

The silence of the page refuses to answer—and that silence is your invitation.

²² So <you> replied <to the messengers>, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, <the dead are raised>, and <the good news is proclaimed to the poor.>  – Luke 17:22

Immediately, the reader may recall the young boy Bastian from The NeverEnding Story, who watches the magical land of Fantasia slowly consumed by "The Nothing"—a mysterious, destructive force that hollows out reality simply because humanity has lost its belief, imagination, and interest. Just like Bastian, the modern reader sits in a world where "The Nothing" is actively at work, surrounded by forces entirely antagonistic to this ancient, living message. To push back against this emptiness, one must possess the audacity to believe that two anonymous figures have stepped out of the text, stood before them, and asked: Are you the one?

But perhaps that is leaping too far ahead into the mystery. After all, this same Gospel also records these words:

<Make every effort> to enter through <the narrow door>, because <many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to>. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, <‘I don’t know you or where you come from’> “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. <Away from me, all you evildoers!>  – Luke 13:24-27 NIV

And…

Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.  - Luke 18:17

We know that atheists and agnostics are not going around preaching the gospel of Christ, nor are newly born believers equipped to carry its deepest mysteries. Instead, it is the mature believers who are being exhorted here—those who have long abided in God and have witnessed the living Christ actively revealed within their own hearts (Revelation 19:9–11).

²⁶ the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. ²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is <Christ in you>, the hope of glory. – Col 1:26-27 NIV <emphasis added>

Perhaps, then, our deep disconnect from the divine life is not actually caused by a fragmented Gospel text, but by the rigid, defensive narratives we tell ourselves—the narratives we try so desperately to control. This anonymous Gospel, with its missing pieces and late scribal threads, serves as a perfect mirror for the human soul. None of us can give an accurate, unblemished account of our own ultimate origins. We cannot perfectly recall the nuances of our childhood, everything we did this past week, or the exact words we shared with the people we held deep, intimate connections with in our young adult lives. We simply cannot perfectly remember our own lives. (Matt 12:35-37)

How is it, then, that we think ourselves capable of acting as the true arbiters of ultimate justice, holding others to a standard of flawless accountability? We demand that absolute justice reign, yet we must face the humbling truth that we cannot control the hearts, actions, or histories of other people (Sirach 7:4–7; Sirach 10:1–5; Prov 28:2-3).

In the grand scheme of Life, we are all anonymous co-authors navigating and discovering fragments of a story that is indeed bigger than us.

By stepping into this nameless text, you are becoming part of a spiritual revolution that took place long before you arrived. The hidden realities of the resurrected life are not reserved for a select, elite few whose names are recorded in stone—like that of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where 73,000 people, many who worked in Hollywood, are still in the grave today. Neither is the mysteries of this text reserved for royals, or the social elite like The Egyptian Book of the Dead; old hieroglyphics reserved to give doctrine of Eternal Life and funeral ceremonies. They belong to you, should you continue in the faith, along with all those 'no names' passed away and are the  cloud of witnesses, cheering you on not towards martyrdom, but towards exhibiting a resurrected Life. 

¹² Seek not death in the error of your life: and pull not upon yourselves destruction with the works of your hands. ¹³ For God made not death: neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living. ¹⁴ For he created all things, that they might have their being: and the generations of the world were healthful; and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor the kingdom of death upon the earth: ¹⁵(for righteousness is immortal) - The Wisdom of Solomon 1:12-15 KJVAAE

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. ² As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. ³ For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. ⁴ They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵ But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. 1 Pet 4:1-6 NIV

Submitting to Jesus’ Account

Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. - Luke 7:23 NIV

Jesus proclaims the good news of the Kingdom—a reality where neither death, pain, sickness, nor unrighteousness can dwell, yielding instead eternal life, health, and prosperity for all who believe. His message was attended with miracles, and mighty works, works that are incredible compared to the menial work that makes up many of our resumes. Belief in Jesus should mean not that we follow in his footsteps, but perform the same works he did. (Jn 14:12; 1 Jn 2:1-6)

Could it be that you are The One? The honest answer comes with disconnect, acknowledging who we are and who we are not. To the extent that we are striving to be transformed into His image, and not our own glorious reflection, YES. (Lk 20:21-16; Rom 8:29) To the extent that you become a servant of Christ, the Anointed One, YES. (Lk 9:23; Jn 12:25-26; Jam 1:1) To the extent, we receive Jesus; His account of Himself, and ourselves, YES. (Jn 5:24-25) To the extent, we have Christ's consciousness confirming our thinking to that of His while receiving His knowledge, YES. (1 Cor 2:15-16; Phil 2:1-15)

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” - 1 Pet 2:4-6 NIV

Jesus calls us to the blessedness of receiving His account, His narrative, His truth over ours. It's a prophetic echo of Isaiah, calling to reader and the listener to supplant their way of doing things with Christ's way. (Is 55:6-9) It is the death of our own ego—the total surrender of the self to receive Christ’s cosmic consciousness. This divine awareness stands in stark, absolute contrast to both worldly distractions, ambitions, and modern philosophies like panpsychism (the belief that ordinary consciousness is a fundamental feature of all matter). We know this is certain as resurrection is not a common phenomenon and death still persists.

Jesus tells the disciples to tell John what they have seen and heard, and for centuries, people have given testimony about Jesus despite still lacking many of the power that attends his message. We can be certain humanity has not yet fully entered this door of resurrected life simply by looking at the data: the staggering ratio of those who still pass away versus those who walk in resurrection power. Oh believer, will you accept The Good News of Jesus of the Kingdom of Eternal Life over every other source of information?

⁹ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:¹⁰ That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; ¹¹ If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. – Php 3:9-11 KJV

News anchors, reporters, and media editors are quick to broadcast the demise of every celebrity, reminding us that from the famous to the forgotten, the cycles of death still dominate our current reality. (Ecc 3:19)

Father,

Two millennia removed from this Gospel, we lift our hearts toward You—broken, forgetful, and full of wandering desires, anxiety, ambition, and faithlessness. We acknowledge that we are generations apart from the eyewitnesses of these events, and that we have inherited an account that appears dubious, if not entirely scandalous, to outsiders.

Lord, we acknowledge the seeming foolishness of the Cross, appearing antithetical to the ancient wisdom of Solomon, which warns us never to invite death or destruction with our own hands. We see decay and death all around us, a harsh reality that constantly threatens to negate the truths of Scripture. Help us to remember that the Promised Land is the Kingdom of Heaven—a New Heaven and a New Earth that stands eternal, even as this present world passes away.

God, we come to You in our poverty, despite our earthly affluence, our human potency, and our mortal knowledge. Clothe us with the light of Christ, diffusing the message of the Kingdom and Eternal Life everywhere we go. Transform us from the inside out, so that our earthly bodies may be transfigured into what is heavenly, celestial, and transcendent—clothed in a reality completely beyond this world.

Give us the grace not only to recognize the two anonymous disciples of John, but to truly receive John’s wilderness ministry, paving the way for Your return. Give us John's ministry while performing your works through simple faith in You. Heal us, as we heal others, cleanse our spirits and bodies, and we speak cleanliness to the world. We have been crucified with you, and the life we now live is your resurrected Life in love. So many of us desire You to return quickly, Lord. Strengthen our hearts, root out whatever impedes Your way within us, and count us worthy to stand before You in mercy and in judgment.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

We are going to take a brief intermission from this series to transition into our next focus: "The End of Marriage." (Lk 20:34-39)

The purpose of this upcoming study is not to drive a wedge between men and women, but to pull back the layers of the Christian tradition and reveal a radical truth: institutionalized marriage was never the ultimate goal of creation, nor was it ever designed to last forever. Instead, it is a beautiful, temporary institution designed to eventually give way to a far greater cosmic union—an everlasting harmony connecting generations of humanity and angels alike. The next part in 'The End of Marriage' will go over exploring polygamy and other family structures. Until then, take care of yourselves and each other. Keep the faith, regardless of how bleak life feels. I trust in God that we all will see this through together. May our hearts be strengthened through his steadfast love.

You have my heart. I’ll write again soon, my love(s).

As Always,

The One

³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ <In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.> 34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”