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A Close Look At John 14 28, The Father Is Greater Than I, The Meaning?
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Feb 19, 2025
In John 14:28, we read the following “28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John can be considered Jesus’ farewell speech to his disciples. Jesus was giving his disciples his final words prior to his departure, going back to the Father. So I can imagine how sad and broken-hearted the disciples were as Jesus was making one statement after the next. I have always been puzzled over this verse and decided to look at it more closely today
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Hello, good morning. This is Taib at Taibbts.com and today we are going to be looking at John 14 verse 28
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Now, I usually have tried to stay away from just taking one verse and looking at it like by itself
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because I think is better when you to interpret scripture. The best way is to actually look at an entire book
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That gives you a better context to work with. It gives you the background
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So when you are studying the book, you know the theme. you know everything that's going on but for some reason i was just reading john 14 the other day and
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verse 28 really caught my attention and i wanted to just single that verse out and talk about it today
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so he reads in john 1428 you heard me say to you i'm going away and i would come to you
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if you loved me you would have rejoiced because i'm going to the father for the father is greater
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than i now these are jesus words and And chapter 14 is almost like a farewell speech, okay, to the disciples
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Jesus is getting ready to go to the cross and he's going soon, going to leave on the disciples
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So I've always been puzzled by verse 28 of chapter 14. So I wanted to look at it more closely on today
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And I see Jesus was giving his final words before his departure
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I can imagine how sad and brokenhearted the disciples were as Jesus was making
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one statement after the other. So what we're going to do today, we're just going to be looking at
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that verse and see and understand what Jesus was trying to communicate to his disciples
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So basically, Jesus is saying to his disciples, you have to rejoice that I'm going back to the
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father if you truly love me, meaning Jesus. And the reason he gives is this. He says, for the father
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is greater than I. So basically Jesus is telling them, listen, you guys have to rejoice that I'm
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going back to the father because he's greater than me. Okay. So how do we make sense of all his
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words? Okay. And let's understand what Jesus meant when he said that the father was greater than him
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That's important. We need to understand that because the early church had to face a lot of
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controversies over those verses. Example, you have a guy like Arias was a heretic and he claimed
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that Jesus was a lesser being than God because he posted. that Jesus was created and made
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And because people like Arias, they will use verses like this where Jesus says
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the father is greater than me. And then they use those verses to say, you see
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Jesus himself says that the father is greater than me. So therefore, Jesus is not God
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And they missed the point. And today we have like Jehovah Witnesses. They also use this verse
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Actually, I had a conversation with one of them. And he actually went to this verse and said that Jesus himself said that God, the father was
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greater than him. therefore Jesus cannot be God. So our job as believers is to properly interpret scripture
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So how do we deal with this statement made by Jesus? And this is what we want to do today
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So when Jesus says that the Father is greater than Him, he's not saying that Jesus
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he's not saying that God is greater than Him in terms of essence of substance
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Because we know that Jesus is consubstantial and co-eaternal with the Father
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And I'm going to show you some verses that prove. that okay so we want to understand when Jesus said the father is greater than I
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he's not saying that he's not of the same essence or he's not a being as the
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father they are because they are consubstantial and co-eternal of the same
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substance of the same essence okay so now I gonna show you some verses that shows that if you go to John chapter 1 verse 1 this is the prologue John says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God
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So John is saying at the outset that, listen, Jesus existed all the way from the beginning
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Okay, he already existed. So he wasn't like he was made. So in the beginning was the word
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The word existed. The word was. Okay. And the word was with God
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So the word was with God that carries a sense of intimacy
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Like they were in a face-to-face relationship, like face-to-face relationship like this
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And the word was God. So this is just complex language. In the beginning was the Logos and the Logos was with God and the Logos was God
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Okay. So God, the son existed from all eternity with the Father
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He was one with the Father from all eternity. So again, this shows us that Jesus and the Father are of the same essence
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Okay. Now that's the first evidence. The second one, we go to Colossians 1, verse 15 to 18. Listen to scripture. He's the image of the invisible God. The firstborn of all creation, for by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things and in him, all things hold together. And he's the head of the
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body, the church. He is the beginning, the first born from the dead
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in everything he may, so that in everything he might be preeminent. So the
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scripture says that he is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all
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creation. Why? Because all things were created by him. When scripture says in Genesis 1
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let there be light. So God was revealing the sun at that moment. Because God
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created all things through him, through his word. So the word of God was all
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always in God. We just hadn't. So in some way, God was by himself, but in some way, the word
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already and always existed in the father. But when you spoke the word, now we knew, we knew because
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the word was revealed. If you go back to John 1 again, let's listen to what John says here, because
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it's incredible. John says in verse 3, all things were made through him and without him was not
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anything made that was made. All things were made through him. Among things that were made
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everything was made through him. That means Jesus himself was not made
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because everything that was made was made through him. So he's not part of the things that are made because
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he's the one that makes all things. Okay? Now let's go to Hebrews 1
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Hebrews 1. Listen to what scripture says. Long ago, at many times and in many ways
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God spoke to our fathers by the prophet, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son
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whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world
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He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds
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the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high
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having become as much superior to the angels as the name he, has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Listen to the punchline. Verse 5, for to which of the
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angels did God ever say, you are my son. Today, I have begotten you. Or again, I will be to him a father
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and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says
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let all God's angels worship him. Let me pause for a second. God will never allow any of his
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creation to be worshipped Okay This is a no know God does not accept anybody else to take worship Basically God is a jealous God and he will not let any creatures being worshipped
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which proves that when God himself says, let all God's angels worship him
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He is making Jesus co-substantial with him. Okay? And verse 7 of the angel, he says
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he makes his angels wanes and his ministers a flame of fire. But of the sun, he says
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Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. And the scepter of uprightness is the sceptor of your kingdom
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Again, of the son, God himself says, Your throne, oh God. So God himself calls his son, God
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And he listens to what he says. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness
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Therefore, God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions
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And you, Lord, okay? laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning. You see that. You, Lord. Okay, here's the Lord
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the sovereign one, the one that created all things, and the heavens are the work of your hands
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They will perish, but you remain. They will all wear out like a garment. They will all wear out like a garment
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like a robe. You roll them up like a garment, they will be changed, but you are the same
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and your years will have no end. When the scripture says you are the same, which means
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it means that God does not change, that Jesus does not change in terms of his divine nature
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He is always, because there was never a time where he wasn't
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This is what the scripture says, you are the same, ultimate reality
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Because there was never a time, there was never a time where Jesus wasn't
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He always was and he always is. Okay, if I will correct myself, he always is
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Because there was never a time where he did not exist. So we can see clearly that when Jesus says that the father is greater than I, he's not talking in terms of essence or substance because he is one with the father
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He is a being like the father. But we still need to make the distinctions within the persons of the Godhead
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God, the father, is the one who begets the son. It's not the other way around
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The son does not beget the father, but the father begets the son. So since the son is begotten of the father, he is begotten of the father, but he's now made
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Let's make that clear. He's begotten of the father, but he is not created
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He's not made. Okay? So there's a distinction there. So Jesus, because he's begotten of the father, receives the honor of the son
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While the father receives the honor of the father. So in that way, Jesus says, the father is greater than I, because the father is the one that begets the son
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So basically in Jewish categories, the father is always received the honor of the father
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So the son in some extent is subordinate to the father because he submits to the father
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because in terms of honor, Jesus is begotten of the father. So this is why he said the father is greater than I
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Now, let's wrap on park what he was saying to his disciples. Now, Jesus is saying to his disciple, if you truly love me, you would have understood that I'm going back to the father
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Okay, and they would have rejoiced. Why? Because the father sent the son on the mission. And once the
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mission is accomplished, the mandate is to return back to the father. So Jesus loves his father. He is
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always obedient to the father in every way. If you look at Deuteronomy 6.5, Jesus lived it out. We shall love
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the Lord of God with all your heart, all your mind and all your strength, right? So because Jesus
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loves his father and he obeys his father after the mission is accomplished he has accomplished He is going back to the father So he telling these disciples if you truly love me you would have understood that I going back to the Father because I obey my Father because I love Him
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So the disciples basically ought to rejoice at Jesus' obedience to the Father
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And we're going to see that in 1 John 5, 2 in a second. Jesus could have opted to stay back on planet Earth, but he didn't
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That would have meant disobedience to the Father. But also there's greater implications
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If you look at John 16, 7, Jesus says something very important
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He says, nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away
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For if I do not go away, the helper will not come
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The helper, meaning the Holy Spirit, will not come. So basically, according to the plan of God
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the sending of the Holy Spirit was contingent on the return of the Son to the Father
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So the sending of the Holy Spirit was contingent on the return of the son to the Father
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This is why Jesus told his disciples that if they truly loved him, they would have rejoiced that he was going back to the Father
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For the Father is greater than Him. And Jesus obeys the words of the Father
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And after all, Jesus is called the Word of God. Okay. And John tells us in 1 John 5 verse 2
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Listen to what John says in 1 John 5 verse 2. This is incredible. John says here, by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his
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commandment. And this is exactly what Jesus was doing. He was Exhibit A of this type of love
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He was saying to his disciples, if you truly love me, you would have rejoiced that I was going
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back to the Father for the Father is greater than I. So basically, the way you show your flock
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the way you show your brothers in Christ that you love them is by obeying your father
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And this is what Jesus is saying here. Listen, I love the Father so much that I'm obeying his word because I'm showing you that I'm loving you
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This is the way I'm going to show you that I love you by going back to the Father because I obey my father in order that you may know that he's greater than I and that I obey him in every single way
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And this is what Jesus was saying to his disciples. Listen, you better rejoice because my obedience is an example to you
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And this is what you ought to do too. because I'm showing you the example
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I'm going back to the Father because this was the main date. Yes, I love you, but I have to go back because I'm showing you how to love one another by obeying the Father
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So the way I show you love is by obeying the Father's Word, okay, by doing the Word of God
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And Jesus was saying that to His disciples. Listen, the Father is greater than I, and I have to go back and it's contingent
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The Holy Spirit's coming is contingent. So I have to obey my Father because I love him and I obey him
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and I'm showing you the way. And this is the way you should live your life as well
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So when Jesus says that he's going back to the father, it was a demonstration of his obedience to the father
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and also a demonstration of his love to his brethren, the flock
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Okay, so this to me was incredible because I really, really, really think
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that sometimes we don't fully understand things and we begin to see the love that Jesus has for his father
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I mean, it's incredible. Okay? The father is greater than the son
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not because they are not of the same essence, but it's because the father begets the son
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and the son receives the honor of the son while the father receives the honor of the father
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It does not mean that Jesus was created because it's not created, because Jesus always is
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as we saw in John 1, in Colossians 1, verse 15 and 18, and in Hebrews chapter 1
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So again, I hope that this makes sense to you, and I hope that you have a wonderful day today
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and I'll see you next time again for another one. Thank you