Leading up to one of the most politically incorrect conversation for
Jesus to have with someone, the gospel of Mark sets the stage with an
interesting verse that Matthew chose not to include in his gospel. In
Mark’s gospel, this event opens up with the statement: “Jesus
went from there to a place near Tyre. He entered a house. He did not
want anyone to know where he was. But he could not keep it a secret.” (Mark 7:24 NIRV) Opening this event in the way he does, Mark subtly suggests that
Jesus wanted His presence in the region to remain hidden from everyone –
including this woman who He would insult before agreeing to help with
her request. While Matthew’s gospel includes more details regarding the
conversation that took place, Mark gives us more detail about the
back-story and setting for this event. Mark tells us that not only did
Jesus want to stay hidden, but that this woman was a Greek, even
including where she was born. However, the key phrase in Marks gospel that jumped off the page when I read it was this: “But he could not keep it a secret.” (Mark 7:24b NIRV) This simple statement speaks volumes about God. Even when Jesus wanted to do something secretly, He could not do so. When God moves, nothing about it remains a secret.
While Satan realizes this, he is quick to bring other explanations into
our minds, and he does everything he can to rationalize, minimize, or
trivialize God’s movements, but that is simply because when God moves, we cannot help but notice that something happened. While Mark tells us that Jesus could not keep His location a secret
from this woman, this also implies that others knew where Jesus was and
perhaps other people came to be helped while Jesus was trying to hide in
this house. Jesus had a hard time keeping His location a secret during
the entire time He was living on earth after His ministry had begun. But what about today? Is Jesus able to hide now that He has returned to heaven? In my own mind and experience, the answer depends on the person asking it. While Satan is trying to eliminate Jesus from public discussion, he can do nothing to hide Jesus from those who are looking for Him.
Just like Jesus could not stay hidden in a random home on the outskirts
of a city He normally would not go near, Jesus cannot stay hidden from
those who are actively seeking Him. This is a promise and a challenge for all of us followers living today: The only way we will find Jesus in the 21st century is if we are proactive in looking for Him.
While there will be a point when history ends and Jesus returns in
person, if we want to find Jesus before the last day when it will be too
late to change our decision, we must be intentional about seeking Him
during the days we have left. Satan is doing everything he can
to stop this from happening, but he cannot stop someone who wants to
find Jesus and accept Him into his/her heart. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
During one of the emotional high points the disciples had with Jesus,
He pulls them aside to tell them a very sobering message. Oftentimes,
the events of the short passage predicting His upcoming crucifixion are
disconnected from the larger event that has just taken place. To set the stage for what Jesus shares in this passage, Jesus, Peter,
James, and John had just come down from the mountain where they had
seen the event known as the transfiguration, a point in Jesus’ ministry
where these disciples were able to experience a brief glimpse of Jesus’
glory. While this was happening on the mountain, the remaining disciples
were unsuccessfully trying to cast a demon out of a boy. Luke tells us that the following day, when Jesus came down from the
mountain, He meets the disciples and the father of this boy and
successfully casts out the demon. It is at this moment where Luke tells
us: “But while everyone was marveling at all
that He was doing, He said to His disciples, ‘Let these words sink into
your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of
men.’” (Luke 9:43b-44 NASB95) The gospels of Matthew and Mark have Jesus conclude this sentence by saying: “and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” (Mark 9:31; Matthew 17:23 NASB95) This is powerful when we think about it. At this point in Jesus’
ministry, the thought of Jesus being killed was the last possible thing
on their minds. To these disciples, especially Peter, James, and John
who saw Jesus glorified less than 24 hours earlier, they may have
perceived Jesus to be invincible. Regardless of the predicted
resurrection that is also included in this statement, Jesus’ words seem
to fall on deaf ears. Luke tells us that the disciples were afraid to ask and that the
meaning of Jesus’ words was hidden from them. It is possible that God
hid the meaning of Jesus’ words from the disciples. Also, it is possible
that the fear of asking stopped the disciples from learning the truth
about Jesus’ message here. However, I wonder if the emotional high that
is shared at the beginning of this passage is a clue about what blinded
the disciples to the meaning of Jesus’ words. Luke tells us that the events leading up to Jesus’ message prompted
everyone present to marvel at what Jesus was doing. This was a high
moment for Jesus and the disciples, and part of me wonders if Jesus
reserved this direct message for this emotional high point to help
ground the disciples onto the reality of the true mission of the
Messiah. If this is the case, we can learn a powerful truth from this short passage: During
our emotional highs, it may be more difficult for God to share His
message and His truth into our lives. While there is nothing evil about
emotional and spiritual high points, we must not focus our lives towards
always seeking after these types of events, because God may have
something to teach us that can only be learned while we are facing the
challenges of life. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17 NIV) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 NIV) “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12 NIV) Today, at least for those of us living in the northern hemisphere, we will face the shortest, darkest day this year. Because this day happens every year in December, and usually within a few days of Christmas, it is a powerful reminder that, at the darkest point our world has faced, God sent His light to defeat the darkness. Light has two amazing qualities worth remembering. First, wherever there is light, darkness is not present. If you are in a dark room and you light a candle, turn a light on, or even wake up the screen of your phone, darkness disappears. Where light shines, darkness cannot stay, Second, giving/sharing light doesn’t diminish the source. This is most clear when we have a lit candle. If we use the flame of one lit candle to light a dozen more, we will end up with 13 candles, each shining as brightly as the original. Aside from other characteristics of the candle group (like how much wax has dripped), the flame of each candle doesn’t show whether it was the initial flame, or one of the secondary ones. Each candle flame shines as brightly as the first, without diminishing the first. In the verses above, James draws our attention to the Father of heavenly lights (simplified to say the Father of Light in some translations) sending us good and perfect gifts. The most perfect gift God sent to us is Jesus. In John’s gospel, Jesus describes Himself as the “Light of the World”. This draws our attention to “Light” giving “Light”. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He continues by saying, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12b) Light gives Light that gives us light. God the Father (Light) gave Jesus (Light), who gives us “the light of life”. Whether today is the shortest, darkest day of the year (northern hemisphere) or the brightest, longest day (southern hemisphere), let’s together look past the “light” of this world to the “Light God sent into our world” this Christmas season! 🙏 📖 ✝️ 👍
During one of the times when Jesus was teaching the disciples about
prayer and faith, He shares a very startling truth that might be the
reason some of our prayers have not been answered. In Mark’s gospel,
following Jesus cursing the fig tree and it withering up, Jesus makes
this bold statement about faith: “Have faith in God. I tell you
the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, fall into the sea.’ And if
you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will
happen, God will do it for you. So I tell you to believe that you have
received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to
you.” (Mark 11:22-24 NCV) This is powerful, but Jesus doesn’t stop there. Many people might
stop reading here, but Jesus has something else to tell us, this time
specifically about prayer in verses 25 and 26: “When you are
praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father
in heaven will also forgive your sins. [ But if you don’t forgive other
people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.]” (Mark 11:25-26 NCV)) (Sidenote:
Verse 26, which is in square brackets, is not in many early
manuscripts, but I include it here because it simply repeats verse 25
using a different angle.) I find this statement about forgiveness in prayer powerful because in
the context Jesus shared these words, it is possible that forgiveness –
or at least a forgiving attitude – is crucial for having complete faith
and trust that our prayers will be answered. It is also powerful to
think that when we are praying, and a name of someone comes to mind that
we are angry with, this might have happened because God brought it to
us. While Satan would love to distract us from praying and we might
blame him for bringing that person into our minds, in this case, God is probably responsible. When we pray, Jesus wants all of His followers to know that
God has called us to forgive others because He has forgiven us.
Forgiveness is the path to emotional and spiritual freedom, and God
knows that holding resentment or hostility towards someone is spiritual
poison in that person’s heart. In the context of Jesus’ message,
praying with faith might even be the only way we can truly forgive those
who have hurt us the most deeply! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
Most times I read about Jesus raising Lazarus back to life, I am
fascinated at many of the details that are included. However more than
just simply looking at the details, I enjoy looking behind these details
to themes that tell me more about what God and Jesus are like. The big idea that challenges me as I read this event directly relates to who Jesus is: Jesus is a Life-Giver. All
throughout the gospels, Jesus heals people, restoring them into a new
life; He teaches people, helping them begin a new life and relationship
with God; and He was trying really hard to train some difficult people
(known as the disciples) how to live dependent on God – which was a new
life compared with the life they left behind after accepting His call. Jesus is a life-giver, and because of this, He is not afraid of
death. Jesus first describes Lazarus as sleeping, which may give us a
clue into what He wanted us to think of death. Verse 11 shares this
initial description: “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up.”
However, like what usually seemed to happen, the disciples don’t get
what Jesus is trying to say, leading Jesus to talk directly to them a
few verses later with the fact that “Lazarus is dead!” (John 11:14 CEV) One thing that challenges me is in this event has to do with how
Jesus responds to the news that Lazarus is sick. In verse 4, Jesus
responds to the news by saying “His sickness won’t end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son.” (John 11:4 CEV). Verse 4 and verse 14 contradict one another, because Jesus said the sickness wouldn’t end in death, but then Lazarus died. But when we look at what Jesus says, from the perspective He is
trying to teach the disciples to grasp, we see something interesting. For much of His ministry, Jesus was trying to help the disciples
understand life from God’s viewpoint. God’s perspective on life looks at
it through the lens of eternity, and knowing the whole story, or at
least the portion of the story that John shares, Lazarus’ sickness
included death as a pit-stop or detour on the path to a new God-given
life. Lazarus’ sickness did not “end” in death, because death was not
the end of His story. Instead, Jesus gives us another insight into God’s perspective. From
God’s perspective, death is like a sleep. A few verses later, Jesus
tells Martha, “I am the one who raises the dead to life!
Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. And everyone
who lives because of faith in me will never really die.” (John 11:25-26 CEV) There are two directions we could understand Jesus’ words in these
verses. We could understand this to mean that those who believe in Jesus
will never “fall asleep” like Lazarus did; or we may understand Jesus’
words to mean that those who believe in Him will not have their stories
end in death, even if death happens to be a temporary resting place on
the path. Looking at the broad story and how in each conversation Jesus
is trying to teach people truths from God’s perspective, and that Jesus
begins by pointing us to the big picture by saying that Lazarus’
sickness won’t end in death, I am inclined to believe that Jesus
describes what we call death as a sleep. This sleep-death is not the
end, but merely a pause on life that will later be resumed when the
resurrection happens. Death in Jesus’ eyes is when someone’s future
contains no more life in it while sleep in Jesus’ eyes holds the promise
of resurrection. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
Every so often, as I am studying, a word or phrase jumps off the page
at me, and in our passage for today’s journal entry, as I read through
Jesus’ teaching, a single word jumped out at me that I had never noticed
before. As the King is responding to the “sheep” on His right, and how they
ask Him when did they see Him hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, in prison,
or without a place to stay, He says the following phrase in verse 40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40 HCSB) The word that jumped off the page as I was reading this is the word “brothers”. Often we think of God the Father as the one sitting on the throne as
King, but God the Father has no “brothers”. However, Jesus did have
actual brothers, because He came to earth and was born into a young
family. When Jesus returned to heaven following the resurrection, He was
lifted up as King. This means that Jesus is the one sitting on the throne as a judge.
This is something that other passages in the New Testament shed light
on, but I had never noticed that it is clearly pointed to in Jesus’
words in this passage. I believe Jesus also uses the word “brother” to help draw our
attention to helping each other out in humanity. God and/or angels are
not going to sneak down to earth to test us and see if we will be kind
to them directly. By using the word “brother”, millions if not billions
of opportunities open up as everyone is connected under the umbrella of
the human race. So instead of judging or looking for ways that excuse us from
helping someone in need, how would we act if we saw that person as
Jesus’ brother or sister? Jesus is a brother to everyone in humanity,
and by helping the brothers of Jesus who are in need, we are actually
able to help Jesus, the one who sits on the throne as King. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
While teaching people about the topic of worry, Jesus makes a very
counter-intuitive challenge to everyone present. While Jesus’ message
began by focusing on guarding against greed, He then shifted from greed
to worry before making this challenge. This detail makes me wonder if greed and worry are connected. I have
not ever thought about these two ideas being related, but what if greed
and worry were linked together? What if greed was the hidden source behind the temptation to worry in our own lives? I believe these ideas are connected, because Jesus’ challenge to
everyone – both His followers as well as those who were simply listening
to His message – is this: “Sell your possessions and give to
charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing
treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.” (Luke 12:33 NASB95) In this passage, Jesus basically challenges everyone to sell all
their stuff and give it to charity. In the context of what Jesus is
teaching, the word “charity” would be giving it somewhere where the
money is needed, and it cannot be repaid. This would not include giving
your money to your stockbroker to invest for you, or giving it to your
rich grandparents in hopes that they will gift it back to you in their
will. Instead, Jesus shares a counter-cultural message that by scaling back
and living on less, we can truly win in multiple areas of life. When we
scale back, we win because we are pushing back against the temptation
of greed; we win because we are more free to be led where God calls us;
we win because we don’t have as much stuff to worry about; and we win
because we are investing in heaven. Not only do we win in this life, but our investments into heaven are
powerful as well. Not only does God keep track of our gifts and add them
to our heavenly savings account, when we give to charities that help
spread the news about Jesus, we are indirectly helping to bring other
people into a saving relationship with Jesus – which ultimately blesses
heaven with more people who get to share eternity with God. Accepting Jesus’ counter-cultural challenge is
counter-intuitive because when we feel like we are losing by scaling
back, we are winning in ways we cannot even begin to imagine, and ways
we will only fully understand when history ends. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
During one of Jesus’ famous parables near the end of His earthly
ministry, He shares about a banquet feast that a king prepared and
invited His friends to. However, all those who He thought were His
friends ended up either rejecting the invitation because either they
claimed to have more “important” things to do, or they were outright
hostile towards the king’s messengers. When the servants returned and told the king what had happened, the king responded to his servants by saying “The
wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people
they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was
filled with guests.” (Matthew 22:8-10 NIV) As I read this portion of the passage, I am amazed by the broad,
unrestricted invitation that was shared. While the original invitation
was given to a select group of people, this second round of inviting has
no limits. Matthew tells us in verse 10 that Jesus’ illustration has
the king gathering “all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good,” in order to fill His wedding hall. In this parable, I believe the king represents God, and if this is the case, God’s invitation has no restrictions; God’s invitation is unconditional.
The only criteria we can see present in this second round of invitation
is simply the willingness to accept the invitation. Past performance is
irrelevant when the invitation comes our way; our current habits,
projects, and lifestyle are also irrelevant, provided that these things
don’t interfere with us choosing to accept God’s invitation. The only thing that matters in the framework of eternity is
whether we will be willing to accept God’s invitation when He returns to
invite us home! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
While more than one of the four gospels shares about Jesus’ close
friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, the gospel of Luke appears to share
briefly about the first time Jesus met this group of adult siblings. In
Luke’s gospel, we have a short passage that focuses in on the two
sisters and how each of them has very different personalities. But while reading this passage, I was amazed to notice a detail that
is often completely overlooked. I have not ever seen this or heard
anyone talk about it before. Luke tells us specifically that “As they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.” (Luke 10:38 GW) This is significant to pay attention to because I don’t think many
women owned real estate at that time. Because none of the gospels share
anything about these sisters having husbands, part of me wonders if they
were single or widowed. However, the specific detail is that Martha was the one who did the
inviting. Martha typically gets picked on for playing the hostess role
and for not ignoring the details to simply listen to Jesus, but we often
miss the huge detail that if Martha had not invited Jesus into her
home, neither one of these sisters may have gotten the opportunity to
meet Him and become friends with Him. In this passage, Martha is in some ways a hero, because she stepped
out and invited Jesus and His disciples to stay with her. Mary gets to
be the hero regarding setting priorities, while Martha is the hero for
being the one to invite Jesus into her home. Martha’s actions in this passage challenge me, because I am not
naturally outgoing and am too shy to invite strangers (or even
celebrities) into my home. I am more like Mary in that I can easily sit
and simply listen to the conversations other people are speaking in and
simply learn from what they are saying. If I were to invite others home,
I might be Martha-like if no-one is paying attention to the details,
but if someone else has the details under control, then I am happy to
enjoy the company. Perhaps the lesson for us in this passage is not just to
prioritize well, but also to be open to inviting others into our lives.
Both sisters display this big truth in their time with Jesus. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17 NIV) “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26 NIV) “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly...But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6,8 NIV) Even though Christmas has past, I thought it would be worth it to focus this weekend's thought taking a different angle than most others. While I suspect that you saw dozens (or more) posts about Jesus' "virgin" birth, about the shepherds, wise men, or other details surrounding Jesus' birth. You also probably have Luke, chapter 2, fresh in your mind. However, while Christmas is incredible, it would mean nothing without Easter (Crucifixion weekend). Without Easter, Christmas would be forgotten, and without Christmas, Easter would remain an exclusively pagan holiday. Without both events, we would be lost in sin while still waiting for a Messiah. Regardless of the "accuracy" of December 25, Christmas is worth celebrating. Jesus came. Jesus stepped into this world at just the right time, while religion had grown so formalized, political, and legalistic that people could no longer see God through the spiritual baggage of the first century. Jesus came to show humanity an accurate picture of God - not just during His life and ministry, but all the way leading to His death. Jesus' life was a sacrifice showing us how much God loves each of us. Jesus' sacrifice makes Christmas worth celebrating. But so does the mark of an accepted sacrifice. Sunday morning, the tomb was empty. This wasn't because the disciples outwitted the soldiers guarding a fully sealed tomb. It was because one of God's angels was dispatched to scatter the forces of darkness. However, one angel was really just a formality, since nothing would stop "the Light of the World" and "the Resurrection and the Life" from stepping out of that tomb. 📖 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5) Jesus stepped into this world to be a light for all people. His birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension give us hope for our future! 🙏 📖 ✝️ ✅
In this journal entry’s passage/parable, a subtle but amazing truth
about God is shared. While most people simply think of this parable on
the surface level of money and/or talents, Jesus gives an amazing hint
into God’s character that is often missed. This truth is found when combining something we know about God with
something that is shared in the parable – specifically as the characters
are being introduced. In verses 14-15, we read, “The Kingdom of
Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip.
He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he
was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to
another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to
their abilities.” (Matthew 25:14-15 NLT) What clued me into thinking there must be something is deeper is the very last phrase in verse 15: “dividing it in proportion to their abilities”.
If we understand the man leaving on the trip to represent God, think
for a moment about what God knows – which is everything, including the
past and the future. While dealing out the money, He already knows that
the first two servants will double their investments, while the third
one would do nothing with it. This foreknowledge would affect His choice
when determining the “abilities” of each of the three servants. But while He knew that servant #3 would miss the intention of this
exercise, what amazes me is that God still gives this servant the chance
to prove Him wrong. Even if this third servant was the least promising
one of the group, he still is given the chance to invest and grow the
master’s money. Even with one bag of silver, this least promising
servant could have doubled, tripled, or quadrupled the investment, and
while it would have been harder for him, since he had the least ability,
I don’t think the percentage difference would have been missed when the
master returned. The truth this tells me about God is simple: Even though God
knows the future, He still gives everyone the opportunity to invest with
Him, and to multiply the gifts He has given to each of us. Even the
least “talented” person is given the chance to invest and grow. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV) “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV) “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.” (1 John 5:18 NIV) “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” (1 John 3:9 NIV) Some time ago, I read a X/Twitter thread that contained a list of 30+ pieces of advice for life. One of the items on that list said, “Don’t compare yourself to people ahead of you in years and experience. Compare to your previous self.” ~Zuby This piece of advice stood out to me because it highlights something worth realizing: Who you are today differs from who you were five years ago. Who you are five years from now will differ from who you are today. This is even more true when we look at our life without Jesus and compare it to our life with Him. As we begin a new year, we have our annual opportunity to take a new direction in life—or at least in parts of it. Last year has been forever banished to the past, and its only use is the memory of what we learned through it. In the same way, this new year gives us the opportunity to start from a clean slate, discarding the bad from our past while keeping all we have learned up to this point. However, Zuby’s piece of advice falls short for those following Christ. From reading the Bible, we understand that God alone is perfect (holy), and we are not (Romans 3:23). The best we can do cannot even come close (Isaiah 64:6). While some would use these two pieces of information to say we should never compare ourselves with God/Jesus/Christ, those following Christ understand that this may be the only comparison God has called us to. This comparison reveals one big truth: Alone, we cannot live up to God’s standard—or even come close. However, for those following Christ, we understand that life was never meant to be lived on our own. We need each other. And more importantly, we need the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Bible describes those living with the Holy Spirit as being a “New Creation”, as “God’s Handiwork”, and as being “Born of God”. As we enter a new year, it is good to remember this truth. It is also good to realize that those who have the Holy Spirit in their lives will not continue sinning. This speaks to the controversial idea of obedience that is found throughout the Bible. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we ‘go and sin no more’, as Jesus often said to those He helped. The only way this is possible is with the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the best time to step forward with this new frame for life is today. As we enter a new year together, let’s remember that with this new year, we also get a new you. Make decisions this year that your future self will thank you for! 🙏 📖 ✝️ 👍
Many times throughout the gospels, Jesus shares something that is
simple, profound, and challenging. In this journal entry’s passage,
Jesus shares an idea that is all three of these characteristics, and it
has layers of meaning hidden within it. Immediately following the news that some Greeks came to see Him, Jesus shares the following words in John 12:24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” There are multiple ways we can understand this idea, and the context of Jesus’ words allow for multiple meanings. The first and most basic understanding is the literal one. Only when a
grain of wheat has fallen to the ground, and its connection to the
stalk has been broken, can it then become a plant of its own, capable of
producing many more seeds. As long as the grain stays connected to the
original stalk, it remains only as a seed – and its full potential is
never realized. Taking the grain of wheat analogy to the next level of understanding,
we can see Jesus foreshadowing His upcoming death, burial, and
resurrection/rebirth. Just like a grain of wheat needing to fall to the
ground for it to realize its full potential, Jesus can only become the
full revelation of God’s amazing love for us by giving up His life for
us. The rebirth/resurrection that happened launched the early church
movement, powered by the Holy Spirit, and united by the truth of Jesus’
resurrection. But the hardest analogy for us to handle with the grain of wheat
illustration is when we apply it to our own lives. It is only when we
give up our life and submit ourselves to God’s will that we will ever be
able to realize our full potential. Many people have displayed
extraordinary amounts of potential and achieved amazing things in our
world today, but if any of them are living outside of God’s plan for
their lives, they are stopping short and are only living as one seed
when God would have them be seed-makers. “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24 NIRV) Only after Christ died on the cross were we truly able to see
how much God loves us, and only after we die to ourselves and let God
resurrect us into the life He created us to live will we be able to walk
the plan that leads us into the men and women He created us to be – a
life that starts now and leads directly into the promised eternal life
when Jesus returns! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
During one of the times Jesus was teaching the disciples, a large
crowd was present and listening in. Within this teaching that focused in
on warning the disciples about the dangers of hypocrisy, Jesus tells
them something about how God relates to each of us that is powerful,
challenging, and incredibly fair. In the middle of this teaching, Jesus comes out and says that “I
can guarantee that the Son of Man will acknowledge in front of God’s
angels every person who acknowledges him in front of others. But God’s
angels will be told that I don’t know those people who tell others that
they don’t know me.” (Luke 12:8-9 GW) This short two-verse message is incredible to think about. In
essence, Jesus basically tells us that He will recognize everyone who
publicly acknowledges Him in front of others, while those who keep their
faith a secret and don’t share Him with others are at risk of losing
out. While Jesus says that He will tell the angels that He doesn’t
know the people who say they don’t know Him, there is little difference
in openly telling others that you don’t know Jesus and simply not saying
that you do. Jesus’ words in this verse might be challenging for some people to
face, but I see this as one of Jesus’ most amazing promises. While this
is a warning for those who want to keep their faith a secret and those
who don’t want to acknowledge they are followers of Jesus, in
the words of this warning Jesus basically gives us the easiest way to be
sure we are recognized by Jesus and the easiest way to be known to Him.
All we have to do is share Him publicly, and to tell others that we are
on God’s/Jesus’ side. When challenged by those opposed to God, will we let them ridicule us
into denying our faith, or will we stand firm even if we don’t know all
the answers. Jesus promises us that He will “acknowledge in
front of God’s angels every person who acknowledges him in front of
others” and we can claim this promise when faced with the decision
whether to publicly live for God when faced with opposition. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
While Jesus was coming down from the mountain where He revealed a
glimpse of His glory to the three closest disciples, we find an event
that began the day earlier with the rest of the disciples. During the
time Jesus was up on the mountain with Peter, James, and John, the
remaining disciples were being met by a father who was possessed by an
impure spirit. When Jesus comes down from the mountain, we learn that the disciples
who were there were unable to cast this particular spirit out of the
boy. It is worth noting here that the disciples had been successful in
previous events, and Jesus had sent them out in pairs where they were
able to cast out demons. I’m not sure whether the father was losing hope because of the
failure of Jesus’ disciples but when Jesus learns about what has
happened in his absence, He replies by saying, “You unbelieving generation. How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” (Mark 9:19 NIV) All three of the gospel writers who include this event include Jesus
saying the exact same reactionary response. Each of these gospels record
Jesus first commenting on the unbelieving nature of that generation.
While we later learn from Mark’s gospel that prayer is a necessary
ingredient for removing this sort of impure spirit, when we look at this
event in Mark’s gospel through the lens of belief and unbelief, we get a
picture of something powerful. First of all, the disciples had belief that they could cast out this
spirit, but I am fairly certain they had been neglecting prayer. Because
they only had half of what they needed in this case, they failed.
Perhaps Jesus knew this was the reason for the disciples’ failure and
that is what prompted His statement. However, just a few verses later, when asking the father more about
the boy’s condition, the father hints at his own growing doubts by
saying, “if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22 NIV) Jesus immediately challenges the doubt in this statement head on, and
by doing so, He pushes the boy’s father to share what sort of belief he
has. Mark tells us that, “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:24 NIV) This is enough belief for Jesus. Even a simple acknowledging that
there is belief present – even if it is mixed with doubt – is enough for
Jesus to work with. What matters in this statement is what we are
focusing on. Are we focusing on our doubts, or are we focusing on our faith? We cannot focus on both at the same time!
Jesus challenges this father and those present to focus on whatever
faith they currently have and then He uses this amount of faith to
perform the miracle. The same truth about faith, doubt, and belief that Jesus draws our
attention onto in this passage is true for us today. While culture as a
whole is perverse and unbelieving, this is because that is where they
have placed their focus. Jesus’ challenge to this father is a challenge to everyone who calls themselves a believer of Jesus: Will we focus on our doubts, or will we focus on our faith? Jesus can only use one of these things for His glory, so we should be intentional about what we are focusing on! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15 NIV - Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount) “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’(Matthew 18:21-22 NIV - Jesus, just before sharing the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant) “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:35 NIV - Jesus, finishing the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant) “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” (Luke 23:34 NIV - Jesus, being nailed to the cross) One of the most challenging topics Jesus preached on is forgiveness. Multiple times throughout His ministry, Jesus challenges His followers with an impossible standard of forgiving others. Forgiveness flies in the face of human nature, the idea of fairness, and even the thought of a “just” God. Where forgiveness is present, justice appears to be cheated. However, instead of just talking highly about forgiveness (even making it a salvation issue depending on how one understands Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus modeled God’s forgiveness when facing the cross. Some people believe forgiveness is only possible after one has repented. On the one hand, I can understand this thought. If someone has humbled themselves and at least admitted they were wrong, it is easier to give them a second chance. But in His parable, Jesus has the king forgive the impossible-to-repay debt simply because the servant asked him. But a careful reading tells us that the servant asked for patience and time, not forgiveness. The king forgave the debt while the servant was intent on repaying the debt. This motivation to repay the king results in the servant abusing another servant and the king’s forgiveness being undone. The servant in Jesus’ parable did not accept, nor did he understand, God’s forgiveness. He was focused on paying back his debt personally. However, when sin is the debt, the only acceptable payment is one’s life. In one of Ezekiel’s prophecies, God clearly says that the soul who sins will die. This is fairness and justness. To contrast this, Jesus modeled a different type of forgiveness. Jesus modeled payment for sin when no sin had been committed. Jesus gave His life for sinners when He had not sinned - even asking God to forgive those who were actively hanging Him on the cross. The soldiers had not repented or asked for forgiveness. The soldiers appear unaffected by Jesus’ prayer until after Jesus had died. Jesus modeled God’s impossible standard of forgiveness. God loved us that much! We are sinners, while Jesus is the perfect Savior! ✝️
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While reading Mark’s gospel where he describes Jesus feeding the
crowd of 4,000, a detail stood out to me that seems obvious, but it was
one I had never picked up on prior to this reading. This detail is very
easy to miss, because it gets lost in the other details of the verse it
is included in. After receiving the bread from the disciples, Mark tells us, “So
Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the
seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave
them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd.” (Mark 8:6 NLT) The phrase that stood out to me as I read this verse was the four-word phrase “thanked God for them”. Jesus thanked God for the seven loaves of bread (and later on, He thanks God and blesses the few fish when they were found). This detail is significant because Jesus thanked God before
any miracle had happened. Jesus thanked God for the tiny, insignificant
number of seven loaves of bread before distributing them. Jesus didn’t
wait for God to multiply the seven loaves into 700 baskets of bread
before giving thanks. We can learn from this detail that we should be thankful and
grateful for the things God has blessed us with, regardless of whether
the blessings are large or small, and we should trust that God can
multiply these blessings to be as impactful as is needed. Jesus was
thankful for just a tiny amount of bread, and God multiplied it into a
satisfying meal for over 4,000 people! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.