Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Assuming His Guilt: John 18:28-40

Published November 21, 2025 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 18:28-40 (NIV)

²⁸Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

³⁰“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

³¹Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. ³²This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

³³Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

³⁴“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

³⁵“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

³⁶Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

³⁷“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

³⁸“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. ³⁹But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

Read John 18:28-40 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Of all the gospel writers to share about Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the gospel of John includes the version that may be my favorite. Matthew and Mark both share similar, very abridged versions, while Luke goes into details about how Pilate sends Jesus to see Herod, who then sends Jesus back.

However, the gospel of John is the only gospel that includes an actual conversation between Pilate and Jesus. All the other gospel writers simply include one question and one response Jesus gave. In John’s gospel, we learn that there was a brief discussion, but what is amazing in this discussion is not the discussion itself, but a subtle shift ended up happening that turned Pilates focus.

The passage opens with Pilate asking the Jewish leaders, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” (v. 29)

The Jewish leaders sidestep the question by saying, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” (v. 30)

The Jewish leaders give no charge or accusation, but instead simply press Jesus’ guilt. This simple detail is one that by itself makes this case unique. But a subtle shift happens during Jesus’ conversation with Pilate, because when we read Pilate’s verdict at the end of their conversation, we see something that is easy to miss.

Following their conversation, Pilate comes out and addresses the crowd of Jewish leaders by saying at the end of verse 38, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” But Pilate doesn’t stop there. He continues by saying, “But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” (v. 39)

Now, Jesus would have been a free person had these leaders not arrested Him, so it makes no rational sense for Pilate to offer to release Jesus as though He was a prisoner. If Jesus was unjustly arrested, then He should be released as a separate action aside from the custom of releasing a prisoner. It is in these two verses that we see the shift from Pilate believing Jesus is innocent to assuming His guilt.

In this way, we come to the big realization I had when reading this passage: While Pilate eventually bends to the crowds demands for crucifixion a few verses later, in these two verses, Pilate becomes just as responsible for Jesus’ death as the Jewish leaders themselves. The Jewish leaders may have been the ones to arrest Jesus, but Pilate, in assuming His guilt from His status as a prisoner when he directly says that he finds no fault in Jesus, also is just as responsible because he chose to not set Jesus free.

In this passage Jesus’ death is not only because of the Jewish leaders present, but the gentile leaders as well. In this way, both groups of humanity (Jews and Gentiles) are responsible for Jesus’ death on the cross.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Keeping His Promise: Isaiah 44:1-5

Published November 20, 2025 in Audio Journal Entries

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Following Jesus being seated at the right hand of God that we focused our last episode on, it makes perfect sense for us to start this episode by looking at one of the first things Jesus does after stepping, or sitting, in this position – especially since what Jesus does is clearly foreshadowed and prophesied about.

To start this episode off, let’s look at the Old Testament prophecy that Jesus then references. Our Old Testament passage is found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 44, and let’s read it using the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 1, Isaiah writes:

¹“But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
²Thus says the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you,
‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant;
And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
³‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;
⁴And they will spring up among the grass
Like poplars by streams of water.’
⁵“This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
And that one will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’
And will name Israel’s name with honor.

Part way through these first few verses describing God’s people at some point in the future, Isaiah draws attention to God pouring out His Spirit on a later generation of His people. God promises to give His Spirit and His blessing on His people.

While the context for this prophecy could refer to the time of Jesus’ disciples, or much, much later, I won’t speculate exactly when this prophecy was or will be fulfilled. However, because of the ambiguity present, as well as a pretty generic sounding way this prophecy could be understood, I wouldn’t be surprised if this prophecy could be fulfilled multiple times in multiple generations.

However, how does this prophecy relate specifically to Jesus’ ministry?

Let’s jump into the New Testament, and into the gospels to find out. Part way through the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, John’s gospel dedicates a significant portion of space to the message Jesus shared with the disciples as they were finishing up their supper, and walking to the Garden of Gethsemane.

In John, chapter 16, starting in verse 1, Jesus tells His disciples:

¹“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. ²They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. ³These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. ⁴But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

⁵“But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; ⁹concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; ¹¹and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

¹²“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. ¹⁴He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. ¹⁵All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

Let’s stop reading here. In this passage, Jesus reemphasizes the prophecy given in Isaiah about a later group of God’s people receiving the Holy Spirit. Jesus even takes the prophecy, and applies it to Himself, saying that He, referring to Himself, would send the Holy Spirit after He had arrived in Heaven.

However, Jesus also shares the sobering truth that the only way for the Holy Spirit to be poured out in the way that Isaiah prophesied, was if He left and returned to Heaven.

This is a powerful idea. If Jesus had not returned to Heaven, He would not have been able to be seated at God’s right hand, and prior to Him sitting in that position, He would be unable to send the Holy Spirit. While a little oversimplified, this is one understanding of the details as they are laid out.

Looking within the first few chapters of the book of Acts, we discover that not long after Jesus returned to heaven, somewhere in the range of 10 days, the disciples received the Holy Spirit as promised in an amazing and significant way.

However, does this then mean that the Holy Spirit was not present prior to that point, or that we don’t have access to the Holy Spirit in our own lives if we have not experienced a clear and special event like the disciples have?

I suspect that the answer is no to both of those possibilities. I believe the Holy Spirit has been present and working throughout all of history, from the very beginning, moving forward through Jesus’ life and ministry, and also in every generation following Jesus’ return to Heaven. I believe that every passage that ultimately made it into the Bible, as well as messages for specific people at specific times that were not included in the Bible, are examples of the Holy Spirit’s presence and guidance during the times leading up to Jesus. In my mind, every prophecy that came to pass was directly because the Holy Spirit prompted a prophet or messenger to write it down, and then also crafted history to move in that specific way.

The big reason for this is to draw attention to Jesus!

When we look at how Jesus describes the Holy Spirit’s role, one big role He has is pointing people to Jesus. In the Old Testament times, much of what the Holy Spirit did was working through prophets and prophecy to help the people return to God and pay attention to the signs that would take place in the early part of the first century. As our year focusing on prophecy has shown us, there are no shortage of connection points between Jesus’ life and ministry and the Old Testament writers and prophets.

However, what about the point in history we are living right now? What is the Holy Spirit’s role for the span of time following the Old and New Testament generations? In my own mind, the Holy Spirit, which was clearly given to the disciples shortly after Jesus ascended into Heaven, is actively working in the world today. In my mind, from reading Jesus’ description of the Holy Spirit’s role, I get the picture that the Holy Spirit is actively pointing people to pay attention to the Jesus described in the Bible, while also reminding people of Jesus’ soon return. We are challenged to read and study what the Bible teaches so we will be able to recognize Jesus when He appears, because there will be no shortage of imposters as time nears the end. The best way for us to be able to recognize any fake Jesus is to be very familiar with the genuine Jesus who came in the first century.

Jesus stepped into history at the moment prophecy specified, and His life and ministry fulfilled an amazing amount of prophecies. When we let the Holy Spirit lead and guide our focus, we will be led to grow closer to Jesus both today, and every day moving forward into eternity!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open by challenging you in one way or another, intentionally seek God first in your life. Choose to accept the Holy Spirit into your heart and mind and let the Holy Spirit lead and guide you to pay attention to Jesus.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, keep praying and study the Bible for yourself to grow your personal relationship with God. While other people have plenty of ideas about God, Jesus, and the Bible, only when you study the Bible for yourself will you know personally what it teaches. Don’t let eternity rest on the opinions of someone else!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Year of Prophecy – Episode 47: After sitting down at the right hand of God, Jesus’ first task would be to keep one of the last promises He gave His followers leading up to His death. Discover how Jesus keeping this promise is powerful and relevant for us living today!

Join the discussion. Share your thoughts on this passage.

God as Our Father: Luke 2:41-52

Published November 19, 2025 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 2:41-52 (NIV)

⁴¹Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

⁴⁹“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Read Luke 2:41-52 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

From Jesus’ birth story until the time of His baptism when He was 30 years old, very little is known about Jesus. All we have shared in the gospels are transition statements, except for one story that only the gospel of Luke includes. This event is when Jesus staying in Jerusalem after the Passover festival while Mary, Joseph, and their extended family head back home. It is only after a full day’s travel that Mary and Joseph realize that Jesus isn’t with their group of travelers.

Once Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple, we see an interesting idea within Mary’s question to Jesus, and in Jesus’ response. On finding Jesus in the temple, Mary asks Jesus, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (v. 48)

Jesus responds to Mary by saying, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (v. 49)

What is fascinating to me is that at the age of twelve, Jesus had shifted His perspective from simply seeing Joseph and Mary as His parents to seeing God as His true Father. Mary calls Joseph, “your father” in her question, but Jesus responds with the phrase “My Father” in a way that refers to God.

At age twelve, Jesus already understood His uniqueness, and Mary and Joseph probably had shared with Him the miraculous events surrounding His birth. At that point, Jesus may have even remembered some of the time they spent in Egypt or the moving trip back to Nazareth.

But the big takeaway that I see in this idea for all of us is that regardless of how old we are, we can see God as being our Father, and we can place Him in this role in our lives.

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Effective Evangelism: John 12:12-19

Published November 18, 2025 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 12:12-19 (NIV)

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”

¹⁶At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

¹⁷Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. ¹⁹So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Read John 12:12-19 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

If there was ever a moment that, as a group, the Pharisees felt defeated by Jesus, it is probably in this passage. There are plenty of places where we read about questions or tricks that they unsuccessfully challenged Jesus with, but following the event in this passage, we read a very revealing phrase that only John includes in his gospel.

Following the great celebration where Jesus rides a young donkey into Jerusalem, John includes a little side-note about who the crowd was, the crowd’s response, and the Pharisees reaction to what was happening. John tells us, “Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’” (v. 17-19)

While the Pharisee’s statement is interesting, the really big lesson we can learn is from the crowd itself.

John tells us the crowd started with those who had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus, and they were the biggest evangelists of Jesus in that region. John says that, “Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign [resurrecting Lazarus], went out to meet him.” (v. 18)

This leads us to one of the big things we can learn in this passage/event: Personal evangelism has always been one of the most effective ways of sharing. It was this way in the first century, and it is still this way today. A solid network of dedicated fans can draw more people in than the best mass-marketing efforts available. In Jesus’ case, His network of fans prompted the Pharisees to say that it felt like “the whole world has gone after Him!” – The more we lift Jesus up – pointing people to Him and what He has done for us – the more effective our evangelism and sharing will be.

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