Reflective Bible Study

Early on in the gospels, during one of Jesus’ sermons to a crowd of followers, He makes a very profound and challenging statement that sounds very much like a universal principle that’s just as true today as it was back in the first century.

Matthew records this sermon and statement, so let’s dive in and read it before unpacking how this is relevant for each of us living today. Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 6, and we will be reading from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 1, Jesus tells the crowd present:

¹ “Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. ² So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ³ When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴ Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

We’ll stop reading here because what Jesus tells us in these four short verses is too powerful and important to miss. The truth Jesus shares here is crucial for us to pay attention to and we can use it to evaluate our motives and our character.

Jesus opens this passage by warning us about where we have placed our motives. He tells us, “Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention.” (v. 1a)

Before looking at Jesus’ reason for why we shouldn’t base our good deeds on public praise, let’s take a look at why it might not be a great idea to begin with. If we focus on doing good actions for external rewards (either praise from others, or maybe even monetary compensation), we immediately set ourselves up for disappointment. Regardless of what action we do, external rewards are not guaranteed. They may be present early on, or they may be present under a certain set of circumstances, but things will always change, and external rewards by definition are based on others.

When the source of the external reward changes, or when the bar is moved, those chasing after external rewards must move too, often to more extreme or unusual activities in order to keep receiving the reward. This makes those who seek external rewards dependant on the giver of the reward, and given enough time for a habit to form, those who seek external rewards lose their freedom as they seek their rewards.

In contrast, internal rewards might not look like rewards at all, but they are more certain than external rewards. Internal rewards are rewards that we give ourselves for achieving, accomplishing, and/or behaving in a certain way. In some ways, internal rewards shape how we think of ourselves, and internal rewards help us enjoy life more.

However, does Jesus give us an internal reward or an external reward in this passage about doing good works?

Jesus tells us that those who seek attention with their actions will not be rewarded by God. In contrast, Jesus says that those who do good works or deeds privately, or we could say secretly, will be rewarded by God.

Does this then mean that God’s rewards are also external rewards? In my mind, this might be the case.

When I read this passage, I see two possible ways we can live doing good works secretly: We can either do good works secretly because we will claim God’s promise that He will reward us. This is the external reward option. Or we can do good works secretly because God recommends we do and our good works are done because we are thankful to God for everything He has done for us. This option is actually an internal reward.

In my own mind, God will honor His promise to reward us regardless of whether we internally or externally do good works for Him. Where things get tricky is how and when we will be rewarded.

When we do good secretly, we are not looking for or expecting a reward, at least in this life. The good deed is its own reward and anything above this is great but not necessary. This is doing good secretly based on being internally rewarded.

In contrast, when we do good secretly, while looking for external rewards, we then set ourselves up for disappointment if God doesn’t reward us with what we want, as quickly as we would like, or as abundantly as we would have hoped it to be.

With external rewards, there are plenty of ways for our expectations and hopes to not be met, and only one way for success. With internal rewards, there are significantly more ways for us to enjoy the rewards we get, and there is very little, if any, downside.

God has called us to live generous, grateful, and gracious lives and when we give secretly, He is more than happy to reward us. However, for our lives to be enjoyable, we shouldn’t live seeking after God’s rewards. Instead, we should live our lives doing good as a way of saying thank You to God for everything He has already done for each of us through Jesus on the cross!

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

As always challenge you to do, seek God first and live your life in a way that says Thank You to God for everything He has already blessed you with. Chances are, you have been blessed in many more ways than you are being challenged with. God works in both the blessings and the challenges, but too often, we focus too heavily on the challenges and not enough on the blessings. Take a moment to thank God for what He has blessed you with recently.

Also, be sure to study the Bible for yourself and intentionally grow closer to God and Jesus through what you learn from His Word. The best place to learn what God is like is through the Bible, and while a pastor or podcaster can help, there is nothing like learning, growing, and discovering the Bible for yourself!

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 walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

In our last episode, we looked at how some of Jesus’ closest followers drop everything and follow Jesus when He asks them to follow Him. To some people, this story sounds crazy to believe, and I believe this is one reason why Luke includes a little more details around the call of these early disciples. While it is miraculous in itself to think that God would invite humans to walk with Him, and it is miraculous to realize that these men were willing to drop a respectable life to follow someone who would ultimately be hated, condemned, and killed, Luke describes another miracle that likely prompted these early followers to pay attention.

In Luke’s mind, some people might not buy the idea that fishermen would drop everything to follow a religious teacher, especially One who lived the life of an outcast. So Luke gives us a little more detail surrounding the call of these men, and in Luke’s additional details, we learn what Jesus may have seen in these men leading up to their call.

Our passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 5, and we will read it from the New Century Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us that:

¹ One day while Jesus was standing beside Lake Galilee, many people were pressing all around him to hear the word of God. ² Jesus saw two boats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. ³ Jesus got into one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, and asked him to push off a little from the land. Then Jesus sat down and continued to teach the people from the boat.

⁴ When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into deep water, and put your nets in the water to catch some fish.”

⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish, and we caught nothing. But you say to put the nets in the water, so I will.” ⁶ When the fishermen did as Jesus told them, they caught so many fish that the nets began to break. ⁷ They called to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they were almost sinking.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he bowed down before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!” ⁹ He and the other fishermen were amazed at the many fish they caught, as were ¹⁰ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ When the men brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

After reading about this miracle in our passage for this episode, it is no wonder that these fishermen decided to follow Jesus. After all, Jesus apparently knew more about fishing then any of them did.

However, Jesus described His role of teacher as turning them into fishers of people rather than fishers of fish.

But with this frame in mind, what prompted Jesus to invite these men to follow Him, and if Jesus were with us today, would He see the same character traits in us?

The first character trait that we learn about these men is that they were diligent workers. While Jesus was preaching, they were cleaning their nets. Verse 2 tells us that “Jesus saw two boats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.” Whether they were interested in Jesus or not at this point, they were focused on the task, and while cleaning nets wasn’t likely very fun, it was necessary to being a productive fisherman.

The next character trait we discover is that when Jesus gets into Simon’s boat and asks Simon to push off from the shore so He could keep preaching, Simon agrees. With this little request, Jesus tests the waters with how willing, flexible, and helpful Simon was. We have no idea what Jesus talked about while sitting in the boat, but I am guessing that Simon kept the boat from drifting too far in any direction while also continuing to clean his nets.

The third character trait we discover in Simon and the other disciples is when Jesus has finished speaking. Whether Simon was interested in Jesus’ talk or not, when Jesus asks Simon to take the boat further out and cast the nets out to catch fish, Simon’s response is fascinating. Simon tells Jesus in verse 5, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish, and we caught nothing. But you say to put the nets in the water, so I will.”

Simon’s response to Jesus is along the lines of, “Well, I know how to fish, and last night didn’t go well. But if you claim to know better, then I’m happy to at least try it your way.” Simon is willing to try something new, something untested, and something that could either fail, or succeed. Simon is willing to find out which it is. This character trait would be a powerful asset moving forward with Jesus.

The last character trait we see in Simon is after they have finished catching all the fish. Simon tells Jesus in verse 8, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!” Simon realizes that He is unworthy to be near Jesus, especially when Jesus had just demonstrated that He knew more about fishing than Simon did, and Simon acknowledges in a humble way that Jesus is holy – even if Simon didn’t realize how true this idea actually was.

All four of these character traits are important things for all followers of Jesus to work towards in our own lives. We should be diligent workers, we should be willing to obey Jesus with the little tasks, we should be willing to obey Jesus’ crazy, illogical, and challenging big requests, and we should be humble before Jesus and acknowledge our sinfulness and need of a Savior. With these four characteristics, we will be the people God created and called us to be, and we will be able to model Jesus to a world in need of a Savior.

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

Be sure to seek God first and work towards incorporating all four of these character traits into your life. With a spirit of humility, an obedient attitude, and perseverance to press forward through challenges, we are able to grow into the people God wants us to be.

Also, be sure to always pray and study the Bible for yourself, because through prayer and personal study, we are able to grow personally towards God, and the closer we are to God, the more we will ultimately be like Him and the better we will be able to reflect His love to the world around us.

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 walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Early on in Jesus’ ministry, we find the gospel writers tell us that Jesus hand-picks a number of those following Him to be apostles. However, in this event, we discover a couple of fascinating details about how Jesus chose these men, and what He does with a few of the followers He chose.

The passage we are focusing on is found in the gospel of Mark, chapter 3, and we will be reading it using the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 13, Mark tells us that:

¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside. He called for certain people to come to him, and they came. ¹⁴ He appointed 12 of them so that they would be with him. He would also send them out to preach. ¹⁵ And he gave them authority to drive out demons.

Let’s pause reading here because while this sounds fairly straightforward, Mark doesn’t include a key detail that one of the other gospel writers includes. In the gospel of Luke, we discover another interesting detail about this event. Here’s how Luke’s gospel describes this event, which can be found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 6, starting in verse 12:

¹² On one of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called for his disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them and made them apostles. Here are their names.

In these two verses, Luke describes how the night before Jesus selects the twelve apostles is spent in prayer, and we can logically assume that Jesus was praying about each of those in the crowd who had been following Him, and seeking God’s direction regarding who specifically to invite into the group.

The first big thing we can learn from Jesus here is that Jesus spent more time praying about important decisions than doing other research. Jesus desired to do God’s will and to select those God would want Him to select, and Jesus spent the night doing just that.

This also means that within Jesus’ prayer time, He would have asked God about Judas Iscariot, who would be the one to betray Him. I wonder if Judas Iscariot’s character represented Lucifer’s character in heaven before the fall. In Lucifer’s case, God gave him more than enough reasons to love him and more than enough time to return and repent. One could say that Earth and our human history is a result of God giving Lucifer a chance. But Lucifer guarded his hard heart and would not let God in, which results in his ultimate defeat.

In Jesus’ invitation to Judas Iscariot, we see a similar set of circumstances. None of the other disciples suspected Judas Iscariot to be the one to betray Jesus, and in the three or more years Jesus spent with all twelve of the disciples, Judas had every chance of letting God into His heart and mind in order to help him understand Jesus’ role and God’s humility.

But Judas would not have any of that in the end. In an emotional, revengeful decision over Jesus challenging his remarks over a gift, Judas decides to betray Jesus and let Satan win his heart. Jesus prayed about Judas Iscariot personally and the Godhead gave the betrayer a chance for redemption.

However, this isn’t the only thing we can learn from this event. Continuing in Mark’s gospel, in verse 16:

¹⁶ So Jesus appointed the 12 disciples.

Simon was one of them. Jesus gave him the name Peter.

¹⁷ There were James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. Jesus gave them the name Boanerges. Boanerges means Sons of Thunder.

¹⁸ There were also Andrew,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

Matthew,

Thomas,

and James, son of Alphaeus.

And there were Thaddaeus

and Simon the Zealot.

¹⁹ Judas Iscariot was one of them too. He was the one who was later going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.

While Mark describes Judas Iscariot as the one who would betray Jesus, Mark also describes how Jesus gives three of the disciples new names. To Simon, Jesus tells him that his name will be Peter, and to James and John, both sons of Zebedee, Jesus gives them the nickname, sons of thunder.

While this giving of new names might sound simple enough, I see in this action two important things we can look forward to:

First, by giving these first disciples new names, we can see a parallel and a symbol that Jesus is adopting them into His family. While we don’t know specifically the reasons Jesus chose Simon’s new name or the nickname for James and John, the whole idea of giving someone a new name can be found in what we see happen when a baby is adopted. The adopted parents choose the baby’s name, rather than the birth parent. When Jesus invited these followers to be disciples, He gave the closest three followers new names similar to what happens in an adoption scenario.

Secondly, this event foreshadows when God will give all of His people new names in heaven. When we have been recreated in the new heaven and new earth, we will be given a new name to go along with it. In this call of the first disciples, we see foreshadowing of what God will do for every believer who is saved for eternity.

In both inviting Judas Iscariot with the other eleven disciples, and by giving some of these first disciples new names, we see Jesus looking at the hearts of those present and showing us a little bit of what God is like. Part of me wonders if Jesus picked the least likely people to be part of His early disciples. We have a tax collector, a rebel, several fishermen, some introverted quiet guys, and the man who would eventually betray him.

Looking at this group of people, we see God, though Jesus, picking those who the religious, spiritual leaders would have written off, to be the ones to launch His Church into the last major section of history. God loves inviting the least likely people to make the biggest impact, and we can see His character revealed in how Jesus prayed the night before the selection, and how each of those Jesus picked revealed just a little more about who God is like and who Jesus came to this earth to save.

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

Be sure to seek God first and place Him first in your life. If you haven’t decided to follow Him fully, make that decision today!

Also, be sure to study the Bible for yourself to discover who Jesus really is. God has protected the Bible throughout the centuries so that we can know His Story, and we can discover who He is and what He is like through Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. A pastor or podcaster can give you things to think about, but God wants a personal relationship with you, with no one in the middle.

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 outright reject where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we continue through the gospels looking at the miracles Jesus performed, we come to an event that marked the official call of some of the most famous disciples. However, one thing I find fascinating is how two of the three gospels that tell us about this event choose not to include the big miracle that leads up to this call. While it would be easy for us to jump in and focus on the only gospel that includes a clear miracle in this event, I thought it would be valuable to look at one of the other gospels, and see if there isn’t a hidden miracle within it that we don’t readily see.

However, for those of you who are worried that we will skip over the gospel with a miracle, have no fear. In our next episode, we will dig into this event from that gospel.

But for this episode, let’s spend a few minutes looking at Mark’s gospel, chapter 1, and let’s read this passage from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 16, Mark tells us that:

¹⁶ When Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the lake because they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” ¹⁸ So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ Going a little farther, Jesus saw two more brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat, mending their nets. ²⁰ Jesus immediately called them, and they left their father in the boat with the hired workers and followed Jesus.

In this passage right at the beginning of Mark’s gospel, we discover Jesus calling four men to follow Him. If we were simply reading Mark by itself, this would be an amazing miracle in itself, because this call would be before any miracles had taken place. However, from the other gospels, we learn that there had already been at least a few miracles before this point, and that some of these early followers likely had witnessed them.

However, the miracle I see in this passage is really two similar miracles, and these miracles are powerful when we look closely at them. The miracles are found in the following sets of verses:

The first set of verses is verses 17 and 18, where Mark tells us that, “Jesus said to them, ‘Come follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.”

The second set is actually one verse, verse 20, where Mark tells us that, “Jesus immediately called them, and they left their father in the boat with the hired workers and followed Jesus.”

In these verses, we have two amazing, parallel miracles that mirror one another. The first miracle is Jesus choosing to call four fishermen to be His disciples, and the second miracle is that these four men drop everything to follow Jesus – even leaving their families behind.

The first miracle is amazing for us because it tells us that Jesus is interested in people who are probably overlooked by everyone else. In this call, Jesus invites some of the least qualified people to be among His disciples, and when we look at the four people included in this call, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, they make up the inner circle of disciples in the case of Peter, James, and John. And before you think Andrew is left out, he is probably the most mentioned disciple outside of this inner circle.

Of all the disciples Jesus chose, Andrew likely has the best reputation of the bunch, because while James and John had a temper, and Peter always spoke too soon, Andrew is known for bringing people to Jesus. Almost every time we read about Andrew, he is introducing someone to Jesus.

This miracle is amazing because while these four men were the least qualified men from a religious perspective, they were perfectly qualified because they had willing, teachable hearts. God uses the willing and teachable heart to train and equip an individual for His purposes, and these closest disciples step up to lead the church in powerful ways after the Holy Spirit entered their lives.

The second miracle is just as amazing. This second miracle is that all four of these men dropped everything to follow Jesus. Prior to Jesus’ call, all four men were well on their way to being professional fishermen, and after Jesus had called them, He began teaching them to be fishers of men. The amazing part of the disciples accepting Jesus’ call is that there wasn’t much to distinguish Jesus from the other teachers of the day. While there were rumors that circulated about some miraculous things Jesus had done, according to Mark’s gospel, and Matthew’s, these professional fishermen leave a respected profession to follow Someone with no track record, and no clear plan forward.

However, Luke’s gospel includes more details about this event, and Luke’s gospel shares something that happened that definitely got these men to pay attention. Perhaps Luke’s additional details, which we will look at in the next episode, played a bigger part of these four men leaving everything to follow Jesus. It’s possible that the miracle of the disciples dropping everything to follow Jesus is simply a response to what Luke records Jesus having done for them.

Regardless of this detail, the first miracle, which is present in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, is that Jesus was willing to trust His message with a bunch of not-so-religious fishermen. But Jesus saw something in these men, and in our next episode, we’ll uncover what Jesus saw when He meets these first disciples while teaching the crowds.

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

Always be sure to seek God first in your life and intentionally place your focus on following and obeying Him. Be grateful to God for everything He has done for you and for trusting His message with the right people in His eyes. Remember that God looks not at outward appearances; instead, He looks at our hearts.

Also, intentionally pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow closer to God. It is through a personal relationship with God that we can learn and grow the most, and when we focus on growing closer to God, He is able to use us for His purposes in the world today. Don’t let anyone or anything get between you and your relationship with God. Filter everything you read, hear, and see through the lens of the Bible. It is through the Bible that God has shown us who He is and what He is like!

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