Reflective Bible Study

Coming immediately following Jesus’ miracle in our last episode, which happened on the Sabbath, and following the religious leaders learning it was Jesus who had healed the man and told him to pick up his mat on the Sabbath, we discover these religious leaders challenge Jesus about what He is doing. In this challenge, and specifically in how Jesus responds, we discover many amazing things about God, and about who Jesus truly is.

Since this is a longer passage, let’s dive into it and discover some amazing truths about Jesus from this passage and this conversation. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 5, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 16, John tells us that:

¹⁶ [So,] because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. ¹⁷ In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” ¹⁸ For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. ²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

Pausing briefly, I want to draw our attention onto the huge truth that God the Father is not the Judge. While God the Father could easily be the judge, He gave the authority to judge to Jesus. While Jesus had said earlier in His conversation with Nicodemus that He did not come to judge the world but to save it, the next time Jesus comes to this earth, it will be as King and Judge. Jesus’ first coming was to save the world, Jesus’ second coming will be to judge the world and redeem God’s people. God the Father has given Jesus the authority to judge.

However, that isn’t all. Let’s continue reading to discover what else Jesus tells us that is powerful. Picking back up in verse 28, Jesus continues saying:

²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. ³⁰ By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

³¹ “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. ³² There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

³³ “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. ³⁵ John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

³⁶ “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, ³⁸ nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. ³⁹ You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Let’s pause reading again briefly, because what we just finished reading is powerful, and I don’t want you to miss it.

In the first century culture, that was built on the Old Testament structure, in order for a testimony to be valid, it must be validated by additional witnesses. When two or more people gave testimony that was in line with each other, that testimony would be considered valid.

While some people have claimed that Jesus only spoke on His own, and that His single testimony is not valid, John has just recorded Jesus telling the religious leaders three additional witnesses that testify about Him.

The first witness, which should be the clearest, is John the Baptist. John the Baptist came testifying about Jesus, and he directly tells people Jesus is the Messiah on more than one occasion. However, Jesus tells these religious leaders that John the Baptist was given for their benefit, and Jesus doesn’t need to rest on John’s testimony.

The second witness Jesus gives is the witness of God the Father. When Jesus was baptized, God spoke from heaven affirming Jesus. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, God the Father spoke from heaven affirming Jesus. And, later in John’s gospel, while Jesus is teaching in the temple, God the Father speaks from heaven affirming Jesus. Rejecting Jesus’ second witness means rejecting God the Father.

The third witness Jesus gives is the witness of the Old Testament scriptures. When we look at the Old Testament, there are so many layers of prophecies foreshadowing Jesus that it is difficult to get away from them. From obvious prophecies about where Jesus would be born, to subtle symbolic prophecies like the lamb given as a sacrifice on the alter to pay for sins, the Old Testament speaks loudly about who Jesus truly is. Rejecting Jesus’ third witness means rejecting the Old Testament scriptures.

Unfortunately, today we have Christians who reject God the Father and there are Christians who reject the Old Testament. By rejecting Jesus, these Jewish leaders ultimately reject not just John the Baptist, but God the Father and the Old Testament scriptures as well. When we let our preconceived biases get in the way of God’s truth, we blind ourselves to what God wants to teach us.

However, Jesus isn’t finished. Picking back up in verse 41, Jesus tells these religious leaders:

⁴¹ “I do not accept glory from human beings, ⁴² but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. ⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

⁴⁵ “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. ⁴⁶ If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. ⁴⁷ But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

In this passage, and in Jesus’ counter challenge to the religious leaders, we discover that Jesus only accepts glory from God. Jesus is not interested in glory from people.

It is also interesting to note that Jesus won’t accuse those who don’t believe in Him. Instead, he will let historical individuals who the people did believe in to accuse them. In the religious leaders’ case, their accuser is Moses, who did believe in Jesus, and who wrote about Him.

Ultimately in this passage, we discover that Jesus is God’s Son, that Jesus has multiple witnesses to testify to this, and that Jesus is more interested in doing God’s will and receiving God’s glory than on being accepted or praised by people. We are called to be like Jesus, to trust in the multiple witnesses of the Old and New Testament scriptures, and to focus on receiving glory from God and not praise from people.

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

As always, seek God first and place your hope, faith, trust, and belief in Jesus and what He accomplished for each of us on the cross. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we discover how much God loves us and how much He wants to redeem us from this sin-filled world.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and discover who God really is. While it is easy to rest on other people for your knowledge of the Bible, by doing so, you short-change yourself because you will only grow as much as those you pay attention to. God wants a personal relationship with you, and this relationship begins when we make it personal, without putting anyone else 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 give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

When we think of parables that Jesus shared, most of the parables that come to mind have a clear conclusion. In the case of most of Jesus’ parables, the key idea Jesus wanted to teach is included in the concluding lines of the parable.

However, what if Jesus shared a parable that didn’t have a conclusion? What if the end of the parable didn’t really resolve the tension the parable created? If Jesus did this, was this lack of an ending intentional, or was it forgotten before the gospel writers had a chance to write it down?

The parable we will be focusing in on is a parable that appears to lack an ending, and when we look a little closer at the parable itself, I believe this lack of an ending is very intentional on Jesus’ part. Without an ending, this parable becomes timeless and we are freed to create our own ending with the parable’s context.

Let’s read the parable Jesus shared, before discussing what we can learn from it. Our passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 13, and we will read from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 6, Luke tells us:

⁶ Then he [Jesus] told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

And with that response from the man taking care of the vineyard, the parable ends. We are left to wonder if the fig tree became fruitful after being focused on for an additional year.

Leading up to this parable, Jesus had been confronted with some bad news. Some of those in the crowd told Jesus about Herod killing a group of Galileans and mixing their blood with their sacrifices. When Jesus heard this, He sensed a teaching opportunity, and He shifts His focus onto asking the question about how to understand bad things that had happened to seemingly good people. In this scenario, were those who were killed worse sinners because they suffered in this way?

Or in the case of a natural disaster, are those who die being punished by God because of some sin?

Jesus answers His own question by saying that the way a person dies does not indicate whether their life was lived well, or whether they will ultimately be approved by God. Dying because of sin in the world does not equal being punished by God.

However, Jesus challenges those present to repent as a way to avoid perishing, and the focus on repentance leads into our parable.

In the parable, the ultimate goal the vineyard owner had was for His fig tree to be fruitful. If the current tree wasn’t productive, then the space would be freed up and a new tree planted in its place.

From this context, repenting from sin could be compared to being fruitful. While it doesn’t seem like a logical match since repentance focuses on a single point in time while fruitfulness spans a period of time, in order to be the fruitful people of God that He wants us to be, we must begin the process by repenting.

In this parable, repentance becomes the hinge moment that turns a tree that is condemned to be cut down into a tree that is fruitful. The verses leading up to this parable challenge us to pay attention to our own lives, and this parable focuses on our past leading up to this point in time.

What then are we to do with the lack of an ending in this parable?

When I read this parable, I am reminded that the tree in the vineyard represents me. In the same way, the tree in the vineyard represents you. We don’t know when our time in this world will be over, but we do know that while we are here, God has called us to be fruitful. Fruitfulness begins by repenting and by focusing on our own relationship with God.

This parable is prompted by people looking at the lives and deaths of others. While death is not a pleasant subject for many people, it is something that is all too common in the world today. This parable does not imply for a moment that when someone dies, God had cut them down because they were not being fruitful. Instead, there are many reasons why death happens, and they all center around sin being present in this world.

It is easy to get caught up looking at the lives and deaths of other people, but the most important thing for you and I to pay attention to is what we are doing with our own lives. Our decision to repent leads us from death into life, and it is the most important decision we can make when transitioning from being fruitless to being fruitful. Looking at other people does not help us be fruitful if their lives do not inspire us to move forward in faith within our own lives.

The only reason we should look to other people is to be inspired when they succeed and when they demonstrate great faith. When others repent and let God use them, we can look to them and be inspired that God wants to do the exact same thing in our lives too!

However, we must always move towards applying God’s challenges and the inspiration others bring into our own lives. We must repent, we must be fruitful, or we risk our lives ending because of sin without having made the decision to stand with Jesus.

This parable doesn’t have an ending because our lives are still being lived. God has still given us a chance to repent, to turn to Him, to be fruitful, and to inspire others with our lives. It is up to us to step into being the people He created us to be as we move together towards eternity!

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

As always, keep seeking God first in your life and let Him lead and guide you towards repenting and being fruitful in whatever you do. Let God transform you into being a representative for Him to those He brings into your life.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to continue growing closer to God each and every day. Let the truth in God’s Word be your guide in life and trust it above the waves and preferences of culture. The Bible has lasted for thousands of years longer than any single culture or theory, and it can be trusted to lead us into eternity!

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

As we continue moving through John’s gospel, and the events John shares with us about Jesus’ ministry, we come to a miracle that is unique to John’s gospel, and one that seems to prompt more questions about Jesus than answers. When reading the gospels, the miracle John includes here, while it is unique, is not a very unique miracle when compared with all the different types of miracles Jesus performed.

However, I wonder if John is building up Jesus’ miracle working ability by including one notable miracle of each type in his gospel, rather than lots of different but similar miracles. If this is the case, then John must see something in this miracle that is worth us paying attention to.

With that said, let’s read about what happened, and discover what we can learn from this event. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 5, and we will read it from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹ After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ² By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five colonnades. ³ Within these lay a large number of the sick—blind, lame, and paralyzed [then some Bible manuscripts add that these people were] [—waiting for the moving of the water, ⁴ because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who got in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had].

⁵ One man was there who had been sick for 38 years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ “Sir,” the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”

⁸ “Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk!” ^9a Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.

Let’s pause reading for a moment, because I want to draw our attention onto some things that stood out to me as we read this event.

The first detail that stood out to me is Jesus walking by this pool that was surrounded by a large number of sick and disabled people. This details stands out in my mind because we only see Jesus interact with one man, someone who may have been there the longest of any other. From the way this event is framed, we are left to conclude that this man had been abandoned at this pool and left alone. It seems logical to believe that there were people who took compassion on him and gave him food to eat and water to drink, but there was no one present to help him into the water when the time was ideal.

This is significant, because I would have expected Jesus to have interacted with more than one sick or ill person. In other gospels, we read about Jesus entering cities or towns and healing everyone in that place. This event leads us to a big question, “Why heal only this man?” or perhaps we could ask it a different way, “Why only record Jesus healing this man?”

One possible answer is the next detail that stood out to me in this passage. When seeing this man and realizing he had been at that pool for a very long time, Jesus first asks that man if he wants to get well. This is significant because not everyone would want to be healed.

While it sounds crazy to think about, some people in that situation could grow comfortable in their less-than-ideal circumstances, and being healed would mean stepping back into society, needing to find work, and rebuilding a life. When faced with certain, less-than-ideal situations verses the fear of a difficult unknown that could ultimately be better, a certain percentage of people are likely to choose to stay in the less than ideal, but familiar situation.

Jesus does not want to heal someone who does not want to be healed. That would be cruel. It’s the same way with heaven. God would be cruel if He forced eternity in heaven, or eternal life, onto someone who truly didn’t want it.

When the man replies about not being able to get to the pool, this tells us two things. First, it tells us that the man wants to be healed, which is a direct answer to Jesus’ question, and second, this tells us that those present at this pool had placed their faith in the pool for their healing. This second detail is interesting because while God may be behind the pool’s miraculous properties, I wonder how much glory went to God from those who were healed there.

Perhaps, if this had been going on for some time, God received glory early on, but later, after many people had been headed, the pool may have been the greater recipient of praise. This man’s faith was less on God or Jesus and more focused on the pool.

However, when Jesus tells the man to get up, pick up his mat, and walk, the man doesn’t hesitate taking Jesus at His word. The old focus on the pool wasn’t working out so well, so this man decides to shift his focus and faith onto Jesus and Jesus’ promise.

If we were to stop reading here, this miracle would be amazing in itself. However, what comes next is even more amazing. Continuing reading in the second portion of verse 9, John tells us:

^9b Now that day was the Sabbath, ¹⁰ so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.”

¹¹ He replied, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

¹² “Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” they asked. ¹³ But the man who was cured did not know who it was, because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

¹⁴ After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” ¹⁵ The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

In this event, we discover after the miracle that this was done on the Sabbath day. This is significant because the religious leaders had set up a complex series of rules about what was allowed and not allowed on the Sabbath day in order to keep people from even coming close to breaking God’s Sabbath commandment.

These religious leaders realized that breaking the Sabbath was the catalyst that ultimately led to their ancestors being exiled out of the Promised Land, and when God brought them back, they promptly set up a strict set of rules to keep people from coming close to breaking this commandment again.

However their rules had overshadowed God’s law, and they failed to offer grace when people broke their rules while not truly breaking one of God’s laws. They had lost the reason for their rules and had become prideful that they were the rule makers and rule enforcers.

It is humoring to me that the man does not know who healed him until after being challenged about carrying his mat. If Jesus had not met up with him later, this man would have never known until much later who had healed him.

In this event, while there is more we could focus in on, let’s conclude this podcast looking at one big idea that we see present in this miracle. When God is our last hope, it is easy to look to Him. However, when God is not our first hope, we might not experience many miracles in our lives. When this man gave up hope in reaching the pool, which is something the other people present may not have been ready to do, he was ready to experience the healing Jesus offered him. When we give up hope in the things of this world, and focus our faith on Jesus and what He accomplished for us, we are ready to receive miracles in our lives as well!

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

As I always open these challenges by saying, continue to intentionally seek God first in your life and look to God first, rather than use Him as your last resort. While God sometimes works miraculously, other times God draws our attention to the answer without using anything miraculous. Choose to have faith in God and look to Him first when challenges, problems, or trials come into your life for the strength and guidance to face whatever you are facing.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. While other people have ideas they want you to focus on, filter what you see, read, and hear through the pages of God’s word to discern its eternal value. Let the Bible teach you what is truly valuable within God’s eyes.

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!

Immediately after the parable we looked at in our last episode, one of Jesus’ disciples has a question about what Jesus shared, and specifically who the parable was for. In response, Jesus shares another parable that references, but also expands on the theme of the previous parable.

Let’s read what Jesus shared, and to give us context for this follow-up parable, I’ll reread the parable from our last episode to help lead us into this one. Our passage is found in Luke, chapter 12, and we will read it from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 35, Jesus shared that:

³⁵ “Be dressed, ready for service, and have your lamps shining. ³⁶ Be like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. When he comes and knocks, the servants immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ They will be blessed when their master comes home, because he sees that they were watching for him. I tell you the truth, the master will dress himself to serve and tell the servants to sit at the table, and he will serve them. ³⁸ Those servants will be blessed when he comes in and finds them still waiting, even if it is midnight or later.

³⁹ “Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time a thief was coming, he would not allow the thief to enter his house. ⁴⁰ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him!”

That was last episode’s passage and parable. Continuing in verse 41:

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this story to us or to all people?”

⁴² The Lord said, “Who is the wise and trusted servant that the master trusts to give the other servants their food at the right time? ⁴³ When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed. ⁴⁴ I tell you the truth, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant thinks to himself, ‘My master will not come back soon,’ and he begins to beat the other servants, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master will come when that servant is not ready and is not expecting him. Then the master will cut him in pieces and send him away to be with the others who don’t obey.

⁴⁷ “The servant who knows what his master wants but is not ready, or who does not do what the master wants, will be beaten with many blows! ⁴⁸ But the servant who does not know what his master wants and does things that should be punished will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one trusted with much, much more will be expected.

When reading this parable, I am always a little amazed at how it appears as though Jesus answers, but doesn’t really answer Peter’s question. Peter basically asked Jesus if this parable was for the group of disciples, or if it was for all people, and Jesus doesn’t really give a clear answer.

However, Jesus’ parable-answer is challenging, and it does give us an answer, specifically a third option that was not included in Peter’s original question. Peter’s question had two groups specified, specifically the disciples, or everyone, and Jesus wants us to focus on a different group.

In His response, Jesus takes the conversation in a different direction. Instead of answering Peter’s one or the other groups, Jesus describes that the servants who are wise and the ones Jesus trusts are the ones that are doing His work. While it sounds obvious, this brings a third group into view. Not everyone is wise or to be trusted to do God’s work, and while it may be hard to believe, not all the disciples fit this category either.

While it is easy to look out at the world today and see people who are not wise or trustworthy, looking at Jesus’ core group of disciples prompts us to see an interesting challenge. We would hope that those who were closest to Jesus were wise and trustworthy in God’s eyes, and even knowing about Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, doesn’t change much. Instead, knowing that Judas was in this closest group presents a different idea.

Judas Iscariot’s presence in the group of disciples, when mixed with this parable, shows how someone can actually lose their salvation. While it isn’t something that we like thinking about, someone who is wise and trustworthy might not always choose to be wise and trustworthy, and someone who has not been trustworthy in the past might change as well.

This passage prompts us to understand God’s blessings as progressive in nature. When God sends a challenge, a task, or a situation our way, He is looking for how we will respond. One might call this a test, but for some people, this brings back negative memories of difficult times in school. Instead, let’s call this a chance to glorify God and a chance to help others.

The wise and trusted servant is one who God can repeatedly give responsibilities, and that servant will diligently carry out the tasks. Every successful task will prompt greater trust from God and greater responsibilities in the future.

This parable, and Jesus’ response to Peter’s question, broaden the group of God’s trusted servants to include more than just the disciples, but to include all those believers who determine to be trustworthy and obedient.

However, in Jesus’ response, we see the focus being shifted off of looking at a group of people, and being focused on a group of one. This response subtly shifts the focus off of looking at other people, and it challenges each of us to be diligent, wise, and trustworthy. While there are punishments included for not being trustworthy, I think it is not wise to focus on these punishments because they lead to serving out of fear and not out of love.

Instead, let’s be motivated by the rewards God has promised us, and diligently serve God because of what he has done for us, because of how He has blessed us, and because of the future He has promised to give us when we love, trust, and serve Him!

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

As always, continue to seek God first and place Him first in your life. Choose to be a trustworthy, obedient servant who serves simply because it is a better choice. Don’t take for granted God’s absence or silence as a license for rejecting Him. That will only end up breaking trust. Instead, choose to reveal your character by being trustworthy even when no one is present or watching.

Also, keep praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. Look to the Bible for guidance and truth, and let the Bible be your guide even when things seem crazy in this world today.

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!