Reflective Bible Study

As we continue moving through Jesus’ life and the events the four gospels include, we arrive at an event where a group of people hear some information that seems unbelievable. If you have ever been told something you had a difficult time believing, you might be amazed to discover what we can learn within this event.

The event we will be focusing on in this episode is the story of the Samaritan woman who came to the well. This event can be found in John 4:1-45. All throughout this event, those present have their minds stretched, and for our time together, I want to focus our attention onto three specific groups of people. If you are not familiar with this event, I suggest looking up this event the next chance you get. Unfortunately, the passage is quite long and if we were to read everything that happened, our episode would stretch out much longer than I’d like it to.

In this event, two of the three groups of people are usually focused on when reading this event, while the third group is often overlooked. Because of this, I will summarize the first two groups before we focus specifically on the last group – the one that is the most overlooked.

The first group who had their mind stretched was a group of one – the woman who came to the well. A few things to note about this event is that she was alone with Jesus, since He had sent the disciples into town, and that this was the middle of the day, which was the least desirable time to go out to get water.

From these two details mixed with what we learn about the woman later on in the conversation, I suspect this woman probably would have bailed on her water gathering trip if all the disciples had been present. In my mind’s eye, Jesus probably sat just out of view and His request startled her to the fact that anyone was even there. We might conclude that since she had gone to get water at the least ideal time, she preferred to not be around other people.

As the conversation progresses, Jesus slowly opens her mind to the truth of who He is. If Jesus introduced Himself by saying, “I am the Messiah, now would you get me a drink?” I believe the woman would have simply turned and walked away. She likely believed that the Messiah, the One who would save Israel, would never talk to her. She may have believed herself to be the most rejected person in society.

However, Jesus did want to break through her preconceived ideas, and the only way for Him to get through to her was to slowly lead the conversation further. At each step in Jesus’ conversation with her, He stretches her mind, until at the end of the conversation, Jesus reveals who He is – and it is one of the only places where Jesus directly states to anyone that He is the promised Messiah.

The next group of people who have their minds stretched are the disciples. Here is a group of Jews, outside of a town in Samaria, who Jesus asks to go and get supplies. From a cultural standpoint, the Jews hated the Samaritans, and because of this, the Samaritans didn’t really like the Jews either. The first thing that stretches the disciples’ minds is the act of going into an unknown, and perhaps even an unfriendly, town.

Next, their minds are stretched when they return and find Jesus talking with a woman. In the first century culture, this woman was the lowest on the “gender” class because she was a woman, the “ethnic” class because she was a Samaritan, and the “social” class because she was there alone in the middle of the day, which is something that only social outcasts would do. Regular people would at least bring a friend for conversation and perhaps protection.

Seeing Jesus talking to this woman, and at the point of their arrival, noting that it was a very candid conversation about her past, and specifically who He was, would have been enough to stretch their minds.

However, what happens after this woman leaves and the disciples return is what I want to focus on in this episode. Let’s read what happened after the woman left to go back into town. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 4, and we will read from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. While we have summarized the first portion of this event, jumping into the passage in verse 31, John tells us that:

³¹ In the meantime the disciples kept urging Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

³² But He said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”

³³ The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought Him something to eat?”

³⁴ “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them. ³⁵ “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest. ³⁶ The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”

³⁹ Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ Therefore, when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more believed because of what He said. ⁴² And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

⁴³ After two days He left there for Galilee.

In this conclusion to our passage, we read that the disciples’ minds were not done being stretched. Jesus then tells them that He has food that they don’t know of. Jesus is talking of spiritual food, and the satisfaction that comes from doing God’s will.

Jesus then continues stretching their minds by talking about a spiritual harvest. The temptation we all face is thinking that there must be a great season of “sowing” before we can eventually “reap” or harvest. Jesus counters this mindset by stating that spiritually, there is sowing and reaping happening simultaneously. Each person might fill a different role in the process of leading someone to Christ, but we must not assume there will be a delay. This teaching at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, which He shared while traveling through the land of Samaria, leads into the biggest mind-stretching event for the disciples: The whole town comes out to see Jesus.

The big mind stretch in this passage comes in the third group of people – those living in the town who came out to see Jesus.

Their story begins with the transformed life and character of the woman who they all knew, and who was acting significantly differently than at the beginning of this event. At the beginning, she was shy, timid, and quiet – wanting to be hidden from sight – while now she is bold and telling everyone about this odd person, and sharing the idea that the Messiah might have come.

The townspeople seemed interested enough in Jesus that they ask Him to stay with them for a few days. John doesn’t tell us what Jesus shared during those few days, but we do see the final result: Many of the people in the down put their faith and trust in Jesus. At the end of this passage, John writes that they tell the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

The townspeople have their mind stretched personally by Jesus and then proclaim along with the woman that Jesus really is the Savior of the world.

Jesus stretched the minds of three very unique and distinct groups of people, and each person in this event would never be the same. When Jesus has stretched your mind, it can never shrink back to its original size.

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

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life. Let God stretch your mind to the size He wants it to be, and don’t be afraid of going into the places and situations God tells you to go into. Also, never discount anyone else’s experience with God. God wants a personal relationship with everyone, and that includes you and every other person alive today!

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself in order to grow your personal relationship with God. God wants a personal relationship with you, and the best way to grow a relationship with God is through prayer and studying His Word.

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!

During one of Jesus’ earlier visits to Jerusalem after starting His ministry, John’s gospel describes a fascinating secret meeting Jesus has during the night with a leading Pharisee. In this secret meeting is found one of the most famous verses in the entire Bible, and one of the most concise summaries of God the Father’s view of humanity.

However, while this summary is at the heart of Jesus’ response to the man named Nicodemus, in many ways, it is simply the starting point for our understanding of God the Father. Let’s read Nicodemus’ secret conversation with Jesus and discover what else we can learn from this discussion.

Our passage for this episode is found in the gospel of John, chapter 3, and we will read it using the New Century Version. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹ There was a man named Nicodemus who was one of the Pharisees and an important Jewish leader. ² One night Nicodemus came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we know you are a teacher sent from God, because no one can do the miracles you do unless God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot be in God’s kingdom.”

⁴ Nicodemus said, “But if a person is already old, how can he be born again? He cannot enter his mother’s womb again. So how can a person be born a second time?”

⁵ But Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born from water and the Spirit, you cannot enter God’s kingdom. ⁶ Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit. ⁷ Don’t be surprised when I tell you, ‘You must all be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wants to and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it is going. It is the same with every person who is born from the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus asked, “How can this happen?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “You are an important teacher in Israel, and you don’t understand these things? ¹¹ I tell you the truth, we talk about what we know, and we tell about what we have seen, but you don’t accept what we tell you. ¹² I have told you about things here on earth, and you do not believe me. So you will not believe me if I tell you about things of heaven. ¹³ The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man.

¹⁴ “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, the Son of Man must also be lifted up. ¹⁵ So that everyone who believes can have eternal life in him.

¹⁶ “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty, because they have not believed in God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. ²⁰ All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do. ²¹ But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done through God.”

²² After this, Jesus and his followers went into the area of Judea, where he stayed with his followers and baptized people.

In this secret discussion, we find a number of interesting topics we could focus in on. As I was preparing this episode, I had planned to focus in on talking about how Jesus had used the phrase “Son of Man” in this conversation, and that this phrase would foreshadow how Jesus would often refer to Himself during the gospels.

But just now, as I read this to you, I don’t think I had ever noticed a different phrase. Before Jesus lets Nicodemus in on a secret, verse 13 says, “The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is the One who came down from heaven”.

Even as I quote this, I am reminded of Enoch, who walked with God and according to Genesis 5:24, was taken by God, supposedly to Heaven, as tradition would tell us. This is later restated in the book of Hebrews, chapter 5, verse 11.

I am also reminded of Moses, who even though he died before entering the Promised Land with the children of Israel, was resurrected and taken to Heaven, and Elijah, who was one of the more famous Old Testament prophets. Both Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus later on in His ministry known in the event called “The Transfiguration of Jesus”, and this event is recorded in three of the four gospels.

I am challenged by Jesus’ description of the Son of Man in this regard, because we have three clear other individuals who appeared to go up to heaven prior to Jesus having come down. However, while this might be a reason for some to doubt Jesus’ words here, in the three cases we have before us that seem to contradict Jesus’ words, every one of these individuals was “taken” to heaven rather than ascending on their own.

This is a key distinction, because this also means that no one is able to ascend to heaven on their own. Jesus is the only one capable of taking people to heaven. While it is not politically correct to state this, Jesus is the only road that leads to Heaven. This is confirmed by our pair of famous verses, John, chapter 3, verses 16 and 17 which tell us: “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.”

This is simply a starting point, because Jesus hasn’t stopped talking. He goes on to describe in verse 18 and 19 that “People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty, because they have not believed in God’s one and only Son. They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things.”

In our passage, like bookends on the famous set of verses, are a set of challenges for all of us.

The opening bookend challenges us to always depend on and believe in Jesus Christ, who is the Son of Man. While we might be tempted to think that we can earn salvation through something we do, we are unable and incapable of taking ourselves to heaven. Ascending to heaven is only something Jesus can do, and He promises to take us to heaven if we believe in Him, which is another way of saying that we depend on and trust Him.

The closing bookend tells us that belief in Jesus is the key to avoiding judgment. However, belief is not the only condition, because Jesus describes those who do not believe as people who did not want light, because they were doing evil things. Belief in Jesus is connected with living like Jesus, which means that we are living a life that represents God as best as we can, and when we combine faith with a life that is surrendered to Jesus, we avoid facing the judgment.

With all this said, here are the “official” challenges I am leaving you with at the end of this podcast episode:

As I always open these challenges by saying in one way or another, intentionally put God first in your life. Choose to depend daily on Jesus for strength to face each day, and trust that He is the only One who saves. While those living in the Old Testament had the lamb as a symbol pointing forward to Jesus, through the gospels, we actually have the record of Jesus’ life and what He was like.

Also, choose to study this record of Jesus’ life personally and prayerfully for yourself. By prayerfully reading the gospels with the goal of learning what Jesus was like, you will let the Holy Spirit into your life and begin to let Him change you into the person that God created you to be.

And when this happens, 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!

As we continue moving through events in Jesus’ life, we come to an event that not only displays an incredible amount of faith, but this event also hints at what Jesus was like as a young man. While the Bible only includes one short event between Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ baptism, this event primarily shares Jesus’ focus, and it hints at Jesus’ knowledge, but in this event, we don’t yet see Jesus’ ability or Jesus’ mission.

However, our passage for this episode shares another key idea that teaches us about Jesus’ life as a young man. The event is called “The Wedding at Cana”, and in what happens, we discover some clues to what Jesus was like when He was younger.

Our passage and event are found in John’s gospel, chapter 2, we’ll be reading from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹ On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

⁴ “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

As we read this passage, a number of things stood out to me.

First off, John clearly and directly states after this miracle that it was “the first of the signs through with he revealed his glory.” While this doesn’t seem too significant on the surface, this detail actually tells us something about Jesus’ childhood. This detail tells us that this was Jesus’ first miracle, so any speculation of Jesus performing miracles when He was younger can be discarded because they don’t match John’s description of Jesus.

However, if Jesus had not performed a miracle before this wedding, then Mary’s actions and her faith in this passage is almost unbelievable. After all, Jesus discounts His own mother’s request to help out in this tricky situation – and only then does she simply instruct the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.

If Jesus had not ever done a miracle prior to this point, what might have been the reason Mary challenges Jesus to solve this social dilemma? Mary displayed a faith in Jesus that is incredible, especially with the description that Jesus had not performed any miracles before this point.

I don’t think that Jesus had ever performed a miracle while He was younger, but I wonder if He had displayed an unusual level of wisdom and skill for getting out of tricky social situations.

All through all four gospels, we see examples of Jesus’ Holy-Spirit directed wisdom for avoiding and/or countering all the intellectual traps set by the religious leaders. Also, during the one event when Jesus was young, we discover that He amazed those in the temple with His wisdom and insights – and this happened when Jesus was only 12 years old.

In my own mind, it is not a stretch to think that Mary’s faith, and her actions, were not rooted in expecting or demanding a miracle – or another miracle, since John clearly states that no miracles had happened up to that point. Instead, Mary is putting her faith in Jesus’ wisdom and who she knows Him to be. I imagine she may have told herself, “If Jesus cannot solve this problem, no one can.”

Mary’s faith was rooted in Jesus, and in His previous demonstrations of God-given wisdom.

Mary is a model for us as we move through the various stages of our belief in Jesus.

However, in this passage, Mary is not the only one who the passage says believed in Jesus following this event. While we might expect the passage to describe the servants, who were obedient to Jesus’ instructions, to have faith as well, the passage does not imply this to be the case. The servants do demonstrate faith in Jesus by obeying, but perhaps their amazement at the miracle never developed into faith. Or perhaps the servants did believe, but John wants to direct our attention elsewhere.

The passage closes by saying that the disciples believed in Jesus, but there is a clear difference between Mary and the disciples: Mary believed before the miracle, the disciples believed after.

For most of us, it is not natural to believe in Jesus – or to even consider Him as Someone special. Our first step on the path of spiritual growth is to believe in Him because of His miracles. Jesus is okay with us believing in Him because of His miracles, but He never wants us to stop there. Jesus’ miracles were given to be signs to help us take notice, and to move closer to Him as we see how He displays God’s love and God’s character to our world.

A cleaver magician can cause us to take notice, but when we do move closer and learn the secrets of what happened, we find the event was a hollow trick or a cleaver deception. If we stop short and simply believe in Jesus because He performed miracles, we will then be tempted to leave Jesus when someone else is able to do something even more spectacular.

Jesus’ miracles were God-given signs for us to take notice, but they should never form the foundation of our faith. We can start believing in Jesus by believing in His miracles, and this is clearly where many of the disciples started, but Jesus never wants us to build the foundation of our belief in Him on His miracles.

This is where Mary is a much better model for our faith: She believed in Jesus because of who He was, and not because she thought He would perform a miracle. Mary had faith in Jesus through the relationship she had with Him – a relationship that was built over having spent years with Him.

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

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first and intentionally choose to have a “Mary-like” faith in Jesus.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself. Discover who He is and what He did through reading the gospels, and focus on building a relationship with Jesus rather than simply spending time with Him because of what He can do for you! Build your faith in God on the foundation of who Jesus is – not on a handful of miracles He did.

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!

Before Jesus stepped into the spotlight during His life on earth, God had arranged for Jesus to have a front-runner in ministry. The goal of this individual’s life would be to tell everyone who would listen that God was about to do something. In essence, this individual was to announce the Messiah’s arrival.

The gospel of John tells us about Jesus’ forerunner in ministry, who also happened to be named John. To keep these two John’s separate for our episode, I’ll refer to one as John the disciple, who authored the gospel that bears his name, and the other John as John the Baptist, who was the forerunner and the focus of our passage in this episode.

Let’s read what John the disciple has to say about John the Baptist. This can be found in the gospel of John, chapter 1 and we’ll be reading from the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 19, we learn that:

¹⁹ This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. ²⁷ It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Let’s pause reading here to draw our attention onto what John the disciple says about John the Baptist. In this gospel, we learn that John the Baptist had been asked directly about who he was, and what role he was filling. John the Baptist openly denies that he is the Messiah, or Christ, and he also openly denies that he is Elijah, who was foreshadowed to come before the Messiah. John the Baptist also chose not to claim the role of the Prophet either, and he was asked this because the Jews were also expecting someone who fit the description of prophet as well.

Instead, John the Baptist points them to a potentially ignored portion of prophecy where Isaiah describes one who is a voice crying in the wilderness.

When challenged about choosing to baptize people with water, John the Baptist simply redirects their question with an answer pointing forward to the coming Messiah, who is Someone they do not yet recognize.

Continuing our reading in verse 29, John the disciple tells us that:

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ³¹ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” ³² John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

What stands out as amazing to me in this declaration is that John the Baptist knows exactly who Jesus is at this point. Prior to this meeting, Jesus had come to the place where John the Baptist was preaching, and Jesus had asked to be baptized. However, immediately following His baptism, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to fast and to be tempted.

This encounter with John the Baptist that John the disciple shares in his gospel likely happened as Jesus was coming back from being tempted and fasting. During the forty days Jesus had spent in the wilderness following His baptism, John the Baptist likely shifted his message from “the Messiah coming soon” to “the Messiah is here right now”. John the Baptist probably didn’t know that Jesus had left to fast and be tempted in the wilderness following His baptism, but here in our passage for this episode, we see a clear proclamation from John the Baptist that Jesus is “the Son of God”.

If we look closely at this passage, John the Baptist’s call to baptize people was partly to give those he baptized a public way to show that they were returning to God and leaving a life of sin. However, it also gave God and the Holy Spirit the perfect opening and way to show John the Baptist exactly who the Messiah was. Reading from the other gospels about Jesus’ baptism event, it seems likely that John knew beforehand that Jesus was the One, however what happened during Jesus’ baptism simply confirmed it.

In the lives of both John the Baptist and John the disciple, I see a call for each of us. This call is to be pointing people to Jesus. John the Baptist was able to point people forward to Jesus, and he was able to clearly identify God’s Messiah for those present. In contrast, we can’t point people to a physical person who happens to be walking by and identify that individual as Jesus. However, we can model our lives after Jesus, and choose to be like Him, love like Him, and care for those around us like He did. Jesus came to love those who were hurting and challenge those who were self-righteous. We can do the same in our lives today.

John the disciple was able to spend one-on-one time with Jesus and then after Jesus had returned to heaven, John was able to point people back to what Jesus had done. John the disciple even wrote about His experiences with Jesus first-hand and His gospel has helped people ever since grow closer to Jesus even if they lived after Jesus had returned to heaven. While we don’t have the ability to sit down with Jesus face-to-face like John the disciple did, we are able to spend time in prayer and through honest, heartfelt prayer, the Holy Spirit lifts us into God’s presence, where we are able to spend time with Jesus, and share life with Him.

These two Johns challenge me to live a life that is within God’s will and that includes living like Jesus both in public and in private. Perhaps these two Johns are challenging you to do the same.

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

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally choose to focus your life on God above everything else. Intentionally seek Him, spend time with Him, and learn from Him – instead of taking someone else’s word for it.

The best way to do this is through heartfelt, prayer-filled Bible study, and specifically personal Bible study. By praying and studying the Bible for yourself, you are able to learn firsthand from God and the Holy Spirit, and He is able to change your heart and life in ways that no other method of hearing the gospel can. While a podcast or a preacher can inspire change from the outside, Bible study with the Holy Spirit inspires change from the inside.

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!