Reflective Bible Study

Last week, we began this two-part finale looking at insights we discovered during the first half of our second-chronological year moving through the gospels looking at events from Jesus’ life. However, before diving into this second part of our finale looking at insights we discovered during the last half of this year of podcasting, I thought it would be good to share briefly about the journey we are on together.

A few years ago, while we were working through some years focusing on topics found in the gospels, such as prophecies Jesus fulfilled from the Old Testament, and a year focusing on the parables Jesus shared, I had the idea of taking four years and dedicating them to chronologically moving through the gospels. However, instead of taking four years to move through Jesus’ story from start to finish, the idea I had was to do four years that moved through Jesus’ life and have each year of podcasting conclude with Jesus facing the cross. Each year moving through the gospels in this way would focus on different details and events that the gospels include, and each would conclude in a grand way looking at Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

With that said, we have hit the halfway point in this four-year journey, and starting next week, we’ll start our third, chronological year moving through the gospels. However, unlike the past two years of moving through the gospels, we’ll spend our next year and the year following looking at events we did not cover during these past two years.

However, if I’m not careful, we’ll spend all of this episode talking about where we’re headed and not have any time left for insights from the last half of this year.

So without any further delay, let’s dive into insights we discovered during the last half of this year podcasting through the gospels.

To pick back up where we left off, let’s start in episodes 25 and 26. In these two episodes, we found the Pharisees challenging Jesus about not having a second witness to validate His ministry and Jesus declaring some powerful truths about God the Father. In these passages and episodes, we discovered that Jesus aligns Himself with God the Father, and when looking at the gospel record, we can see how the Father responded and validated Jesus’ ministry while He was here on earth.

We also were challenged with the truth that Jesus is the only one who really knows the Father, and He is the only One who can reveal the Father to others. This led us to conclude that if Jesus is the only way for us to really know who the Father is, then anyone who claims to have knowledge about God, or the absence of God, must present it through the lens of Jesus.

Moving forward to episode 27, we looked at a time when Jesus shared with His followers about our eyes being lamps for our bodies. In this passage and episode, we concluded that Jesus’ words in this passage are significant because when we believe and spread lies, we are spreading darkness, and while we might think this darkness is light, it can only be true light if it is leading people into a deeper relationship with God.

Jumping ahead to episode 29, Jesus continued His teaching but shifted focus onto talking about thieves, robbers, sheep, and the importance of knowing the Shepherd’s voice. In this episode, we were reminded that Jesus is the way to peace, life, and rest – and He is also the best protection we have from those who would try to harm us. There are those who may harm our bodies, but Jesus keeps our lives safe – and this includes both our lives in the world today, and our lives in heaven in the future.

In the very next episode, which was episode number 30, during an event where Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath, we learned that for Jesus, the Sabbath was a day that was dedicated to God to rest and focus on family, friends, and relationships. It was to be the high point at the end of the week and it was to be a blessing for those who kept it. It was not intended to be a burden where people had to be extra-cautious for those 24 hours for fear of breaking a rule. In this event, we saw that Jesus lived God’s idea of the Sabbath, and that was an idea that focused on helping people on that special day. Jesus loved to help people, and He wants us to realize that the Sabbath is a day where we are free to help others!

Jumping ahead several episodes, we come to episode 37, and look at Jesus’ ministry not being accepted or understood by the religious leaders, and how this was actually prophesied many centuries earlier through the prophet Isaiah. In this passage, we discovered several powerful insights, including the truth that the light, love, and warmth Jesus radiated throughout His time on earth melted hearts that were receptive to His love, but it also hardened hearts that were defensive to Him and His message;

Also, by blending in, secret followers of Jesus dim their lights and they cheapen their witness;

And that God did not send Jesus into the world to fill the role of judge. The world has too many people in it claiming that role. Instead, Jesus came into the world as a Messenger, a Healer, and a Savior. Jesus came into this world to show us what God is really like.

Let’s move forward to episode 42, where we spent an episode looking at Judas Iscariot agreeing to betray Jesus. While this episode, and its passage, can prompt us to point many fingers at a various groups of people, we instead focused on the truth that Jesus didn’t die at the hand of Judas Iscariot, or even at the hand of the religious leaders. Even though Roman soldiers attached Him to the cross, that detail did not kill Jesus either. Instead, the truth about Jesus giving up His life on the cross is much bigger than one person betraying Jesus, or even a group of religious leaders plotting His death.

Moving forward to episode 46, where we focused on Peter’s three denials of Jesus in the early morning hours on the morning Jesus was crucified, we learned that knowing who we are and what we would do, God was still willing to bring us into the world. Regardless of the mistakes we would make, and/or the times we would reject God, He is still willing to give us life and the chance to choose Him. Knowing everything we would do and all the ways we would make mistakes, Jesus still came and died for us. Jesus died for you and me, and this is because He loves us, and wants us to have the opportunity to choose eternal life with Him.

Jumping ahead to episode 48, which focused us on the cross and the moment Jesus died, we learned through the events surrounding Jesus’ death that the curtain splitting is symbolic of an accepted sacrifice, and it draws our attention to Jesus’ sacrifice being enough to satisfy and fulfill the whole Jewish sacrificial system.

Also, in this passage and event, from one of the most secular people present at the crucifixion, and likely one of the least likely to believe in Jesus, comes what is probably the most profound statement in the entire Bible. The Roman officer states without any doubt that Jesus was God’s own Son.

And while this episode ended on a relatively dark note, we concluded that even when it seems like all hope is gone and that evil is winning, know that victory is just around the corner and that Jesus ultimately triumphs. Even if at times it seems like Satan has the upper hand, Satan’s achievements are short lived because Jesus’ death marked God’s ultimate victory over sin.

Moving forward to episode 49, from Jesus’ conversation with Mary on resurrection morning, we were reminded and assured of the truth that from the moment we place our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus, we can know we are saved.

From the moment we accept Jesus as our substitute, we have the assurance of salvation, and this was as true for the thief on the cross as it is for each of us today. Eternity starts when we step towards God through Jesus. However, like Jesus prompts us to understand through His conversation with Mary, eternal life is a reward that is saved for the New Heaven and New Earth.

Jesus’ message through Mary helps us understand how salvation works. There is an immediate reward, but there is also a future reward as well.

And to wrap up our insights from this past year chronologically looking at events in Jesus’ life, let’s remember what we discovered just a few weeks ago in episode 50, which looked at Jesus’ conversation with Peter following Jesus’ resurrection. When Jesus invites Peter to follow Him again, we can know and understand that each of us is called to follow Jesus like Peter’s second call. We are called to follow with the understanding that this invitation comes with forgiveness from our past. The invitation Jesus gives us is focused on our future with God from this point forward, and it lets the past remain in the past. Our past mistakes and sins are covered when we choose to recommit our lives to Jesus. It was this way with Peter and the rest of the disciples, and it is this way for each of us living today.

I cannot think of a better way to end this second year of podcasting through Jesus’ life. So with that said, let’s remember that as we move through every day, every month, and every year, Jesus has invited us to leave our past sinful lives behind and He invites us to move forward with Him day-by-day, as we look forward to spending eternity with Him.

This episode marks the first part of our finale in our second chronological year podcasting through Jesus’ life, and as we begin, let me wish all of you a very special, very Merry Christmas during this holiday season. While I don’t have any idea what most of those listening to this episode are doing, I hope you are able to spend some time remembering Jesus and what His birth into this world ultimately means for our salvation.

As we have looked at over this past year of podcasting, we got a glimpse of who Jesus was when He came to earth during His first advent, and this glimpse that has been recorded for us will help us clearly recognize Him when He returns!

As is our custom, these two last episodes each year are focused on sharing insights that we uncovered during this past year of podcasts, and as is always the case, we discovered so many great insights that make our list difficult to narrow down to something manageable for this set of finale episodes.

With this said, let’s dive into what we learned during the first half of our year moving chronologically through the gospels looking at events in Jesus’ life and pull out some of these awesome insights.

Let’s start by focusing on what we discovered in episode 1, which focused on the two genealogies of Jesus. While other people might see these lists as boring, when we looked at them together, we discovered that like our human parents helped direct the nurture side of our lives, perhaps God could be said as directing the nature side of our development. As a parent, I am able to partner with God in my children’s development. Just like my wife and I are parents to our children, we could also understand God as being a parent to us. When we help raise our children, we are called and challenged to raise them up into being who God created them to be.

Jumping forward to episode 3, where we looked at some prophecies surrounding Jesus’ birth, we discovered that if the religious leaders stopped looking for the Messiah because of Herod’s mass killing of the infants in Bethlehem, then it shows how little faith they had in God – specifically in God’s ability to protect the Messiah that He promised to send. In this episode, we also were challenged by the realization that knowledge is a poor substitute for attention, and if we are not paying attention, no amount of knowledge will keep us from drifting away from God.

Blasting forward to episode number 8, we looked a little closer at Jesus inviting the tax collector Matthew to be a disciple. In this episode, we learned that “good enough” is the enemy of where God wants to take us. God has so many amazing things in His mind for each of us, but if we settle for “good enough”, we stop short of the plan God has for our lives. In other words, good enough is the enemy of God’s great plan for each of us, and it is up to us to be willing to be taught, helped, and lead forward in our lives and our understanding of God and His plan for each of us.

Skipping over episode 9, we come to episode 10, where we looked at a section of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. In this episode and passage, Jesus tells us that the intent of the law is to guard our thoughts and our minds from doing evil – and not just giving us the excuse that the law is only relevant for our external actions. The gift Jesus gave to us does not give us a license to sin. Jesus’ gift to us gives us freedom from our past sins.

In the very next episode, number 11, we looked at Jesus teaching on the topic of forgiveness. We learned from what Jesus told those listening that God forgiving our sins is necessary for us to be in heaven, and according to what Jesus says here, He will not forgive us when we choose to not forgive others. Jesus challenges us in this passage to do for others, what God has already done for us!

Jumping forward to episode 13, we looked at John the Baptist sending some followers to Jesus with a question. In this episode, we were challenged with the idea that when something we read or are challenged with doesn’t display a loving picture of God, we are challenged to tell ourselves that we only have less than half a perspective. In every event throughout history, there are always more sides to any event than we can fully uncover. With that understanding, we can know and trust that just because something doesn’t look loving from our vantage point, it does not make it unloving from God’s perspective.

Moving forward to episode 15, we looked a little closer at Jesus teaching about a lamp being placed on a lamp stand and how that is a metaphor for our lives. In this episode, we concluded that if God has made us a light for Him, then hiding us away is very illogical. As lights pointing people to Jesus and God, we shouldn’t be surprised when He places us on a lamp-stand, and gives us a platform to shine from.

In the next episode, which was episode number 16, we looked at Jesus sleeping through the storm in a boat. In this episode, we were reminded of the truth that Jesus had complete trust in God and His protection for His life. We also were challenged with the idea that God didn’t keep the storm from happening to Jesus and the disciples, but He protected them all through it.

Jumping ahead to episode 17, where we focused in on Jesus healing some blind men as well as a mute, demon-possessed man, we uncovered a simple litmus test we could use when looking at miracles that happen in our lives. We concluded that if the miracle we are experiencing leads us to strengthen our faith in God, Jesus, and/or the work of the Holy Spirit, then the miracle was from God. If the miracle leads us to place our faith in anything else, then there is a different spiritual force working behind the miracle.

Moving ahead to episode 19, we spent a little bit of time unpacking what we could learn from one time where the crowds abandoned Jesus after Jesus had shared a challenging message with them. In this episode, we discovered that Jesus’ words have creative, restorative, and life-giving power, and they are the essence of His ministry. The miracles and healing then become significant because they point us to pay attention to Jesus’ message and Jesus as God’s Messenger. The miracles lead us to the Messenger and His message, while the Messenger and His message bring us eternal life.

In the very next episode, episode number 20, we looked at Jesus feeding a new crowd of over 4,000 people. In this episode, passage, and miracle, we learned that sometimes we will have to put in the little that we have in order for God to multiply it into being something more. Gifts that other people bring can be multiplied by Jesus, but so can the gifts that we bring too. In this passage, we also discovered that Jesus sometimes will prompt a miracle because He knows we need it perhaps even without us asking. We don’t see people in the crowd asking for or demanding a miracle. We simply see Jesus offering to perform the miracle because He knows the people need it.

Moving forward to episode 21, we looked at Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah God sent into the world. While there was a lot we discovered in this episode, one key insight that is always worth remembering is that it is God the Father and His Spirit who impress upon people the truth about who Jesus is. We can share the good news, we can tell others about Jesus and how our faith has helped our lives, but only God can really move someone to internalize the truth about who Jesus is in their own hearts. Only God can make Jesus real to someone.

As we come to the halfway point of our year, let’s wrap up this first part of our year-end finale by looking at episode 23 and on what Jesus taught His followers about dealing with conflict. In this episode, we discovered that God didn’t call us to hate, avoid, or put down those who don’t believe in Him or those who collect taxes. He calls us to love them. Jesus loved people who didn’t believe in God, and Jesus loved tax collectors. Jesus complimented Zacchaeus the tax collector after He visited Him in Jericho and He called Matthew the tax collector to be one of His twelve closest disciples. While the one who doesn’t listen to the church will be moved to the outside of the ring, there is nothing in Jesus’ words that tell us that the circle of the church is to be exclusively focused inward.

This leads us beautifully into our challenges to wrap up this podcast episode.

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to reflect Him and His love in the world around us. If you are unsure about what God’s love looks like, look no further than Jesus.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to Jesus each and every day. While other people have ideas to think about, never let someone else’s spiritual journey get in the way or replace your personal spiritual journey with God. God wants a personal relationship with you and for your relationship to be personal, it cannot be based on another person’s relationship.

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!

Several weeks ago, we focused one of our podcast episodes on Peter’s great mistake. When reading through the gospels, we see Peter as one of the main disciples, and he is the one who seems to be the disciples’ spokesman, or he may just not have a filter on his mouth – leading him to speak before thinking, which at times is a blessing, while at other times it gets him in trouble.

About a month ago, we looked at Peter denying his connection with Jesus on the night Jesus was arrested and tried. I suspect that following this huge failure, Peter believed he was no longer qualified to be a disciple, and perhaps, because he thought he was no longer worthy of his invitation, he decides to go back to fishing.

However, while Peter and several of the other disciples are unsuccessfully fishing one night shortly after the resurrection, Jesus planned a surprise for these disciples when their fishing trip doesn’t go as planned. As the night was ending and daylight approached, Jesus sees the boat out in the water and He calls out to the disciples. On learning that their fishing had not been successful, He prompts the disciples with an instruction that leads to a catch very similar to a miracle that happened leading up to several of these disciples’ first invitation to follow Him.

After pulling the nets to shore, and after eating breakfast with the disciples, Jesus and Peter have a fascinating conversation that will be the focus of this week’s episode. This conversation is found in John, chapter 21, and we will be reading from the New International Version. Starting in verse 15, John tells us that:

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

Let’s stop reading at this point in the conversation to point our attention onto some interesting details in what was just said. In the original Greek language that this passage was written in, two different words for love are used. In essence, Jesus first asks Peter if he selflessly loves Him, and Peter responds by saying that he loves Jesus like a close friend or family member.

Jesus then asks Peter again if Peter selflessly loves Him, and Peter responds again that he loves Jesus like a close friend or family member.

Jesus then switches terms, asking Peter if he really loved Him like a close friend or family member. John tells us this third question hurt, and Peter responds that Jesus knows the answer and that what He asked is true.

But also in this three question-and-answer progression is a steadily increasing challenge. After Peter responds the first time, Jesus tells Peter to “Feed my lambs”. Since Jesus was not a shepherd in the traditional sense, this request must be symbolic of something.

The most logical group for Jesus to be referring to is the people He has called to Him – starting with the disciples, but also extending out into the early church. Lambs are baby sheep, and therefore, this distinction could represent Jesus asking Peter to focus on helping new or young believers, and this would include both young believers according to age, as well as new believers regardless of their age.

Next, following the second question and answer set, Jesus challenges Peter by saying, “Take care of my sheep.” Using the foundation we have from the first challenge, this group of sheep must have something they need help with. We could apply this challenge to helping other believers who are sick, hurting, and/or those who otherwise need help. While this could be younger or older believers on the spectrum of age, it likely could represent all of us at any given point of our time on planet Earth prior to heaven. This challenge is a challenge to help others who need help.

Following the third question and answer set, Jesus opens His response by challenging Peter to “Feed my sheep.” In a way, this challenge is the same as the first one, because lambs are technically sheep, but I believe it is much broader in scope. In this third challenge, we have a challenge to help every believer grow, regardless of their age, the amount of time they have been a believer, and regardless of their background or past life.

I wonder if the first two challenges take a measure of selfless love, while the third challenge needs a much more relational love. It’s possible that this is why Jesus used the words for love that He did when challenging Peter.

But the conversation Jesus has with Peter isn’t finished with the third challenge. Jesus continues by telling Peter the end of Peter’s story. Reading from verse 18, Jesus continues by saying:

¹⁸ “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” ²³ Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

Peter’s conversation with Jesus concludes with a second invitation to follow Him. This second invitation in many ways is more powerful than the first. This second invitation comes with all the history that came with the first call – and it specifically comes with the idea of unconditional forgiveness. When Jesus asked Peter to again follow Him, this invitation told Peter that Jesus was willing to forgive His past mistakes, rejection, and denial. Jesus forgave Peter for abandoning Him and for rejecting Him while in a different crowd.

Jesus also told Peter to pay more attention to his own commission and his own choice to follow, and not focus on other disciples’ missions or stories. While this started the rumor that John, who was the disciple following behind, would not die, John is quick to correct the rumor that Jesus was talking to Peter about Peter, and not really about himself at all.

The big thing I see in this conversation is a challenge for every one of us who call ourselves Christ-followers. Like Peter, who was among the first followers, we are called to feed God’s lambs, take care of God’s sheep, and feed God’s sheep – which together become a huge challenge that we can only accomplish if we work together with other Christ-followers. This set of missions can only be truly achieved when we have a love for each other and display our love in a selfless way.

Each of us is called to follow Jesus like Peter’s second call. We are called to follow with the understanding that this invitation comes with forgiveness from our past. The invitation is focused on our future with God from that point forward, and it lets the past remain the past. Our past mistakes and sins are covered when we choose to recommit our lives to Jesus. It was this way with Peter and the rest of the disciples, and it is this way for each of us living today.

As we come to the end of the gospels, and the end of another year of podcasts focusing on Jesus’ life, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally put God first in your life. Continue seeking to grow closer to Him and choose daily to follow Jesus. When we choose to live our lives following Jesus, our past mistakes and sins are forgiven and we can be assured of a future life with Jesus in heaven.

Also, continue growing closer to Jesus through praying, reading, and studying your Bible. While podcasts and sermons are great, nothing can replace your own personal study of God’s Word and your own personal connection with Him.

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!

Near the end of John’s gospel, on the morning Jesus was resurrected, we read an amazing dialog between Mary Magdalene and Jesus. What makes this conversation amazing is that it is likely the first conversation Jesus has with someone (aside from perhaps the angel who had rolled away the stone), and in this discussion we discover some key details about what happened and didn’t happen over the time Jesus was in the grave.

But even before we get to the conversation, we must set the stage. Several women and disciples had already been to the tomb and seen it empty. They all had left confused to return to the others to describe what they saw. But Mary stayed behind at the tomb, and because she did this, she gets the honor of being the first witness of a resurrected Jesus.

Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 20, and we will be reading from the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 11, John tells us what happened:

¹¹ Mary stood crying outside the tomb. While she was still crying, she bent over and looked in the tomb ¹² and saw two angels there dressed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³ “Woman, why are you crying?” they asked her.

She answered, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!”

¹⁴ Then she turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ “Woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who is it that you are looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener, so she said to him, “If you took him away, sir, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

Let’s pause briefly at this point in the passage. To the angels who know Jesus was resurrected, and to Jesus Himself who is now alive, the idea of crying over the loss of Someone who has returned doesn’t make any sense. However, John tells us that Mary didn’t recognize Jesus.

I wonder if Jesus simply hadn’t taken a shower or combed His hair, or maybe He simply looked different. It is also possible that if Mary’s eyes had adjusted to the shadows and darkness of the tomb, then her eyes would still be adjusting to the light if she turned around quickly to acknowledge this gardener. Mary may also have been crying and if tears had filled her eyes, she might not have been able to see clearly either. Whatever the reason for Mary not recognizing Jesus, we can only logically speculate.

However, Jesus’ appearance isn’t completely different, because of what we read next. Continuing in verse 16, we read:

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned toward him and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (This means “Teacher.”)

In verse 16, Jesus says Mary’s name, and this is just enough to break her out of her tears to realize that this stranger actually knows her.

Maybe Mary was so teary-eyed that she simply didn’t look up and only saw the clothing of a person she didn’t recognize, but once she heard her name, she then looked up and saw the face of her Savior.

While John doesn’t state this, my imagination has Mary’s tears of sadness turning into tears of joy and wonder. As her face changes, she runs towards Jesus and embraces Him in a hug that she never wants to end.

What was probably longer than 30 seconds, and perhaps even a few minutes, my imagination then brings us back to where John picks up in verse 17. John continues by telling us that Jesus then said to Mary:

¹⁷ “Do not hold on to me,” Jesus told her, “because I have not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God.”

¹⁸ So Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and related to them what he had told her.

In my mind, it would be unlike Jesus to keep someone He loves at arm’s length. In my mind, Jesus was more than willing to embrace Mary, but eventually there must be a time for the hug to end. When Jesus knew the time was right, He then commissions Mary to go and tell the other disciples what she had experienced, and specifically what Jesus had told her.

What had Jesus told Mary?

After asking Mary to not hold onto Him, Jesus told her the reason. He said this was because “I have not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God.”

I find this detail powerful.

For the whole time Jesus was in the grave, according to what He tells Mary, He never once returned to the Father. While most people agree with this, the message Jesus tells Mary clashes with what many people believe Jesus promised a thief on the cross in Luke’s gospel. Luke tells us that Jesus told one of the criminals who was crucified with Him that they both would be together in paradise. Most people believe Jesus to have given that promise with the time constraint of that day.

But Jesus clearly stated that He never returned to the Father while He was “gone”, and several days had passed. With this supposed contradiction, we must start analyzing the details to help us uncover how both places are sharing truth.

While some people might call the grave paradise, I doubt that is what Jesus had in mind here. While the grave is a place where we might “rest in peace”, it is a big stretch in my mind to think of it as paradise.

Perhaps Jesus’ message to the thief about being saved relates to each of us who have the assurance of salvation. From the moment we place our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus, we can know we are saved. This isn’t because we have done any great or not-so-great thing for God. It’s because we know we cannot do anything, or give anything greater than what God has given for us – and there is no way we can truly repay the sin debt that our lives owe.

Through Jesus, God created another option, and this secondary option is by accepting Jesus’ life as a substitute for ours. When we accept this, we begin to see the world differently, and we should begin to live differently as well. Our obedience is the way we say thank you to God. Obedience is never enough to earn our own way.

From the moment we accept Jesus as our substitute, we have the assurance of salvation, and this was as true for the thief on the cross as it is for each of us today. Eternity starts when we step towards God through Jesus. However, eternal life is a reward that is saved for the New Heaven and New Earth.

Jesus’ message through Mary helps us understand how salvation works. There is an immediate reward, but there is also a future reward as well.

With all this said, 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, intentionally seek God first in your life and continue living with Jesus as your substitute. Choose to live your life in a way that says “thank you” to God for what He has done for each of us. Know that your obedient life is not because you are trying to earn salvation, but instead remember that obedience is the best way of saying thank you to God for salvation.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue growing towards Jesus by praying, reading, and studying your Bible personally. While group study is valuable, personal study is just as important. We need both a personal connection with God and a community connection with Him as well. The challenge here is to strengthen whichever connection needs to be strengthened.

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 not recognize where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!