Reflective Bible Study

When reading the gospels, sometimes Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John surprise me about the events they chose to include in each of their respective gospels. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke all share many similar stories, John takes a different approach with his gospel, and he shares many unique events that the other gospels for some reason or another, chose not to include.

Of all the events that John includes that the other three gospels excluded, the event I am most surprised about is the resurrection of Lazarus. For some reason, only John’s gospel included it, and I can only speculate that one of the primary reasons the other three gospel writers didn’t include it was because it was such a well known event that it would have been redundant for those in the first century who were well aware of what happened.

However, when reading about Lazarus’ resurrection, an interesting secondary theme appears, and this theme is both subtle and powerful. Let’s read excerpts from John’s gospel and draw out this theme together. Our passage is found in the gospel of John, chapter 11, and we will read it using the Contemporary English Version. Starting in verse 1, John opens this event by telling us that:

^1-2 A man by the name of Lazarus was sick in the village of Bethany. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha. This was the same Mary who later poured perfume on the Lord’s head and wiped his feet with her hair. ³ The sisters sent a message to the Lord and told him that his good friend Lazarus was sick.

⁴ When Jesus heard this, he said, “His sickness won’t end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son.”

The first clue to this secondary theme in this event is that Jesus says that Lazarus’ sickness won’t end in death. Instead, it will bring glory to God and His Son.

I’m sure that when the disciples and messengers heard Jesus’ response, they were relieved, but what happens next is startling. Continuing in verse 5, we read:

⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and brother. ⁶ But he stayed where he was for two more days.

In my mind, the two verses we just read don’t add up. Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, but He stayed where He was for two more days. In my mind, it doesn’t seem like love to stay away from your friends who are hurting – especially since John doesn’t give us a reason why.

After the two-day delay, we pick back up reading in verse 7:

⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “Now we will go back to Judea.”

⁸ “Teacher,” they said, “the people there want to stone you to death! Why do you want to go back?”

When reading this portion of the event, part of me wonders if the disciples thought Jesus wouldn’t go back to Judah to see His friends. After two days with no movement in that direction, the consensus among the disciples may have been that no direct intervention was necessary for Lazarus’ benefit.

But Jesus answers them in the next verses by saying:

⁹ [Jesus answered,] “Aren’t there twelve hours in each day? If you walk during the day, you will have light from the sun, and you won’t stumble. ¹⁰ But if you walk during the night, you will stumble, because you don’t have any light.” ¹¹ Then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up.”

¹² They replied, “Lord, if he is asleep, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus really meant that Lazarus was dead, but they thought he was talking only about sleep.

¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead! ¹⁵ I am glad that I wasn’t there, because now you will have a chance to put your faith in me. Let’s go to him.”

¹⁶ Thomas, whose nickname was “Twin,” said to the other disciples, “Come on. Let’s go, so we can die with him.”

I find it interesting that Jesus begins by saying that Lazarus’ sickness won’t end in death, but here just two days later, Jesus now talks about Lazarus sleeping. However, when the disciples don’t catch the metaphor, Jesus has to plainly tell them: “Lazarus is dead!” (v. 14)

Here is the second clue into our secondary theme hidden in this passage. Jesus seems to talk about death on two separate levels – or He has a bigger picture in mind when discussing death. To learn which it is, let’s continue reading, but let’s jump down in the story to Martha’s conversation with Jesus.

Picking back up in verse 20, we read:

²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus had arrived, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² Yet even now I know that God will do anything you ask.”

²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will live again!”

²⁴ Martha answered, “I know that he will be raised to life on the last day, when all the dead are raised.”

²⁵ Jesus then said, “I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. ²⁶ And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord!” she replied. “I believe that you are Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world.”

The subtle, but not so subtle, theme that Martha picks up on is that Jesus had promised through the messengers that Lazarus’ sickness wouldn’t end in death, but since her brother had died, Jesus must be talking from an eternal perspective. In her conversation with Jesus, Martha demonstrates amazing faith – and she points us to the biggest picture we can imagine that can only be seen through looking at eternity.

But in this conversation, Jesus still sounds like he is still talking about death on two different levels. First He tells Martha that her brother would live again, but then He starts talking about those who have faith in Him dying but not really “dying”. The fact that Jesus says He is the one who raises the dead back to life, but those who believe in Him will never really die is a contradiction – if we understand Jesus to only be talking about death on one level.

This must then mean that Jesus has two different perspectives or angles on death that He refers to in this passage and conversation. Earlier, Jesus tried describing death like a sleep, but He wasn’t successful using this metaphor with the disciples. Jesus then tells Martha that her brother will live again, but she only understands this statement from the big-picture, future resurrection that God’s people will experience.

In each case, dying is dying, but in the first case, the death is equivalent to a sleep that only Jesus can break. In the second case, the death is final. Martha had her perspective correct when she understood Jesus’ promise that Lazarus would ultimately be alive in heaven with God at the end of time, but she missed the immediate promise of Jesus’ words that Lazarus’ death was simply a sleep that he needed Jesus to wake him from.

Lazarus was dead. He wasn’t in a coma or simply unconscious. The way bodies were prepared for burial in that culture would have killed an unconscious person. After four days in the tomb, everyone was certain that Lazarus was truly dead. No one present had any doubts to the contrary.

We can understand the perspective of those present in this passage when they talk about Jesus on the way to the tomb. The crowd says in verse 37, “He gives sight to the blind. Why couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” and Martha pushes back against the idea of opening the tomb in verse 39 by telling Jesus, “Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell.”

When we think about death, the secondary theme of this passage is that until the resurrection happens on the last day, everyone who dies with their faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus will simply sleep waiting for Him to awaken them. These people technically will never die because they have a future life waiting for them with God.

But those who have died who have rejected God, Jesus, or chosen to believe in something or someone other than Jesus will die, and they will face a death in the future that does not have a resurrection promised.

While the primary theme of this passage relates to Jesus being the Life-Giver and being someone who is worthy of our faith, the secondary theme of this passage tells us that death in this life is more like a sleep, and that after we take our last breath, the next sound we hear will be Jesus waking us up.

With this said, here are the challenges I will leave you with as we close out this podcast episode:

As I always challenge you to do in one way or another, intentionally choose to place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus. Choose to live your life in a way that pleases Him, because when death-sleep comes, it won’t matter whether we stay in the ground until resurrection or whether we immediately go to Heaven. The only thing that will have mattered is how we stood with God at the moment of our last breath.

As always, pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn the truth God wants to teach you. While death is a sad subject for many, God wants to draw your attention to the future life He has promised each of us.

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

Probably one of the most famous illustrations that Jesus ever shared can be found in the passage we are covering in this episode. The parable of the prodigal son is one of the clearest examples of God’s love and His character when faced with rebellious children.

However, while the name suggests that the son who ran away is the main character, when we read this parable with God in mind, it’s possible, perhaps even probable, that a different character in this parable is the real “main” character. In some ways, this parable might be more accurate if its title focused on the character Jesus intended us to focus on.

The prodigal son parable we will be reading is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter fifteen, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 11:

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 

Let’s pause here after the first verse to point our attention to the detail that Jesus opens with. The first character that is identified is the father. He is the “man with two sons”. Let’s continue reading to learn what happens. Continuing from verse 12:

¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

This parable is powerful. In it we see the father in an almost no win situation. The youngest son basically insults him by asking for his inheritance before his father’s death – and with his inheritance, he leaves town which is a visible rejection of their family. For a time, the father is only with the older son.

However, after the younger son returns home, the older son reveals his heart by refusing to go in. When his father asks him why, the older son says that he basically feels as though he has been equivalent to an obedient slave, and nothing more.

In some ways, this parable should be titled “The Parable of the Loving Father”. This title would present a clearer meaning for those interested in seeing the focus.

But this parable’s current title is also significant. By drawing our focus onto the younger son who left but also returned, we place the focus on God’s power and willingness to forgive. Following what would have been the biggest insult a child could ever give to their parents, the father in this story forgives and celebrates the moment he has with his son who had returned.

Neither one of the children understand this. The older son is bitter because in his mind, the younger son should be punished not rewarded. But what the older son misses in his mind is the fact that the younger son has already been punished by the world. The reward the younger son receives is because he returned to his senses and decided to come home. That decision is one of the primary reasons the father wants to celebrate.

The younger son doesn’t understand this celebration either. He has matured enough to realize his offense and knows that he doesn’t even deserve to make eye contact with his father. While he begins his apology for his earlier actions, the father basically ignores what is said. The young man’s posture and attitude has said enough. The father can clearly see that his younger son has learned from his mistakes and that education is worth celebrating.

For each of us, we can learn from the father’s celebration. We can learn that celebrating can and should happen when people make a decision to return to God. When someone has turned or returned to God, either through a profession of faith or through baptism, heaven celebrates – and we can too. Also, when someone has learned a valuable life lesson and has decided to repent from their sin and mistakes, heaven celebrates – and we can too.

With both of these reasons to celebrate, as we close out our episode for this week, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally place God first in your life. If you see someone else make a decision for God, celebrate with them for their decision.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to continue growing your relationship with God. God wants a personal relationship with you, but He is waiting like the Father for us to return to Him. Other people cannot drag you into a relationship with God; it is instead 100% our choice whether we will return to Him and grow a relationship 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 turn away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

All throughout the gospels, while Jesus was teaching, preaching, healing, and traveling throughout the countryside, there seemed to be only one key thing that the religious leaders really disliked Him for.

While Jesus was helping people, and pointing people to God, which are both things the religious leaders couldn’t really complain about, the religious leaders did not like that Jesus was gaining popularity – but a popular Jesus didn’t bother them as much as something else Jesus continually did.

It would seem as though on about every chance Jesus got, He would choose to heal people regardless of what day of the week it was. Whether the day was a weekday or a weekend day, it seems as though Jesus never really took a day off from helping people – and this really bothered the religious leaders because it went against one of the Ten Commandments in their minds, specifically the Sabbath commandment.

The Sabbath commandment said that the other six days of the week were workdays, but the Sabbath seventh-day of the week was set aside to be a holy day where there was to be no work performed on it. The Pharisees saw Jesus as a teacher-healer, and therefore, healing was part of Jesus’ occupation and something that the Sabbath said He should rest from.

Our passage in this episode shares an event where Jesus heals on the Sabbath day, and the interesting thing about the version of the Bible I chose to use for this episode is that it doesn’t use the word “Sabbath” to describe the day. But even though the day is not given a name in this translation, the day is still given significance. This event is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 14, and we will read it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us that:

¹ On a day of rest—a holy day [most other translations say this day was the Sabbath] Jesus went to eat at the home of a prominent Pharisee. The guests were watching Jesus very closely.

² A man whose body was swollen with fluid was there. ³ Jesus reacted by asking the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “Is it right to heal on the day of rest—a holy day, or not?” ⁴ But they didn’t say a thing.

So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. ⁵ Jesus asked them, “If your son or your ox falls into a well on a day of rest—a holy day, wouldn’t you pull him out immediately?” ⁶ They couldn’t argue with him about this.

I find this version of the Bible fascinating because of how it has chosen to describe the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is described everywhere it is found in this version of the Bible as a day of rest and specifically as a holy day. Perhaps this is because these translators wanted to take the emphasis off of the name Sabbath, or perhaps they felt that the name of this day had become watered down and had lost its meaning. By always describing the significance of the Sabbath instead of simply saying its name, while it makes for a little more awkward flowing text, we are pushed to remember what this culture thought about this specific day.

But a number of other things in this passage stood out to me as I read it. Before we even learn about the man with the disability we read that “The guests were watching Jesus very closely.” (v. 1b)

This immediately tells me that this event was a set-up. At the home of a prominent Pharisee, with all of his Pharisee friends present, probably following a worship service at the local synagogue, Jesus accepted the invitation for lunch. Had this been a supper time meal, it would have been close to the sun setting and there would be no problem with a miracle healing because after the sun set, the Sabbath would have been over and a new week would have begun.

I also find it interesting that the first thing Jesus does is pose the question about whether it is right for someone to heal on the holy day of rest or not. In this question, it seems Jesus is either opening up the floor for discussion, or being polite and asking if anyone had any objections to Him healing this man.

This looks even more like a set-up when no one answers Jesus’ question. Remember, this is a group of Pharisees, and Pharisees were among the most legalistic law-followers around. Yes, they objected to this healing, but they wanted to trap Jesus doing work, so technically they could not object because then Jesus might not perform the miracle they wanted to trap Him with. In the simple question and lack of response, it was like these Pharisees gave Jesus the green light to go ahead and heal this man.

However, Jesus knows that they really did object, but instead of answering their objection directly, He makes a comparison that they could not argue with. Jesus asked them the semi-rhetorical question in verse 5: “If your son or your ox falls into a well on a day of rest—a holy day, wouldn’t you pull him out immediately?”

While the Pharisees couldn’t argue about this, they still didn’t like the implication. Jesus didn’t even break a sweat healing this man. Healing was almost effortless for Him. However, everyone present at this meal knew that helping up a child or an animal that had fallen into a well would take a lot more effort and if this was something the religious leaders were willing to do, then healing a person would be just as acceptable. Part of me wonders if this had happened recently and a number of Pharisees present helped free an animal that had fallen into a well or ditch.

But a question still remains: Why would Jesus even accept the invitation knowing that He was being set up? If Jesus knew this entire event was a set-up, why even go?

I believe it was because Jesus loved the person who was ill and He wanted to heal him regardless of who was present, and because Jesus wanted to take those present – yes the legalistic Pharisees who were wanting to trap Him – to a different and more accurate view of the Sabbath holy day of rest.

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.

Jesus lived God’s idea of the Sabbath, and that was an idea that focused on helping people on that special day. For the man who was healed, that Sabbath day would forever be a special day in his life because it marked freedom from his illness, and it may have been a day he chose to celebrate every year like a birthday or anniversary.

Jesus loved to help people, and He wants us to realize that the Sabbath is a day where we are free to help others!

With that said, here are the challenges I want to leave you with at the end of this podcast episode:

If you have written off the Sabbath, or if you have been more focused on the rules of what not to do, pay attention to how Jesus treated the Sabbath. As I have read about this, Jesus observed the Sabbath but did so differently than the culture did at that time. When celebrating the Sabbath, be sure to focus on God, friends, and family, and be sure to avoid letting it become a day where rules trump relationships. God loves you and He created the Sabbath day to be a blessing and gift for all humanity.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, prayerfully study the Bible for yourself to learn more about why God set the Sabbath day apart for rest, and if you have never looked into it, the Bible gives enough information to help one discover what day of the week the Sabbath day is today in the 21st century. Learning what day this is might both surprise and challenge you.

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

While reading the gospels, it seems as though many people liked hearing the stories and illustrations Jesus told, but it seems that in many cases, while the illustrations Jesus used were simple, the truth Jesus was trying to share was lost on the audience.

In our passage for this episode, we’ll be looking at one of these illustrations, and specifically at how Jesus explains what He meant by this illustration. Our passage can be found in the gospel of John, chapter 10, and we will read it from the Contemporary English Version. Starting in verse 1:

¹ Jesus said:

I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. ^2-3 But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.

⁴ When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. ⁵ The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.

⁶ Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.

If you have ever read a passage and not understood what it meant, you have something in common with the crowd in this passage.

However, instead of leaving the crowd confused at this shepherding metaphor, Jesus continues and explains it for those listening. Continuing reading in verse 7,

⁷ Jesus said:

I tell you for certain that I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ Everyone who came before me was a thief or a robber, and the sheep did not listen to any of them. ⁹ I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture.

¹⁰ A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. ¹² Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. ¹³ Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep.

¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. ¹⁵ Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.

¹⁷ The Father loves me, because I give up my life, so that I may receive it back again. ¹⁸ No one takes my life from me. I give it up willingly! I have the power to give it up and the power to receive it back again, just as my Father commanded me to do.

¹⁹ The people took sides because of what Jesus had told them. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He has a demon in him! He is crazy! Why listen to him?”

²¹ But others said, “How could anyone with a demon in him say these things? No one like that could give sight to a blind person!”

There are three parts of Jesus’ explanation that stood out when I read this.

The first part in this passage that stands out is Jesus’ telling us He is both the gate and the good Shepherd. These two ideas stand out because of the way Jesus explains them. Firstly, the gate frees the sheep and allows them to go into the pastureland for food and rest, and secondly, the gate protects the sheep and keeps predators out. 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.

It may be challenging for some to internalize this idea, but just like we were all created with a purpose, God is not going to let us die while there is something left for us to do. This means that while we are working for Him, He is actively protecting us, and it is only after we have accomplished what He created us for that He will let us rest in preparation for the second life that is to come.

The second part of the passage that stood out when I read it is Jesus saying that He has other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. While some might take this to mean that there are multiple paths to God, I see it as extending the principle of Jesus’ ministry into being a little more generic. Jesus came to both divide some people and unify others. As I look at both the Old Testament and New Testament histories, as well as the history of the world up to this point, there are two broad groups of people present at every point in time: There are those who think they can do life on their own, and there are those who realize they need help with their life. The first group is all about self-reliance, while the second group is willing to accept help because they know they need help.

Jesus came for the second group of people, and when I read that He has sheep in other pens, I believe that He is saying that there are people who realize they need Him without knowing who He is. This would include all the righteous people in the Old Testament who only had the symbol of the lamb which is sacrificed for their sins.

The third part of the passage that stood out as I read it is when Jesus says that He has the power to give up His life and receive it back again. Jesus is fully aware in this passage that resurrection is in His future, and that by giving up His life, He is able to receive resurrection.

This ties into the first part of the passage that stood out to me because Jesus lived His life fully within God’s will and God’s plan, and God gave Him protection throughout His ministry leading up to the cross. Culture wants to make us believe that Jesus was betrayed and crucified against His will, but all four gospel writers draw our attention to how Jesus willingly went to the cross, and how all previous attempts on Jesus’ life were thwarted.

This passage concludes with the people taking sides. It seems that everyone thought what Jesus was saying sounded crazy, but while one group believed the source to be a demon, the other group believed the source was really God because of the miracles Jesus blessed others with.

Jesus came to both divide people between their belief about who He is and to unify people throughout time who know they cannot do life on their own.

As we finish out 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. Purposely choose to be part of the group who believes in Jesus. When God divides people based on their belief in His Son, choose to stand with those who recognize their need for help and their need for Jesus.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself and learn who Jesus really was from the gospel record. Don’t take my word for it, or even your pastor’s word for it. Study it for yourself because God wants to grow a personal relationship with you, and for your relationship with God to be personal, it cannot be based on anyone else.

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