Reflective Bible Study

In our last episode, we discussed a passage where John the Baptist declares who Jesus was to the crowd present listening to him, and we learned that a couple of John’s own followers left John to start following Jesus. In many ways, our passage for this episode picks up where that one left off because we now have the opportunity to look back at John the Baptist’s group of followers, and how he responds to Jesus’ ministry growing, and how they perceive John’s ministry being affected by Jesus.

I wonder if John the Baptist surprised his followers with his response. Let’s read about what happened. Our passage is found in the gospel of John, chapter 3, and we will be reading from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 23, we read that:

²³ John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were going there to be baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put into prison.)

²⁵ Some of John’s followers had an argument with a Jew about religious washing. ²⁶ So they came to John and said, “Teacher, remember the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you spoke about so much? He is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷ John answered, “A man can get only what God gives him. ²⁸ You yourselves heard me say, ‘I am not the Christ, but I am the one sent to prepare the way for him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs only to the bridegroom. But the friend who helps the bridegroom stands by and listens to him. He is thrilled that he gets to hear the bridegroom’s voice. In the same way, I am really happy. ³⁰ He must become greater, and I must become less important.

³¹ “The One who comes from above is greater than all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about things on the earth. But the One who comes from heaven is greater than all. ³² He tells what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he says. ³³ Whoever accepts what he says has proven that God is true. ³⁴ The One whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God gives him the Spirit fully. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given him power over everything. ³⁶ Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who do not obey the Son will never have life. God’s anger stays on them.”

While reading this passage, one big thing that jumped out at me is how John concludes his statement about God’s relationship with Jesus. John tells us the key to both gaining eternal life and losing it. He says, “Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who do not obey the Son will never have life. God’s anger stays on them.” (v. 36)

This is a very powerful verse because in it we have two parallel, and somewhat paradoxical, ideas regarding eternal life. The first of these two ideas is that belief in Jesus, God’s Son, is what is necessary for gaining salvation. This means that no action or set of actions can earn eternal life for us. It is all a matter of belief, and who we choose to put our faith, belief, and trust in.

To contrast this first idea, we have the second one which might sound on the surface as if it cancels the first idea out. John tells us that “those who do not obey the Son will never have life”. (v. 36b)

It would seem that this second idea stresses obedience as a requirement for keeping eternal life. This means that faith alone cannot assure us of eternal life if we believe our actions, attitude, and obedience are irrelevant. This passage strongly suggests that while actions cannot earn us salvation, our actions can forfeit the salvation that we were once given.

This passage describes the foundation of two of the biggest “church” words we have today that are not explained often enough. These words are justification and sanctification.

We can explain justification with the first portion of our passage. Justification tells us that we cannot do anything to earn eternal life. Instead, we recognize that sin has infected our lives, and Jesus came to live the life we couldn’t because of sin, and Jesus offers us His reward for the perfect life He lived because He took our punishment when He didn’t deserve it.

The act of justification is this exchange: We accept Jesus’ reward for His perfect life and He takes the punishment for our imperfect lives. This exchange makes no logical sense. God did not have to step in to offer justification for anyone. The only reason this happened is because of God’s character of love. God loves humanity with every aspect of Himself, and because of this, we are given the gift of justification – the opportunity of receiving God’s reward for a perfect life when we do not deserve it. Justification happens at the moment we choose to accept God’s gift through Jesus into our lives and our hearts.

The second portion of our passage describes the other big theological word, which is sanctification. While justification became available to all of humanity the instant Jesus died, sanctification is the way we respond to the gift of justification. Sanctification is based on where we focus after accepting God’s gift. It is also how we choose to sacrifice our lives and our desires in regard to God’s plan for our lives.

Sanctification involves giving up the things in our lives that don’t draw us closer to God in favor of the things that do. Sanctification also draws us to focus on God and become more like Him. The closer we draw to God, the more His light and love can shine through our lives.

Both justification and sanctification involve our free will and our freedom of choice. God doesn’t justify us if we choose to reject His gift, and God won’t sanctify us if we are not willing to give up sin in our lives. This is where John’s statement about obedience is applied. Obeying Jesus after we accept His gift is how we are sanctified. After accepting Jesus into our hearts and lives, we are still free to reject Him in the future.

This is where many Christians get stuck. When we accept Jesus, nothing Satan can do can steal us away from Jesus, because Jesus defeated Satan. However, we are still free to walk away from Jesus and give up the gift we once had received. God isn’t going to drag anyone kicking and screaming into heaven.

Instead, we show God and the world around us that we have accepted Jesus’ gift by living in obedience to His will. Accepting Jesus is an internal choice, but what we do with this choice that is visible to others is how we make our decision public.

This idea is one of the biggest concepts in Christianity and we’ve only really touched the surface of it. What really stands out in our passage is that before Jesus has really stepped onto the public scene in a big way, we find John the Baptist sharing this big truth regarding faith and action; and regarding justification and sanctification. “Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who do not obey the Son will never have life. God’s anger stays on them.” (v. 36)

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. If you haven’t accepted God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus, do so today. Simply make the choice to acknowledge that you cannot earn salvation on your own and that you need Jesus to take your place. At the moment you make this decision, know that you have been justified and that Jesus’ reward is yours.

Then, as I always challenge you to do, be sure to pray, read, and study the Bible for yourself, and intentionally focus on drawing closer to God and Jesus through what has been revealed in the Bible. Let God’s word and His truth affect your life and apply and obey what He teaches you about Himself.

And as you learn, grow, and move towards Jesus, never stop short of where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him, because when we decide to stop when God is calling us to come, we ultimately begin drifting away from Him. Drifting away from Jesus is how we forfeit the gift of eternal life, and that is why it is so important that we choose to keep moving towards God and keep focusing our hearts, minds, and lives on Him!

As I read the gospels, and the different events in Jesus’ life, one theme that runs through many different stories is how Jesus took a different perspective on life than the people living within the first century, and His attitude was different. However, if you have ever wondered if Jesus got angry, you need to look no further than our passage for this episode. While Jesus was often kind while also confident, we rarely ever get a glimpse of Him losing His temper so to speak. Usually, Jesus is the calm collected one – that is until this passage comes around.

In our passage for this episode, Jesus enters the temple in Jerusalem and He sees it turned into a marketplace. Let’s read about what happen. Our passage can be found in the gospel of John, chapter 2, and we will read it from the New International Reader’s Version. Starting in verse 13, John tells us that:

¹³ It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. So Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courtyard he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves. Others were sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So Jesus made a whip out of ropes. He chased all the sheep and cattle from the temple courtyard. He scattered the coins of the people exchanging money. And he turned over their tables. ¹⁶ He told those who were selling doves, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered what had been written. It says, “My great love for your house will destroy me.”

¹⁸ Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do this?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “When you destroy this temple, I will raise it up again in three days.”

²⁰ They replied, “It has taken 46 years to build this temple. Are you going to raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But the temple Jesus had spoken about was his body. ²² His disciples later remembered what he had said. That was after he had been raised from the dead. Then they believed the Scripture. They also believed the words that Jesus had spoken.

We’ll pause reading at this point because I want to draw our attention to something. So far in this passage, we see Jesus getting angry, a prophecy being fulfilled, a demand, an intentional misunderstanding, a prediction of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and confirmation of a future point of where individuals believe in the scriptures and in the words of Jesus.

When Jesus became upset and He chased the moneychangers away, whether He planned for it in the moment or not, He was fulfilling a prophecy about His love for His Father’s house.

When the Jewish leaders demanded a sign to prove Jesus’ authority, it is amazing that Jesus actually responded to them with an answer. In most other places in the gospels that are similar to this, Jesus sidesteps the issue or turns the tables around. Perhaps He answers because He is extra emotional at the moment, or perhaps He is simply being a little respectful of the religious authority.

Either way, Jesus purposely responds in a way that creates a misunderstanding among the leaders and Him, and in a way that will be understood more fully later. Had Jesus said that He meant His body, the Jewish leaders probably would have happily taken Him up on the challenge right there. If Jesus wanted to prove His authority by dying, they would be happy to help – as they were probably just as irritated at Jesus as He was at the scene in the temple.

However, Jesus predicts His death and resurrection in these verses, and it is only after the events happen several years later that those present understood the message Jesus was communicating. John writing these words many years or decades after the resurrection draws our attention to how Jesus’ statement is fulfilled, and how this prediction prompted many people to believe in the following years.

In the last part of this passage, I was surprised to find another place where it says that Jesus didn’t trust people. In John 5, we read a similar idea that Jesus pushes back at the Pharisees who dislike the miracle He performed on the Sabbath, and here in our passage for this episode within John, chapter 2, we see another place where John gives us a clue into Jesus’ attitude and focus. Picking up reading in verse 23, John continues by saying, “Meanwhile, he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast. Many people saw the signs he was doing. And they believed in his name. But Jesus did not fully trust them. He knew what people are like. He didn’t need anyone to tell him what people are like. He already knew why people do what they do.”

In this transition set of verses within John’s gospel, he shares a little bit more about Jesus, and how Jesus interacted with others. John shares that Jesus did not fully trust others, because He knew what people were like in their hearts. Perhaps this guarded living was noticeable to others, or maybe it was only visible to the closest disciples, or maybe Jesus simply shared it with John. Whatever the case, this information is significant because we can better understand who Jesus was when we have it.

If Jesus began to trust people as they trusted Him, then there would be the strong temptation for Jesus to be caught up in the popular, military Messiah belief that was believed at the time. If Jesus was as trusting towards others as they were to Him, He may have been swept up and carried forward on the path that people believed He should take instead of the one He knew God had planned for Him instead.

Instead, Jesus was extra intentional about where He placed His focus, and that included being more guarded towards people since almost no one living in the first century understood the full extent of His mission. Even though Jesus predicts His death and resurrection, and as He shares more clearly and plainly as He gets closer to the cross, it is really only after the events actually happen that the disciples actually understand what was predicted would happen. Before this, Jesus must remain guarded because the popular beliefs about Him were too entrenched in people’s minds.

Also included in this event is another demonstration of Jesus shifting focus. The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus to do something to prove Himself, or another way of saying this would be to draw attention to Himself, but Jesus was more interested in pointing the attention elsewhere. When the leaders demand a sign, Jesus draws their attention to the temple, and while He figuratively means His body, the words He used also directed focus onto God’s house.

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 and choose to align your life and your will with God’s plan. Like Jesus did, intentionally keep your focus on God’s plan and avoid being swept up with what the world would rather we focus in on.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn who Jesus really is instead of taking someone else’s word for it. While pastors, authors, speakers, or even podcasters can give you ideas to think about, choose to take everything you read, see, and hear and test it against the truth God has revealed in the Bible. Use the big themes of the Bible as a guide for your life and as a test for whether today’s ideas are worth paying attention to.

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!

As Jesus was stepping from being relatively unknown and into the public eye, John the Baptist made pointing people to Jesus part of his message. One of these occasions is caught and recorded for us in the gospel of John. In my mind’s eye, this happens just days after Jesus returned from the wilderness where he had been tempted.

On the day Jesus came back from the wilderness, I picture Jesus passing where John the Baptist was preaching, and then we discover that the next day, Jesus returns to the spot where John was teaching and challenging the crowds. Our passage is found in the gospel of John, chapter 1, and we will be reading from the Contemporary English Version. Starting in verse 35, we learn that:

³⁵ The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Here is the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ John’s two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.

³⁸ When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?”

They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?” The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher.”

³⁹ Jesus replied, “Come and see!” It was already about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.

⁴⁰ One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.”

⁴² Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter.”

Pausing our passage at this point, I want to point out a pattern that I see present in this passage, and one that continues as we finish off the passage. This pattern is that the people who see, interact, and/or who know who Jesus is tell those closest to them to pay attention to Jesus.

This pattern first starts with John the Baptist. Jesus had already been baptized by John, and John knew who Jesus was. He tells his followers that Jesus is the Messiah, though the specific phrase John uses is “the Lamb of God”. (v. 36)

While I don’t know how many people were in the crowd of John’s followers that day, two of those present are paying attention enough to realize that John just identified the Messiah and that the Messiah John pointed out is someone is who worth following even more.

Andrew and an unnamed disciple, who we could call John, since John is telling us about this event because he was probably present, leave the crowd surrounding John the Baptist, and follow Jesus.

This starts the pattern.

Once these first followers find out where Jesus is staying, one of them, Andrew, immediately finds his brother and brings him to Jesus. We don’t know if John does the same with his brother James, but that may have happened. John tries to keep himself out of the story as much as possible in his gospel because his goal is focusing people onto Jesus.

The pattern we see is that the earliest followers of Jesus immediately seek out those closest to them to bring to Jesus when they learn who Jesus is. This pattern continues the following day. Picking up in verse 43, we read that:

^43-44 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Come with me.”

⁴⁵ Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

⁴⁶ Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Philip answered, “Come and see.”

⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn’t deceitful.”

⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

⁴⁹ Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!”

⁵⁰ Jesus answered, “Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater. ⁵¹ I tell you for certain that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”

One thing I find amazing about this whole passage is the interaction Jesus has with the two disciples who were brought to Him by others. The first one, Andrew’s brother Simon, was given a new name, before Jesus really had spent any time with him. It would be like meeting someone for the first time, knowing this other person is important, and that person’s first response to you is to say He doesn’t like your name and promptly gives you a new one.

While I wouldn’t have been as bold or up front, Jesus gets away with this because He knows something we don’t, and while it sounds strange to us in our day, this might have been a powerful compliment to someone living at that time period. One way we could view this is that parents give their children their names, and Jesus giving Simon a new name, which was Cephas or Peter, was like Jesus was adopting Simon into His family.

The second disciple who was brought to Jesus was Nathanael. Jesus’ interaction with Nathanael is interesting because we know a little detail about Nathanael before the first meeting. John tells us that when Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus, Nathanael’s first response is to challenge the idea that anything good could come from Nazareth. As a side note, Nathanael might have not been aware of what Matthew wrote in his gospel about Jesus being called a Nazarene by the prophets. (This is referenced in Matthew 2:23. Understand that I am aware that a Nazarene is different from simply being from Nazareth, but I am intrigued that these two words sound connected even if they are not.)

When Nathanael sees Jesus, the first thing Jesus does is compliment him. In an odd twist, Nathanael criticizes Jesus because of where he came from, right before we read that Jesus compliments him based upon his ancestry.

While the rest of the conversation proves to Nathanael that Jesus is sent from God, it is less significant in my mind then what we can learn from this big pattern.

In this passage, I see the big truth and challenge to all who call ourselves disciples, believers, and followers of Jesus that we are to share Jesus with others. Arguing with people over who Jesus is, is not productive. Inviting people to experience Jesus is the way to move forward.

In all the examples in this passage, the invitation is presented to simply follow Jesus and see what He is like. We can learn from this first century pattern and example because there are plenty of excuses and arguments people have for not choosing Jesus – and some of these reasons are valid ones. However, arguments are rarely “won”. Instead, when people argue, they become more emotionally attached to their own side of what is being debated.

We learn from this passage that a better way to share Jesus is to invite those to experience Him. The “Come and See” approach is perfect because only by experiencing Jesus can we truly realize His heart for each of us. Experiencing Jesus today is a little different then back in the first century. Today, we can experience Jesus by visiting a Christ-like church community, by reading more about Him from the gospels, and by serving those in need like Jesus did when He was present on earth.

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. If you are on the fence about Jesus, be sure to “come and see” what He is like before discounting Him or His message. If church has burned you in the past, let me apologize for them because while they believed they were doing the right thing, I know they missed communicating in a truly Christ-like way. While the media might make you think differently, there are more churches who model Christ’s character than those who don’t, so please try it again, and if needed, make a personal challenge to see how quickly you can find a church that truly does model Jesus well. They do exist, and I believe when we seek God, He will lead us to the community He wants us to be a part of.

Also, as I always challenge you to do in one way or another, when coming to Jesus, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself. A pastor or podcaster can give you things to think about, but these things can never replace your own personal relationship with Jesus. Your personal relationship with Him grows strong when you know who He really is – and this is learned through the pages of the Bible.

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

One of the events in Jesus’ life that I find incredibly interesting is found in this episode’s passage. Unlike many other passages in the gospels, it would seem that the passages that cover Jesus being tempted in the wilderness have many more layers of depth and insights than other parts of Jesus’ life. This seems to also confirm the idea that you can tell more about someone’s focus and character when they face adversity than when they are successful.

This event immediately follows Jesus’ baptism, and it can be found in both the gospel of Matthew and the gospel of Luke. For our episode today, we will be reading Matthew’s version, which is found in Matthew, chapter 4, and we will read from the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us:

¹ Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. ² After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry. ³ Then the Devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.”

⁴ But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’”

⁵ Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the Holy City, set him on the highest point of the Temple, ⁶ and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says,

‘God will give orders to his angels about you;
    they will hold you up with their hands,
    so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’”

⁷ Jesus answered, “But the scripture also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” the Devil said, “if you kneel down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus answered, “Go away, Satan! The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’”

¹¹ Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.

Almost every time I read this passage, something new stands out to me. While on the surface, these temptations seem simple to read and understand, the temptations Satan brings Jesus are incredibly nuanced and multi-layered.

With that said, let’s dive into some of the less obvious themes and details within these temptations and see what we will discover, while also uncovering a big theme we all can learn from how Jesus successfully resisted Satan’s temptations.

The first thing I notice is that these temptations cover three different themes or areas of our lives.

The first temptation, which is turning stones into bread, is to satisfy a physical need. Satan is tempting and challenging Jesus on whether He will use His power to help His “physical self”.

The second temptation, which is jumping from the temple, is to satisfy a social or relational need. By placing Himself in a situation where He should have died, not only is Jesus putting God’s protection on the spot, He is also making the bold statement for people to place their focus on Him. When the Jewish leaders see this, they would take note and they may have even drawn the same conclusion that Satan had quoted from Psalms.

The third temptation, which is worshiping Satan, is to shortcut Jesus’ spiritual mission, which is to give the glory to God. Everything Jesus did, from healing, teaching, and assembling a group of disciples all the way to the big mission of the cross was to give God the Father glory. Satan offers Jesus a shortcut to this mission, which Jesus declined.

In these three temptations, we have the three main areas of life present.

The next thing I notice about these three temptations is that they all hinge on the word “if”. The first two hinge on the challenge of whether Jesus is God’s Son, and the third hinges on the idea of worship – and whether it is important or not.

For many of us, worshiping the wrong thing, then repenting and asking for forgiveness is commonplace. However, for Jesus, if He was to be the perfect sacrifice, and a true substitute for our sins, then He must not have any sins of His own. That would mean living a life that there is nothing to repent of and nothing to ask forgiveness for. While we are already sin-stained, Jesus needed to live a life that kept Him from becoming sin-stained in the first place, in order to effectively take our stains onto Himself.

Another thing I notice in these three temptations relates to how Jesus responds to each of the temptations. Not only does Jesus push back at the devil’s challenge, He also quotes a piece of scripture that supports His position. It might be easy for us to think prayer is the answer for temptation, but if we look at Jesus’ temptations, prayer was not the weapon He used. Instead, Jesus used the Old Testament scriptures, and while we also have the New Testament to lean on, if the Old Testament was good enough for Jesus to use when facing temptation, then it should easily be good enough for you and I to use when facing temptations in our own lives.

In all the temptations Jesus faced, the root temptation was to use His own power and position to benefit Himself, and in every case, Jesus resisted the devil. Jesus did not come to strengthen His position in the universe; He came to show us what God the Father is like, and to give His life as a substitute for ours.

Before wrapping this episode up, I also want to point out one more interesting idea within this event. After Satan had tempted Jesus the third time, Jesus tells Satan to go away. The simple detail that Satan obeyed Jesus’ command is evidence that Jesus is stronger than Satan, and that Jesus would ultimately win the cosmic battle against sin.

While I’m sure that we could discover even more themes and layers in this event, this seems like a great place to conclude.

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 if you are facing temptation today, choose to fight back with a passage or promise from the Bible. If you are unsure of what verses to use, be sure pray and ask God for help with finding verses and promises to use.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself. When looking for promises and what God has done, take notes of good verses to combat challenges you are currently facing in life. Also, take note of verses that could be good verses for others to use as well. You never know when a verse you saw might be able to benefit someone else, and I am positive God will lead you to the verses He wants you to use, learn, and grow from when faced with challenges and temptations within your life.

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!