Reflective Bible Study

Following Jesus’ resurrection, the impression I get from the gospels is that things were a little chaotic – at least at first. Out of this confusion over whether Jesus had truly been raised from the dead, we find an amazing event that Luke includes in detail in his gospel record. This event includes two of Jesus’ followers, one who is not named, and another who is only included once in the entire New Testament, at least by this name. Some scholars speculate that the disciple who is named in this event is also the same one that is found in another event that John’s gospel includes, but this is speculation based on the names being very similar.

Our event is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 24, and we will be reading from the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 13, Luke tells us that later on during the day that Jesus was resurrected, two of Jesus’ followers:

¹³ [And behold, two of them] were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. ¹⁷ And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” ¹⁹ And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, ²⁰ and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. ²¹ But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. ²² But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” ²⁵ And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” ²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Let’s pause reading here because I want to point out that I wish Luke could have included the breakdown in detail that Jesus gave to these two followers. While I imagine that most of what Jesus shares is included in the gospels, it would have been incredible to hear Jesus explain His own life and mission using prophecy, first-hand and without holding anything back.

It’s also worth noting that aside from the women who had seen some angels, and Mary Magdalene who John’s gospel tells us stayed behind and thought Jesus was a gardener at first, it seems like these two less famous disciples were the second and third to see a resurrected Jesus. In many ways, the trip these two disciples take with the resurrected Messiah was more profound than Mary’s short conversation.

Continuing our reading in verse 28, Luke tells us that as:

²⁸ [And] they approached the village where they were going, [Jesus] acted as though He were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. ³² They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” ³³ And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.”

Part of me wondered if the unnamed disciple in this passage was one of Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples. However, when we look closely at Luke’s description of what these disciples find after they had raced back to Jerusalem, they find the eleven and a number of other followers with them. This makes it sound like neither one of these two followers was part of Jesus’ eleven remaining closest disciples.

What was a trip that took hours for these men going away from Jerusalem could be measured in minutes as they raced back to the city. But while everything in this event is powerful and profound, one subtle theme stands out in my mind regarding the character of these two followers of Jesus: these two disciples are rewarded the greatest because they displayed hospitality towards a stranger.

If it had not been for Jesus acting like He was going to keep going, and had these disciples not insisted that this stranger come spend the night at their place before continuing on, these two followers would not have known that Jesus was the One who explained the scripture to them. If these two disciples had let Jesus continue on the road without pressing Him to stay with them, they probably would not have made the trip back to Jerusalem that night. Perhaps the next day they would have returned with the good news and explanation that a stranger gave them, but it wouldn’t have been that night.

Also interesting is that these two disciples never once imply or suggest to go back to Jerusalem with their stranger-friend – or at least Luke never implies that this happened. Part of me wonders if these two followers were so amazed at what they were learning from their Companion’s explanation of prophecy,,,,,,, that they simply didn’t think of asking their fellow Traveler to return to Jerusalem,,,,,, and share what He was sharing with them to the other disciples. They may have just thought or concluded that they would bring the news and information to the rest of the disciples on another day.

But regardless of what happened, hospitality towards a stranger led to these two disciples’ eyes being opened, and they, similar to Mary who didn’t recognize Jesus at first, experience the amazement of realizing that they had been talking directly to Jesus.

Living over 2000 years later, I find myself being less hospitable than these two disciples are. It is not that I wouldn’t be hospitable if I could, but culture, life, and travel are significantly different now than it was then, and even picking up a hitch-hiker has fallen out of favor with many people. But I also wonder if the way our culture has shifted has led to many of us, myself included, missing out on God directed meetings because we are too busy, too distracted, and/or too narrowly focused in on the demands of the moment to pay attention to what God wants to share with us.

So as we come to the close of another podcast episode, let’s focus our end-of-this-podcast challenges on this theme and topic:

As I always challenge you to do, be sure to seek God first in your life and be open to following His leading. On the topic of being hospitable towards others, look for people who God brings into your life who need help, need encouragement, or perhaps simply need a friend. As we seek God first, let’s be sure to intentionally be open to God redirecting our path and plans to allow for meetings that He wants us to have. This challenge is really aimed at me because is one of those challenges that is harder for me as a shy introverted guy than it is for someone like my wife who can make a friendship out of thin air.

Also, be sure to prayerfully study the Bible for yourself in order to grow closer to God and build a stronger relationship with Him. With a strong, close relationship with God, we will be more likely to recognize the ways He wants to redirect us and we will be more likely to experience the God-inspired conversations and connections that He wants us to have.

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!

When looking at the details the gospel writers share about the resurrection, Matthew’s gospel includes a phrase that is very powerful, while also being very easy to overlook. The idea implied in Matthew’s gospel is the powerful truth that once a lie has been said or spoken, it is difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to break through that lie with the truth.

Even today, for years, and maybe even decades and/or centuries, myths that have been proven false have kept circulating because some lies are easier to believe than the truth. Some people might say that the Bible is one such myth, but time and time again, even though the ways the Bible has been vindicated are not widely popularized, the Bible contains way more truth than error, even with its flaws.

Within the resurrection account in Matthew’s gospel, we learn that the religious leaders start a lie about Jesus and His disciples, and in the details of this event, we discover how hard it can be to actually change some people’s minds. Our passage for this episode is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 28, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 11, Matthew tells us that:

¹¹ Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. ¹² And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³ and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

Did you catch that last part of this passage? “This story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.”

Matthew clearly states that the priests and religious leaders start this lie and in many ways, the lie is more believable than the miraculous resurrection that Jesus’ followers proclaimed.

However, if we look closer at this lie, I am amazed that the details of this lie are incredibly incriminating. In this lie, the religious leaders bribe the soldiers to say that they fell asleep while on the job, which is something you would only do if you wanted to lose your job, or in the case of the military at that time, you might lose more than your job if caught sleeping. The religious leaders bribe the soldiers to say that they “failed at their job”.

While believing in a resurrection is challenging on one hand, the lie these religious leaders bribe into existence is surprisingly ridiculous. It is ridiculous to think that some scared disciples could overpower a group of armed soldiers, and it is equally ridiculous to think that these scared civilian disciples could silently and secretly roll the large boulder away from the entrance of the tomb while every single guard slept. Even if some of the guards had been heavy sleepers, all it would take is one twig to break and one light sleeping soldier to foil a plan.

It is also worth pointing out that if every guard was sleeping, there is a logical challenge that said how the guards would know it was the disciples who stole Jesus’ body. If the guards woke up as the disciples were running away, it wouldn’t have been difficult for a soldier to catch someone carrying a heavy corpse, and there would have been a dead disciple, and multiple corpses placed back in the tomb.

All this to say that a guard who failed at his job was liable at the very least to lose his job, if not lose his life. A whole garrison of guards who failed because they fell asleep is the ultimate bad excuse that any sane governor would need to punish. Part of me wonders if word ever did make it to the governor’s ears, and if so, if the governor was actually satisfied with the excuses the priests and leaders gave. Another part of me wonders if the governor discovered the lie and learned that his soldiers actually were overpowered by an angel.

Another detail about this lie doesn’t make sense in my mind. This additional detail is why someone would promote a rumor about themselves failing at a task when their failure could cost them their life. People usually brag about successes, and what the soldiers share is a monumental failure. The soldiers’ failure is such a bad failure that it almost isn’t believable as well.

However, let’s take another step back. In this event, the priests and leaders had already convinced themselves that Jesus was not special or significant, and specifically that Jesus was not from God. The religious leaders repeatedly pushed back at Jesus while He was teaching, healing, and spreading good news about God. These religious leaders built their lie about Jesus long before crucifixion and resurrection weekend.

The lie the religious leaders believed about Jesus not being from God was behind them pushing for Jesus’ execution, and it is what led them to bribe the next lie about a stolen body into existence. In the minds of these religious leaders, Jesus could not have been raised from the dead because Jesus was clearly not from God. Instead, the only explanation left was that His disciples stole the body.

What happened that weekend surrounding the religious leaders bribing a lie into existence is fascinating for another reason. Because soldiers were present guarding the tomb, in an ironic turn of events, the priests and Jewish leaders were the first to learn about the resurrection. While the women were confused at an empty tomb and headed to share their confusion with Jesus’ disciples, the chief priests and religious leaders are receiving a report about the resurrection from the soldiers they posted at the tomb.

In a similar way that many people don’t think of, at the beginning of the gospel of Luke, the priest Zechariah is the first to learn about God paving the way for Jesus through His forerunner John the Baptist. Now at the point Jesus is resurrected following His crucifixion, the priests are again the first people to know about the resurrection – and these priests have enough witnesses among these guards to validate the story in a court.

While the disciples take the testimony of the women who visited the empty tomb as enough evidence to go check it out for themselves, the religious leaders get their testimony from men and dismiss it in favor of their lie. This isn’t meant to be a sexist statement; instead it is a statement focused on the first century culture and time.

Looking again at the lie the religious leaders bribe into existence, we discover that this lie is easily dismissible. The simple event that would need to happen to dismiss this lie is actually seeing the resurrected Jesus and then the lie would be exposed as a lie. Over the forty days between Jesus being resurrected and ascending to heaven, this is what we discover happened. Over that span of time, Jesus appeared to individuals and groups in a variety of ways leading up to His return to heaven.

However, how do we know which story is true? How can we know whether Jesus really was resurrected or whether His disciples stole the body? Only one of these records can be true.

Like we began this episode by saying, a lie is almost impossible to unstick once it has been spoken or written, and even decades after Jesus’ resurrection, when Matthew sat down to write out His gospel letter, he points out that this lie was still circulating. When faced with these two conflicting ideas, how should we judge the validity of each?

In my mind, the first thing to look at is the evidence of those who believed when they died. Hundreds of first century believers were executed for their belief in the resurrection, and they all died believing the resurrection was a historical fact. Every one of Jesus’ remaining eleven disciples was executed for their faith, and each one believed the resurrection was a historical fact.

To counter this narrative, Matthew’s gospel shares a private conversation between the priests and the guards, meaning that either Matthew made up a source for the lie, or one of the guards defected and told Matthew the truth. I suspect that Matthew would have had soldier friends from his time as a tax collector, so Matthew learning and including a detail in his gospel the other gospel writers didn’t is not surprising to me.

In closing, while in most cases, lies are easier to believe than the truth, the simple truth we should remember is that wherever lies are present, the truth will come to light eventually – and when it does, it is up to us to examine the evidence and choose the truth. In this case, our eternity depends on it!

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 look for things that reveal His truth. While lies are often easier to believe in the short term than the truth, the truth is the only reality that will ultimately set you free.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself so you can accurately identify truth from error when you see it. The Bible has stood the test of time and has reliably helped people for thousands of years.

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!

Following Jesus’ death on the cross, a previously unknown follower of Jesus steps onto the scene. The gospel of Matthew tells us three key details about the man known as Joseph of Arimathea, but while we don’t know many more details about this disciple, the role he plays when finally entering the gospel story is incredibly significant.

All four gospels share about Joseph, and John even goes the extra step in his gospel of including another secret disciple, Nicodemus, in his narrative.

However, instead of focusing in on what John describes, Matthew’s gospel includes a unique interlude event between Jesus’ death and resurrection, and for this reason, we will look at Matthew’s gospel for this podcast episode. Our event can be found in Matthew, chapter 27, and we will be reading from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 57, Matthew tells us:

⁵⁷ That evening a rich disciple named Joseph from the town of Arimathea ⁵⁸ went and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate gave orders for it to be given to Joseph, ⁵⁹ who took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. ⁶⁰ Then Joseph put the body in his own tomb that had been cut into solid rock and had never been used. He rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb and went away.

⁶¹ All this time Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb.

Let’s pause reading here to draw our attention onto a couple of interesting details. This is the part of our event that all four gospel writers include, and we really only are given three relevant details about Joseph, the previously unknown disciple of Jesus.

The first detail I will mention is perhaps the least relevant to us living today. This detail is that Joseph was from Arimathea. Perhaps this was significant to people living in the region during the first century, but for our discussion happening over 2,000 years later, this detail is less significant.

The second detail, which comes a couple of verses later, was that Joseph owned a tomb that had never been used. This detail is significant because it was where he planned on burying Jesus’ body. In essence, Joseph planned on donating his tomb to Jesus. Whether Joseph believed Jesus would come back to life in a few days, or whether he was willing to give up his planned final resting place for Jesus to use, we see a unique but relevant gift to God in Joseph of Arimathea’s gift of a tomb.

The third detail is that Joseph was rich. This detail would be irrelevant except for the fact that he is introduced as being rich, which either implies that his wealth bought him influence with those in power in Judea, or that a portion of his riches were used to buy Jesus’ body from Pilate.

While all the gospel writers imply that Joseph simply asked for Jesus’ body, it would be irrelevant information to describe him as rich unless his riches were important to the narrative. I wonder if some of the Jewish leaders were upset with themselves for not asking for Jesus’ body themselves. While the request from anyone would have been considered out of the ordinary, Jesus’ enemies would have had ample reason for requesting Jesus’ body as Matthew soon points out.

Matthew, as well as several of the other gospels, point out that some women watched everything that happened, and while this is a side-note for our passage here, this detail becomes very relevant on resurrection morning.

After sharing the details about the women watching Joseph of Arimathea burying Jesus, Matthew goes on to describe something that none of the other gospels share. Picking back up in verse 62, Matthew tells that:

⁶² On the next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate. ⁶³ They said, “Sir, we remember what that liar said while he was still alive. He claimed that in three days he would come back from death. ⁶⁴ So please order the tomb to be carefully guarded for three days. If you don’t, his disciples may come and steal his body. They will tell the people that he has been raised to life, and this last lie will be worse than the first one.”

⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “All right, take some of your soldiers and guard the tomb as well as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they sealed it tight and placed soldiers there to guard it.

These details are incredibly significant for us to pay attention to. Nowhere in any of the gospels is the idea even hinted that the disciples were planning on stealing the body to spread a lie that Jesus rose again. This concern originated directly with the chief priests and Pharisees.

This is important for us to pay attention to for two reasons. The first is that the religious leaders set themselves up for depending on this lie even when it could easily be disproved. Because they craft this lie before anything has even happened which might warrant them using it, they blind themselves to the possibility that there would be a much better story they could spread. While a resurrected Jesus is hard to believe, so is a group of soldiers sleeping on the job while what they are guarding gets stolen from behind a sealed heavy stone. Equally unbelievable is a group of untrained men overpowering a band of highly skilled soldiers.

But the second reason we should pay attention to Matthew’s event is much more significant than the first. The only reason there were guards at the tomb and not disciples was because the Jewish leaders had more faith in Jesus’ words than even Jesus’ followers had. The religious leaders paid attention to Jesus’ message about being resurrected on the third day, while it would seem that either the disciples missed this message entirely, or they had dismissed it because of their preconceived ideas about who the Messiah would be.

Roman guards posted at the tomb, while posted there at the demands of the Jewish leaders, become the most valid testimony of a resurrected Jesus that could have been asked for. If the guards wouldn’t have been present at the tomb, then no one would have witnessed the resurrection and Jesus’ disciples would have been just as confused as the religious leaders. Instead, we find a group of religious leaders with a lie premade for their worst possible fear, and a group of followers who are confused when learning about an empty tomb.

Joseph of Arimathea’s gift was perfectly timed because it gave everyone the ability to track where Jesus body lay, and the fact that He was resurrected. Had Jesus’ body simply been thrown into the dump of bodies or into the trash heap to be burned, there would have been no way to prove or disprove a resurrection because no one would have known where the original body lay.

The gift Joseph gives Jesus saves the Easter story, because it gave the followers of Jesus – women included – a place to look for Jesus at, it gave the Jewish leaders a place to seal and watch closely, and it gave the Roman soldiers a clear place to guard. Joseph’s gift led a group of Roman soldiers into being the first witnesses of a resurrected Jewish Messiah – and perhaps some of these soldiers were among those who beat and mocked Jesus just days earlier.

We have been forgiven because of what happened on Calvary, but it is up to us to accept the forgiveness God offers, and place our trust, hope, and belief in Jesus for our ultimate salvation.

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

As I always open these challenges by saying, intentionally seek God first in your life. Also, accept God’s forgiveness and move forward in life trusting and leaning on Jesus for your salvation.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue intentionally prayerfully studying the Bible for yourself to grow closer to God and to help develop a better understanding of who He is and what He is like.

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 lose sight of where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Over the past year, which I’ve loosely called our first chronological year moving through the gospels, we have been progressively moving forward through Jesus’ life and ministry looking at events that happened while He was here on earth. This episode marks the climax of Jesus’ life and ministry, and it focuses our attention onto something that happened while Jesus was hanging on the cross. While it is very tempting to jump to a different gospel that might give more or less insight on this event, the way Matthew frames what happened while Jesus was hanging on the cross is amazing in my mind.

Let’s read what happened. Our passage for this episode is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 27, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 38, Matthew tells us that:

³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

While reading this passage, I am reminded of a question I had a while ago. This question wondered whether Jesus had one big temptation that Satan pushed His way over the course of His life.

At the start of Jesus’ ministry, He is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted, and the three temptations He faced are very significant. Also, throughout His ministry, Jesus is faced with many challenges. However, in the last weeks, days, and hours of Jesus’ life, He seems to be faced with one temptation that appeared to intensify the closer He comes to it – and that temptation is avoiding the cross.

Nothing about crucifixion weekend was a surprise to Jesus. While the disciples were all surprised with the crucifixion, and while Judas Iscariot happened to be the betrayer, none of the disciples believed Jesus would ultimately face the cross. Even Judas Iscariot, who chose to betray Jesus, believed Jesus would maneuver a way out of the religious leader’s trial and hostile plan. When Judas Iscariot realized Jesus wasn’t seeking to free Himself, Judas tried in vain to undo what he had done. Prior to the banquet where Jesus is anointed with expensive perfume, Judas likely didn’t have any clue that a traitor would show up within the twelve closest followers – or even that he would be that guy.

In my mind, leading up to the cross, I suspect Jesus’ big temptation was simply to avoid the cross and all the pain that would be associated with it. Even though no one in Jesus’ life could see it, for over three years of ministry, and over a decade more during His time living at home, Jesus knew and understood the cross as His end goal.

However, in our passage for this episode, Jesus has succeeded fighting off this temptation, because He is now on the cross. While some might think that Jesus’ temptations would now be minor in comparison, a new temptation presents itself and this new temptation might be even more powerful than the temptation to avoid the cross. Before being nailed to the cross Jesus had the option of, and the temptation to, avoid it entirely; after being nailed to the cross, Jesus faced the temptation to come down off of it.

While reading this passage and focusing on what the crowd says while they are mocking Jesus, we see a clear challenge and temptation for Jesus to prove who He was. We also see Satan behind all these challenges. In each of the three temptations in the wilderness, Satan beings by saying the words, “If you are the Son of God”, and here in our passage, this same challenge is repeated in the last half of verse 40, “Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

The only way this temptation works is if Jesus really had the power to come down from the cross. The two rebels did not have this power, but Jesus did. It was fully within Jesus’ ability to come off of the cross. However, if Jesus had chosen to display this power, everything He would have worked to accomplish would have been lost. If Jesus abandoned the cross, Satan would have won – and the empty belief the priests and Jewish leaders were promising to give to Jesus would have meant nothing.

The insults thrown at Jesus while He is on the cross range from challenging Jesus’ ability, to challenging His mission, to tempting Him with additional people who will believe, all the way to challenging Jesus’ faith and trust in God.

In the few minutes we have left in this episode, let’s look closer at these temptations.

The first temptation Jesus faced was challenging His ability to come off of the cross. However, it did not occur to those present that, Jesus also had the choice to stay on the cross. Jesus chose to stay on the cross because His mission was more important than showing off His ability.

The second temptation Jesus faced challenged His mission. However, no one present even suspected or considered that hanging on the cross was the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission to this earth. Jesus fulfilled His mission on the cross because it is the way for His followers to receive salvation.

The third temptation Jesus faced challenged Him as the king of Israel. However, this temptation only works for someone who is interested in seeking glory, status, and position for themselves. Jesus was crowned King, but He chose to only accept this glory from God the Father after ascending into heaven and not from a group of hate-filled humans.

The last temptation that Matthew draws our attention onto is whether God would want to rescue Jesus from the cross. From Jesus’ perspective, this is a challenge of doubt, but it also is a challenge that is more directed towards God the Father Himself. In a similar way to Jesus’ big temptation being centered on the cross, whether it was avoiding it or coming down from it, God the Father’s gets drawn into this temptation because at His Son’s greatest moment of need, the temptation is present to rescue Jesus from the cross.

However, in all these temptations, both Jesus and God the Father kept a larger time frame in view. All the temptations present in this event focused on the moment of pain, and shortening or avoiding it. While I am sure it was difficult to do in the moment, both Jesus and God kept their perspective on eternity. While this moment in time is arguably the darkest point in all of human history, God the Father and Jesus kept their perspective on the big picture, and on how this sacrifice would open the way for all of God’s people to experience eternity with God in heaven.

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

As I always challenge you do to, intentionally seek God first in your life and if you are facing a big temptation or a challenge to your faith, consider meeting the problem with a broader frame of time. While problems we face today seem big, if we expand out the challenge we have today and look at it from the perspective of our lifetime, almost none of today’s problems seems that big.

For encouragement and because I always challenge you to do so, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself. As you read and study, look for examples of how God has worked behind the scenes to help those who trust in Him. I’m positive you will discover more places where God helped than you first realized or thought.

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!