Reflective Bible Study

In this journal entry, we will be looking at a significant miracle that Jesus performed, but in a slightly different way than how it is usually looked at. Matthew 15:32-39 tells us of the parable where Jesus fed the crowd with seven loaves of bread and some small fish. What is amazing to me is how the disciples respond to Jesus after this event had happened before (Matthew 14:13-21), by saying “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?” (v. 33)

This frames the big thought I had while reading this passage: Too often, our past successes and victories are minimized or forgotten in light of today’s problems.

Jesus previously performed the miracle that was even more miraculous (5 loaves + 2 fish = 5000 men vs. 7 loaves + a few fish = 4000 men), but for some reason, the disciples had minimized the past miracles in light of the present problem.

Do we fall into this trap in our own lives today? Are we forgetting everything that God has brought us through and doubt that he has a plan leading us forward?

Of all the challenging concepts we can look at in Jesus’ teaching, one concept stands out in my mind as probably the most challenging of all. Of all the warnings Jesus ever gave, one seems to top the list of being the most significant. And this concept and warning are included in this passage.

In this passage, Jesus shares something we can never be forgiven for, and this seems very odd or backwards for a God who loves each of us so much that He would come and die for us while we were actively sinning against Him.

But in three verses of our passage, Jesus shares a startling truth about something that we cannot be forgiven for. Jesus says, “If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you don’t gather in the harvest with me, you scatter it. I tell you that any sinful thing you do or say can be forgiven. Even if you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven, either in this life or in the life to come.” (v. 30-32)

Like I opened by saying, the extreme nature of this warning makes it one that we all should pay attention to. If there is something we can do that we will never be forgiven for, it would be worth us discovering what it is so that we can avoid even coming close to it.

In this passage, we see two clear sides: Those who are on Jesus’ side, gathering in the harvest; and those who are against Him, who are not gathering the harvest – making them part of a group that scatters it.

And immediately after setting the stage Jesus says, “any sinful thing you do or say can be forgiven. Even if you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven.” The side we are on is not set in stone. We are free to choose to move away from Jesus like we are free to move towards Him. Jesus starts by saying that there is nothing we can do or say that cannot be forgiven. Even the Pilate, the crowd demanding crucifixion, the chief priests, and everyone else involved in Jesus’ death is eligible to be forgiven.

But Mark’s gospel shares with us why Jesus said this: “Jesus said this because the people were saying that he had an evil spirit in him.” (Mark 3:30)

Mark helps us frame Jesus’ statement, and it gives a clear direction for us to understand what Jesus is warning here. Jesus is pointing us to be careful about discounting what God is doing in people’s lives. Sure we can discount Jesus, and many people do, but if we are skeptical of the Holy Spirit and how He is moving in people’s lives, we are unlikely to accept Him moving in our own life. Without the Holy Spirit to draw us to Jesus, we can never be saved.

Any word we say or action we do can be forgiven, but if we place ourselves on the opposite side of the Holy Spirit, we can never be forgiven because we will have ultimately rejected God and His Spirit drawing us to repent. By rejecting the Holy Spirit, we are rejecting the only thing that can draw us to realize our need for God.

At the close of Jesus sharing His thoughts on John the Baptist, He makes an interesting observation that is surprisingly relevant for us living today.

Verses 31-35 share Jesus big idea:

 Then Jesus said, “What shall I say about the people of this time? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, calling to one another and saying,

‘We played music for you, but you did not dance;
    we sang a sad song, but you did not cry.’

John the Baptist came and did not eat bread or drink wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon in him.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine, and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is proved to be right by what it does.”

In these verses, Jesus basically describes a group of people who are engaged with what is happening around them who are getting no reaction from others who are too busy to pay attention to the world around them. If there is reason to celebrate, these people ignore or discount the celebration and don’t join in; and if there is reason to be sad, these people ignore that as well, and simply go on with their lives.

This is strikingly similar to today. In today’s connected culture, there are people who are giving reasons to celebrate and reasons to cry all the time. It has gotten to the point that many people give up and simply disconnect – which in many ways is not a bad thing.

However, disconnecting from the superficial relationships online is not the same as disconnecting from the real relationships offline, and while offline, we should remain connected with others.

Jesus shares His big point immediately following this that says there will always be people who discount someone based on what they do or don’t do. People discounted John because he lived apart from society, while these same people discounted Jesus because He lived incorporated into society. For some people, there is no happy middle. For some people, they will always find something negative to say.

Jesus didn’t come for those people. He came to help the people who were willing to accept Him. If Jesus lived in such a way that not everyone agreed with His decisions and ministry, who are we to think that our ministries should be relevant and/or agree with everyone? If Jesus couldn’t please everyone, there is no way you or I will be able to.

Instead, like Jesus, we should focus on the people God brings our way, and ignore those who are going to ignore or discount us.

During one of the conversations Jesus has, He shares something that I find incredibly profound and powerful. In verse 18, Jesus shares, “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

Jesus is talking about Himself, and how He came to glorify God to humanity. He is taking the role of an ambassador (someone who goes to a foreign country and represents the leaders in the home country) and as an ambassador, His purpose is to direct the glory to God and not on Himself.

This paints an interesting idea if we broaden the idea from being exclusively on Jesus to focusing on God’s church. If we are truly being disciples of Jesus, we will be focused on giving God the glory, because He is who sent us, just as He sent Jesus. If we are seeking our own glory, then we are speaking for ourselves and there may be unrighteousness in us.

Giving God the glory—all the glory—is what we have been called to do as ambassadors of God’s Kingdom. Giving God all the glory will guard against pride creeping into our lives. Pride comes when we seek our own glory, and according to this verse, seeking our own glory comes alongside speaking from ourselves—which is also counter to the nature of Jesus.

When we give God the glory He deserves (which is all of it if you are honest with yourself), God will hold up the closing phrase in this verse and work to cleanse you from your unrighteousness. This is what scholars call “sanctification”, and it is the work of God cleansing your life, throughout the span of your life, as you continually grow closer and closer to Him. Giving God the glory—all the glory—leads to a sanctified life with God!