Reflective Bible Study

During the last supper Jesus had with His disciples before the crucifixion, Jesus shares a statement that many of us would consider very insensitive and mean. Jesus didn’t have to share anything about the upcoming betrayal, but He chooses to do so, and while trying to keep the other 11 disciples from being surprised at what would happen that night, Jesus actually causes more confusion.

Mark tells us in his gospel that, “While they were all eating, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you will turn against me—one of you eating with me now.’” (v. 18)

This surprises the disciples, and they all have doubts that it could be them. Mark describes their reaction by saying, “The followers were very sad to hear this. Each one began to say to Jesus, ‘I am not the one, am I?’” (v. 19)

It is only after this string of identical questions that Jesus responds, and in His response, we find something incredibly insensitive. Mark tells us that Jesus answered by saying, “It is one of the twelve—the one who dips his bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will die, just as the Scriptures say. But how terrible it will be for the person who hands the Son of Man over to be killed. It would be better for him if he had never been born.” (v. 20-21)

In a subtle but direct statement, Jesus says that it would have been better had Judas Iscariot never been born. That is a pretty mean thing to say. Even though it was predicted that one of Jesus’ followers would betray Him, had Judas Iscariot not been born, or if He had not been chosen as one of the twelve, one of the other disciples would have stepped in to fill that role.

Not only that, but Jesus had been talking about His upcoming death and resurrection for weeks – maybe even months – up to this point, and this truth hadn’t sunk in to the disciples minds. I wonder what would have happened if there was not a betrayer included among Jesus’ followers.

Before time began, everything was put in place to point to that specific weekend. If none of the disciples chose to betray Jesus, I wonder how Jesus’ arrest would have happened. Maybe a Pharisee spy would catch sight of Jesus and His followers leaving the city and go tell the leading priests. Or maybe someone else in the garden would see them and go and turn Jesus’ location in for a reward.

But knowing that Jesus’ betrayal was predicted and knowing that it would happen on that specific night, even though Jesus shares a mean statement, He still loved Judas Iscariot. Right up to the end, He gave Judas every opportunity to change his heart and mind. Jesus knew it was Judas, and instead of kicking Judas out of the disciples circle, He allowed him to stay and He chose to continue loving His betrayer.

This is an amazing picture of God that we don’t usually see. Jesus chose to love the one who betrayed Him, and while it may have been better if Judas Iscariot had never been born, God did bring him into this world, and Jesus chose to love and include Him. This emphasizes the truth that God and Jesus love sinners, including you and me, and even when we mess up, God still loves us.

One of the most widely circulated verses in the “prosperity gospel” crowd can be found during one of Jesus’ famous sermons. While it is hinted at in Matthew’s gospels’ famous “Sermon on the Mount”, Luke describes it in greater detail in the sermon called the “Sermon on the Plain”.

But like what often happens in our sound-bite culture, only half the truth is shared – and in this case, while each verse in Jesus’ key point can stand alone, when put together, we see a clearer theme communicated.

Luke tells us Jesus preached, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (v. 37-38)

Too often, we are tempted to focus on the giving and receiving section of this verse, but Jesus is really describing a principle that relates more towards our attitude than our wealth. The key statement in these two verses is the last one: “For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (v. 38c)

This idea describes not only the giving side of the topic, but the whole attitude focus of both verses. The principle here is that we will get from the world what we give into it. How we look at the world will eventually become the way the world (i.e. others) look at us.

But it isn’t an equal ratio – this principle is intentionally unfair. Linked closer to the final phrase than the one before it, the second last statement speaks to the unfair nature of this principle: “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.” (v. 38b)

Both statements use the word “measure”, but the unfair statement describes how we actually get a more concentrated result than we give. If we chose to extend a little grace on a regular basis, we may find ourselves receiving grace in a much greater, more concentrated forms.

This truth is relevant in all areas of our attitude, but I believe Jesus draws our attention onto these four (judging, condemning, forgiving, and giving) because He knows these have the greatest power over the quality of our lives. A welcoming, friendly, forgiving, generous person is much more pleasant to spend time with than a judgmental, condemning, grudge-keeping, stingy person. Those who follow and apply Jesus’ words will simply have better relationships. These better relationships may translate into more material wealth, but not necessarily.

Nothing in this passage says that the repayment will happen using the same currency or even that it will happen in the same place in history. Jesus’ words are simply a promise that it will happen – and if it doesn’t happen in this life, then God has promised to make it so in the life to come. When we don’t judge, perhaps God chooses not to judge us; when we don’t condemn, perhaps God chooses to not condemn us; when we forgive, perhaps God then forgives us; and when we give, perhaps that becomes an open invitation for God to bless us. It may not happen in the present; God may be saving it for His kingdom that is to come!

If you ever wondered if Jesus was interested in drawing people to Himself, or if the crowds that came were simply first century fans of a celebrity who could work miracles, Matthew’s gospel shares an invitation Jesus shared that has cut through time in its lovingness and simplicity.

Matthew tells us that following one of Jesus’ prayers, He says, “Come to me, all you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest. Become my servants and learn from me. I am gentle and free of pride. You will find rest for your souls. Serving me is easy, and my load is light.” (v. 28-30)

Jesus begins by inviting those in the crowd who feel tired and who feel like they are carrying heavy loads. While Jesus is sharing to a first century crowd, I imagine that description could even work in the 21st century as well. There are plenty of people, myself included, who feel worn out and tired. To those of us who feel this way, Jesus’ simple message is “I will give you rest.” (v. 28b)

After giving the description of who in the crowd He is talking to, Jesus continues the invitation by offering the chance to be His servant and to learn from Him. While serving Jesus is not always popular, it is the best way to learn from Him and test His way of life. Many people write off following Jesus’ example because it does not appear to be logical, or because some aspect of it doesn’t make sense. These people stop before actually starting and never take the opportunity to test Jesus’ words for themselves. Jesus wants to teach us, and we often learn best through experience.

Jesus then shares what He is like. Verse 29 contains His words “I am gentle and free of pride.” Jesus is not in the Messiah business to get a lot of followers or to prove something to someone. Instead, Jesus is humbly offering an invitation to whoever is not satisfied with the life they currently have. Jesus offers something that no other way of life can offer: With Jesus, “You will find rest for your souls.” (v. 29b)

Serving Jesus is easy, and the load He gives is light when compared to our other options. Every other system of faith or way of life focuses on what we can do, have done, or are capable of doing in the future. With Jesus, the focus is not on our ability or actions, but on His ability and His actions. Jesus didn’t place the focus onto Himself to show how worthy He was to be a Messiah. Instead, Jesus offered to take the consequences of those He loves onto Himself, and to give these people the freedom and opportunity of a new life with a restored relationship with God.

In probably one of the most redemptive and life-altering conversations following the crucifixion, Jesus invites Peter to follow again. After the three times Peter denied being associated with Jesus, chances are that he believed Jesus to have given up on him. Following the crucifixion, Jesus finds Peter back fishing, along with a number of other disciples.

Jesus meets them on the shore and they share breakfast together. It is after their breakfast that Jesus addresses Peter – which is a conversation that Peter was likely dreading. John tells us that Jesus asks Peter the same question three times, but while the translation into English makes these questions identical, there is an interesting wordplay involved in the Greek.

The first two times Jesus asks Peter the question, Jesus uses the Greek word “agapao” to describe the idea of love. This angle of love the Amplified Bible translation describes as “with total commitment and devotion”. The agapao love is a selfless and committed love towards another. In each case, Peter responds using a different word for love: “phileo”. The Amplified Bible translation describes this love as “with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend”. The phileo love is more like a very close friend love.

I believe these first two questions are important because in them, Jesus pushes Peter to move past where he had been and into a deeper understanding of God.

The third time Jesus asks the question, Jesus echoes Peter’s word for love by asking if Peter “phileo”-loved Him. I’m not sure if this shift breaks Peter’s heart, or if it instead links to another interesting dynamic that happens in this brief conversation.

After Peter’s response to each question, Jesus makes an interesting statement that is unique to each question. After the first question and response, Jesus tells Peter to “Feed my lambs.” (v. 15)

I read this challenge as Jesus telling Peter to help the young, growing Christians – whether these young Christians are children, or whether they are older in age but newer to the faith. Perhaps, Jesus used the word “agapao” to describe that this is the type of love that one would need when helping this group of Christians.

After the second question and response, Jesus tells Peter to “Take care of my sheep.” (v. 16)

In this response, I see Jesus challenging Peter to help those who are hurting, aging, or otherwise needing some form of help. Some other translations describe this idea as “Shepherd my sheep”. Again, I wonder if Jesus used the word “agapao” to describe the type of love one would/should have when shepherding others.

After the third question and response, Jesus begins by telling Peter to “Feed my sheep.” (v. 17)

This third response Jesus gives echoes the first response, but I see it challenging Peter to help otherwise mature Christians grow. Like the other two statements, I wonder if Jesus chose the different Greek word for love (“phileo”) because this type of love would work best for this group of Christians.

Jesus then cryptically describes how Peter will end his life. From how the author places the side-note in the text, it is possible that he wrote it after Peter had died. Jesus then re-invites Peter to follow Him.

In these three challenges, I see challenges for each of us as followers of Jesus. We are to help the young members of our faith grow in their relationship with God/Jesus; we are to help those among us who are hurting and in need of strength and encouragement; and we are to challenge the mature members of our faith to deepen their relationship with God, Jesus, and each other. Each task requires a certain type of love, and in this conversation with Peter, Jesus helps us by describing the type of followers He wants us to be.