Reflective Bible Study

In one of the most famous events in all four gospels, Jesus turns what is a hopelessly small meal for a small boy into a lunch that was able to feed over five thousand people. However, while all four gospels include this event, only the gospel of John gives details about where the food came from – and how the food ultimately reached Jesus.

After Jesus has challenged the disciples to get food, we read about an unlikely turn of events. “One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?’” (v. 8-9)

What stands out to me in this event is the appearance of Andrew. This lesser known disciple was the brother of the famous disciple Simon Peter, the one who was looked to as a leader of the group of disciples, and the one who always seemed to either say something that was out of line or something that was incredibly profound.

Aside from Peter, James, and John, who were Jesus’ closest disciples, most of the other disciples don’t show up much by name in the gospels. There are Thomas, Matthew, Philip, and Andrew who occasionally appear, and there is Judas Iscariot who was the one to betray Jesus.

However, John tells us in his gospel that this was Andrew who brought the boy with his lunch to offer it to Jesus. This event in some ways echoes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, where Andrew chooses to follow Jesus, and then he goes to get his brother and share with him the news that Jesus is the Messiah.

Andrew is the model disciple who is always seen bringing people to Jesus. While he wasn’t one of the most famous in the group of twelve, he may have been the most persuasive.

In our own lives, we might not be the most famous followers of Jesus, but we still can share what we know with others and we can still help others by simply bringing them to Jesus.

If Jesus made any obvious, challenging statements during His ministry, a statement in the passage we are focusing on is likely to show up on the list.

One of the relevant things Jesus liked to talk about was money, but this was not because He was fixated on gaining wealth, but because He knew those in His audience living in the first century did have a tendency to focus on what they had in their bank accounts and on growing that number. This characteristic of human nature is probably the one that is the most universal throughout human history.

Into this discussion, Jesus gives a very obvious statement – one that most everyone can agree on: “You cannot be the slave of two masters!” (v. 24a)

In case there was any doubtful thoughts in the minds of those present listening, Jesus explains further, “You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other.” (v. 24a)

With this emphasis in place, Jesus has the whole crowd in agreement. Even in situations where one has two bosses, an individual will not be equally loyal to both. If the two bosses agree on something, then everything is great, but if they disagree, then the individual may be forced to choose who gets the greater loyalty.

While this is a very practical, but obvious statement, Jesus then hits His key point for this illustration: “You cannot serve both God and money.” (v. 24b)

“Wait Jesus,” I can hear many in the crowd saying. “You mean we cannot be rich and servants of God?”

This conclusion is what many people who have read this verse have concluded, but I don’t think it is as straightforward as that. Otherwise, one’s estate would be a great measure of their Godliness.

Instead, I believe Jesus’ hinge statement in the middle of this verse is the key that we must pay attention to: “You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other.”

This relates to the money discussion because while following God’s principles can lead to very wise money management, there may be times when God calls you to give. It is in the times when we are called to give freely that serving money clashes with serving God. It is in these moments when we must choose whether serving God is the higher priority, or serving the growth of our bank account.

When following God increases our bank accounts, we feel this is a win-win. But when God calls us to give, we learn where our loyalty and focus really is.

On discovering that John the Baptist was not claiming to be Elijah, “the Prophet”, or the Messiah, John the disciple’s gospel includes an amazing statement in this conversation between Jesus’ forerunner in ministry and the priests and Levites.

After John the Baptist has shared that he is simply the one who comes before, “They asked him, and said to him, ‘Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’” (v. 25)

This is a valid question. If John makes no claims to be special or significant, than what would give him the right to baptize?

While we learn the reason later on in this passage, the point in time when John shares why he baptizes happens the following day. In John’s direct reply to the priests and Levites, we find a surprising foreshadowing regarding how these spiritual leaders would react to Jesus.

John responds to these messengers by saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” (v. 26-27)

In this response, John the Baptist calls these leaders out that they do not know the One who God sent. In many ways this is true, however, Jesus had already subtly showed up on the scene. Jesus had already been baptized publicly by John, but even before this, Jesus had already spent three days in Jerusalem with some of these leaders about 18 years earlier when He was 12 years old.

John confidently challenges these leaders that the One God sent to Israel is alive among them, but also that they would not know Him. This man would follow after John and John admits that he isn’t worthy to even untie the sandal of the One God sent.

John’s statement is amazing foreshadowing, since all throughout Jesus’ ministry, the religious leaders – who should have been the ones to proclaim who Jesus was – were the ones who were standing in the strongest opposition to what He was doing.

One of the interesting events that stand out in my mind happens in the passage we are going to focus on in this journal entry. While there are many places where Jesus casts out impure spirits (or “demons” depending on the translation), there are two interesting distinctions that separate these healings from other similar ones included in the gospels.

On one Sabbath, as Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, a man with an impure spirit interrupts Jesus by shouting, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (v. 34)

Probably not even looking the slightest bit phased, we read Jesus’ response in the next verse: “‘Be quiet!’ Jesus said sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.” (v. 35)

That evening, after word had spread about what happened, more people bring their sick and demon-possessed family members to have Jesus heal them. Luke tells us, “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.” (v. 40-41)

In both of these cases, the demons were declaring the truth about who Jesus was, and Jesus silenced them from speaking.

Why would Jesus want to silence these impure spirits? After all, wouldn’t Jesus benefit from being known for who He was?

While there are a number of reasons for not allowing the demons to speak, probably the most notable one is that anything that comes from a liar’s mouth cannot be trusted. If the evil spirits could lie about other things, how would anyone know if what they say here is a lie or the truth? Even though a declaration about who you are carries some weight when it comes from your enemy, if your enemy is a known liar, then there is no way for others to know if he is lying or telling the truth.

Also worth noting is that the popular belief about who the Messiah would be was different than the Messiah Jesus came to be. The people expected a military-minded messiah, not a meek and selfless Messiah. Jesus knew that if too many people knew He was God’s promised Messiah, they might rally around who they think He should be rather than being open to who He really came to be. If too many people knew the truth too soon, they could derail the focus of His mission.

So Jesus keep the demons quiet, in order for Him to build His ministry on His own terms – and not in a way that might jeopardize His ultimate mission of dying for our sins on the cross.