Reflective Bible Study

During Jesus teaching, Matthew describes a point where He shares His big issues with the religious leaders of that time period. While Mark and Luke include a brief summary couple of verses, Matthew devotes almost an entire chapter to this section of Jesus’ words.

In this teaching, Jesus describes one of the ways the scribes and Pharisees are hypocrites: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.” (v. 25-26)

Jesus then restates this idea with a different metaphor saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (v. 27-28)

With these two challenges and warnings, Jesus shares a principle that can help us be wiser. This principle says that our inner lives will ultimately, eventually reflect our outer lives. Applying this principle to these scribes and Pharisees tells us that even though they are putting on a good show and are currently fooling many people, the robbery, self-indulgence, hypocrisy, and lawlessness will eventually come out and taint their outwardly perfect looking lives.

But the challenge Jesus shares with them in this principle is that by fixing their inner lives and getting rid of the sin that his hidden right now, they will be able to keep an outwardly clean life.

It is the same with us living today. While it is easy to fracture ourselves, and show a different side of ourselves whether we are at home, at work, with friends, or sharing online, eventually all the facets of our lives will blend together. If any of the parts, facets, or sides of our lives do not go well together with the other parts, we will have a problem, and the negative parts of our character will bleed over and taint the positive image we are trying to portray.

Jesus’ challenge for everyone listening to Him (including us 2,000ish years later) is to focus on cleaning up our inner, hidden lives, because only by doing this first will we better able to keep the public sides of our lives congruent and clean.

On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Luke includes an interesting instruction that Jesus shares with His disciples during their supper together. In this instruction, Jesus echoes back to an earlier challenge He gave to the disciples.

Luke tells us Jesus sets up this statement by asking the disciples, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” (v. 35a)

The disciples responded by saying, “Nothing.” (v. 35b)

Then Jesus adjusts and updates this earlier command by telling them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.” (v. 36-37)

On the surface, this seems pretty practical. Earlier, it was safe to be associated with Jesus, but from this point forward, being one of Jesus’ followers could potentially be dangerous.

Jesus intended His instructions for each disciple personally moving forward, but they seemed to understand His words as transitioning His ministry into a military one. In this statement, the disciples excitement was felt because Jesus seemed to be preparing for the conquest against the Romans that tradition at the time said would happen. The disciples eagerly tell Jesus, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” (v. 38a)

It’s as though the disciples heard Jesus’ instructions to buy a single sword, and they are excited because they doubled His expectation with two swords. But Jesus, realizing that they have missed His point simply responds, “That’s enough!” (v. 38b)

Jesus was not interested in taking a military role for His ministry. The swords He recommended the disciples purchasing were not intended for offensive action. The swords were simply to be a deterrent for someone else deciding whether or not to attack. One is less likely to attack someone who is armed than one who is not armed.

Following Jesus after His death has been more physically dangerous at some points than at others. Early on, Christians were crucified and fed to lions for sport.

However, following Jesus at this time is less physically dangerous in most places of our world, but the growing danger is one that is a social danger. It is unpopular to associate with Jesus openly, and while the pendulum is swinging away from Christian spirituality, it will only become more unpopular to hold to a Biblical worldview.

But Jesus has called His followers to take the harder, unpopular path – the one that gives glory and honor towards the Father. What Jesus predicted came true. He was numbered with those who broke the law, and He was crucified – but His crucifixion opens the way for us to have eternal life. When we put our belief, faith, hope, and trust in Jesus, we are safe to save for eternity – and eternity lasts longer than today’s popular opinion.

Often in my life, I find myself praying, and then waiting for God to answer. Perhaps you can relate with this experience.

Sometimes these prayers receive a clear response, while other times, I am left waiting for a really long time, and even today, I have some prayers that I’m still waiting to receive or observe an answer for.

However, while we often wait on God, have you ever thought of the idea of God waiting for us? While I’m sure for many, He is waiting for them to repent and return to Him, but I’m actually talking about a different sort of waiting.

In our passage for this entry, have you ever noticed one of Jesus’ most amazing promises: “For I tell you, I will never eat it until it is given its full meaning in the Kingdom of God. . . I tell you that from now on I will not drink this wine until the Kingdom of God comes.” (verses 16, 18)

Jesus promised His disciples that He will wait for them before doing the two most symbolic parts of the last supper ever. Jesus is waiting for His second coming before taking part in communion with us – though when He returns, and we have the big communion feast, there will be an exponentially larger crowd present than the original disciples. This means that Jesus is waiting for you and I as His followers as well.

So what does this mean for us today?

God has a different frame of time than we do. Jesus has been “waiting” for close to 2,000 years and this is because He wants as many people as possible to experience His second “communion-feast”. While we often wait on God, He is also waiting for you and me. When we arrive in Heaven, there will be a feast prepared, and chances are, it will begin with communion – Jesus’ adaptation of the Passover supper.

What are you doing to get ready for that special day?

When we look at the fishing trip the disciples took after Jesus’ resurrection, we can see an amazing picture of how God moves, and how He may choose to work in our lives. When everything has been finished, there is no question left in our minds whether it was God working or not – we just know it.

After this miracle, John tells us that Jesus invites them for breakfast. John also adds that, “None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord.” (v. 12b)

With the massive catch of fish after a night filled with disappointment, every disciple who was present at that breakfast meal had no doubt that the person sitting with them was Jesus. They may not have recognized Jesus as clearly in His resurrected body, but there was no doubt in their minds that it was Him.

This detail John includes in this event is important for us to remember. With this detail, we can learn that just because we don’t recognize Jesus moving in an event, this does not mean that He is absent. Just because an event does not line up with our picture of God, we should not discount the possibility that God has a purpose in mind through what happened.

This even is the case in horrible events as well. Note that God does not cause bad events to happen, but in every bad event that He allows to happen, I believe that He has a way of bringing good from it. What happened may not have been our first choice, and it definitely was not His first choice, but if He allowed it, He can use it for His glory.

In this miracle, none of the disciples truly recognized Jesus like they knew Him before. Following the catch of fish, an unnamed disciple (assumed to be John), identified that the man on the shore must have been Jesus. Prior to that, none of the disciples recognized Him.

Even sitting on the shore next to Jesus, it seems as though the disciples didn’t recognize Him clearly. It seems as though John tells us that each disciple had the question in their minds to ask Jesus who He is, but none of them were brave enough to actually ask – and also because they all believed the man to be Jesus.

This brings us back to this big idea: Just because we don’t recognize Jesus moving in an event does not mean that He is absent. Just because an event does not line up with our picture of God, we should not discount the possibility that God has a purpose in mind through what happened.