Reflective Bible Study

One of the concepts in the Bible that I feel has been misrepresented is an idea that we can find in the event our passage focuses in on. This event is included in three of the four gospels, and every gospel writer includes it in almost the exact same way.

When Jesus and the disciples leave the synagogue and arrive at Peter’s mother-in-law’s home, they find her sick in bed with a fever. Matthew tells us, “When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.” (v. 14-15)

Mark shares about the exact same thing when He describes what happened: “Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.” (Mark 1:30-31)

Luke includes this detail as well when Jesus and the disciples arrive at the house: “Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.” (Luke 4:38-39)

All three of these gospel writers use the exact same word to describe what Peter’s mother-in-law does after being healed of her fever: She waited on them.

The idea of waiting can mean to simply stand around and do nothing, but the context for this is interpretation does not add up to how this word is being used in each gospel. Instead, another equally valid meaning to “wait” is to simply serve, like a waiter or waitress would do with those in a restaurant. This form of waiting better matches the response I believe these three gospel writers are describing.

And in this response we find a big idea: Too often, people choose to wait for God to move before they choose to act. However, instead of waiting for Him to make the first move, we may want to understand that He has already moved. He has given us breath; He has given us life; and He sent Jesus to rescue us from sin. With just these three gifts, God has already given us way more than we deserve. Since He has healed us, perhaps we should wait (i.e. serve) Him first, and let Him direct our lives from this point forward.

Has Jesus ever challenged you with something He said or did?

Has Jesus’ actions ever made you wonder about what He was trying to teach His disciples?

This passage is definitely a place where I am curious to what Jesus is trying to teach, and the details that Mark gives make the event even more fascinating: Jesus becomes hungry; He goes to find fruit from a tree out of season, and then He curses the tree for not having fruit.

Perhaps Jesus was frustrated that the tree looked appealing and that it should have fruit, or perhaps He is trying to teach His followers something about life and their role in God’s Kingdom.

With fruit trees, there is a season of producing fruit (warm, sunny months) and a season of rest where no fruit is produced (cold, less sunny months). Not all points in the year are fruitful for a fruit tree.

But if this was truly not the season for the fig tree to bear fruit, then Jesus could be acting irrational – or He could be using the fig tree as a metaphor. What Jesus may be trying to teach us is outward appearances (being “leafy”) are not as important to God as our inward character (bearing fruit). Jesus may be also teaching us that as followers of Him, every season should be fruitful regarding our inner lives. How we bear fruit may be based on the different seasons – but bearing good fruit is what is important to Him.

Jesus response seems harsh: cursing a tree He knew wouldn’t have fruit on it (because it wasn’t created to have fruit in that season). However, with this action, we can learn that bearing good fruit is important for believers in every season of life we face. Our inward character is revealed and represented by the fruit we produce.

During the commotion surrounding Jesus arrest in the garden, each of the four gospel writers give us different details that happened in this key event in Jesus’ life. When looking at the unique details of each gospel, it is John’s gospel that really stands apart with the details He includes.

When the mob arrives to arrest Jesus, John tells us that Jesus “stepped forward to meet them. ‘Who are you looking for?’ he asked.” (v. 4b)

The mob responds back, “Jesus the Nazarene.” (v. 5a)

So Jesus answers back, “I am he.” (v. 5b)

I’m not sure why Jesus chose to answer in this specific way, but what happens at that instant is incredible. Verse 6 tells us what happened: “As Jesus said ‘I am he,’ they all drew back and fell to the ground!”

My imagination wants to think that in Jesus’ short statement, a shockwave of divinity is sent out that knocks everyone present off their feet, but this is not as likely to be the case.

However, in the phrase “I am”, Jesus echoes God’s statement to Moses at the burning bush when He tells Moses that His name is “I am”.

At the very least, this response may have taken this mob by surprise because why would Jesus respond in a way that echoed God and acknowledged who He was when they were intent on coming to harm Him.

However, I believe a split-second of divinity was released in these words that did catch this crowd off guard and knocked them down.

But even while this happened, the crowd’s goal is not phased. Perhaps Jesus is a little surprised at what happened, so He asks the mob again, “Who are you looking for?” (v. 7a)

The mob replied again, “Jesus the Nazarene.” (v. 7b)

Then we come to the defining statement that John draws our attention to: “‘I told you that I am he,’ Jesus said. ‘And since I am the one you want, let these others go.’” (v. 8)

The mob was knocked off their feet, but not knocked off their mission. This tells me that we can be so stubborn that even seeing a brief glimpse of God’s divinity is not enough to break our stubbornness.

But this also tells me that Jesus is willing to protect us and endure the punishment for us. We deserve death for our sins, and Jesus is willing to pay the debt that we owe. And while He is moving towards the cross, He is even still looking out for the wellbeing of His followers.

So while we can be so stubborn that God cannot get through, Jesus loves us so much that He doesn’t want any harm to come to us while He is with us.

If there is a phrase in the gospel of John that is connected with Jesus’ death on the cross that doesn’t seem to fit, it may be this one. Near the end of the Friday that Jesus died, we read the following phrase in John’s gospel, “The one who saw this is an eyewitness. What he says is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you, too, will believe.” (v. 35)

While on the surface, there is nothing odd about this phrase, what intrigues me about it is that this seems like more of a statement that Matthew would include. Mark and Luke both assemble their gospel records from eyewitness accounts, but Matthew and John both had personal access to Jesus, and they were there at most of the events.

However, this phrase completely fits here. Of all twelve disciples who spent the most time with Jesus, only one was present at the moment when Jesus died. Only one was standing at the foot (or near the foot) of the cross. Other gospel writers include the women who were present, but with the women present was John.

Perhaps John includes this phrase because there were people who wanted to invalidate the testimony of the women who were present to see what happened, or maybe John includes it simply as a statement to support the validity of his eyewitness account.

“The one who saw this is an eyewitness. What he says is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you, too, will believe.” (v. 35)

John gives us the reason he includes this statement in the statement itself. The goal is to help your faith and my faith in Jesus. John saw what happened personally, and he chooses to share what he saw so that we will have evidence for our faith in Jesus. John’s experience can be a foundation for our faith in Jesus!