Flashback Episode — Year 2 Finale: Part 2

Last week, we began this two-part finale looking at insights we discovered during the first half of our second-chronological year moving through the gospels looking at events from Jesus’ life. However, before diving into this second part of our finale looking at insights we discovered during the last half of this year of podcasting, I thought it would be good to share briefly about the journey we are on together.

A few years ago, while we were working through some years focusing on topics found in the gospels, such as prophecies Jesus fulfilled from the Old Testament, and a year focusing on the parables Jesus shared, I had the idea of taking four years and dedicating them to chronologically moving through the gospels. However, instead of taking four years to move through Jesus’ story from start to finish, the idea I had was to do four years that moved through Jesus’ life and have each year of podcasting conclude with Jesus facing the cross. Each year moving through the gospels in this way would focus on different details and events that the gospels include, and each would conclude in a grand way looking at Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

With that said, we have hit the halfway point in this four-year journey, and starting next week, we’ll start our third, chronological year moving through the gospels. However, unlike the past two years of moving through the gospels, we’ll spend our next year and the year following looking at events we did not cover during these past two years.

However, if I’m not careful, we’ll spend all of this episode talking about where we’re headed and not have any time left for insights from the last half of this year.

So without any further delay, let’s dive into insights we discovered during the last half of this year podcasting through the gospels.

To pick back up where we left off, let’s start in episodes 25 and 26. In these two episodes, we found the Pharisees challenging Jesus about not having a second witness to validate His ministry and Jesus declaring some powerful truths about God the Father. In these passages and episodes, we discovered that Jesus aligns Himself with God the Father, and when looking at the gospel record, we can see how the Father responded and validated Jesus’ ministry while He was here on earth.

We also were challenged with the truth that Jesus is the only one who really knows the Father, and He is the only One who can reveal the Father to others. This led us to conclude that if Jesus is the only way for us to really know who the Father is, then anyone who claims to have knowledge about God, or the absence of God, must present it through the lens of Jesus.

Moving forward to episode 27, we looked at a time when Jesus shared with His followers about our eyes being lamps for our bodies. In this passage and episode, we concluded that Jesus’ words in this passage are significant because when we believe and spread lies, we are spreading darkness, and while we might think this darkness is light, it can only be true light if it is leading people into a deeper relationship with God.

Jumping ahead to episode 29, Jesus continued His teaching but shifted focus onto talking about thieves, robbers, sheep, and the importance of knowing the Shepherd’s voice. In this episode, we were reminded that Jesus is the way to peace, life, and rest – and He is also the best protection we have from those who would try to harm us. There are those who may harm our bodies, but Jesus keeps our lives safe – and this includes both our lives in the world today, and our lives in heaven in the future.

In the very next episode, which was episode number 30, during an event where Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath, we learned that for Jesus, the Sabbath was a day that was dedicated to God to rest and focus on family, friends, and relationships. It was to be the high point at the end of the week and it was to be a blessing for those who kept it. It was not intended to be a burden where people had to be extra-cautious for those 24 hours for fear of breaking a rule. In this event, we saw that Jesus lived God’s idea of the Sabbath, and that was an idea that focused on helping people on that special day. Jesus loved to help people, and He wants us to realize that the Sabbath is a day where we are free to help others!

Jumping ahead several episodes, we come to episode 37, and look at Jesus’ ministry not being accepted or understood by the religious leaders, and how this was actually prophesied many centuries earlier through the prophet Isaiah. In this passage, we discovered several powerful insights, including the truth that the light, love, and warmth Jesus radiated throughout His time on earth melted hearts that were receptive to His love, but it also hardened hearts that were defensive to Him and His message;

Also, by blending in, secret followers of Jesus dim their lights and they cheapen their witness;

And that God did not send Jesus into the world to fill the role of judge. The world has too many people in it claiming that role. Instead, Jesus came into the world as a Messenger, a Healer, and a Savior. Jesus came into this world to show us what God is really like.

Let’s move forward to episode 42, where we spent an episode looking at Judas Iscariot agreeing to betray Jesus. While this episode, and its passage, can prompt us to point many fingers at a various groups of people, we instead focused on the truth that Jesus didn’t die at the hand of Judas Iscariot, or even at the hand of the religious leaders. Even though Roman soldiers attached Him to the cross, that detail did not kill Jesus either. Instead, the truth about Jesus giving up His life on the cross is much bigger than one person betraying Jesus, or even a group of religious leaders plotting His death.

Moving forward to episode 46, where we focused on Peter’s three denials of Jesus in the early morning hours on the morning Jesus was crucified, we learned that knowing who we are and what we would do, God was still willing to bring us into the world. Regardless of the mistakes we would make, and/or the times we would reject God, He is still willing to give us life and the chance to choose Him. Knowing everything we would do and all the ways we would make mistakes, Jesus still came and died for us. Jesus died for you and me, and this is because He loves us, and wants us to have the opportunity to choose eternal life with Him.

Jumping ahead to episode 48, which focused us on the cross and the moment Jesus died, we learned through the events surrounding Jesus’ death that the curtain splitting is symbolic of an accepted sacrifice, and it draws our attention to Jesus’ sacrifice being enough to satisfy and fulfill the whole Jewish sacrificial system.

Also, in this passage and event, from one of the most secular people present at the crucifixion, and likely one of the least likely to believe in Jesus, comes what is probably the most profound statement in the entire Bible. The Roman officer states without any doubt that Jesus was God’s own Son.

And while this episode ended on a relatively dark note, we concluded that even when it seems like all hope is gone and that evil is winning, know that victory is just around the corner and that Jesus ultimately triumphs. Even if at times it seems like Satan has the upper hand, Satan’s achievements are short lived because Jesus’ death marked God’s ultimate victory over sin.

Moving forward to episode 49, from Jesus’ conversation with Mary on resurrection morning, we were reminded and assured of the truth that from the moment we place our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus, we can know we are saved.

From the moment we accept Jesus as our substitute, we have the assurance of salvation, and this was as true for the thief on the cross as it is for each of us today. Eternity starts when we step towards God through Jesus. However, like Jesus prompts us to understand through His conversation with Mary, eternal life is a reward that is saved for the New Heaven and New Earth.

Jesus’ message through Mary helps us understand how salvation works. There is an immediate reward, but there is also a future reward as well.

And to wrap up our insights from this past year chronologically looking at events in Jesus’ life, let’s remember what we discovered just a few weeks ago in episode 50, which looked at Jesus’ conversation with Peter following Jesus’ resurrection. When Jesus invites Peter to follow Him again, we can know and understand that each of us is called to follow Jesus like Peter’s second call. We are called to follow with the understanding that this invitation comes with forgiveness from our past. The invitation Jesus gives us is focused on our future with God from this point forward, and it lets the past remain in the past. Our past mistakes and sins are covered when we choose to recommit our lives to Jesus. It was this way with Peter and the rest of the disciples, and it is this way for each of us living today.

I cannot think of a better way to end this second year of podcasting through Jesus’ life. So with that said, let’s remember that as we move through every day, every month, and every year, Jesus has invited us to leave our past sinful lives behind and He invites us to move forward with Him day-by-day, as we look forward to spending eternity with Him.