Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Blinded By Prejudice: Luke 9:51-56

Published October 4, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 9:51-56 (NCV)

⁵¹ When the time was coming near for Jesus to depart, he was determined to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² He sent some messengers ahead of him, who went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him. ⁵³ But the people there would not welcome him, because he was set on going to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When James and John, followers of Jesus, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy those people?”

⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and scolded them. [And Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. ⁵⁶ The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of people but to save them.”] Then they went to another town.

Read Luke 9:51-56 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

As Jesus was headed for Jerusalem, the gospel of Luke describes His decision to travel through the region of Samaria. As they were approaching a town, Jesus sends some messengers ahead to get things ready for Him to stay there.

However, since the Samaritans and Jews hated one another, Luke tells us that “the people there [in that town] would not welcome him, because he was set on going to Jerusalem.” (v. 53)

While I am not surprised that a city of Samaritans would not welcome a Jew who was traveling to Jerusalem, I am amazed that this little bit of prejudice against a certain group of people caused this entire city to miss out on having the Messiah actually spend time with them.

By this point in Jesus’ ministry, word would have spread about Him being a great Teacher, an amazing Healer, and a miracle Worker who was blessed by God. None of these things mattered to those living in this Samaritan city – their hatred of Jews blinded them from seeing the truth because it could not get past the reality that Jesus was a Jew headed for Jerusalem.

It is in their decision that we are able to discover a powerful truth: Everyone living today is tempted to be biased and judgmental towards a certain group of “other” people. We must push past the hatred and distrust because perhaps those we are most hostile towards are the people we can learn the most from. Our hostility might cause us to miss out on seeing Jesus!

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Declaring Innocence, Assuming Guilt: John 18:28-40

Published October 3, 2024 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we move through John’s gospel, and specifically focusing closely at how John describes the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, I am amazed by an event that John seems to skip over. While describing Jesus’ questioning before Annas in the last passage, following the questioning, John tells us Jesus is then taken to Caiaphas.

However, while the other gospels include a trial in front of Caiaphas, John skips over this event, possibly because he was not present for it, or perhaps because John wanted to emphasize more details about Jesus’ time with Pilate.

This leads us to our passage for this episode, which focuses in on Jesus’ time with Pilate while the Jewish leaders are pressing for Jesus’ death. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 18, and we will read it using the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 28, John tells us:

²⁸Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

³⁰“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

³¹Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. ³²This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

³³Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

³⁴“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

³⁵“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

³⁶Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

³⁷“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

³⁸“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. ³⁹But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

In this passage, I am amazed by a slight twist in perspective. This prompts me to wonder if there were more Jews present than simply the religious leaders. I suspect this was the case, otherwise Pilate’s actions would not make sense.

This perspective twist is found in the last portion of verse 38 and in verse 39. In these verses, John tells us that after questioning Jesus, Pilate “went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release “the king of the Jews”?’”

This statement does not make logical sense. If Pilate does not find a basis for any charge against Jesus, then Jesus would be unjustly arrested, and He would deserve freedom regardless of any custom present in the region.

However, as soon as Pilate has finished declaring Jesus’ innocence in his eyes, He offers to free Jesus as a prisoner. The only way this makes sense is if Pilate believed that the Jews present were there independent of the religious leaders, and not part of the same group. The religious leaders had brought Jesus to him because they wanted Jesus dead, and because of this, it makes no rational sense that Pilate would ask these same religious leaders if they wanted Jesus freed after declaring Jesus’ innocence.

I suspect that Pilate believed the crowd of Jews present were Jesus’ allies and not hand-picked leaders from the surrounding regions. Since this was Passover weekend, the chief priest and religious leaders in Jerusalem would have a crowd of synagogue leaders present from all over the region, and with the influx of people visiting Jerusalem for this festival, they could easily pull a crowd of anonymous looking Jews who were all opposed to Jesus.

However, in Pilate’s conclusion, He subtly shifts focus from assuming Jesus’ innocence into assuming Jesus’ guilt. From what John describes mixed with what other gospels share about this event, I suspect that Pilate was surprised with the response the crowd of Jews gave him.

This leads us to a powerful truth we can learn from this event. When the crowd shouts back that they don’t want Jesus, but that they instead want Barabbas, they are picking their picture of who the messiah would be over the Messiah God ultimately sent. Barabbas had taken part in an uprising, and he was slated to face the cross that weekend, but Jesus’ arrest and condemnation gave Barabbas a second chance at freedom.

In a powerful, while somewhat ironic way, Jesus takes the punishment of the messiah the Jews chose, and Barabbas represents the worst in humanity. Jesus took the punishment of a criminal onto Himself when He did not deserve it, and since we have all broken God’s law, we are all criminals based on God’s standards. While we all deserve death, Jesus stepped into history to take our place, dying a death He did not deserve, so that we could have the promise and assurance of eternal life, a gift we don’t deserve, because God loves us that much!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life, and choose to accept the gift Jesus offers to each of us by repenting from sin, which is the spiritual way of saying that we turn away from living sinful lives and place our focus on Jesus. Intentionally place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus and in His sacrifice to cover your sins, and be sure to say Thank You to God by living each day moving forward for Him.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to discover what God and Jesus are like. Through the pages of the Bible, discover how much God loves you, and what Jesus was willing to face in order to give you the opportunity of a new life with God. When we prayerfully focus on Jesus, we invite the Holy Spirit into our lives, and we intentionally move closer to Jesus and closer to God.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Year in John – Episode 40: When Jesus is brought before Pilate by the religious leaders on the morning Jesus was crucified, discover an interesting perspective shift that happens when Pilate reaches a conclusion about Jesus, and whether or not Jesus deserves death.

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Freed to Give Glory: Luke 13:10-17

Published October 2, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 13:10-17 (GW)

¹⁰Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the day of rest—a holy day. ¹¹A woman who was possessed by a spirit was there. The spirit had disabled her for 18 years. She was hunched over and couldn’t stand up straight. ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her to come to him and said, “Woman, you are free from your disability.” ¹³He placed his hands on her, and she immediately stood up straight and praised God.

¹⁴The synagogue leader was irritated with Jesus for healing on the day of worship. The leader told the crowd, “There are six days when work can be done. So come on one of those days to be healed. Don’t come on the day of rest—a holy day.”

¹⁵The Lord said, “You hypocrites! Don’t each of you free your ox or donkey on the day of rest—a holy day? Don’t you then take it out of its stall to give it some water to drink? ¹⁶Now, here is a descendant of Abraham. Satan has kept her in this condition for 18 years. Isn’t it right to free her on the day of rest—a holy day?”

¹⁷As he said this, everyone who opposed him felt ashamed. But the entire crowd was happy about the miraculous things he was doing.

Read Luke 13:10-17 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

When reading and/or studying the Bible, I am always looking for themes, trends, or patterns that I can use to better understand God and His character. When I find such a pattern, I am then able to read familiar Bible stories but with a fresh pair of glasses on, and I look for ways that support or differ from the pattern.

In this entry’s passage, I spot both the support of one pattern, and a deviation from another.

For most of Jesus’ miracles, the level of faith that is present is a factor in whether the miracle is a success – either from the one wanting to be healed or from those who brought the disabled person. At least two of the gospels even go so far as to imply that Jesus’ miracles were limited by the faith present. (i.e. Matthew 13:58 / Mark 6:5.)

However, in this passage, there is no mention of the woman’s faith, of the crowd’s faith, or even of the synagogue leader’s faith. Faith is not the focal point here. I’m guessing there was a desire from the woman to be healed, but perhaps after 18 years of being disabled, she had learned how to adapt her life.

There isn’t even a mention or implication here that the woman is present because this is a setup – which could imply the faith of the synagogue leaders. The way the synagogue leaders respond to Jesus’ healing the woman make me believe they really didn’t want Him there healing or working miracles.

So this deviation from the pattern that faith equals healing is significant in my mind. This tells me that God can work in people’s lives without the presence of faith. While I believe He wants to teach us the importance of personal faith in Him, He also knows there are some instances where it is better if He acts regardless of the faith present. It appears as though this is one such instant.

So why might this deviation be present?

Perhaps it is because of the other pattern I see supported in this story: The miracle (and following dialogue) resulted God getting the glory. The passage clearly states that “she immediately stood up straight and praised God”. (verse 13)

In many of Jesus’ miracles, it seems as though He really focused on helping people in ways that would prompt them to give the credit for the miracle to God. I also see a pattern present through the gospels that Jesus never desired the focus or the spotlight to be placed on Him. Though everything He did, He wanted the people to see and know what God the Father was like; He wanted the praise to go to God not Himself.

Knowing the woman would praise God for the healing and that God would get the credit following the irritated response from the synagogue leaders, Jesus performed the miracle without the mention of faith. This deviation and pattern tell me that Jesus will work miracles in your life and in mine in ways where God receives the glory. Giving God the glory is Jesus’ primary objective with the miracles He performs.

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Leaving a Sinful Life: John 5:1-15

Published October 1, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 5:1-15 (HCSB)

¹After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ²By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five colonnades. ³Within these lay a large number of the sick—blind, lame, and paralyzed [—waiting for the moving of the water, ⁴because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who got in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had].

⁵One man was there who had been sick for 38 years. ⁶When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷“Sir,” the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”

⁸“Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk!” ⁹Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.

Now that day was the Sabbath, ¹⁰so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.”

¹¹He replied, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

¹²“Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” they asked. ¹³But the man who was cured did not know who it was, because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

¹⁴After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” ¹⁵The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Read John 5:1-15 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

One of the strangest conclusions to all of the miracles and healings that Jesus ever performed comes at the close of the healing by the pool of Bethesda that John includes in his gospel. In this healing, Jesus comes to a pool where sick people gathered, singles one person out who had been there for a long time, heals him, then disappears into the crowd before the healed man could thank Him.

However, one of Jesus’ instructions for the man was to pick up his sleeping mat, and that upset the religious leaders in the area. The main reason was that the day this healing happened was the Sabbath, and it was to be a day of rest – and carrying one’s mat was not resting.

But with all this said, the last two verses of this event conclude this story in a strange way. John tells us, “After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, ‘See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.’ The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.” (v. 14-15)

After Jesus had healed him, this man goes and basically rats Jesus out for being his Healer. This doesn’t make sense, but even more confusing are Jesus’ final words to this man. “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” (v. 14b)

Perhaps the man believed that disobeying the religious leaders was sinning, and he felt he was obeying Jesus by communicating to the leaders that Jesus healed him. Or perhaps Jesus’ message was meant as a challenge for moving forward.

We don’t know anything about this man before or after this event. Implied in Jesus’ words is that the man was sick and/or disabled because of a past sinful life. Jesus’ final message to him is to stay away from that sinful life so that something even worse doesn’t happen to him.

In this warning and challenge Jesus gave this man is a theme we can all use in our own lives. While avoiding sin doesn’t stop bad things from happening to us, avoiding sin does stop a good percentage of bad things from happening. The principle Jesus is communicating is that who we associate with will either bring us health or will bring us harm. The quality of our friends determines the quality of our lives.

This man was given a fresh start after 38 years of illness. He had the choice whether to return to his old life, or start a new one. Each of us doesn’t have to face 38 years of consequences in order to choose to turn our lives around. This miracle teaches us that a new life with Jesus can begin today.

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