Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Finishing with God: Matthew 20:1-16

Published November 15, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 20:1-16 (NIV)

¹“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ²He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹²‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

¹³“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

¹⁶“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Read Matthew 20:1-16 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Later on during Jesus’ ministry, He shared a parable about workers being hired to work in a vineyard, and the key ideas in this parable relate to God’s generosity, and everyone who worked receiving an equal level of pay. These two ideas are clearly visible in the Parable of the Vineyard Workers, but I believe there is another subtle truth hidden just under the surface of this parable that is powerful for all of us to remember.

In this parable, we learn about a number of groups of people who started working for the vineyard owner at various points during the day. Some of those who were hired worked all day, while others only worked for the last hour of the day. At the end of the day, everyone is paid equally as if they had worked for the full day.

When we read this parable, the big truth that Jesus shared is that it doesn’t matter when you started working, but it does matter that you finished out the day working.

Just under the surface of what is directly said in this parable is the idea that only those who were present at the end of the day were paid. This means that if someone started working at the beginning of the day, but then left at 2pm in the afternoon, they wouldn’t receive anything – because they were not present to be paid.

If this parable symbolizes how followers of Jesus are working for God during their lives here on earth, then this subtle truth is that it doesn’t matter when we start working; what matters is that we start working before the end of our day (i.e. life), and that we keep working until the end of our day.

God is incredibly generous with how He has chosen to reward us, but it is up to us to be present when He is rewarding those who worked for Him. A life that started with God but ended far from Him is not rewarded like a life that started far from God and ended close to Him. The direction of our lives matter, and this parable emphasizes that it is important for us to end our lives with God. Since we don’t know when our lives will end, it is up to us to live each day from this point forward with God, so that when our day of work is up, we will have ended it with Him.

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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Standing Up for Jesus: John 19:38-42

Published November 14, 2024 in Audio Journal Entries

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Over the past few episodes, we have been focusing on Jesus’ time hanging on the cross. However, we now come to the point in this event where it is time for Jesus’ corpse to be removed from the cross. While Jesus fulfilled a surprising number of prophecies while hanging on the cross, when Jesus’ body is ultimately removed from the cross, a previously unknown disciple, and a secret disciple both step forward with exactly what was needed to save this weekend.

Let’s read what happened and how Joseph and Nicodemus save this Passover weekend.

Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 19, and we will read it using the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 38, John tells us that:

³⁸Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus’ disciples. He had kept it secret though, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, and Joseph took it down from the cross.

³⁹Nicodemus also came with about seventy-five pounds of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the same Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night. ⁴⁰The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together with the spices, which was how the Jewish people buried their dead. ⁴¹In the place where Jesus had been nailed to a cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used. ⁴²The tomb was nearby, and since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus’ body there.

Some people have speculated that since Joseph and Nicodemus were in a hurry to prepare for the Sabbath, they didn’t prepare Jesus’ body properly, allowing Jesus to have survived. However, this thought doesn’t stand up to the logic that if Jesus could have been alive, these two disciples would not have been allowed to take Jesus’ body off the cross, and Jesus’ legs would have been broken, which we looked at in our last episode.

However, while Joseph and Nicodemus hurriedly prepare Jesus’ body for burial because of the Sabbath, these two men step in with exactly what is needed to save this Passover weekend.

Nicodemus believed and understood that Jesus had died, and while he may have remembered Jesus’ words to him during a secret, late-night meeting several years earlier, Nicodemus brought spices to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Depending on the translation, we can understand that Nicodemus’ gift of spices weighed anywhere between 75 to 100 pounds. If Nicodemus believed or understood Jesus to be only in the tomb for less than 48 hours, a gift of that many spices to mask the odor of a body decomposing does not make sense. It is very possible that Nicodemus overdid it on the spices because they didn’t have much time, and it is better to have too many spices than too little.

However, Joseph’s gift is equally as significant. While offering Jesus a tomb to lay in doesn’t sound all that significant, it is exactly what everyone that weekend needed. If there was no tomb, then Jesus’ body likely would have been thrown in a communal grave and His body quickly lost among the other corpses. If a resurrection happened following Jesus’ body being tossed in with a bunch of other corpses, rumors would begin to spread that the person who was resurrected wasn’t really Jesus.

With this said, a funny thought just entered my mind. If Jesus’ body was thrown in a mass grave, I wonder if it would have caused every corpse in that grave to have been resurrected. This would have been similar to what happened in 2 Kings, chapter 13, verses 20 and 21 when the corpse of a man is hastily thrown into Elisha’s tomb and when the corpse touched Elisha’s bones, it returned to life. With Jesus’ though, I suspect the effect would have been significantly more powerful.

However, before we digress too far, what everyone that weekend needed was a single location to watch to see what would happen to Jesus’ body. The religious leaders need a place to watch, and to send soldiers to guard so that Jesus’ followers won’t steal the body away. The women need a place to return to in order to pay their respects to Jesus following the Sabbath. And the disciples themselves need a place to go to in order to confirm the women’s crazy story of an empty tomb and to also ultimately come to the conclusion that Jesus rose from the dead. Everyone that weekend needed a place to watch and Joseph steps in with the perfect gift at the perfect time.

Both Nicodemus and Joseph step in with what is needed at that time. Both of these men are described as secret disciples, or as disciples who followed Jesus, but didn’t do so publicly. While we might be tempted to follow the lead of Nicodemus and Joseph, understand that if either of these men had stayed silent, we would have no idea who they were.

Only when each of these men stand up and side with Jesus do their stories get recorded. In Nicodemus’ case, the three times He is mentioned in scripture are only in connection with Jesus. The first time is when Nicodemus comes to see Jesus late at night. The second time is when Nicodemus stands up for Jesus while sitting in a hostile-towards-Jesus meeting of religious leaders. And the third time Nicodemus is recorded is in this passage, when he brings spices to assist in Jesus’ burial.

In Joseph’s case, the only mention of him that I am aware of in the entire scripture is during Jesus’ burial. While I don’t know if Joseph reverts back to the religious leaders after Jesus’ resurrection, or if his story as a disciple gets lost among all the other amazing events in the first century Christian church, Joseph is remembered as the giver of the gift of a tomb for Jesus’ body.

Both Nicodemus and Joseph teach us a powerful truth: If we want our lives to last longer than our lives, and if we want to be remembered for what we have done for eternity, we must step into God’s story and align ourselves with Jesus. When we publicly side with Jesus, letting our lives move God’s story forward, our lives and our witness will be remembered for eternity!

If you have been living as a secret follower of Jesus, consider this a gentle nudge to step forward when God calls you to step forward, and to publicly proclaim Jesus while allying yourself with Him!

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 ally yourself with Jesus. If you have been afraid to share your faith, ask God for the strength and courage to stand up when the time is right and to give you the confidence and words to say when you do stand up for Him. Don’t let fear in this world keep you from publicly proclaiming your allegiance to God!

Also, as I always challenge you to do, keep praying and studying the Bible for yourself to personally grow closer to God each and every day. Through prayer and study, you can grow closer to God, and the closer you grow to God, the more the Holy Spirit will show up in your life and transform you into the person God created you to be. With the Holy Spirit in your life, nothing Satan throws your way can scare you out of God’s plan for your life!

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 shy away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Year in John – Episode 46: When it was time for Jesus’ body to be removed from the cross, discover two secret disciples who step into history at the perfect moment in time with gifts that ultimately save this Passover weekend, gifts that give everyone present exactly what they need to validate a resurrection a couple days later.

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The Most Important Opinion: Luke 12:1-12

Published November 13, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 12:1-12 (GW)

¹Meanwhile, thousands of people had gathered. They were so crowded that they stepped on each other. Jesus spoke to his disciples and said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees. I’m talking about their hypocrisy. ²Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. ³Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. Whatever you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops.

⁴“My friends, I can guarantee that you don’t need to be afraid of those who kill the body. After that they can’t do anything more. ⁵I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the power to throw you into hell after killing you. I’m warning you to be afraid of him.

⁶“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two cents? God doesn’t forget any of them. ⁷Even every hair on your head has been counted. Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows. ⁸I can guarantee that the Son of Man will acknowledge in front of God’s angels every person who acknowledges him in front of others. ⁹But God’s angels will be told that I don’t know those people who tell others that they don’t know me. ¹⁰Everyone who says something against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But the person who dishonors the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

¹¹“When you are put on trial in synagogues or in front of rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. ¹²At that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.”

Read Luke 12:1-12 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

As I read the Bible, specifically the gospels, there are a number of places where Jesus shares some really challenging ideas; there are other places where He shows an extraordinary love for people who are in need; and there are a few places where Jesus gives a massive, perspective altering truth.

In our passage for this entry, we come across one of those perspective altering truths, and if we take only this truth into our hearts, we would be completely different people.

Luke 12 begins with Jesus warning and challenging people regarding hypocrisy, which means thinking/judging/doing something different than what one says. Immediately following this warning, Jesus shares verses 4 and 5 which say, “My friends, I can guarantee that you don’t need to be afraid of those who kill the body. After that they can’t do anything more. I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the power to throw you into hell after killing you. I’m warning you to be afraid of him.”

Jesus tells us clearly that if we are going to be afraid of anyone, we should fear God, who has the power and authority to completely destroy us. People might be able to cause pain, and they may be able to kill our bodies, but Jesus shares plainly that is all they can do. All the torture humans can think up can only go so far. All the pain that can be caused by others will end when our lives do.

But God has a much greater power: the power of resurrection. A skilled or lucky doctor can revive someone if they act quickly, but only God can bring someone back to life who has been dead for weeks, months, years, or even longer. And with the power of resurrection also comes the power to determine our ultimate destiny: enjoying life with God in the new earth, or being thrown into hell after death.

The most amazing part of Jesus’ truth and God’s love is that He would give us our own choice. God will not send anyone into hell who wants a genuine relationship with Him. Regardless of what others think of us, Jesus always wants us to remember that what God thinks of us is most important.

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Predicting Suffering: Luke 22:14-20

Published November 12, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 22:14-20 (GNT)

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table with the apostles. ¹⁵ He said to them,
I have wanted so much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer! ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will never eat it until it is given its full meaning in the Kingdom of God.

¹⁷ Then Jesus took a cup, gave thanks to God, and said,
Take this and share it among yourselves. ¹⁸ I tell you that from now on I will not drink this wine until the Kingdom of God comes.

¹⁹ Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me. ²⁰ In the same way, he gave them the cup after the supper, saying,
This cup is God’s new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you.

Read Luke 22:14-20 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

As Luke’s gospel transitions into telling us about the Last Supper Jesus ate with His disciples on the night He was betrayed and arrested, Luke’s gospel includes an interesting detail that I had somehow missed every other time I have read this passage.

Luke begins talking about Jesus’ Last Supper event by saying: “When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table with the apostles. He said to them, ‘I have wanted so much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer!’” (v. 14-15)

In this introduction to this meal, Luke’s gospel includes a detail that the disciples probably missed or discounted at first and this detail says that Jesus’ suffering was about to begin. While Judas Iscariot already had made a deal with the religious leaders to sell Jesus to them, the other disciples appeared to be oblivious to the hints that Jesus was sharing with them about what was about to take place.

I wonder in my mind if Jesus held back saying everything at this point because it might have changed what actually happened. Perhaps if Jesus came out and said that He would be dying on a cross less than 24 hours later, Judas Iscariot might have realized that his betrayal would actually result in Jesus’ death and chosen not to go through with it. Also, if Jesus had clearly said what would happen the following day, it is possible that many of the disciples – Peter included – would have fought to the death when the mob was arresting Jesus.

While the disciples scatter, part of me wonders if this is because they didn’t realize that Jesus would ultimately be crucified as a result. If they realized in the moment of Jesus’ arrest that it meant Jesus would be dead 24 hours later, they might have fought and died with Him rather than scattering.

Several of the gospels describe Peter getting violent when the mob came, and I wonder if he would have been joined by other disciples if Jesus had shared that His death was right around the corner.

Instead, Jesus speaks of suffering, and this is significant for us. In many ways, Jesus’ suffering for us is more powerful than His death. There were many opportunities and ways Jesus could have died earlier on in His ministry. He could have been stoned, thrown off of a cliff, or drowned at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee just to name a few. None of these deaths would have shown us how much God loves us.

However, the cross, which was torture in itself, and all the torture and abuse leading up to the cross was Jesus’ choice. While it would have been easier to die a different way, Jesus knew the path to the cross would best show God’s love for us, and that is what Jesus came to help us see.

At the start of the Last Supper, even though the disciples missed the significance of Jesus’ opening words, at least some of them remembered later on to share with Luke as he was writing. In our own lives, even if we miss the significance of an event, a challenge, a problem, or a promise in the moment, we can trust that God has something significant in mind that He will explain to us in the future.

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