Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

The Gift of a Son: John 19:25-27

Published October 24, 2024 in Audio Journal Entries

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As John describes the time Jesus spent on the cross, he includes a unique detail that draws our attention onto a situation that none of us would want to face. While Jesus is hanging on the cross, John draws our attention onto some women standing near the cross who were close to Jesus, including Jesus’ own mother.

While I believe other gospel writers might include this detail in passing, John draws attention onto it in his gospel because he focuses on a message Jesus shares with His mother, and a disciple who was standing there as well. While the gospel does not name this disciple as John, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that this disciple was John, James’ brother, and one of Jesus’ inner circle of three disciples.

Let’s read these few verses and draw out some things we can learn from what happened. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 19, and we will read it using the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 25, John tells us that:

²⁵Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

In these few verses, we discover an amazing picture of Jesus. In these verses, we discover that while Jesus is in unimaginable pain, the focus He has is not on Himself, but on those who are around Him.

In this particular case, Jesus looks down from the cross and He sees His mother, and a disciple that Jesus knows will live longer than Mary. I suspect that Mary would have been at least 25 years older than John, and with life expectancies in that era being shorter than they are today, I suspect that Mary may have passed away within a decade or two following Jesus’ return to heaven.

While we don’t know the details surrounding how long John cared for Mary in his home, I don’t have any reason to doubt that John protected Mary after Jesus was gone.

Reading this event prompts me to ask the question about why Mary wouldn’t have been cared for by Jesus’ brothers or sisters. Earlier in John’s gospel, we see Jesus spending time with His brothers before they leave for a festival without Jesus, and other gospels have Jesus’ mother, brothers, and sisters arriving one day with a message for Jesus while He is preaching.

There is no doubt that Jesus had siblings, but this detail in John’s gospel makes me wonder why John would need to adopt Mary. We might not ever have answers for this question on this side of heaven, but I suspect that Jesus knew what He was asking, and John accepted Jesus’ request to care for Mary.

I wonder too if this request was for Mary as well. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to lose one of my children, or to watch them die while I cannot stop it. I also do not want to ever experience this or anything even remotely like this. In Jesus’ death, Mary experiences more pain than most people ever would, and I wonder if Jesus connecting Mary with John was a way Mary could continue forward in life with someone who was close to Jesus and who may have been able to remind her of Him.

In Jesus’ death, the prophecy that Simeon shared with Mary came to pass as well. In Luke’s gospel, chapter 2, verses 34 and 35, Simeon tells Mary, “This child [referring to Jesus] is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel. And to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

That last phrase in Simeon’s prophecy came true when Jesus hung on the cross. I wouldn’t doubt that Mary felt like a sword had pierced her soul as she looked up at the face of her Son dying on the cross. I wonder if Jesus’ gift of John was able to help her move forward following this event.

While Jesus would be raised to life the following Sunday, Jesus’ resurrection didn’t really return Jesus to Mary. Instead, Jesus’ resurrection simply was a precursor to Jesus ascending to heaven and not being seen any more. Jesus connecting Mary and John while hanging on the cross was significant because Jesus would no longer be around even if He wasn’t to remain dead.

Regardless of how John and Mary moved forward after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, I am amazed at the darkest part of history, while Jesus was hanging on the cross, He focused on others. While both criminals hanging on crosses with Jesus focused on themselves, and while the soldiers focused on what they could get or win from the death of these three men, Jesus cleanly focused on others till His last breath. Jesus offered forgiveness, and Jesus kept His mind focused on accomplishing the mission that was set before Him.

The cross demonstrates God’s love for us, and everything Jesus does while on the cross helps show this love. Jesus faced the cross for you and for me, and because Jesus faced the cross, paying a debt He did not owe, we can experience a life we don’t deserve when we accept His gift of His perfect life in exchange for ours. When we accept Jesus’ life, we must give up our sinful, sin-stained lives, and step forward with the new life that God gives us. Accepting Jesus’ gift can be done in an instant, but the effects of this decision are seen for the rest of our lives on this earth, and for the rest of eternity with God!

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 place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus. Accept the gift of Jesus’ life in exchange for yours and live each day with Jesus’ life shining through the experiences you face as we move together towards eternity.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. Through prayer and Bible study, discover just how much God loves you and what He was willing to go through to make a way available for you to be saved!

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 abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Year in John – Episode 43: While Jesus is hanging on the cross, John’s gospel draws our attention onto an interesting conversation Jesus has with His mother, and one of His disciples. While this conversation is short, it is amazingly powerful when we stop to look closer at it.

Join the discussion. Share your thoughts on this passage.

Your Lamp and the True Light: Luke 11:33-36

Published October 23, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 11:33-36 (NIrV)

³³“No one lights a lamp and hides it. No one puts it under a bowl. Instead, they put a lamp on its stand. Then those who come in can see the light. ³⁴Your eye is like a lamp for your body. Suppose your eyes are healthy. Then your whole body also is full of light. But suppose your eyes can’t see well. Then your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵So make sure that the light inside you is not darkness. ³⁶Suppose your whole body is full of light. And suppose no part of it is dark. Then your body will be full of light. It will be just as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Read Luke 11:33-36 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

For a long time, I believed this entry’s passage to be only about God, about Jesus, and about witnessing.

However, while I still believe these things to be important in the theme for this passage, there is something else – a deeper theme – that is also true in this passage. I saw the theme one morning while studying, and it has shifted my thinking on my own walk with God.

The theme is a little easier to see if we take the two primary phrases that emphasize the theme and put them next to each other:

“Your eye is like a lamp for your body.” (v. 34a)
“So make sure that the light inside you is not darkness.” (v. 35)

Placing these two sentences next to each other reveals another way we can see this passage.

First, if we take Jesus’ words seriously, we see what we choose to look at affects our life. It is just like saying that the things we pay attention to will shape our thinking moving forward. The media we consume will change us. The books we read, the games we play, and the movies, videos, and television we watch will all shape our lives moving into the future. Jesus is sharing this with us as a big truth that we should pay attention to.

This first sentence sets the stage for the teaching between and leads to a key idea Jesus wants to emphasize in the second phrase, “Make sure that the light inside you is not darkness.” (v. 35)

On the surface, this second phrase doesn’t make sense: Light and darkness are opposites. Darkness only exists where light is not present, but as soon as light enters, the darkness leaves.

But this is where Jesus weaves a profound truth into His teaching: If we think the darkness inside of our lives is really light, we won’t seek out true light.

It also hints at the truth that everyone is sharing what they believe to be “light”, but not everything that is shared is true light. If we are living with darkness in our lives that we believe to be light, then we will work to spread that darkness as far as we can – counteracting the real light that God wants to share.

I don’t think anyone is immune to this temptation. There is always a temptation to stop short of growing closer to Jesus. He is the source of true light, and this means that we have a way to judge ideas that come our way. It is a simple test really: Does this idea lead me closer to Jesus, lead others in my life closer to Jesus, or build relationships/connections with others in a way that helps them see God living in me?

If the answer to the above question is yes, then the idea in question is most likely light.

If the answer is no, then the idea is darkness or irrelevant.

This brings us back to the first phrase: “Your eye is like a lamp for your body.”

Jesus cautions us to be extra careful about what we let into our lives, because the more darkness we let in, the less clear we will be able to see Him. By focusing on Jesus, we let light shine into our lives, and the darkness we have held onto will fade. Focusing on Jesus will help reprioritize the direction of our lives, and it is the only way we can truly move closer to 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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Staying Focused: John 12:20-36

Published October 22, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 12:20-36 (NIrV)

²⁰There were some Greeks among the people who went up to worship during the feast. ²¹They came to ask Philip for a favor. Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went to tell Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

²³Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive glory. ²⁴What I’m about to tell you is true. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵Anyone who loves their life will lose it. But anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it and have eternal life. ²⁶Anyone who serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

²⁷“My soul is troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, keep me from having to go through with this’? No. This is the very reason I have come to this point in my life. ²⁸Father, bring glory to your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven. It said, “I have brought glory to my name. I will bring glory to it again.” ²⁹The crowd there heard the voice. Some said it was thunder. Others said an angel had spoken to Jesus.

³⁰Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. ³¹Now it is time for the world to be judged. Now the prince of this world will be thrown out. ³²And I am going to be lifted up from the earth. When I am, I will bring all people to myself.” ³³He said this to show them how he was going to die.

³⁴The crowd spoke up. “The Law tells us that the Messiah will remain forever,” they said. “So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light. Do this before darkness catches up with you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in it. Then you can become children of light.” When Jesus had finished speaking, he left and hid from them.

Read John 12:20-36 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

At the start of the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, we find an interesting event that only John chose to include in his gospel. This event happens immediately following Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, and His arrival at the temple.

John then tells us that “there were some Greeks among the people who went up to worship during the feast. They came to ask Philip for a favor. Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip told Jesus.” (v. 20-22)

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t stand out in my mind, except that what follows doesn’t match what is said here. It would appear that right when Philip told Jesus that some visiting Greeks were looking to see Him, Jesus replied by saying, “the time has come for the Son of Man to receive glory.” (v. 23)

This statement is the start of Jesus’ next big message to the people, and nothing more is really said or implied about the Greeks in John’s earlier statements. While later on, we can see some of the gospels writers include details about the religious leaders wondering if Jesus would leave them and go witness to the Greeks in their own land; this speculation is about the only other time Greek people are mentioned in the gospels.

It is as though Jesus completely ignores the Greeks who wanted to see Him. While the gospels don’t directly tell us that Jesus went and saw these visiting Greeks or if He went out and shared the next verses in the part of the temple the Greeks were in (a.k.a. the outermost courtyard), we can learn a powerful truth in what John intentionally chose to include and exclude.

There was a reason John included these verses in His gospel, and I believe the reason is this: While these Greeks did not come with the goal of distracting Jesus from His mission, their presence and request was seen as a distraction in Jesus’ eyes. The cross was Jesus’ goal, and meeting with some Greeks did not in any way help Jesus accomplish what He came to this world to accomplish.

In John’s decision to include these verses, we see a Jesus who is intentional about where He placed His focus, and a Jesus who was very aware of the trap of distraction. While it isn’t nice to think about a Jesus who would appear to ignore people, this may have been what happened.

Jesus’ choice to not see these Greeks was for the ultimate good. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for not only the sins of the Jews, but also the sins of gentiles (including these Greeks), and the sins of you and I. If Jesus feels distant or if it feels like He is ignoring you or me, it may be because He has something bigger in mind that we cannot see from our limited perspective. It’s up to us to trust that He knows what is best in the big, eternal picture.

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Flashback Episode — Worshiping Like Soldiers: Mark 15:16-20

Published October 21, 2024 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we continue in Mark’s gospel, we come to Jesus’ last stop before He carries the cross out to be crucified. While this may be among the most graphic parts of the gospels, within the cruelty of this event we discover a powerful truth that is easy to miss or ignore. While it is unlikely that any of us would intentionally act like the soldiers in this passage towards Jesus today, something we might do today might actually treat Jesus like these soldiers treated Him, even if we don’t realize it.

Let’s read this passage and discover a subtle trap Satan would love for us to fall into. Our passage is found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 15, and we will read from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 16, Mark tells us that:

¹⁶The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” ¹⁹Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

As I read this passage, did anything stand out in your mind that you could see yourself doing to Jesus, even unintentionally, that is similar to what these soldiers did?

If you’re at all like me, nothing on the surface in this description would be anything like I would do. I wouldn’t twist a crown of thorns together and set it on Jesus’ head. I wouldn’t beat Jesus over the head with a staff or spit on him. And I wouldn’t mockingly call Him the king of the Jews or make fun of Him.

However, while these soldiers were making fun of Jesus, they were likely doing something even they didn’t realize. While mocking Jesus, they were actually giving Jesus empty, meaningless worship. In the entire history of humanity, only One individual is truly worthy of worship, and this individual is Jesus. Jesus deserves our glory, our honor, our praise, and our worship.

While it is pretty clear by their actions and abuse that these soldiers were not genuinely worshiping Jesus, what specific things made their actions towards Jesus not true worship?

Aside from the abuse, the beating, and the crown of thorns, the worship, or homage, these soldiers gave Jesus did not even hint at including humility, respect, or any of the soldiers’ hearts. The “worship” these soldiers give Jesus is empty because the worship these soldiers give is worthless in both the soldiers’ eyes, and it is worthless in God’s eyes as well.

In addition to God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, Jesus is the only One worthy of our worship and our praise. When we come to worship Jesus and thank Him for what He has done for us, are we bringing Jesus glory, honor, and praise in our worship? More importantly than that, are we bringing our hearts with our worship and our gifts and giving our hearts to God within our worship?

As I have read and studied worship more, I have come to realize just how important giving our hearts to God is when we come to worship Him. Above any other gift, God wants our hearts. If our hearts are not included in our worship to God, then our worship is no more pleasing to God than the soldiers mock-worship was.

For a long time, I found myself going to church every weekend because it was a habit, or a routine, and because I felt it was what God wanted me to do. While there is nothing bad about going to church, when we let church become a habit, and simply be a part of our routine, we risk our worship becoming empty and “heartless”. If our worship doesn’t give our hearts to God, then we could call this heartless worship, and heartless worship is what the soldiers gave Jesus before His crucifixion.

Above anything else, God wants our hearts. Our hearts are the gift that God values the most. If you feel like your worship has become empty, shallow, or routine, I would caution you to not give up on or stop worshiping. Instead, while routine worship isn’t the goal, it is slightly better than no worship at all. Realizing your worship needs help is the first step to helping it get better.

If you feel like your worship isn’t where you would like it to be, what are some ways you can bring your heart back in to your worship? Finding the answer to this question is the best way to revitalize your worship experience, and the answer to this question is best found by bringing your request to God in prayer.

While it seems like our conversation has shifted away from the event we began talking about, let’s circle back around at look at what Jesus experienced leading up to His crucifixion. When we take a step back and look at everything Jesus went through, it is nothing short of horrific. The amount of abuse, hostility, and pain that Jesus went through is about as extreme as I can imagine.

However, what is even more amazing is looking at what Jesus went through and realizing that it was entirely within God’s power to write the details of Jesus’ death. Before history began, God knew the plan of action for when humanity sinned, and He wrote into history every detail surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion weekend. Why then would the Godhead write Jesus’ death into history in what was likely the cruelest, most painful way to die?

As we read what happened to Jesus leading up to the cross, I cannot escape the truth that Jesus chose to face the cruelest death, and path to death, possible because He wanted humanity to know that God loves each of us that much more! God was willing to face the worst humanity could come up with in order to show humanity how much He loves us!

God emptied His heart for us as He calls us to give our hearts to Him! This is an invitation to all of us from a God who loves us more than anything and everything we choose to do to Him, and our invitation from God is an invitation to bring our sin-stained hearts to Him and let Him create new, clean hearts within us!

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, continue to intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to bring your heart to God with your worship. If worshiping with your heart is challenging, ask God to help you open your heart to Him and to discover how to bring Him the gift He desires the most – specifically the gift of your heart.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. Through prayer and study, we can open our hearts, minds, and lives to God and let Him transform us into the people He created us to be.

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 abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year in Mark – Episode 43: When we look a little closer at how Mark describes the soldiers mocking and beating Jesus prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, discover how the soldiers’ actions may be not too different from something Satan would like us to do when we come and worship God!