Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

The Messiah’s Fire: Luke 3:1-18

Published February 9, 2023 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we continue moving through Luke’s gospel, we discover that after Luke describes Jesus’ childhood, Luke then transitions back to talking about Jesus’ forerunner in ministry, John the Baptist. However, to set the stage for the rest of his gospel, Luke gives us a historical overview of the state of the empire and the state of Judea by letting us know exactly when the events in the rest of his gospel occurred.

Let’s read this passage, and discover how Luke sets the stage for Jesus beginning His ministry. Our passage for this episode is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 3, and we will read from the New Living Translation. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us that:

¹It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. ²Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. ³Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. ⁴Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
    Clear the road for him!
⁵The valleys will be filled,
    and the mountains and hills made level.
The curves will be straightened,
    and the rough places made smooth.
⁶And then all people will see
    the salvation sent from God.’”

⁷When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? ⁸Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. ⁹Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰The crowds asked, “What should we do?”

¹¹John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”

¹²Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”

¹⁴“What should we do?” asked some soldiers.

John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”

¹⁵Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. ¹⁶John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” ¹⁸John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.

In this passage, we discover that John was not a pushover preacher, but he also was not a judgmental preacher either. John’s preaching cut straight to the heart of God’s message and intent for His people.

While reading Luke’s description of John’s message to the people, three verses stood out in my mind and these three verses together paint a powerful picture of what God’s ideal is for those who want to turn away from sin and return to Him.

A surface reading of John’s preaching might make John sound like the first angry street preacher. However, John’s message is different. John subtly assumed something about those who came to listen to him that might be easy to miss if we aren’t paying attention. In verse 7, when the crowds of people came to John to be baptized, John challenges them by calling them snakes before saying, “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?” John assumed that those coming to listen to him and those who wanted to be baptized were coming because God was drawing them to him. I doubt John responded well to passive listeners to his preaching.

At the heart of John’s message was a message of returning to God before it was too late. While John might sound extreme in what he challenges the people by saying, nothing John tells the people is impossible or outside of God’s will. John’s message is summarized with two phrases found in verses 8 and 9, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God…Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

When asked by specific people what God would want them to do, John has a clear, practical response. In John’s response to those present, we discover that God desires to see compassion for others above saving for the future, about working honestly and uprightly even if we are in a work environment that is full of corruption, and to be content with what God has blessed us with.

This summary is found in John’s response to the crowds, the tax collectors, and to the soldiers who asked what God wanted from them. If we choose to live lives that are defined by showing compassion for others above saving for our own future and lives that are lived honestly while also being content, then we will be living lives in alignment with John’s message to the people. Living like John describes proves to the world that we are living for God and not for ourselves and that we have repented.

The last phrase I want to focus briefly on in John’s message is found in verse 17. After describing that the Messiah God is sending will baptize the people with fire while he only baptizes with water, John brings a visual illustration into this warning, saying the coming Messiah “is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

While some people understand the fire in this verse to literally never end, as this translation frames this idea, a better way to describe it would probably be an unstoppable fire. This fire is reserved for the chaff which was separated from the wheat. While some might consider this illustration describing different groups of people, with one group representing the wheat and another group representing the chaff, there is a different way we can understand this illustration.

On a stalk of wheat, there is grain and there is chaff. The grain is useful while the chaff is not. In our own lives, there are things that are valuable and things that are valueless. When we return to God, I believe He wants to separate the valuable parts of our lives from the valueless parts of our lives. God wants to redeem the parts of our lives that are significant, important, and special, while He wants to completely remove and eliminate the parts of our lives that are worthless.

The challenge for us then is to align ourselves with God and let Him work in our lives discarding the things that He knows are worthless. If we want to hold on to something that God is planning on throwing into the unstoppable fire, we run the risk of choosing to be consumed by the fire with something that is worthless. While God won’t stop us from making this choice, God is much more interested in helping us give up the things in our lives that are worthless from eternity’s perspective.

John the Baptist warned the crows about the coming judgment, but far from being judgmental, John challenged people to return to God before it was too late! While we don’t have to be as forward or direct as John was, let’s live our lives in a way that proves we have returned to God and in a way that doesn’t let any worthless things in life steal our focus away from that which is priceless. The most valuable thing God has blessed us with is our hearts, and while our hearts are stained with sin, God wants to clean, fix, and recreate new hearts within us that reflect His heart for 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, intentionally seek God first in your life and purposefully give your heart to Him. Let God clean your life and discard what He knows is worthless while letting Him redeem the things in your life He knows are valuable. God knows your life better than you do, and God has a plan for your life that is bigger than you could ever imagine! Discover what God has in mind for you by letting Him lead and direct your life moving forward into the future.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to grow and discover what God wants to teach you. Through the pages of the Bible, discover how we can open our hearts to God and invite Him into our lives!

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

Year in Luke – Episode 6: Discover some amazing things we can learn from how Luke describes John the Baptist’s message to the crowds before Jesus steps into the public eye.

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Benefiting Everyone: Luke 19:11-27

Published February 8, 2023 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 19:11-27 (NIrV)

¹¹ While the people were listening to these things, Jesus told them a story. He was near Jerusalem. The people thought that God’s kingdom was going to appear right away.

¹² Jesus said, “A man from an important family went to a country far away. He went there to be made king and then return home. ¹³ So he sent for ten of his servants. He gave them each about three months’ pay. ‘Put this money to work until I come back,’ he said.

¹⁴ “But those he ruled over hated him. They sent some messengers after him. They were sent to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵ “But he was made king and returned home. Then he sent for the servants he had given the money to. He wanted to find out what they had earned with it.

¹⁶ “The first one came to him. He said, ‘Sir, your money has earned ten times as much.’

¹⁷ “ ‘You have done well, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘You have been faithful in a very small matter. So I will put you in charge of ten towns.’

¹⁸ “The second servant came to his master. He said, ‘Sir, your money has earned five times as much.’

¹⁹ “His master answered, ‘I will put you in charge of five towns.’

²⁰ “Then another servant came. He said, ‘Sir, here is your money. I have kept it hidden in a piece of cloth. ²¹ I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in. You harvest what you did not plant.’

²² “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you evil servant! So you knew that I am a hard man? You knew that I take out what I did not put in? You knew that I harvest what I did not plant? ²³ Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I came back, I could have collected it with interest.’

²⁴ “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his money away from him. Give it to the one who has ten times as much.’

²⁵ “ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten times as much!’

²⁶ “He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more. But here is what will happen to anyone who has nothing. Even what he has will be taken away from him. ²⁷ And what about my enemies who did not want me to be king over them? Bring them here! Kill them in front of me!’ ”

Read Luke 19:11-27 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In many of Jesus’ parables, we can learn things when we focus in on a specific character or group that is described. In today’s journal entry, I want to focus on the two servants who increased the money given to them, and uncover some insights about what they were involved in.

Some might challenge us taking this angle on the passage, saying that Jesus doesn’t really say what these exceptional investments were, but while this is true, there are ample clues to give us direction on where these servants placed their portion of the master’s money.

The first clue comes from the third (lazy) servant’s response, which is confirmed by the master/king. In verse 22, we read the master saying, “So you knew that I am a hard man? You knew that I take out what I did not put in? You knew that I harvest what I did not plant?” Our first clue for how the servants used their money is by looking at how their master used his – strategically, in ways that allowed the money to grow with the least amount of effort.

The next clue, if we build upon the idea that these servants would do similar things with their money that the master would, is the master’s instructions in verse 13, “Put this money to work until I come back.” The second clue is that the master is not asking the servants to work for the money, but to make the money work for them. This would be like saying, “invest” the money, not gamble or squander it away.

Our third clue relates to timing. In Luke’s telling of this parable, we don’t have much in the way of clues about timing, except that the servants were given three-months pay, however, if we place this parable alongside the similar parable in Matthew, we get the picture that a long time (or perhaps a “lifetime”) passes. Matthew 25:19 tells us, “After a long time the master of those servants returned.” The third clue is that a great deal of time passes while the master is gone. These investments would need to stand the test of time.

It is possible that more than two of the servants started off well, but the others lost their money in bad investments. The two servants who are rewarded learned how to leverage what they had been given, and make it grow in a sustainable fashion. Speaking from a business sense, these two servants would have found ways to best use the money in service to others, and in ways that benefitted all involved. Looking closer at Luke 19:22 (the verse for clue 1), I could speculate that these two servants bought land or businesses that were then leased out to the former owners to manage. They were then able to collect an owner’s share while still giving fair wages and shares to the managers.

Business, in God’s eyes, benefits all the people involved. Business God’s way blends God’s way with the highest level of ethics imaginable. It is the only way to stay in business for a very long time, and it is the only way that the Master/King, when He returns, will approve of. Had the servants had dishonestly gained their money, not only would it have not lasted the whole time the master was gone, it also wouldn’t have made the master happy.

With God, the results are as important as the methods; the journey is as important as the destination.

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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The Faith of Friends: Luke 5:17-26

Published February 7, 2023 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 5:17-26 (CEV)

¹⁷One day some Pharisees and experts in the Law of Moses sat listening to Jesus teach. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.

God had given Jesus the power to heal the sick, ¹⁸and some people came carrying a crippled man on a mat. They tried to take him inside the house and put him in front of Jesus. ¹⁹But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they went up on the roof, where they removed some tiles and let the mat down in the middle of the room.

²⁰When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

²¹The Pharisees and the experts began arguing, “Jesus must think he is God! Only God can forgive sins.”

²²Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, “Why are you thinking that? ²³Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? ²⁴But now you will see that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” Jesus then said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk home.”

²⁵At once the man stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and went home, giving thanks to God. ²⁶Everyone was amazed and praised God. What they saw surprised them, and they said, “We have seen a great miracle today!”

Read Luke 5:17-26 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Often times, when we think of Jesus healing someone, we think that the person being healed must be the one who has faith in order to receive the healing. However, after a closer reading at a number of the miraculous healings that are included in the gospels, it would seem that the necessary faith may be able to come from other sources.

In the passage for this post, we have such an event. Little if any evidence is given that prompt us to see the crippled man as the one who has faith. However, all three gospels that include this event point us to the fact that the crippled man’s friends were the ones who had faith: “When Jesus saw how much faith they had . . .” (v. 20a)

The “they” that Luke is referring to is this man’s friends, who have just carried the man up to the roof, removed ceiling tiles, and lowered the crippled man down to Jesus because there was no way to get the man through the crowd.

While Jesus focuses His message on the subject of forgiveness, we must not minimize the faith these four men had that Jesus could—and would—heal their friend. Had the friends not had any faith, or if their faith wasn’t strong enough to have made them be persistent in their mission, the crippled man would have finished his life as a cripple, and we would have missed learning the key lesson Jesus wanted to teach that day – the lesson of forgiveness and His role in the process.

This leads me to the theme I see in this passage: My faith is important, not just for the benefit of my own relationship with God, but for the benefit of those I spend time with as well. For faith to be effective, it must inspire the one who has it to act in a way that shows it is present.

The faith of these men showed, and because of it, their friend was healed.

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Flashback Episode — Blessed By God: Matthew 5:1-12

Published February 6, 2023 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we move further into the gospel of Matthew, we come to one of the most famous events in Jesus’ entire ministry. While Luke’s gospel hints at a similar event, no gospel writer devotes as much time to a single event as Matthew does to Jesus’ first big sermon, often called the Sermon on the Mount. The only other significant event that all the gospel writers spend a lot of time on is the events leading up to the cross.

The three big focus points of Matthew’s gospel are the sermon Jesus shares near the beginning of His ministry, the parables and teaching Jesus shares about the time of His return, and the details surrounding Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.

In our time for this episode, we’ll look at the opening section of Jesus’ big sermon, often called the Beatitudes, or the list of blessings. Jesus’ sermon starts in Matthew, chapter 5, and we will be reading from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us that:

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them:

³“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless.
    The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn.
    They will be comforted.
⁵Blessed are those who are gentle.
    They will inherit the earth.
⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God’s approval.
    They will be satisfied.
⁷Blessed are those who show mercy.
    They will be treated mercifully.
⁸Blessed are those whose thoughts are pure.
    They will see God.
⁹Blessed are those who make peace.
    They will be called God’s children.
¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what God approves of.
    The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you,
    persecute you,
        lie, and say all kinds of evil things about you because of me.
¹²Rejoice and be glad because you have a great reward in heaven!
    The prophets who lived before you were persecuted in these ways.

Let’s stop reading here because I want to focus on what Jesus has shared in this opening list of nine blessings. For a long time, whenever I would read or hear this list talked about, I imagined this list was an either/or type of list, and similar to a multiple choice list, I had to pick one characteristic and one blessing from the list Jesus shares.

However, as I have grown, studied, and learned, I am beginning to wonder if the items in this list shouldn’t be seen as exclusive to each other, but instead as different aspects of a Christ-like character. The more I have read the characteristics and blessings, I believe all Jesus’ followers are called to be all these things because this is what Christ has modeled for us.

To open the list of characteristics, we have those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. While we have been given so many spiritual blessings through what Jesus has done for us, without Jesus, we are definitely spiritually helpless. I believe the essence of this blessing is directed towards those who recognize their need for a Savior and that Jesus fits all the characteristics we could ever want in Someone sent to save us.

The second blessing is for those who mourn. While this blessing doesn’t seem that significant, I wonder if a deeper angle to this is that we acknowledge the bad in the world and we bring our challenges and our pain to God. While some might challenge us to ignore our feelings or to push them to the side, according to this characteristic, we are blessed when we mourn, because by bringing our pain to God, we are able to be blessed with His comfort.

The third blessing is for those who are gentle. Jesus tells us that gentle people will inherit the earth. While it might be tempting to think that gentle people will take over the earth, this is not the gist of what it means to inherit something. When something is inherited, it is only after someone else has died. In the context of this blessing, we could conclude that when all the proud, self-centered, violent people have died, then the gentle people who are left will inherit the earth. Those who are gentle don’t take over the earth, they wait patiently for God to act and they are ready to accept the inheritance God has for them when He is ready to bless.

Next in our list of blessings are those who hunger and thirst for God’s approval. Those who whole-heartedly seek for God’s approval will discover where God’s approval can be found, and they will be satisfied.

Half way through our list of blessings comes a blessing for those who show mercy. Jesus promises that those who show mercy will be treated mercifully. In a way, this is similar to saying that those who are forgiving towards others will be forgiven.

Next, we see a blessing for those who have pure thoughts. Jesus promises that those with pure thoughts will see God. While there are several angles we could understand this to mean, I wonder if the first portion of this blessing is simply eyes that are open to how God is moving through the world around us. While those with pure thoughts may ultimately be saved and will see God when He returns, I’m curious if this specific blessing refers to more than just pointing us to the second coming, specifically that when we are living for God with His thoughts in our minds, we will see Him clearly moving in the world today.

Next comes a blessing for those who make peace. Jesus tells us that those who make peace will be called God’s children. This is fascinating in my mind because society wants to frame those who carry Christ’s name as anything but peaceful, and there are many in Christianity who have chosen to live in a way that does not promote peace. I wonder if God has a different word to describe those who claim to be His but who He isn’t going to claim as His own. This blessing ties making peace to being described by God as His children.

The last two blessings in this list are blessings related to being persecuted for doing what God approves of. If the world hates us for following God, then we should be happy and satisfied, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to us and we have a great reward in heaven.

This does not mean that simply calling ourselves a Christian and doing things that the world disapproves of will warrant being blessed. We must be doing things God approves of and be persecuted by the world in order to receive God’s blessing. We are called to live our lives following and obeying Jesus and then let God manage our inheritance. Some of these blessings may be realized in this life, but I am confident that regardless of how we are blessed in this life for following this list of characteristics, God is storing up a much larger inheritance for us in heaven, which He will be happy to reward us with when He returns!

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 and choose to apply all of these characteristics into your life. Choose to place God ahead of everything else and let Him bless you as you are a blessing to others. Don’t worry about what happens in this life or in this world because God has something better in store for all of us!

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to grow closer to God each and every day. Only through prayer and study can we learn what God is really like, and when we learn more about God, we are better able to be His witness and representatives in today’s busy, crazy, secular world.

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

Flashback Episode: Year in Matthew – Episode 6: As Jesus opens His most famous sermon, discover in a list of blessings some major characteristics of His people, and the people who will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven!