Reflective Bible Study

We have hinted at the idea of Jesus dying for us while looking at other passages, and again in this entry, we are looking at a passage and idea that builds upon this – and we will be discussing the thief on the cross.

In this passage (verse 43), we are able to see Jesus promise the thief salvation – after a life of sin. This action tells me what some people might call a “deathbed confession” is possible, but nowhere do we read or see how that path would be recommended.

However, simply opening up this last minute redemptive option shows us just how much Jesus loves and cares for us. It is powerful to think that Jesus endured all that torture and pain to give two sinners the opportunity to repent and be forgiven. One of them takes Jesus up on the deal, and puts his trust in Him for what will come after death.

In our own lives, we should never plan to repent and ask for forgiveness right before we die. The obvious reason is that we don’t know when we’ll die. Another equally valid reason is that the more we reject Jesus while living our lives, the less likely we will even think about turning back to Him when we are at our end. But the biggest reason is what this decision says about our opinion of God’s plan for us.

If we live our lives with the idea that we can turn back to God at the end of our lives, we are basically telling ourselves and others that God’s plan is not the best for us here on earth. Living like this says to others that, “My way is better than God’s way while I’m alive, and that He wants me to miss out on something worth doing/experiencing.”

Is this true? Does God want us to miss out on some things?

Yes. God wants us to miss out on things that cheapen our value as human beings, on things that ruin relationships with others, and on things that harm ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually. We are way more valuable to God than we often give ourselves credit for – because Jesus died to give you the opportunity to be saved. Jesus died for you, to pay your debt, so that you can accept the gift of eternal life which begins today – long before your deathbed.

When reading about the last supper Jesus had with His disciples before the crucifixion, Matthew’s gospel includes an interesting statement that is never really concluded. When Jesus shares that one of the twelve disciples present in that room would betray Him, it would seem as though all twelve were confused and shocked.

Perhaps the eleven disciples (not including Judas the betrayer) were shocked that a traitor was in their midst, but perhaps Judas himself was shocked that Jesus was so perceptive. It had been only days since he had taken the money and agreed to find a time to turn Jesus in.

In Matthew’s gospel, we see an interesting dialog. Each one of Jesus’ follower ask Jesus if they would be the one to betray Him. Presumably Jesus says no to the first few disciples who ask, but then Matthew tells us that “Judas, who would give Jesus to his enemies, said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, surely I am not the one, am I?’” (v. 25a)

Jesus’ response is direct and clear. Matthew tells us He said, “Yes, it is you.” (v. 25b)

I don’t know if the remainder of the disciple felt relief or anger at this piece of news. Perhaps they were relieved that they were cleared from being suspects, but I imagine many of them were angry at Judas for being the one who would betray Jesus. Part of me wonders if there wasn’t some disbelief or thought that either Jesus had gone nuts, or that Judas’ betrayal would be weeks or years in the future, rather than that specific night.

Matthew doesn’t tell us the disciples’ response/reaction. Instead, he just continues by jumping to the next key part of their special Passover meal. In order to learn what reaction the disciples had, we should pull a set of verses from John’s gospel, since John includes a statement to help us understand what was happening in the disciples’ minds.

John tells us that, “No one at the table understood why Jesus said this to Judas. Since he was the one who kept the money box, some of the followers thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast or to give something to the poor.” (John 13:28-29)

In John’s gospel, Jesus had just identified Judas Iscariot as the traitor, and told him to carry out his plan. Judas got up and left, leaving the other eleven disciples shocked at what just happened.

To us reading the gospel narrative, we can clearly see the different angles and how Judas would be headed to the priests to get a mob ready for the upcoming arrest.

Looking at the gospels this way helps draw out the truth that it is easier to understand events when looking back on them. The disciples were confused and shocked in the moment, but they understood it later, and wrote down what happened after coming to this understanding.

In our own lives, when things happen that we don’t understand, we may benefit from letting some time pass, before reflecting back on the event to look for causes, mistakes, and lessons to help us grow moving forward. Often in the moment, things can seem confusing, but time helps create clarity. We might not understand why something bad happened, but perhaps it becomes the seed that God uses for something amazing in our future.

During a lesser well known sermon Jesus did that is called “The sermon on the plain”, He shares a list of blessings and challenges that echo the famous list of blessings that He shared on the mountain side. But in this list, not only does Jesus share blessings for certain groups of people, He also shares warnings for those living in an opposite way.

To start off the sermon on the plain, Jesus wants those following Him to realize some important things:

• “Blessed are those who are poor.” While some might be quick to discount the monetary nature of this blessing, the counter argument is for “those who are rich.” (v. 20, 24)

  Jesus describes the rich as having lived comfortably, and the simplest definition of poor and rich living when comfort is the measure of each has to do with money. Jesus is teaching His followers that we should be more focused on heaven, God’s kingdom, and eternity rather than on our wealth, possessions, or situation here on earth.

• The next blessing is for “those who are hungry.” Again, the simplest way of understanding this is hunger from a lack of food/nourishment. Some might look at this spiritually, and focus on hunger being for lack of knowledge or wisdom, but the counter argument Jesus gives is for “those who are well-fed.” (v. 21a, 25a)

  Jesus describes in these two contrasting groups the idea that God will feed those who need His help while those who have only focused on feeding themselves will go hungry. There may be a spiritual component to this portion of Jesus’ teaching, but if there is a spiritual truth here, it is resting on the physical, literal food that fills (or doesn’t fill) our stomachs.

• Thirdly, Jesus gives a blessing for “those who are crying.” Jesus promises that they will one day laugh. But Jesus also contrasts this by saying that “those who are laughing” will one day “mourn and cry.” (v. 21b, 25b)

  Jesus describes pretty much everyone in these two groups. The truth here is that we should never become so far removed from our emotions that we cannot experience either laughter or tears. Also implied is that when bad things happen and we mourn a loss, God will turn things around and bring laughter back into our lives, but when we are laughing (maybe at evil or maybe not), there will be a time in our future where we get to experience mourning as well.

• Lastly, Jesus blesses and cautions His followers about the way they should be treated. In the past, the messengers who claimed to come from God (false prophets) were received well and were lifted up for their encouraging messages. However, rarely were those who were actually sent by God treated well (true prophets).

  If we desire to be treated well, or if we are ultimately accepted by culture, then we might want to be concerned about where our mission/message has originated. Jesus never said that no one who comes from God will be accepted by culture, but He did imply it was that way in the past, and the way He was treated definitely suggested this as well. Jesus also didn’t say that just because we are mistreated, we must be on the right path. Being rejected by culture may mean we are serving God, but it doesn’t guarantee this.

  The goal with this last blessing and warning is for each of us to focus our lives and attention on serving God, and to not pay much attention to or dwell on the way others are treating or mistreating us.

In all four of these blessings and warnings, Jesus wants His followers to focus on doing God’s will and on the rewards we will ultimately receive as His followers living in eternity.