Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

There’s Value in Being Different: Matthew 20:29-34

Published October 18, 2023 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Mark 10:46-52 / Luke 18:35-43 / Matthew 20:29-34 (GNT)

⁴⁶They came to Jericho, and as Jesus was leaving with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸Many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up!” they said. “Get up, he is calling you.”

⁵⁰So he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

⁵¹“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

“Teacher,” the blind man answered, “I want to see again.”

⁵²“Go,” Jesus told him, “your faith has made you well.”

At once he was able to see and followed Jesus on the road.

³⁵As Jesus was coming near Jericho, there was a blind man sitting by the road, begging. ³⁶When he heard the crowd passing by, he asked, “What is this?”

³⁷“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.

³⁸He cried out, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”

³⁹The people in front scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David! Have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰So Jesus stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Sir,” he answered, “I want to see again.”

⁴²Jesus said to him, “Then see! Your faith has made you well.”

⁴³At once he was able to see, and he followed Jesus, giving thanks to God. When the crowd saw it, they all praised God.

²⁹As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd was following. ³⁰Two blind men who were sitting by the road heard that Jesus was passing by, so they began to shout, “Son of David! Have mercy on us, sir!”

³¹The crowd scolded them and told them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Son of David! Have mercy on us, sir!”

³²Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

³³“Sir,” they answered, “we want you to give us our sight!”

³⁴Jesus had pity on them and touched their eyes; at once they were able to see, and they followed him.

Read Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43, and Matthew 20:29-34 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Have you ever doubted the gospels because one gospel tells the story a little differently than the others?

Do the differences in the gospels ever make you wonder if these stories are made up – because there is not consensus between the details?

In this passage, and its parallel passages in Matthew and Luke, we find such a possible discrepancy, however, when looking a little closer, and knowing that Jesus healed many people, we find that there are enough differences to perhaps conclude that these are two different, similar events.

When we look at the broad overview of these passages, Jesus is just outside of Jericho, there is a crowd, He heals blindness, and the formerly blind individual(s) follow Him. It is these similar details that link these events together, and it is possible that they are describing the same event.

If this is the case, then Matthew’s gospel is unique in one key detail when compared with Mark and Luke. In Matthew’s version of this event, there are two blind people not one.

It is differences like these that make some people question whether the gospel stories are accurate. Why would Matthew say two if there was only one, or Mark and Luke say one when there were really two? If we cannot trust the disciples to remember the details of a single healing accurately, doesn’t that cast a shadow on other things they said as well?

It is doubts like these that cause people to discount the gospels as mere stories and to abandon their faith.

But there is another key difference between Matthew’s version and the other two. Matthew opens his passage with “As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho. . .” (v.29). This is distinctly different because Mark and Luke both give indication to say that Jesus was “coming” to Jericho.

This difference and the difference in the number of healed blind men make me believe that these are two similar events, not two different versions of the same event. Jesus attracted crowds when He traveled; Jesus healed countless people; and many people followed Jesus after being healed. These similarities are similarities with most of Jesus other miracles. It is illogical to think that only one or two people were healed outside of Jericho’s walls.

Here is the big idea: The differences in the gospel accounts are there to help us see how broad Jesus’ ministry was. There was not enough room to fit everything Jesus did onto paper, and each gospel writer pulled events to help his audience fall in love with Jesus. Sometimes multiple gospels share the same story, other times, similar ones. These differences are there to help us see a bigger picture of Jesus – something which is meant to strengthen our faith – not weaken it.

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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Fearing What Might Happen: Matthew 21:23-27

Published October 17, 2023 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 21:23-27 (CEV)

²³Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him. They asked, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

²⁴Jesus answered, “I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things. ²⁵Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?”

They thought it over and said to each other, “We can’t say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn’t believe John. ²⁶On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That’s why we can’t say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.” ²⁷So they told Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”

Read Matthew 21:23-27 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

During one of the times Jesus was visiting the temple, the religious leaders challenged Him with the question about where He received His authority. This is an important question for each of us to answer because it is foundational for who Jesus is to be for each of us.

However, it was important for Jesus to not answer this question, because either way He answered, He would negatively impact His ministry. By answering truthfully, Jesus might bring about a premature end to His ministry at the hands of these religious leaders. By lying, Jesus would have sinned and also He would have lost credibility from the crowd who believed Him to be from God.

Jesus responds with an equally unanswerable question: Who gave John the right to baptize? It is in Jesus’ counter-question that we see the exact same two possible answers that Jesus could give in His own response to the leaders’ challenge.

Whether Matthew asked people later, or whether he overheard their discussion, he includes what the leaders discuss. When they pull away to discuss how they should answer, they realize they are in trouble. They concluded that, “We can’t say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn’t believe John. On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That’s why we can’t say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.” (v. 25b-26)

On one hand, the biased belief of the leaders tied their hands from responding that John got his authority from God. If they admit that God gave John the authority, then Jesus would have an opening to challenge them on why they didn’t believe John.

But on the other hand, the popular opinion of the crowd was that John did receive authority to baptize from God, and if they claimed otherwise, they weren’t sure if they would still be alive that evening.

The leaders’ fear of the people and their unbelief in John kept them from responding truthfully to Jesus.

What I find interesting is that fear of what might happen stopped these leaders from responding. A riot over a question Jesus asked would not benefit His ministry. A riot and mass stoning of the leaders in Jesus’ presence would be a very bad sign to the Romans looking at the situation. And the leaders pride and ego stop them from answering to please the people.

Fear holds many people in a similar way today. Many people are trapped by the fear of what might happen. This fear is crippling because it is often over-exaggerated and rarely ever accurate. This fear stopped Jesus from sharing the truth about where He received His authority – which helped Him finish His mission – but it is a fear we must all conquer when wrestling with the question about who Jesus is for us.

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Flashback Episode — The Time of the End: Matthew 24:1-25

Published October 16, 2023 in Audio Journal Entries

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One evening during the week leading up to His crucifixion, Matthew’s gospel describes Jesus sitting and answering the disciples’ questions about the time of the end. In Jesus’ response, which we will break into several episodes, we discover not only some warnings and challenges for God’s people to pay attention to, but also some parables that are worth us learning from so we can stay connected with God when we face challenges in our own lives.

Leading up to this conversation, Matthew includes a couple of verses to set the stage. Our passage for this episode is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 24, and we will read it from the New American Standard Bible. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us that:

¹ Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. ² And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

³ As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Let’s pause briefly here because the disciples’ question is interesting. In what seems like a single question, the disciples actually ask three different questions. These three questions are: When will the temple be destroyed; What will be the sign of Jesus’ return; and What marks the end of the age.

It is quite likely that the disciples believed all three of these events to be one and the same, but when looking back on history, we can see that at the very least, the temple being destroyed was an event that happened earlier than the other two events. Looking forward, while we can picture the other two events covering the same point in time, it is possible that these remaining two events are both unique as well.

After receiving this set of questions, let’s look at Jesus’ response. While Jesus responds, let’s also pay attention to which question He is responding to.

Continuing in verse 4:

⁴ [And] Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. ⁶ You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. ⁸ But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

⁹ “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. ¹⁰ At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. ¹² Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. ¹⁴ This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Pausing briefly, this first portion of Jesus’ response is almost like a summary of what Jesus will then share in greater detail. This summary isn’t as exclusively focused on the destruction of Jerusalem, but on history leading up to Jesus’ return.

Then Jesus shifts focus and gets more specific. Continuing in verse 15, Jesus continues saying:

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ²² Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance.

While Jesus continues sharing, we’ll stop reading here because we are about out of time, and I want to point out some things that stand out in my mind in what Jesus has just shared.

When Jesus shifts focus and then zeros in on specifics, He first focuses on warning His followers about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. In this warning, Jesus gives them a sign they should look for, and it is a sign that mirrors what Daniel spoke about.

While there is speculation that what Daniel spoke about had already been fulfilled, if this is the case, Jesus simply recycles Daniel’s prophecy and tells His followers to pay attention for it to happen again. Other people believe that since Jesus draws our attention onto this prophecy of Daniel, it had not been fulfilled earlier but was waiting until Jesus repeated it and focused us onto the first-century temple destruction.

However, the warnings for God’s people about the temple being destroyed are the least relevant parts of this passage for us to focus on in my mind. This is simply because this has already happened. Instead, I think that the other part of this passage is much more significant.

After talking about the destruction of the temple beginning a great persecution of God’s people, Jesus tells us that for the sake of God’s people, this great persecution would be cut short. After this happens, we must be on our guard. Jesus warns us in verse 23 and 24: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”

In this warning, which is valid for all of Jesus’ followers at every point in history, we should not believe anyone who comes claiming to be the Jesus of the gospels who has returned to earth. Let’s simply say that if any doubt is present in our minds, that is God telling us this was not Jesus’ return. Jesus’ return will mark the end of the world as we know it, and any “return” that is less than this is the return of a false messiah.

This passage doesn’t tell us that God won’t send messengers or prophets to bring us back to God or to remind us to focus on Jesus’ return. Instead, this is a warning to beware of people coming who claim to be Jesus Christ and a warning to avoid and reject people who claim to be a middleman for God. Jesus came the first time to open the way for us to come directly to God, and through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross while He was here on this earth the first time, we are able to stand before God with Jesus’ righteousness covering our sins.

When Jesus returns, there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jesus has returned, and His return will mark the end of this world as we know it. In this warning, Jesus tells us that any secret return or return that is any less grand is a false second coming from a false messiah.

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 take Jesus’ warning seriously. If someone comes to you claiming to have found Jesus, don’t believe them. When Jesus returns, His return will be visible to everyone, and His return marks the end of this world as it has been. Any return that is less than this is not Jesus returning.

However, don’t take my word for this. Instead, pray and study this truth out for yourself in Jesus’ teaching in the Bible. While I wish we had more time to cover this in our podcasts together, I would rather you take and learn this truth for yourself than have you simply hear it from me. When you study the Bible for yourself, you grow personally and you have a much stronger relationship and foundation with God than you could ever have if you simply heard it from me or someone else.

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 be tricked into leaving where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year in Matthew – Episode 42: In response to the disciples asking Jesus a question about the end times, discover in Jesus’ response a warning for all of God’s people about what they should watch out for regarding Jesus’ return.

Carrying Someone Else’s Cross: John 19:17

Published October 13, 2023 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 19:17 (NCV)

¹⁷Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull, which in the Hebrew language is called Golgotha.

Read John 19:17 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

On the road to Golgotha, while Jesus was traveling there with His cross, I am amazed by how the different gospel writers describe this scene.

Matthew draws our attention to a bystander turned celebrity by saying, “As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus, they forced a man from Cyrene, named Simon, to carry the cross for Jesus.” (Matthew 27:32)

Mark also draws our attention to this bystander by saying, “A man named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming from the fields to the city. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus.” (Mark 15:21)

Luke gives a third account of this bystander’s actions by saying, “As they led Jesus away, Simon, a man from Cyrene, was coming in from the fields. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross and to walk behind him.” (Luke 23:26)

But John says something completely different. In His gospel we read, “Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull, which in the Hebrew language is called Golgotha.” (John 19:17)

John’s unique, and very clear description prompts me to wonder something. Of all the gospel writers, John was there. While Peter followed Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest, only the unnamed disciple who John includes in his gospel was present. Many scholars believe this unnamed disciple to be John himself. Matthew had run away, and Mark and Luke both were dependant on the witness of other people who were present.

Perhaps John followed outside of direct view of Jesus, while Matthew, Mark, and Luke have the more correct record of what happened because they relied on closer eye-witness sources. But maybe John says what he said to draw a point: Jesus carried His own cross.

Maybe Jesus carried the crossbeam while Simon carried the much heavier upright plank, or maybe Simon helped Jesus carry the cross for much of the way forward.

Simon was forced into the unique position to be the one to help Jesus bear His cross. Not only was this a once in a lifetime experience, Simon lived an incredible example of what Jesus did for each of us. While Jesus technically carried His own cross, it was really the cross meant for you and me. Jesus didn’t deserve a cross, but He did choose it for us. Carrying another person’s cross is a powerful metaphor, and what Simon did for Jesus, Jesus does for each one of us who deserve death for our sins.

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