Reflective Bible Study

Following a long series of parables that Matthew includes in his gospel, we discover that Jesus makes a trip back to His hometown of Nazareth. However, the reaction He gets when He arrives is fascinating in my mind.

Let’s read about what happens and what Jesus experienced when He returns home. Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 13, and we will read from the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 53, we read:

⁵³ When Jesus finished telling these parables, he left that place ⁵⁴ and went back to his hometown. He taught in the synagogue, and those who heard him were amazed. “Where did he get such wisdom?” they asked. “And what about his miracles? ⁵⁵ Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary his mother, and aren’t James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? ⁵⁶ Aren’t all his sisters living here? Where did he get all this?” ⁵⁷ And so they rejected him.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is respected everywhere except in his hometown and by his own family.” ⁵⁸ Because they did not have faith, he did not perform many miracles there.

In this passage, Jesus returns home to Nazareth, and when the Sabbath came, He went and taught in the synagogue. Two things stand out significantly in my mind about how this group of Jews responded to Jesus.

The first of these things is found in the questions they ask themselves about Jesus. Matthew tells us that they were amazed when they heard Him. This is powerful. They ask, “Where did he get such wisdom?” and “what about his miracles?” The initial response of those present is amazement. They appear to be very impressed with what Jesus was saying and sharing.

However, where this leads is just as amazing in my mind. Instead of seeing Jesus as someone who has grown in His relationship with God, they immediately seek to question where Jesus received His insight. Instead of simply accepting the wisdom Jesus shared, they are skeptical that someone as ordinary as Jesus could actually be extraordinary. These people look at Jesus’ family and they conclude that there isn’t anything special or abnormal in Jesus’ earthly parents or siblings. Because of this, they ultimately conclude that Jesus is not special at all, and not worthy of faith. These are the people who Jesus grew up with and around.

Mathew concludes by saying in verse 58 that “Because they did not have faith, [Jesus] did not perform many miracles there.”

This means that Jesus did perform some miracles while in Nazareth, but the miracles He did perform didn’t increase the faith of those present. Jesus helped those who chose to have faith, but the little faith that was present seemed to breed more skepticism rather than more faith.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph kept Jesus’ supernatural conception a secret. While Mary was definitely Jesus’ mother, I wonder if they didn’t openly share how Joseph was not Jesus’ father. Or, I wonder if those present simply assumed that Jesus and Joseph were biologically connected and they simply did not ask the question.

The other thing that stands out significantly in my mind when I read this is how we often fall into the exact same trap that those in Nazareth face. In our own lives, when we learn, hear, or read something new, the temptation is to quickly look deeper for a source, a story, or a motivation for what was shared. If new research comes to light about anything, we as a group instinctively will try to discern all the reasons we shouldn’t trust the research findings before looking at the findings itself.

If the findings validate what we already believe, they we blindly accept the research probably too quickly, whereas if the findings contradict what we believe, we challenge anything and everything about the research, the researchers, the funding source, and the motivation for the research itself. This is a characteristic of human nature, and it is as beneficial at times as it is detrimental.

The worst place we can find ourselves is listening or reading something about Jesus and choosing to accept or reject the idea based on our current beliefs. The next worse place we can go is to discredit the source of the idea. The best place to go to validate ideas about Jesus is to the closest source to Jesus we have, and that is the four gospels of the Bible.

There are more copies of the New Testament gospels than any other ancient written document. Also, the copies we have date more closely to the originals than any other ancient written source that I know of. This makes the Bible, probably the most controversial book in our world today, the best book to use when testing information and ideas about Jesus.

When Jesus arrived back in Nazareth, He was met with greater skepticism than if a complete stranger had arrived. Jesus came sharing wisdom and truth that was amazing and very impressive to those present. However, instead of accepting Jesus as Someone God sent to them with a special message, those in Nazareth decided it was best to dig into how Jesus could have learned or known what He shared, and when their search turns up empty, they decide to reject Jesus entirely.

We run the risk of this trap when we choose to reject Jesus based on anything but what the Bible teaches us in the gospels. The gospels are filled with information from eye witnesses and from those who were the closest to Jesus while He was on earth, and they are the best place to learn who the real Jesus was.

It’s also interesting in my mind that Jesus was rejected by people while He was alive on this earth. This means that we shouldn’t be surprised, hurt, or discouraged if we are rejected or if others reject Jesus in today’s world. Jesus didn’t come to please everyone or to get everyone to like Him. Jesus came to save all of God’s people, and to give humanity a better picture of God and His love for us!

Any message that paints Jesus as unloving towards those who were hurting, or unloving towards those who God loves, is a picture that does not match the Bible’s message about Jesus. With few exceptions, the only times Jesus speaks harshly are when He challenges those who believed they were better than others and who were self-righteously putting others down while trying to raise up their own status in God’s eyes. Jesus came to help those who were hurting and to give humanity hope for a future 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, be sure to seek God first and place Him first in your life. Choose to accept Jesus and what He did for us when He came and died on the cross. Accept Jesus’ life as a picture of God’s heart and His love for you and for me.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and become more like Jesus. Through praying and studying the Bible, we are better able to be the representatives that God has called us to be, and we will be better equipped to love others like Jesus loved them.

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!

As we continue through Luke’s gospel and look at some of the amazing events Luke chose to include, we come to a place where Luke records a very powerful, very challenging message Jesus shares to a group of Pharisees and religious teachers. However, leading up to this challenge, we have a fascinating teaching Jesus shares about light. In this teaching, a phrase always stands out in my mind because of the seemingly impossible contrast Jesus makes.

Without any further introduction, let’s read what Luke tells us Jesus taught. Our passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 11, and we will read from the New International Reader’s Version. Starting in verse 33, Luke tells us Jesus taught saying:

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. ³⁴ Your 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. ³⁵ So make sure that the light inside you is not darkness. ³⁶ Suppose 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.”

Let’s pause here because Jesus has just finished speaking this big thought and Luke is about to shift focus onto the challenging statements Jesus makes to a group of Pharisees and religious leaders.

In Jesus’ teaching about light and our eyes being lamps for our bodies, He makes a fascinating statement in verse 35: “Make sure that the light inside you is not darkness”.

The immediate context for this statement is contrasting someone who has great eyesight with someone who has poor eyesight. The person with great eyesight would logically have lots of actual light inside of them, while the person with poor eyesight would not have as much light.

However, Jesus isn’t speaking only in a literal sense. While there is a literal application to Jesus’ statements, light inside us is not literally darkness because light and dark are opposites. Where there is light, there is not darkness, and where light is not present, there is darkness. This means Jesus’ statement about light and dark must have a spiritual application as well.

I suspect that Jesus is challenging people throughout history to be conscious of what they believe and internalize because many things that people are considering as light or new light is really darkness. While literal light and literal darkness are not true opposites, in a spiritual sense, light and dark are polar opposites. When we believe and internalize ideas we come in contact with, we should intentionally be filtering out darkness from light. We can best do this by holding up the truth in question to the filter of the Bible.

The Bible is a lens that doesn’t explain everything, but it does explain everything we need to understand in the spiritual dimension of life and it does explain a great number of other things that many people might be surprised to discover.

However, Luke may have finished sharing this portion of Jesus’ message, but he continues by sharing a powerful event that may have been one catalyst towards getting the hostility of the religious leaders turned in Jesus’ direction.

Continuing in verse 37, Luke tells us:

³⁷ Jesus finished speaking. Then a Pharisee invited him to eat with him. So Jesus went in and took his place at the table. ³⁸ But the Pharisee was surprised. He noticed that Jesus did not wash before the meal.

³⁹ Then the Lord spoke to him. “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish,” he said. “But inside you are full of greed and evil. ⁴⁰ You foolish people! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ Give freely to poor people to show what is inside you. Then everything will be clean for you.

⁴² “How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give God a tenth of your garden plants, such as mint and rue. But you have forgotten to be fair and to love God. You should have practiced the last things without failing to do the first.

⁴³ “How terrible for you Pharisees! You love the most important seats in the synagogues. You love having people greet you with respect in the market.

⁴⁴ “How terrible for you! You are like graves that are not marked. People walk over them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ An authority on the law spoke to Jesus. He said, “Teacher, when you say things like that, you say bad things about us too.”

⁴⁶ Jesus replied, “How terrible for you authorities on the law! You put such heavy loads on people that they can hardly carry them. But you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

⁴⁷ “How terrible for you! You build tombs for the prophets. It was your people of long ago who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you show that you agree with what your people did long ago. They killed the prophets, and now you build the prophets’ tombs. ⁴⁹ So God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them. They will kill some. And they will try to hurt others.’ ⁵⁰ So the people of today will be punished. They will pay for all the prophets’ blood spilled since the world began. ⁵¹ I mean from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah. He was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I tell you, the people of today will be punished for all these things.

⁵² “How terrible for you authorities on the law! You have taken away the key to the door of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered. And you have stood in the way of those who were entering.”

⁵³ When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law strongly opposed him. They threw a lot of questions at him. ⁵⁴ They set traps for him. They wanted to catch him in something he might say.

In this last set of verses to conclude this event, I am wholly not surprised that when Jesus left, the Pharisees and religious leaders strongly opposed Him.

While there are many things we could pull out and focus on for the remainder of this podcast episode, one phrase stood out to me that I want to emphasize. In verse 41, Jesus tells the Pharisee, “Give freely to poor people to show what is inside you.”

In this statement, Jesus hints at generosity being a function of the heart. Generosity, or a lack of generosity, shows others what is in our hearts. When we look at almost all of Jesus’ challenges to these religious leaders, two big themes Jesus challenged them on were a self-centered attitude that pushed people away and an arrogant attitude that looked down on others. The religious leaders judged first and only when proven wrong would consider changing their judgment.

Jesus’ challenge regarding generosity stands in strong contrast to the attitude these religious leaders had. When we are generous, we have other people in focus, and we step into a serving role to help the other people. While I’m sure it is possible to serve others and be generous with a self-centered attitude, these two actions are not easily blended.

The religious leaders are accused of standing in the way of people coming to know God and Jesus. This is a challenge with people at every point in history. God wants a personal relationship with us. Any leader, teacher, guide, or mentor who wants to get in the way of you growing closer to God has more in common with these religious leaders Jesus speaks against than people God sends into our lives.

If you face opposition from someone when you are trying to grow your relationship with Jesus, chances are that God did not bring this person into your life, or if He did, they are not acting within God’s will. The religious leaders God wants to have present in all His churches and spiritual communities are leaders who help others, leaders who open the door to knowledge, and leaders who help sinners understand that they are truly forgiven because of what Jesus accomplished for humanity on the cross!

God is looking for leaders to help people grow close to Him, and these leaders will always point people back to the Bible and help them focus on applying the truths found in the Bible into their daily lives!

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 don’t let anyone get in the way of you and your relationship with God. Filter the “truth” that is presented to you through the lens of the Bible in order to determine what is really true and worth applying into your life.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow your personal relationship with God. I hope and pray that what I share each week helps your personal relationship with God grow stronger, but I also hope and pray that with everything I share, you will take and study it out for yourself so it becomes truth that you know from the Bible and not simply truth that I shared. While pastors, authors, speakers, or podcasters can give great ideas, always study what you hear and read to determine if it is truth worth applying in 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 give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!