Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Does Jesus Know You: Luke 13:22-30

Published June 8, 2022 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 13:22-30 (NIV)

²² Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, ²⁴ “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. ²⁵ Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’

²⁶ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

²⁷ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’

²⁸ “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. ²⁹ People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

Read Luke 13:22-30 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Like most passages in these journal entries, there are numerous ideas that stand out to me. Today’s entry is no exception. In this journal entry, we’ll focus on one of these ideas and what it means for each of us.

Probably the most unsettling verse in this passage is verse 25: “Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’”

This verse is very unsettling because it clearly shares that there will be a point in time where it will be too late to accept Christ. There will be people who thought they could wait, but then end up missing out.

What makes verse 25 even more disturbing is how the people respond in verse 26: “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’”

The people who are left out are very familiar with Jesus. They know who He is and they seem to have spent time with Him, but something is missing, and that something is revealed in verse 27: “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’”

This dialog leads us to the really big idea for this journal entry: It doesn’t matter whether we know Jesus; what matters is that Jesus knows us!

This challenges the idea of “once-saved-always-saved” that many Christians believe, or the idea that a simple prayer is all it takes. Having eaten and drank with someone says that they knew each other at one point, but some point in the past doesn’t mean that there is an on-going relationship in the present.

This is a challenging thought for me, because it pushes me to be a lot more intentional about my time with Jesus. Quiet time is a start, but for it to be effective, it must be “quiet time with Jesus”. Busy time is inevitable, but instead, why not make it “busy time with Jesus”. Sure the busyness might be jumping between work “emergencies”, but what would happen if you thought of it as time you are spending with Jesus, where the two of you are tackling the tasks together?

This is a novel, mind-stretching thought. However with that said, remember our big idea: It doesn’t matter whether you know Jesus; what matters is that Jesus knows you!

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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Why Even Ask: Matthew 6:5-13

Published June 7, 2022 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 6:5-13 (NCV)

⁵“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray so people will see them. I tell you the truth, they already have their full reward. ⁶When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you.

⁷“And when you pray, don’t be like those people who don’t know God. They continue saying things that mean nothing, thinking that God will hear them because of their many words. ⁸Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. ⁹So when you pray, you should pray like this:

‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name always be kept holy.
¹⁰May your kingdom come
and what you want be done,
here on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us the food we need for each day.
¹²Forgive us for our sins,
just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.
¹³And do not cause us to be tempted,
but save us from the Evil One.’ [The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever. Amen.]

Read Matthew 6:5-13 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In Jesus’ teaching on prayer, before giving us a model we can follow, He gives us some words of caution. In these warnings, Jesus tells us to avoid being like those who don’t know God. This in itself is an interesting statement, because why would anyone pray if they didn’t know God.

Perhaps Jesus wants to contrast the people who pray to other gods vs. those who pray to the One True God – Jesus’ Father. Jesus tells His followers, “When you pray, don’t be like those people who don’t know God. They continue saying things that mean nothing, thinking that God will hear them because of their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.” (v. 7-8)

Perhaps Jesus had witnessed people repetitively praying the same thing over and over again, or perhaps He is referring to chanting or other rituals people add into their prayer lives. Jesus cuts to the heart of why some of these people might use many words – and that is because they think more words equal a better, more acceptable prayer to God.

However, Jesus flips the idea on its head by saying that on one level, prayers that ask for things are virtually unnecessary, since God already knows what we need before we ask.

So why ask God for anything?

Perhaps we ask to help remind us that God is our Provider. While on the surface, money, jobs, and stores provide for our needs, we can step deeper to the idea that it is really our relationships with others. Looking deeper than our relationships leads us to realize that God is the only one who truly has provided for us: He gave us life, He gives us breath, and He provides us opportunities to connect with others and Himself.

When we pray to God, Jesus wants us to realize that God hears us and He knows what we are going through. The prayer then becomes us coming to Him to release our problems into His hands, and to surrender to His will for our lives. We don’t need many words to accomplish this – especially when we understand that God already knows our situation better than we could imagine.

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Flashback Episode — The Threat of Tradition: Matthew 9:32-34

Published June 6, 2022 in Audio Journal Entries

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Coming immediately on the tail end of the miracle we read about in the last episode, we learn about another miracle that Jesus did, and this miracle both prompts the praise of those present, as well as the ridicule of the religious leaders. In three short verses, we discover an amazing miracle, the people taking notice, and the religious leaders immediately discounting the divine nature of Jesus’ power.

Let’s read what happened then dive into what we can learn that is both interesting and applicable for our lives today. Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 9, and we will be reading from the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 32, Matthew tells us that:

³² As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Him. ³³ After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” ³⁴ But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

When reading this miracle, one of the first things that stand out in my mind was that in most of the previous demon-possessed miracles, the evil spirits scream or cry out about Jesus being God’s Son or that they know who He is. However, this miracle is different, because this demon apparently caused muteness.

Perhaps the Pharisees saw this as an opportunity to claim what they decided to claim, namely that Jesus is simply one demon casting out another demon using Satan’s own power. After all, this claim only works if there isn’t a counterclaim being made. Imagine for a moment that the demon coming out of the man claims that Jesus is God’s Son, as many of the other ones had done, and the Pharisees respond by claiming Jesus is just another demon. In an odd twist, we’d be forced to logically side with the demons in their claim because the Pharisees claim would be less believable.

This scenario would be like a person named Bob telling you he is mortal enemies with a guy named Sam, while Bill standing in the corner counters with the claim that Bob and Sam aren’t enemies, but brothers.

In this situation, we’d be better off trusting the claim of those involved and rejecting the third party unless the third party has some strong evidence to back their claim up. In the case of Jesus verses the demons versus the Pharisees, the most logical conclusion is to accept that in this one instance, the demons may actually be truthful.

While Jesus doesn’t respond directly to the Pharisee’s challenge in this passage, they do make the claim again, and at that point Jesus does respond. While I haven’t looked ahead at our schedule yet, I’m pretty sure that event is coming up.

However, what does this mean for us living today?

In my own mind, this event challenges me to check my own motives when I want to claim someone or something is leading people towards God or away from Him. While there are clear examples of each, a gray area does exist where it is difficult to decide on. The example of a gray area is if we see someone who is believing one truth about God and one lie about God leading others to also believe the one truth and one lie. Is this person helping others, or harming them? Sure the new believer is being helped because of the truth, but the lie is not helpful, and, depending on the person and situation, if the lie is exposed as false, will that also negatively affect the close truth, leading to the newly converted person rejecting both?

I honestly don’t believe anyone aside from Jesus knows 100% of the truth, but I also know that the more certain we are about a specific belief, the more closed-minded we can become. I am very likely guilty of being closed-minded on certain subjects as well. Being closed-minded isn’t an issue if the belief is the truth, but when we cannot say we are 100% certain of all truth, then it would be better to remain open-minded, because God is more than willing to teach those who come to Him to learn His truth.

I will be the first to not judge anyone for bringing others to Jesus while believing both truths and lies. There are likely those who believe me to be an example of one such person. In this regard, I am happy to let God judge and sort out the details. However, I am also well aware that there are dangers in following anything other than the Bible. History has proved repeatedly that when the Bible is filtered through anything else, people are deceived and they give up on God’s truth. This is why I try to let the Bible teach as much as possible in these podcast episodes, and these blog posts and podcast episodes actually are ways I challenge myself to let the Bible teach me personally.

Tradition is only as good as it is grounded in scriptures. If a traditional belief or idea counters what the Bible teaches, then we must discard the tradition in favor of the Bible in order to have a clear conscience. The Pharisees were blinded to seeing who Jesus was because they had placed their traditional understanding of the scriptures ahead of a clear reading of it – and because they rejected Jesus in favor of their traditions, they couldn’t help but claim that Jesus was using Satanic forces to heal others rather than using God’s power. If they admitted Jesus was from God, then they would have incriminated themselves for rejecting Him.

The same thing can happen to us today if we filter our reading of the Bible through our tradition. If we only read the Bible looking through the lens of our tradition, we will miss, ignore, discount, or simply reject scriptures that teach the opposite. Those less trapped by tradition in this passage stood in wonder and amazement, saying in verse 33, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel”. These people were less focused on keeping tradition and more focused on paying attention to what God was doing through Jesus right in front of them.

Almost every tradition has roots in some scattered scriptural references. Many of today’s traditions began because of cultural pressure and compromise. Ultimately, traditions are never corrected because of pride. When rejecting a tradition in favor of a Biblical truth, expect pressure from others. Following tradition is easy, but tradition caused the people who should have recognized Jesus, namely the religious leaders who knew the prophecies and the scriptures the best, to reject Him instead. Tradition threatens us in the same way today when we don’t remain grounded in God’s Word!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Always seek God first and choose to focus on letting God’s Word be your filter for life. Intentionally push back against tradition until you are 100% certain it is Biblically centered. If there is even 1 verse or passage that does not support a tradition, then you cannot be 100% certain of it.

Also, intentionally pray and study the Bible for yourself in order to let the Bible be your guide and your compass. While other people can give you ideas to think about, their ideas are only as good as they align with what the Bible teaches. Ideas that run counter to the Bible are worthless from the perspective of eternity. As always, let the Bible be your guide and your filter for 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 deviate away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year of Miracles – Episode 23: When Jesus casts out a mute demon while some Pharisees are present, we discover a new angle on the previous demonic claims about Jesus when comparing it to what the Pharisees say about Jesus. This ultimately leads us into talking about the threat of tradition.

The Messiah’s Mother: Luke 1:26-38

Published June 3, 2022 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)

²⁶In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Read Luke 1:26-38 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

When reading the first chapter in Luke, almost immediately we learn about two individuals who question God’s message to them through the angel. What strikes me as odd about this is the response given to each is almost polar opposite. The first visit was to Zechariah the priest, and when he questioned the angel, the response was being struck mute until the child would be born.

But just a few verses later, in the passage we are focusing on, Mary asks almost the same question, but she receives no rebuke or punishment.

This makes me wonder if we can see clues to the character of these two individuals hidden within the question. Zechariah’s question is found in verse 18, and he asks, “How can I be sure of this?” before following it up with the reason that he and his wife are old.

In contrast, Mary asks in verse 34, “How will this be?” and she follows up with the reason that she is still a virgin.

But in these two questions, we actually see a clear difference. In Zechariah’s case, it is almost like he is demanding a sign above and beyond simply having a conversation with the angel. And the angel is happy to help supply him with a sign that was effective and one he did not expect.

Mary’s question is a little different. In her question, we see her asking as a way to clarify what the next step is. It is almost like Mary is saying, “This sounds good. However, I am engaged to Joseph, I am still a virgin, and we are going to be married before any pregnancy could run its full term. Is this Messiah going to be from my marriage with Joseph, or do you mean something different when you say ‘He will be called the Son of the Most High’?” (v. 32)

We really get a picture of Mary’s character when we look at her closing words before the angel leaves. She finishes by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (v. 38)

Mary is willing to go through with this plan because she is willing to step into God’s plan for her life. In her response to the angel’s message, we see an incredible example of faith and trust in God. While Mary had no idea what the future would hold, she is willing to play a role in God’s great story and she steps into what many might call “the greatest role in the history of the world” as a humble servant of God.

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