Reflective Bible Study

When reading Matthew’s gospel, we quickly find that when he wrote his gospel, he likes focusing in on Jesus’ teaching and on some key events, and this means that at times Matthew’s gospel speeds through some events, while at other times, a great deal of focus is given to one event.

Almost in contrast to Matthew’s big focus on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which covered three chapters, our passage for this episode speeds through several loosely connected events. Usually we’d find these events split apart, but for the case of our episode and our focus on Matthew’s gospel, I thought it might be neat to pull these events together just like Matthew did.

Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 8, and we will be reading from the New Living Translation. Starting in verse 14, Matthew tells us that:

¹⁴ When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. ¹⁵ But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.

Let’s pause briefly here because this is the first “event” in our passage. It is fascinating in my mind that Peter’s mother-in-law focused on serving Jesus before even helping herself to food. In her mind, the best way for her to say “Thank You” to Jesus was to prepare a meal for Him. It’s also interesting that since Peter has a “mother-in-law”, this means that Peter was married, even if we don’t know anything about his wife.

Continuing on to the next event, which starts in verse 16, Matthew continues by telling us:

¹⁶ That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. ¹⁷ This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said,

“He took our sicknesses
    and removed our diseases.”

¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.

This marks the bounds of the second event. The big focus of Matthew’s gospel is describing how Jesus’ healing and casting out demons fulfilled God’s promise through the prophet Isaiah. While Matthew likely wanted to include more details and stories regarding those who were healed, it’s likely that not much time was given to uncovering the stories of those who came to Jesus. Also, Matthew wouldn’t have had enough space available to focus on sharing the stories of all these people.

Matthew’s big focus is letting us know that Jesus fulfilled God’s promise and prophecy regarding the Messiah through His ministry of healing and casting out demons.

As Jesus and the disciples were preparing to leave, Matthew then describes another event that is often looked at separately. Continuing in verse 19, Matthew tells us that:

¹⁹ Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

²⁰ But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

²¹ Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

²² But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”

This marks the end of another event we usually look at separately. In this event, a couple of individuals wish to dedicate their lives to Jesus and become disciples. When reading what Matthew describes here, we don’t have any idea if the religious teacher is discouraged by Jesus’ words about not having a home, or if he decides to follow the homeless Messiah.

However, when looking at the details of the second individual, who asks to return home to bury his father, we see this person described as a disciple, which subtly indicates that he got in the boat with Jesus and did not return home. While I don’t have any idea which disciple this was, it is an interesting invitation that is worth noting early on in Jesus’ ministry. The big idea I see in this short event is that we should not expect special treatment as disciples of Jesus, and we should be placing God’s purpose and mission ahead of everything else in our lives when we follow God.

Matthew then describes a powerful event that leaves an impression on all the disciples. Continuing in verse 23, Matthew tells us:

²³ Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. ²⁴ Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

²⁷ The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

Let’s stop reading here, now that this event is finished. This fourth event is amazing because it demonstrated Jesus’ power over the natural elements.

However, while most people look at this last event and they focus on Jesus’ command of the weather, it is amazing in my mind to see the challenge Jesus gives is a challenge related to trust in God and trust in God’s protection. While the disciples are scared of dying, Jesus is sleeping in the back of the boat. When they wake Him up to help them, Jesus challenges their lack of faith and their fear before simply challenging the weather to change.

Looking at all four of these events together, we see an interesting theme of trust in God, and that God will provide exactly what we need when we need it.

In our first event, Jesus helps Peter’s mother-in-law who then says thank you by serving Jesus. She trusted that she would be fine helping serve Jesus a meal before even getting herself something to eat.

Looking at the second event, everyone who came looking for Jesus’ help had trust in God that Jesus would be able to help them, and Jesus did not disappoint their trust.

Coming to the third event, the two individuals who came to Jesus looking to be disciples had the question of trust pushed back at them. Would they trust Jesus knowing that Jesus had no home, and would they put following Jesus ahead of the societal demands of family? That is a question we all end up facing in varying degrees when we choose to trust and follow Jesus.

And in the fourth event, we see Jesus challenging all the disciples related to trust in God and His protection when they all face the worst literal storm of their lives.

In all these events, we can see and know that trust in God is never a bad choice, and when we choose to trust God, we will never be disappointed. Yes, sometimes trusting God brings storms into our lives, but with our trust in God, He will help us move through the storm and keep us safe until the other side. Even if the storms of this life end in death, God is more than willing to keep us safe until He returns and raises us back to life.

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 intentionally place your trust in Him. Know that trusting in God is never a bad choice and with whatever comes our way, we are better equipped to deal with life’s challenges when God is at our side than when He is not.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. Don’t take the word of any pastor, author, speaker, or podcaster for what the Bible says. Study out everything you learn with what the Bible teaches to know firsthand if it is truth or not. God has kept the Bible safe for thousands of years, and if we trust Him to keep us safe for eternity, He is more than capable of keeping His message of salvation safe for a few thousand years of sinful, human history.

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

As we continue reading Luke’s gospel, we come to an event that may be in the other gospels, or it may not be. From the details, it is difficult to be certain. This is because one of the big details of this event is found in the other three gospels, but that is about the only thing this event shares. The events in Matthew, Mark, and John almost certainly describe the same event, but Luke’s version takes a completely different direction.

The event in question is when a woman comes and anoints Jesus’ feet shortly before His crucifixion. While the other three gospels place this event near the cross, Luke places a very similar sounding event early on in Jesus’ ministry and Luke draws our attention onto a very different set of details from this event which prompts me to lean towards the event in Luke being a different event than the other gospels.

Let’s read what happened and discover what we can learn from Luke’s gospel describing Jesus’ feet being anointed. Our passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 7, and we will read from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 36, Luke tells us:

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

One of the big reasons I see this event being a separate event from the event Matthew, Mark, and John include is that nothing is even hinted at in Jesus’ response about the woman’s gift preparing Him for burial. Instead, the big context of Luke’s version of this event teaches on forgiveness, and on how we shouldn’t judge others. It also isn’t a great stretch in my mind to think that two different women would want to honor Jesus by pouring perfume on Him.

It also isn’t a stretch in my mind to think that Jesus visited Simon’s home more than one time either.

However, it also isn’t difficult for me to think that this was one event and Luke’s gospel focused on one theme Jesus wanted us to learn from this event, while the other gospel writers use this event to foreshadow Jesus’ death, burial, and to give context for Judas deciding to be the betrayer.

With that said, what can we learn from Luke’s unique details?

As I shared earlier, Luke’s version of this event focuses on how it is unwise for us to judge or look down on others, and to emphasize forgiveness. While we don’t know what prompted Simon the Pharisee to invite Jesus to his home, if this is the same Simon of the other gospels, Matthew and Mark describe him as a leper, implying that Jesus cured him of his leprosy.

If this is the same Simon, then it is interesting to see his response when the woman comes and pours the perfume on Jesus’ feet. The first thing we see Simon do is subtly judge or look down on Jesus because of His interaction with this woman. Verse 39 describes this by saying Simon said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

While more people than just Simon appeared to look down on this gift, or a gift very similar to this as the other gospel writers emphasize, Simon’s first angle of judging is judging Jesus by association.

Judging someone by association is something that is common in this culture, and while there is a level of validity in thinking this way, Luke’s event and Jesus’ counter message to Simon push back saying that context matters.

The reason we know context matters is God associates with sinners. Jesus came into this world because God loves sinners. While God doesn’t love the sin, that isn’t going to stop Him from seeking out the sinner.

While it is a cliché to say that God loves the sinner but He hates the sin, this is true. However, too often, this phrase is shared is a less than ideal way, or it is heard in a judgmental way. It is entirely possible for someone to hear this phrase and think “God will only love me when I don’t sin”.

This phrase, while easy to remember and share, has another angle where it is challenging. In our world today, though perhaps this has been the case for every generation and culture in history, a person’s actions gets connected with their identity. We see this most clearly and innocently when we identify a person with their occupation, such as a builder, a baker, or an engineer. It also extends to physical attributes, like having long or short hair, black or blonde hair, being shorter or tall, being of a certain ethnicity, and other things like this. A person’s occupation and physical characteristics becomes a part of what identifies them.

However, it doesn’t stop there, if a person has a tendency to act a certain way, then that could become a part of their identity as well. This could include lying, stealing, bullying, or a host of other negative characteristics. If a person has accepted and views their identity as being simply what they do, then if what they do is considered a sin, saying that God loves sinners but hates the sin sounds just as judgmental as simply saying God hates those who sin. For many people, the identity of a sinner is wrapped up in the sin because our identities are most often focused on what we do.

What is rarely ever acknowledged in this phrase, while it really should be is that God sees everyone as being infinitely more than what they do or how they look. God looks past your physical characteristics, past your genes, and past your actions and He sees a child of God – or in other words, someone He helped create! God loves you regardless of who you are or what you do. However, God is never going to join you in doing something He would consider sinful.

The other angle of this theme of forgiveness is that forgiveness erases the debt imbalance. If two people have sins in their lives, and one person’s sins are significantly greater in number than the other person’s sins, forgiveness erases the debt and they are on the exact same level. Both debts have been erased. When God forgives our sin, it is like He erases our debt and all that is left is the essence of who we are that He loves. What we do, what we look like, or what is in our genes is not relevant when discussing God’s love.

Jesus assured this woman that her sins were forgiven, because He wanted her to move forward in a new life with God without the cloud of her past weighing her down. Jesus wants us to know that God has forgiven us because He wants us to begin or continue our lives with Him without the sins of our past weighing us down. God wants to redeem us out of sin and into new, eternal lives, with Him!

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, continue seeking God first and know that when God looks at you, He loves who He sees you as over who you see yourself as. God sees you through His eyes, and His eyes look past the sin you have wrapped up into your identity. God’s desire is to help you see you as He sees you, and to fall in love with Him like He has fallen in love with you!

Discover who God really is by praying and studying the Bible for yourself. In the pages of the Bible, discover just how much God loves you. Don’t let anyone get between you and God because God wants a personal relationship with you, and for a relationship to be personal, it doesn’t include other people.

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