Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Everyone With Ears: Luke 14:25-35

Published October 13, 2021 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 14:25-35 (TNIV)

²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even life itself—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵ It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Read Luke 14:25-35 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

There are several ideas we could focus on in this passage, but the one big (though perhaps humorous) idea that I want to focus on is the closing phrase Jesus uses in this passage (and elsewhere in the Bible) which is found at the end of verse 35: “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

This phrase stands out to me because on the surface, it sounds exclusive. Is this teaching for everyone, or everyone except those who are deaf? Is Jesus really being discriminating towards a group of people who are different?

Let’s dig into this idea and see what might happen if a person who was deaf saw a crowd and showed up to see (though they couldn’t hear) Jesus. In many other cases where someone with a similar disability shows up, Jesus stops teaching, heals them, and then continues preaching.

So here, at the end of His message, as the concluding remarks after the climax of His sermon, Jesus makes a sweeping statement to everyone who is within earshot – perhaps even to some people in the crowd who were formerly deaf, but can now hear this teaching as one of the first things ever.

If someone who was deaf hung around Jesus, they would not have been deaf for long. If they instead preferred to be deaf, they probably wouldn’t have been interested in going anywhere near Jesus.

The big idea I see in this passage – and really in this phrase – is: Jesus is never interested in us staying where we are. He is always interested in helping us grow into the people He created us to be!

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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Cleaning the Inside: Luke 11:37-54

Published October 12, 2021 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 11:37-54 (NIrV)

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

³⁹Then 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. ⁴⁰You foolish people! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹Give 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.”

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

⁴⁶Jesus 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. ⁴⁸So you show that you agree with what your people did long ago. They killed the prophets, and now you build the prophets’ tombs. ⁴⁹So God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them. They will kill some. And they will try to hurt others.’ ⁵⁰So the people of today will be punished. They will pay for all the prophets’ blood spilled since the world began. ⁵¹I 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.”

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

Read Luke 11:37-54 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Periodically throughout the gospels, Jesus accepts invitations to people’s homes to eat. Sometimes these invitations are from some of the less reputable people in an area, while other times the invitation comes from one of the religious leaders.

During one of these invitations to eat at a Pharisee’s home, the Pharisee host was surprised when Jesus did not wash before the meal. Luke describes this to us by saying, “A Pharisee invited him to eat with him. So Jesus went in and took his place at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised. He noticed that Jesus did not wash before the meal.” (v.37b-38)

Before food was even served, this Pharisee had found a fault in how Jesus had acted. Whether the Pharisee had invited Jesus in an attempt to trick or trap Him we are not sure. I am inclined to believe that, at least on the front end, this Pharisee was genuine with his invitation. The Pharisee, and the other elite religious leaders who were present, may have been so accustomed to certain rituals that they had never been around someone who didn’t do them simply because they were what one was suppose to do.

However, Jesus’ response to the Pharisee and those present virtually eliminated any chance that they would become friends. Jesus begins His response by saying, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and evil. You foolish people! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside also? Give freely to poor people to show what is inside you. Then everything will be clean for you.” (v. 39-41)

Jesus immediately challenges the shallow, prideful focus that these Pharisees had. It would seem that their washing before the meal had become about much more than simply a sanitary action. They had given it spiritual significance – and then they had elevated the spiritual significance above many other spiritual things.

It is interesting that Jesus doesn’t really challenge the act of washing before a meal. Instead, Jesus challenges the leaders on the emphasis they had placed on washing while ignoring the sins within their lives. Jesus’ initial statement points out that with greed and evil in their hearts, nothing the Pharisees could wash on the outside would remove this “inner dirt” from making them unclean.

Jesus offers a solution. He prompts them to be generous as a way of cleaning up their hearts and lives. While this is a challenging passage for those present, Jesus gives these leaders a solution to the true sin that they should deal with.

The truth Jesus shared with these leaders is the same for us today. If we struggle with maintaining a good appearance on the outside, it may be because our inner lives struggle with evil. Generosity and love are the ways to clean up our inner lives, and when our inner lives are clean, then our outer lives will be clean as well.

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Flashback Episode — Replacing a Murderer: Luke 23:13-25

Published October 11, 2021 in Audio Journal Entries

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After Pilate’s conversation with Jesus, and after Herod has sent Jesus back without finding anything worthy of death, Luke’s gospel describes the shift that took place that transitions from Jesus simply being released to Jesus being crucified. In Luke’s gospel, we discover two fascinating ideas present in this transition.

Our passage for this episode is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 23, and we will read it from the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 13, Luke tells us that after Herod had sent Jesus back:

¹³Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people. ¹⁴He said to them, “You brought me this man. You said he was turning the people against the authorities. I have questioned him in front of you. I have found no basis for your charges against him. ¹⁵Herod hasn’t either. So he sent Jesus back to us. As you can see, Jesus has done nothing that is worthy of death. ^16-17So I will just have him whipped and let him go.”

¹⁸But the whole crowd shouted, “Kill this man! But let Barabbas go!” ¹⁹Barabbas had been thrown into prison. He had taken part in a struggle in the city against the authorities. He had also committed murder.

²⁰Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. So he made an appeal to the crowd again. ²¹But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²²Pilate spoke to them for the third time. “Why?” he asked. “What wrong has this man done? I have found no reason to have him put to death. So I will just have him whipped and let him go.”

²³But with loud shouts they kept calling for Jesus to be crucified. The people’s shouts won out. ²⁴So Pilate decided to give them what they wanted. ²⁵He set free the man they asked for. The man had been thrown in prison for murder and for fighting against the authorities. Pilate handed Jesus over to them so they could carry out their plans.

In this passage, Luke tells us that Barabbas had taken part in an uprising against the authorities and that Barabbas had committed murder. In an interesting, though disturbing twist, the religious leaders are guilty of both of these things. The religious leaders are set on murdering Jesus who has done nothing that would legally warrant death, at least in the eyes of both governors in the area, and the religious leaders and their crowd of supporters are getting so worked up over this one issue that they probably would have started a riot-rebellion in the city, just like Barabbas.

Also, in an odd sort of way, the religious leaders, while claiming to support Rome, are really allying with one of Rome’s enemies. By requesting Barabbas’ release, these leaders say with their actions that they would rather be led by a rebellious murderer than by a loving, miracle-worker who happened to push them spiritually.

Another thing I find fascinating in this passage is that Jesus willingly takes the place of a commandment-breaker. Not only is Barabbas guilty of murder, which is breaking one of the least contested laws in the Ten Commandments, Barabbas is also guilty of rebelling against the rulers of the land. While there is little that we can redeem from Roman culture that is worth mentioning here, God clearly saw the Roman Empire rise into power, and through Daniel’s prophecies, we discover that God may have even directed some of the events to take place.

While governments are not always positive, and while many things in governments around the world are not redeemable in any way, shape, or form, it is worth noting that these negative governments are only in place because God has let them be in place. While sometimes rebellion makes sense, I think that the attitude David has in the Old Testament may be a better approach to facing human governments.

In the Old Testament, David knows he will ultimately replace Saul as king of Israel. The prophet Samuel has anointed him, and he has the respect of many of the people after defeating Goliath. However, David is unwilling to press forward into the position everyone knows He is destined to be. Multiple times, David has the upper hand against Saul, and every time, David restrains himself and his men from lifting a hand against Saul, the ruler of the people. Saul repeatedly sets out to kill David, and while every time fails, many of these times result in Saul calling off the pursuit after David has clearly shown that he does not wish to harm Saul.

Barabbas is the complete opposite of David. Barabbas would likely have killed the emperor of Rome if he were given the chance. And Barabbas was the sinner Jesus chose to replace that weekend. Since Jesus was part of writing history, He could have picked any time and anyone to replace. Jesus chose to take the place of one of the worst people in society to show us God’s love towards us, and to give us a picture of God’s loving us while we were still rebellious sinners.

There were always going to be three crosses that weekend, and the center cross would have had Barabbas on it if it weren’t for Jesus. Jesus died that weekend not just for Barabbas, but for every rebellious person, every sinner, and everyone who has broken God’s law at any point in their past and at any point in history. With Jesus’ death, He is able to promise us a new life with Him and a future eternal life with God forever.

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

As always, be sure to seek God first in your life. Thank Jesus today for what He did for you and I on the cross that weekend, and thank Jesus for the gift He offers to you and me when we place our faith, belief, and trust in Him.

Also, be sure to always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and discover the truth that God has for your life. While pastors, speakers, authors, or even bloggers or podcasters can give you ideas to think about, always filter what you hear, see, and read through the lens of the Bible. The Bible has stood the test of time as a reliable guide for our lives, and when something in our lives doesn’t make sense, the Bible should be the first place we look to for an answer.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, or rebel away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year of the Cross – Episode 41: When the religious leaders demand that Barabbas be released, we discover that Jesus loved humanity enough to step into the punishment of a rebellious murderer. Jesus was willing to take the worst possible punishment of the worst reputable person in society on Himself, because God loves each of us that much.

Creating a Culture of Giving: Matthew 6:1-4

Published October 8, 2021 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 6:1-4 (GW)

¹“Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. ²So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ³When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

Read Matthew 6:1-4 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

During Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount”, He describes for us the motivation God wants for us regarding our giving and helping others. It is likely that Jesus shocked many people in the audience when He transitioned to this section of His message.

To help catch the crowd’s attention and get them to take note, Jesus begins by stating, “Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you.” (v. 1)

It is odd to think about God not rewarding someone’s generosity, but that is what Jesus is clearly stating here. If someone does something good because they are trying to build their reputation or strengthen their public image, then whatever it is they are doing is really not to help the other person; they are helping themselves first.

A couple verses later, Jesus emphasizes this idea even further when He states, “When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (v. 3)

This mentality becomes tricky because at some point, when we want to help develop a spirit of generosity within a group of people, we should celebrate the giving that has happened. What we celebrate gets strengthened, and when we do things to help those who give feel appreciated, then we are likely to attract more people to give.

But perhaps we should shift our focus away from focusing on who gave, and instead focus on what the gifts that were given accomplished. If we place our focus on sharing how lives were transformed, how marriages were strengthened, and/or how people experienced healing because of the gifts that generous “anonymous” people gave, then we can receive the same benefit as a group of people.

When celebrating life changes vs. celebrating those who donated, the donors can stay anonymous and let God reward them later, and a culture of giving can be inspired as well.

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