Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

The Context Is Critical: Luke 17:20-37

Published November 23, 2022 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 17:20-37 (NIrV)

²⁰ Once the Pharisees asked Jesus when God’s kingdom would come. He replied, “The coming of God’s kingdom is not something you can see just by watching for it carefully. ²¹ People will not say, ‘Here it is.’ Or, ‘There it is.’ God’s kingdom is among you.”

²² Then Jesus spoke to his disciples. “The time is coming,” he said, “when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man. But you won’t see it. ²³ People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ Or, ‘Here he is!’ Don’t go running off after them.

²⁴ “When the Son of Man comes, he will be like the lightning. It flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. ²⁵ But first the Son of Man must suffer many things. He will not be accepted by the people of today.

²⁶ “Remember how it was in the days of Noah. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. ²⁷ People were eating and drinking. They were getting married. They were giving their daughters to be married. They did all those things right up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking. They were buying and selling. They were planting and building. ²⁹ But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven. And all the people were destroyed.

³⁰ “It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is shown to the world. ³¹ Suppose someone is on the roof of his house on that day. And suppose his goods are inside the house. He should not go down to get them. No one in the field should go back for anything either. ³² Remember Lot’s wife! ³³ Anyone who tries to keep his life will lose it. Anyone who loses his life will keep it.

³⁴ “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed. One person will be taken and the other left. ^35-36 Two women will be grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other left.”

³⁷ “Where, Lord?” his disciples asked.

He replied, “The vultures will gather where there is a dead body.”

Read Luke 17:20-37 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In our journal entry for today, let’s uncover an idea that is central to effective Bible study by looking at the details in the passage we are focusing in on. Near the end of our passage are some verses that many read and use to form the belief of a “secret” rapture (or a secret return of Jesus to take His followers to heaven). However, when we looking at the broad context of this passage, and the surrounding verses, this understanding is not likely, because everything leading up to this climax refers to something that is far from “secret” and far from being contained in a specific location.

While we’ll save looking at these details until another journal entry, the principle I want to point out in this journal entry is this: In order to have a strong, effective Bible study that leads us to Biblical “truth”, we must start by reading all passages within their context (both scriptural context and cultural context).

If we do what many people do, and pull out the last several verses of this passage, we can easily see a description of something that is not accurate when looked at in the broad context.

Multiple times, this passage refers to when Jesus returns, and how it will look from our perspective, as well as giving historical examples of those who Jesus was talking to would be able to understand. We get the picture that this will be a global event, will be very earth-shattering, and not everyone will be ready.

It is very easy for someone to pick and choose passages out of their original contexts, and have the Bible say something it was not meant to say. For example, perhaps we place the following verses together in sequence:

“Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:5 NLT)
“Then Jesus said, ‘Yes, now go and do the same.’” (Luke 10:37b NLT)
“What you are going to do, do quickly.” (John 13:27b ESV)

So is Jesus advocating us to throw money into our churches before hanging ourselves quickly? Absolutely not! This is a bad case of Biblical misinterpretation, and while this is a horrible message to pull out of the Bible, it is pretty obviously that the Bible does not advocate this message.

However, too often I see people pull a collection of scattered verses (out of their contexts) and use them to create a belief about God. This is bad Bible study, and it has lead to millions being confused about what the Bible really teaches.

This brings us back to our main point for today’s journal entry: In order to have a strong, effective Bible study that leads us to Biblical “truth”, we must start by reading all passages within their context (both scriptural context and cultural context).

Before closing out this entry, I want add that this post is not meant to make a stand about some Christian’s belief, or lack thereof, in the rapture. Instead, it is aimed at pushing each of us, myself included, towards studying passages within their broader contexts, and the broader context of this passage gives us the context of Jesus’ second coming – in a very global and unmistakably public way.

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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Discovering His Habits: Luke 4:16-30

Published November 22, 2022 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 4:16-30 (NIrV)

¹⁶Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as he usually did. He stood up to read. ¹⁷And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. Jesus unrolled it and found the right place. There it is written,

¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me.
    He has anointed me
    to announce the good news to poor people.
He has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners.
    He has sent me so that the blind will see again.
He wants me to set free those who are treated badly.
¹⁹    And he has sent me to announce the year when he will set his people free.”

²⁰Then Jesus rolled up the scroll. He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were staring at him. ²¹He began by saying to them, “Today this passage of Scripture is coming true as you listen.”

²²Everyone said good things about him. They were amazed at the gracious words they heard from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

²³Jesus said, “Here is a saying you will certainly apply to me. ‘Doctor, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me this. ‘Do the things here in your hometown that we heard you did in Capernaum.’ ”

²⁴“What I’m about to tell you is true,” he continued. “A prophet is not accepted in his hometown. ²⁵I tell you for sure that there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah. And there had been no rain for three and a half years. There wasn’t enough food to eat anywhere in the land. ²⁶But Elijah was not sent to any of those widows. Instead, he was sent to a widow in Zarephath near Sidon. ²⁷And there were many in Israel who had skin diseases in the days of Elisha the prophet. But not one of them was healed except Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸All the people in the synagogue were very angry when they heard that. ²⁹They got up and ran Jesus out of town. They took him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They planned to throw him off the cliff. ³⁰But Jesus walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Read Luke 4:16-30 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Periodically, a word or a phrase helps draw us into some of Jesus’ habits or lifestyle choices. When choosing to write about someone, in order to keep things interesting, most of the space gets dedicated to the abnormal activities in that person’s life.

We don’t read about most of Jesus’ meals, or about any of the times He uses the bathroom. Those would be pointless things to include, because they are wholly uninteresting. Instead, the gospels are made up of events that help draw us into how Jesus was special, and onto events that were outside of the norm. Little space is dedicated to the day to day activities, that is, unless something unusual happens during one of those events.

This is the case in this passage. It started out as a routine visit to the local synagogue, but then it ends with Jesus being run out of town and almost killed. However, it is worth noting the key phrase that points us to His routine. It is in the first verse of this passage: “Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as he usually did.” (v. 16)

This passage teaches us that it was normal for Jesus to attend the synagogue on most weekends. This could be translated into our time period by simply saying that Jesus attended church on most Sabbath days of the year.

Why is this important for us?

This is very important because it tells us that we won’t see it written about in other events – unless something significant happens, but just because we don’t see it written doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening.

Jesus’ 30+ years of life are condensed into four letters that together are 89 chapters of the Bible. This means that if we were to give equal weight to all years of Jesus’ life and not repeat anything, each year Jesus lived on earth should receive between two and a half to three chapters dedicated to it. We could also narrow this down even more to say one chapter, which should be no more than one thousand words for every four months of Jesus’ life.

There is no way that one thousand words could cover everything that happens in a four-month period of time, so the gospel writers edit and condense Jesus’ life. They focus in on Jesus’ three years of ministry, and they focus in on Jesus’ ultimate path towards the cross.

But just because they leave Jesus’ routines and lifestyle activities as only briefly mentioned doesn’t mean we cannot discover them if we look closely. It is only by looking closely at Jesus’ life that we will truly be able to be like Him and to become His representatives who are sent into today’s world!

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Flashback Episode — The Giver of Life: Matthew 27:45-53

Published November 21, 2022 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we near the end of our year podcasting through the miracles Jesus did in the gospels, most lists of miracles only have one miracle left, specifically a miracle that John’s gospel includes that happens after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. However, if we held real closely to the standard list of miracles, we’d miss some amazing miracles that are not often thought of as miracles.

The first of these amazing events comes to us in Matthew’s gospel as Jesus takes His last breath. While the idea of God becoming human, and God as a human actually dying is miraculous in itself, what happens when Jesus gives up His life is nothing short of miraculous.

Let’s read about what happened, and about what we can learn from the moment Jesus gave up His life. Our passage is found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 27, and we will read it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 45, Matthew tells us that:

⁴⁵At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ⁴⁶About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” ⁴⁷When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. ⁴⁹The others said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.

⁵¹Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split open. ⁵²The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. ⁵³They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people.

In this passage, at the moment Jesus cried out and gave up His life, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom, and there was a massive earthquake that split open graves. These things are miraculous, but Matthew then describes the bodies of many holy people returning to life. While it isn’t clear if they were resurrected at the moment Jesus gave up His life or at the moment when Jesus returned to life, there is no denying that those present in the first century would have this date fixed in their minds.

Matthew’s gospel leading up to Jesus’ death isn’t as descriptive as some of the other gospels. Luke’s gospel described how Jesus has a conversation and promise for one of the criminals hanging next to Him. John’s gospel includes details surrounding Jesus connecting His mother with John the disciple. However, Matthew’s gospel includes a powerful theme related to who Jesus is that none of the other gospel writers included here at Jesus’ death.

When we look at what happened on the cross, we see the life of a Life-Giver. When we look at Jesus, we see how His death brings resurrection. Jesus’ death is a source of life. Through the cross, Jesus gives life.

Jesus is the ultimate Life Giver.

Through the Godhead, we have been blessed with this thing called life. We have breath in our lungs because God gave it to us. While some people believe all this happened through random chance, no amount of random chance could result in what we have today. We are alive today because of God, and whether you believe God is simply responsible for starting this thing called life, or whether you believe He is instrumental in every life that is created, God gives life. Because God gives life and because Jesus is a member of the Godhead, there is a strong case that Jesus is responsible for our current life on this earth. As a member of the Godhead, Jesus the Life-Giver gives us our first life.

But Jesus didn’t stop giving. When the first life was messed up with sin, Jesus stepped into our history. Jesus gave up His life in heaven to come to earth as a human. Jesus could have easily recommended that humanity should be abandoned, but that choice is not within God’s character to make. Jesus, the Life-Giver, gave up His heavenly life because He wanted us to know what God truly is like.

However, even after giving up His heavenly life, Jesus didn’t stop giving. In this passage, Jesus continues giving by giving up His life for you and for me. Jesus gave up His life on the cross for us. Because Jesus loved us so much, and because He knew what the consequences of sin are, He chose to come to take the penalty we deserve to give us the opportunity of the reward He deserved. Through the cross, the Life-Giver gives us a second chance because He gave His life for us.

At His death, Jesus the Life-Giver’s death rippled through the earth and supernaturally returned the lives of holy people who had died nearby. We don’t know who, how many, or really anything beyond what Matthew shares with us here, but we cannot escape the amazing theme that Jesus the Life-Giver’s death brings His people new life. As followers of Jesus, we not only have a new life in our current situation, but we also have the promise of a perfect, eternal life when Jesus returns.

With this promise, we look forward to heaven, and with whatever happens between now and then, we can trust that with Jesus, our lives will be saved for eternity!

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

As always, be sure to intentionally seek God first and place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus and what He accomplished for us on the cross. Jesus is the Giver of life and because Jesus is so focused on giving, we would be wise to accept the gifts that He offers to us. One great way of saying thank you to God is by accepting the gifts that He offers to us.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to Jesus. While a pastor, speaker, author, or podcaster can give you ideas to think about, never let someone get between you and God. God has made a way for us to come to Him, and because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we are invited to come before God with our questions and requests directly. Don’t let anyone get between you and God.

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!

Flashback Episode: Year of Miracles – Episode 47: When Jesus died on the cross, Matthew describes a miraculous event that many people might not think of when they think of the typical miracles of Jesus. However, in this event, we see an amazing picture of Jesus, of God, and of what God, through Jesus, offers to us when we come to Him.

Healing an Evangelist: Mark 1:40-45

Published November 18, 2022 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Mark 1:40-45 (NCV)

⁴⁰A man with a skin disease came to Jesus. He fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “You can heal me if you will.”

⁴¹Jesus felt sorry for the man, so he reached out his hand and touched him and said, “I will. Be healed!” ⁴²Immediately the disease left the man, and he was healed.

⁴³Jesus told the man to go away at once, but he warned him strongly, ⁴⁴“Don’t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest. And offer the gift Moses commanded for people who are made well. This will show the people what I have done.” ⁴⁵The man left there, but he began to tell everyone that Jesus had healed him, and so he spread the news about Jesus. As a result, Jesus could not enter a town if people saw him. He stayed in places where nobody lived, but people came to him from everywhere.

Read Mark 1:40-45 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Right near the beginning of Mark’s gospel, we find Jesus healing a man with a skin disease. This disease was serious enough that the man had been sent away from society to live among those who were sick.

However the healing isn’t as significant in my mind as what Jesus tells the man to do after he was healed. Mark tells us that after healing the man, “Jesus told the man to go away at once, but he warned him strongly, ‘Don’t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest. And offer the gift Moses commanded for people who are made well. This will show the people what I have done.’” (v. 43-44)

What is odd about this request is that Jesus wants the man to keep it a secret – except that it really isn’t a “secret” secret, but it is more of a “subtle” secret. Jesus asks the man to go show himself to the priest and offer the gift of thanks for those who have been made well. Jesus wants the priests to be the first people who learn of this healing, and He wants the priests to declare the man clean again (i.e. free from disease).

Jesus finishes by saying that the declaration from the priest regarding the man’s healing will “show the people what I have done.” (v. 44b)

But the man did something different, and he was very effective with his methods. Mark tells us that “The man left there, but he began to tell everyone that Jesus had healed him, and so he spread the news about Jesus. As a result, Jesus could not enter a town if people saw him. He stayed in places where nobody lived, but people came to him from everywhere.” (v. 45)

The man Jesus healed, probably on the way to see the priest, told everyone he could about Jesus and what Jesus had done for him. The man may have even taken some “detours” or longer routes to get to the priest so that he could share his story with more people. This man was so effective that Mark tells us Jesus couldn’t even enter a town if people recognized who He was.

This man was an evangelist and he could not contain his joy from being healed.

But I believe the man missed the message Jesus wanted to convey. While the healing was important, I believe Jesus wanted to send a subtle message to the priests that He did not come to stand against them or what they taught. Instead, He came to fulfill what the prophets had written about the coming Messiah. I believe Jesus wanted the priests to be the first people who were really aware of this healing.

However, Mark records history happening differently, and while the priests did eventually learn of the healing, they may have heard it through messengers and rumors before having actually being told first hand by the man.

One idea I see in Jesus’ request is the subtle request to try to win the priests over to Him. For the majority of His ministry, the religious leaders seemed to believe Jesus was against them, but this was never Jesus’ intent. I wonder what would have happened differently if this evangelist had been more subtle with his sharing – but then that might not have been possible because when Jesus has healed you, freed you, and/or redeemed you, the most natural thing to do is to tell others what He has done.

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