Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

God’s Adoption Perk: Matthew 17:24-27

Published August 12, 2021 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we continue our way through the second half of Matthew’s gospel, we come to an event that only Matthew includes, and this is an event that doesn’t seem to have any resolution, except that this event likely happens exactly as Jesus describes. After all, Jesus describes other events in detail and they happen just as Jesus predicted, so there is no reason in my mind to doubt that this event happened exactly the way Jesus predicted it.

However, in this event, we also see a parallel to one of the biggest themes in the entire Bible, and when I saw this theme in this event, I have a hard time unseeing it.

Let’s read what happened and discover what this short passage teaches us about God’s character. Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 17, and we will be reading from the New Century Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 24, Matthew tells us that:

²⁴When Jesus and his followers came to Capernaum, the men who collected the Temple tax came to Peter. They asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”

²⁵Peter answered, “Yes, Jesus pays the tax.”

Peter went into the house, but before he could speak, Jesus said to him, “What do you think? The kings of the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who pays the taxes—the king’s children or others?”

²⁶Peter answered, “Other people pay the taxes.”

Jesus said to Peter, “Then the children of the king don’t have to pay taxes. ²⁷But we don’t want to upset these tax collectors. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth and you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors for you and me.”

With this verse, our event ends. We are left to conclude that this event happened exactly as Jesus described to Peter. However, in this event, I find it fascinating that when these tax collectors come, they ask Peter whether Jesus pays the temple tax. This is interesting in my mind because these tax collectors don’t ask Peter if he pays the tax or if any of the other disciples pay the tax.

This got me thinking about what this tax was. A quick search located the verses talking about the Temple Tax in the book of Exodus, chapter 30. Verses 12-14 describe this tax saying: “When you take a census of the Israelites, each person must pay the Lord a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will happen to them when they are counted. As each person is counted, he must give one-fifth of an ounce of silver using the standard weight of the holy place. This one-fifth of an ounce of silver is a contribution to the Lord. Everyone counted who is at least 20 years old must give this contribution to the Lord.”

From this reference in the Old Testament, and from how these tax collectors frame their question to Peter, we see a strong clue that all of Jesus’ disciples looked like they were less than 20 years old, and with the exception of Peter, who might have looked younger, they all were less than 20. Peter likely was older than 20, because Jesus tells Peter to use what he catches with the fish to pay the tax for the two of them.

However, while we have this huge clue about the disciples’ ages hidden in the details of this event, what is more amazing are the details surrounding who actually pays the temple tax in this event. When we ask ourselves the question about where the coin came from to pay the tax, we discover something amazing.

On first glance, it appeared as though Peter paid the temple tax, but the coin Peter used was not Peter’s. The coin Peter used wasn’t even Jesus’ or from the money that had been gifted or given to Jesus and His disciples. Instead, the coin came to Peter in the most unusual way.

For the events to happen just like Jesus described, the only possible explanation is that God’s hand was clearly at work in this event. Either God created a coin in the fish’s mouth when Peter hooked it, or an angel directed a coin to fall into the water, a fish to catch the coin in its mouth, and then direct that fish to Peter’s hook at the exact point in time that Peter was down at the lake fishing. All while keeping the other fish away so that this would be the first fish Peter caught.

Everything in this event speaks to God being the ultimate source of the coin used to pay the temple tax. This means that in this event, God pays His own tax. While I don’t know if Jesus would have paid the tax if these tax collectors had asked Him directly, but because they ask Peter, and because Peter promises before thinking, Jesus steps in with a solution.

This event has a huge theme tucked within it that tells us God is willing to help us when we have messed up and made mistakes. While Jesus’ mission to earth guarantees and pays for everything we need for a future life in Heaven, this event with the fish and the temple tax teach us that God is even willing to help us when we mess up in this life and over promise when we can only under-deliver. God is interested in our lives on this earth, and He is willing to help us save face by providing us a way out.

The Temple Tax collectors likely had no idea where the coin came from, and even if Peter had told them, they probably wouldn’t have believed him. However, in this event, God pays His own tax, and this tax is supposed to be paid by others. When we are adopted into God’s family, He pays the spiritual tax that we owe, and He helps us leave our past behind as we begin a new life with Him. Our life in God’s family can begin today, and our life in God’s family extends into eternity!

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 and accept the gift of adoption into His family. Place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus and thank Jesus for everything He has blessed us with through what He did for us and through what He is still doing for us in heaven. Be sure to thank God for paying the tax that we owe, and thank Him for taking an interest in our lives.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and discover what God is truly like. God the Father is not the mean, judgmental God that some people think He is. God the Father is a God who loves us so much that He paid the tax and debt we owed. Jesus’ death isn’t about forgiving us as much as it is actually paying the debt that we owed. We can be forgiven because Jesus paid our debt! Take this truth, and study it out for yourself through prayer and reading the pages of God’s Word. Discover a God who loves you more than you can imagine, and a God who wants to save you for eternity!

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!

Year in Matthew – Episode 32: When we are adopted into God’s family, discover through a short miracle, how God wants to help pay what we owe when we become His children, and discover how this truth can transform our lives!

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Falling Asleep: Matthew 25:1-13

Published August 11, 2021 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 25:1-13 (NIrV)

¹“Here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like at that time. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ²Five of them were foolish. Five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t take any olive oil with them. ⁴The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The groom did not come for a long time. So the bridesmaids all grew tired and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight someone cried out, ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷“Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’

⁹“ ‘No,’ they replied. ‘There may not be enough for all of us. Instead, go to those who sell oil. Buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“So they went to buy the oil. But while they were on their way, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding dinner. Then the door was shut.

¹¹“Later, the other bridesmaids also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

¹²“But he replied, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. I don’t know you.’

¹³“So keep watch. You do not know the day or the hour that the groom will come.

Read Matthew 25:1-13 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In one of the more popular parables Jesus shared, we can find reassurance in a very surprising place. While sharing the parable of the ten bridesmaids, when we look closer at what Jesus shared, a key detail of the parable might surprise you.

The parable opens by describing ten bridesmaids and it then divides these bridesmaids into two groups. One group consisted of 5 wise bridesmaids, and the other group consisted of 5 foolish bridesmaids.

Normally we would focus in on what separates the wise from the foolish, and in many ways, this is Jesus’ key point of the parable. But if we focus on how these two groups are similar, we begin to see a powerful truth.

The first similarity is a unified purpose. The parable opens in verse 1 by saying, “Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.” All ten bridesmaids had the same purpose; all the bridesmaids wanted to meet the groom.

We then learn about some differences before hitting another similarity, which is found in the second portion of verse 5, which says, “So the bridesmaids all grew tired and fell asleep.” All ten bridesmaids fell asleep when they were supposed to be awake and watching.

The next similarity comes after the call comes in the night about the bridegroom. Verse 7 tells us, “Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.” When they had woken up, they all needed to prepare their lamps because they all had ignored their lamps while sleeping. Some flames may have gone out, while others may have been very faint.

This is where the similarities end. The foolish bridesmaids leave to get oil, and while they were gone, the bridegroom came and the door was shut.

Too often, we think of the wise follower of Jesus being the person who is always on fire for God and who always remains alert and awake. It is the person who has great habits and who always seems to have a vibrant spiritual walk.

With that picture in mind, we are left struggling to attain that idea, or we give up and admit that we must be among the foolish group since we don’t measure up to those we see around us.

But this picture of perfection is false. All ten bridesmaids fell asleep and all ten had their lamps either fade or go out. This tells me that every follower of Jesus will have a period of time where they fall asleep. If even those who are wise fall asleep, then sleeping is not sinning.

Nothing negative is said about the wise bridesmaids who fell asleep or about their flickering lamps. The focus seemed to be placed on the before sleep and the after sleep – and not on the period of sleep itself.

Knowing there will be times in our lives that we don’t feel close to God and times when we have let our spiritual habits slide, know that everyone faces these times. You are not wise or foolish for falling asleep. Instead, when you realize you have fallen asleep and are woken up, the decisions you make are what determine whether you are in the group of the wise or the group of the foolish.

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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Surprised By His Death: Mark 15:42-47

Published August 10, 2021 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Mark 15:42-47 (CEV)

⁴²It was now the evening before the Sabbath, and the Jewish people were getting ready for that sacred day. ⁴³A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. Joseph was a highly respected member of the Jewish council, and he was also waiting for God’s kingdom to come.

⁴⁴Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, and he called in the army officer to find out if Jesus had been dead very long. ⁴⁵After the officer told him, Pilate let Joseph have Jesus’ body.

⁴⁶Joseph bought a linen cloth and took the body down from the cross. He had it wrapped in the cloth, and he put it in a tomb that had been cut into solid rock. Then he rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb.

⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where the body was placed.

Read Mark 15:42-47 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

When looking at the weekend of the crucifixion and specifically at the moment right after Jesus’ death, I was surprised to learn that one of the key individuals leading up to Jesus’ death was surprised when he learned the news.

Only Mark’s gospel includes this detail when he writes, “Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, and he called in the army officer to find out if Jesus had been dead very long.” (v. 44)

Typically crucifixions lasted longer than what Jesus experienced, and this detail is significant to us. Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, John’s gospel tells us that Jesus said, “No one takes my life from me. I give it up willingly! I have the power to give it up and the power to receive it back again, just as my Father commanded me to do.” (John 10:18)

These two details placed together help us understand one key reality: The cross did not kill Jesus; Jesus gave up His own life while hanging on the cross.

Following the conversation with the men hanging on the crosses next to Him and arranging for John (the disciple) to take care of His mother, Jesus knew He had fulfilled everything that God had asked Him to do. So He committed His Spirit into His Father’s hands and gave up His life.

This truth is powerful for us to remember. Jesus chose the death He received, and it happened to include a cross. But the cross was only a final location. The cross was always intended to be a symbol, but it was not the cause of Jesus’ death. The thing that led Jesus to give up His life was His love for you and me!

Pilate’s surprise is completely valid in this verse because crucifixion was a method that maximized the duration of pain a person was in while hanging on the cross. The goal behind this was to set a clear example for everyone who passed by about what would happen if they angered the Romans. The Jewish leaders attached themselves onto this death because they were the ones who initiated the series of events that lead Jesus to the cross.

However, the cross did not kill Jesus. Jesus gave up His own life while hanging on the cross – and Jesus chose this path for you and for me.

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Flashback Episode — Sent Into the World: John 17:1-26

Published August 9, 2021 in Audio Journal Entries

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After Jesus had finished sharing with His disciples, John’s gospel records Jesus praying a prayer that is both powerful and profound. While I was tempted to split this prayer up into multiple episodes, I decided not to. Instead, let’s read Jesus’ prayer with minimal interruption, to get an amazing picture of Jesus’ heart. Afterwards, I’ll share one or two things that stood out to me during the brief bit of time we have left.

This passage and prayer is found in John’s gospel, chapter 17, and we will read it from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed:

Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. ²And you gave him power over all people, so that he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. ³Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. ⁴I have brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you gave me to do. ⁵Now, Father, give me back the glory that I had with you before the world was created.

⁶You have given me some followers from this world, and I have shown them what you are like. They were yours, but you gave them to me, and they have obeyed you. ⁷They know that you gave me everything I have. ⁸I told my followers what you told me, and they accepted it. They know that I came from you, and they believe that you are the one who sent me. ⁹I am praying for them, but not for those who belong to this world. My followers belong to you, and I am praying for them. ¹⁰All that I have is yours, and all that you have is mine, and they will bring glory to me.

¹¹Holy Father, I am no longer in the world. I am coming to you, but my followers are still in the world. So keep them safe by the power of the name that you have given me. Then they will be one with each other, just as you and I are one. ¹²While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one who had to be lost. This happened so that what the Scriptures say would come true.

¹³I am on my way to you. But I say these things while I am still in the world, so that my followers will have the same complete joy that I do. ¹⁴I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t.

¹⁵Father, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. ¹⁶They don’t belong to this world, and neither do I. ¹⁷Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours. ¹⁸I am sending them into the world, just as you sent me. ¹⁹I have given myself completely for their sake, so that they may belong completely to the truth.

²⁰I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. ²¹I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.

²²I have honored my followers in the same way that you honored me, in order that they may be one with each other, just as we are one. ²³I am one with them, and you are one with me, so that they may become completely one. Then this world’s people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me.

²⁴Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory that you have given me, because you loved me before the world was created. ²⁵Good Father, the people of this world don’t know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me. ²⁶I told them what you are like, and I will tell them even more. Then the love that you have for me will become part of them, and I will be one with them.

The prayer Jesus gives in this passage is amazing. One verse in particular stands out in my mind because it describes future followers of Jesus, including you and me. Verse 20 tells us Jesus prayed, “I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me.” Those of us living today have faith because of what Jesus’ original followers told the world, and because the message of Jesus spread through the centuries moving forward in history. In this verse, Jesus extends His prayer to include Christians throughout the last section of history.

The other verses that stood out to me have to do with what Jesus prayed immediately before verse 20. Verses 15-19 say that Jesus prayed: “Father, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. They don’t belong to this world, and neither do I. Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours. I am sending them into the world, just as you sent me. I have given myself completely for their sake, so that they may belong completely to the truth.”

In this part of Jesus’ prayer, He tells us that God’s word is truth, and that when Jesus’ followers accept God’s word as truth, we don’t belong to the world but to God. Jesus isn’t praying for God to remove us from the world, even if that would be desirable, but that He will keep us safe as He sends us into the world.

This passage contains a commission for Jesus’ followers. In this section of Jesus’ prayer, we see a challenge for Jesus’ followers to take God’s truth and share it with the world. Jesus gave Himself completely for us, and through Jesus’ sacrifice, God was able to grant us the gift of eternal life that we don’t deserve because Jesus took the punishment that He did not deserve. Jesus gave His life for His followers and for God’s people who have chosen to follow Him over what the world wants to pressure people to believe. Through Jesus’ death and believing God’s truth, we are God’s people while we live here in this world and we will ultimately live forever with God moving forward into eternity.

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

Choose to follow and obey God’s truth over whatever “truth” the world wants to pressure you to believe. We can know God’s truth through what the Bible teaches. The Bible remains consistent even when every generation in history decides to change the definition of truth.

Also, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself to discover what it actually says. While people in history have taken verses and ideas from the Bible to make them fit with their own beliefs, God has called us to build our beliefs with the Bible as the foundation, and to reject the lies of the world. Don’t let me or anyone else dictate what you should believe. Instead, build your belief through prayer and personal study.

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 abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year of the Cross – Episode 32: The gospel of John records a prayer Jesus prayed that focused on Him receiving glory and on God giving protection and direction to His followers throughout history. Discover how this prayer was relevant for the disciples and for us living 2,000 years later!