Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Choosing Jesus: Mark 4:35-41

Published March 17, 2022 in Audio Journal Entries

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One thing that amazes me as we move through Mark’s gospel is how Mark races through Jesus’ story, and how many of the events that we think of as being later on in Jesus’ life come early in Mark’s record of Jesus’ life. While this might be simply because Mark has fewer chapters than the other three gospels, it is also possible this just seems to be the case since Mark doesn’t devote several chapters at the beginning to Jesus’ birth story.

However, regardless of the reason, we come to an event Mark includes that completely shifts the disciples’ perspective at that point. This event comes after Jesus has finished preaching to the crowds all day.

Our passage for this episode is found in the gospel of Mark, chapter 4, and we will read from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 35, Mark tells us:

³⁵That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side.”

³⁶Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus along in a boat just as he was. Other boats were with him.

³⁷A violent windstorm came up. The waves were breaking into the boat so that it was quickly filling up. ³⁸But he was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat.

So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

³⁹Then he got up, ordered the wind to stop, and said to the sea, “Be still, absolutely still!” The wind stopped blowing, and the sea became very calm.

⁴⁰He asked them, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith yet?”

⁴¹They were overcome with fear and asked each other, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

This event challenged the disciples on an entirely new level. If prior to this point, the disciples simply believed Jesus to be a significant teacher and healer, this event amplified their impression of who Jesus was and what Jesus was capable of.

When I say this, it is interesting in my mind because up to this point, the disciples likely had a similar impression of Jesus as the religious leaders. Both of these opposite groups believed Jesus to be a gifted speaker and a skilled healer. However, while the religious leaders disliked Jesus because of what He taught and what He did, the disciples had allied themselves with Jesus.

It is interesting too that this mirrors what many people believe today. Of those willing to admit that there was a historical figure known as Jesus Christ, many believe Him to be only a significant teacher or perhaps a skilled healer. Another group willing to admit that Jesus Christ was a historical figure say they believe He was God’s Messiah, but they stop there, not willing to accept what this actually means. In contrast to both these groups, only a small number actually accept Jesus as God’s Messiah, including what this actually means.

The event we just finished reading polarizes these groups of people. Some people will simply reject this event as fiction. Others, while admitting that Jesus lived and storms like what we just read about in this passage happened on the sea like this regularly, will say that this event was simply a fluke or a convenient coincidence. The reason this event polarizes people is that if we decide, like a minority of people, to accept that Jesus can command the weather, this makes Jesus God, and it is difficult to accept the idea that God is actually interested in us to the point that He would become one of us.

Understanding how God the Creator can choose to become a part of His creation is impossible for me to comprehend, but this is what the Bible describes in Jesus. With this event, we are forced to accept Jesus for being more than simply a teacher or healer, or to reject Jesus’ significance entirely.

When reading this event, it is interesting in my mind because the disciples do not ask Jesus for a miracle. Instead, the disciples wake Jesus up with the belief that this is their last night alive. The disciples had concluded that there was no way they were making it through this storm alive. When waking Jesus up, these disciples ask Him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

In this question, there isn’t any indication or faith that Jesus can do anything for them except help them pitch water from the boat. I don’t know if Jesus had a hint of irritation in His voice regarding the disciples or regarding being woken up, but when Jesus commanded the wind and waves to stop, according to this passage, the effect was instantaneous.

Jesus then turns and challenges the disciples, calling them cowards and calling out their lack of faith. The disciples lack of faith is evidenced in how they ask themselves who Jesus really is. By questioning how a man could command the wind and the sea, these disciples are at a crossroads in their belief. These disciples must make a choice between believing Jesus is more than simply a religious teacher and healer, and whether He truly is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Also in this passage is another amazing truth that I want to focus our attention on. The only reason this storm was so bad was because Satan wanted to end Jesus’ life before He reached the other side of the lake, and especially before Jesus was able to face the cross. The truth we can discover in this passage related to this idea is that Satan caused storms are no match for Jesus’ command.

When Satan brings a storm into our life, or when he tries to amplify challenges or temptations in our minds, we should lean on Jesus’ promises and Jesus’ commands because the best Satan can come up with to challenge us is no match for Jesus. The best, scariest storm Satan could muster ended the instant Jesus spoke. When deciding who we should align our lives with, the clear choice is Jesus. He has the power to help us face anything Satan wants to throw our way!

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 choose to place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus as God’s Son and as our Messiah. Remember that anything Satan tries to throw at us is no match for Jesus, and in every case where Jesus steps in to face Satan head on, Jesus wins clearly and easily. Choose to align your life with Jesus.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God and Jesus each day. Choose to spend time praying and studying to grow personally closer to God and to fall in love with Him like He has fallen in love with you. Discover in the pages of the Bible, a God who gives up everything for you and me!

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!

Year in Mark – Episode 11: Discover some amazing truths we can learn when looking at one time Jesus calms the storm, and how this event challenges us regarding who Jesus really is!

Join the discussion. Share your thoughts on this passage.

Marriage as a Landmark: Luke 20:27-40

Published March 16, 2022 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 20:27-40 (TNIV)

²⁷ Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. ²⁸ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. ³⁰ The second ³¹ and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. ³² Finally, the woman died too. ³³ Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, ³⁶ and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. ³⁷ But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

³⁹ Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” ⁴⁰ And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Read Luke 20:27-40 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In this journal entry, we will again be discussing a passage that has some very interesting connotations. To set up this portion of the discussion, we will focus on a short phrase that is often overlooked, then later, when we visit this passage again, we’ll look a little deeper at what this means for us.

The one foundational idea that I learned while reading this passage comes from verses 34-36, “Jesus replied, ‘The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.’”

The foundational idea that I saw while reading this is the distinction between people living in “this age” and “the age to come”. The distinction relates to marriage, and whether people get married or not is one of the strongest ways to determine what “age” we live in. This is big foundational idea that I saw: Our current period (age) in the timeline of history is defined by the presence of marriage.

In my own life, I can verify that I am married to my lovely bride Suzie. We gave ourselves to each other in marriage. This act tells me that we are still living in the current age and are still waiting for the age to come.

However, the definition of marriage as God established it in the Garden of Eden is under attack in society. It is under attack by how it is defined, as well as whether or not it is even necessary. If marriage is what is used to define our current period of time, and marriage is removed or redefined, then it will be much more difficult to determine which biblical age we live in.

This is a challenging implication, and in the context of this passage and this foundational idea, I can understand why certain groups are so determined to keep it unchanged and necessary.

I am not going to step into the political debate on this subject, except to say that because it is even a debate, we have another way to say that we are living in the “current biblical age”. Jesus has promised that in heaven, marriage is not going to be present – at least as how we define it here on earth. I can only imagine, like most other comparisons between earth and heaven, that if earthly marriage is replaced by something, it will be even better than we can imagine.

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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Choosing Your Teacher: Luke 6:37-42

Published March 15, 2022 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 6:37-42 (NIV)

³⁷“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

³⁹He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

⁴¹“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴²How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Read Luke 6:37-42 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

When hearing the word parable, I usually think of a story or other narrative type of illustration. However, I wonder if those in the first century had a broader definition of this concept, because in one of Jesus’ famous sermons, Luke describes Jesus sharing what may be the shortest “parable” I have ever heard.

If I were to figure out where the boundary lines for this parable would be, it may be as short as two simple questions. But just because this parable is short, we shouldn’t confuse it for not being profoundly truthful. Luke tells us that Jesus “also told them this parable: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.’” (v. 39-40)

The parable is really only the two questions in verse 39. The big truth comes in the explanation in the following verse. It is worth noting that Jesus is not picking on or discriminating against those who are physically blind. Instead, He is drawing a metaphor for those who choose to teach and those who choose to learn from a teacher.

This truth says that a teacher is only going to be able to teach up to what they themselves know. It is very important that what the teacher believes to be correct is actually the truth, because if not, then more than just the teacher will end up stumbling and falling.

Like the cliché-disclaimer found in the investment world, just because something has worked one way up to this point does not always mean that it will continue to work the same way. Past performance never guarantees future results – but past performance does imply a similar future result.

However, in today’s world, there are dozens of competing worldviews. Millions of teachers are teaching billions of students to see the world through their frame of reference. But while it’s also cliché to promote this, it is naïve to think that all these worldviews can truly “coexist”.

This candidate for Jesus’ shortest parable may speak to the student more than the teacher. As students living in today’s world, we must make sure our teachers actually can see clearly. We must choose teachers who are not blind to the physical world around them, and who are also not blind to the spiritual world either. Teachers who focus only on one angle or view of life are setting themselves up for disaster.

This may be why Jesus concludes by saying, “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (v. 40)

What would happen if we chose Jesus to be our teacher? While He cannot teach us about today’s technology, what would happen in our lives if we let Him teach us about relationship, character, purpose, mission, love, and forgiveness? Jesus may be the most qualified individual in history to teach us about these subjects, and through these topics, we can find a worldview like none other.

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Flashback Episode — Wanting to Heal Us: Matthew 8:1-4

Published March 14, 2022 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we continue moving forward in the gospels focusing on the miracles Jesus did, we come to a miracle where Jesus asks the person he has healed to be quiet. In this miracle, we discover what Jesus likely wanted, but we also discover that just because Jesus asked this man to do something, doesn’t mean this man obeyed. When someone is excited about something that has happened, it is almost impossible for them to remain quiet about it.

Let’s read what happened, and what we can learn from this miracle that we can apply into our lives.

Our passage is found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 8, and we will be reading from the New Century Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us that:

¹When Jesus came down from the hill, great crowds followed him. ²Then a man with a skin disease came to Jesus. The man bowed down before him and said, “Lord, you can heal me if you will.”

Let’s pause reading here because I want to draw our attention onto something significant. In this passage, the man with a skin disease acknowledges that Jesus is capable of healing him, but he questions Jesus on His willingness to heal him. This is important for us to pay attention to because it has a parallel in our own lives even if we don’t have a skin disease.

In our own lives, we could just as easily say to Jesus, “Lord, you can forgive me if you will”. Through Jesus, we are capable of being forgiven, however do we ever struggle with feeling doubt about whether God would want to forgive us?

While it is easy to say that God is a God who forgives, it is much harder to think that He is willing to apply this forgiveness in serious or extreme situations. This is one reason I am happy to not be the judge or even anywhere close to the judge’s seat in this matter.

It’s possible that this man believes his disease is the result of something bad he had done and this disease is a punishment for that sin, and that God would not want to remove this punishment for the sin this man committed. With this angle on how the man phrases his statement and request, the man actually makes this healing subtly also relate to forgiveness from his past sin.

With this in mind, let’s look at how Jesus responded. Continuing in verse 3, Matthew tells us that:

³Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!” And immediately the man was healed from his disease. ⁴Then Jesus said to him, “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.”

In Matthew’s gospel, we discover that Jesus is more than willing to heal people, and that Jesus doesn’t see illness, disease, or tragedy as divine punishment. Sometimes bad things happen simply because we live in a sinful world; sometimes bad things happen because God chooses to withdraw His protection. When we are living apart from God, it makes logical sense that God is not obligated to protect us from the sin in this world. God’s protection is a gift, and when we realize this, we should be grateful when we are protected, not angry when bad enters our lives.

After healing this man, Jesus tells him to stay quiet about this but go and show himself to the priest. I wonder if the priests who had pronounced this man as unclean made the claim that God was punishing him for his past sins. If so, then Jesus wants this man to show up healed, and with this healing, along with the gift that those who were healed were to bring, the priests would have to admit that their previous conclusion that this man would be punished for the rest of his life was false.

Matthew’s gospel ends this event here, and we might assume that this man did as Jesus had requested. However, Mark’s gospel records this event with an extra verse at the end. Mark, chapter 1, verse 45 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.”

I think that part of the reason Jesus wanted the man to stay quiet was that Jesus wanted to slow His advance into the spotlight. I think Jesus wanted anonymity for a little longer so He could help more people.

However, with this healed-man’s excitement, there was no way Jesus could remain secret. Because of this man’s excitement, Jesus became so well known that He couldn’t enter a town if people recognized Him.

Part of me believes that this man’s excitement wasn’t just because Jesus had healed him. When reading this passage, I get the impression that this man was just as excited that Jesus wanted to heal him, and that he felt this healing was connected with the understanding that God had forgiven him as well.

When we make mistakes in life, and when we sin, it is easy to think that God no longer loves us. However, God is more than willing to forgive you and me than we are willing to admit. God loves you and I so much that nothing could stop Jesus from coming down to take the punishment for our sins. Jesus forgives us because He wants to forgive us, and because He knows that His forgiveness is a big part of the way we receive eternal life.

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

Always seek God first and place Him first in your life. Know, understand, and admit that God loves you even when you have sinned, and that God is more than willing to forgive us when we acknowledge that He is willing to forgive. God loves you and I, and He won’t stop loving us even if we have completely walked away and rejected Him.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn what God is like. The Bible is God’s story and it is a record of what He has done in the world. The Bible points us to Jesus, and we must always remember that without Jesus, there wouldn’t be a point to the Bible, and without the Bible, we wouldn’t be able to recognize God or Jesus. Intentionally study the Bible with the goal of growing closer to God each day and know that when we look at the world through the lens of the Bible, we are better able to see the world as God sees it.

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 Miracles – Episode 11: When a man asks Jesus if He wants to heal him, we discover something incredible about God and His desire to not only heal us, but to forgive us as well!