Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

The Sign of False Prophets: Mark 13:14-23

Published January 29, 2021 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Mark 13:14-23 (GW)

¹⁴“When you see the disgusting thing that will cause destruction standing where it should not (let the reader take note), those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. ¹⁵Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses. ¹⁶Those who are in the field should not turn back to get their coats.

¹⁷“How horrible it will be for the women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. ¹⁸Pray that it will not be in winter. ¹⁹It will be a time of misery that has not happened from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and will certainly never happen again. ²⁰If the Lord does not reduce that time, no one will be saved. But those days will be reduced because of those whom God has chosen.

²¹“At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ ²²False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, those whom God has chosen. ²³Be on your guard! I have told you everything before it happens.

Read Mark 13:14-23 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Our passage for this entry covers a portion of Jesus’ famous message to His disciples regarding the time of the future. A couple of verses in this message seem to always stand out in my mind when I read or hear this part of the gospels talked about. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include this famous message, though only Matthew and Mark include the portion we’ll focus on for this entry – and we’ll use Mark’s gospel for this journal entry.

“At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, those whom God has chosen.” (v. 21-22)

There are a number of parts in these two verses that stand out.

First off, to set the stage, Jesus has just finished describing a time of great persecution of His followers, and then immediately after that time has been cut short, He tells us to be on our guard and don’t believe anyone who points towards – or claims to be – a messiah.

This warning stands out to me because Jesus wants to make it clear that His return will be different, and in other places, He has promised that His return will be visible to everyone. This means that at the very least, if you had not seen the return of this so-called messiah’s return, then don’t believe that they are Jesus coming back.

Next, because Jesus is warning about false messiahs and false prophets, we could understand this to mean either that there will be no more true or false prophets in the future, or simply that there will be a time when false prophets arise who will try to lead people away from paying attention to true prophets in the future. On this point, I won’t dwell too much time on, except to say that in every case someone claims to be a prophet, they have some pretty big hurdles to clear to be known as genuinely from God.

Fortunately for us, Jesus makes it clear what these false messiahs and prophets will focus on and do: “They will work miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive . . .” (v. 22)

The focus of these prophets and messiahs will be to shift the focus away from God and the historical Jesus of the Gospels. And while we don’t know what miraculous signs they will do, the signs they do show off will have the goal of drawing the focus onto themselves and away from God. This stands in contrast to Jesus, who used the Holy Spirit’s power, which He has promised us that we can have to when we are connected to Him.

Lastly, the phrase “if possible” gives me hope, because it tells me that there are a group of people who have been selected, who are unwavering in their dedication to God and Jesus. These people may see the signs, but they will be so in tune with who Jesus is, what He is like, and what He promised that they will immediately recognize these to be false prophets and false messiahs.

God has chosen a group of people to be His, and this group will not be deceived by miraculous signs aimed at pulling the focus away from God.

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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Facing Temptation: Matthew 4:1-11

Published January 28, 2021 in Audio Journal Entries

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Continuing into the gospel of Matthew, following Jesus’ baptism, we learn that Jesus heads out to the desert for a very specific purpose. While it would make logical sense for Jesus to start rallying disciples immediately after launching His public ministry, this is not what happened. Instead, Jesus heads to the desert because that is where God’s Spirit led Him.

Let’s read what Matthew tells us about what happened. Our passage is found in Matthew, chapter 4, and we will read it from the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us:

¹Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. ²After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry. ³Then the Devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.”

⁴But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’”

⁵Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the Holy City, set him on the highest point of the Temple, ⁶and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says,

‘God will give orders to his angels about you;
they will hold you up with their hands,
so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’”

⁷Jesus answered, “But the scripture also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness. ⁹“All this I will give you,” the Devil said, “if you kneel down and worship me.”

¹⁰Then Jesus answered, “Go away, Satan! The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’”

¹¹Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.

In our passage, we read about three big temptations Jesus faced while alone in the desert. When we draw our attention onto these temptations, some really big themes begin to surfaces, and while we might not think we are capable of being tempted in the same way as Jesus was, it is very possible we experience these three types of temptations on a daily basis.

The first temptation Jesus faced was turning the stones into bread. At the heart of this temptation is the theme of using our resources for our own benefit. While we aren’t able to turn stones into bread like Jesus could have if He wanted to, I know I constantly face the temptation to use everything I earn for myself, my needs, and my wants. While Jesus needed and wanted bread, and while Jesus had the power to fulfill this need, He intentionally pushes back at this temptation knowing that self-service is not part of God’s character. Self-service is not a characteristic of God and we fall victim to this temptation when we place our own needs ahead of God’s desires for our lives.

The second temptation Jesus faced was jumping from the highest point in the temple. While I don’t know of any prophecies or traditions related to the Messiah appearing in this way, this act would have gotten the chief priests and religious leaders’ attention. The goal of this temptation is a self-focused goal on a social level. This temptation is one where Jesus does something to make the crowds look towards Him in a significant way.

But then we have a question: how is this temptation of getting people to pay attention to Jesus different from Jesus performing miracles and turning heads that way?

In the case of the miracles Jesus did, every miracle was aimed at helping someone else and providing an opportunity to praise God. If Jesus would have jumped from the temple, He probably would have had the protection Satan promised in the scriptures, but the act of jumping would have been a self-serving act because it wouldn’t have been a blessing to anyone else. Drawing the focus onto Himself is not part of God’s character, and when we do things to be looked at highly by others, we fall victim to this temptation.

The third temptation Jesus faced was worshiping Satan for a moment in order to avoid the ministry, mission, and ultimate destiny of Jesus’ life. The essence of this temptation is spiritual. This temptation offered Jesus an empty shortcut to achieve His goal, except that Jesus’ goal wasn’t dominion over every earthly kingdom at the height of its glory. Instead, Jesus’ goal is the hearts and minds of His people, and this is something only the cross can purchase.

While it appears on the surface like this third temptation is more Satan-serving than self-serving, the only reason to even consider this temptation is because of self-focused motives. Sometimes the road God has called us to walk is hard. Self-focused motives would opt for an easier path. Satan offers Jesus an easier path, but the cost of taking this easier path is too high a price to make it worth it. If Jesus had fallen for this temptation, He would have sinned, which would have made the sacrifice on the cross worthless, and it would have left those He came to save as lost in their sins. Jesus pushed back at the self-service-focused nature of this worship-based temptation. Jesus, like God, isn’t interested in self-service. Instead, Jesus came to serve and to give His life to save all of God’s people!

Tucked within these temptations are doubts Satan wanted to cast onto Jesus’ self-identity and onto the greatness of Jesus’ mission. Satan subtly counters God the Father’s clear claim at Jesus’ baptism that Jesus is God’s Son by challenging Jesus on this very point in the first two temptations. Each of these two temptations are framed using the opening, “If you are God’s Son”. Jesus was well aware of God being His Father, and He wasn’t going to let Satan cast doubt into His mind about this.

The last temptation was a subtle attempt to elevate Satan into the Godhead. If Jesus momentarily worshiped Satan, then that would elevate Satan to the status of God and Jesus would have broken the circle of the Godhead. Jesus didn’t fall for Satan’s trap in this temptation, or at any point during His ministry, and everything Jesus did brought glory to God the Father.

In all these temptations, Jesus pushed back at Satan using promises and statements from the scripture. When we face temptation, the best way for us to push Satan away is through challenging Him with God’s promises. God has promised to help us when we need help and when we are living in a way that brings Him glory, nothing will stop us from shining for Jesus!

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. When Satan throws temptations your way, choose to push back with God’s Word and with God’s promises. Choose to lean on God for the strength to fight Satan’s tricks, traps, and temptations.

If you don’t know your Bible like you wish you did, be sure to intentionally, regularly pray and study the Bible for yourself, to learn what the Bible teaches first hand. While it is easy to depend on other people for Bible truth, if we do, we short-change our spiritual growth because we are only growing up to the level of those we are listening to. While this might not be bad, God wants to teach us more and He does this when we open up the Bible in prayer and study it for ourselves.

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 be tempted to leave where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Year in Matthew – Episode 4: At the start of His ministry, Jesus is led into the desert to face three powerful temptations Satan has prepared for this moment. Discover how Jesus pushes back and how these temptations are common temptations in our world and our lives today.

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Following His Instructions: Luke 22:7-13

Published January 27, 2021 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 22:7-13 (NIrV)

⁷Then the day of Unleavened Bread came. That was the time the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸Jesus sent Peter and John on ahead. “Go,” he told them. “Prepare for us to eat the Passover meal.”

⁹“Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

¹⁰Jesus replied, “When you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters. ¹¹Then say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, “Where is the guest room? Where can I eat the Passover meal with my disciples?” ’ ¹²He will show you a large upstairs room with furniture already in it. Prepare for us to eat there.”

¹³Peter and John left. They found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover meal.

Read Luke 22:7-13 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

When I read our passage for this entry, I am always amazed at how detailed Jesus’ instructions were to these two disciples. While this isn’t the first time Jesus gives a set of instructions to one or more of the disciples, every time He does so, I am amazed that things fall in line exactly how He has described them.

In this passage, Jesus tells these two disciples, “When you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters. Then say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, “Where is the guest room? Where can I eat the Passover meal with my disciples?” ’ He will show you a large upstairs room with furniture already in it. Prepare for us to eat there.” (v.10-12)

And then we read, “Peter and John left. They found things just as Jesus had told them.” (v. 13)

This makes me wonder, “Was the man with the jar of water a servant of the home owner, or was this an angel in disguise?” and “Did Jesus know this home owner before, or was this a first time meeting?”

I suppose these are questions I get to save for heaven, but reading about this event leads me to a truth we can apply in our lives today: Sometimes the instructions Jesus gives us don’t make sense on the front end, but they come together in the end. Jesus’ instructions might seem odd looking forward, but looking back on them later, they make perfect sense.

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Evidence Over Presence: John 4:46-54

Published January 26, 2021 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 4:46-54 (NCV)

⁴⁶Jesus went again to visit Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. One of the king’s important officers lived in the city of Capernaum, and his son was sick. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Jesus and begged him to come to Capernaum and heal his son, because his son was almost dead. ⁴⁸Jesus said to him, “You people must see signs and miracles before you will believe in me.”

⁴⁹The officer said, “Sir, come before my child dies.”

⁵⁰Jesus answered, “Go. Your son will live.”

The man believed what Jesus told him and went home. ⁵¹On the way the man’s servants came and met him and told him, “Your son is alive.”

⁵²The man asked, “What time did my son begin to get well?”

They answered, “Yesterday at one o’clock the fever left him.”

⁵³The father knew that one o’clock was the exact time that Jesus had said, “Your son will live.” So the man and all the people who lived in his house believed in Jesus.

⁵⁴That was the second miracle Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Read John 4:46-54 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

One thing I always find fascinating is how Jesus interacts with those He is about to help. In some ways, it is as though Jesus always has His “teacher” hat on even while He is healing. In this passage, we find another example of Jesus teaching while also healing, but it is unique from many other examples because Jesus decides to push back against a popular idea: He must be present to heal.

Since this miracle is one of the earlier ones, and one of the first included in John’s gospel, part of me wonders if all the previous miracles Jesus did to heal people were ones where He was present to speak directly to the situation, and perhaps to place His hands on the person being healed.

Perhaps Jesus knew what this official would do, but Jesus, while responding to this official also speaks to the crowd of people following Him when he says, “You people must see signs and miracles before you will believe in me.” (v. 48)

Not really being deterred in his request, the official asks again, “Sir, come before my child dies.” (v. 49)

While Jesus could have waited for the child to die before going to raise him back to life (He did this in Lazarus’ case), Jesus uses this as an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of believing based on the evidence: “Jesus answered, ‘Go. Your son will live.’” (v. 50a)

In this event, Jesus pushed back against the idea that seeing is believing. Jesus knows that belief cannot always be based on physically seeing, and so He takes this event and uses it as a teaching example for believing in the evidence. The official understands and believes Jesus because immediately after hearing Jesus’ response, “The man believed what Jesus told him and went home.” (v. 50b)

This is one of the first examples of individuals who believed Jesus’ words at face value, and this official’s belief was rewarded, because we learn that at about the very time Jesus was talking, his child’s fever broke and his son began the road to recovery.

In this event, Jesus wants us to trust Him based on His word and the evidence we have. In this regard, we can have the same level of incredible faith that this official had when He believed Jesus at His word, and left knowing that his son would live.

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