Welcome to Cam’s Reflective Bible Study Journal

Cam’s Reflective Bible Study Journal is a blog/podcast where Cam, one of Reflective Bible Study's founders, shares things he has discovered from his time studying the Bible (usually from one or more of the four gospels).

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Tradition vs. Experience: John 10:1-21

Published March 30, 2022 in Written Journal Entries
Focus Passage: John 10:1-21 (CEV)

    1 Jesus said:

   I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. 2-3 But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.

    4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5 The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.

    6 Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.

    7 Jesus said:

   I tell you for certain that I am the gate for the sheep. 8 Everyone who came before me was a thief or a robber, and the sheep did not listen to any of them. 9 I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture.

    10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest. 11 I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. 12 Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. 13 Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep.

    14 I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15 Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.

    17 The Father loves me, because I give up my life, so that I may receive it back again. 18 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.

    19 The people took sides because of what Jesus had told them. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon in him! He is crazy! Why listen to him?”

    21 But others said, “How could anyone with a demon in him say these things? No one like that could give sight to a blind person!”

Read John 10:1-21 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

If Jesus was anything, He wasn’t a pushover. He didn’t seem to be interested in keeping everyone happy, but instead challenged many of their deeply held beliefs. As the sermon Jesus spoke ended, the crowd was divided. Some said Jesus was crazy and mad; others said that crazy people cannot heal people.

One group placed the traditional beliefs of that time over experience. The other group placed experience over the traditional beliefs of that time. We can look back on that time period and easily say that those who placed experience ahead of their traditional beliefs were correct, but is this the best course of action for us today?

In today’s time period, I think that both perspectives are flawed, while at the same time as both being necessary. Placing traditional beliefs ahead of experience is a flawed perspective because if these beliefs are never questioned and/or realigned, we are never able to course correct as culture shifts happen. Placing experience ahead of traditional beliefs is a flawed perspective because we lack the anchor to guide us through ever changing experiences – not to dwell on the idea that everyone’s experience is different.

Both traditional beliefs and experiences are necessary, but they don’t always blend nicely. In places where they don’t blend, more prayer and study is necessary. In some cases, the belief is more valid, and it gives us a better frame of mind to see the experience through. In other cases, we realize that there is a different, less traditional way to look at the belief that fits more closely within the context of our experience.

Jesus came and challenged the traditional beliefs because He knew there was a different, better way to live and believe. The miracles He displayed were signs from God that backed up His claims. Miracles were the main reason the one side of the crowd believed, but the miracles were only the very first step of where Jesus wants to lead people to.

Jesus’ miracles were given so people present would take notice and give glory to God. Jesus wants to lead people into a clearer understanding of God’s love and His desire for a relationship with them – and a relationship with each one of us too! His miracles were the first step, but a life saving relationship is the goal.

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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Being Like the Son: John 5:16-47

Published March 29, 2022 in Written Journal Entries
Focus Passage: John 5:16-47 (NIV)

16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Read John 5:16-47 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

During one of the earlier challenges that Jesus faced from a group of Jewish leaders regarding His actions on the Sabbath, Jesus shares some amazing, profound ideas about both Himself and about God the Father.

In Jesus’ response, He shares where He has placed His focus and where He receives His power. He tells them, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.” (v. 19-21)

Jesus tells these leaders in Jerusalem that they would see even greater things than the healing that had just taken place. These leaders wouldn’t see God working through Jesus because they were paying attention to God the Father and expecting Him to work directly, but because Jesus was entirely focused on the Father and on doing His will, they missed out on what God was really doing in their generation. This focus Jesus had on the Father gave Him the connection and the power (through the Holy Spirit) to do amazing things for God’s glory.

This power even extended onto giving life to others who had lost theirs. While this could be seen as figurative, there are cases where Jesus does resurrect individuals who had died, and a few verses later, Jesus touches again on the idea of death and resurrection by saying, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” (v. 28-29)

The promised resurrection that will happen can only take place as Jesus describes it if there are “those who have done what is good” and “those who have done what is evil”. This idea runs contrary to popular opinion that either believes there will be no resurrection, or that if a resurrection takes place, it will takes everyone to the same place. (Technically people believe there is a distinct split and both a heaven and hell, but never at a funeral do we hear people talking about the destiny of hell for an individual who has done evil or who has not placed their hope, trust, and belief in Jesus. Hell in most people’s minds is reserved for the “other” group(s) of people that we don’t like.)

But Jesus focuses our attention onto a time when there will be a resurrection that divides people based upon what they have done. The problem is that everyone has done evil except for Jesus, and without God’s help, there is no one who has exclusively done what is good. Even the best actions of a well-intentioned sinner don’t count for much in the final picture.

The only hope we have is to take the gift Jesus has offered to us to replace our lives with His. Jesus has done what is good, and His sacrifice makes a way for us to be included in the group of “those who have done what is good”. The only thing we can do that truly is good is placing our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus, and then focus our lives on being like Him, loving like Him, and accepting like Him.

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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Flashback Episode — Faith to Forgive: Luke 5:17-26

Published March 28, 2022 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we move forward in our year looking at Jesus’ miracles, we come to one of my favorite examples of Jesus healing while also challenging those present. This miracle is probably the single greatest example of persistence that we find included in the gospels about how far some men would go to get help for their disabled friend. Not only do we find an amazing example of persistence in this miracle, we also discover one amazing way that Jesus challenges the religious leaders regarding who He is.

Let’s read about what happened, and specifically about this incredible miracle that happened only because of the persistence of a group of friends. Our passage is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 5, and we will be reading this passage from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 17, Luke tells us that:

17 One day some Pharisees and experts in the Law of Moses sat listening to Jesus teach. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.

God had given Jesus the power to heal the sick, 18 and some people came carrying a crippled man on a mat. They tried to take him inside the house and put him in front of Jesus. 19 But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they went up on the roof, where they removed some tiles and let the mat down in the middle of the room.

20 When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21 The Pharisees and the experts began arguing, “Jesus must think he is God! Only God can forgive sins.”

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, “Why are you thinking that? 23 Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? 24 But now you will see that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” Jesus then said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk home.”

25 At once the man stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and went home, giving thanks to God. 26 Everyone was amazed and praised God. What they saw surprised them, and they said, “We have seen a great miracle today!”

In this passage and event, we discover that Jesus took the faith of this man’s friends and He used it to challenge everyone present. Jesus knew that the friends had displayed enough faith in their creative and unusual way of getting Jesus’ attention to heal their friend. We have no idea what Jesus was talking about at that moment leading up to this miracle, but it is fascinating to pay attention to how this passage opens.

Luke begins the passage by saying that “One day some Pharisees and experts in the Law of Moses sat listening to Jesus teach. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.”

This marks the point in Jesus’ ministry when enough things have happened that people, specifically the religious leaders, have taken note of Jesus, but before enough has happened that the religious leadership as a whole had condemned Jesus.

While the faith of the men bringing their friend to Jesus is amazing, the phrase I want to point out in this episode is the one the Pharisees challenge Jesus with. In verse 21, the Pharisees and religious experts argued among each other saying, “Jesus must think he is God! Only God can forgive sins.”

This statement is logical on one hand, while causing challenges on another.

When we sin, the act we commit may affect another person, but the sin we committed is against God. Forgiveness only means something when the persons involved in a sin do the forgiving. It doesn’t mean much if I say that I forgive someone else for what they did to someone else. Unless I was affected in some way, giving third-party forgiveness doesn’t work. When we sin, it is against God, and because of this, only God can forgive sins.

However, in John’s gospel’s great commission to the disciples, Jesus gives His followers an unusual ability, and that is the ability to forgive sins. John chapter 20, verses 21 through 23 tells us that:

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

On the surface, these two passages and ideas conflict with one another, but when we look closer, we see something amazing. When Jesus claims to have the power to forgive sins in this passage, it is because He has the Holy Spirit, and when He gives the disciples the commission to forgive sins, it is only after they have accepted and received the Holy Spirit.

The proof Jesus gave for His claim of sin forgiveness is a miraculous healing. This wasn’t healing to prove a point, even if a point was proved through it; this healing was to validate the faith of this man’s friends, and perhaps the faith of this man who might have been injured while doing something sinful.

In this miracle and Jesus’ response, we also see that talk is cheap when compared with action. A miracle is significantly more difficult to do, and the challenging thing to think is that if Jesus came for Himself, and for His own glory, He could have made claim after claim and they all would have fallen flat. Without the Holy Spirit supporting His ministry, Jesus would have done nothing miraculous. It is because Jesus came to glorify God that we see the Holy Spirit so visibly present in His ministry.

At this early stage of Jesus’ ministry, I don’t think it was accidental that all these religious leaders were present, and I don’t think it was a coincidence that these men brought their friend on a stretcher with the faith that Jesus could heal their friend. Everyone present praised God and declared that they had seen a great miracle, but with this miracle is the challenge we all must grapple with: Will we believe that Jesus had God’s authority when He was here on earth – including the authority to forgive sins?

This question divided the religious leaders regarding Jesus, and it divides people living today. Will we accept Jesus’ difficult truths and claims because we see God moving in a strong way validating His ministry, or will we reject Him and all the claims He is recorded making?

And if we accept Jesus at His Word, will we realize and remember that only God can forgive sins, but when God, specifically the Holy Spirit, is living inside of us, we have the power to validate God’s forgiveness of sinners? Forgiving sins and validating God’s forgiveness may be one of our highest callings as followers of Jesus while the Holy Spirit lives in and works through our lives.

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

Always continue seeking God first in your life. Choose each day to live within His will and to do things that will grow His Kingdom. Know that forgiveness is a big part of God’s character, and He has called us to live lives of forgiveness as well.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and move closer to Jesus. When we grow closer to Jesus, we can know Him better, and we can more fully receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. Always use your time spent in the Bible as a filter on your life and the world we live in. The Bible is the best guide we have to navigate the crazy lives we live.

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 drift away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year of Miracles – Episode 13: When four men bring their friend to Jesus for healing, Jesus attributes this miracle not just to the faith of these men, but to His own ability to forgive sins. Discover what we can learn about Jesus and our own responsibility as Christians regarding forgiveness and forgiving sins.

Blind Faith: John 2:1-12

Published March 25, 2022 in Written Journal Entries
Focus Passage: John 2:1-12 (NASB)

Sometimes, when reading the gospels, I challenge myself to look for examples of faith. Sometimes seeing faith is easy, and it is really easy when the gospel writers come right out and say it. However, other times, we must look at the details of the event to see faith present. When looking at the miracle at the wedding in Cana, we see some of the greatest faith demonstrated in the whole gospel record.

Firstly, Mary has faith that Jesus can solve the problem. It is unlikely that she knows how He will do it, but even after Jesus sidesteps the request, Mary clearly tells the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (v. 5)

Mary’s statement is pretty bold, and it shows that she had faith in His ability to solve the problem.

But when I look at this event, the greatest amount of faith is demonstrated by the servants. After Mary has spoken her instructions and has left, Jesus tells the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” (v. 7a)

The servants do as instructed. They filled the waterpots up to the top with water. Then they return to Jesus having completed step one, but what Jesus says next must have shocked them. Jesus tells them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” (v. 8a)

When they came to Jesus for step number two in the wine making process, He simply says that all the steps have been completed and it’s time for a taste test. The servants obey, and I wonder if while delivering the liquid drink to the headwaiter, they hoped he had gotten a little tipsy himself and wouldn’t get mad at their practical joke of serving him water. Maybe they believed something would happen, but they didn’t have a clue what.

Also, I wonder if the water-turned-into-wine miracle details happened before the servants poured the water-wine into the cup, or if it was immediately visible when they had filled up the waterpots. I wonder if God sent an angel to spike the well water and everyone who visited the well that night got a little buzz, even though the thought is quite ridiculous to think about.

I am inclined to think that the liquid poured into the cup looked like water but tasted like wine. The servants and bridegroom are commended for saving the best wine until last, but only the servants really understood what had happened.

Jesus, His disciples, and the servants were the only people who knew that what was being praised as the best wine had really started out as water only minutes before. With Jesus’ first miracle, the lowest people present were the ones on the inside, and this would be the start of Jesus’ miracles that focused on helping individual people, regardless of rank, popularity, or status. The passage concludes with John telling us that following this miracle, “[Jesus’] disciples believed in Him.” (v. 11)

This miracle teaches me that Jesus values sharing Himself with those at the bottom of the ladder and serving those at the bottom over the typical approach of serving those on top. Jesus knows that belief is a very individual thing, and He wants to emphasize that God values all of us regardless of where we are in the social hierarchy that society has created.

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!

Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.