Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Flashback Episode — Letting Jesus Help: John 6:16-24

Published March 30, 2026 in Audio Journal Entries

Read the Transcript

Immediately following Jesus feeding the crowd of over 5,000 people that we looked at in our last episode, our passage for this episode takes place that evening. At the end of our last event, Jesus sends the disciples away, telling them to cross the lake and that He will find them later. Jesus did this because the people present who experienced the miracle of food multiplication wanted to make Jesus their king at that moment. I suspect the disciples would have supported this declaration, and Jesus wanted to stop this from happening.

This leads us into our passage for this episode. Our passage opens with Jesus praying on the mountain by Himself, and the disciples beginning their journey across the lake. Let’s read what happened.

Our passage for this episode is found in John’s gospel, chapter 6, and we will read it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 16, John tells us that:

¹⁶When evening came, his disciples went to the sea. ¹⁷They got into a boat and started to cross the sea to the city of Capernaum. By this time it was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. ¹⁸A strong wind started to blow and stir up the sea.

¹⁹After they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they became terrified.

²⁰Jesus told them, “It’s me. Don’t be afraid!”

²¹So they were willing to help Jesus into the boat. Immediately, the boat reached the shore where they were going.

²²On the next day the people were still on the other side of the sea. They noticed that only one boat was there and that Jesus had not stepped into that boat with his disciples. The disciples had gone away without him. ²³Other boats from Tiberias arrived near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks. ²⁴When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into these boats and went to the city of Capernaum to look for Jesus.

In this event, two details stand out to me.

The first detail is that immediately after Jesus stepped into the boat, the boat reached the shore where they were going. It is possible this was another miracle beyond Jesus simply walking on water, or that John abbreviated the last portion of the trip. The big truth I can learn from the first portion of this passage is that life without Jesus is significantly more difficult than life with Jesus.

Taking this idea a step further, we could also conclude that it is impossible to reach God’s goal for us without Jesus. However, when we are with Jesus, we have already arrived at God’s destination for us.

The second detail that stood out to me is found in verse 22, when we read that “On the next day the people were still on the other side of the sea. They noticed that only one boat was there and that Jesus had not stepped into that boat with his disciples.”

This detail is fascinating to me. The people who had been fed knew that the disciples had taken the only boat when they left, and that Jesus wasn’t with them in the boat when they pushed off from the shore. These people, as well as some others who made the trip across the lake to the place where the bread had been served were all looking for Jesus, expecting to find Him without His disciples.

However, they all were disappointed and too late. This detail tells me that sometimes Jesus is away from His followers, but the best place to look for Jesus is with those who are serving and following Him.

Part of me wonders what would have happened if Jesus had stayed on that shore, and if the disciples had reached Capernaum without Him. What would the crowd have done if they had found Jesus apart from His disciples? Would the crowd have wanted to pressure Jesus into being a king? Would they have demanded more food like the previous day’s miracle?

We might never know, but what we can be certain of is that Jesus walked across the lake to the disciples not just because they were having a difficult time without Him in the boat, but because Jesus loves His followers. Another thing we can learn in this event is that when we are unable to reach our goal, Jesus is happy to come find us to help us get to our destination. The disciples made it part way across the lake without Jesus, but when Jesus came to be with them, He solves the part of the trip they are unable to solve.

In our own lives, when we are dealing with turning away from sin and leaving it in our past, some aspects of this are possible for us to do on our own. However, there will be a point when we have reached as far as we can without Jesus, and when we have come to this place and want to go further, don’t be surprised if Jesus comes and offers His help.

Jesus is more than willing to help us conquer sin in our lives and when we fill our hearts with Him and God’s Holy Spirit, we actively are pushing sin out. The best way to get rid of sin is by crowding our lives with Jesus and serving Him. When we are wholly serving Jesus, we won’t have time for sin, and our focus will be on God’s will for our lives!

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

Always continue to seek God first in your life and choose to depend on Him for help turning away from sin in your own life. Resolve to focus on what God wants you to focus on and push the sin out of your life by filling it so full of God’s goals for your life that sin cannot break in. Choose to be too busy doing God’s will for you to have time to sin.

Always keep your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus and His sacrifice because we cannot earn our salvation through what we do. Jesus earned salvation for us, and the best way for us to say thank You to Him is by walking forward through life with Him and without sin.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to grow closer to God each and every day. God wants a personal relationship with you, and we grow a personal relationship with God when we pray, study our Bibles with an open mind listening for what He wants to share with us, and when we actively step out into His will and His plan for our lives. Life with God can begin today, and life with God extends into 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!

Flashback Episode: Year in John – Episode 13: When we face trials in life, the best thing for us to do is ask Jesus for help. We might be surprised with how much help Jesus can give us, especially when we look at what happens after the disciples spent a night unsuccessfully trying to cross the lake without Jesus.

The Invitation: Matthew 11:20-30

Published March 27, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 11:20-30 (NIrV)

²⁰Jesus began to speak against the towns where he had done most of his miracles. The people there had not turned away from their sins. So he said, ²¹“How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! Suppose the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon. They would have turned away from their sins long ago. They would have put on clothes for mourning. They would have sat down in ashes. ²²But I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³And what about you, Capernaum? Will you be lifted to the heavens? No! You will go down to the place of the dead. Suppose the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom. It would still be here today. ²⁴But I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Sodom than for you.”

²⁵At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father. You are Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from wise and educated people. But you have shown them to little children. ²⁶Yes, Father. This is what you wanted to do.

²⁷“My Father has given all things to me. The Father is the only one who knows the Son. And the only ones who know the Father are the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to make him known.

²⁸“Come to me, all you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest. ²⁹Become my servants and learn from me. I am gentle and free of pride. You will find rest for your souls. ³⁰Serving me is easy, and my load is light.”

Read Matthew 11:20-30 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

If you ever wondered if Jesus was interested in drawing people to Himself, or if the crowds that came were simply first century fans of a celebrity who could work miracles, Matthew’s gospel shares an invitation Jesus shared that has cut through time in its lovingness and simplicity.

Matthew tells us that following one of Jesus’ prayers, He says, “Come to me, all you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest. Become my servants and learn from me. I am gentle and free of pride. You will find rest for your souls. Serving me is easy, and my load is light.” (v. 28-30)

Jesus begins by inviting those in the crowd who feel tired and who feel like they are carrying heavy loads. While Jesus is sharing to a first century crowd, I imagine that description could even work in the 21st century as well. There are plenty of people, myself included, who feel worn out and tired. To those of us who feel this way, Jesus’ simple message is “I will give you rest.” (v. 28b)

After giving the description of who in the crowd He is talking to, Jesus continues the invitation by offering the chance to be His servant and to learn from Him. While serving Jesus is not always popular, it is the best way to learn from Him and test His way of life. Many people write off following Jesus’ example because it does not appear to be logical, or because some aspect of it doesn’t make sense. These people stop before actually starting and never take the opportunity to test Jesus’ words for themselves. Jesus wants to teach us, and we often learn best through experience.

Jesus then shares what He is like. Verse 29 contains His words “I am gentle and free of pride.” Jesus is not in the Messiah business to get a lot of followers or to prove something to someone. Instead, Jesus is humbly offering an invitation to whoever is not satisfied with the life they currently have. Jesus offers something that no other way of life can offer: With Jesus, “You will find rest for your souls.” (v. 29b)

Serving Jesus is easy, and the load He gives is light when compared to our other options. Every other system of faith or way of life focuses on what we can do, have done, or are capable of doing in the future. With Jesus, the focus is not on our ability or actions, but on His ability and His actions. Jesus didn’t place the focus onto Himself to show how worthy He was to be a Messiah. Instead, Jesus offered to take the consequences of those He loves onto Himself, and to give these people the freedom and opportunity of a new life with a restored relationship with 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!

Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.

A Stalk of Wheat or a Weed: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Published March 26, 2026 in Audio Journal Entries

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iHeartRadio | RSS

Read the Transcript

In our last episode, we focused in on the parable of the seeds being sowed on different types of soil. That parable is one of a select few that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include in their gospels, and it might be the only parable that these three gospels include that also includes Jesus’ explanation of what the parable meant. Matthew’s gospel follows that parable up with a series of parables that will be the focus of our next several episodes.

Of these parables in Matthew’s gospel, another parable takes up a decent bit of space, and it also includes Jesus sharing an explanation of it. This particular parable is worth us paying attention to because it frames the state of the world as we live in it today, and it points us towards the end of time.

Let’s read this parable and discover some things we can learn from what Jesus taught the crowd. Our passage and parable are found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 13, and we will read it from the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 24, Matthew tells us that:

²⁴Jesus told the crowd another story. “Here is what the kingdom of heaven is like,” he said. “A man planted good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came. The enemy planted weeds among the wheat and then went away. ²⁶The wheat began to grow and form grain. At the same time, weeds appeared.

²⁷“The owner’s slaves came to him. They said, ‘Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

²⁸“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The slaves asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’

²⁹“ ‘No,’ the owner answered. ‘While you are pulling up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the workers what to do. Here is what I will say to them. First collect the weeds. Tie them in bundles to be burned. Then gather the wheat. Bring it into my storeroom.’”

In this parable, we discover a truth that we don’t often like focusing on, and this truth is that God has an enemy. From our perspective, this enemy is more of a spiritual enemy than a physical one, but that doesn’t mean for a moment that this enemy is stronger or smarter than God.

From simply looking at the details of this parable, we can tell that the enemy is not stronger than God because the enemy has to hide and sneak around in order to plant the weeds. If God’s enemy was stronger than God, there would be no reason to plant the weeds in secret or at night.

However, what does this mean? While we could speculate, it is best to let Matthew tell us Jesus’ explanation of this parable so we have a stronger foundation for our discussion and what we can learn from this illustration.

Jumping down to verse 36, Matthew tells us:

³⁶Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him. They said, “Explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷He answered, “The one who planted the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world. The good seed stands for the people who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. ³⁹The enemy who plants them is the devil. The harvest is judgment day. And the workers are angels.

⁴⁰“The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. That is how it will be on judgment day. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels. They will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin. They will also get rid of all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the blazing furnace. There people will weep and grind their teeth. ⁴³Then God’s people will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Whoever has ears should listen.”

This parable, explanation, and passage have several parts that we could focus in on. However, I doubt we would have enough time in the few minutes we have left to really expand on all the areas of this parable, so let’s instead focus in on a few points that stand out more in my mind as being worth paying attention to.

In Jesus’ explanation, most of the key elements of the parable make sense. The Son of Man, also known as Jesus, plants good seed, while the devil, who is God’s enemy, plants the weeds. The field is the world and the wheat and weeds represent good and bad people respectively.

However, it is worth pointing out that the harvest is described as judgment day. The judgment day is a singular point in time when Jesus will send out the angels and they will purify God’s kingdom of everything that causes sin. It is on the judgment day that God’s people will be harvested and saved, while the wicked people will be gathered up to be cast into the fire.

I emphasize this because many people today believe that judgment happens at the moment one dies, and then they receive their reward, however Jesus’ explanation does not match this idea. While the details of life and death within the human race is a little less structured than a field of growing plants, the explanation in this parable reserves the fire for the weeds and the gathering of the wheat for the day of the harvest.

In the parable, Jesus makes it clear that God isn’t going to separate the wheat and weeds early because He does not want any of His wheat to be harmed. This doesn’t make life easy for the wheat, but it does ensure that as much wheat as possible grows into maturity.

However, the way Jesus finishes this parable’s explanation is amazing in my mind. In verse 43, Jesus tells His followers that after the judgment day, “God’s people will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom.”

This is powerful.

If you missed the key idea, let me pull you into the truth Jesus emphasized. Jesus describes God’s people as being within God’s family. They will shine like the sun in “their Father’s kingdom”. This is one more promise of adoption and of God the Father loving and desiring to bring His people into His family!

In this parable, while it might be easy to get caught up on the devil sowing weeds, or on the nuances of the judgment, the final thing Jesus tells us about this parable is that God’s people will view God as their Father!

Let’s not wait until eternity to claim this promise and this truth in our lives. Instead, let’s claim it today!

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

Continue to seek God first and begin to see Him as a Father in your life. Whether you had a great relationship with your dad, or whether your dad was nothing at all like Christ, begin to see God as the perfect Father. In case you wonder what God the Father is like, simply look at Jesus. If it helps, you could view Jesus as your Father simply because they share the same perfect character. While Jesus is our older brother in this adoption process, He is a great representation of what our true Father is like!

Also, as I always challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. When our time on earth comes to an end, the only thing that will matter is where we have placed our hope, trust, faith, and belief, and the only place worthy of all these things is Jesus Christ. Don’t let Satan, or anyone for that matter, trick you into placing your hope, faith, trust, or belief in anyone or anything else!

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

Year of Parables – Episode 13: In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus shares a powerful, and challenging parable about a man planting wheat while his enemy comes and plants weeds. Discover what we can learn from Jesus’ own explanation of this parable, and what He wants us to pay attention to when our time on this earth is finished!

Join the discussion. Share your thoughts on this passage.

Responding to His Love: John 21:15-25

Published March 25, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 21:15-25 (NIV)

¹⁵When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

²⁰Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) ²¹When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

²²Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” ²³Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

²⁴This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

²⁵Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Read John 21:15-25 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In probably one of the most redemptive and life-altering conversations following the crucifixion, Jesus invites Peter to follow again. After the three times Peter denied being associated with Jesus, chances are that he believed Jesus to have given up on him. Following the crucifixion, Jesus finds Peter back fishing, along with a number of other disciples.

Jesus meets them on the shore and they share breakfast together. It is after their breakfast that Jesus addresses Peter – which is a conversation that Peter was likely dreading. John tells us that Jesus asks Peter the same question three times, but while the translation into English makes these questions identical, there is an interesting wordplay involved in the Greek.

The first two times Jesus asks Peter the question, Jesus uses the Greek word “agapao” to describe the idea of love. This angle of love the Amplified Bible translation describes as “with total commitment and devotion”. The agapao love is a selfless and committed love towards another. In each case, Peter responds using a different word for love: “phileo”. The Amplified Bible translation describes this love as “with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend”. The phileo love is more like a very close friend love.

I believe these first two questions are important because in them, Jesus pushes Peter to move past where he had been and into a deeper understanding of God.

The third time Jesus asks the question, Jesus echoes Peter’s word for love by asking if Peter “phileo”-loved Him. I’m not sure if this shift breaks Peter’s heart, or if it instead links to another interesting dynamic that happens in this brief conversation.

After Peter’s response to each question, Jesus makes an interesting statement that is unique to each question. After the first question and response, Jesus tells Peter to “Feed my lambs.” (v. 15)

I read this challenge as Jesus telling Peter to help the young, growing Christians – whether these young Christians are children, or whether they are older in age but newer to the faith. Perhaps, Jesus used the word “agapao” to describe that this is the type of love that one would need when helping this group of Christians.

After the second question and response, Jesus tells Peter to “Take care of my sheep.” (v. 16)

In this response, I see Jesus challenging Peter to help those who are hurting, aging, or otherwise needing some form of help. Some other translations describe this idea as “Shepherd my sheep”. Again, I wonder if Jesus used the word “agapao” to describe the type of love one would/should have when shepherding others.

After the third question and response, Jesus begins by telling Peter to “Feed my sheep.” (v. 17)

This third response Jesus gives echoes the first response, but I see it challenging Peter to help otherwise mature Christians grow. Like the other two statements, I wonder if Jesus chose the different Greek word for love (“phileo”) because this type of love would work best for this group of Christians.

Jesus then cryptically describes how Peter will end his life. From how the author places the side-note in the text, it is possible that he wrote it after Peter had died. Jesus then re-invites Peter to follow Him.

In these three challenges, I see challenges for each of us as followers of Jesus. We are to help the young members of our faith grow in their relationship with God/Jesus; we are to help those among us who are hurting and in need of strength and encouragement; and we are to challenge the mature members of our faith to deepen their relationship with God, Jesus, and each other. Each task requires a certain type of love, and in this conversation with Peter, Jesus helps us by describing the type of followers He wants us to be.

Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.