Reflective Bible Study

At the end of Jesus’ time on earth, He sends the disciples out with a commission to tell the world about Him. Last week, we focused in on one big commission we find in John’s gospel, and this week, while we could focus in on Matthew’s commission, which is the most famous one, let’s instead look at Mark’s version.

In my own mind, Mark’s version of this event might be a little more challenging than the commissions included in the other gospels.

Our passage for this episode can be found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 16, and we will be reading it from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 15:

¹⁵ Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone. ¹⁶ Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved, but anyone who does not believe will be punished. ¹⁷ And those who believe will be able to do these things as proof: They will use my name to force out demons. They will speak in new languages. ¹⁸ They will pick up snakes and drink poison without being hurt. They will touch the sick, and the sick will be healed.”

¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus said these things to his followers, he was carried up into heaven, and he sat at the right side of God. ²⁰ The followers went everywhere in the world and told the Good News to people, and the Lord helped them. The Lord proved that the Good News they told was true by giving them power to work miracles.

This passage ends the book of Mark. I will note that this conclusion is part of the longer conclusion to Mark’s gospel, and many Bibles will include the note that verses 9-20 are not in many of the early manuscripts. In my own mind, I can understand why. Mark’s longer conclusion includes many challenging ideas.

However, the big question is whether this conclusion at the end of Mark was added by others to enhance Mark’s gospel conclusion, or whether it was tried to be erased by many early writers because it was challenging.

I will be the first to say that I don’t know. A case could be made for adding Mark’s conclusion, or for removing it.

From a removing angle, I can understand why many in the early church might not want this commission around. This is primarily because if the miracles that Mark’s gospel included ever stopped, which they did shortly after the first generation of disciples and church leaders, Mark’s gospel record would then imply that God wasn’t as closely connected with His church. I doubt this would be the case, but the longer conclusion of Mark might make a historian wonder about that.

However, when we look at what Mark’s conclusion includes, almost everything it says is validated in the first century church and the first generation of believers. While this is great evidence that God was working powerfully in the first century Christian movement, it is also a prime opportunity for a well meaning scribe, when seeing that Mark’s gospel doesn’t end all that well, to craft his own ending with the details that he knows happened in the first century church.

The first century disciples used Jesus’ name to force out demons and to heal the sick. They spoke new languages. Paul is even recorded as being bit by a very poisonous or venomous snake and not being hurt. All these things are excellent proof that God was with the first century church, but with how everything is neatly consolidated at the end of Mark’s gospel, and when there is a little bit of discrepancy whether Mark included these details in his original version of his gospel record, a case can be made that these things were added later.

Whether a scribe added the longer version of Mark’s gospel at a later date to help give this gospel a stronger conclusion, or whether the early church wanted to remove Mark’s commission record because there weren’t as many clear miracles present after the first generation of believers, I don’t believe that either group or either case was being deceitful or acting against God. I believe both options actually desired to see God’s church glorified more.

However, what are we to do with Mark’s commission now that we live 2000+ years later?

Whether Mark included his commission or not, the rest of the New Testament confirms the challenge that Mark may have written. Regardless of whether he did include it or not, this longer ending to this gospel draws our attention onto how the Holy Spirit was moving in the first century church, and it includes a challenge that makes me think that the Holy Spirit’s presence was intended to be more permanent in the Christian movement moving forward.

I believe the Holy Spirit has been with God’s church from the moment He came and validated Jesus’ ministry while Jesus was here on earth, and also this would include when He visibly came at the beginning of the book of Acts to the early Christians in the upper room during the festival of Pentecost.

However, while I believe that the Holy Spirit has been active and moving in the church ever since the first century, I believe that the Holy Spirit ultimately had to switch to only working behind the scenes after the first few generations. While this isn’t bad when we look at it from one angle, I don’t believe the Holy Spirit intended to become less visible.

When reading Mark’s commission, I get the impression that those in the first century church didn’t expect the Holy Spirit to become any less visible, and this is the impression I get when reading the letters from Paul and Peter as well.

This commission in Mark’s gospel is both exciting and challenging for all of us. If those in the first century lived so close with God that they had the Holy Spirit move in their lives in visible, miraculous ways; and these early church leaders did not believe that they were somehow special or exclusively picked to receive the Holy Spirit; that means that each of us, living 2000+ years later is capable of living lives that are so close to God that the Holy Spirit cannot help but show up in powerful miraculous ways.

I cannot think of a better way to conclude our four, chronological years of moving through the gospels that with this conclusion. The best conclusion we can have is the challenge for a new beginning with God, and with the Holy Spirit, and with stepping out in faith into the life God created you to live.

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

Be sure to always intentionally seek God first and intentionally move towards Him each and every day. Make prayer and Bible study a regular habit, and be so committed towards moving towards God that the Holy Spirit cannot help but impact your life.

Also, as I always say, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself because through the pages of the Bible, we can discover God’s plan, His character, and our future when we choose Him. Don’t let a pastor, author, podcaster, or anyone else get in the way of your personal relationship with God. While other people can give you great things to think about, your relationship with God must be your own.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short, back away from, chicken out of, or deviate from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

In our last episode, we began focusing on the final official miracle the gospel writers include, and we discovered that in Jesus’ repeated miracle of fish multiplication, each of these disciples received a subtle second chance and a second invitation. However, Peter, in addition to this subtle invitation, gets an extra special chance to talk with Jesus, and the first portion of this conversation will be where we discover God’s greatest miracle that we can be a part of.

While salvation may be the greatest miracle in the history of the world, salvation isn’t something we step into. Jesus did everything necessary for salvation, and then He offers His salvation to us as a gift. The not-often-thought-of-as-a-miracle we will focus in on in this episode is a miracle we can step into.

Let’s start by jumping back into our event and reading Jesus’ conversation with Peter. Our passage is found in the gospel of John, chapter 21, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 15, John tells us that:

¹⁵ When 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.”

¹⁶ Again 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.”

¹⁷ The 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. ¹⁸ Very 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.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

In this conversation, we discover an amazing truth that comes with our gift of a second chance. Similar to how Peter denied Jesus three times, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. There is an interesting wordplay involved in this passage with the Greek word that is used for love here, but we won’t focus on that in this episode.

Instead, we’ll look at the response Jesus gives to Peter after each time Peter tells Jesus that he loves Him. In each of Jesus’ three responses, we discover a unique angle on a similar topic. Feeding lambs, taking care of sheep, and feeding sheep are all similar activities, but they are also distinct.

The amazing miracle in this portion of Jesus’ conversation is that with His forgiveness, Jesus trusts us with His people. Let that sink in for a minute. God could have simply forgiven us, but left the care and guidance for His people with the unfallen angels. Alternatively, God could have forgiven us, but done so conditionally, and based on us responding to Him in a certain way.

Both of these alternate ideas is understandable, but this is not Peter’s experience. Instead, Jesus forgives Peter and then challenges him to help take care of his fellow believers, both the young believers, as well as his fellow disciples. While this might be a commission just for Peter, I doubt the early church viewed it that way. Instead, every believer, when they have received forgiveness is entrusted with feeding, taking care of, and helping other believers. God trusts us with His people.

God hasn’t left us without help for this challenge. He has promised us the Holy Spirit, and as His people grew in number, we would have each other looking out for others with us. When everyone is looking out for one another, then we are all seeking each other’s best interests, and we are reflecting God’s character to the world around us.

As I describe this, it seems a little disheartening that I look out at the broad church that carries Jesus’ name and I don’t see this happening. There are plenty of positive examples of Christians looking out for each other, but all too often, we hear or read more about a Christian looking out for themselves, putting another person down, or trying to exert power or influence over another person.

Jesus stepped down into this world to lift other people up, and when we are genuinely reflecting Jesus, we will be stepping down to lift others up as well. God could have left the work of evangelism and helping others to the angels, but instead, He gives us the opportunity to join with Him and be a blessing to those He brings into our lives.

It is also significant to note that Jesus predicted Peter’s big denial. Jesus knew, and He told Peter, how Peter would deny Him three times before the morning came, and this happened exactly as Jesus described, regardless of how much Peter denied the possibility of that even occurring.

In the last portion of this conversation that we read, Jesus gives Peter another prediction about Peter’s life moving forward. Before inviting Peter to follow, Jesus tells him in verse 18, “Very 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.” While this doesn’t sound like much of a prediction, John tells us that Jesus’ words describe how Peter would finish his life glorifying God.

Jesus knows our future, and He knows what will bring us safely into eternity. While we might not have as clear of a prediction as Peter that we will reach an age we would consider “old”, the promise we have is that Jesus knows our future and He is passionate about seeing us saved for eternity. We don’t know when our life on earth will end, or even what the circumstances surrounding our end will be, but we know that Jesus knows, and that while He has work for us to do in this world, He will keep us safe to do His work in this world.

God has called us to partner with Him to love and take care of others, and He knows our future. Jesus came to give His life to redeem us and we can trust that He is preparing a place for us to live with Him when His timing is right. Our challenge and our goal is living with and living for Jesus with every breath we are given!

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

Always seek God first in your life and trust that He will guide your steps into the life He wants you to live. Intentionally focus on lifting others up, on looking out for others, and on helping, loving, and serving where you are able to. Live a life that glorifies God by loving and helping sinners.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God. While learning from others is okay to do, never let your relationship with God be dependent on others. God wants a personal relationship with you, and a personal relationship is “personal”. Focus on growing closer to God each and every day.

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!

As the gospel writers conclude the story of Jesus’ life following the resurrection, the gospel of John includes a fascinating description of Jesus when He appears to the remaining disciples the evening after His resurrection.

While the most notable portion of this passage comes immediately after what we are focusing in on, which is when John tells us that Thomas was not with the group of disciples when Jesus first appeared, when we jump forward and focus on that detail, we miss out on what John tells us about this first visit.

Let’s read what happened the first time Jesus appeared to the disciples, this time without Thomas present. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 20, and we will be reading from the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 19, John tells us that:

¹⁹ It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. ²⁰ After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. 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.”

While I don’t know if Jesus disappeared immediately after this last statement, I find it fascinating that John sets the stage by telling us why the disciples were together. The disciples had locked themselves in a secret space because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Thomas might have been out getting something for the group when Jesus appeared, or Thomas might have thought it would be better to be out alone and not with the group if the Jews found their hiding place, but whatever the reason, Thomas wasn’t with the disciples.

John does not tell us the disciples were huddled together, praying, and seeking guidance on how to move forward launching the Christian movement. John tells us the disciples were huddled together because they were scared of the Jewish authorities. They might have even been planning how they would leave the city and return to Galilee where many of them were from.

But Jesus appeared to them and confirmed the rumors that He had risen from the dead. Jesus showed them His hands and His side. This detail matters because the new “perfect” body God had in mind for Jesus was not free from defects. Instead, Jesus’ resurrected body carries the scars of His sacrifice.

This might also imply that our new, resurrected bodies, while they will be perfect in every way that matters, may also carry with them evidence of our lives here on earth. I believe that in heaven, we will be as unique and varied as we are here on earth, except that we will all be perfect and focused on helping each other. Here in our sin-filled world, our temptation is to always be looking out for ourselves first, but I doubt that will be a characteristic that carries over into heaven.

After showing the disciples His scarred hands and His side, He commissions them to go. While John’s version of Jesus’ commission isn’t as glamorous or famous as Matthew’s version, it is no less significant. John’s version might even be more significant because of what Jesus does immediately following this challenge.

In verse 22, immediately after challenging the disciples to go, Jesus breathes on them and tells them to “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This sounds great, and it is something the disciples would ultimately receive a little over a month later, but Jesus didn’t stop there. Jesus continues in verse 23 by saying, “If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven”.

This statement challenges me because it appears to place people between sinners and God. When each of us sins, Jesus has freed us to personally ask for forgiveness. Jesus pushed back at the idea that a person or group of people would be the gatekeepers between God and man. While the Jews were called to fulfill this ideal, they failed to recognize what God had set them apart for, and because of this, the New Covenant was extended to all people.

So then what does Jesus mean when He seems to give the disciples the power to forgive sins? Are the disciples the new gatekeepers?

I don’t believe this to be the case. Instead, I see Jesus giving His followers the ability to release others from the fear of condemnation because of their past sins. Jesus isn’t interested in the disciples withholding forgiveness from anyone, because that doesn’t reflect Jesus’ sacrifice. Instead, I see Jesus commissioning the disciples with the ability to encourage others that their sins have been forgiven.

We can explain this idea by describing someone coming to us who has messed up and sinned, and they are worried that they have messed up too many times for God to forgive them. Will we tell them that they are probably right, and that God cannot forgive them; or will we claim the promise that Jesus tells the disciples in John’s gospel and assure them that their sins have been forgiven. I personally would seek to encourage them, and I’m pretty sure you would too.

When the Holy Spirit is living in our hearts and our lives, we have the authority to forgive someone’s sins. This isn’t something that should make us prideful or arrogant. Instead, this is one of the highest callings a Christian can have, and we are called to forgive responsibly, and in a way that encourages others in their relationship with God.

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

Always be sure to seek God first and to place Him first in your life. Intentionally look for ways you can encourage others in their walk with God and when you see someone struggling spiritually, feel free and empowered to let them know that God loves them and that they are forgiven of their sins!

Also, be sure to always pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow your own relationship with God. A personal relationship with God is incredibly important, and when we dedicate time that we can spend with Him each day, we are more able to walk the path He has called us to.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of or back away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

It seems like such a long time ago since we began our year focusing on Jesus’ miracles. So much has happened, and we have discovered so much. At this point in our journey, according to most lists of miracles, we have just one miracle left to cover, and this miracle happens to be the only one that is recorded following Jesus’ resurrection and prior to His return to heaven.

This miracle is almost like a repeat miracle, because it is very similar to one of Jesus’ earlier miracles, though this second time around we discover some pretty amazing truths about Jesus’ character and His love for all of us.

After Jesus had been resurrected and had visited the disciples two times in the upper room, we learn that at least half of the disciples returned to Galilee, and while they were there, Jesus appeared to them again.

Let’s discover what happened, and the miracle that Jesus wanted to surprise His followers with. Our passage is found in the gospel of John, chapter 21, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹ Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: ² Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³ “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴ Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

⁵ He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶ He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

⁷ Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸ The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. ⁹ When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

In this passage and in this miracle, we remember the earlier miracle surrounding the first disciples and their official call into being disciples, or followers, of Jesus. Perhaps Peter and his fishing buddies had heard of Jesus or heard Him speak prior to their first personal encounter with Jesus as He asks to preach from their boat, but the foundation leading up to both the original miracle and this last miracle are the same. In both cases, the disciples had fished all night and caught nothing.

Following the original fishing miracle, Jesus invited Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples. From this point forward, these four men were among the closest and most well known of the group of disciples. Andrew, more than any other disciple, is portrayed as bringing individuals to Jesus, and the other three disciples formed Jesus’ inner circle of disciples.

Looking at this second fishing miracle, I wonder if these disciples were confused or discouraged. They had spent over three years with Jesus and had expected His kingdom to follow a certain path that the religious leaders had been describing the Messiah to walk for as long as they could remember. They knew Jesus was special and that Jesus was sent by God, but Jesus simply didn’t fit the role they were expecting.

Not only that, but Jesus also had died, and leading up to His death, they all had abandoned Him to the cross. According to the religious leaders, and the expectation of the disciples, the Messiah wouldn’t die and He would last forever. While they got the second part right, those in the first century missed the sacrificial portions of the scripture predicting Jesus’ death. Even the sanctuary service pointed forward to the death of the One God would send.

In this last official miracle, we discover a second chance. Part of me believes that these disciples believed they had failed God beyond what was forgivable. At the one point when Jesus needed them the most, they had run away. While things turned out well for Jesus, they likely wondered if Jesus would forgive them for what they had done. Peter was probably the most discouraged out of the group, because he had been the most vocal about staying by Jesus’ side, and he had fallen exactly like Jesus had predicted he would.

However, while the disciples may have given up hope of being the champions they believed Jesus wanted them to be, Jesus steps up with a surprise. Jesus comes to them and He repeats the miracle that prompted their first invitation. With this miracle, Jesus invites the disciples back into being His followers, and with this miracle, we discover a second chance for all of us.

When we fail God, and when we are tempted to believe that we have turned too far away from God for Him to be willing to take us back, remember that at least we didn’t reject Jesus leading up to the cross like His first followers did. And even with their rejection, Jesus invited them back. This means that no matter how far we have fallen away from God, He is willing to invite us back. No matter how badly we have messed up, while we have breath, we have been given the chance to return. Even if we think God no longer loves us, know that Jesus came to redeem sinners – and that includes whatever you feel you have done that isn’t forgivable. God wants to forgive you, and He is more than willing to invite you back into being one of His followers.

However, we have run out of time for this episode, so next week, leading up to our finale-wrap-up episodes, we’ll expand on where we have left off here, and focus in on probably the greatest miracle we have, which is a gift from God to us. Most people don’t realize the miraculous nature of this gift, and dedicating a whole episode to it seems like the best way to finish off our year of podcasting Jesus’ miracles.

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

Always remember to seek God first and when we mess up, don’t delay returning to Him. The worst thing we can do is to leave God when we feel we don’t deserve forgiveness. It is for people who don’t deserve forgiveness that Jesus came to give forgiveness to. Forgiveness is freely given to those who come back to God and acknowledge their sin and their need for a Savior.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow personally closer to God. While listening to others can be helpful, never let someone else’s experience or relationship with God get in the way of your personal relationship with God. A personal relationship with God is too important to let someone else into.

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!