Reflective Bible Study

As we come near the point in Jesus’ ministry that He is crucified, it seems like many of the gospels slow down their narrative and focus on all the details they can about what happened. If we look at each gospel, it would seem – at least to me – that the gospel writers focused heavily on the last week, and even the 24-hour period prior to Jesus’ crucifixion.

The time of year that this happened was during the annual Passover celebration, and this commemorated the last plague in Egypt where the angel of death passed over the homes that had a lamb’s blood spread on parts of the doorway. It was this last plague that marked the Israelites being kicked out of Egypt, and as a result, they celebrated this event each year as a reminder of what God did for them, and as a memorial of the blood that was put on their doorposts, the Israelites sacrificed a lamb to remind them that their lives had been spared.

Leading up to the weekend Jesus was crucified, we read in the gospel of Luke about a special task Jesus gives to two of His closest disciples. This event can be found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 22, and we will be reading from the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 7, Luke tells us:

⁷ Then the day of Unleavened Bread came. That was the time the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ Jesus 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.

¹⁰ Jesus replied, “When you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters. ¹¹ 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?” ’ ¹² He will show you a large upstairs room with furniture already in it. Prepare for us to eat there.”

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

When I read about this event, I am amazed at a couple of things. The most obvious thing to be amazed at is Jesus’ exact knowledge of what Peter and John would find when they entered the city. When Luke tells us that a man carrying a water jug would meet them at the entrance to the city, I am curious if Luke describes a man giving these two disciples a friendly greeting, or if as they enter the city, they would simply see a man carrying a large jar of water.

If we wanted to get a better understanding of this exact portion of the event, we could look in one or both of the other gospels that include this event. But regardless of exactly how the disciples knew which person to follow, the fact Jesus knows what happens in detail is amazing, but it isn’t the most amazing thing in my mind when I read about this event.

One of the other things that stand out in my mind relates to the owner of this mysterious home. Jesus describes the man carrying the jar of water as one of the servants of this homeowner. Either that, or the man carrying the water may have simply been an angel that only these two disciples could see. But when we look at the details surrounding this home, it would appear like this owner was a secret follower of Jesus, or at the very least, someone who didn’t fully support the Jewish leader’s campaign to arrest Him.

When we stop and look a little closer at this event, it seems amazing in my mind that a homeowner would open his home to a group of wanted men so that they could share a meal together. This is essentially what was going on, because at this point in Passover week, the religious leaders had put the word out calling for information from those living in and around Jerusalem so they could arrest Jesus. What this homeowner did by letting Jesus and His disciples enter his home would have made him an enemy of the religious system.

The only way this makes sense is that either this man was already opposed to the religious system currently in place, or He had dedicated His home to God and was willing to let God use this location whenever and however God saw fit.

What this homeowner essentially did was side with Jesus during some of the tensest points in spiritual history, and this too is a powerful thought we should remember: When we are faced with spiritual tension, we should always side with Jesus!

Another perplexing angle on this event is that the disciples are simply instructed to refer to Jesus as “the Teacher”. Whether this was because not everyone in the household was friendly or sympathetic to Jesus, or whether this was a key undercover phrase that this homeowner would recognize, what matters is that this phrase was the key to unlocking access to this upper room.

While we can dig into and marvel at the details surrounding this homeowner, and speculate over the details surrounding how the upper room was opened to Jesus and His disciples, we should not overlook the role of the disciples. I wonder if they just went along with whatever Jesus said at this point in His ministry. When we read how this passage concludes, we don’t see any questioning, any doubt, or any hesitation written. Luke tells us in verse 13 that “Peter and John left. They found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover meal.”

If it were me, I might have wanted to know a little more what the man who was carrying the water jug looked like, just in case there was more than one man at the entrance to the city that fit this description. I might have wondered or asked for a secondary phrase to say if the homeowner wanted more details regarding who the vague “teacher” referred to.

But this is me, and this might show that I have a more doubtful or skeptical mind than these two disciples. The biggest things I see in this passage that are powerful thoughts are the duel ideas that Peter and John obeyed Jesus’ instructions, even if Jesus’ instructions didn’t make any sense, and the homeowner was willing to open his home when God had called Him to do so.

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

When faced with spiritual tension or a spiritual challenge, always side with Jesus, and with the God of love. When in doubt, this is the best direction to lean towards. Continue intentionally seeking God first and be sure to intentionally place Him first in your life at the beginning of each day.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself, because no pastor or podcaster is going to have 100% of the message God wants to share with you, and even if you are able to learn from someone else, nothing can take the place of personal study and learning from the Bible personally!

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

After Jesus had been tried by the religious leaders as guilty and by Pilate and Herod as somewhat guilty but guilty because it was easier than dealing with a riot, the soldiers lead Jesus away to crucify Him. However, before Jesus faces the cross, or even the long road to the hill where He will be crucified, there is one last stop to make, and this stop is not an easy one for Jesus, and it’s not a pleasant one for us to read either.

Our passage comes from Mark’s gospel, chapter 15, and we will be reading from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 16, Mark tells us that:

¹⁶ The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸ And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” ¹⁹ Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰ And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

These five short verses contain one of the cruelest portions of the entire Bible, but pushing past the cruelty, we discover some amazing ideas – especially after what we have read leading up to this point.

First, Mark tells us that the soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus. Whether this was put on over the robe that Herod had put on Jesus, or whether this was a different robe entirely, we don’t know, but similar to Herod dressing Jesus up like a king, these soldiers do the same thing.

However, from Jesus’ conversation with Pilate, we discover that Jesus doesn’t see Himself as a king, even though He tells Pilate that He has a kingdom. While Jesus is headed towards the cross, He is fulfilling the mission He came into this world to accomplish, and while this mission ultimately ends with Him being crowned King in Heaven after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the premise that Jesus came to be a king on earth was a man-made twisting and misinterpreting of the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus came to lift God up and not to draw people to focus on Him, and in this mission, we discover another amazing idea tucked within this short, dark passage.

When the soldiers dress Jesus up as a king to mock Him, they do so using the man-made premise that Jesus came to be the king of the Jews and the passage tells us that they paid homage to Him. Other words we could use in the place of homage are respect, reverence, honor, and even worship. However, with whatever word we use to describe the soldiers attitude towards Jesus, the homage they paid Jesus was empty. Not only did the soldiers shallowly point the focus on Jesus, which is something Jesus never came to receive, they also give Him shallow, empty worship – which is fascinating, since Jesus, as a member of the Godhead, would be worthy of true, heartfelt worship.

While the soldiers are behind the abuse and the mocking of Jesus, I am sure that Satan was behind the empty worship, because Satan knows that Jesus deserved more. Satan knows that Jesus deserves true, heartfelt, genuine worship, and when given the opportunity, Satan is more than willing to cheapen the worship God receives in any way he can.

Not only did Satan cheapen the worship that the soldiers mockingly gave Jesus, he tries to do the same with each of us today. Satan first will try to get us to discount coming to God. If this doesn’t work, then he will try to crowd our lives with so much busyness that we don’t have any time to come to God. If this doesn’t work, he sends distractions our way to cheapen the time we spend with God. And if this doesn’t work, he will send people to ridicule and mock us for following God. When we come to worship God, the last thing Satan wants us to give to God is the one thing that God wants when we come to worship Him – and that one thing is our hearts.

Jesus came as God’s Messiah not just for the Jews, but for the entire human race. While the Jews were God’s people, God never intended for the Jews to arrogantly live out this calling. God chose a people to be a representative for Him for the world and to show the world what He is like. The Jews failed God in this regard, and I’m not so sure that many Christians today are doing any better.

There are plenty of Christians who get this right, but there are plenty of self-proclaimed “Christians” who don’t understand God’s mission for His people. God isn’t interested in seeing His people debate with each other over non-trivial issues. Instead, God wants a people who reflect His character to the world while obeying His commandments because they have been transformed through His love. God’s character is love, God’s commandments are built on the foundation of love, and the Holy Spirit is the only Source we have for truly living out God’s love in the world today.

While Jesus received empty homage from the soldiers leading up to the cross, when we come to Jesus to give him honor, respect, love, and worship, let’s genuinely and humbly give Him our lives, our minds, our attitude, and most importantly, our hearts!

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. When you come before God to worship Him, be humble, be present, and be willing to give Him the gift He wants the most. The gift God wants isn’t our money or our stuff; the gift God wants is our hearts. When we worship God, with every gift we bring, we should include our heart with it.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow a personal relationship with God. A personal relationship with God is the best way to know God’s will for your life, and a personal relationship with God is the best way to learn what He wants to teach you. While pastors, speakers, authors, or even podcasters can give you ideas to think about, only the Holy Spirit can direct you to what God wants to teach you personally through His Word.

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 even get distracted away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

In one of the last parables Jesus shared before facing the cross, He describes a set of ten bridesmaids and how only half of these bridesmaids gain entrance into the wedding reception. While this is one of Jesus’ more well known parables, what I find fascinating about it is that most of the time I hear it discussed, it seems as though it is only looked at on a shallow, surface level. After drawing the conclusion that the oil in this parable represents the Holy Spirit, most people seem to discard the rest of the parable with the belief that it simply describes how we must always keep a reserve of Holy Spirit with us.

Or at least that is what the implication is when we too quickly jump to the oil in this parable being associated with the Holy Spirit. When we jump to this conclusion prematurely, we miss some profound truths I believe Jesus wanted us to learn from this sobering illustration.

Let’s read this parable, and as we do so, let me challenge you to ignore the thought that the oil represents the Holy Spirit, at least temporarily, and instead, let’s look for ways the two groups of bridesmaids are similar as well as different. When I challenged myself to read this parable looking for similarities and differences, an amazing set of truths appeared that I had never seen before.

This parable is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25, and let’s read it using the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Jesus tells those present:

¹ “Here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like at that time. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ² Five of them were foolish. Five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t take any olive oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The groom did not come for a long time. So the bridesmaids all grew tired and fell asleep.

⁶ “At midnight someone cried out, ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “ ‘No,’ they replied. ‘There may not be enough for all of us. Instead, go to those who sell oil. Buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “So they went to buy the oil. But while they were on their way, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding dinner. Then the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later, the other bridesmaids also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. I don’t know you.’

¹³ “So keep watch. You do not know the day or the hour that the groom will come.

This is one of Jesus’ more challenging and harsh parables. Not only was half of the intended wedding party shut out, it seems as though the groom was entirely too quick to simply forget who they were. Well, actually it wasn’t the groom Himself who forgot, but the servant tasked with watching the door who did not know these other bridesmaids.

However, let’s take a moment and look in this parable for similarities and differences between the two groups of bridesmaids. One of these groups is identified as being wise, while the other group is identified as being foolish.

As I read through this parable, in the first section, it appears as though there is no visible difference between these two groups. All ten bridesmaids have lamps that are burning and shining brightly. The only difference we see described is that those in the wise group had a backup plan in place, just in case the groom did not arrive on time. This key difference tells me that in order to be wise according to this parable, we must hope for the best but plan for the worst – to use a tired cliché. The wise bridesmaids would be happy if the extra oil they packed with them was not needed, but they knew that having oil saved at home would not benefit them if they happened to need it while they were posted to light the entrance into the wedding reception.

In contrast, the foolish group did not anticipate a delay, and because of this, they only brought exactly the amount of oil they believed necessary for the evening.

During the second phase of the parable, all ten bridesmaids fall asleep, and all ten lamps go out. When I read this part of the parable, I am surprised because there are no differences between the wise bridesmaids and the foolish ones. They all became tired and fell asleep.

When hearing this parable talked about by others, most people miss this similarity. While everyone would love to say they were the one bridesmaid who stayed awake, this parable does not leave room for this case. When hearing this parable talked about, too often the theme that gets concluded is that we are to stay awake and not fall asleep – but this conclusion misses the truth that all five wise bridesmaids did fall asleep. Instead, there must be something more that we should pay attention to, and it comes after the bridesmaids are woken up.

The third portion of this parable happens after the bridesmaids are woken up. This is where we see the clearest differences between the wise and foolish groups. The wise bridesmaids quickly begin trimming and relighting their lamps in preparation for the groom’s arrival, but the foolish bridesmaids run into the realization that they don’t have any oil left to relight their lamps.

Probably the biggest difference between the wise and the foolish happens in this last portion of the parable. The wise bridesmaids tell the foolish that they don’t have enough oil to share, and the foolish bridesmaids leave their post in the middle of the night to go and try to find someone selling oil. This was not the era of the 24-hour supermarket, so purchasing oil in the middle of the night would likely involve knowing a merchant and waking them up.

Regardless of the amount of time that it took the foolish bridesmaids to acquire their oil, when they return they find that it is too late.

Looking at this parable, I see the powerful truth that we should plan in advance for a time (or times) when we will fall asleep. Sleeping is inevitable, but it can be prepared for. Also in this parable is the truth that what we do after we have been woken up is just as important. While not having oil would have been a disgrace for a bridesmaid in that time period, leaving and being absent from one’s post would have been even worse.

If I analyze what happened in this parable, I think that the wisest thing for one of the foolish bridesmaids would have been to stay nearby and simply ask to enter the reception with the guests. At the very least, this bridesmaid would have been present before the door to the wedding celebration was shut.

But what if the oil that was missing does represent the Holy Spirit? If this is the case, and the groom represents Jesus, then the only true Source for receiving more Holy Spirit would be coming with the groom. In case you are wondering, God the Father is the only true Source for the Holy Spirit, and I would be very surprised if God the Father was not traveling with His Son the groom during the events in this parable. By leaving and going to a merchant to find oil, the foolish bridesmaids doubly miss out because they miss the true Source of oil in favor of leaving and looking for something inferior.

Running with the thought that the oil represents the Holy Spirit, if one of the foolish bridesmaids was wise enough to have stayed, it is likely that Jesus, the groom, would have been happy to give some Holy Spirit oil to a bridesmaid in need. Giving is a part of Jesus’ nature, and helping those who need help is a part of who He is.

So as I learned while studying this parable, it is wise for us to plan for a time when we will fall spiritually asleep. Falling asleep is inevitable. But what ultimately matters is our planning on the front end, and the choices we make after we have been woken up. Never leave your post, because only when you are living for Jesus will He give you the Holy Spirit and let your life shine for others to see.

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

Continue seeking God first in your life and choose to stay with Him regardless of the temptations you face that try to trick you into leaving your post. Whether you began your walk with Jesus as a wise person or as a fool, your decision to stay or go after being woken up matters more than your preparation beforehand. Choose to stay, even if you don’t have the oil you feel you need, because the best Source of oil is coming your way.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn more about God, about Jesus, and about the Holy Spirit. When we prayerfully read and study the Bible, we grow our relationship with God and He will help us become spiritually wiser and able to discern truth from error. It is a mistake to solely trust a pastor or a podcaster for truth. While we may be sharing as much truth as we know, eternity is too important to leave the details to someone else – that is, someone other than Jesus.

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

After Pilate’s conversation with Jesus, and after Herod has sent Jesus back without finding anything worthy of death, Luke’s gospel describes the shift that took place that transitions from Jesus simply being released to Jesus being crucified. In Luke’s gospel, we discover two fascinating ideas present in this transition.

Our passage for this episode is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 23, and we will read it from the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 13, Luke tells us that after Herod had sent Jesus back:

¹³ Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people. ¹⁴ He said to them, “You brought me this man. You said he was turning the people against the authorities. I have questioned him in front of you. I have found no basis for your charges against him. ¹⁵ Herod hasn’t either. So he sent Jesus back to us. As you can see, Jesus has done nothing that is worthy of death. ^16-17 So I will just have him whipped and let him go.”

¹⁸ But the whole crowd shouted, “Kill this man! But let Barabbas go!” ¹⁹ Barabbas had been thrown into prison. He had taken part in a struggle in the city against the authorities. He had also committed murder.

²⁰ Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. So he made an appeal to the crowd again. ²¹ But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²² Pilate spoke to them for the third time. “Why?” he asked. “What wrong has this man done? I have found no reason to have him put to death. So I will just have him whipped and let him go.”

²³ But with loud shouts they kept calling for Jesus to be crucified. The people’s shouts won out. ²⁴ So Pilate decided to give them what they wanted. ²⁵ He set free the man they asked for. The man had been thrown in prison for murder and for fighting against the authorities. Pilate handed Jesus over to them so they could carry out their plans.

In this passage, Luke tells us that Barabbas had taken part in an uprising against the authorities and that Barabbas had committed murder. In an interesting, though disturbing twist, the religious leaders are guilty of both of these things. The religious leaders are set on murdering Jesus who has done nothing that would legally warrant death, at least in the eyes of both governors in the area, and the religious leaders and their crowd of supporters are getting so worked up over this one issue that they probably would have started a riot-rebellion in the city, just like Barabbas.

Also, in an odd sort of way, the religious leaders, while claiming to support Rome, are really allying with one of Rome’s enemies. By requesting Barabbas’ release, these leaders say with their actions that they would rather be led by a rebellious murderer than by a loving, miracle-worker who happened to push them spiritually.

Another thing I find fascinating in this passage is that Jesus willingly takes the place of a commandment-breaker. Not only is Barabbas guilty of murder, which is breaking one of the least contested laws in the Ten Commandments, Barabbas is also guilty of rebelling against the rulers of the land. While there is little that we can redeem from Roman culture that is worth mentioning here, God clearly saw the Roman Empire rise into power, and through Daniel’s prophecies, we discover that God may have even directed some of the events to take place.

While governments are not always positive, and while many things in governments around the world are not redeemable in any way, shape, or form, it is worth noting that these negative governments are only in place because God has let them be in place. While sometimes rebellion makes sense, I think that the attitude David has in the Old Testament may be a better approach to facing human governments.

In the Old Testament, David knows he will ultimately replace Saul as king of Israel. The prophet Samuel has anointed him, and he has the respect of many of the people after defeating Goliath. However, David is unwilling to press forward into the position everyone knows He is destined to be. Multiple times, David has the upper hand against Saul, and every time, David restrains himself and his men from lifting a hand against Saul, the ruler of the people. Saul repeatedly sets out to kill David, and while every time fails, many of these times result in Saul calling off the pursuit after David has clearly shown that he does not wish to harm Saul.

Barabbas is the complete opposite of David. Barabbas would likely have killed the emperor of Rome if he were given the chance. And Barabbas was the sinner Jesus chose to replace that weekend. Since Jesus was part of writing history, He could have picked any time and anyone to replace. Jesus chose to take the place of one of the worst people in society to show us God’s love towards us, and to give us a picture of God’s loving us while we were still rebellious sinners.

There were always going to be three crosses that weekend, and the center cross would have had Barabbas on it if it weren’t for Jesus. Jesus died that weekend not just for Barabbas, but for every rebellious person, every sinner, and everyone who has broken God’s law at any point in their past and at any point in history. With Jesus’ death, He is able to promise us a new life with Him and a future eternal life with God forever.

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

As always, be sure to seek God first in your life. Thank Jesus today for what He did for you and I on the cross that weekend, and thank Jesus for the gift He offers to you and me when we place our faith, belief, and trust in Him.

Also, be sure to always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and discover the truth that God has for your life. While pastors, speakers, authors, or even bloggers or podcasters can give you ideas to think about, always filter what you hear, see, and read through the lens of the Bible. The Bible has stood the test of time as a reliable guide for our lives, and when something in our lives doesn’t make sense, the Bible should be the first place we look to for an answer.

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