Reflective Bible Study

As Jesus was moving towards the second half of His ministry leading up to the cross, I am always a little surprised as I read the gospels to see how Jesus tried to warn and wake the disciples up to what would happen on crucifixion weekend. In one such warning, we can see that Jesus wanted to not simply warn them about the death side of the weekend, but to also point them towards the resurrection side of this weekend as well.

Our passage for this episode is one place where Jesus shares these truths with the disciples and it is amazing to read how the disciples react to hearing the news. We will be reading Matthew’s version of this event, which can be found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 16, and we will be reading out of the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 21, Matthew tells us:

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his disciples, “I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life.”

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “God forbid it, Lord!” he said. “That must never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned around and said to Peter, “Get away from me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my way, because these thoughts of yours don’t come from God, but from human nature.”

Let’s pause reading for a moment because I want to point out something I wonder about. I’m not sure whether Peter said these things because Satan truly prompted him to say them, or because Peter, like the rest of the disciples and people living in that generation, believed that the Messiah God would send would never face death. It was this misunderstood angle of prophecy that made many people during Jesus’ life miss out on truly understanding the sacrifice Jesus had come to make.

However, this misunderstanding also appears to blind and deafen Peter to the latter portion of what Jesus had said. While Jesus had described death, He had also predicted resurrection as well, and exactly when that would happen. It is in this description that we can see Jesus being fully aware of the path for His life – and Peter’s reaction is a challenge to this on multiple levels.

It is strange to think that one of Jesus closest disciples would have been easily prompted by Satan to say something that went counter to Jesus’ mission, but this appears to be the case. Satan was present enough that one of Jesus’ closest twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, was willing to betray Jesus to death. In my mind, it isn’t a far stretch to believe that Peter’s statement was Satan inspired.

Peter’s remark that He hoped what Jesus had just predicted would never happen challenges Jesus on at least three levels. The first is simple. If Jesus was from God, the words He would say would also be prophetic. Wishing that His words would not come true is a challenge against Jesus as God’s messenger.

The next challenge is that if Jesus were to avoid death, then all of sinful humanity would have no hope of life. Peter would not have realized this at the time He said this, but this was exactly what Satan wished would happen – or perhaps, not happen, depending on the perspective one takes this idea.

The third challenge is that the resurrection would not happen. If Jesus never faced the cross and died, that would be one thing, but even worse for Satan would be trying to explain or rationalize away the resurrected Jesus. If Satan couldn’t stop Jesus from dying for humanity, the next best thing would be to stop the resurrection from happening. While Peter would have had no idea that his words implied this, Satan would have, and it was the next best option if the cross was destined to happen.

But Jesus, sensing a teaching moment, pulls the disciples together. Picking back up in verse 24:

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it. ²⁶ Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not! There is nothing you can give to regain your life. ²⁷ For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his deeds. ²⁸ I assure you that there are some here who will not die until they have seen the Son of Man come as King.”

While the focus of this passage up to this point had been on challenging Peter’s statement from Satan, Jesus doesn’t want the focus to remain there. To this end, Jesus quickly shifts the focus of the conversation onto the commitment that is required for His disciples, and the reward that will be theirs for choosing to follow Jesus.

What Jesus says in this passage is one of the biggest paradoxes in the entire Bible. In verse 25, Jesus tells those present: “if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it.” The paradox is that there is no way for us to save ourselves. The only way we can live past our limited time on earth is by choosing to give up our lives here on this earth – and this is done by committing our lives on this earth to Jesus.

When we have committed our lives to Jesus, He will begin leading us, guiding us, teaching us, and showing us how He wants us to live. The truth that many Christians living today miss is that obedience to Jesus today increases the quality of life we have today, and life with God can begin today and not wait until the next age. Jesus actually invites us to begin our lives with God today, and this is accomplished by giving up what we think is important and instead leaning on God to show us what He feels is important.

I say this not just as a challenge for you, but primarily a challenge for me. My personality is one that feeds on achievement and I like the feeling of accomplishment after successfully finishing a goal or task. Left unchecked, I could be caught achieving many worthwhile things that are unimportant to God. The challenge to myself is to place my life and goals before God and then only pick up the things He tells me are truly important.

Jesus also makes the statement that some of those present would not experience death before seeing Jesus come in God’s glory. There is debate whether this promise had to do with an event known as the transfiguration, whether this promise had to do with seeing Jesus following the resurrection, or whether Jesus is making a statement about true followers of Jesus never facing death on this earth.

While I would love to dive into the implications of this verse, it would take too much time for our podcast format, and it would actually distract us from the big promise Jesus wants us to pay attention to. This promise is that when Jesus returns, He will be bringing rewards for those who gave their lives to Him, and this is based on what we made of our lives.

Actually, I should probably say instead that this is based on what He made of our lives, because the only way for us to make it through this glorious return is to have given our lives to Jesus beforehand, and let Him use our lives for His purposes.

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

If you haven’t done so already, dedicate your life to God. Choose to give your life to Him each day and let Him guide and direct your decisions. He knows what the most important goal for your life is, and we can trust that He will only lead us to focus on the tasks that He knows are the eternally important ones.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn from God and the Holy Spirit firsthand. While listening to a pastor or a podcast is nice, if you base your spiritual life on what someone else has learned, you shortchange yourself out of what God might want 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 abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

We started this year at the beginning of the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, and we have now come to the night Jesus is betrayed and arrested. This weekend marked the Jewish Passover, and before His arrest, Jesus wants to eat a special Passover supper with His disciples.

However, where would they eat it? The city of Jerusalem was not only crowded with people coming in for this holy day, but the religious leaders were on the lookout to find Jesus, making it a not very safe place for Him to be.

All these challenges were no match for divine providence. Jesus knew the details of that night better than anyone else involved, and He knows that God had a special spot already preplanned for them to eat together. Let’s read how God solved this problem.

Our passage is 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 that:

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.

Several things stand out in my mind when I read this passage. Probably first on the list is how Jesus knew exactly how to direct Peter and John to find the place for them to prepare the meal. While the instructions are specific, they aren’t super detailed.

Would there only be one man carrying a water pot when they entered the city?

Were they to enter the city and look for a man with a water pot to acknowledge their presence?

Would it look weird to follow this man to where he was going?

Would the owner of the home know who the disciples meant when they asked the question from the “Teacher”?

Using the very generic term teacher makes me wonder if someone in this home was secretly against Jesus. Perhaps it wasn’t someone from the homeowner’s own family, but someone who happened to be visiting briefly, or someone who was walking by within earshot.

However, all of these questions are not answerable, except to say that however Jesus described the details to the disciples, they understood and found things exactly as He described.

But another detail stands out in my mind, and this detail relates to what we focused on last week. Judas Iscariot was secretly plotting against Jesus and looking for a way to hand Him over to the Jewish leaders. It is amazing in my mind that he would witness this foreknowledge, more than once, and believe that his plotting would remain secret.

Sending the disciples to prepare the Passover meal is not the first time Jesus sent some disciples ahead with specific tasks using foreknowledge. Jesus did something similar when sending the disciples ahead to get a donkey for Him to ride into Jerusalem on. We looked at this event earlier this year. Jesus had also given Peter a set of instructions that required amazing foreknowledge for Peter to pay the temple tax.

Judas Iscariot would have been blind to believe Jesus did not know his plot especially when Jesus could direct the disciples in incredible, extraordinary ways. Why he believed he could plot against Jesus is amazing in itself.

It is possible that Judas believed that Jesus knew the plot, He would let the betrayal happen, and then He would reveal His glory. Judas may have believed that being the betrayer was a good thing if it would ultimately get Jesus to reveal to the world that He was the Messiah.

However, this belief runs counter to what Jesus had been telling the disciples all along. Jesus kept telling them He was to be betrayed, then killed, and then after death, He would be raised back to life. It appears as though none of the disciples really understood or believed Jesus’ words here until after it happened. If Judas had heard and understood Jesus’ message, then the results of His betrayal would not have been a surprise.

Jesus knew what would happen better than the disciples were willing to understand all that Jesus wanted to teach them. Jesus tried to share his foreknowledge with them about that weekend, but all His warnings and predictions fell on deaf ears – which is an odd idea to think about since these disciples had witnessed Jesus healing every sort of ailment, and deafness was probably included at some point.

In our passage, Jesus displays and incredible foreknowledge of what would happen. We could say that Jesus knows the future. If Jesus knew the future when He was walking here on this earth, He knows the future today.

Nothing that is happening in the world today is surprising Him. While the world is a mix of bad and good, none of it is catching Jesus off guard.

When something in the world surprises us, catches us off guard, or challenges us, we know that Jesus knew it would happen, and He has prepared a response for us to walk. While we might not always know why something happened the way it did, we can know and trust that with whatever happens in this life, God is keeping us safe for eternity. God loves you and I and He wants to see us with Him in Heaven!

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

Always seek God first and trust that He knows the future. Trust that He wants You to be in heaven with Him, and trust that when we draw close to Him, He will lead each of us into a saving relationship with Him.

Also, pray and study the Bible for yourself to discover what the Bible really teaches, and learn to trust the Bible over tradition. While tradition can be helpful, over time, it can begin to contradict the Bible. This happened in the Old Testament times with the religious leaders, and there are plenty of cases where it has happened in the New Testament church as well. Only through personally praying and studying the Bible can you discover what the Bible teaches for yourself.

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

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish leaders as a group actively opposed Him. However, I don’t think that these leaders believed they were opposing God’s Messiah. Instead, I suspect that these leaders had wrapped their beliefs up inside their tradition, and when God sent Jesus as His chosen Messiah, He didn’t fit the description their tradition had created or ultimately formed.

However, the Jewish leaders could not deny that Jesus was special, that He had the ability to work miracles, and that He focused on helping those who were hurting. But what they could not wrap their minds around was how Jesus fit into their mold – because if Jesus didn’t fit into their mold, they concluded that they could not trust that He was from God.

It is with this backdrop that we come to an event where two opposed religious groups team up and ask Jesus for something. We will be looking at this event from Matthew’s gospel, and it is found in chapter 16. Starting in verse 1 and reading from the New International Version, Matthew tells us that:

¹ The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

² He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ ³ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

What I find amazing in this passage and event is that Jesus criticizes these leaders for wanting a sign, before telling them that they will actually get a sign, but that the sign will come in a way that they did not expect.

Likely up to this point, no one had thought of Jonah’s rebellious life and attempt at running away from God as a Messianic symbol, but after Jesus made this connection with these religious leaders, the connection is clear. Jonah himself probably wouldn’t believe it if someone had suggested to him that his attempts at running away from God would be used as a sign pointing out the Messiah.

However, the challenge Jesus shares with these leaders is one that should prompt us to pause. Jesus says in verse 4, “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it…” Part of me wonders if Jesus really meant to say that a wicked generation demands a sign. If this is the case, then these leaders, who were trying to test Jesus by challenging Him to give then a sign from heaven, would be implicated, but those living at various points in history who were diligently seeking God and looking for the ways God is moving around them would not be guilty. I can understand those who frame Jesus’ statement in this way.

But while the heading in my Bible titles this section as a demand for a sign, the wording of the verses themselves speak more on the looking and seeking a sign rather than demanding a sign.

When we look a little deeper at what Jesus is describing in these verses, specifically in the context of these leaders’ request, we find an interesting clue about what Jesus is speaking out against. The leaders who had come to Jesus came with the idea that if Jesus would perform a miraculous sign for them, then they would choose to believe in Him.

This is a key distinction between of the two angles we can understand Jesus’ response. In Jesus’ own words, evil and adulterous people desire to see signs and miracles before believing, whereas other people who are paying attention don’t have to demand signs or miracles because they have opened their eyes to see what God is already doing all around them. Those who are paying attention to God’s moving and working have all the evidence they need for their faith, while those who demand to see miraculous signs will never be truly satisfied with what they see.

But tucked within these leaders’ demand for a miraculous sign is another trap that is less visible on the surface. I don’t even believe the leaders themselves realized it was there. The demand to display a miraculous sign is very similar to one of the temptations Satan brought to Jesus in the wilderness. In this temptation, Satan takes Jesus, places Him at the highest point of the temple, and challenges Him to jump off, quoting a scripture about God promising to protect Him.

The subtle temptation in both of these situations is for Jesus to do something miraculous to draw attention to Himself. The trap present here is that Jesus did not come to draw attention to Himself, but instead to give glory to God the Father. Everything Jesus did was intended to point people to the Father and to give people an accurate view of the Father. The Father poured His Holy Spirit out onto Jesus to validate this mission, and even at a few key points in Jesus’ ministry, the Father speaks His approval of Jesus.

Those who are always looking for and seeking signs will ultimately be disappointed. While Jesus does point these leaders to a sign that they can look for, the sign Jesus gives them is nowhere near the one they wanted to receive or the one they expected.

The sign Jesus points them to look forward to is a sign that is outward focused. People cannot raise themselves from the grave, but God can do so if He chooses. Another way to say this idea would be that if God the Father did not want Jesus to return to life after the crucifixion, there would have been nothing Jesus could have done to raise Himself from the grave. Jesus returning to life after the crucifixion is one of the clearest ways God gave to validate Jesus’ ministry.

In our own lives, we should not look for or seek after miraculous signs in order to build a foundation for our faith and trust in God. Instead, we should build our trust in Him based upon what He has promised us, and then keep our eyes open to what God is doing around us. There are plenty of signs available for us to see, but we must be paying attention and willing to acknowledge God’s interest in being involved the world today. It is easy to discount coincidences as simply that, but what if every coincidence was instead providence that gives us additional evidence of God moving in the world today.

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

Continue seeking God first, and choose to place your foundation on His promises and on what Jesus has done for each of us. Don’t look for miracles or signs to build your faith on, but instead look for these things as a way to validate the commitment you have already made.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to personally grow closer to God each day. Through prayer and personal Bible study, we are able to invite Jesus into our lives and hearts and let Him transform us from the inside.

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

As we have moved through the final week leading up to the cross, we have just one more stop to make before zooming in on the night Jesus was arrested. By this point in the week, the disciples likely knew and realized that Jesus was leaving them, but they didn’t fully grasp how or really why. However, they did ask some good questions that help us understand what the world would be like leading up to His return.

However, before the gospel writers shift onto the details of the last supper, both Matthew and Mark chose to include the supper we began our year and week with. This supper was when Mary anointed Jesus’ feet. While neither Matthew nor Mark tagged Judas as the disciple who was offended by Jesus’ actions, both of these gospels describe what Judas did right after this supper, and Luke summarizes both the introduction and response, and Luke rightly attributes Judas’ actions to their true source.

Let’s read about what happened from Luke’s gospel. Our passage can be found in Luke, chapter 22, and we’ll be reading from the New Century Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us that:

¹ It was almost time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover Feast. ² The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to kill Jesus, because they were afraid of the people.

³ Satan entered Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. ⁴ Judas went to the leading priests and some of the soldiers who guarded the Temple and talked to them about a way to hand Jesus over to them. ⁵ They were pleased and agreed to give Judas money. ⁶ He agreed and watched for the best time to hand Jesus over to them when he was away from the crowd.

About the only think Luke doesn’t tell us in this passage is why Judas Iscariot let Satan enter him. The other gospel writers fill in this detail and it was because Jesus pushed back at Judas’ condemnation of Mary for her expensive gift the night that we started this year by focusing on. John even tells us in his gospel that Judas’ remark wasn’t because Judas cared about the poor, but because he helped himself to the money and this gift could have helped his not-so-secret thievery.

Judas Iscariot appeared to resent not being included in the inner circle of disciples, and He wanted to make a name for himself. However, Judas runs into the challenge that most everyone faces when they want to be known: Will you be known for your good deeds or for your bad deeds?

When we look at the disciples and which ones we can recognize or name easily, we have the three closest disciples, who were Peter, James, and John. Most everyone who knows disciples knows these three first. But after these three, only four other disciples are easily recallable, at least to me.

First is Andrew, and his claim to fame is bringing people to Jesus. Andrew brought Peter to meet Jesus, and he also brought the boy with a lunch to Jesus when there was no other food. Andrew is known for bringing people to Jesus – and this makes him a fisher of men while also being a fisherman.

Next is Thomas, and his claim to fame is his doubt. While his story doesn’t end with doubt, his big statement about doubting the word of the other disciples after Jesus’ resurrection brings him his fame and this title. Even if Thomas was satisfied and believed after seeing Jesus personally, He represent all those who have a tendency to doubt if they haven’t seen something personally.

Aside from Judas Iscariot, the only other disciple that stands out is Phillip, and he is known for occasionally speaking up and asking the questions that others are probably thinking but to afraid to ask.

Lastly, we have Judas Iscariot, who is infamously known for his betrayal. While searching for a way to be known and to make a name for himself, Judas could have chosen any of these other three roles. Just because Andrew was known for bringing people to Jesus, Judas could have chosen this role as well. In the same way, Judas could have joined Phillip as being one who asked challenging questions.

However, Judas let his desire to be known lead him to be known as the betrayer. While being known as the betrayer fulfills his desire, it is probably the least desirable way to be known.

The temptation Judas faced is a temptation we all face in varying degrees. This temptation is the desire for fame and glory. This is the root of Lucifer’s transition into Satan in heaven, and while Lucifer had the status and the glory, he became bored with it and wanted more. In our star-crazed culture, we face a similar temptation.

Unfortunately, it’s easier to be known for bad than it is for good. But while this is the case, most of those who are known for bad are only known for a limited time. The bad they did will eventually fade into history.

However, those who choose to be known for good will be remembered forever. Even if our memory fades or if we didn’t know the good at the point it happened, those who have focused on loving others and helping where they can are remembered by God, and they actually model a part of His character.

When we look at God and how He acts in the world today, we don’t find Him stopping every evil thing. While this might cause some to doubt, it is only because they don’t understand why God might choose to do this. However, tucked within the bad that God allows are amazing opportunities for good. Whenever a disaster strikes, good people mobilize and jump in to help. One terrorist or natural disaster reveals dozens, if not hundreds, of people stepping up to help where they can.

Part of God’s character is the amazing ability of bringing good out of bad situations. While I don’t fully understand how He always is able to do this, I’m sure Satan hates this fact.

The details in our passage lay the foundation for this very truth. While it seems tragic from an earthly perspective that Jesus would let a betrayer into His group of disciples, or that someone who had been with Jesus for 3+ years would let Satan enter him so easily, the facts that this happened don’t speak negatively about God or about Jesus.

God and Jesus gave Judas Iscariot every opportunity to change his heart and his life, but he refused. When we look at our passage and the religious leaders, we discover that God’s timing supersedes our timing. The religious leaders didn’t think they would be able to arrest Jesus during the festival, and they planned to wait until afterwards. Without Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ crucifixion wouldn’t have happened in the same way it did.

However, through the negative of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal, we have Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and we have the amazing news that His death gives us the opportunity for a new life with Him. God is able to turn negatives, even the betrayal of His own Son, into amazing good for His Story of redemption!

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

Always seek God first and trust that He knows what He is doing from an eternity perspective. While things might not always seem to make sense from our perspective here on earth, trust that when we reach heaven, He will be able to answer every question to our satisfaction.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow your personal relationship with God. While a pastor or podcaster can share ideas with you, always take what you hear or read and go back to the Bible to confirm or deny its validity.

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