Reflective Bible Study

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He gained a lot of popularity from the miracles, from His teachings, and from the counter-intuitive way He developed His ministry. However, at one notable point, Jesus returns to his hometown, and during this visit, we discover a challenge that we all ultimately face as we move through life.

Let’s read what happened during this event from the gospel of Mark, chapter 6, using the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 1, Mark tells us that:

¹ Jesus left that place and went back to his hometown, followed by his disciples. ² On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue. Many people were there; and when they heard him, they were all amazed. “Where did he get all this?” they asked. “What wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles? ³ Isn’t he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters living here?” And so they rejected him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family.”

⁵ He was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ He was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith.

Then Jesus went to the villages around there, teaching the people.

The thing I find most fascinating about this event is the reaction of those in the synagogue. They ask each other in verse 2, “Where did he get all this? What wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles?” They then continue by framing their knowledge of Him based on what they knew. Verse 3 describes them rhetorically asking themselves, “Isn’t he [Jesus] the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters living here?”

Those living in Nazareth were amazed at the wisdom, knowledge, and power Jesus had, but they could not move past their knowledge of Jesus’ younger years and the family He grew up in. Even though Mark tells us that the lack of faith of those present kept Jesus from performing many miracles, a few miracles still were performed, and a small number of people were healed as a result.

However, this tiny number of miracles may have been meant to spark interest and inspire more faith. But the faith of those in Nazareth did not grow when witnessing the early healing. Instead, skepticism grew in the place of faith. As a result, these Jews were more interested in discounting Jesus because they knew His teaching didn’t originate with His upbringing, instead of pushing further and discovering the true Source of Jesus’ knowledge, and the Source of His miracle-working power.

It is because of this that Jesus makes the sobering statement in verse 4 that “Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family.” It seems that if something cannot be explained by those closest to us, or if God chooses to use us to do something special, the ones who are closest to us seem to be the least likely to understand and accept it.

I will be the first to say that this should not be the case. In an ideal world, those closest to the people God chooses to use in a special way should be the biggest supporters of the ministry and the testimony of what God is doing. What the Jews in Nazareth faced when Jesus returned is a paradox that many of us will face at some point in our lives.

While Jesus was traveling, teaching, preaching, and healing, word spread far and wide about what was happening, and what this former carpenter was accomplishing. When the rumors made their way back to Nazareth, those present had a challenge on their hands: Do they believe the rumors, even though what they are hearing doesn’t match up with their memory of the carpenter’s apprentice son; or do they accept the rumors and break out of their preconceived stereotypes, believing that God had chosen Jesus to be more than a mere carpenter?

Those in Nazareth had heard of the wonderful miracles, healing, and reputation Jesus had from His ministry in the other parts of Israel. But when those in Nazareth had the opportunity to see these miracles for themselves, they instead rejected the idea that Jesus was special because they had a history with a younger Jesus that was normal in every way they knew.

On this point, I want to pause and point our attention to the implication that if Jesus’ younger years had been filled with miracles, if Jesus had shown any above-average spiritual knowledge, or if Jesus’ growing up life contained even a single thing out of the ordinary, those in Nazareth would probably have been the first to welcome Him back and have faith in Him. In this scenario, Jesus’ younger years would have broken their stereotype for a carpenter’s son.

Instead, their reaction subtly speaks to having only experienced a normal “Jesus” and they missed out on truly seeing the divine “Jesus” when the time for His ministry had begun.

For all of us living today, we face the same challenge when walking with Jesus. It is likely that much of our walk with Him might look normal, feel normal, and/or otherwise not seem special or significant. However, just because we don’t always have a warm, fuzzy feeling of God’s presence doesn’t mean that Jesus isn’t right beside us. Probably the biggest test of our faith is what we choose to do and move forward doing during the times when we don’t have a clear direction or answer from God.

Will we trust God during the times that it seems as though He is silent and distant? Is our faith going to be based on the spiritual peaks of our past, or on the spiritual valleys? Is it possible, or even wise, to place our faith on something that isn’t as subjective as our own experience?

We all must choose a foundation for where we place our faith, and the best place I know of to place our foundation is on the big themes of the Bible. While our feelings change, and while the past high points of our lives fade within our memories, the themes of the Bible are timeless and truth. While skeptics and culture discount certain details within the Bible and try to use these challenges to discredit the whole thing, nothing will be able to topple the themes of the Bible that have lasted for centuries.

For me, this is where I place my faith, because the biggest theme in the Bible is that God loves humanity so much that He gave Himself to pay the punishment for our rebellion, and He offers each of us the gift of a new life with Him. This promise, and this version of history, is where I choose to place my faith.

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. Choose to base your faith on something more solid and lasting then your feelings or your memory.

Grow your faith in God through regular prayer and regularly studying the Bible for yourself, because only through personal prayer and Bible study is your personal relationship with God going to grow into what God wants it to be.

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!

In response to the disciples asking Jesus about the end times, Jesus shares not just a series of predictions regarding what the world would be like when He returns, but He also shares several parables that focus on this event. The first parable Jesus shares about the end time is our focus for this episode.

This first parable is probably one of Jesus’ most famous parables, and it has some profound ideas when we look a little closer at its details. This parable is known as the parable of the ten virgins or ten bridesmaids.

Let’s read this parable and then unpack some things we can learn from it. This parable is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25, and we’ll be reading from the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Jesus tells the disciples:

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.

While it is never pleasant to think about the door being closed on anyone, or being rejected by God, the clear warning in this parable is that a group of people will lose out on salvation when they had every opportunity to be included. This group of people the parable describes as foolish bridesmaids.

However, when we look at this parable, we should ask, what makes these bridesmaids foolish, and what makes them distinctly different from those who are wise.

The first distinction the parable makes is that the foolish bridesmaids did not take extra oil with them. This distinction sets the stage for everything else that happens afterwards. If the foolish bridesmaids had had enough sense to at least bring some extra oil, there wouldn’t be any distinction between them and the wise bridesmaids for the rest of the parable.

This leads us to the first big thing that we can learn from this parable: Plan for Jesus, who is represented as the groom, to return later than you might expect. We have no idea when He will arrive, but chances are it will be after people are finished with date setting.

The second portion of this parable is where we might be tempted to focus in on. This portion of the parable is when all ten bridesmaids fall asleep waiting for the groom to arrive. But this detail, while relevant to the big theme of the parable, does not tell us much about the differences between the wise and the foolish bridesmaids. Falling asleep does not make a wise bridesmaid foolish.

However, when we transition to the third section of the parable, we discover something interesting. The foolish bridesmaid’s lack of planning ahead has caught up with them. While the wise bridesmaids have addition oil for their lamps, they only have enough oil for themselves, and not enough to share.

This detail is crucial for us to pay attention to, because this is why I repeatedly stress that our relationship with God must be personal. It doesn’t matter how spiritual or close to God someone else is, their relationship will not get you into heaven. The only good they can do is inspire you and help you get your relationship with God stronger. Salvation is personal, and when we look at how this parable ends, salvation is based on being known by God.

But not bringing extra oil isn’t the worst mistake the foolish bridesmaids make. When realizing that they don’t have oil, they leave their post seeking a merchant or someone to sell them oil so they can be equipped for the groom’s arrival.

By leaving their post, the foolish bridesmaids ultimately miss out on the groom’s arrival and are excluded from the wedding celebration.

Some people a lot smarter than me say that the oil in this parable represents the Holy Spirit. I don’t have any reason to doubt that. However, I also caution you, if you are someone who believes this, don’t stop your thinking there. I would expand the oil in this parable to represent any experience, feeling, or thing that you think you need to have in order to have a relationship with God.

If you spiritually wake up and realize that you are not as close to God as you once were, the worst thing you can do is leave your faith, looking for that item, experience, or feeling elsewhere. Instead, the best thing for you to do is return to the basics, open your Bible, and simply read. Remain at your post and focus on growing closer to God through reading His word. I believe that, while this parable doesn’t include anyone in this gray area, everyone present who wants entrance before the door is closed will be welcomed in.

While these foolish bridesmaids might lose out on the status of the position of being a bridesmaid, I still believe they could be included as guests if they had stayed and been present at the door before it closed. If the oil in this parable does exclusively represent the Holy Spirit, then the best Source for this oil would be arriving with the groom, and not having oil would have been an easily solvable problem.

To sum this parable up, leaving your post as a bridesmaid is the worst thing you can do. If you don’t feel as close to God as you may have at some point in your past, don’t look outside your Bible for the solution. Instead, open your Bible and rediscover the God who loved you enough to send His Son to die in your place for your sin. Let God’s story retransform your heart and supply you with the oil you need to be a wise bridesmaid!

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

Always seek God first and place Him first in your life. If you don’t feel close to God right now, the best place to go is to your knees in prayer, and the best thing you can do is open your Bible and rediscover the God who loves you because of who He is, and not because of what you have done or what you can do for Him. We can’t do anything for God. He does everything for us!

As always, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself, because your salvation is based on your personal relationship with God and on God knowing you when He returns. Those left on the outside are those who God doesn’t know, and don’t let that be you. Intentionally grow so close to God through prayer and His word that He cannot help but know you!

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

As Jesus traveled around from town to town and village to village, crowds flocked to see Him and in probably every case, included in each crowd were dozens, if not hundreds, of people bringing themselves or friends of theirs to be healed by Jesus.

However, there was one man who needed to be healed by Jesus, but there was no way to get Him to Jesus. It is in this case that Jesus, prompted by the Holy Spirit, crosses the lake specifically to meet this one individual and heal him.

Three of the four gospels share this event, and for our podcast episode this week, we will be looking at Luke’s version of this event, which can be found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 8, and starting in verse 26. Reading from the New International Version, Luke tells us that:

²⁶ They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” ²⁹ For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. ³¹ And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

³² A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. ³³ When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴ When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, ³⁵ and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. ³⁷ Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Some people might read or hear this story and think that Jesus doesn’t like pigs. However, looking from this angle at this event completely misses the big picture. All of the pigs in that herd were destined to be killed at one point or another, and so it made little difference exactly when that would happen – that is, except for the pigs’ owners and those tending the pigs.

However, while the demons likely didn’t want Jesus to gain popularity in another part of that region, they preferred an exit that demonstrated how extensive in number they were – and an exit like this would certainly attract attention.

But the biggest idea I see in this event is that Jesus made the trip across the lake for this one man. Matthew references the idea that there were two men, but regardless of the exact number, Jesus was willing to go to someone who needed help but who was unable to come to Him. Our passage begins with Jesus sailing across the lake to this man, and it concludes with Jesus being asked to leave and Him setting sail back across the lake.

This brings out another big idea: Jesus is happy to negotiate and He doesn’t want to force Himself onto others. When the demons know that they have been caught, Jesus is willing to grant their request for a different exit plan than the one they feared or claimed would be likely. Once the townspeople came out to see what the commotion was, they were scared of Jesus and asked Him to leave.

About the only person or thing in this passage that doesn’t get their request answered is the man who Jesus healed. Luke tells us in verse 38 and 39 that “The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” I’m sure that the man was happy to witness for Jesus, but that he would have rather become a disciple like the twelve that were with Jesus.

This brings us to a third big idea: Sometimes our mission is not to travel with Jesus but to share what Jesus has done for us. While our lives in the 21st century are different, as our relationship with Jesus is different than literally walking with Jesus in the flesh, we don’t have to pick between leaving our world behind to follow Jesus vs. sharing what Jesus has done for us. While all of us are called to leave our past, sinful lives behind, and while many are called to travel as missionaries, with the Holy Spirit and a regular time alone in prayer with God and our Bible, we can be with Jesus wherever we are at, which leaves us with the challenge to share with others what Jesus has done for us.

Jesus was willing to cross the lake to help one individual who could not travel to Him, and He is more than willing to do the same for us. Jesus is willing to come as far as He needs to in order to reach our hearts – and after He has touched our hearts and our lives, He calls us to tell others what He has done for us.

Our stories are our testimony and they are the best invitation for others to invite Jesus into their lives as well. Jesus is not interested in forcing His way into our hearts, but He is more than happy to enter our hearts and our lives when invited.

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

If you haven’t invited Jesus into your heart, I invite you to do so today. Ask Him to come in and change your life from the inside into being more like the person God created you to be. If you have already asked Jesus into your heart, and/or when God has done something significant for you, choose to not stay silent and share with others what He has done.

Also, while it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and doing ministry, be sure to take time to personally pray and study the Bible for yourself. Now that Jesus is in heaven and we have been promised the Holy Spirit, when we pause, pray, and study our Bibles, we are able to draw close to God and Jesus through the Holy Spirit and we are able to learn what He wants to teach us. If you depend on me or anyone else for your spiritual truth, you are limiting what God wants to teach you 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 ignore where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

In response to a question several of the disciples have regarding the time of the end and Jesus’ return, Jesus challenges all His followers throughout time by including an interesting parallel. Mixed within this parallel is the topic of date setting and predicting the end of the world, and this seems to be a favorite activity of various groups of people throughout history. However, it’s strange in my mind that a startling percentage of these predictions come from people who should know Jesus’ words at the opening of our passage because many of these end-of-the-world theorists have a Christian background and they are clearly predicting Jesus’ return.

Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 24, and we’ll be reading it from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 36, Jesus continues by telling His disciples:

³⁶ No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows. ³⁷ When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. ³⁸ People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day that the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. ³⁹ They didn’t know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.

Let’s pause here for a moment to focus attention onto an interesting piece of information: If Jesus doesn’t know when He will return, it makes no sense to think that a clever, or even an “inspired” human would be able to figure it out. Also along these same lines, it is illogical to believe that God would tell a sinful human His plan before telling His own Son!

However, what if Jesus now knows when the end will be while He didn’t when on earth with his disciples? It is definitely possible that at some point between Jesus’ return to heaven and now, Jesus has asked and received the definitive answer regarding His return and the end of our world. However, Jesus makes no indication of wanting to ask or know specifically when, which leaves us with our illogical problem: If Jesus doesn’t know when He will return, it seems like wasted energy for us to try to figure it out.

Following this statement, Jesus makes an interesting comparison to the time leading up to the flood. Prior to the flood, people were going about their lives as normal, and the end of their world happened without them being prepared. However, in Noah’s world, plenty of signs and warnings were present that should have prompted the people to pay attention. While it might be easy to tune out a preacher carpenter after a number of years of preaching and building, when the boat was finished, and animals started miraculously coming to take their place on the boat, that should have at least turned some heads. The only way those in Noah’s generation missed the boat was because they were ignoring the signs and warnings around them.

The parallel in our world is that we can be easily distracted away from paying attention to the warnings that our world is ending soon. Jesus continues in verse 40 by describing how His return will be both subtle and a surprise:

⁴⁰ Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be together grinding grain, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. ⁴² So be on your guard! You don’t know when your Lord will come. ⁴³ Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in. ⁴⁴ Always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come.

Let’s pause reading again. Many people believe what we just read relates to a secret rapture, but the context of this passage and verse tell us this is Jesus’ return. However, why then do these verses seem to describe a subtle return while other passages describe a return where there is so much turmoil that the earth feels like it will fall apart?

I believe the answer lies in the focus of these verses, and specifically what Jesus is describing and what He is not.

Nothing in these verses describes what takes place the minute Jesus returns. Instead, all it tells us is what people are caught doing when He appears. This passage basically tells us that the day Jesus returns will start like pretty much any other day. People will be getting up, going to work, and His return will be a surprise.

This passage doesn’t focus on the trauma of the world breaking apart at His arrival, but to the important truth that being ready for His return is an internal thing. Being ready for Jesus is a matter of where our hearts and lives are focused, and on our relationship with God. While our outward lives might not look significantly different, God knows our hearts, our minds, and our focus, and these things play an important role in our salvation.

Jesus challenges us again with the clear statement that we don’t know when He will return. While it doesn’t say that we will never know, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that we won’t know it until it happens. Jesus describes His return like a thief trying to catch a homeowner off guard. While Jesus isn’t going to come secretly to steal His people away, His return will catch everyone who isn’t paying attention to the warnings around them off guard.

While believing in Jesus and trusting in His sacrifice leads to salvation, Jesus finishes our passage by telling us what we should instead focus on. Up to this point, we have seen how it isn’t worth our time or energy to predict or speculate regarding the date or time He will return. Instead, let’s finish our passage and discover what He wants us to focus on instead. Continuing in verse 45, Jesus asks:

⁴⁵ Who are faithful and wise servants? Who are the ones the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their food supplies at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Servants are fortunate if their master comes and finds them doing their job. ⁴⁷ You may be sure that a servant who is always faithful will be put in charge of everything the master owns. ⁴⁸ But suppose one of the servants thinks that the master won’t return until late. ⁴⁹ Suppose that evil servant starts beating the other servants and eats and drinks with people who are drunk. ⁵⁰ If that happens, the master will surely come on a day and at a time when the servant least expects him. ⁵¹ That servant will then be punished and thrown out with the ones who only pretended to serve their master. There they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.

The conclusion to our passage describes in a broad way what we should be focusing on. Those who Jesus calls faithful and wise servants are the ones who are doing their job when the master checks in on them. Faithful and wise servants are responsible regardless of whether the master is present or absent, and regardless of whether the master is only gone for minutes or whether he is gone for millennia. It’s possible that Jesus’ return will be after we have died in this life.

However, we are called to focus on something different. It is not up to us whether we will be alive when Jesus returns, or resurrected when He appears. Instead, God brought us into the world at the time He did because He has a task for us to accomplish. While our role in the world might look different from everyone else’s, the ultimate task God has given each of His servants is to lead people to Jesus. In everything we focus our attention on, we should focus on the ultimate task of a faithful, wise servant, and that task is modeling Jesus’ love for others while leading people to Jesus.

All of God’s wise and faithful servants will be saved when Jesus returns, and this includes both those who are living at the time, and those who have been awaiting resurrection.

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

As I often begin each set of challenges by saying, be sure to seek God first and be sure to focus on the highest calling a faithful and wise servant of God can have, which is leading others to Jesus. When Jesus returns, the only think that will matter is whether we have given our heart and our lives to Him and the only relationships that will survive are with those who have also placed God first. This is why it’s important we share Jesus with everyone. If we want to see someone in heaven, we need to help them grow a relationship with Jesus!

Also, always be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself, because a personal relationship with Jesus is the only thing that matters when He returns. While pastors, speakers, authors, or even the occasional podcaster can give you some interesting thing to think about, always take what you hear or read and test it with what the Bible says. When we test words and ideas through the Bible’s teaching, we discover God’s truth.

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