Reflective Bible Study

In one of the more well-known stories from the gospels, we meet two sisters, and from what we learn, these two sisters are opposite in many ways. However, what we discover in our passage is that one of the sisters is praised by Jesus, while the other one is challenged.

Those of you who are familiar with the gospels probably already know the event we will be focusing in on in this episode. Our passage comes to us from the gospel of Luke, chapter 10, and we will be reading it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 38, Luke tells us that:

³⁸ As they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to him talk.

⁴⁰ But Martha was upset about all the work she had to do. So she asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself? Tell her to help me.”

⁴¹ The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things. ⁴² There’s only one thing you need. Mary has made the right choice, and that one thing will not be taken away from her.”

In just five short verses, we find a powerful example about how damaging distractions can be in our lives. Looking at this event, Jesus pushes back against our to-do lists, and draws our attention to the importance of our relationships.

However, I think many people stop short when looking at this event. While it is true that we should focus on Jesus and not worry or fuss about all the details, I am certain that Luke chose to include this event for more than simple reminding busy people to stay connected to Jesus.

This event has plenty of other themes present, and some of these themes are very powerful when we look at them a little closer.

The first theme we see is one of the more obvious ones. While both Martha and Mary realized they had the opportunity of a lifetime to get to spend time near Jesus, we see two completely different attitudes from each of these sisters. Even though the passage opens up describing how this was Martha’s house that Jesus was welcomed in to, we learn that Mary sat and listened to Jesus. In Mary’s mind, the best thing she could do was listen and learn from Jesus.

In contrast, we then discover that Martha was focused on housework and all the busywork that was expected (in her mind) from a good hostess. Martha’s focus was on making a good impression to Jesus and His disciples. This contrast is significant. Mary’s goal was to learn from Jesus, while Martha’s goal was to please Jesus. With this contrast, we see the theme that it is more important for us to focus on learning from Jesus than trying to please Him through our actions.

However, this isn’t all we can learn from this event. In Martha’s outburst, we discover something else. Martha asks Jesus, presumably because Mary has ignored her direct requests, to tell Mary to get up and help her. The powerful theme and truth here is that it is easy for someone focused on a task to get upset when others don’t help them with their own goals.

Regardless of the significance of the goal, the goals we set in life feel more important than the goals that other people set. Martha had the goal of being a good hostess, and when Mary didn’t share the same goal as she did, Martha gets upset. Jesus’ response challenges Martha’s focus and tells her that Mary’s goal of resting, listening, and learning is more important than the busywork.

But this isn’t everything we can learn from this event. In Jesus’ response, we can discover two additional themes. In the first part of Jesus’ response to Martha, He says, “Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things. There’s only one thing you need.” This statement draws our attention onto the damaging nature of distractions. Jesus tells Martha that there is only one thing she really needs – and the implication is that one thing is not found on her to-do list. The one thing that Martha needs, and we all need this, is time with Jesus away from the distractions of life. Martha let the distractions of her to-do list get in the way of what was truly important, and while being a host or hostess has its responsibilities and challenges, we should never let distractions steal time away from what is truly important.

Martha’s case is the same as ours. The most important thing we can focus on is developing a relationship with Jesus. In this way, Mary made the right choice by sitting and listening at Jesus’ feet – and ignoring the distractions.

The second theme we can learn from Jesus’ response is in the last portion of what Jesus says. Jesus finishes by saying, “Mary has made the right choice, and that one thing will not be taken away from her.” In a subtle way, we discover that when we make the right choice, and that choice is spending time with God each day, He will help us keep the connection strong. While other things might try to distract us, or make us too busy to spend time with God, those distractions are the work of Satan trying everything he can to keep us from focusing on what is truly important.

Even good things can distract us away from spending time with God, but when a “good thing” is used as a distraction, we discover that this thing really isn’t good in the big picture. When we ask God for His help to focus on what is truly important, He will help us prioritize and He will help minimize the distractions we face. Know that God is never going to distract us away from spending time with Jesus.

While I’m sure there are other themes we could focus in on, this is a great theme for us to end on, and it is the perfect theme to transition into our challenges at the end of our podcast episode:

As I usually start by challenging you, be sure to seek God first, and intentionally focus on spending time with Him each day. Don’t let distractions steal you away from the one thing that is truly important for each of us. By intentionally spending time with Jesus, you are focusing on the one thing that is the most important thing for anyone and everyone in this life – and that is on growing a saving relationship with God.

As you spend time with God, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself, and let God teach you what He wants you to learn from the Bible. While a pastor or podcaster can give you ideas and themes to think about, only through personal study can you discover and grow a personal relationship with God!

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 get distracted while going to where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

If you have ever wondered what God the Father is like, or if you have ever wanted to know more about who God the Father is, you happen to be in luck, because in this episode’s short, four-verse passage, Jesus gives us the key for how we can know God.

But before we get to reading our passage for this episode, let me frame what we are about to read with an observation about the culture we live in. In today’s culture, there is a belief that has spread throughout Christianity and the broader culture that says God the Father is mean and vengeful while Jesus is kind and loving. The implication of this belief is that we need Jesus to step between the mean Father and us to protect us from Him.

But this viewpoint is completely misguided and wrong. Yes, there are things that happen in the Bible and the Old Testament that could paint God the Father in a negative light, but as I have studied, I’ve realized God has a different picture and perspective on life, and as a Life-Giver and Creator, He thinks differently than we do as His creation.

However, while I might have a different view on this than other people do, how do I know that the “Mean-Father” belief is inaccurate? One piece of supporting evidence for my belief is found in our passage for this episode. While there are several passages in the gospels that help show us a better picture of God the Father, our passage for this episode answers this challenge regarding the Father’s character a little more directly than most. And like I hinted at a moment ago, this passage also gives us the key to learning more about who the Father is and what He is like.

Our passage is found in the gospel of Luke, in chapter 10, and we will read if using the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 21, Luke tells us:

²¹ At that time Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit and said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen.

²² “My Father has given me all things. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³ Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said to them privately, “How fortunate you are to see the things you see! ²⁴ I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, but they could not, and to hear what you hear, but they did not.”

Did you catch the key to knowing God here? Actually, as I read this just now, I saw three keys included in this passage, with one being a little clearer than the other two.

The first and main key is in Jesus’ words specifically about knowing the Father. Verse 22 tells us, “No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Note that last part: “and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” From Jesus’ own lips we read that He is the only one who really knows the Father, and He is the only One who can reveal the Father to others.

This tells me that either Jesus was incredibly arrogant and should not be believed in this case (which is what popular culture wants us to do), or He was sharing a significant truth about God that we would be wise to pay attention to.

If Jesus is the only way for us to really know who the Father is, then anyone who claims to have knowledge about God, or the absence of God, must present it through the lens of Jesus. If they don’t share their ideas with this filter, then they are giving an opinion. It might be their opinion, someone else’s opinion, or even Satan’s opinion, but if we believe Jesus’ words here, any claims about God that do not come through Jesus are merely opinions.

The second key is a little trickier to see, but it is in the first portion of Jesus’ statement. He says in verse 21: “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned.” In this phrase, we have a brief picture of God, and we can see that God may hide information from the wise and knowledgeable people, while helping show it to those without much education. This may relate to faith, but there is nothing included in this passage to make the knowledge God shares to the unlearned exclusively faith related.

The second key is simply realizing that God may choose to hide Himself from some people. Just like the first key places dependence on Jesus being the one who can choose to reveal God the Father, God the Father Himself can choose to stay hidden or give evidence of Himself to people.

The third key comes at the very beginning of this passage, in how Luke describes the scene. The first part of verse 21 says, “At that time Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit . . .” This leads into the statement that includes the second and first keys, but here in this third key, we see the Holy Spirit inspiring these words themselves.

By simply observing how Luke describes this event, we can see that the Holy Spirit must be present for someone to understand God the Father in a correct way, and the Holy Spirit is needed when looking at how Jesus reveals the Father, and the Holy Spirit is important when looking at how God the Father chooses to reveal Himself.

In this passage, we have three keys to knowing about God the Father, and each key relates to a member of the Godhead. This also says that any opinion about God that is gained outside of these three keys is simply opinion. It may be a close to accurate opinion or it could be a complete distortion of God, but it is entirely opinion.

Jesus concludes by telling the disciples how fortunate they are to see Jesus in person, because many people throughout all the other points in history wanted to see and hear what they saw and heard. For us living today, we have their testimony, passed down from the first century to help us understand better what God is like.

However, while Bible study is great, it must also be done in the context of our three keys in order to get the most out of it. Like this passage challenges us, we must look through Jesus’ life and ministry to understand the scriptures, God must want to teach us something and open up a truth for us, and the Holy Spirit must be present in order for us to make an accurate conclusion to what we are learning.

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

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life, and place growing towards Him as a priority in your life.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do in one way or another, continue prayerfully studying the Bible for yourself, understanding and applying the three keys we just learned in this passage, in order to learn and understand more of what God wants to share with you. While other people often share ideas and opinions, frame everything you hear, read, and see within the framework of Jesus’ ministry. Only through looking at Jesus does history make sense.

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!

During one of Jesus’ times was in the temple teaching and challenging those present, He describes who He is, where He came from, and also what He came to accomplish. However, with all these details shared to this group of people, we find out that they were not as ready to learn the truth about Jesus as they thought they might have been.

Our passage comes from the gospel of John, chapter 8, and we will be reading it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 31, John tells us that:

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Pausing really briefly, I want to draw our attention to this opening line. John opens this passage by describing those Jesus shares this message to as “the Jews who had believed Him”. I believe this is significant, especially when we start seeing them push back at what He tells them.

Rereading Jesus’ challenge in the second part of verse 31, John tells us:

^31b Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹ You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. ⁴³ Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

⁴⁹ “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

⁵² At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵ Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

⁵⁸ “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” ⁵⁹ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Looking at this whole event, I am amazed when realizing it is framed as Jesus talking to some Jews who believed in Him. This is significant because it sheds light on human nature and on how God wants us to grow.

While I don’t know why Jesus specifically decided to share this message, I suspect it may have had to do with wanting to challenge these Jews on whether their belief or faith was willing to take the next step. Chances are, this group of Jews had faith that Jesus was able to heal the sick and teach the crowds truth about God. However, we clearly see that when Jesus challenges these people regarding obedience, they push back.

This whole teaching hinges on the opening statement Jesus makes: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (verses 31-32)

Following this statement, we learn that sin’s goal is to enslave and trap us. Jesus came to set us free and adopt us into God’s family.

Following this statement, we learn that Satan is the father of lies and that when we pay attention to him for too long, we will not be able to hear the truth God wants to share with us. Jesus came to expose Satan as a liar and to draw God’s people together.

Following this statement, we learn that death is reserved for those who disobey Jesus. Jesus came to honor God, and to set us free from the fear of death.

Following this statement, we learn that all the petty excuses that people try to use to discredit Jesus, like calling Him a Samaritan and demon-possessed, doesn’t change who He really is. Jesus is God who came to earth as a human.

While this truth is impossible for us to fully understand how Jesus is both completely God and man, we are called to accept this truth, and all the other ideas Jesus taught and challenged His followers with, through faith. While faith in Jesus can start on the basic level of what can Jesus do for me (such as teaching and healing), it truly grows into maturity when we discover that faith in Jesus becomes a “what can I do for God because of what He has already done for me” type of faith. Obeying God and obeying Jesus is not legalism any more than obeying your spouse when they ask you to do something for them is legalism. Obedience demonstrates love, and while there are plenty of exceptions to this truth, the principle is solid.

We demonstrate to others that we love God when we are obedient to Him. Through obedience, we learn the truth, and like one of my favorite Bible verses says, “the truth will set you free”.

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

Be sure to continue seeking God first in your life. Choose to believe in Jesus and be willing to take your belief and turn it into obedience. Let God lead you into His truth and follow His leading and guiding in your life.

As you grow your relationship with God, be sure to always pray and study the Bible for yourself, because through personal study, you will learn, grow, and discover who God really is, what He is like, and how much He loves you. As you study and grow closer to God, God will send His Spirit into your life and He will lead and guide you moving forward in life.

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!

While reading the gospels and learning about all the different challenges the religious leaders push onto Jesus, at times I have wondered if the religious leaders ever actually challenged Jesus with what we might consider a valid challenge.

In many ways, all the challenges the religious leaders use against Jesus were valid challenges, but when looking at all the places where Jesus’ ministry is challenged, do any of the challenges that are included in the gospels stand apart from the rest?

When answering this question for myself, we don’t need to look any further than the challenge the Pharisees bring to Jesus in our passage for this episode. Interestingly enough, this challenge from these religious leaders is only found in the gospel of John, and in John’s gospel, it is found in chapter 8. While the Pharisee’s challenge begins in verse 13, let’s begin reading with verse 12 to help us get a better context for how these Pharisees try to discredit Jesus. We’ll also be reading this passage using the New Century Version. Starting in verse 12, John tells us that:

¹² Later, Jesus talked to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness but will have the light that gives life.”

¹³ The Pharisees said to Jesus, “When you talk about yourself, you are the only one to say these things are true. We cannot accept what you say.”

Before reading how Jesus responds, of all the challenges the Pharisees bring, this is among the most relevant for those living in the first century and those of us living in every century since.

If it were not for this passage and challenge, we might not even think of this sort of challenge to Jesus’ ministry today, but this type of challenge was very real in the Old Testament and the first century. In the Law of Moses, in order for any testimony to be valid, it must be independently validated by at least one other witness.

In many ways, this is the same in our court system today. Outside of direct confessions, judges and juries must weigh the evidence and testimony of numerous witnesses in order to determine guilt and innocence. This is even truer in cases where capital punishment or jail-time is a potential result.

The Pharisees’ challenge to Jesus is a valid challenge because if Jesus is the only one giving testimony about Himself, then His testimony is not valid. It would be like anyone standing up and claiming to be the messiah. It would simply be their word alone – and because of this, it would not be valid testimony.

But while this is a valid challenge in many ways, let’s read how Jesus responds, starting in verse 14:

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Yes, I am saying these things about myself, but they are true. I know where I came from and where I am going. But you don’t know where I came from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards. I am not judging anyone. ¹⁶ But when I do judge, I judge truthfully, because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. ¹⁷ Your own law says that when two witnesses say the same thing, you must accept what they say. ¹⁸ I am one of the witnesses who speaks about myself, and the Father who sent me is the other witness.”

¹⁹ They asked, “Where is your father?”

Jesus answered, “You don’t know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father, too.”

Jesus has a second witness, but what I find fascinating about the second witness Jesus’ uses is that in essence Jesus says God is His second witness.

Not only is this a very bold thing to say, it is completely subjective to each person present. The Pharisees can see and hear Jesus, but are they willing to open their eyes to the Father?

When they ask where Jesus’ Father is, I doubt their intention was to validate Jesus’ words. Instead, it was more likely to find ways to invalidate this second supporting testimony. Seeing the sorts of challenges the Pharisees brought to Jesus prompts me to think that they were excellent persuaders and expert trappers. The religious elite in Jesus’ day used logic as a weapon, and while they weren’t successful using it against Jesus, they were sure they could use it against any second “witness” Jesus had to validate His testimony.

However, Jesus’ Father, or we could simply say God the Father, is a valid witness in Jesus’ ministry. If for nothing else, every time Jesus performed a miracle, and every time He cast out a demon, it was only because God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, was empowering these actions. Without the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ ministry would clearly have been a one-witness ministry, and the Pharisees’ challenge would be valid, but because of the miracles, we can have confidence that God was validating Jesus as a witness and if the Pharisees were willing to admit it – which most weren’t – Jesus did have a second witness in the Father.

The other angle of this discussion is one we really don’t have enough time to unpack in this episode, because it has to do with the hundreds of ways Jesus fulfilled Old Testament Messianic prophecies. The fulfillment of prophecies is a clear third witness for those who are willing to accept this.

Our passage concludes in verse 20 by saying:

²⁰ Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the Temple, near where the money is kept. But no one arrested him, because the right time for him had not yet come.

Part of me wonders if Jesus wasn’t arrested here, not only because the right time had not come, but also because at this point, the Pharisees officially wrote Jesus off. If the Pharisees were unwilling to accept the miracles and healing as signs that God was validating Jesus’ ministry, then there was no way they would accept Old Testament prophecy as a witness either.

The argument the Pharisees used to discredit Jesus is valid, and the argument Jesus uses to counter this challenge is subjective – which I believe Jesus does intentionally.

In other places, Jesus taught that only those who the Father brings to Him will understand who He really is. If the Father doesn’t bring someone to Jesus, to that person, Jesus’ ministry will not look valid because they do not know the Father. To someone who the Father brings to Jesus, Jesus’ ministry will look like the most valid ministry ever in the history of the world, because to this person, not only the Father and Jesus are witnesses, but also history, prophecy, and all the miracles. Even the death and resurrection will be a witness to the person whose eyes are open to what God is teaching.

In this passage, Jesus aligns Himself with God the Father, and looking at the gospel record, we can see how the Father responded and validates Jesus’ ministry. The only thing left for us to do is decide whether we will accept the Father-Son testimony that we have been given in scripture.

As we close out another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will to leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do in one way or another, intentionally seek God first in your life. If you are undecided about who Jesus is, don’t discredit Him because of what someone else has said. Instead, seek to understand Him for yourself, and only discredit Him if your personal study reveals that you should.

When studying, as I regularly challenge you to do, purposefully and prayerfully study the Bible for yourself to understand both the God of the Bible and about Jesus who came to show us what God is like. The four gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are a great place to begin when studying to learn about both God the Father and about 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 deviate away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him – because, if He created you, which He did, He has an amazing purpose for your life with Him!