Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

The Secret to Growing Faith: Luke 17:11-19

Published November 20, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 17:11-19 (NASB)

Of the countless times Jesus healed people, I am always fascinated by one specific healing – the one included in this passage. Most times Jesus healed someone He would lay His hands on the individual, or in some way touch the sick person. In a few cases, He would give confirmation to the friend/family member when they came to Him on behalf of the sick person.

However, what is most distinct about this healing is that Jesus gives no confirmation, there is no contact aside from a distant shout, and what was shouted was simply a direction: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” (Verse 14b)

This healing contains no encouragement or confirmation that the command to go to the priest would result in healing, but just like the Old Testament record of Naaman being healed in 2 Kings, chapter 5, obedience to the command itself demonstrates the faith that is present.

Perhaps the men knew Jesus could heal them, but maybe they weren’t sure entirely if Jesus would want to. Perhaps doubt had clouded their thoughts, and maybe only one was brave enough to be the spokesperson for the group – the same one who later returned to thank Jesus. These are some speculations that I have in my mind as to why Jesus may have answered like He did – He was pushing back against doubt.

Doubt has a way of stopping us from moving forward. It can derail our progress and cause us to slow down. Doubt derails our active, continually-moving-forward faith. God wants us to have a relationship with Him, but doubt creeps in to sabotage and stop the relationship from growing.

What really stands out in this healing that I can take and apply to my own life is Jesus’ first command to these men: “Go”. Sometimes we need to step out and start moving for God to be able to act. Sometimes, when we are stuck somewhere, we simply need to start moving, and then believe that God will direct us – though hopefully not as creatively as He did in Jonah’s life (recorded in the short book of Jonah).

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Obeying the Right Answer: Luke 10:25-37

Published November 19, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 10:25-37 (CEV)

²⁵An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?”

²⁶Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?”

²⁷The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’”

²⁸Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”

²⁹But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbors?”

³⁰Jesus replied:

As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead.

³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. ³²Later a temple helper came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.

³³A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him ³⁴and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. ³⁵The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.”

³⁶Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?”

³⁷The teacher answered, “The one who showed pity.”

Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”

Read Luke 10:25-37 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

When reading from Luke’s gospel as Jesus shares the illustration of the Good Samaritan, I am amazed to learn that this entire parable hinges on a follow-up question – and this follow-up question might not have even been asked if it were not for the attitude of the religious leader who asked it. When I read about this event, in many ways Jesus’ parable overshadows the powerful truth He gives the religious leader in response to the leader’s earlier question.

To set the stage for what is shared, Luke opens by having a religious leader ask Jesus what must happen for a person to gain eternal life. This religious leader’s question is a question that most everyone who believes in an afterlife has had at one point or another.

Instead of answering the man’s question directly, Jesus asked the leader how he understood the scriptures. The leader replied by saying, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’” (v. 27)

What Jesus says next is incredibly powerful. Jesus replied to this saying, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.” (v. 28)

This should have been the end of the conversation, but because this leader wanted to justify himself and his knowledge, Luke tells us that he then asked how to define the concept of neighbor.

We are quick to look into truths and themes from the parable Jesus shares to help us illustrate the concept of being a “neighbor”, but when we pull the parable from the context of the conversation it was shared in, we miss the powerful truth that Jesus just shared and confirmed the way to gain eternal life.

The religious leader gave the standard, summary overview of God’s Law and Moses’ law that was given through Moses while the Israelites were in the desert, and Jesus confirmed that it was the way to heaven. Loving God and loving others as much as we love ourselves is the key. Since most people are pretty self-centered, it makes loving other people that much more challenging. However, it is what Jesus has just confirmed that we are called to do.

However, knowing the right answer (like this religious leader did) and obeying the right answer are two different things. Most of the Jewish world during the first century knew this answer, however they missed the truth that this answer needed to be obeyed. They also missed that the core idea of this answer was love.

In our own lives, we are called to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. In case we want a practical example of how to do this, all we need to do is look at Jesus’ life. He came to illustrate what these two commandments look like when obeyed!

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Flashback Episode — One Moment in the Spotlight: Mark 15:42-47

Published November 18, 2024 in Audio Journal Entries

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As Mark winds down the events surrounding Jesus’ time on the cross, he describes in our passage for this episode, the events surrounding Jesus’ body being removed from the cross and what happened to it to keep it from being lost. In many ways, we have a previously unknown person in the Bible record to thank for this.

Let’s read our passage for this episode and discover what we can learn from what Mark’s gospel tells us about this event. Our passage is found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 15, and we will read from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 42:

⁴²It was now the evening before the Sabbath, and the Jewish people were getting ready for that sacred day. ⁴³A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. Joseph was a highly respected member of the Jewish council, and he was also waiting for God’s kingdom to come.

⁴⁴Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, and he called in the army officer to find out if Jesus had been dead very long. ⁴⁵After the officer told him, Pilate let Joseph have Jesus’ body.

⁴⁶Joseph bought a linen cloth and took the body down from the cross. He had it wrapped in the cloth, and he put it in a tomb that had been cut into solid rock. Then he rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb.

⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where the body was placed.

In these last verses describing the day Jesus was crucified, we discover several details Mark wants to draw our attention to. When I look over this passage, I count no less than five big details that are significant for us to pay attention to.

First, Mark transitions into this event by telling us this was the evening before the Sabbath, and this Sabbath was a sacred day. Other gospels and translations describe why this wasn’t an ordinary Sabbath. This was an extra special Sabbath where the weekly Sabbath intersected with the annual Passover celebration, which was one of the most important Jewish celebrations.

This celebration marked the angel of death passing over the Jewish and Egyptian homes where the blood of a lamb was put on the doorposts of the home. This event, as the people of Israel were about to leave Egypt, foreshadowed what Jesus would ultimately accomplish for them on the cross. Jesus would be that lamb who died, and Jesus’ sacrifice, when welcomed into our hearts and lives, protects us from the angel of death.

Mark draws our attention to the detail that after Jesus has finished sacrificing Himself for humanity and God’s people, He rests in the grave during that special Sabbath day.

Next, Mark introduces us to a new character in the gospel story: a man named Joseph from Arimathea. Joseph steps in as being the perfect middleman for every group present and interested in what would happen that weekend.

While I doubt any of those present would have let Jesus’ body be thrown in the heap of dead bodies, which would have been the fate of the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus, Joseph steps in as the perfect middleman. Joseph was a respected person among the Jewish leaders, he was someone who had influence with Pilate, and he was someone who was not hostile towards Jesus’ followers. Some gospels even call Joseph a secret disciple of Jesus.

Joseph also had exactly what this situation needed; Joseph had a nearby tomb where Jesus’ body could lay, and it was a tomb that was easy to access while also being easy to seal and guard. In this event, I believe God had prepared and placed Joseph of Arimathea into the exact place and position that was needed for this weekend. In many ways, Joseph from Arimathea saves Easter because of his involvement this Friday evening.

Another detail worth noting in this event is that Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so quickly. Crucifixion was a death that was designed to last a long time and it was designed to be painful, humiliating, and public in order to remind any potential rebels that it wasn’t worth trying to fight against Rome. Jesus’ death in six hours was very abnormal. The way to speed up death was to break the legs of the person on the cross, and this happened to both criminals who were with Jesus.

The reason this detail stands out in my mind is that it is one more piece of evidence telling Pilate that Jesus was different. Jesus was not like anyone else who had been nailed to a cross, and to everyone present, it was very clear that Jesus was different. In our last passage, we even read that one of the soldiers present for Jesus’ last breath exclaimed that Jesus really was God’s Son after witnessing Jesus’ death.

I don’t know, and Mark doesn’t tell us the details surrounding what prompts Pilate to let Joseph have Jesus’ body. It is possible that Joseph paid Pilate for Jesus’ body, or perhaps something in Joseph’s request prompted Pilate to agree. It is also possible that Joseph was not present for any of that morning’s condemnation, and this gave weight to his request since he was not among Jesus’ accusers. Regardless of the details, God was ultimately behind Pilate agreeing to Joseph’s request.

Mark concludes this event by describing how Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching where Joseph took Jesus’ body. While this detail doesn’t sound significant at this point, it becomes significant because these women would be the first to witness an empty grave when they go to the tomb the following Sunday.

God was behind everything Joseph of Arimathea contributed to this point in history. God had brought Joseph to this point, and Joseph steps into history with everything needed to make this weekend glorify God in unprecedented, unexpected, and momentous ways.

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, continue to seek God first in your life and be ready to step into God’s plan when He calls you to. While I don’t know what God is preparing your life for, I do know you are alive on this earth for a reason, that your life is significant in God’s eyes, and that He has something significant for you to accomplish. When the time comes for God to reveal His plan to you, be ready to jump into what God has prepared you for.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to continue learning and growing closer to God. Through the pages of the Bible, discover just how much God loves us and what God was willing to give up to open the way for us to have a restored relationship with Him!

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 leave where God is leading you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year in Mark – Episode 47: After Jesus had died, someone steps into history in the perfect way, and the perfect time, with the perfect position and gift to make this weekend give glory to God in amazing ways. Discover what we can learn and why we should thank Joseph of Arimathea for what he did that Friday evening.

Finishing with God: Matthew 20:1-16

Published November 15, 2024 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 20:1-16 (NIV)

¹“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ²He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹²‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

¹³“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

¹⁶“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Read Matthew 20:1-16 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Later on during Jesus’ ministry, He shared a parable about workers being hired to work in a vineyard, and the key ideas in this parable relate to God’s generosity, and everyone who worked receiving an equal level of pay. These two ideas are clearly visible in the Parable of the Vineyard Workers, but I believe there is another subtle truth hidden just under the surface of this parable that is powerful for all of us to remember.

In this parable, we learn about a number of groups of people who started working for the vineyard owner at various points during the day. Some of those who were hired worked all day, while others only worked for the last hour of the day. At the end of the day, everyone is paid equally as if they had worked for the full day.

When we read this parable, the big truth that Jesus shared is that it doesn’t matter when you started working, but it does matter that you finished out the day working.

Just under the surface of what is directly said in this parable is the idea that only those who were present at the end of the day were paid. This means that if someone started working at the beginning of the day, but then left at 2pm in the afternoon, they wouldn’t receive anything – because they were not present to be paid.

If this parable symbolizes how followers of Jesus are working for God during their lives here on earth, then this subtle truth is that it doesn’t matter when we start working; what matters is that we start working before the end of our day (i.e. life), and that we keep working until the end of our day.

God is incredibly generous with how He has chosen to reward us, but it is up to us to be present when He is rewarding those who worked for Him. A life that started with God but ended far from Him is not rewarded like a life that started far from God and ended close to Him. The direction of our lives matter, and this parable emphasizes that it is important for us to end our lives with God. Since we don’t know when our lives will end, it is up to us to live each day from this point forward with God, so that when our day of work is up, we will have ended it with Him.

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