Reflective Bible Study

Early on in the gospels, during one of Jesus’ sermons to a crowd of followers, He makes a very profound and challenging statement that sounds very much like a universal principle that’s just as true today as it was back in the first century.

Matthew records this sermon and statement, so let’s dive in and read it before unpacking how this is relevant for each of us living today. Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 6, and we will be reading from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 1, Jesus tells the crowd present:

¹ “Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. ² So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ³ When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴ Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

We’ll stop reading here because what Jesus tells us in these four short verses is too powerful and important to miss. The truth Jesus shares here is crucial for us to pay attention to and we can use it to evaluate our motives and our character.

Jesus opens this passage by warning us about where we have placed our motives. He tells us, “Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention.” (v. 1a)

Before looking at Jesus’ reason for why we shouldn’t base our good deeds on public praise, let’s take a look at why it might not be a great idea to begin with. If we focus on doing good actions for external rewards (either praise from others, or maybe even monetary compensation), we immediately set ourselves up for disappointment. Regardless of what action we do, external rewards are not guaranteed. They may be present early on, or they may be present under a certain set of circumstances, but things will always change, and external rewards by definition are based on others.

When the source of the external reward changes, or when the bar is moved, those chasing after external rewards must move too, often to more extreme or unusual activities in order to keep receiving the reward. This makes those who seek external rewards dependant on the giver of the reward, and given enough time for a habit to form, those who seek external rewards lose their freedom as they seek their rewards.

In contrast, internal rewards might not look like rewards at all, but they are more certain than external rewards. Internal rewards are rewards that we give ourselves for achieving, accomplishing, and/or behaving in a certain way. In some ways, internal rewards shape how we think of ourselves, and internal rewards help us enjoy life more.

However, does Jesus give us an internal reward or an external reward in this passage about doing good works?

Jesus tells us that those who seek attention with their actions will not be rewarded by God. In contrast, Jesus says that those who do good works or deeds privately, or we could say secretly, will be rewarded by God.

Does this then mean that God’s rewards are also external rewards? In my mind, this might be the case.

When I read this passage, I see two possible ways we can live doing good works secretly: We can either do good works secretly because we will claim God’s promise that He will reward us. This is the external reward option. Or we can do good works secretly because God recommends we do and our good works are done because we are thankful to God for everything He has done for us. This option is actually an internal reward.

In my own mind, God will honor His promise to reward us regardless of whether we internally or externally do good works for Him. Where things get tricky is how and when we will be rewarded.

When we do good secretly, we are not looking for or expecting a reward, at least in this life. The good deed is its own reward and anything above this is great but not necessary. This is doing good secretly based on being internally rewarded.

In contrast, when we do good secretly, while looking for external rewards, we then set ourselves up for disappointment if God doesn’t reward us with what we want, as quickly as we would like, or as abundantly as we would have hoped it to be.

With external rewards, there are plenty of ways for our expectations and hopes to not be met, and only one way for success. With internal rewards, there are significantly more ways for us to enjoy the rewards we get, and there is very little, if any, downside.

God has called us to live generous, grateful, and gracious lives and when we give secretly, He is more than happy to reward us. However, for our lives to be enjoyable, we shouldn’t live seeking after God’s rewards. Instead, we should live our lives doing good as a way of saying thank You to God for everything He has already done for each of us through Jesus on the cross!

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

As always challenge you to do, seek God first and live your life in a way that says Thank You to God for everything He has already blessed you with. Chances are, you have been blessed in many more ways than you are being challenged with. God works in both the blessings and the challenges, but too often, we focus too heavily on the challenges and not enough on the blessings. Take a moment to thank God for what He has blessed you with recently.

Also, be sure to study the Bible for yourself and intentionally grow closer to God and Jesus through what you learn from His Word. The best place to learn what God is like is through the Bible, and while a pastor or podcaster can help, there is nothing like learning, growing, and discovering the Bible 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 walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

If you ever wondered if Jesus said something that seemed to contradict Himself, perhaps in this passage, you may find the answer. Personally, I don’t think there is a contradiction here, but when talking to or watching how the majority of Christians live today, it makes me wonder how they understand Jesus’ words in our passage.

The passage we are focusing on in this episode, is found within the large portion of Matthew’s gospel that contains Jesus famous “Sermon on the Mount”, and the part of the sermon we will be focusing in on comes after the opening “blessings” section which is often called the Beatitudes.

Following the beatitudes, Jesus shares how He wants His followers to live as examples for Him, pointing people towards God the Father. Immediately following this, our passage begins. Our passage for this episode is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 5, and we will read it from the New International Version. Starting in verse 17, Jesus continues preaching, saying:

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

We’ll stop reading here, even though it is tempting to continue. Following this set of verses, Jesus takes several sections of the law and elevates them exponentially. Jesus tells us in the verses that follow that the intent of the law is to guard our thoughts and our minds from doing evil – and not just giving us the excuse that the law is only relevant for our external actions.

But in the portion of Jesus’ sermon I read, there are a number of things that stand out in my mind as being interesting. The first two verses we read bring out one big thing. In these two verses, which are verses 17 and 18, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

The reason these two verses stand out is the same reason that I opened today’s episode by wondering. If you ask most Christians living today what the role of the law is, they probably would answer towards something in the past. Many would even quote Paul from Romans 6:14 that we are not under the law but under grace. Unfortunately, most Christians stop there, not realizing the point Paul was making was not a license to sin, but that we are not destined to sin.

The paradox I see in Jesus’ words is that it seems as though many believers blend the result of abolishing and fulfilling, essentially making them the same thing, but reading Jesus’ words more closely, it is easy for us to see the difference.

Jesus says that He did not come to abolish the law. Jesus parallels abolishing by using the word disappear, saying that not even the smallest portion of the law will disappear until a certain thing happens. In a potentially confusing way, Jesus actually shares two things – one before the phrase about the law and one after. “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Jesus gives a clear time for transition, and while some people might think Jesus is using an either/or approach, I see within this verse two parallel conditions that must happen: When heaven and earth disappear, everything will have been accomplished, and before this happens, nothing will change about the significance of God’s law. We can read briefly about this event near the end of Revelation where God will make all things new and “recreate” the heaven and earth – which will ultimately restore it to perfection like He had originally done in the beginning before sin infected humanity in Eden. Jesus’ words tell us that until this happens, not the tiniest portion of the law or prophets will disappear.

Then what does it mean to fulfill? Another word we might use here is “satisfy”, or we could easily say “accomplish” which would echo the parallel idea. To fulfill, satisfy, or accomplish the law means that Jesus came to live under the law’s requirements. As Jesus lived, He walked confidently within all of the law’s requirements which then tells us that He fulfilled them. This does not mean that He erased them, because that would invalidate the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

So then, is the law still the measure of entrance into heaven? Yes.

In verse 20, Jesus tells the people, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” The law still is a measure of entrance into heaven, but it would seem as though it is not the only one.

In verse 19, we read something interesting and challenging for many people living today to accept. Between these two emphases on obeying the law, Jesus shares a short phrase that we might miss if we are not paying attention to it. Jesus says, “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

There are two groups of teachers who are in the kingdom of heaven – and one group, while being called least, has still entered. This entrance into the kingdom of heaven is based on one thing: being under grace, which is another way of saying that we have accepted Jesus’ gift. The death Jesus faced for breaking the law when He had not done so allows Him to extend His righteous and perfect life to us. All we must do is accept the gift He gives us and we will be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’ gift to us does not give us a license to sin. Jesus’ gift to us gives freedom from our past sins.

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

As I always open up these challenges by saying, intentionally seek God first in your life. If you have not already done so, accept the gift that Jesus offers to each of us. This one decision is the most important one you can ever make in your life, and it is the only decision you will not regret having made when looking back at your life while living with God for eternity.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself and choose to teach others about everything God has said and done for us. Don’t minimize the law’s relevance, but focus on the law through the lens of God and Jesus’ love for each of us, and share what you learn with those in your life in responsible and productive ways. At the very least, model what you learn in how you live your life so your life can be a witness for others.

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!

Early on in Jesus’ ministry, we find the gospel writers tell us that Jesus hand-picks a number of those following Him to be apostles. However, in this event, we discover a couple of fascinating details about how Jesus chose these men, and what He does with a few of the followers He chose.

The passage we are focusing on is found in the gospel of Mark, chapter 3, and we will be reading it using the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 13, Mark tells us that:

¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside. He called for certain people to come to him, and they came. ¹⁴ He appointed 12 of them so that they would be with him. He would also send them out to preach. ¹⁵ And he gave them authority to drive out demons.

Let’s pause reading here because while this sounds fairly straightforward, Mark doesn’t include a key detail that one of the other gospel writers includes. In the gospel of Luke, we discover another interesting detail about this event. Here’s how Luke’s gospel describes this event, which can be found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 6, starting in verse 12:

¹² On one of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called for his disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them and made them apostles. Here are their names.

In these two verses, Luke describes how the night before Jesus selects the twelve apostles is spent in prayer, and we can logically assume that Jesus was praying about each of those in the crowd who had been following Him, and seeking God’s direction regarding who specifically to invite into the group.

The first big thing we can learn from Jesus here is that Jesus spent more time praying about important decisions than doing other research. Jesus desired to do God’s will and to select those God would want Him to select, and Jesus spent the night doing just that.

This also means that within Jesus’ prayer time, He would have asked God about Judas Iscariot, who would be the one to betray Him. I wonder if Judas Iscariot’s character represented Lucifer’s character in heaven before the fall. In Lucifer’s case, God gave him more than enough reasons to love him and more than enough time to return and repent. One could say that Earth and our human history is a result of God giving Lucifer a chance. But Lucifer guarded his hard heart and would not let God in, which results in his ultimate defeat.

In Jesus’ invitation to Judas Iscariot, we see a similar set of circumstances. None of the other disciples suspected Judas Iscariot to be the one to betray Jesus, and in the three or more years Jesus spent with all twelve of the disciples, Judas had every chance of letting God into His heart and mind in order to help him understand Jesus’ role and God’s humility.

But Judas would not have any of that in the end. In an emotional, revengeful decision over Jesus challenging his remarks over a gift, Judas decides to betray Jesus and let Satan win his heart. Jesus prayed about Judas Iscariot personally and the Godhead gave the betrayer a chance for redemption.

However, this isn’t the only thing we can learn from this event. Continuing in Mark’s gospel, in verse 16:

¹⁶ So Jesus appointed the 12 disciples.

Simon was one of them. Jesus gave him the name Peter.

¹⁷ There were James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. Jesus gave them the name Boanerges. Boanerges means Sons of Thunder.

¹⁸ There were also Andrew,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

Matthew,

Thomas,

and James, son of Alphaeus.

And there were Thaddaeus

and Simon the Zealot.

¹⁹ Judas Iscariot was one of them too. He was the one who was later going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.

While Mark describes Judas Iscariot as the one who would betray Jesus, Mark also describes how Jesus gives three of the disciples new names. To Simon, Jesus tells him that his name will be Peter, and to James and John, both sons of Zebedee, Jesus gives them the nickname, sons of thunder.

While this giving of new names might sound simple enough, I see in this action two important things we can look forward to:

First, by giving these first disciples new names, we can see a parallel and a symbol that Jesus is adopting them into His family. While we don’t know specifically the reasons Jesus chose Simon’s new name or the nickname for James and John, the whole idea of giving someone a new name can be found in what we see happen when a baby is adopted. The adopted parents choose the baby’s name, rather than the birth parent. When Jesus invited these followers to be disciples, He gave the closest three followers new names similar to what happens in an adoption scenario.

Secondly, this event foreshadows when God will give all of His people new names in heaven. When we have been recreated in the new heaven and new earth, we will be given a new name to go along with it. In this call of the first disciples, we see foreshadowing of what God will do for every believer who is saved for eternity.

In both inviting Judas Iscariot with the other eleven disciples, and by giving some of these first disciples new names, we see Jesus looking at the hearts of those present and showing us a little bit of what God is like. Part of me wonders if Jesus picked the least likely people to be part of His early disciples. We have a tax collector, a rebel, several fishermen, some introverted quiet guys, and the man who would eventually betray him.

Looking at this group of people, we see God, though Jesus, picking those who the religious, spiritual leaders would have written off, to be the ones to launch His Church into the last major section of history. God loves inviting the least likely people to make the biggest impact, and we can see His character revealed in how Jesus prayed the night before the selection, and how each of those Jesus picked revealed just a little more about who God is like and who Jesus came to this earth to save.

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

Be sure to seek God first and place Him first in your life. If you haven’t decided to follow Him fully, make that decision today!

Also, be sure to study the Bible for yourself to discover who Jesus really is. God has protected the Bible throughout the centuries so that we can know His Story, and we can discover who He is and what He is like through Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. A pastor or podcaster can give you things to think about, but God wants a personal relationship with you, with no one in the middle.

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 outright reject where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Occasionally, an event comes around where two different gospels include details that I want to include. It is that way in this event. While the disciples were walking through some fields with Jesus on the Sabbath, they decided to pick some grain to snack on because they were hungry. While this seems insignificant to us today, it violated a clear boundary line of acceptable vs. not acceptable things that should be done in the minds of the Pharisees living in the first century.

Matthew’s gospel, which is our focus passage for this episode, shares in greater detail Jesus’ counter argument to the Pharisee’s challenge, but I also feel like it would be a mistake to exclude Mark’s punch-line for this event, because it neatly summarizes Jesus’ key point so well. Because of this, while we will primarily read from Matthew’s gospel, which includes more detail, at the end of the passage, we’ll jump over to Mark to include his big conclusion for this event.

With that said, let’s read what happened. Our passage for this episode is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 12, and we will read it from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us that:

¹ At that time Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were hungry, so they began to pick the grain and eat it. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath day.”

³ Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry? ⁴ He went into God’s house, and he and those with him ate the holy bread, which was lawful only for priests to eat. ⁵ And have you not read in the law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests in the Temple break this law about the Sabbath day? But the priests are not wrong for doing that. ⁶ I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. ⁷ The Scripture says, ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.’ You don’t really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.

What I find interesting is that Jesus almost completely changes the subject. When the Pharisees challenge Jesus because of what His followers were doing, Jesus responds by focusing their attention on events in the past: focusing first on David, before then focusing on the priests who minister in the temple on the Sabbath. If the Pharisees are going to bring a technical challenge to Jesus, it seems as though Jesus technically challenges them back.

Jesus summarizes the intent of the law nicely when He wraps up these two points by saying in verses 6 and 7, “I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. The Scripture says, ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.’ You don’t really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.”

The point for us to grasp here is not that the law is irrelevant, because Jesus does not say that. Jesus says that in matters where the law stands in opposition of helping someone, the law takes second place in favor of helping the person needing help. That is what Jesus is saying in His quote. We could also summarize this by saying that kindness is more significant than ritual and symbolism.

Ritual and symbolism gain their meaning and value from looking at the past and looking into the future. The past brings value to these things when we look back and see how they helped those who came before us, and we look into the future and see what these things point towards.

In this passage, the Sabbath has been placed in the spotlight. Its significance comes from looking back and remembering creation, which the Exodus 4th commandment points us to do, and from looking at how God is a God who saves His people, as the Deuteronomy 4th commandment points us to do. The Sabbath as a symbol also gains value in the future because it reminds us each week that God is still present and working, and that He is preparing a place for us and will come again to bring us to Him.

For many living in the world today, the Sabbath has almost no value. While there are some people in the world today who look forward to taking a day each week to rest and focus on God, most people simply discount it as something that was pushed aside with Jesus dying on the cross.

However, while the Sabbath has value on the day itself, it also has value in orienting our lives throughout the week towards God. Every week, those who look forward to Sabbath experience the excitement and expectation of the Sabbath coming, and this is able to bring joy to the rest of the week. This would be similar to many people looking forward to the weekend when they are stuck in the middle of a difficult workweek. The Sabbath blessing extends both forward and backwards through time, both in the past as we have been able to rest and recharge, and into the future as we look forward to the next time we can rest, recharge, and remind ourselves of what God has done for us.

In contrast, kindness is only valuable in the present. Promising kindness in the future or remembering kindness that was done in the past is nice, and it may prompt us to change our actions in the present, but choosing to not be kind today in many ways invalidates the kindness that happened before.

All the kindness in the past means very little in light of the present moment’s opportunity for kindness.

I think this is what Jesus is trying to say here: in the present, God wants us to show kindness, but when remembering the past and planning for the future, we should focus on the truth of God’s teaching, and on the foundation He built for us.

The gospel of Mark nicely summarizes Jesus key wrap up statement for this event in chapter 2, verses 27 and 28:

²⁷ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made to help people; they were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day. ²⁸ So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.”

The Sabbath was made to help people. The Sabbath was mean to be something that people could stand on as a foundation to help their lives. At that time, the Pharisees and religious leaders had set up so many rules surrounding the Sabbath that it was no longer looked forward to. A Sabbath full of rules is dreaded not longed for.

This is not what God intended. God wanted the last day each week to be the high day, where people focused in on Him, on being with their family, and on everything He had blessed them with. I see nothing in the scriptures to change this focus for God’s special day. Jesus’ words here don’t diminish the Sabbath, they point to its true intent.

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. If you haven’t chosen to stop for a day each week to focus on God and spend time with your family, then choose to do so now. While in the Bible, the Sabbath meant a specific day of the week, if your life doesn’t allow you to take that day right now, don’t abandon the principle. Choose a different day, and if your life situation changes, then move towards aligning the principle found within this truth with the whole foundational truth of the fourth commandment.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, choose to take some time this week to pray and study the Bible for yourself. If you haven’t read or studied the Sabbath out before, choose this week to look for ways that Jesus interacted with the Sabbath. Our passage in this episode is one example, and there are many more throughout the gospels.

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!