Reflective Bible Study

If you have ever been confused or surprised by something Jesus did, you may be surprised to discover that you have something in common with the Pharisees and scribes in the first century. Hopefully you don’t have too much in common with them, but as we will soon discover, something Jesus regularly did prompted these religious leaders to wonder why Jesus acted the way He did.

While this event, passage, and illustration are within the most famous and well known portions of the gospels, let’s begin by reading the verses leading up to the parables Jesus shared to understand what prompted Jesus to share them.

Our passage for this episode is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 15, and let’s read it using the New American Standard Bible. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us:

¹ Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. ² Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Let’s pause reading here. To set the stage for the parable Jesus is about to share with those present, Luke tells us two key details describing the scene.

First, we have Jesus attracting all the bad people in that society. We could specifically call these people those who the religious leaders looked down on. Tax collectors were considered traitors to Judaism and Israel, and sinners were people who were clearly living contrary to God’s will. These two groups liked being around Jesus and listening to Him.

It is as though these two groups enjoyed listening to Jesus because they could feel as though He liked them as people. Not once do I read that Jesus condoned their lifestyles, their occupation, or their sins, but He also didn’t condemn them either. Jesus cared for both tax collectors and sinners as real people and He spoke to their lives and hearts accordingly.

While the religious leaders clearly looked down on some of the other groups of people coming to listen to Jesus, something else was beginning to take shape. Among those who considered themselves spiritual and right with God, Luke describes grumbling that took place because of what this group saw Jesus doing.

Most people who have spent any significant length of time reading the gospels understood that the Pharisees and other religious leaders in the first century had taken a very legalistic view of the law, and in many ways, they had taken their legalism farther than God had intended.

While following and obeying the law is a good thing, the religious leaders had let pride infect their lives, because they had shifted their focus onto being judgmental towards anyone and everyone who failed to keep the law. Actually, the situation was a little worse than this, because, the law that the Pharisees and other religious leaders held up as the standard was a law they created to keep people from coming anywhere close to breaking God’s actual law. It would be like the posted speed limit of a road being 80 miles per hour, and the officers handing out tickets to anyone who traveled faster than 55.

The religious leaders’ legalistic and judgmental attitude had gone on so long that there was a great divide in the first century culture, with the religious people staying in their group and ignoring or judging those outside of the group, and those outside of the religious circle wanting nothing to do with those inside of it.

When Jesus entered history and began His ministry, everyone on both sides of the spiritual divide understood that Jesus was different. Jesus walked and talked in a way that was more intelligent and informed than the most educated religious leader, but He socialized and focused on those outside of the spiritual clique. Jesus followed and obeyed all of God’s laws, though He often pushed against and broke the religious leaders’ legalistic barrier laws when someone needed help. Jesus seemed to throw all rules aside when someone needed assistance, encouragement, or healing.

Because Jesus’ ministry was unlike anything that had happened up to that point, the religious leaders had a difficult time categorizing it. Would these religious leaders categorize Jesus as a rabbi, a doctor, a revolutionary, or something else? They never considered that Jesus came for something greater than any of the roles they wanted to place Him in. The last thing on anyone’s mind in that culture was that Jesus included death on a cross as a part of His great plan.

So the Pharisees and scribes grumble about what Jesus is doing and who He has chosen to associate with.

Hearing the religious leaders’ grumbling, Jesus then shares three parables about what God is like, often called the Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. With the time we have left, we can focus on the first two of these parables, and we’ll leave the third one for another episode.

Continuing reading from Luke 15, starting in verse 3:

³ So He [Jesus] told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

⁸ “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Jesus’ point in these two parables is clear: God values people, and He rejoices when people who have fallen away or who were previously lost return to Him.

The underlying message in both these parables is that the social walls that the Pharisees, scribes, and other religious people had set up was stopping God’s mission of helping people be drawn back to Him. All the judgment and expectations placed on those who might have even considered returning to God was enough to turn off all but the most dedicated person. Unfortunately, the most dedicated person would likely end up as another judgmental Pharisee.

Jesus challenges us in these two parables as well. Jesus’ challenge for His followers at every point in history is to not put barriers or expectations in peoples’ way that keep them from returning to God. If you set up expectations or barriers between God and sinners, than you are being more like a Pharisee and less like Jesus.

Looking at the details of these parables from the opposite perspective, if you feel like you need to change before you can begin moving towards God, you are believing one of Satan’s most powerful lies. The lost sheep and lost coin never “found” the shepherd or woman. The opposite happened: The shepherd and woman, who both represent God, find that which was lost.

Imagine for a moment what would happen if all the barriers to returning to God were erased and if the only thing needed was simply “repenting” which is another way of saying that one turns away from sin.

According to this parable, the decision to repent and return to God is all that is needed for a celebration in heaven, and every moment that we keep our decision to keep God first in our lives keeps the celebration in heaven going. Repenting of sin and focusing on Jesus is all that is needed to return to God.

Being found and saved from sin doesn’t get any simpler than this – and it’s the way Jesus modeled for us as His followers.

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 place your focus on God as the first priority in your life. Choose to seek God first and stay connected with Him.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself – especially the four gospels – to learn what God is like through what we see in Jesus. While other people can give you ideas to think about, always take what you see, read, and hear and test it against the truth of the Bible. The Bible has stood as a reliable guide for life for thousands of years, and it will outlast any fad that culture wants to push for a generation or two.

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

While reading the gospels, and while seeing how Jesus interacted with various people in many unique circumstances, I am amazed that Jesus is able to deal with each situation uniquely. Perhaps this is simply because the unique events are the ones that are remembered in a sea of regular, or unspectacular, healings. Perhaps it is also true that Jesus reused many of His illustrations and parables, but instead of simply reusing them word-for-word, He would adapt them to the groups He was speaking to.

I am also amazed that Jesus taught directly to what He saw going on around Him, whether it was because He was that observant, or because the Holy Spirit shared the thoughts of the crowd or the thoughts of certain people in the crowd with Him.

With all this in mind, we may be tempted to discount something Jesus says because it appears that it was only for one person in one specific instance. While I won’t speak for every case that the gospels include, there may be some such statements, but even statements that are for specific people in specific circumstances carry a theme, and that theme is something we can use when thinking about what Jesus might say to someone living today.

Our passage for this episode contains one example of a statement and illustration that we might be tempted to think was only for a specific person or group, but it also contains a powerful theme that is timeless. Let’s read what happens from the gospel of Luke, chapter 14, using the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 7, Luke tells us:

⁷ Then Jesus noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited. ⁹ Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor. ¹⁰ So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored. ¹¹ Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”

Let’s pause briefly here because Jesus just spoke into a specific situation, but then He directly shared a big picture principle: “Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”

Continuing reading in verse 12, Luke goes on to say:

¹² Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you invite people for lunch or dinner, don’t invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they will return the favor. ¹³ Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way to pay you back. You will be paid back when those who have God’s approval come back to life.”

While there are several things I could bring out from this response Jesus gives, I will hold back and simply say that while this statement sounds like a specific instruction for a specific person, it also contains a theme that is much more timeless. The clue to seeing evidence of a theme here is that Jesus pushes the focus forward onto the resurrection of God’s people.

This means that Jesus could speak something similar to almost anyone living at any point prior to the resurrection of God’s people, because the theme in Jesus’ statement would be just as applicable. The powerful theme I see included here is that we are to show grace, kindness, and love towards those who cannot repay us back. While we shouldn’t neglect our friends, family, or other relatives, we should be extra intentional about including those who might not be able to pay us back or return the favor.

Jesus implies here that we will be paid back for our kindness at some point in the future. Our kindness will be repaid either in this life, by the people we chose to help, or in the next life by God who saw this kindness and is happy to repay it with kindness + interest.

Luke then tells us in verse 15 that:

¹⁵ One of those eating with him heard this. So he said to Jesus, “The person who will be at the banquet in God’s kingdom is blessed.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. ¹⁷ When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready now.’

¹⁸ “Everyone asked to be excused. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to see it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to see how well they plow. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ Still another said, ‘I recently got married, and that’s why I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant went back to report this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry. He told his servant, ‘Run to every street and alley in the city! Bring back the poor, the handicapped, the blind, and the lame.’

²² “The servant said, ‘Sir, what you’ve ordered has been done. But there is still room for more people.’

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go to the roads and paths! Urge the people to come to my house. I want it to be full. ²⁴ I can guarantee that none of those invited earlier will taste any food at my banquet.’”

What is amazing to me most about this parable is the statement that prompts it, especially when you contrast it with what happens in the parable itself.

Someone sitting near Jesus makes a general statement that those who are included in the banquet in God’s kingdom are really blessed. It is worth noting that Jesus does not deny the man’s statement. Instead, He draws our attention onto a sobering reality that those who are God’s first choice to be included seem to value their invitation the least. The parable ends with the man, who represents God the Father, filling the banquet hall so full of other people that those who had rejected the invitation wouldn’t even be able to fit if they decided to come later – or at the very least, there would be no food left for them.

This illustration comes directly as a response to talking about the banquet in God’s kingdom, so it is not difficult to conclude that the banquet in Jesus’ illustration refers to the banquet in God’s kingdom. What is the most challenging theme for us – or at least for me – to wrap my head around is the idea of someone rejecting this incredible invitation. Was Jesus talking about those in the Jewish nation rejecting the invitation, while Christians are safe because they were “invited” second? Or is this illustration less about nationality and more about the state of our hearts and us choosing to put everything else aside when God calls us home to Him?

I am inclined to believe more along the lines of the second idea, because I can see people living today, even people who call themselves Christians, who seem to have taken their relationship with God for granted. These “convenience Christians” believe in a once saved, then-you-can-never-be-lost-no-matter-what-you-do-or-decide form of being saved, and they are almost indistinguishable from someone who truly doesn’t know God. I picture these people as taking their relationship with God for granted, and taking one’s relationship with God for granted is how someone guarantees that they will miss out on God’s banquet feast.

As we come to the close of another podcast episode, let me leave you with a set of challenges related to this key idea:

Intentionally value your relationship with God today. While I am positive your relationship with Him will be 100 times better in heaven, this shouldn’t be an excuse for us to neglect God today. If we ignore or neglect Him today, we might miss the point when He invites us to His banquet thinking that we still have time left. Instead, take each day and value the time that you spend in prayer and study with Him. This way, you will be in tune with what He is up to in the world around you.

Speaking of taking time each day to spend in prayer and study, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself so that you can learn firsthand from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. While commentaries, pastors, or even the occasional podcaster can prompt ideas, nothing and no one can replace the value of personal, regular time in prayer and Bible study. If you depend on others, you can only learn as much as they have learned – which may be less than what God really wants to teach you.

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 neglect the mission and place God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

When reading the events in the gospels, we find several big themes present through the ministry of Jesus Christ. One of these themes draws our attention onto where Jesus’ life was headed.

While we don’t often think of Jesus as being a goal setter, or a strategist, we can see through many of the events in His life that He was intentionally walking a path that He knew the end to.

However, while there are several clear examples of Jesus intentionally knowing and stating where His life was headed, the event we are focusing on in our passage for this episode is not a place we might expect this theme to appear, and I wonder if there is more nuance present in this passage and event than we have recorded.

Our passage for this episode is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 13, and we will read it using the New Century Version. To set the stage for what Jesus shares, let’s start reading in verse 31, where Luke tells us that:

³¹ At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away from here! Herod wants to kill you!”

³² Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox Herod, ‘Today and tomorrow I am forcing demons out and healing people. Then, on the third day, I will reach my goal.’ ³³ Yet I must be on my way today and tomorrow and the next day. Surely it cannot be right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.

³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me. ³⁵ Now your house is left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me until that time when you will say, ‘God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

While it is easy to miss in this passage, did you see Jesus hint at His mission in this passage?

This hint is found in the last sentence of verse 32: “Then, on the third day, I will reach my goal.” Verse 33 follows up with a similar today and tomorrow, but instead of saying “on the third day”, it simply says “the next day”. This slight shift in wording tells me that Jesus’ initial phrase is distinct and significant from His follow-up one.

When looking at this passage and event, several details stand out in my mind. First off, the whole setting of this event and discussion is interesting. The passage begins with some Pharisees, who probably didn’t really like Jesus being around, bringing Him a warning that He should leave because Herod wanted to kill Him. While this is a noble gesture and it was a legitimate threat when Jesus was a baby (though it was a different Herod then), the cynical side of me wonders if the Pharisees are masking their desires by putting words in the governor’s mouth.

An equally interesting angle to frame this event is if these religious leaders met with Herod and made the case for wanting to put Jesus to death. If these leaders met with Herod, this would allow them to be among the first to know of the plot, and providing a very truthful valid warning to get Jesus to leave their area. This would be similar to saying that these leaders prompted Herod to respond in a certain way so they could then push Jesus to leave their region with a legitimate threat – all while making someone else the villain.

However, Jesus’ response to these Pharisees and to Herod is also interesting. First, He takes a stab at the governor by calling him a fox, and then He basically tells everyone present that Jerusalem is His final destination. Part of me wonders if this message made it back to Herod, and if this message was one of the reasons Herod was in Jerusalem on the Passover weekend Jesus was crucified.

Aside from Herod’s presence in Jerusalem being documented, we don’t know why He was there, outside of his jurisdiction, except for this message that Jesus sends through the religious leaders back to him.

However, let’s shift our attention back to Jesus’ goal and the subtle hint Jesus shares about His mission. By using the phrase, “The third day”, Jesus isn’t looking directly at the cross, but at the resurrection after having faced the cross and dying the death we all deserved. On crucifixion day, Jesus gave His life for us. On the second day, the Sabbath, Jesus rested following completing the work of salvation. On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave victorious.

While Jesus’ message about the first two days focus on casting out demons and healing people, the spiritual significance of these actions is the same spiritual reason He came to face the cross. Jesus came to redeem people from sin, from Satan, and from this sin-stained world. Healing people and casting out demons are the individual specific ways Jesus saved individual people, while dying on the cross was Jesus’ way to redeem humanity when Adam sinned. Paul frames this truth as Adam’s sin infecting the human race with sin, while Jesus’ sacrifice redeems humanity and opens the way for our salvation.

This slightly odd and unassuming passage in Luke’s gospel amazingly and clearly foreshadows both the cross and the resurrection. Jesus’ current, daily goal is forcing out demons and healing people, but that all leads up to His life’s big mission, where He gives His life for us on that Passover, Easter weekend.

With Jesus being victorious over sin and with His resurrection that shows us His sacrifice was accepted, what will you do with the gift Jesus offers to you? While we still live in a sin-filled world, will you accept Jesus’ sacrifice on your behalf to accept the gift He offers you of a new life with Him? Jesus offers to take our sin-stained lives to the cross and give us His perfect life in replacement. His perfect life allows us to take part in the resurrection of God’s people and to share in God’s universe-wide victory celebration over sin when Jesus returns to bring God’s people home.

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 place God first. Put the God who placed your life ahead of His life as your primary focus. Let the God who focused His mission on redeeming you to lead and direct your life moving forward. Never belittle your value in the face of the value God placed on your life. He gave His life for yours. He showed the universe through His sacrifice that you are worth more to Him than His own life! Never think of your worth as being less than the value of God’s sacrifice for you.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself. While other people can give you ideas to think about, always take what you learn and filter it through the truth that the Bible teaches. And, intentionally test your assumptions about what the Bible teaches against what the Bible actually teaches. Always take time to study the Bible, because it will help keep your mind sharp and your focus on 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 give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

When reading the gospels, it is easy to see that Jesus fulfilled all of prophecy’s requirements for the Messiah God would send when we look back on these events. However, during Jesus’ life, before the gospel writers had neatly pieced everything together, only those who were truly paying attention to what was happening saw the parallels. In many cases, the Pharisees and other religious leaders saw many of the things Jesus did as trying to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, but they had already written Jesus off because He didn’t fit every characteristic of the Messiah that they had pieced together.

In our passage for this episode, which happens part way through Jesus’ ministry, enough time has passed for the people living in that part of the first century to know Jesus was special, and that He was sent from God. What they didn’t understand was whether He was truly the Messiah God had promised.

So in our passage, the crowd asks Jesus directly. Let’s read what happens and how Jesus responds. Our passage is found in the gospel of John, chapter 10, and we will be reading out of the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 22, John tells us that:

²² It was winter, and the Festival of the Dedication of the Temple was being celebrated in Jerusalem. ²³ Jesus was walking in Solomon’s Porch in the Temple, ²⁴ when the people gathered around him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? Tell us the plain truth: are you the Messiah?”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “I have already told you, but you would not believe me. The deeds I do by my Father’s authority speak on my behalf; ²⁶ but you will not believe, for you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me. ²⁹ What my Father has given me is greater than everything, and no one can snatch them away from the Father’s care.

If Jesus had stopped talking at this point, the crowd would have simply been offended that Jesus had just told them they were not part of God’s “family-gift” to Jesus. Jesus’ words up to this point are challenging, because they basically tell those present that their unbelief has already excluded them, and if they had been paying attention, they would already know the answer to their question. In some ways, this echoes the religious leaders demand for a sign – even though no sign could be powerful enough to convince their stubborn hearts.

But Jesus continues, because He wants to push this crowd deeper, and He wants to challenge their thinking. Picking back up in verse 30, Jesus continues by saying,

³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

³¹ Then the people again picked up stones to throw at him. ³² Jesus said to them, “I have done many good deeds in your presence which the Father gave me to do; for which one of these do you want to stone me?”

³³ They answered, “We do not want to stone you because of any good deeds, but because of your blasphemy! You are only a man, but you are trying to make yourself God!”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written in your own Law that God said, ‘You are gods.’ ³⁵ We know that what the scripture says is true forever; and God called those people gods, the people to whom his message was given. ³⁶ As for me, the Father chose me and sent me into the world. How, then, can you say that I blaspheme because I said that I am the Son of God? ³⁷ Do not believe me, then, if I am not doing the things my Father wants me to do. ³⁸ But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, you should at least believe my deeds, in order that you may know once and for all that the Father is in me and that I am in the Father.”

³⁹ Once more they tried to seize Jesus, but he slipped out of their hands.

⁴⁰ Jesus then went back again across the Jordan River to the place where John had been baptizing, and he stayed there. ⁴¹ Many people came to him. “John performed no miracles,” they said, “but everything he said about this man was true.” ⁴² And many people there believed in him.

The way John the apostle concludes this passage is powerful. In some ways, it echoes the conclusion of several previous events in his gospel. This conclusion draws our attention to the comparison between John the Baptist, who the people believed God had sent to point them to the Messiah, and Jesus Himself. When comparing Jesus and John the Baptist, the crowd observed that John the Baptist performed no miracles, but everything he had described to them about the coming Messiah directly described Jesus. It is for this reason John the gospel writer tells us that many more people believed in Jesus.

However, it is interesting to note Jesus’ closing argument as well, because it is powerful and it reveals some important pieces of human nature. Up to this point, the people wanted to grab Jesus and stone Him to death for claiming to be God, and blasphemy of this sort was punishable by death. But Jesus first diffuses their argument by pointing out that the writings of the Old Testament describes a certain group of individuals as gods (and this is gods with a lower case “g”).

Jesus then quickly backs up this statement with something they all can agree on, specifically that what the scripture says is true forever. Jesus then qualifies this argument by describing how the people who received God with a capital “G”, are called gods with a lower case “g”.

Next, Jesus then draws the focus back onto His claim, and specifically the portion of it that simply said that God (capital “G”) had chosen Him and sent Him into the world. Jesus then finishes the counter-argument by stating that it is not blasphemy to claim something that had already been defined in the Old Testament scriptures.

But Jesus then goes on to give these people an escape clause, or an out. If those present believe that Jesus had drifted or gone against what God, with a capital “G”, would have Him do, then they should discount these claims and simply believe in Him based on the miracles and good things He had done.

Earlier in this passage, the people had already validated their idea that the things Jesus had done were good. It was not for any “thing” Jesus had done that they wanted to stone Him for, but simply for the words that He spoke. Here at the end of Jesus’ challenge to them, Jesus tells them that if they still don’t believe in His claims, that they should at least believe in the truth that He was sent by God the Father because of the miracles they had witnessed. Only then would they begin to realize the truth about Him, specifically that there was an undeniable connection between Jesus and God the Father.

But the people were not ready to make that leap of faith towards Jesus, and they tried to grab Jesus to stone Him, but they were unable to. After making His statement and challenge, Jesus left there and went to another place. Jesus wanted to give these people time to think about what He had said.

What Jesus describes in this passage is powerful for all of us. In essence, Jesus says that a person’s reason for believing in Him doesn’t matter. What matters is simply that someone believes in Him. People could believe in Jesus based on His teaching; or based on what John described Jesus to be; or because Jesus was a miracle worker; or because they believed the symbol of the lamb that had been sacrificed pointed forward to Someone taking their place.

For all those living prior to Jesus’ ministry, they only had the symbol of the Lamb, but after Jesus, we now have numerous other reasons to believe. According to what Jesus tells this crowd, it doesn’t matter which reason (or reasons) we choose to believe. What matters is that we put our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Him.

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

Continue to seek God first in your life and pick a reason, really any reason, to put your faith in Jesus. Instead of taking the skeptic’s route and looking for ways we should not believe, take the friend’s route and look for ways and things that we can believe in about Jesus. When we look for belief-worthy aspects of Jesus and His character, we are able to find plenty of validation.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn just who Jesus was, and who He is. Jesus is living forever in Heaven, and aside from His body undergoing a restoration at His resurrection, Jesus’ love, character, mission, and heart have not changed from when He was walking around with the disciples in the first century. The description of Jesus in the gospels, and what the early church modeled are the two best examples we have to learn who Jesus is and what He is like.

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!