Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Faith’s Missing Link: Mark 9:14-29 & Matthew 17:14-20

Published July 15, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Mark 9:14-29; Matthew 17:14-20 (NIV)

¹⁴When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

¹⁶“What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

¹⁷A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

¹⁹“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

²⁰So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²²“It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

²³“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

²⁴Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

²⁸After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁹He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

¹⁴When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. ¹⁵“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

¹⁷“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁰He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Read Mark 9:14-29; Matthew 17:14-20 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In these two passages on the same event, we find two of the most quoted phrases/promises Jesus ever said – but too many times, they are shared out of context, and because they are shared out of context, we lose some of the power behind them.

“Everything is possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23b)
“. . . if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Between these two verses, as well as a few others, a whole “self-help” movement has been launched within Christianity. I will be the first to say that this prompts mixed feelings in my own mind.

The very positive side of these phrases is that they empower individuals towards acting – and ideally acting in a way that can improve lives – both their lives and the lives of those they are around. Phrases such as these help individuals push forward and take on huge, “God-sized” dreams. There is power in believing you are capable of greatness, and belief is necessary for positive change.

However, when we only look at the secular application of these phrases (i.e. out of context), we miss out on some interesting spiritual truths. A father is bringing his son to Jesus for healing. While the father has doubts on whether Jesus can heal his son, he has enough faith/belief to try – to bring his son to Jesus. The first key to maximizing these phrases is that we are to be leading people to Jesus.

The second key is what Jesus tells His disciples when they ask Him why they couldn’t cast out the demon. After all, they had cast other demons out of people, so what was different about this situation? In Jesus’ response in Mark 9:29, we see prayer being another necessary key: “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Sometimes, we face circumstances that are not solvable by us, through quick wit, cleaver thinking, or anything else we can come up with. In these situations, the direction we must turn is to God, through prayer.

Through these two neglected keys, we can tap into the full power of these promises. However, while the out-of-context versions of these promises often lead people to focusing on themselves or others, the in-context versions of these promises prompt us to lead people to Jesus, lean on Jesus for our support, and look to Jesus for our guidance. This isn’t a “wait for Jesus to move before we start” idea, but instead, it is a challenge for us to get started and see where Jesus leads!

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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Fixing Our Mistakes: Matthew 17:24-27

Published July 14, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 17:24-27 (NCV)

²⁴When Jesus and his followers came to Capernaum, the men who collected the Temple tax came to Peter. They asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”

²⁵Peter answered, “Yes, Jesus pays the tax.”

Peter went into the house, but before he could speak, Jesus said to him, “What do you think? The kings of the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who pays the taxes—the king’s children or others?”

²⁶Peter answered, “Other people pay the taxes.”

Jesus said to Peter, “Then the children of the king don’t have to pay taxes. ²⁷But we don’t want to upset these tax collectors. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth and you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors for you and me.”

Read Matthew 17:24-27 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In a short, unique event that only Matthew’s gospel includes, we catch one of Jesus’ closest followers telling a lie to try and protect Jesus. When caught off guard with a question Peter wasn’t expecting, Peter’s immediate reaction is to give the response he believed those asking the question would want to hear, regardless of whether it was the truth or not.

Matthew tells us, “When Jesus and his followers came to Capernaum, the men who collected the Temple tax came to Peter. They asked, ‘Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?’” (v. 24)

In that time period, every Jew was expected to pay a small fee to help with the upkeep of the temple, so the question that these tax collectors make of Peter regarding Jesus is a fair one since Jesus is Jewish.

But instead of countering the question with another question, or simply deferring to asking Jesus personally, Peter answers with the response he believes they wanted to hear. Peter responded by saying, “Yes, Jesus pays the tax.” (v. 25)

Peter lied because he thought that this would protect Jesus and His reputation, but instead, it made him look foolish. However, what I find encouraging about this event is that instead of chastising or punishing Peter, Jesus simply offers him a way to redeem himself. While Jesus would have answered differently, He chooses to support the implications Peter made with his lie even if paying the tax wasn’t truly a requirement from God.

After explaining to Peter and the others how God has adopted us into His family, Jesus gives Peter instructions for how to acquire enough to pay the temple tax for both him and Jesus. This makes me wonder if Peter had avoided paying the tax himself in prior years.

This short, four verse event helps us see that God isn’t mad when we make mistakes or when we mess up. This event gives us hope that God will make a way forward for us after our mistakes, and a way that will redeem us from the foolish and/or incorrect things that we say without thinking.

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Flashback Episode — Setting Crucifixion’s Stage: John 12:1-11

Published July 13, 2026 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we have moved through our year looking at John’s gospel, we are just a little over half way through the year, but with how John’s gospel is written, we are about to slow down and focus in on the series of events leading Jesus to the cross. While Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead prompts the latest wave of religious opposition to Jesus, we now arrive at the week leading up to Jesus’ death. To start this week off, we find Jesus returning to Bethany and enjoying a special meal.

Within this meal, we discover several of the final pieces moving into place regarding Jesus being hoisted onto the cross a mere six days later.

Let’s read our passage and discover what happened. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 12, and we will read it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹Six days before Passover, Jesus arrived in Bethany. Lazarus, whom Jesus had brought back to life, lived there. ²Dinner was prepared for Jesus in Bethany. Martha served the dinner, and Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus.

³Mary took a bottle of very expensive perfume made from pure nard and poured it on Jesus’ feet. Then she dried his feet with her hair. The fragrance of the perfume filled the house.

⁴One of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray him, asked, ⁵“Why wasn’t this perfume sold for a high price and the money given to the poor?” ⁶(Judas didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the moneybag and carried the contributions.) ⁷Jesus said to Judas, “Leave her alone! She has done this to prepare me for the day I will be placed in a tomb. ⁸You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you.”

⁹A large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was in Bethany. So they went there not only to see Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had brought back to life. ¹⁰The chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too. ¹¹Lazarus was the reason why many people were leaving the Jews and believing in Jesus.

During this dinner, we can see three huge ideas present that are key details laying the foundation leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion.

The first detail we’ll focus on is the last one present in our passage, but the one that may have prompted this entire event. Verses 10 and 11 draw our attention onto an interesting side note: “The chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too. Lazarus was the reason why many people were leaving the Jews and believing in Jesus.”

In an interesting twist, the religious leaders want to not only kill Jesus, but they also decide they should kill the most significant person Jesus raised from the dead. Not only is this funny in my mind, since these religious leaders want to kill someone God wanted alive, but this detail also stresses how far these religious leaders were willing to break God’s law to suit their own purposes. If you’re wondering how I know God wanted Lazarus alive, I arrive at this conclusion using this simple logic: If God didn’t want Lazarus alive, Jesus would not have raised Lazarus from the dead.

However, the least contested commandment in all of God’s Ten Commandments is the command telling us to not kill, or in some translations, the command is to not murder. While warfare presents a unique situation in the Bible, the religious leaders plotting to kill both Jesus and Lazarus is a direct violation of this commandment, especially when framed in the way Jesus framed breaking the law in His famous Sermon on the Mount. I have no idea whether the religious leaders succeeded or followed through with their plans to kill Lazarus, but by plotting for Lazarus’ death, these religious leaders display a complete disregard for God and God’s Law even if they believed it was the only way to save the nation. In this event, John draws our attention to how far the religious leaders would be willing to go against the clearest commandment in God’s law.

However, not only this, but in this event, the stage is also set for Judas Iscariot’s betrayal. While John does not include the details of Judas Iscariot’s meeting with the religious leaders to set up his betrayal, John does tell us how offended Judas Iscariot was at Jesus reprimanding him for speaking out against Mary’s gift.

There is some speculation over what may have prompted Mary to give Jesus this gift. While Jesus uses it to foreshadow His upcoming death, Mary may have believed she was anointing Jesus before He would step into kingly glory – specifically into the Messiah that the first century Jewish culture believed the Messiah would take.

However, I wonder if Mary’s gift, which all the gospels describe as being a very expensive gift, was also subtly a way of saying “Thank You” to Jesus for returning Lazarus back to life. Jesus did not raise Lazarus from the tomb in order to be paid, however, there was no taking this gift back, and Mary knew it. In a powerful way, Mary’s gift to Jesus said thank you to Him for all of Jesus’ kindness, generosity, mercy, and help that He had given to Martha and her. It is very possible that Jesus had healed Mary from demon possession, Jesus had taken a personal interest in their family, and Jesus had raised her brother from death. Mary knew this perfume was the best she had, but even her best gift could not come close to repaying Jesus for everything He had done for her.

Judas Iscariot, who John tells us was only thinking selfishly, doesn’t care about the gift Mary gives to Jesus, only the amount that he could have pocketed while the other disciples were not paying attention. Because Jesus validates Mary’s gift and insults him in the process, Judas Iscariot then seeks out the religious leaders in order to betray Jesus.

However, Judas Iscariot likely wasn’t paying very close attention, because Jesus attributes Mary’s gift in this event to something that none of those present would have guessed. With Mary’s expensive gift, Jesus attributes this sacrifice to preparing His body for burial, which logically only happens after one has died. This is significant, because regardless of when this death and burial would happen, the Jewish culture believed the Messiah would last forever, and lasting forever does not include death and burial.

Except that in Jesus’ case, lasting forever does include a death and burial, because following Jesus’ death and burial is a resurrection. While the disciples should have known this, the gospels tell us that they were too afraid to ask the questions they needed to ask to understand this truth. The disciples missed knowing God’s plan for Jesus’ life before Jesus died, was buried, and was raised from the dead.

As followers of Jesus, we have foreshadowing in Jesus’ experience. In our own lives, we may face death and burial, but if we do, when we fall asleep with our faith in Jesus, we rest in peace awaiting a resurrection. Jesus defeated death, and when we have allied with Jesus, death cannot and will not defeat us. With Jesus, even if we rest in His peace, our lives are safe waiting for resurrection when we place our trust in Him!

While this event sets the stage for Jesus’ crucifixion on a number of levels, we are also assured that through Jesus’ death, we can have a new life with God, and our new life with God can begin today and extend into eternity!

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 choose to place your faith, your hope, your trust, and your belief in Him. Trust that regardless of what happens in this life, when we have allied with Jesus, our future is safe with God. Our future is eternity with Jesus!

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and move closer to God. Through regular prayer and Bible study, develop a solid foundation for your relationship with God and discover what God wants to teach you personally through His Word. While other people can have interesting ideas, filter what you read, see, and hear through the truth found in the Bible.

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!

Flashback Episode: Year in John – Episode 28: A little less than a week before Jesus’ crucifixion, discover how an honorary dinner leads to several key pieces moving in place for Jesus’ crucifixion, and discover why this matters to us living today.

Surprise Return: Mark 13:32-37

Published July 10, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Mark 13:32-37 (CEV)

³²No one knows the day or the time. The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows. ³³So watch out and be ready! You don’t know when the time will come. ³⁴It is like what happens when a man goes away for a while and places his servants in charge of everything. He tells each of them what to do, and he orders the guard to keep alert. ³⁵So be alert! You don’t know when the master of the house will come back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or in the morning. ³⁶But if he comes suddenly, don’t let him find you asleep. ³⁷I tell everyone just what I have told you. Be alert!

Read Mark 13:32-37 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

During one of the times Jesus was teaching His followers, He shifts His attention onto the time of His return when the disciples ask Him when the end will come. After Jesus describes what the world would be like leading up to His return, He tells the disciples something that may have even shocked them, and it is something that could easily shock us as well if we truly understand its implications.

After sharing His description of the end time, Jesus tells His followers, “No one knows the day or the time. The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows.” (v. 32)

Let this idea sink in for a moment. The angels and Jesus Himself don’t know when the second coming will be, and if Jesus is speaking truth here, it would be incredibly arrogant for someone (a human) to think they have figured out a code or secret that the Holy Spirit inspired into the pages of the Bible. If only the Father knows, then the Holy Spirit would be speculating if He inspired clues on the specific date and time of Jesus’ return.

Some people might point to the “present tense” nature of Jesus’ words. In theory, Jesus and some angels could know this information now while they didn’t know it back then. However, this is also complete speculation, because nothing I’ve read in the scripture implies that this information will be shared before the Father announces it and pulls heaven together for the trip to earth at the end of time.

Jesus’ key point for us to remember comes in the next five verses: “So watch out and be ready! You don’t know when the time will come. It is like what happens when a man goes away for a while and places his servants in charge of everything. He tells each of them what to do, and he orders the guard to keep alert. So be alert! You don’t know when the master of the house will come back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or in the morning. But if he comes suddenly, don’t let him find you asleep. I tell everyone just what I have told you. Be alert!” (v. 33-37)

Jesus’ return will be a surprise to almost everyone. About the only people who won’t be surprised will be the ones who are alert and living as though He could come back today. This does not mean that they know this, but that they are prepared for Him to come back at every moment in their lives.

If Jesus comes suddenly, we should not let Him catch us asleep or away from what He has called us to. Jesus calls us to “Be alert” and this means that we should be alert at every moment. While the passage doesn’t say that Jesus will return suddenly, the flip side of this idea is that our lives may end suddenly.

If our lives end before Jesus has returned, then will our last breaths be ones where we are “alert” and moving forward on the mission He has for our lives, or will they be breaths that sound like snoring as we are fast asleep?

The big idea I see in Jesus’ words is that we should live as though He is returning today, while also balancing the likelihood that He might not come this year. Jesus only has to return once, and since no one knows when that will be, we must embrace and manage the tension that comes with living like He will arrive today (which would be nice), with the wisdom that directs our daily decisions in a way that is smart if He were to delay another year or more. No one in the universe knows the day or the time of Jesus’ return. The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows.

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