Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Slavery or Adoption: John 8:31-59

Published August 1, 2025 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 8:31-59 (NIV)

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

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

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

³⁹“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read John 8:31-59 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Part way through Jesus’ ministry, as He was speaking to a crowd of Jews in the temple during a festival, Jesus shares a powerful statement about slavery and sin. John’s gospel includes this message Jesus shared, as well as some details the Jews might not have been ready to accept.

John tells us Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (v. 34-36)

The first statement Jesus makes in these verses is profound: “everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” While we would like to think slavery is something that we are erasing from the world, perhaps it is something that is not possible to do while sin is present in the world. Jesus’ statement doesn’t leave any flexibility when it comes to freedom for someone who is actively sinning.

The next statement Jesus makes is powerful as well: “a slave has no permanent place in the family.” While this sounds cruel to think about, someone who is a slave or who has been hired to help in a home may develop close friendships with those in the family, but they are not a part of the family simply because they are present. In this second statement, Jesus is drawing a parallel that someone who sins is a slave and as a slave, he/she is not part of the family.

The third statement switches our perspective because Jesus then tells us: “a son belongs to it [the family] forever.” While Jesus is hinting at Himself as a member of the family, He is really setting the stage for former slaves being freed and adopted into His family. In the third statement, Jesus begins to give us hope that we are not always destined to be slaves to sin.

The last statement in these verses tell us: “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jesus draws our attention now onto Himself being the original Son (or first Son, or eldest Son) in God’s family. This last statement is a promise that Jesus can free us from sin, and that He is willing to adopt us into God’s family where we are truly free.

But the catch we don’t often realize is that the freedom we are invited into when God adopts us is a freedom from sinful desires and from choosing sin. Jesus can set us free, and when He does, if we choose to return to a life of sin with our freedom then we essentially are telling God we reject His offer and would rather be a slave.

With God through Jesus, a sinless life is possible. This does not mean we live a life without mistakes, but it does mean we live a life where our thoughts and desires are focused on God and living as He directs. Living an entire life without sinning at some point is not possible for us, but focusing on Jesus and on living for Him can make our future lives sinless even if our future lives are not “mistakeless”. Living with Jesus in this way tells God we accept the adoption He offers us into His family.

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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Staying Silent: Isaiah 53:7

Published July 31, 2025 in Audio Journal Entries

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As we continue moving forward in our year looking at connecting points between Jesus’ life and the Old Testament, and prophecies that Jesus fulfilled while He was here on earth, we come to a prophecy that seems simple on the surface, while also being a prophecy that must have been overlooked or misunderstood for those living in the first century. Moving through the sequence of smaller events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, not only was the betrayal, oppression, and hostility predicted and foreshadowed, which we’ve focused some of our previous podcast episodes on, but so was Jesus’ response when He was accused.

Let’s read the verse that contains this prophecy. While I am tempted to read more of the chapter that this verse contains, the chapter itself is so powerful that it would be easy to let it derail us regarding this verse’s significance. However, don’t be surprised if we look back to this chapter filled with prophecy a few more times prior to the end of our year podcasting about Jesus’ life.

Our verse and prophecy for this episode is found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 53, and we will read from the New American Standard Bible translation. In verse 7, Isaiah writes of the Messiah:

⁷He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.

In this brief verse, we discover that the Messiah God would send, when He was being accused and condemned, would not open His mouth to respond. In an amazing way, while the gospels do include a small number of statements Jesus makes during His trial, and John’s gospel includes a short conversation Jesus has with Pilate, it appears as though the gospels emphasize Jesus’ preference for simply remaining silent.

In Mark’s gospel, chapter 14, starting in verse 53, we read what happened when Jesus was brought before the religious leaders. Mark tells us that:

⁵³They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. ⁵⁴Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. ⁵⁵Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. ⁵⁶For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. ⁵⁷Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, ⁵⁸“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” ⁵⁹Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. ⁶⁰The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” ⁶¹But He kept silent and did not answer.

According to Mark’s gospel, Jesus stayed silent and did not answer the charges and false testimony that was being spoken about Him. Looking at the bigger narrative, it is only after the chief priest demands an answer in a way that Jesus could not stay silent that Jesus opens His mouth to speak. Oddly enough, if Jesus had stayed silent or acted mute for this entire event, I suspect that the religious leaders’ trial would have fallen completely apart, especially after what we just read in Mark’s gospel was happening during the point when Jesus was silent.

Moving forward, Mark’s gospel then describes Jesus’ trial before Pilate. Mark, chapter 15, opens in verse 1 by saying:

¹Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. ²Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” ³The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. ⁴Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” ⁵But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

It would seem according to Mark’s gospel, that Jesus preferred to stay silent than to speak. Even the answer Mark tells us Jesus gave Pilate is not much of an answer. Jesus’ response doesn’t deny Pilate’s assertion, but it also doesn’t really speak strongly in its favor. It is almost like Jesus responded with something like, “Those are your words” or “If that is what you would like to believe or claim.” However, after the religious leaders start accusing Jesus, Jesus stops talking and remains quiet.

Jumping over to Luke’s gospel, we discover that Pilate sent Jesus over to Herod, who also happened to be in Jerusalem at that time. In Luke’s gospel, chapter 23, starting in verse 8, Luke tells us that:

⁸[Now] Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. ⁹And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. ¹⁰And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. ¹¹And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.

In Luke’s description of this event, everyone present openly mocked and taunted Jesus while He stayed silent. Nothing Jesus could say would bring God glory, and nothing Jesus could do would fit better into God’s plan than simply staying silent.

In an amazing fulfillment of prophecy, while Satan used the religious leaders at every point in Jesus’ trial to push Jesus to speak, Jesus only truly spoke when He chose to, and the points in time where Jesus chose to speak that morning were few and far between.

It is interesting in my mind that Jesus would choose to stay silent. While staying silent when being accused does not technically admit guilt, one could logically conclude that it assumes guilt because it would be very easy to deny whatever accusation was claimed.

When Jesus stayed silent, He assumed our guilt without admitting to anything. If Jesus had cut through the accusations with the spoken word of truth, everything in the trials Jesus faced would be exposed as a fraud. Looking at every other challenge the religious leaders bring Jesus’ way prompts us to conclude that Jesus was perfectly capable of besting the logic and traps of the religious leaders. The only reason for Jesus to stay silent was because He actively chose to do so.

By staying silent, Jesus assumed our guilt on His journey to the cross. By dying the death He did not deserve, Jesus made redemption possible for those who choose to accept Jesus’ life in place of our own. For those who give up their lives in favor of Jesus’ life, He promises redemption and a home in a perfectly recreated New Heaven and New Earth where there won’t be any more pain, disease, sin, or even death.

Jesus stayed silent for you and for me, because His goal was making salvation possible for God’s people.

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

As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to place your hope, faith, trust, and belief in Jesus. Accept the gift of His life in exchange for yours, and let Him transform you from the inside as you move through life with Him.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow personally closer to God and to Jesus each and every day. While pastors, authors, speakers, or even podcasters have ideas to share, take everything you read, see, and hear and test these ideas against the truth found within the Bible. Within the Bible, discover a God who loves you more than you could possibly imagine.

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!

Year of Prophecy – Episode 31: In a powerful verse tucked within a larger prophetic chapter, discover one characteristic of the Messiah that Jesus fulfilled in an amazing, virtually God-like way.

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Living with Secrets: Matthew 1:18-25

Published July 30, 2025 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 1:18-25 (NASB)

For this journal entry, we will look a little closer at one of the events in Jesus’ birth, and uncover a truth that I found especially interesting. This truth is hidden in plain sight, but it is easy to miss if you read this story without paying attention.

In verse 25 we read, “but [Joseph] kept her [Mary] a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”

While Joseph had planned to send Mary away silently to not publicly disgrace her, an angel in a dream convinced him otherwise. We don’t know if their wedding was the next day, or if it happened at a future date, or if Jesus was conceived weeks or months before. If Mary raced off to be with Elizabeth for three months prior to her wedding, then it would be very possible that Jesus would have clearly appeared to have been conceived outside of marriage. However, if all this happened before or right around the same time with Joseph and Mary traveling to see Elizabeth and Zechariah immediately following their marriage (a.k.a. honeymoon), then it would have looked to outsiders that Jesus was a honeymoon baby.

We know from reading Matthew that Joseph kept Mary as a virgin until after Jesus was born – but to everyone else looking at the scene, it probably would have looked as though Jesus was Joseph’s son.

This is significant because often times in our own lives, each family has secrets that they don’t want to share and/or they don’t feel are either believable or relevant for others to know. Perhaps it is simply a countercultural choice that the couple has made that they don’t want to share for fear it will cause division, or perhaps it is a dark secret that has brought the family shame in the past and they would rather it be erased from their history.

At any rate, Joseph and Mary had an incredible and unbelievable family secret, and Joseph accepted the reality that it meant, and chose to raise Jesus as his own Son. Joseph stepped into the unbelievable, and became the earthly father to the Savior of the world. For us, we cannot change the past, but we can choose to accept the place we are currently at (including all the craziness present) and see it as a step towards moving forward into a better future.

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Letting Jesus Clean You: John 13:1-17

Published July 29, 2025 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 13:1-17 (NIV)

¹It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

²The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Read John 13:1-17 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

While washing the disciples feet on the night He was betrayed and arrested, Jesus has an interesting conversation with Peter about what was happening. John records their conversation, and in this dialog, we can discover a powerful truth about God’s love for each of us.

As Jesus was moving through the group of disciples washing their feet, “He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’” (v. 6)

Jesus responded by saying, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” (v. 7)

Peter then replies, “No! You shall never wash my feet.” (v. 8a)

Jesus then tells Peter, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” (v. 8b)

With probably a little bit of shock involved, Peter then responds, “Then Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (v. 9)

We now come to the key part of this discussion I want to focus in on. Jesus then replies, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean.” (v. 10a)

In this conversation, we see Peter, one of Jesus’ most vocal disciples first saying that he never wants Jesus to wash him, while in the next breath asking Jesus to wash his entire body. This is amazing in my mind, not only because it gives us a glimpse into the type of person Peter was, but that it draws our attention onto an amazing spiritual truth.

When we look under the surface of this conversation, we discover this truth: When we come to God, He begins to transform our lives into the lives He created us to live.

However, like Peter’s conversation with Jesus, we must be willing to let Jesus wash us. God/Jesus knows the areas of our lives that are not clean, and we must be willing to let Him touch and clean those areas of our lives and hearts.

But with that said, God/Jesus does not want to wash our whole bodies, because He knows that some parts of our lives, our history, our character, and our mission are already in line with what He wants for us. God does not want to erase our character when He transforms our lives; He simply wants our focus to shift onto being more like Him while also being the person He created us to be.

When we accept Jesus and let Him wash us, we must be willing to let Him wash the areas that He feels need to be washed, and be okay with the areas that He says are already clean.

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