Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Judgment and Exile: John 12:20-36

Published September 9, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 12:20-36 (NIrV)

²⁰There were some Greeks among the people who went up to worship during the feast. ²¹They came to ask Philip for a favor. Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went to tell Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

²³Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive glory. ²⁴What I’m about to tell you is true. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵Anyone who loves their life will lose it. But anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it and have eternal life. ²⁶Anyone who serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

²⁷“My soul is troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, keep me from having to go through with this’? No. This is the very reason I have come to this point in my life. ²⁸Father, bring glory to your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven. It said, “I have brought glory to my name. I will bring glory to it again.” ²⁹The crowd there heard the voice. Some said it was thunder. Others said an angel had spoken to Jesus.

³⁰Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. ³¹Now it is time for the world to be judged. Now the prince of this world will be thrown out. ³²And I am going to be lifted up from the earth. When I am, I will bring all people to myself.” ³³He said this to show them how he was going to die.

³⁴The crowd spoke up. “The Law tells us that the Messiah will remain forever,” they said. “So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light. Do this before darkness catches up with you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in it. Then you can become children of light.” When Jesus had finished speaking, he left and hid from them.

Read John 12:20-36 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In today’s journal entry, we are going to tackle an odd pair of statements that Jesus made and see if we can uncover something within them. Within our passage, Jesus shares the following, “Now it is time for the world to be judged. Now the prince of this world will be thrown out.” (v. 31)

Both statements in this verse are related, while at the same time each is very distinct. Jesus shared that now is (maybe was?) the time for the world to be judged. What is He talking about? It has been nearly 2,000 years later, and we are still here. Does this mean that God is still judging the world, or was there something different happening at that point in history?

On the flip side, we read that the prince of this world (identified as Satan), will be thrown out. Thrown out of where? Like the previous statement, it has been 2,000 years later, and from the looking at our world today, people are still being tempted and sin seems to be alive and well – perhaps even increasing dramatically compared with other points in history.

However, this brings us to the one key idea that I see shared in these two statements, which we will unpack in this journal entry: Jesus’ death on the cross is a foretaste of the final judgment, and it sealed Satan’s fate, throwing him out of Heaven forever.

Looking at the first statement, there are two ways that Jesus’ life could have gone. Both ways lead to death, but one had people understanding and glorifying the salvation Jesus’ death meant, while the other had people rejecting the gift and celebrating the fact Jesus had been killed. This statement comes a day or two after Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and the crowds had celebrated His arrival. It was clear to the religious leaders that they wanted Jesus dead, but the crowd had not made their decision. The death Jesus suffered was a foretaste of the final judgment, and it was pre-judging the world based on how humanity responded to the Savior.

Looking at the second statement, as well as some passages in the Old Testament, we can concluded that a Satan’s original fall from heaven, he was kicked out of his position, and his rebellion was banished to earth. However, from the story of Job, we can conclude that Satan still had some provisional access to heaven, since he challenges God of Job’s allegiance (Job 1:6-12). It would seem as though Satan had the opportunity to repent prior to Jesus’ sacrifice, though Jesus’ death became the ultimate judgment for Satan, banishing him from heaven, and sealing his fate in the final judgment.

The death Jesus suffered was the death of judgment, the death we deserved, and in that moment, as Jesus took His final breath, all humanity’s sin was taken with Jesus to His grave – giving us the freedom to choose to accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, allowing us to take part in His future.

Thank You Jesus!

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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Why I Study and Blog: Matthew 13:10-17

Published September 8, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 13:10-17 (NLT)

¹⁰His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

¹¹He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. ¹²To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. ¹³That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

¹⁴This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say,
    you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
    you will not comprehend.
¹⁵For the hearts of these people are hardened,
    and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
    so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
    and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
    and let me heal them.’

¹⁶“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. ¹⁷I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

Read Matthew 13:10-17 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

If there is a verse included in the gospels that describe why I write these blog posts and why I push myself to find multiple insights in each event, that verse is tucked away within Matthew’s gospel. The verse is found in a response Jesus gives to His followers when they asked Him why He spoke in parables.

In His response, Jesus says, “To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (v. 12)

This single verse, and the idea it communicates, pushes me to keep writing insights and ideas from the gospels. I’ve been at this for many years, and I know there are many more years of insights awaiting me as I keep looking at events and the details the gospel writers include.

While Jesus was alive on earth, His followers and the crowds had the privilege of being able to listen to Him personally. All you and I have is a collection of events that have been passed down through the centuries and assembled together in a book known as the Bible. When Jesus tells us to “listen” to His teaching, I believe He is telling us to pay attention to it. Sure, we can listen to someone reading it aloud, either in person, or perhaps as an audio recording, but often we can hear something but not really be listening to it.

To listen to someone means that we pay attention to what they are saying, and in this passage, Jesus promises those who pay attention to His teaching more understanding and an abundance of knowledge. For those who don’t listen, even the little understanding will be taken away. This is why I focus on the gospels and on uncovering insights, because the more I do this, the more Jesus promises to show me about Him!

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Flashback Episode — The Holy Spirit Promise: John 16:1-33

Published September 7, 2026 in Audio Journal Entries

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On the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, while Judas Iscariot and the religious leaders are gathering the mob to arrest Jesus, Jesus spends the first part of His remaining time with the disciples teaching them and giving them reasons for hope.

Over the past few episodes, we have looked at what John has told us about Jesus’ last message to His followers leading up to His arrest, and in this episode, we’ll continue looking at Jesus’ words, including a promise Jesus emphasizes, but that the disciples might not have fully understood until later.

With this said, let’s dive into our passage. Our passage for this episode is found in John, chapter 16, and we will read it using the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, John records Jesus saying to the disciples:

¹“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. ²They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. ³They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. ⁴I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,

⁵but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. ⁷But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹about sin, because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

¹²“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

¹⁶Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

¹⁷At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

¹⁹Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? ²⁰Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. ²¹A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²²So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. ²³In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ²⁴Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

²⁵“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

²⁹Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. ³⁰Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

³¹“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. ³²“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

³³“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

In this late-night message to Jesus’ disciples, two portions of this passage stand out in my mind. The first is when Jesus is sharing three primary roles for the Holy Spirit, also known as the Advocate according to this translation. Jesus promised us in verse 9 that when the Holy Spirit comes, He would “prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment”. Jesus then clarifies these three points in verses 9 through 11. The truth about sin, specifically our past sins, is that they only really matters if we do not believe in Jesus. The truth about righteousness, referring to personal integrity and having a Godly character, is found in Jesus standing in heaven as our advocate. And the truth about the judgment is that it is guaranteed to happen because the prince of this world, referring to Satan, stands as condemned.

While each of these points could be the focus of a full length sermon, before our time runs out, there is one other idea that Jesus shared in this passage I want to draw our attention to.

In some segments of Christianity today, there is the belief that God is looking at those in the world with anger and hostility, but that Jesus is holding the Father’s anger back. Whenever a prayer comes in, it might go to Jesus, who would petition for this prayer to be answered by God. However, this belief runs contrary to Jesus’ message to His followers that night. Verses 26 and 27 clearly draw out the truth about God the Father and His attitude towards us: “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

Jesus tells us that God the Father loves us and that He is willing to hear and answer our prayers. We can, and should, ask our prayers in Jesus’ name, but all too often, slapping the phrase, “In Jesus’ name” at the end of our prayers is less heartfelt and more cliché than we might want to admit. When we come before God with our prayers, it is beneficial to come in Jesus’ name, because it reminds us about what Jesus accomplished for us, but we should never cheapen our prayers to God with clichés. Clichés hurt our prayers unless we intentionally mean the words that we are saying.

While there is more we could focus in on, it will need to wait for another time. With that said, 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 welcome the Holy Spirit into your heart. Understand the three primary roles the Holy Spirit has and let Him teach you the truth about sin, the truth about righteousness, and the truth about the judgment. While Satan has lies spread throughout culture about all three of these things, trust that when we lean on the Holy Spirit for God’s truth, He will lead us into God’s truth in each of these topics.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself, being intentional about inviting the Holy Spirit into your study time. Since the Holy Spirit is behind the inspiration of the Bible, there is no better Teacher for our minds when trying to understand the Bible than the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit for help studying, and don’t be surprised when He draws your attention onto new insights you never have seen before.

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

Flashback Episode: Year in John – Episode 36: On the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, Jesus promises His followers the gift of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus shares some of the Holy Spirit’s main responsibilities. Discover why we need the Holy Spirit, and what God the Father really things about each of us.

The Son of God: Luke 22:66-71

Published September 4, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Luke 22:66-71 (GW)

⁶⁶In the morning the council of the people’s leaders, the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings, gathered together. They brought Jesus in front of their highest court and asked him, ⁶⁷“Tell us, are you the Messiah?”

Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. ⁶⁸And if I ask you, you won’t answer. ⁶⁹But from now on, the Son of Man will be in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne.”

⁷⁰Then all of them said, “So you’re the Son of God?”

Jesus answered them, “You’re right to say that I am.”

⁷¹Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We’ve heard him say it ourselves.”

Read Luke 22:66-71 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Often times for these journal entries, I draw out an idea from the way a verse or phrase stands out in my mind. However, in our event for this journal entry, to really see the big idea, we must draw from two areas in the gospel of Luke to really catch the implications in Jesus’ words when responding to the religious leaders on the night of His arrest.

When Jesus is pulled in for questioning, they ultimately ask Him the question, “So you’re the Son of God?” (v. 70a)

This question was meant to be a trap question for Jesus because they would immediately use His response to build the claim blasphemy – in this case, it would be making oneself equal to God.

However, before sharing Jesus’ response, let’s bring our attention to Luke’s record of Jesus’ geneaology, which is found in Luke 3:23-38. Luke begins it with Jesus, and then traces it all the way back to God: “Jesus, so people thought, was the son of Joseph, son of Eli, son of Matthat, . . . son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.” (Luke 3:23b-24a, 38)

In this genealogy, everyone who is a member of the human race can trace their ancestry back to God, which then makes Jesus’ response to the religious leaders even more amazing: “You’re right to say that I am.” (22:70b)

But here is where things get interesting. The religious leaders respond to Jesus’ answer by saying, “Why do we need any more testimony? We’ve heard him say it ourselves.” (v. 71) This tells us that they were closed-minded towards the truth.

While Jesus was born of a virgin and God the Father was His Father in a more direct way, even if Joseph was His actual dad, Jesus could still lay claim to being a descendant of God. Luke’s genealogy points us to the truth that God started it all, and He formed the human race. In this way, God the Father is “the Father” of humanity. By rejecting Jesus’ claim of being God’s Son, the religious leaders also turned their back on God the Father as their Creator, which tells us they have unknowingly sided with God’s enemy.

This truth reminds us that we all can claim royalty as God’s children, but if we choose to share that God is our Father, we would also be wise to act in a way that honors Him.

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