Year 1 Finale: Part 2

Last week we began our annual two-part finale by focusing on insights from the first half of this year podcasting through our first chronological year looking at Jesus’ life and ministry. In our last episode, we finished off by looking at insights from episode 25, which focused in on Jesus redeeming a woman caught in adultery. For this episode, we’ll pick up where we left off and continue forward moving up to and through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

However, before we dive into these insights, if you are a new listener, or have recently found these podcasts, let me share briefly about where we are on this journey we are on in these podcasts. A little over a year ago, as we were wrapping up a powerful year of podcasting through Jesus’ miracles, I thought it would be neat to take four years and look at Jesus’ life in a chronological way. However, instead of slowly moving through every event in His life and taking four or more years, the plan would be to pick out events in Jesus’ life and work through Jesus’ life four times, each time looking at a different set of events, and each year would conclude looking at Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Moving forward to today, we are just finishing up the first year of this four-year plan and I don’t know about you, but I have found this trip through these gospel stories fascinating. Personally, I cannot wait to dive into Jesus’ life again looking at a different set of events, a different set of teaching, and a different set of miracles.

However, if I’m not careful, we’ll dive into our first event for next year and miss reviewing and remembering some of the greatest insights from this past year. So without any further delay, let’s pick back up where we left off last week, and focus in on the last half of this year podcasting through the gospels.

Starting with episode 26, which focused us on what happened following Jesus’ followers returning from a successful missionary trip, we were reminded with the truth that for thousands of years, the devil has tried to abuse people out of heaven, but God is bigger, God is stronger, God is smarter. He won’t let Satan’s abuse separate or steal away those He loves from being connected with Him.

In the next episode, number 27, we looked at Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray, and if I’m not mistaken, this was using Jesus’ model prayer that is found in Luke’s gospel, rather than Matthews. In this episode looking at prayer, we were challenged with the detail that everything in Jesus’ example prayer is completely focused on God – even the part where Jesus tells us to be forgiving towards others. We can learn from this teaching that Jesus wants us to see God the Father as our Heavenly Father: specifically as Someone big enough to tackle any problem we face, but also personal enough for us to share life with.

Moving forward to episode 28, we spend a little bit of time looking at Jesus’ parable about the rich man building bigger barns rather than being generous with his surplus crop. This parable and episode challenged us with the truth that any time an object, a project, or a balance sheet becomes a part of our identity, greed is working its way into our lives. This parable is not about God blessing or punishing rich people; it is about showing us a different perspective about ourselves that He can then redirect us towards having a new perspective on our lives.

I promise I won’t cover every episode in this finale, even though some might find that desirable, but before jumping forward, episode 29 was extra powerful when we looked at Jesus healing a man who was born blind. In this episode, we were reminded that throughout the Bible, as well as history, God has often used people’s lives as a witness to lead people to Him. This formerly blind man is an example of this: His life before meeting Jesus was filled with blindness, and after His encounter with Jesus, He had a completely new perspective. In our world today, both the church world and the secular world, there are groups of people who claim they can see even though they are blind. Acknowledging one’s blindness allows God to work in one’s heart, while claiming sight stops God from moving.

Jumping forward to episode 32, we looked at Jesus teaching about faith and not being a stumbling block to others. In this episode, we were challenged with the realization that Just like the wind, only by seeing what faith moves can we truly know how strong it is. Jesus has called and challenged us to be humble, to place others ahead of ourselves, and to look to God for the strength to press forward with Him.

Jumping forward again to episode 36, we began zeroing in on Jesus’ final week leading up to His crucifixion. Prior to Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, we looked in this episode at a special supper that takes place right before this grand entrance into Jerusalem. In this episode, we were reminded that having a relationship with Jesus is more important than helping those who are in need. While both are significant and important in the big picture, if we could only choose one, a relationship with Jesus would ultimately be more important. Jesus calls each of us to focus on growing closer to God and to make Him our highest priority, even higher than the noble act of helping the poor. Having a saving relationship with Jesus is that important!

Moving forward to episode 38, we looked at some religious leaders challenging Jesus about where He received His authority. The details and themes of this episode challenged us to understand that Jesus came to build God up, and that isn’t done by using God as a platform. Throughout His entire ministry, Jesus avoided drawing the attention onto Himself at the expense of God receiving glory. If Jesus erred on any side, it was that He gave too much credit to God, while not accepting any praise onto Himself. Jesus took the opposite position the chief priests and leaders took: He came to build God up, not use God to build Himself up like the other leaders at the time were doing.

Skipping forward to episode 40, we come to the episode where we looked at Jesus challenging His followers to avoid some specific labels for themselves and each other. In this episode, Jesus challenges His followers to view God as our Teacher, our Father, and our Leader, and in a skillful way, Jesus shares these three roles in a way that connects each role with a member of the Godhead. God’s model for His people is to view themselves as a group of spiritual brothers and sisters who hold God as our true Father, true Leader, and true Teacher.

Moving forward to the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, we come to some significant insights within episode 44, that looked at Jesus promising His followers the Holy Spirit and challenging us as followers how we can show love towards God. In this episode, we discovered that the Source behind Jesus’ words and commands is God the Father. We also uncovered the theme and truth that we love who we obey. If we love the Father, then we will obey what the Father has commanded. In this case, Jesus is simply an Ambassador, speaking on behalf of the One who sent Him.

In the very next episode, which is episode number 45 and which also covered teaching Jesus shared with His disciples on the night He was betrayed and arrested, we were comforted with the truth that even though trouble, abandonment, rejection, hurt, or pain come, Jesus is bigger than these feelings because Jesus has overcome the world that includes all these symptoms of sin.

Jesus recognized that even when everyone He thought was a friend, follower, or disciple had run away, He was never truly alone, because God the Father and His Spirit would be with Him. Even while hanging on the cross, even if Jesus didn’t feel God’s presence, He still knew God was there.

As followers of Jesus, we too can claim this promise that being alone is never truly alone, because God the Father and His Spirit are with us.

Speaking of the cross, moving forward to episode 48, which looked at part of the time Jesus was hanging on the cross, we were reminded that before being nailed to the cross Jesus had the option of, and the temptation to, avoid it entirely; after being nailed to the cross, Jesus faced the temptation to come down off of it. However, in spite of this temptation Jesus chose to stay on the cross because His mission was more important than showing off His ability. Jesus fulfilled His mission on the cross because it is the way for His followers to receive salvation.

Moving forward to just a few weeks ago, we come to episode 49, which covered the guards reporting Jesus’ resurrection to the religious leaders. In this episode, we learned and were reminded that wherever lies are present, the truth will come to light eventually – and when it does, it is up to us to examine the evidence and choose the truth. In the case of Jesus’ death and resurrection, our eternity depends on it!

To wrap up this first chronological year of podcasting, our last episode before these finales, which was episode number 50, focused in on Thomas doubting then believing in Jesus’ resurrection. In this passage and episode we focused in on the promise that Jesus’ greatest blessing in this passage is for those who believe without having seen. Thomas could have been one of the first people to be gathered under this banner of “really blessed individuals”, but he stands as an example of many of us who are skeptical first, and only believe after we have been given proof.

Every blessing from God is given for our benefit. Every blessing is sent to help us learn, grow, and/or help others on life’s path.

As we come to the close of our first chronological year podcasting through the gospels and events within Jesus’ life, let’s remember just how much Jesus has blessed each of us, and look forward to His return and our eternal lives with Him forever!