The Figure: Vishwakarma, in Hindu mythology, is revered as the divine architect and craftsman of the gods. In Hindu mythology, Vishwakarma is not typically depicted as the primary creator of the universe. That role is usually attributed to Lord Brahma. However, he is considered to be the divine architect who played a role in the design of the universe, including its various components. According to some interpretations, Vishwakarma assisted his father, Lord Brahma in the creation of the universe by providing the blueprint and executing the intricate designs for the celestial bodies, landscapes, and structures within it. He is also credited with the design of various celestial weapons and divine chariots. Vishwakarma is also believed to have constructed the palaces of the gods and the majestic cities of ancient times. The etymology of Vishwakarma can be understood by breaking down the word into its constituent parts: ‘Vishwa’, meaning "all" or "entire" in Sanskrit, and ‘karma’, which translates to "action" or "deed." In Hindu philosophy, karma refers to the principle of cause and effect, where actions have consequences that affect one's present and future experiences. So, when combined, "Vishwakarma" can be understood to mean "the maker of all" or "the doer of all actions." The reverence for Vishwakarma extends beyond Hinduism, as he is also venerated in Jainism and Buddhism, where he is known by different names but holds similar significance as the divine architect and builder. In popular culture, Vishwakarma's legacy is celebrated through various folk tales, songs, and stories that highlight his ingenuity and prowess in creating marvels that transcend the ordinary. He is depicted with multiple arms, holding various tools and implements symbolic of his role as a divine craftsman. Parallels: Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, and artisans, shares many similarities with Vishwakarma. Like Vishwakarma, Hephaestus is depicted as a skilled craftsman and inventor, renowned for his ability to create divine weapons and other artefacts. Both deities are associated with fire and forge, and they play pivotal roles in shaping the world around them through their craftsmanship. In some depictions, both Vishwakarma and Hephaestus are portrayed with physical deformities or disabilities. In order to symbolise the imperfections inherent in creation, Vishwakarma is occasionally described as having a limp or a hunchback, while Hephaestus is often depicted as lame or with a limp due to his fall from Mount Olympus. Contemporary Relevance: Vishwakarma is regarded as the epitome of perfection in craftsmanship. His creations are believed to be flawless and imbued with divine grace, reflecting his mastery over his craft. Artisans and craftsmen often invoke his name and seek his blessings before embarking on new projects. He is worshipped by artisans, craftsmen, architects, and engineers, who seek his blessings for success and prosperity in their fields. His festival, Vishwakarma Jayanti, is observed with great enthusiasm, especially in industrial areas, workshops, and factories, where workers perform ritual worship of their tools and machinery. It usually falls in September or October, depending on the lunar calendar.
The United Nations Peacekeeping forces operate throughout the entire world. Forces are only deployed when both of the main parties in the conflict give consent to the UN. At this time, there are currently 11 UN peacekeeping missions going on throughout Earth. Let's take a quick glimpse at all eleven missions. One - Western Sahara - The people of Western Sahara have been fighting for independence from Morocco since 1991. Two - Golan Heights - The mountainous range between Israel and Syria has been in contention since 1974. Three - Abyei, Sudan - Although the civil war in Sudan has been going on for one year, UN peacekeepers have been in Sudan due to conflicts between the north and the south of the country since 2011. Four - Kashmir - India and Pakistan have been in conflict over Kashmir since 1949. Peacekeepers have been there for 75 years straight with no end in sight. Five - Central Africa Republic (CAR) - A civil war between Muslims and Christians have been ongoing since 2014. Six - Cyprus - The only reason that Cyprus is a tourist destination is because peacekeepers have been there since 1964 so that the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots will not fight against each other. Seven - Kosovo - Kosovo has been fighting for independence from Serbia since 1999. Eight - Middle East - The longest UN peacekeeping mission is still active in the Middle East since 1948. Nine - Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - Tribal conflicts and Muslim rebels have kept peacekeepers in the DRC since 2010. Ten - Lebanon - Peacekeepers have been in Lebanon in 1978 due to their conflict with Israel. The conflict has reached a boiling point between Israel and Hezbollah. Eleven - South Sudan - UN peacekeepers protect South Sudan from Muslims in Sudan. As you can see from all eleven UN peacekeeping missions, the common denominator is that one side of the conflict is Muslims. If the UN recognizes that Islam is the world's biggest problem at this time, then you must recognize that fact as well.
Aside from the disciples, of all the people in the gospels to be
focused on Jesus, there was one group who seemed to be almost everywhere
Jesus went. This group, known as the Pharisees, didn’t watch Jesus
because they wanted to believe in Him. Instead, they watched Him because
they wanted to catch Him breaking a law or saying something wrong. However, during one of Jesus’ miracles, the Pharisees missed being
present, even if they were present in the area where this healing took
place. While John doesn’t specifically mention the Pharisees by name in
this passage, he simply refers to them as Jews – and these were likely
the Jewish religious leaders, and many of them would have been
Pharisees. John describes what happened immediately after Jesus healed the man by the pool of Bethesda by saying, “Now
that day was the Sabbath, so the Jews said to the man who had been
healed, ‘This is the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.’” (John 5:9b-10 HCSB) Now the healed man had a problem. He responded that he was basically just following directions. He replied saying, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” (John 5:11 HCSB) “‘Who is this man who told you, “Pick up your mat and walk”?’
they asked. But the man who was cured did not know who it was, because
Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.” (John 5:12-13 HCSB) The man didn’t know who Jesus was when he was healed. This is a
powerful thought. In this miracle, we can see that Jesus heals based on
our need and not on the condition that we respond by calling Him God.
The man had no idea who Jesus was. He simply was obeying the
instructions of someone he believed God had sent his way. Reading this portion of Jesus’ miracle prompts me to wonder if God is
willing to act and help anyone who needs help, regardless of their
current attitude and regardless of whether they will acknowledge Him.
The man who was healed didn’t praise God or worship Jesus following his
healing. Instead, he was caught breaking the Jew’s legalistic Sabbath
laws. In this miracle, we can see a theme that is touched on in
other parts of the Bible as well. This theme points us to God’s
character and His love. Jesus came into this world to show God to us.
This wasn’t because He wanted to help people on the condition that they
would worship God with a correct frame of mind. Instead it was to
counter the devil’s accusations about what God was like. Satan has done a masterful job of presenting God as a villain, and
Jesus came to simply show us a different picture of God – a picture that
demonstrates selfless love, and a powerful invitation to respond to His
love. This miracle at Bethesda helps us see a loving Jesus and a
loving God. God is Someone who is willing to help even if He doesn’t get
the credit. God is willing to help even if we are trapped in rebellion
against Him. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3 NIV) “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12 NIV) “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” (John 20:1 NIV) As we look closer at crucifixion weekend, today being the day we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, there is another less thought of parallel to creation week: On the first day of creation, light entered the world. On the first day of the following week, at Jesus’ resurrection, the “Light of the World” stepped out of the tomb, and back into the world (at least for a few weeks prior to His ascension). Resurrection morning is a fascinating morning to look closely at. On this morning, two groups of witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection are present. While we often think of the women who went to the tomb (wanting to anoint Jesus’ corpse and wondering aloud about how they could get the stone moved), the other group to witness the resurrection was a team of highly trained soldiers. Following Jesus’ resurrection, the soldiers race into town with the testimony about what they saw. The first people to know of a resurrected Jesus that morning were the religious leaders. However, bias and prejudice stopped these leaders from finally accepting Jesus’ claims. They chose to take the “most valid” category of testimony in that time period and twist it into a lie -- one that is equally unbelievable. However, the disciples take the testimony of the “least valid” (but still valid) category of testimony and choose to investigate the claims. When Jesus stepped out of the tomb, Light reentered the world. The religious leaders received the highest form of testimony and chose to reject the truth. However, Jesus’ followers took the testimony they were given, and built God's Church on this truth. ✝️ While I could share more, let’s remember the testimony God gave us and celebrate the Light that reentered our world many Sunday’s ago. ✅ -- “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darknesshave seen a great light;on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:15-16 NIV) “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter [stone], and on this rock [the declaration about Jesus] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’” (Matthew 16:16-18 NIV)
“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Peter 3:14‑16 NIV) “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5‑6 NIV) “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14‑16 NIV) Most people who have been Christians for any length of time understand that Jesus challenged His followers to spread the gospel message. However, in today’s culture, many appear to have forgotten what this means. In the past decade, I’ve witnessed many friends get sucked into focusing more on the politics of today’s culture than on the freedom that comes through leaning on Jesus. I’ve seen those who share the same faith become more interested in proving a political point than in following the challenges of Jesus. However, those who choose to stand up for Jesus should remember the words of Peter, Paul, and Jesus. Peter challenges us to be prepared to give an “answer” and to do so with gentleness and respect. While people may accuse us, lie about us, and slander the name of Jesus, Peter challenges us to respond differently. We are to respond with the love of Jesus, with gentleness and respect. About the only harsh words Jesus spoke were to the religious leaders, not to those He came to show God’s love to. Paul challenges us to be wise and to make the most of every opportunity. However, he too challenges us to be full of grace in all our conversations with others. Being seasoned with salt draws attention to saying challenging truths, but the truth should never drown out the love and grace of our message. Jesus challenges us by saying that we are the light of the world. This is more true today than perhaps at many other times in history. However, as the light of the world and as a town built on a hill, He challenges us to live our lives in a way that cannot be ignored — even if we would rather be ignored. Jesus challenges us to let our light shine through our good deeds so that God will receive glory. As we look forward to the day Jesus returns, let’s together accept the challenge found in these three verses and letting God’s light and love shine through us for all to see. 🙏 📖 ✝️ 👍
“For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the distress of those days“‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:27-31 NIV) To wrap up our discussion over the past two weekends, let’s focus on how Jesus describes His return in Matthew’s gospel. A few days before Jesus is crucified, Matthew’s gospel records Jesus’ disciples come to Him with a question: What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? After describing the world leading up to His return, Jesus shares a brief description of when He will appear. First, Jesus describes how His return will be clearly visible to every eye. This tells me His return won’t need to be seen on any screen. However, screens may be used when faking a return. Next, Jesus describes the sun and moon being darkened, the stars falling from the sky, and the heavenly bodies being shaken. While there have been events in the past few centuries that meet some of these descriptions, I suspect that Jesus’ prediction refers to all four descriptions happening simultaneously. Third, Jesus describes Himself appearing in heaven. I suspect this means in our sky, since we will see Him clearly. Fourth, when Jesus appears, all the people of the earth will mourn. I suspect that this mourning is because they have run out of time, and that they did not take any earlier warnings seriously. Fifth, when Jesus appears, He will send His angels to gather His people together. Nothing in this description includes Jesus descending to earth. Instead, it is more like a rescue mission where He appears and the angels bring all of His people to Him. This last description is worth knowing. This description is one reason Jesus clearly describes that anyone who appears who we did not see is easily a false messiah. Jesus’ return marks the end; if there is something afterwards, the return was of an impostor. Knowing that there will be impostors is valuable. Every time we hear of an impostor appearing, it can remind us that Jesus is returning. Every impostor who comes is an opportunity to repent and return to the Jesus described in the Bible. And like Jesus describes in His response to the disciples, each detail that happens is a reminder that His return is growing near. Let’s stick with Jesus as we look forward to the day He returns to bring us home. 🙏 📖 ✝️ 👍
While Jesus was a master storyteller and illustrator, everything He
shared that the gospel writers include contains spiritual truth that we
can learn from. Often times, the spiritual meaning is given in the
context of the illustration, but other times, the spiritual meaning is
not included. Perhaps the gospel writer believed the spiritual truth to
be obvious to the reader, or maybe the writer didn’t understand the
truth himself. Maybe there were multiple truths present and the gospel
writer didn’t want to exclude a truth by sharing only his thoughts. Early on in Luke’s gospel, he records a miscellaneous set of Jesus’
illustrations without giving much in the way of context. Luke tells us
that Jesus used the following illustrations: “No one tears a
piece of cloth from a new coat to patch an old coat. Otherwise, the new
cloth will tear the old. Besides, the patch from the new will not match
the old. People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the
new wine will make the skins burst. The wine will run out, and the skins
will be ruined. Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins. No
one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine. He says, ‘The old
wine is better!’” (Luke 5:36-39 GW) Luke doesn’t share context for these illustrations, and because of
this, we are left looking at the other gospel writers to give us clues
into Jesus’ words. Mark and Matthew don’t share much additional context
except that Jesus shared these thoughts while talking about fasting and
how His followers wouldn’t fast while He was with them. This leaves us to wonder if the spiritual truth Jesus is sharing in
these illustrations only relates to fasting, or if it is a broader truth
or principle. From the way that all three gospels share these
illustrations, I’m prompted to believe that Jesus is sharing a broader
principle. Understanding that Jesus is sharing a broader principle, if we take
these illustrations and look for an overall theme in them, we come
across the principle that old solutions don’t always help new problems. It is the same way in reverse: New solutions don’t always help old problems either. This principle is equally powerful and relevant in our physical lives
as it is in our spiritual lives. While sometimes new information can
help us better understand solutions that have worked in the past, not
many principles of life remain unsolved. While hundreds of new diets
appear each year offering to help people with their weight, the old
solution of fresh air, exercise, moderation, and eating fresher foods is
the most effective way to help people shave off pounds and keep them
off for life. This is an old problem and it is an old solution. A new problem might be how to fix a bug in a piece of software in a
modern programming language. While old principles can help direct one to
an answer, the solution to this problem cannot help but be new because
it hasn’t been seen before. Fifty years ago, people didn’t have
programming challenges in the same way that we do today. Some people fixate themselves on only using old methods and ways, and
this cripples them from moving forward in life. Others purposely ignore
the old and bounce from the newest thing to the next newest thing, and
they cannot get traction because their lives look like a ball in a
pinball machine. Both types of people miss out on what the other group
knows and can teach them. When I read these illustrations, I cannot help but see the
principle that our solutions must match our problems. Old solutions
don’t always help new problems, while new solutions rarely fix old
problems either. Only by staying open to both the old and the new can I
hope to gain lasting traction when growing with God and moving forward
in life. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath.” (John 19:30-31a NIV) “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.” (Matthew 28:1 NIV) Looking at what the gospel writers share about crucifixion weekend, very little is actually shared about what happened on the Sabbath Jesus rested in the grave. We don't know what the disciples were doing, though it is safe to assume they had locked themselves in the upper room for fear of the religious leaders. However, we do know something the religious leaders did on that day: The religious petitioned the governor to heavily guard the tomb Jesus had been buried in. However, while the religious leaders were collecting the best humanity could offer to watch the tomb (and Satan may have been doing the same in his spiritual world), something bigger was happening that gets lost in the absence of verses describing it. What happened on crucifixion weekend echoes God's actions at the end of creation week. ✅ On the sixth day of creation week, the last act of creation was creating man. Then on the seventh day, God rests. ✅ On the sixth day of crucifixion week, the last act of redemption was Jesus taking His last breath. Then on the seventh day, Jesus rests. 👉 In a powerful way, crucifixion week reflects creation week -- both weeks end with God resting following the completion of a significant “work”. While most people jump straight from crucifixion to focusing on Jesus' resurrection (which I understand completely), don't forget the Sabbath rest Jesus models for us after He finished the work of redemption. After all, remembering the Sabbath is something we have been challenged to do! 😉 “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:9-11 NIV)
Have you ever wished for life to be like some point in the past? Perhaps you remember “the good old days” and you’d like life to
return to that simpler time, or perhaps you wished you could have been
alive when Jesus was walking around on earth? In this passage, we find a truth, just under the surface of what is said, that directly relates to these longings and questions. In His response to the question about the resurrection, Jesus says in
Luke 20:37-38, “But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses
showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the
dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” (TNIV) In His response, Jesus mentions someone who lived long ago (Moses),
who referenced people who lived even longer before (Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob), and He makes the statement that God is not the God of the dead,
but of the living. The strong implication here is to stop looking for God in the past, and start looking for Him in the present. The Sadducees were focused and looking at how God moved and how He
worked in the past, while at the same time ignoring and/or choosing to
miss out on what He is choosing to do in the present. In Jesus’
response, which also deals with the issue of the resurrection, He also
challenges these spiritual leaders on where they have placed their
focus. Yes, God has worked in the past, but that doesn’t stop Him from
working miracles today. This truth is just as important for us living in the 21st century as it was for the Sadducees in the 1st century: God worked powerfully for 4,000ish years in the Old and New Testaments. It doesn’t make any sense for Him to stop there. If God worked then, and He doesn’t change, we should expect that He is still working today! What are some ways that God has worked (or is currently working) in your life this decade? This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
Early on in Jesus’ ministry, three of the four gospels describe Jesus
standing on a mountainside and calling twelve of His followers to form a
core group of “disciples”. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include
unique details, they all contain one big similarity. This unifying
characteristic is how they end their list of twelve names. Matthew concludes the list of Jesus’ disciples by saying, “The last were Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. Judas was the one who was later going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.” (Matthew 10:4 NIRV) Mark concludes his list of Jesus’ disciples by saying, “Judas Iscariot was one of them too. He was the one who was later going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.” (Mark 3:19 NIRV) And Luke concludes his list of Jesus’ disciples by saying, “Judas, son of James, and Judas Iscariot who would later hand Jesus over to his enemies.” (Luke 6:16 NIRV) All three of these gospel writers include Judas Iscariot by saying
that he was the one who would betray Jesus. While none of the disciples
knew this at the time, when they chose to communicate through their own
gospels or share the gospel story with others, they conclude their lists
of disciples with Judas Iscariot – the betrayer. But what is amazing to me in these verses is not how each of the
gospel writers frames Judas Iscariot. Instead, I am amazed that Jesus
chose to include Judas Iscariot in the group – knowing from the start
that it would be Judas who would betray Him. Through the act of inviting
a betrayer into His core group of followers, even if the betrayer had
no idea what he would become, Jesus is sending a message to all of us
about God’s love. By inviting Judas Iscariot to be a disciple, Jesus
demonstrates that God loves even those who are in active rebellion
against Him. This love extends beyond the core group of disciples. Jesus came to
planet earth while humanity was fully rebelling against God. Through
Jesus, we see a picture of God’s love that makes what we call “love”
seem small. God’s example of love places a rebellion ahead of His own
life – and Jesus, by choosing Judas Iscariot to be a disciple,
emphasizes this example of love. Also, because Judas Iscariot followed Jesus for 3+ years and still
chose to betray Him, we can see that even being next to Jesus cannot
change a stubborn or closed heart. I believe during the time Jesus spent
with Judas Iscariot, Jesus tried everything He could to open Judas’
heart to His. Even though Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, Jesus still loved
Him – and by loving Judas and calling Him to be a disciple, Jesus shows
us God’s love for even the most sinful humans. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
In Jesus’ ministry, it seems that He tried to minimize what He did in
secret. The gospel of John draws our attention to this during one of
the times Jesus was preaching in the temple during a major festival.
While Jesus acted like He wasn’t going to go in order to arrive
undetected, when He was ready to teach and preach, He made no secret
moves. In John’s gospel, we catch a glimpse of the crowd’s reaction. Some of
the people living in Jerusalem who were in the temple when Jesus got up
to preach wondered among themselves, “This is the man they are
trying to kill. But he is teaching where everyone can see and hear him,
and no one is trying to stop him. Maybe the leaders have decided he
really is the Christ.” (John 7:25-26 NCV) “If the priests and leaders are not actively trying to stop Jesus
from talking, might they believe that He is really the Messiah.” This is
the essence of their question. However, it doesn’t stop there. The people continue analyzing what they know: “But we know where this man is from. Yet when the real Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.” (John 7:27 NCV) We can see a tension growing in the minds of those in the crowd. The tension is wondering if Jesus really could be the Messiah. Jesus speaks into this tension by drawing out the dilemma the people are wrestling with. He says, “Yes,
you know me, and you know where I am from. But I have not come by my
own authority. I was sent by the One who is true, whom you don’t know.
But I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me. . . I will be
with you a little while longer. Then I will go back to the One who sent
me. You will look for me, but you will not find me. And you cannot come
where I am.” (John 7:28-29, 33-34 NCV) Jesus challenges the crowd’s assumption of His origin, and in doing
so, He draws their attention to the truth that He came from God the
Father. This heightens the tension because some believed this claim made
Jesus worthy of death, while others concluded that this made Him even
more worthy of their faith and trust. What Jesus successfully does in this event is get everyone in
the crowd of listeners to think about who He truly is. This tells me
that Jesus wants us to rationally choose to follow Him. He doesn’t want
blind followers simply looking for insurance from God’s Judgment. Jesus
wants followers who are choosing Him because they want a relationship
with Him and with God the Father who sent Him. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
One of Jesus’ foundational methods of teaching people was through
stories and parables. The goal of these stories was to help those
listening understand truths and ideas that might otherwise be too big or
abstract to understand. The gospel of Matthew draws our attention onto this method of teaching when Matthew adds the footnote that: “Jesus
used stories to tell all these things to the people; he always used
stories to teach them. This is as the prophet said: ‘I will speak using
stories; I will tell things that have been secret since the world was
made.’” (Matthew 13:34-35 NCV) While Jesus used stories throughout His ministry while teaching, not
all of them were understood by those listening. However, since Jesus
using stories and metaphors was prophesied, I wonder how much of life
and the physical world is a metaphor for the spiritual world. In other
words, I wonder if God purposely created parallels between the unseen
spiritual world and the visible physical world to help us connect the
two together and to help us understand Him better. If this is the case, our whole lives become a learning tool. With
every action we make or avoid, we are learning something positive or
experiencing the results of something negative. However, not everyone is
able to comprehend or understand everything. Mark’s gospel draws us to this point when he tells us that “Jesus
used many stories like these to teach the crowd God’s message—as much
as they could understand. He always used stories to teach them.” (Mark 4:33-34a NCV) The stories Jesus shared were intended to help people learn God’s
message, but since God’s message is so big and overwhelming, the stories
were designed to share small details, pieces, and segments of God’s
message – as much as we could understand. By sharing many stories that
helped describe the different parts of God’s message, Jesus was helping
expand His audience’s mind to what God wants for them as part of His
plan. However, since not everyone understood every story Jesus shared, Mark follows up by saying, “But when he and his followers were alone, Jesus explained everything to them.” (Mark 4:34b NCV) Jesus made it a point to explain all the parables to His followers
while they were alone. Jesus’ stories were not meant to hide truth but
instead to remind us of His truth. When the gospel writers share
parables Jesus shared with them, it is to help them remember the big
spiritual truths that Jesus taught them, and it is to help remind them
about how our physical lives reflect our spiritual lives. Similar to how it was in the first century, not everyone living today will understand everything that Jesus taught. However,
while the temptation for us living over 2,000 years later would be to
ignore and dismiss Jesus’ truth, the best way to test whether it is
still relevant for us today is to prayerfully study it and try it out in
our lives. If the truth that Jesus taught is still valid today, then it is also still relevant for our lives. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:3-13 NIV) Jesus’ description of the end times is on my mind this morning. As Matthew’s gospel records, Jesus’ disciples come to Him a few days before His crucifixion with a question: What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? While this question is powerful, Jesus’ response is worth reading — maybe even memorizing. While I included just the first portion of Jesus’ response, I encourage you to read the entire chapter (Matthew 24) since it contains the rest of His response. The way Jesus opens His reply sounds generic, but it is also very relatable. Looking at the world today, one can easily learn of wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, famines, earthquakes, and even persecution. Jesus describes these as the beginning of the end. Immediately after this description is a powerful verse that is easy to overlook: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12 NIV) This verse is relevant for us! Because of the wickedness in today’s world, many people spew hate saying it is love, proclaim outright lies insisting they’re true, and act in an unchristlike way while claiming that Jesus is their role-model. Christians are not exempt; some may even be the most to blame. The solution to cold love is the least popular thing one can do today. The only way to curb wickedness increasing in your own life is the pesky idea of obedience. When we obey Jesus, we leave the path of wickedness and we rediscover God’s love. God’s version of love is not like the world’s. God challenges us to love our enemies and pray for those persecuting us — because this aligns with His character. (Matthew 5:44-46) Through Jesus, God gave us the greatest example of love. He challenges us to stay connected to Him and let Jesus’ love shine through us to the world — a world that includes those who persecute us. 🙏 📖 ✝️ 👍
Have you ever wondered if Jesus said something before thinking it through? Or perhaps wondered if Jesus ever stumbled over one of His main
points and had to go back and restate it because it wasn’t worded
correctly? And if either of these ideas were true, could this misstep have been
recorded in one or more gospels and then copied thousands of times
throughout the ages? Bible critics love to search out such mistakes and errors in order to
discredit Christianity and/or Jesus, and in this passage may be one
such slipup – or in it could be a hidden repeating prediction for the
future. In several translations, including the one we are using for this entry, Jesus says in verse 11, “Elijah is coming and will put everything in order again.” But then He quickly follows up in verse 12 by saying, “Actually, I can guarantee that Elijah has already come.” So which is it? Is Elijah still coming, or has He already come? This is the sort of question that Bible critics like to pose towards
how the Bible is written. Looking at the context and how the disciples
understood this dialog, they conclude that this Elijah prediction
represented the role and ministry of John the Baptist, who’s ministry
got people thinking about and looking forward to Jesus’ arrival. However, we also have a problem though, because at least with how
these two verses are translated into English, it seems as though Jesus
misspeaks and then restates what He meant to say. This may be the case,
but it could also be Jesus hinting us to a larger, repeating truth: Before God does anything big in the world, He sends messengers to prompt us to pay attention:Noah was sent to build the ark, but also to preach about the coming flood.Moses was sent to deliver Israel from Egypt, but also to point the Egyptians towards the one true God.Elijah was sent to the people of Israel at a time when they
were far from God and in his ministry, he challenged the king,
proclaimed a drought/famine, and challenged the false religion at the
time in a very public way (i.e. fire from heaven).Many of Old Testament prophets who have books named after them
prophesied about the coming exile of the Jews for their unfaithfulness
to God.John the Baptist comes announcing that God is about to send the promised Messiah into the world. There are lots of other examples we could look at, but it seems that
God likes to send messages and/or messengers into the world when He is
about to do something big. With this theme in mind, it is not
unrealistic to look for other messenger examples throughout history
following Jesus and the apostles. Along these lines, when Jesus says in verse 11 that “Elijah is coming and will put everything in order again,” we can see foreshadowing of future times when God send messengers to point people back to Him. You and I can be “Elijah-like” when we point people to God and to Jesus. John
the Baptist got many of the people in that generation ready to meet
Jesus. In today’s world, you and I can help others meet Jesus and get
ready for eternity. Before God does anything big in the world, He sends
messengers to prompt us to pay attention, and you and I can help our
place in history by pointing people to Him. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
Every so often, a detail that I never noticed before jumps out at me
in an unassuming passage. This “conspiracy passage” where the leading
priests and elders meet to discuss how to arrest Jesus is no exception. (Matthew 26:1-5) Depending on the translation used, we find that the high priest lived
in a palace. Many translations use this word, while a few simply say
home, court, or another similar word. The implication in Matthew’s
passage is that the priests (especially the high priest) were getting
wealthy off of the people. By living in a luxurious home, the high
priest was separating himself from the people with his wealth. This is not a statement on whether wealth is good or bad. It is more a
statement on focus and generosity. As the Jewish nation grew, it would
become more prosperous, and as the leader in any area (in this case the
spiritual area), the more people you have influence over, the more money
would come your way. But as the leader of the spiritual area in
culture, the high priest would be a clear representative of God, and
living in a palace, separated from the people, is not an accurate
representation of God’s character. Jesus came and changed that. He came to show us that God is
not a “distant” God, but that He wants to live with us. God does live in
a palace, but He wants us to join Him in it. I’m doubtful if the high priest was all that willing to open their home to anyone/everyone. The high priest probably was tempted by greed. Greed is an issue for
almost all people who live in cultures that have a monetary exchange
system. One doesn’t have to have money to be greedy, but when one does
have money, the greed is amplified all the more. Jesus’ presence in culture, and His focus on the people, challenged
the priests’ position and the status quo that had placed them on top of
both the spiritual and economic ladders. They did not like Jesus’
growing influence, so they plotted against Him. But even though they plotted Jesus’ death, Jesus still came – and
death was at the core of His mission. This is because God does not want
to be seen as a distant God, but as a God that reaches out to us, who
takes the first step, who wants to restore the broken relationship. This
is before we have “done” anything. God is wealthy. He does live in a palace in heaven. But
instead of increasing the distance we would have to travel, He
especially wants to be close to us and He bridged the gap that sin
caused. Jesus came and He won. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many... “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time. “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:4-5, 23-27 NIV) Last weekend, we looked at one part of Jesus’ description of the end times. However, I ran out of space and time before covering all I wanted to share. As Matthew’s gospel records, Jesus’ disciples come to Him a few days before His crucifixion with a question: What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? At multiple times in His reply, Jesus warns His followers to watch out for deception. Jesus describes the coming of false prophets and even false messiahs — i.e. people claiming to be Him. Jesus challenges us to not be deceived. According to Jesus, His return will be visible to every eye, just like lightning is visible across a dark sky. Since Jesus warned us about false prophets, some have assumed that there will be no more true prophets, or that it is easier to reject every prophetic claim rather than take the work to sift truth from error. On one hand, I can understand this logic. The truths in the Bible point us to Jesus, and Jesus is all we need for salvation. However, as our world gets further and further away from God, similar to what happened in the Old Testament, I would not be surprised if God commissions people to call His people to return to Him. Many of these people in the Old Testament are called prophets. Also, like John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for Jesus’ first coming, I would not be surprised if God sends someone to help prepare the way for His return. However, Jesus’ return will not be like His first coming. Preparing for His return is a call to repent and return to Jesus. When Jesus appears in the sky, I suspect it will be too late to repent. So if there will be a mix of true and false prophets who appear, how should we discern between them? The two simple ways I will suggest are: 1. Any time you hear of a prophet (or even of a “messiah”) showing up, reframe the announcement as an invitation to repent, return to God, and read your Bible. This action will align with true prophets while subverting a false prophet’s message. 2. If any “prophetic” message minimizes what Jesus did for us, it is clearly false. Discard it and follow the suggestion in step 1. With whatever life throws our way, remember to lean on Jesus, our Source of salvation! 🙏 📖 ✝️ 👍
One of the most intriguing things Jesus did in His ministry was
giving one of His disciples a new name – and it seems as though Simon,
son of John, was the only disciple Jesus “renamed” – though we might
simply say Jesus gave him a nickname. This disciple is more famously
known as the name Jesus gave him, Peter, and many times both names are
used together to form “Simon Peter”. Not only is giving Simon a new name an interesting thing to do, Jesus
does this almost immediately after meeting him. John, chapter 1, verse 42 of our passage
describes this: “Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when
Jesus saw him, he said, ‘Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.’
This name can be translated as ‘Peter.’” Simon Peter was one of Jesus’ first disciples, and while there would
be another disciple named Simon in the core group of twelve, this other
Simon almost certainly would not have been a follower of Jesus at that
time. So why might Jesus give Simon Peter the new name – immediately after meeting Him? In my mind, this is because Jesus saw the potential in this Simon,
and the name Cephas (i.e. Peter) was a much better name for him knowing
what he would become in the future. While Simon Peter was the only disciples we know of that Jesus gave a
new name to, we can take this detail of this event and apply it to our
own lives. Jesus does not see us simply where we are today; He sees us
through the eyes of what we will become in the future. If our current
name doesn’t fit us, He will give us a new name when He returns – and
the name He gives us will fit us perfectly! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
When we read about the big events where faith is demonstrated, they
can easily overshadow some of the side truths that we can learn from
some of the more subtle stories that aren’t as glamorous. One such place is immediately following Peter’s miraculous, faith
walk on the water towards Jesus in the storm. Sure, Peter did have some
doubt, and that made for a little tension and suspense, but all was well
and the boat made it to shore with both Peter and Jesus alive and well –
and on board. But too often we stop reading there and we miss what happened next.
We are tempted to think that because this big event is over, there is
nothing special to pay attention to until the next big event. But if we
let this temptation win, we miss a big truth that can be learned in the
last verses of our passage – after the boat has landed at the shore: “They crossed the sea and landed at Gennesaret. The men there
recognized Jesus and sent messengers all around the countryside. The
people brought him everyone who was sick. They begged him to let them
touch just the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched his clothes was
made well.” (Matthew 14:34-36 GW) There are two big things we can take and learn from this simple, transition-like set of verses. The first thing that it is very important for us is to be able to recognize Jesus.
If the men on the shore had not recognized that it was Jesus who had
just landed, then none of those who were in that region would have known
to come and be healed. The second thing that is very important for us is to act on the smallest amount of faith that we have.
We are tempted to think that there was only one person in the gospels
who was made well by touching Jesus’ clothing, but in this short
transition, we learn that dozens or maybe even hundreds of people were
healed by simply touching Jesus’ robe. The people didn’t need any more
faith than this. They believed that just by touching something that was
Jesus’ would be enough to make them well. And this brings us to a key truth: When we call ourselves
Christ-followers or Christians, we are people who are dedicated and
bought by Jesus, which makes us His. If these people believed
that by simply touching cloth that was Jesus’ would heal them, what
would happen if we truly believed that by being Jesus’, we can make a
significant and miraculous impact on those who are hurting around us. When we truly recognize Jesus and act on the small amount of
faith like those living in Gennesaret, our world will be transformed. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
Sometimes, when I read about an event or look into the details of a parable, I wonder what the broader context is. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is one place in the gospels that seem to bring more questions than answers. For this journal entry, let’s focus not as much on the illustration, but instead focus on what we can gather from the context – and what are some ways we can view this teaching: 1. The first thing that jumps out at me that relates to the context is that this teaching does not start in typical parable fashion. Most parables begin with “The kingdom of God is like . . .” and then go from there, but not all parables do this. The most well known parable that does not start this way is the parable of the farmer and the four types of soil he spreads seed on (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1–20; Luke 8:4–15), and the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). This tells me that Jesus did share stories that taught truth beyond just looking at God’s kingdom, and this illustration was likely one of those. 2. The next thing we should look at is what the surrounding passage/teaching sounds and looks like. Are there illustrations/parables before this one, and if so do they start in typical parable fashion? And are there illustrations/parables after this one, and if so, do these ones start any differently? Looking at the teaching included in the surrounding chapters, we have the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, the prodigal son, the illustration of the unrighteous steward, and then a brief teaching on trust, greed, and the unchanging nature of God’s Law (Luke 15 and the first portion of Luke 16). After this illustration, Jesus teaches on the subject of not being a stumbling stone, on unconditional forgiveness, on increasing faith, and on being humble regarding our role in life (Luke 17:1-10), before the narrative shifts to another healing. The surrounding verses tell me that while this passage is not tagged as describing God’s Kingdom, neither are any of these half dozen or so teaching topics. 3. The third thing we should look at is whether this illustration is meant to teach us something about the present world, or if it is meant to teach us something else. It has been said (or speculated) that Jesus took a famous parable of the religious leaders and flipped the conclusion. This theory says that in the original version of this teaching, the rich man goes to Abraham while the poor man continues to be punished. While this makes for a good explanation for some of the unique qualities of this illustration (i.e. This is one of the only, if not the only, time Jesus includes a name in a parable), looking from the broader context seems to challenge this thinking. Luke wrote his book as a letter to someone who wasn’t present for any of Jesus’ life, teaching, or miracles. The recipient of the letter could have heard or known the original parable, which might have prompted Luke to include Jesus’ opposite version, but this is speculation – especially if the letter was being sent to someone outside of the region of Israel. What is less speculative is that Jesus used anything/everything He could to teach truth, and it would not be unlike Him to use a well known, but inaccurate, parable and change it into teaching truth – but nothing in this passage or the context suggest this or that He is teaching about anything beyond the choices we make in our current life being important after our life has ended. In the broader context of this specific passage, Jesus is teaching us about something bigger than any of the details of any specific parable/illustration: Our lives on earth matter to God, and our choices in this life determine our destiny. Each parable/teaching hints at one or both truths, and Jesus wants to get this truth through to us in as many ways as He can. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.
When the religious leaders arrest Jesus and bring Him to trial, we
can read an interesting phrase in the gospel of Luke that helps frame
why Jesus was rejected by the religious leaders of that time. While the trial was happening, somewhat unsuccessfully, the religious leaders turn to Jesus an simply point blank ask Him: “Tell us, are you the Messiah?” (Luke 22:67a GW) This is important for our discussion because these religious leaders
had a picture of who the Messiah would be, and what role the Messiah
would take. Jesus seemed to act like “a Messiah”, but He wasn’t really
acting the role of “the Messiah” they were looking for. Jesus’ response to these leaders is amazing. He responds by saying, “If
I tell you, you won’t believe me. And if I ask you, you won’t answer.
But from now on, the Son of Man will be in the honored position—the one
next to God the Father on the heavenly throne.” (Luke 22:67b-69 GW) Jesus was not the Messiah that the Jewish leaders expected to see,
and Jesus responds by telling them that if He admits to being the
Messiah that God had promised to their ancestors, they wouldn’t believe
Him anyways – and they wouldn’t be open to a discussion about it either. Claiming to be the Messiah was certainly something Jesus could have
done, but it would serve no point when these religious leaders only had
one picture of the Messiah that would come, and their picture was flawed
when compared with the Messiah God was sending into the world. So to these religious leaders, Jesus was not the Messiah; He didn’t
fit the role they had created for their messiah to fit into. But Jesus
was a Messiah – Jesus was the Messiah that God had promised would come
from the point where Adam and Eve sinned and were kicked out of the
Garden of Eden. There was no way for Jesus to convince these leaders He was
the Messiah, because they were only open to a messiah role that Jesus
wouldn’t fit. So Jesus doesn’t even try to make that claim. Instead, He
leans on His relationship to God the Father, and He focuses on this
instead. This also challenges me to ask myself if I am trying to make
Jesus fit a role He was never meant to fit in my own life. If so, it
would be wise to open my mind to the role He was meant to play. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.