Category Archives: Bible Study

LUKE’S GOSPEL…I’BE GOT YOUR BACK – 16b

Bible Study, ,

“After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus not only responded to John, He also talked about John. If He had been one of us, He probably would have had a lot today about John’s lapse.  How could John doubt when he was the one who had been called to testify about Him to the Jews! Hadn’t he, John, heard the Father’s voice at His baptism? Now that John’s life was under threat, why didn’t he still trust Him even if He did nothing? After all, he was the one who told the people to trust in Jesus!

Not Jesus! Let’s look at what He did say about John. “Forget about what John has just done. I understand how he feels. He is uncertain and afraid. This is temporary, not the real John.”

Let’s check John’s track record. He was a prophet but not just any prophet. To him was entrusted the role of forerunner to the king…and he fulfilled his calling faithfully. 

Jesus even went as far as declaring that John was the greatest prophet who had ever lived…after only six months of ministry! 

However, Jesus also explained that John’s ministry marked the close of the era of the Old Covenant. No in so many words, He said, John was the last of the prophets who did more than predict the coming of Messiah. He, instead, proclaimed Messiah’s presence and introduced Him to His people. Herein lay John’s greatness and yet, even the lowliest member of God’s kingdom is greater than John. How can this be?

John announced the arrival of the kingdom, but believers in Jesus have the privilege of living in the kingdom. With the coming of the Messiah and all that He accomplished on earth, God’s reign was finally established in the hearts of those who were and ate connected to Jesus by faith and joined to Him by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. John’s was the final voice that closed the chapter of the Old Covenant and handed the baton to Jesus to usher in the New Covenant with all its completion of the Old. His work was not to be criticised but applauded because he had done what he was called to do. 

Isn’t this just like Jesus and, by association, just like the Father?

Jesus did not come to criticise or condemn. He does not see our failures as final. He sees our hearts. He sees the whole picture…and, most of all, He sees His own image in us. Whatever temporary lapses we pass through, Jesus is well pleased with us. He will erase from our book very failure, every mistake, every sin that has ever blotted the pages of our history, and present us to the Father pure and spotless…transformed into His image. 

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…I’VE GOT YOUR BACK – 16a

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“John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ ” At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭18‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John was having a faith wobble in prison. He was stuck in jail for calling Herod to account for adultery. Jesus was around and about, conducting healing campaigns and doing all kinds of miracles. Was John thinking that Jesus could come by and do a little miracle for him…intervene to get him out of a sticky situation? Of course, such an action would  defy legal authority!

Jesus never came! John panicked. Perhaps all his preaching in the wilderness, his popularity, his attack on unrighteousness, and his most significant mission…to reveal Jesus as Israel’s Messiah…was a mistake. After all, could not Jesus affirm his confidence in Him by doing this miracle for him?

So, he sent two of his followers, since he couldn’t go himself, to question Jesus. “Are you really the Messiah, or have I made a big mistake?”

Jesus didn’t answer John’s question. He simply carried on doing what He was doing…preaching and healing. He left it to John’s disciples to decide for themselves whether He was the real Messiah or a fake. 

How true to His own “modus operandi!” Jesus didn’t tell these men who He was. He gave them opportunity to weigh up the evidence and decide for themselves. They didn’t return to John with the answer, ”Jesus said, ‘Yes, I am the Messiah ‘“ They went back with the story, “We heard what He said and saw what He did. He must be the Messiah!”

For every true believer, faith is built on who Jesus is because of what He said and did. Without this conviction and certainty, faith will never have the solid foundation of truth. 

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Faith that stands firm under all tests must be built on the solid conviction that Jesus is the Son  of God…His legitimate authority…and that He rose from the dead…confirmation that He was an acceptable sacrifice for sin. 

Faith as solid as this will not wobble under adverse circumstances even if Jesus doesn’t show up and do what we expect Him to do when we call on Him. Faith trusts Him always to do what glorifies Him and is best for us. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…FAITH AND AUTHORITY – 15

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“When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I found this story both intriguing and enlightening, adding another layer to my understanding of faith and prayer. 

Let’s take this report apart, layer by layer. 

First, the man who asked Jesus for help was a pagan, a Roman soldier who happened to be serving his emperor in Israel. He probably had, with a background of idolatry…many gods from Greek and Roman mythology, little or no knowledge of Jewish monotheistic religion. 

Why did this man ask a Jewish rabbi to do a miracle? How did he know that this was possible?

Perhaps, in his round of duties, this centurion had encountered Jesus somewhere, either in person or by hearsay. He was obviously impressed by Jesus’ authority. What Jesus said happened, even unusual things like demons fleeing and sick people, and even people who had physical defects like blindness and paralysis, being cured and restored. 

This pagan Roman had enough sense to weigh up the evidence and conclude that Jesus had a connection with divine power which was much more than human. Unlike the religious leaders, he had no prejudice to blind him to a realistic conclusion. 

When his servant became deathly sick, the centurion’s thoughts turned to Jesus. Perhaps he might also be in line for a miracle. As luck would have it, so he might have thought, Jesus happened to be in town. Bring a pagan, he showed his respect for a Jewish rabbi by sending some Jewish leaders to Jesus with a humble request for help. The Jews assured Jesus that he was worthy of help because of his benevolence towards the Jews. 

As Jesus approached his house, the centurion came out to meet Him. Again, he showed his respect by making room for Jewish scruples…not to enter a Gentile home for fear of being defiled. He expressed both his feeling of unworthiness and his confidence in Jesus’ words by his understanding of how authority worked. 

This is where the issue of authority and faith meet.

The centurion knew what authority meant because he carried authority in the Roman system in keeping with his rank in the army. He was the link between the authority to which he submitted and the soldiers under him. His authority did not extend beyond those who answered to him, but his word was law for them because of the chain of command. 

This man recognised that Jesus both had authority in His domain and understood His chain of command in the spiritual realm. He also knew that authority was conveyed through words. Just as he spoke the instructions he received to those under him, so he recognised that Jesus spoke the words He received from His authority to the sick and oppressed, and stuff happened. 

Here is the real source of faith. To have faith in Jesus, to recognise, accept, and trust in His authority to do what He has said, is the essence of faith. Hence, the burning question for the religious leaders was always…”Who gave you authority to do what you  are doing.? What is the source of your authority?” They could not deny that Jesus had authority but they refused to believe that His authority came from God. 

Faith, then, is absolute confidence in the power of Jesus to do what He said He would do because He had authority to do so. This takes the effort and guesswork out of faith. Faith, then, isn’t something that we must work up but simple confidence in Jesus’ words because of His authority. 

This brings me to faith and prayer. If faith is confidence in the authority of Jesus’ word, it stands to reason that His word is the all-important factor in prayer. He will always do what He promised.  This means that our prayers are powerful as they line up with what He has promised. 

“But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Real faith, then, is not a hit-and-miss hope that He will act when I pray. Faith is firmly anchored in Jesus’ authority to do what He has promised. 

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…WHY? – 14

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“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭46‬-‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How true to human nature!  We hear…we listen…we agree…and then we carry on with our lives as though the counsel was never heard! No wonder then, that Jesus asked the question that has no answer…

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

We respond like someone who has been warned that there is a precipice ahead but continues on to disaster because he did not heed the warning. 

Jesus told His story on the grounds, not that storms might happen to us in life but that they will happen. No human is immune from the disasters that are an inevitable part of life. The issue is…what have we done to prepare for such events? We cannot start building strong foundations for our lives in the middle of a storm!

The stability of the superstructure depends on its foundation. To change the metaphor, a huge tree depends on the depth and strength of its root system to survive storms. 

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ NIV

The roots of our lives, the strength of a building, depends on what lies beneath the surface. Our foundation must be far deeper than mere “faith”. Some people use the expression, “Have faith…” as though faith in itself is sufficient protection against adversity. Faith must have a solid, immovable structure to which it clings to be of any benefit. 

Jesus made it clear that our trust must be anchored securely to Him and centred in what He has taught us. 

“As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.”

On one occasion, He said to some who had believed in Him…

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

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ teaching is the solid, immovable truth to which we must anchor our faith. His teaching, in turn, is the utterance from His mouth and has its source in who He is. His words, in turn, are the words of the Father, above whom there is no greater authority, who speaks the words that Jesus speaks. 

With such a solid foundation, no storm can ever destroy a child of God. His promises support and protect us against every threat and every catastrophe, and we, His children become witnesses to His grace. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…INSPECT THE FRUIT – 13

Bible Study, ,

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus introduced another wise principle, and the counterpart to judging. If we are not permitted to judge others, especially when they attack us, criticise or judge us, how can we react in a godly way to what they say to us or about us that is unfair or untrue? 

Jesus said, “It’s not your role to judge but it is your responsibility to inspect their fruit.” What did He mean? When people attack us for whatever reason, we can either counter attack by judging them or we can stand back and recognise that the words they speak are a revelation of who they are. needing not response but pity. 

The hallmark of a true believer in Jesus is non-retaliation. Our sinful old nature cries out for revenge when we are attacked. Our old nature reacts against unfair criticism or unjust treatment. Hence, even the law of “an eye for an eye…” which was intended to damp down this reaction to retaliate more violently than the original attack, is not appropriate. 

Consider this…

The Bible tells us that Jesus’ temptation and suffering were concentrated in one specific area, injustice. Injustice…the greatest expression of rejection. Rejection reduces a person to nothing, of no consequence in the world, fit only to be eliminated. 

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Hebrews explains that Jesus’ suffering lay in His temptation. 

“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Temptation to do what? Retaliate!

The Bible also teaches us that Jesus overcame His natural human nature, the part of His humanity that could have sinned and forfeited His own life and our salvation, by refusing to retaliate. In  the face of the worst injustice any human has ever suffered, He did nothing but forgave!

Peter adds that He overcame temptation in the flesh. 

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body (flesh), arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body (flesh), is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This translation, ”in the body”, unfortunately misses the true meaning of “sarx”, “flesh”. Flesh can mean either “the physical body” or “human nature” which is, in humans, the sinful nature. In the context, with the reference to “sin”,  a better translation would be that Jesus suffered in His human nature. 

Again, Peter clearly identified the nature of Jesus’ suffering…injustice! 

“But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How does Jesus’ non-retaliation in the face of injustice tie up with His teaching about inspecting fruit? 

When we are unfairly criticised or judged, our natural response is to take offence because we apply the spoken words to ourselves. Jesus teaches us rather to look at the source. Words are the overflow of the heart. Words expose what is inside the heart. Therefore, what another person says about us is actually a revelation of who he/she is, not who we are. Conversely, when we retaliate in response exposes what is in our own hearts. 

When we recognise this truth, we have no need to retaliate because we retaliate when we are offended. Retaliation only compounds the sin. We can brush off anything said to or about us without reacting because the words of the accuser have nothing to do with us. Words are the overflow of who the accuser is. 

So,Jesus would say to us, ‘Watch your own heart!!” 

To be continued…