Rabbit Holes & Meditations - Christian Bible Study

In our Red-Letter Bible study we have encountered Jesus healing a man at the pool of Bethesda. Just to quickly recap, Jesus comes into the sheep gate, the northern court of the temple. Don't miss this. Jesus, the Lamb of God, arrives in Jerusalem through the "House of Mercy". He gets the man who has been visiting this place for 38 years to confess his need for healing and to reveal that this syste...

You've read that story at least a few times. There is a man at the Pool of Bethesda; he's been going to that pool for 38 years trying to get healed but never makes it to the pool when it bubbles up. Only the first person reaching the pool can be healed.  What is John trying to tell you? This is not just a story about a person who can't heal himself. You are (or at least at one point, were) the man...

We launch this episode off of the last one, so if you haven't heard that episode, it might be worth listening to.  https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/spoiled-little-brats-jesus-rebukes-the-religious-elite-of-his-day/   As I sat on this, I kept thinking to myself, would it be any different if Jesus showed up today? He might not be preaching in the Synagogues but instead, at the local churches, maybe e...

Jesus rebukes the spiritual immaturity and stubborn unbelief of His generation by comparing them to children who refuse to respond—whether the message comes in mourning or rejoicing. They rejected John the Baptist for his austerity and Jesus for His mercy, proving that their issue was not with style, but with truth itself. In the face of their slander, Jesus declares that God’s wisdom is vindicate...

John the Baptist, now in prison sends his messengers out to ask Jesus a very curious question (especially coming from John). Notes for Johns Curious Question   https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/johns-curious-question

We are about to see why our Podcast is called "Rabbit Holes and Meditations". This one document and corresponding podcast was arrived at via the simple asking of questions prompted by what I read in the short section in Luke about the resurrection of the widows' son (Luke 7:11-18). I pray that this curiosity is partly what Jesus meant about becoming like little children. We all need to have that s...

We have some major advantages over the Jews during Jesus' mission. We have the benefit of hindsight and a better picture of what Jesus was on earth to accomplish. It doesn't hurt to have these fundamentals buried in the back of your mind as you walk with Jesus on his journey through the Gospels. Every step in Jesus' journey is intentional. It is always worth asking not just the "how" but the "why"...

Healing the leper is Messianic. Leprosy was incurable. Jesus demonstrates his power over sin and death and his ultimate command of the law in this compassionate encounter between the leper and Jesus.  We explore the biblical accounts of Jesus healing a leper, primarily drawing from Matthew, Mark, and Luke's Gospels. It illuminates the severe social, physical, and spiritual implications of leprosy ...

Your problems exist inside a moment in the context of eternity. The tipping point in your faith will be when your faith exceeds your needs. Your needs don't even show up on the radar. You look up in awe and reverence, and a deep gratitude for what Jesus did for you on the cross and you forget every other reason you raised your arms up and looked up. This was part of a longer podcast. The message w...

We follow along with Jesus after he has cast out the demon in the synagogue. While we don't have any direct words from Jesus, his next stop is at Peter's house where he heals Peter's mother-in-law which has some interesting details. After that, the healing and the casting out of demons seems like "the thing". But it won't be long before Jesus makes a corrective turn in his mission. His next spoken...

Our Red-Letter Bible Study has me going down rabbit holes I had not considered. This one stems from my own testimony. Early in the Gospels, Jesus just parachutes into the land of Israel - an essential unknown and like the cleansing of the temple, he completely upsets the status quo of religion all through the Galilean landscape. Fast forward two thousand years and you're now a believer and you jus...

Today, we jump off the Red-Letter Bible study because we started to wrestle with the tension we are seeing in Christ's journey. When Jesus goes to Nazareth, he refrains from showing signs because of their unbelief and that took as down a Rabbit Hole. You see, in the next part of Jesus' journey, he heals Peter's mother-in-law and then everyone who comes to him for healing. So why did Jesus hold bac...

Consider this the extended cut of the previous Podcast about the Samaritan Woman. We did not want to leave any details on the table. This story is one of the most profound in all of the New Testament. We witness the progression of a true disciple from spiritual need and confession to one who recognized Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Notes for Jacob's Well https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/jacobs-well/  

In Luke 4:31-37 we confront the first of many demons in the Gospels. Luke considers this such an important topic that in his Gospel, this is the first Miracle mentioned. By this time, in Jesus' journey, he has turned water into Wine in Cana, He has healed the sick, he has revealed supernatural knowledge of hearts and minds and He has just left a mob with the intent to kill him in His hometown with...

I just wanted to take a step back from our Red-Letter Bible Study today and address this issue.  This keeps coming up. If you have followed Biblical prophecy, you can't miss the 7-year tribulation timelines, the constant prediction of the "pre-tribulation" rapture and when it doesn't happen, the resetting and rewriting of the timeline to fit the narrative. It seems to be picking up steam on the in...

We continue following Jesus in is early ministry and we get to be the fly on the wall in a truly pivotal scene. When we went down this rabbit hole. It is here where we discover why the Jews are having a difficult time getting on board Jesus' message. While his reputation by now precedes Him, Jesus confronts the hardened hearts in His hometown and leaves with the only miracle worth their attention....

We're picking up where we left of in our Red-Letter Bible study. We're leaving the well and going back to Cana where we saw Jesus' first sign. And interestingly, the theme picks back up right where He left them. People believed because of the signs. People were following Jesus. By this time, they knew Jesus by his signs. Jesus is teaching people to wrestle with the concept of faith. Still, most ar...

Jesus provides a masterclass in discipleship with one lone woman in Samaria.  This is probably one of the most memorable encounters with Jesus in all of the Bible. We spend quite some time unpacking the theologically rich detail. Every line is packed with meaning. You can teach the entire gospel with this single encounter.  Notes for The Samaritan Woman at the Well  

Jesus has a very tumultuous start to his ministry. Now all eyes are on him. His rampage through the temple did more than raise eyebrows. During that week at Passover, Jesus did many signs and miracles (we're not given the details). Through it all, a lot of people come to believe that Jesus is who he says he is but there was no repentance or transformation of the heart and Jesus saw right through t...

Continuing our Red-Letter Bible Study... Jesus leaves the wedding after a dramatic by quiet miracle. He and His family and disciples form a small entourage as they travel to Jerusalem. Jesus doesn't just enter this Passover festival as a quiet observer. He barges onto the scene. It is clear from this entrance into His ministry that we aren't in Kansas anymore! We want you to grasp this scene, so w...

We step into Jesus early ministry. Up to now, we found Jesus in the Temple as a young boy. Jesus walks out of that scene straight into the Jordan to be baptized. After that, Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness, fasting and praying... and being tested (if not tempted). He leaves the wilderness and starts gathering disciples (Andrew, John, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael. Along this journey, we...

We're still early into our Red Letter Bible Study. Jesus has just revealed to Nathanael his divinity - His first reference to Himself as the Son of Man. As we approach Jesus through the eyes of the early apostles, it's useful to understand how they might have understood "Son of Man". At this point, they are not even accustomed to the concept of the Trinity. Let's flush this out a little bit.  Note...

Whenever you see: "Verily, Verily" (or Truly, Truly) you need to sit up and pay attention. We follow Jesus on his early journey. Andrew, Simon and John are the first apostles. Here we see Jesus renaming Simon and then we see Philip, who was a follower of John the Baptist. He brings Nathanael to the party. Jesus has some interesting things to say to Nathanael. And, at the climax of this exchange, N...

If you think Peter and John and the rest of the apostles saw Jesus walking by and dropped everything when he said, "Follow Me", perhaps you need to dig a little deeper. That's what we did and it led me right back to my own testimony. It led me to this thought: He didn't fill my boat with fish. I didn't see Him cast out demons, feed thousands or raise the dead.  The call to "follow me" is always th...

You can imagine a cinematic sequence that starts with Moses and the Exodus, then fades to Joshua crossing the Jordon. Joshua encounters the giants in the promised land and they have to deal with them. David and his brothers finish off the Giants but the spiritual remnant remains. We fade into a scene where Jesus enters the same water as Joshua had. He is baptized. Then tested by Satan. Jesus heads...