When you welcome children as God does, you never know the impact you might have. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 19:13-15 When you welcome children as God does, you never know the impact you might have. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti February 13, 2024 Matthew 19:13-15 Welcoming children Who do you think was bringing children to Jesus, and why? Why do you think the disciples were trying to keep them from Jesus? Some commentators argue that this is not about playing up how wonderful children are. A footnote in the New Oxford Annotated Bible says that this is: “Not an idealization of childhood” ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , footnote to Mark 10:1-16, p. 1810). This may be about status, not about how cute or sweet or innocent children are. Children had the lowest status in Jewish society. The disciples were trying to maintain “control” so that Jesus could focus on more important things than children; but Jesus disagrees. What is Jesus’s view of those who have no status? No one is unimportant to Jesus. What is important to Jesus? What does this passage tell us about how things look or feel in the kingdom of heaven? How should this affect how we go about our lives? Take a step back and consider this: If parents are modeling the love that Jesus has for children, it will have lifelong effects on their children. The effects may sometimes be hidden at the time, but later, that love may manifest itself in powerful ways. In the movie Belfast (directed by Kenneth Branagh, TKBC and Northern Ireland Screen, 2021), the deeply loving relationship between 10-year-old Buddy’s grandparents has generation-crossing effects on their children and grandchildren. When Buddy’s father teaches Buddy to be welcoming to people of all faiths, we understand that he learned it from his parents. And now he is shaping his child (who became the actor Kenneth Branagh we know), who has shaped the thinking of millions of people through his movies. Our faithful love, reflecting the love of God in our marriages and family relationships, and the ways we pass on that love to our children, matters deeply. By our love, we shape how well our world reflects its Creator. So let us not lose sight of how important our treatment of children is. We have an awesome calling to show children the love of God and let them experience what it means to be part of the love in God’s kingdom. When we love them, we may be setting in motion good things that may bear fruit years later. How can we use well the awesome opportunity to love the children in our families and help them experience the welcoming and love of Jesus? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

God wants Christians to work for justice. Previous Justice Articles Next Justice and the Bible God wants Christians to work for justice. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti February 28, 2024 In the Bible, God repeatedly calls us to work for justice. Here is a short overview of the many Scripture passages where God’s demand that we work for justice is clear : God makes every human person in his image (Genesis 1:27) and tells us to treat all people with respect (1 Peter 2:17). Jesus tells us that he is present in every person in need (Matthew 25:34-40). Repeatedly, throughout the Old Testament, God demands that his people establish justice in their society (Amos 5:15), end the oppression of immigrants and those who are poor (Zechariah 7:8-11), provide for the poor and alien (Leviticus 23:22), and treat the immigrant like a citizen (Leviticus 19:33-34). He tells us to free the oppressed and provide for the needy (Isaiah 58:6-7). He calls us to defend the weak, the poor, and the oppressed (Psalm 82:3-4). He tells businesses to treat their customers fairly (Leviticus 19:35-36; 23:35-36) and to pay just wages to their workers (Deuteronomy 24:14-15; James 5:4). He tells governmental leaders to seek justice, defend the oppressed, and take up the cause of those who are at the bottom of society (Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 22:3). He directs those in political authority to act with justice and deliver the needy from those who oppress them (Psalm 72). How can we follow the Lord’s commands to establish justice in our land if we do not work to transform the social and political structures of our society? With so many Scripture passages directing us to take action for justice, how can any preacher suggest that salvation is just between you and God and we don’t need to be involved in transforming our society, our government, our businesses, and our culture? Furthermore, if we live in a democracy, we are responsible for our government’s laws. We cannot claim that God does not care if we allow laws that violate the principles of justice He has established – we are responsible to choose, guide, and influence our lawmakers, who are responsible to work for justice on our behalf. God demands that we get involved. He will hold us accountable for our response to His call to seek justice in our world. May we respond to God’s intense desire for justice and join His work to make it so. Copyright © 2024, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Justice Articles Next

Why does Jesus tell us to love our enemies? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 5:43-48 Why does Jesus tell us to love our enemies? Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti May 8, 2024 Matthew 5:43-48 Love your enemies This is the last of the 6 antitheses, where Jesus reinterprets and transforms the Jewish teachings in the Law. What does Jesus suggest that his Jewish audience has been taught? They have been taught: love your neighbor and hate your enemy. The Hebrew Bible does not teach that you should hate your enemy. You could imagine his audience nodding along as he says it, because that is what they have been raised to think. But it’s not there in the Old Testament. Leviticus 19:18 says, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (NRSV). Leviticus 19:17 says you shall not hate your kin. That might have been interpreted by some as allowing you to hate your enemy, even if you are not directed to do so. But the Old Testament does not say it; and Jesus not only rejects it, he goes further. What does Jesus teach here? The word for love here is agape , which is the kind of love that goes beyond even one’s love for one’s family and taps into the love that comes from God. This love does what is best for the other person even at cost to oneself. This does not necessarily mean letting others do whatever they want against us. Sometimes, restraining or refusing another person is the best thing for them. But this kind of love is the love that is done solely for the other person’s benefit, not to meet our own desires. What does this kind of love look like in action? According to Jesus in verse 45, who will we be if we do this? What does it mean to be “children of God”? The literal phrase here is “sons of God.” In the Hebrew language, there were relatively few adjectives, and “son of . . .” was often a way to convey an adjective – for example, the Jews might have said someone was a “son of peace” to signify that the person was peaceful. In this case, saying someone is a son of God might convey that they are a “godlike” person (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 175). Jesus is saying that if you love your enemies, you are acting like God would act – you are showing the character of God. How does loving our enemies make us like God? When we love, we reflect the mind and actions of God, because that is how God thinks and acts toward all people. If we love our enemies like God does, people will see the “family” resemblance – like Father, like son or daughter. In verse 44, Jesus tells us not only to love our enemies but to pray for those who persecute us. Why is praying for our enemies part of the package here? In the second part of verse 45, Jesus gives some examples of what God does to show his love even toward his enemies. What does he say God does? What are some ways we can treat our “enemies” – or those who are hard to love – that would be like the way God provides the sun and rain even to people who are evil or unrighteous? What attitude lies behind these ways that God and we show love to others? What attitude toward humans leads to a desire to love them even when they are being difficult? In verse 46-47, how does Jesus describe the more shallow, transactional care for others that is part of normal human nature? In his examples, Jesus refers to tax collectors and Gentiles – the non-favored people of his society. In a subtle way, he is suggesting that, although the Jews looked down on these groups, the “love your neighbor, hate your enemy” attitude of the prevailing Jewish society was no better. How can we adopt more fully an approach of love toward those we don’t agree with that would reflect the mind and actions of God? What would it look like if we were to routinely approach others, in every facet of life, this way? What would it look like: in business dealings? in political discourse? in disagreements within the church? in family squabbles and estrangements? in other areas of your life? Jesus is trying to help us embrace a whole new conception of ourselves, where we become like God and always keep God as our focus. He must increase in us, and our self-centeredness must decrease. Focus now on verse 48. What does it mean to be “perfect”? The Greek word here for perfect is teleios , which comes from the word telos , meaning end, purpose, aim, or goal. This word for “perfect” is not about being flawless in some abstract way. The word is about fulfilling the purpose for which you have been created (Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 176). How does loving our enemy help perfect us to that we can become more fully what God intended us to be? When we choose to love our enemies, we move forward in the transformation by which we take on God’s character and allow every part of our lives – our thoughts, words, and actions – to reflect the image of the God in whose image we were originally created. We could interpret the “be perfect” statement in this way: Jesus calls us to “be [fill in the blank] as your heavenly Father is [that thing].” Be holy as he is holy; be loving as he is loving; be patient as he is patient; etc. Be fully what God intends you to be. How does the call, in verse 48, to be fully what we are intended by God to be, sum up the entire teaching of the 6 “antitheses” from verses 21-47? In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus totally transforms some of the core teachings from the Jewish Law on how to relate to and deal with one another. Where in your life do you need to work on this new way of living? Take a step back and consider this: Why does God want us to love our enemies? The easy answer, based on this passage, is: to become children of God. But let’s push ourselves to think more rigorously. One reason to love our enemies is that Jesus told us to do so, to become children of God. What are some additional reasons why we should love our enemies? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said that we should love our enemies because (1) only love can overcome hate; (2) hate scars the soul; (3) only love can turn an enemy into a friend; and (4) love allows us to experience God’s holiness: (1) “Why should we love our enemies? The first reason is fairly obvious. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” (Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love , Beacon Press, Boston, 1963, p. 47). (2) “Another reason we must love our enemies is that hate scars the soul and distorts the personality. . . . [H]ate brings irreparable damage to its victims. . . . But there is another side which we must never overlook. Hate is just as injurious to the person who hates. Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to . . . confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.” (Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love , Beacon Press, Boston, 1963, pp. 47, 48). (3) “A third reason why we should love our enemies is that love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. We never get rid of an enemy by meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy by getting rid of enmity. . . . Love transforms with redemptive power.” (Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love , Beacon Press, Boston, 1963, p. 48 ) . (4) “An even more basic reason why we are commanded to love is expressed in Jesus’ words, ‘Love your enemies . . . that you may be children of your Father which is in heaven .” [ellipses and italics in the original] We are called to this difficult task in order to realize a unique relationship with God. . . . We must love our enemies, because only by loving them can we know God and experience the beauty of his holiness.” (Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love , Beacon Press, Boston, 1963, p. 50 ) . If someone were to ask you, “Why should I love my enemies?”, how would you respond? How can you apply these insights about love to some particular situation in your life? What is something you can do to choose love over hate? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Jesus tells us we need to be born again/from above in order to enter his kingdom. What does this mean, and what might our life look like if we are born from above? Previous Next John List John 3:1-15 Jesus tells us we need to be born again/from above in order to enter his kingdom. What does this mean, and what might our life look like if we are born from above? John La Farge. Visit of Nicodemus to Christ . 1880. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Public domain, via Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/visit-nicodemus-christ-14202 . Tom Faletti November 23, 2025 Read John 3:1-15 Jesus talks with Nicodemus about being born again from above It would be helpful to read this passage in the light of the final verses of the previous chapter. Some people came to believe in Jesus because of the signs he was doing in Jerusalem, but Jesus did not trust their newfound faith, which may have been a shallow response to his miracles rather than being a deep-seated change of heart. One of the Jewish leaders now comes to Jesus. He has not rejected Jesus the way other Jewish leaders have, but he also has not jumped to faith based on Jesus’s signs. He has questions. Nicodemus is described in 2 different ways in verse 1 and in a third way in verse 10. What are told about Nicodemus? Verse 1 tells us that Nicodemus is (1) a Pharisee and (2) a “ruler” (in most translations) or “leader” (NRSV) of the Jews. Verse 10 tells us he is a teacher. A “ruler” probably means a member of the Sanhedrin, the 71-member Jewish council that enforced Jewish religious law and also had political power under the Roman authorities. The Sanhedrin included the chief priests and the elders of Jerusalem’s leading families, and its members included both Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were committed to a zealous adherence to the entire Jewish law and the interpretations of it that had developed over the centuries. The Sadducees believed only what was stated in the Torah (the first 5 books of our Old Testament) and took a less rigorous approach to religious practices. Why do you think Nicodemus comes to see Jesus? Is he like the “come and see” disciples who check out Jesus in chapter 1? In verse 2, John tells us that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. On a practical level, why might he have come at night? And what symbolism might be suggested in the image of Nicodemus coming at night? He may be afraid to be found out by those who oppose Jesus. Symbolically, he is in spiritual darkness and has not yet received the light of Christ. This fits with something Jesus will say later in the chapter when he contrasts those who come into the light from those who don’t (John 3:19-21). In verse 2, how does Nicodemus describe Jesus? In verse 3, Jesus shifts the conversation. What does he say? John here tells another story where someone misunderstands Jesus. The misunderstanding begins with the Greek word that follows the word “born.” That word can mean “from above” or “again.” Which way does your translation of the Bible translate that word? The NRSV and the NABRE choose the translation “from above.” Most other translations follow the King James Bible in using “again,” although some translations say “anew.” Some of our modern translations say “born again,” and some say “born from above.” What does Nicodemus think Jesus is saying, and what does Jesus actually mean? After Nicodemus shows that he doesn’t understand, Jesus tries again. Jesus provides a little more explanation in verse 5. What does he say? He says we must be born of water and spirit (or Spirit – the Greeks at that time did not have separate letters for lower case and upper case, so we must make our best interpretation). There is significant disagreement across the various Christian traditions as to how to interpret this verse. The Catholic Church sees here a clear reference to the sacrament of Baptism, where people are born of water and the Spirit in a single event: one baptism that involves both a physical washing by water and a reception of the Holy Spirit. This understanding extends back to the early church. Justin Martyr, writing around AD 155-157, cited John 3:3-4 in explaining the Church’s baptismal practices ( Justin , par. 61). The Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches also have historical positions that are compatible with a sacramental view of this verse. Many evangelicals reject the idea that this verse is referring to sacramental baptism and believe that these words refer to the cleansing and spiritual regeneration that occurs when a person makes a profession of faith. They point to other passages of Scripture such as Romans 10:9 for their understanding of spiritual regeneration. A minority position is that the baptism of water is a reference to our natural birth at the beginning of our lives, but it would have been trite for Jesus to say that a condition of entering the kingdom of God is that you must have been born physically. The fact that Jesus identified water and spirit suggests that he was thinking of something more when he referred to water. Moreover, the Greek phrasing suggests that “water and spirit” are not separate but go together, because in the Greek there is no “the” before “spirit”: the phrase is “water and spirit.” Ezekiel 36:25–27 talks about water and spirit in a way that supports the idea that there is a spiritual transformation that involves both water and spirit in one action of God. What does it mean to you to be “born again”? What does it mean to you to be born of water and the Spirit? In Nicodemus’s mind, to become a child of God, you must be born of a Jewish mother. Jesus is redefining what it means to be a child of God. In verse 7, the first “you” is singular – talking to Nicodemus – but the second “you” is plural: “ You all must be born again/from above.” Jesus is not just saying that Nicodemus must be born again/from above, he is saying this to everyone. Regardless of whether you interpret this passage sacramentally or as referring to a spiritual regeneration that comes with a profession of faith, it needs to be lived out on an ongoing basis. What does a life that is born again or born from above look like? Jesus refers to “the kingdom of God” in both verse 3 and in verse 5. This is the only place that phrase appears in the Gospel of John. It appears more regularly in the Synoptic Gospels. In verse 3, Jesus says we need to be born again or from above to “see the kingdom of God,” and in verse 5, he says we need to do this to “enter the kingdom of God.” So being born again or from above is the process or step that allows us to see or enter the kingdom of God. What do you think Jesus means by “the kingdom of God”? What do you think it means to see or enter the kingdom of God? Jesus makes a pun in verse 8 that is not obvious to us in English. In both Hebrew and Greek, there is one word that means both “wind” and “spirit” (John uses the Greek word pneuma ). Jesus says the pneuma blows and you hear it, referring to wind. And he says we are born of the pneuma , by which he means the Spirit. Jesus says that we don’t know where the wind comes from or goes, but we are able to perceive that it is there; and he says that people who are born of the Spirit have a similar experience. How are they similar? We can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we see the effects of the Spirit. In what ways do you perceive the presence of the Holy Spirit even though you cannot see him? Nicodemus still does not understand what Jesus is saying, and Jesus chides him in verse 10 for not understanding even though he is a teacher. Nicodemus then disappears from the story, though he will return later (John 7:50) and will eventually do a courageous good deed (John 19:39). The “we” in verse 11 may refer to Jesus and John the Baptist, though it also could be the author’s view of the contrast between the Christian community and the Jews around it. The second “you” in verse 11 and all the instances of “you” in verse 12 are plural. Jesus is now speaking not just to Nicodemus but to anyone who has not put their faith in him. In verse 13, what does Jesus say about the Son of Man? He descended from heaven and will ascend to heaven. This description of the Son of Man makes it more clear than in the Synoptic Gospels that the “Son of Man” is a heavenly person, not just a human. How important to you is it that Jesus came down from heaven and returned to heaven, and why? Verses 14-15 refer to an incident from the Old Testament involving Moses. John has already suggested that Jesus is greater than Moses (1:17). Let’s see what he is talking about here. Read Numbers 21:4-9 . Why do you think Moses hangs the bronze serpent on a pole? This allows him to lift it up for people to see, even from a distance. Look at John 3:14. John does not explain here what “lifted up” means (he will make it clearer later in his Gospel), but we know what it means, as did John’s readers. What does Jesus mean when he says that he will be lifted up? Jesus will be lifted up on the cross in his Crucifixion. He will also be lifted up from the grave in his Resurrection and lifted into heaven at his Ascension. The bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the desert gave life to people who otherwise would have died of a snake bite. According to John 3:15, what does Jesus being lifted up do? Ironically, the bronze serpent eventually became an idol and King Hezekiah ultimately destroyed it in 2 Kings 18:4. Satan appeared as a snake in the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:15 says that the snake will continue to strike at the heel of Eve’s offspring. In Numbers, snakes were biting the Israelites in the desert. If we interpret the story in Numbers as an allegory, the snakes that were biting the people might represent Satan, and the bronze serpent that was lifted up represents Jesus. How does Jesus’s action of being lifted up protect us from the deadly attacks of Satan? How is Jesus in chapter 3 calling us to a deep-seated change and not just to a single moment of faith? Take a step back and consider this: Although churches that believe in sacramental Baptism see it as a one-time event, and churches that focus on a profession of faith only expect you to make that profession once, they all agree that faith is about more than a single moment. Faith is an ongoing process of conforming yourself more and more fully to the person of Jesus. How can you live your life in a way that more fully reflects your status as a person who has been born again, born from above, born of water and the Spirit? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John List Next

Some men asked Jesus if would support the execution of a woman caught in adultery. Jesus’s response models mercy and does not support executing people. Can we embrace his approach? [John 7:53-8:11] Previous Next John List John 8:1-11 Some men asked Jesus if would support the execution of a woman caught in adultery. Jesus’s response models mercy and does not support executing people. Can we embrace his approach? Rembrandt (1606-1669). The Woman Taken in Adultery . 1644. Detail. The National Gallery, London, UK. Photo by Tom Faletti, 28 May 2025. Tom Faletti March 5, 2026 Read John 8:1-11 The men who asked Jesus if he would support the execution of a woman caught in adultery John 7:53-8:11 has a long history but does not appear in the earliest manuscripts we have today. It first appears in manuscripts we have that reach back to around AD 400. Some manuscripts have it in different places in the Gospel of John (for example, at the end) and some manuscripts place it after Luke 21:38, which has language very similar to John 7:53. However, the passage was well-known long before 400. The church historian Eusebius, writing in the early 300s, relates a similar story that he said was told by Papias (who died around AD 130 and knew the apostle John personally). The Didascalia Apostolorum , a book of teachings about the Christian life written in the 200s, refers to this story with specific details and Jesus’s words, and directs bishops to follow Jesus’s example of mercy. Augustine and Jerome, both of whom were leading theologians in the late 300s and early 400s, cited this story in arguments they made in defense of Christianity. They knew that it did not appear in some manuscripts, but they considered it part of Scripture. Augustine suggested that it might have been deleted from the original Gospel of John by men who were afraid their wives might commit adultery ( Wasserman ). Most modern scholars think that it was added to John’s Gospel and placed in its present position to connect with Jesus’s statement in John 8:15: “I judge no one.” They note that the style of its language is different from that of the rest of John’s Gospel. If it was added, it was probably circulating in the oral tradition in the early church before it was set down in writing and included in the Gospel. The way it presents Jesus is very authentic to Jesus’s style of deflecting attempts to trap him. The story is also appropriate to this chapter of John because by the end of this chapter the religious leaders are picking up stones to throw at Jesus (8:59). In John 7:53, we see that Jesus does not stay overnight in the city of Jerusalem. He crosses the Kidron River, just east of Jerusalem, and stays on the Mount of Olives, which is a mountain ridge (or high hill) across from the walled Old City on the other side of the Kidron Valley. Early in the morning, Jesus returns to the Temple area of the city. What is he doing in verse 2, when the next incident occurs? The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus. What do they accuse her of, and what do they say the Law of Moses requires? They accuse her of adultery. In Deuteronomy 22:22-24, and also in Leviticus 20:10, the punishment for adultery is death for both the man and the woman. Verse 6 tells us that they are testing him to see if they can bring a charge against him. If he agrees with the Law of Moses, how could that lead to a charge against him? If he disagrees with the Law of Moses, how could that get him in trouble? If he agrees with the Law of Moses, the Pharisees could report him to the Roman authorities, because the Jews were not allowed to exercise capital punishment under Roman occupation. If he disagrees, they can say he is clearly not the Messiah since he is contradicting Moses. Jesus does not respond to their question. He bends down and writes on the ground. John does not tell us what he is writing. What do you think he is writing on the ground? Some scholars seen in verse 6 a reference to Jeremiah 17:13, which is sometimes translated to say that those who turn away from God shall be written in the earth because they have forsaken the Lord, who is the fountain of living water. Jesus just identified himself as the source of living water in the previous passage (7:38) and now is writing in the sand in response to people who have turned away from him. However, Jeremiah 17:13 is not entirely clear and some versions of the Bible translate it as saying that those who turn away from God shall be enrolled or recorded in the netherworld (rather than written in the earth). What does Jesus say in verse 7, when they keep challenging him? What do you think Jesus’s statement in verse 7 means? Jesus continues to write on the ground, and the scribes and Pharisees leave, one by one. Why do you think they leave? It is interesting that the elders are the first to leave. Are they wiser? Do they realize they are wrong to be trying to trap him (unlikely), or that they are wrong in their treatment of the woman? Do they realize that if Jesus says the woman should be stoned, they don’t want to risk the ire of the Romans by carrying out an execution in such a public place? One popular idea is that Jesus was writing in the sand the sins of the men, starting with the eldest – but that’s only speculation. The man who supposedly committed adultery with this woman was not brought to Jesus as the woman was. What does that suggest to you? In verse 10, what does Jesus ask the woman? In verse 11, Jesus says to the woman, “Go, and from now on, sin no more.” What is he telling her to do, and how can she take it to heart? Jesus also calls us to stop sinning. How can we do a better job of that? We may be more successful when we focus less on not sinning and more on staying in a continual relationship with Jesus where we are always walking in his light. He does not expect us to try to tough it out and resist sin by our own power, but to let him empower us to do right. Jesus neither condemns the woman nor condones adultery. How can we approach people with the same attitude as Jesus shows here? This Story is About the Death Penalty In this passage, the Pharisees and Jesus are talking about capital punishment. When Jesus talks about “throwing a stone,” he is talking about participating in an execution. In the Law of Moses, Deuteronomy 17:7 says that, when someone has committed a crime that is subject to the death penalty, the witnesses to the crime are the ones whose hands shall be raised first – i.e., the witnesses are the ones who are supposed to be the first to pick up a stone and cast it at the condemned person – and the rest of the people shall follow. When Jesus says, in verse 7, that the one who is without sin should be the first to throw a stone, he is not speaking metaphorically. He is responding to their question about capital punishment and speaking literally about the first steps in an execution. The Law said that the witnesses should throw the first stones to execute a person. Jesus says those without sin should throw the first stones to execute a person. When capital punishment is practiced in our day, we don’t stone people to death. How would Jesus say it if he was referring to capital punishment in our day? In modern terms, Jesus’s words are the equivalent of, “Let the one who is without sin inject the deadly drug, release the poisonous gas, fire the rifle, flip the switch, tie the noose and trip the trap door.” Jesus says, “Let the one who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” (verse 7). He also says, “Neither do I condemn you” (verse 11), which means: Neither do I condemn you to death . What does this suggest to us about Jesus’s view of capital punishment? How can we apply Jesus’s approach to the death penalty today? No one in our day is without sin, so the clear implication is that no one should be involved in executing another person. Many Christian groups also oppose the death penalty because they think only God should take a life (“Thou shalt not kill”). The Catholic Church argues that since every human being is made in the image of God and has an inherent dignity that cannot be taken away, the death penalty is never permissible ( The Vatican ). If we take this teaching about the death penalty to heart, how can we respond to capital punishment in our society in a manner consistent with Jesus’s approach? How can we be a voice for not killing? In “ In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus signals His opposition to the death penalty ,” Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy describes the work of Catholic Mobilizing Network in the United States. Think about the men who brought this woman to Jesus. The Gospels tells us about times when Pharisees picked up stones to try to stone Jesus. In the Acts of the Apostles, Stephen is stoned to death. Why do you think people are sometimes so focused on killing other people? Hopefully none of us is this focused on killing people. But we may still have condemning attitudes toward people we think are wrong or who cross us. What might be our ways of acting in judgment, where Jesus might want us to take a different approach? Take a step back and consider this: Christians sometimes describe Jesus’s approach to the woman caught in adultery as: “hate the sin, love the sinner.” This saying encourages us to draw a distinction between judging (and perhaps condemning) people and making judgments about their acts. The saying troubles me, however, because it still uses judgmental language to characterize the person. When we call someone a “sinner” in that way, we are suggesting that they are different from us: they, the sinners, commit that sin, but the rest of us don’t do that. It turns the person we are talking about into an “other” rather than one of “us.” That saying also highlights the fact that people are rather selective about what sins we should “hate” so much that we call the perpetrators of those sins “sinners.” People my use that phrase when they are talking about someone who commits a sexual sin. But what about other sins? James denounces wealthy people who withhold wages from their workers (James 5:4-5). Do we say we “hate the sin but love the sinner” when we are talking about wealthy corporate executives who enrich themselves but refuse to pay their workers a living wage? Do we use it for other forms of injustice? Do we use it for sins we commit; or only for sins that other people commit? The situations that lead us to use that phrase may reveal more about our biases and which sins we think are most egregious than it reveals about the gospel. St. Paul says that “even if a person is caught in some transgression, you who are spiritual should correct that one in a gentle spirit, looking to yourself, so that you also may not be tempted” (Gal. 6:1, NABRE). For that reason, I would rather say: “Speak honestly but graciously about sin, knowing that you too are not perfect, and love the person who commits a sin the way you would want to be loved when you sin.” Are there sins for which you choose to call the person who commits that sin a “sinner”? If so, which sins lead you to use that label? Are there ways that you use the words “sin” and “sinner” that might have the effect of putting other people in a category that is different, and perhaps lower, than yourself? Jesus told the woman not to sin any more but did not call her a sinner. How can we treat others with the same grace and gentleness and avoid putting them in categories we don’t use for ourselves? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John List Next

The work of God is that we believe in Jesus. How can we treat believing as an action that brings us into relationship with the person Jesus? Previous Next John List John 6:22-33 The work of God is that we believe in Jesus. How can we treat believing as an action that brings us into relationship with the person Jesus? Giovanni Battista Naldini (1535–1591). Manna from Heaven . Circa 1580. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manna_from_Heaven_by_Giovanni_Battista_Naldini.jpg . Tom Faletti February 21, 2026 Part 1 of John 6:22-59 In this chapter, Jesus talks about himself as the Bread of Life, answers people’s questions, and tells them they need to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. The dialogue runs from John 6:22 through 6:59. We will explore it in parts, beginning with John 6:22-33. Read John 6:22-33 the crowd questions Jesus The next day, the crowd expects to find Jesus still on the mountain, since they know that he went up the mountain to pray and his disciples left by boat. When they don’t find him, they go to Capernaum because that was where he had been preaching before the feeding of the 5,000. Matthew 4:13 tells us that Jesus had moved to Capernaum from Nazareth. We might think of Capernaum as his Galilee headquarters. In verses 22-24, why do you think the crowd is looking for Jesus? In verse 26, what is the reason Jesus gives for why they are looking for him? What is your main reason for following Jesus? In verse 27, what does Jesus tell the crowd they need to do? What would be examples of food that perishes? Jesus is not telling us that we shouldn’t work to get food to feed ourselves. What is his point? Still looking at verse 27, what is food that endures for eternal life? In what way does it endure for eternal life? What is Jesus telling us about the things we work for or strive for? How can we apply this in our lives today? In John 4:14, Jesus said that the water he offers is a spring of water welling up to eternal life. In 6:27, he says that the food that he gives endures for eternal life (6:27). How are both images related to eternal life? The crowd responds to Jesus’s comment about work by asking a new question: What do we need to do, to be doing the works of God (verse 28)? In verse 29, Jesus tells them what the work of God is. What does verse 29 mean to you? In what way is believing in Jesus the work of God? In verse 30-31, the crowd, or some people in the crowd who are more antagonistic toward Jesus, challenge Jesus. Why do you think these people want still more signs? The people in the crowd recall the manna that appeared daily while the Israelites were in the desert, which God called “bread from heaven” in Exodus 16:4. The people were aware of Jewish writings that suggested that God would once again miraculously provide manna to the Jews in the last days. It is possible that these people in the crowd were suggesting that if Jesus really was the Messiah he should provide bread every day. Why do you believe in Jesus without more signs? In verse 32, Jesus corrects some misunderstandings. First, he says that it was not Moses who provided the bread from heaven; it was God. We may have times when we forget that God is the source of our blessings and sustenance. Why is it important to remember that God is the ultimate source of all the good we experience? Second, Jesus says in verse 32 that it is not enough to say that God “gave” bread from heaven in the past; he “gives” the true bread from heaven now. Jesus is not yet speaking about the Eucharist (that will come in verses 50-59); he is speaking of himself. How is Jesus the true bread from heaven? In verse 33, Jesus says he gives life to the world. How does Jesus give life to the world? How does Jesus give life to you? Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus has been describing himself as coming from heaven – i.e., he is not just a human. In this conversation, he redirects their focus. They are thinking about manna provided to their ancestors in the desert in the past that fed them temporarily; he is bread given by his Father in the present that gives life to the world. This sets us up for the text sentence, where Jesus says, “I am the Bread of Life.” Take a step back and consider this: In verse 29, Jesus uses the active verb to believe . He does not say that belief (noun) in Jesus is the work of God, but that believing (verb) in Jesus is the work of God. Believing is something you actively do , not something you passively accept. Jesus is trying to draw the crowd away from thinking that they are there to passively receive something from him, whether it is teaching or food, and to instead see his words as a call to action. But the action he seeks is not more of the works-oriented law-following that the Jewish religion was full of at that time, but instead a believing that enters into a relationship with the One in whom they are invited to put their trust. Our faith does call us to embrace certain beliefs and spurs us to do good things for others, but Jesus is not focused on either of those things in this passage. He is calling the people to engage with him personally just as they are engaged with the food they eat. How do you keep your eye on believing in the person Jesus? How can your relationship with Jesus invigorate you and sustain you the way bread and other food nurtures and sustains your body? What is one step you can take this week to reinforce your decision to believe in Jesus? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John List Next

Jesus does not choose the trappings of a king; he signals that he cares for all the people. How can we follow his humble example and his love for the whole world? Previous Next John List John 12:12-19 Jesus does not choose the trappings of a king; he signals that he cares for all the people. How can we follow his humble example and his love for the whole world? Ivan Tišov (1870-1928). [Jesus enters Jewrusalem.] 1897. Cropped. Zagreb, Croatia. Gabi Malinar, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jesus_enters_Jerusalem.jpg . Tom Faletti April 20, 2026 Read John 12:12-19 A great crowd greets Jesus as he enters Jerusalem What does the crowd do when they hear that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem for Passover? What do palm branches symbolize? Palm branches are a symbol of victory or triumph. They were used to welcome or celebrate kings and conquerors. In verse 13, the word “Hosanna” is a Hebrew word that means “Save us.” What word do the people use in verse 13 that tells us what role they think Jesus can play in saving them? The people are quoting from the Psalms. Psalm 118:25 says, “Lord, save us,” and the next verse, Psalm 118:26, says, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” The Jewish people would quote these words as they entered the Temple precincts. But now they are referring to Jesus. What is the significance in saying that Jesus “comes in the name of the Lord”? In what ways do we come to God and to other people “in the name of the Lord”? Look at John 11:48. What did the Jewish leaders fear would happen if they didn’t do something about Jesus? How would what they see happening here trouble them? The words “ass” and “donkey” refer to the same kind of animal. The word “ass” goes back more than 1,000 years and is related to the scientific name for this creature: Equus asinus . The word “donkey” was first used in 1785. Asses are often wild, whereas the word “donkey” is usually used only for domesticated asses. Because the word “ass” has taken on other meanings, modern translations of the Bible often use the word “donkey.” Jesus finds an ass or donkey and sits on it. What does riding on a donkey symbolize? Riding on a donkey is a symbol of coming in peace. A conquering king or general would enter a city on a horse. Jesus comes on a donkey. What message is Jesus sending by choosing to ride into the city on a donkey? Jesus is indicating that he comes in peace. He is rejecting the image of a king lording himself over the people and is instead embracing his connection to the people – that he is one of them. What would a modern-day image of this look like? A pope riding in a Volkswagen? A president riding a bicycle? When I was in college, the president of the University I attended rode around campus on a bicycle, and it sent a signal that he was down-to-earth and approachable, not someone high and distant from us. How can we follow Jesus’s humble example? John rarely quotes the Old Testament directly, but he does so in verse 15. What does this quote from Zechariah 9:9 say? The next verse in the passage from Zechariah says that this king comes to proclaim peace to the nations (Zech. 9:10), and John knows that. What kind of peace does Jesus proclaim? In what ways is Jesus’s peace meant “for the nations,” not just for the Jews of his time? How can we show to people who are not of our nationality that Jesus’s peace is for people of all nations, not just people of our background? John rarely uses the word “king” for Jesus, but here he is reporting what the crowd said, and the early church embraced the term “king” for Jesus. Since Jesus rejects the trappings of a king, in what ways is he a king? At the end of verse 16, John says that, after Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples remembered that “they had done these things to [or for] him.” It isn’t clear who the “they” refers to. It could be a reference to the crowd, but the direct antecedent in the sentence is the disciples. Perhaps this is a hint that the disciples were some of the people in the crowd who were waving palm branches as Jesus entered the city. Matthew provides more details about this incident, and in his Gospel it is clear that, even before Jesus enters the city, the crowd of people who came up to Jerusalem from Galilee with Jesus are already cutting palm branches and starting to lay them on the road ahead of him before he enters the city (Matt. 21:1-11). The spectacle of Jesus and the donkey and the palm branches is not the only thing going on. In verses 17-19, we hear about what is happening on the sidelines. People who had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead are testifying about Jesus, and the Pharisees are griping. Sometimes the real spiritual battle is not in the spotlight where everyone’s attention is focused, but on the sidelines where unnoticed people are either seeing God’s perspective or missing it. How can you develop the spiritual sensitivity to recognize the people who are not in the spotlight whom you can tell about what God is doing, to help them make sense of what is happening in the spotlight? The people want to treat Jesus as a king. But even though he is a king, he does not choose to be treated that way. How might we sometimes focus on the flashy parts of who Jesus is, when he might prefer that we focus on the humble things he cares about? In verse 19, the Pharisees say something that is deeply ironic: they say that the “world” (i.e., everyone) has gone after Jesus. John uses the word “world” repeatedly to show the universality of Jesus’s offer of salvation; for example: 3:16: John says, “God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son.” 1:29: John the Baptist says that Jesus “takes away the sin of the world.” 4:42: Jesus is referred to as “the savior of the world.” 6:33: Jesus says he “gives life to the world.” 8:12: Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” In verse 19, the Pharisees express their fear that the whole world is going after Jesus. How universal is Jesus’s role in the world? How much of the “world” does he care about and call to himself? How can we live in a way that shows that we have the same concern for “the whole world” that Jesus has? In verse 19, the Pharisees are insightful enough to recognize how many people are turning to Jesus, but they respond with the wrong reaction. People around us may often have negative reactions or attitudes toward people from other parts of the world. How can we communicate and act in ways that show how much God cares about people from all of the world? Take a step back and consider this: Back in John 10, Jesus described himself as the good shepherd who knows his sheep by name and lays down his life for his sheep. Pope Francis said that priests should be “shepherds who have the smell of their sheep” ( McElwee ). In other words, they should accompany the people, not live above them. Jesus shows a similar attitude in the way that he rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. The issue here is not the animal itself – the sheep or donkey – but what it symbolizes: it signals Jesus’s concern for the common people. It calls us to care for the common people and not to try to escape them for some community that has a higher status. How can we be the kind of people who have “the smell of the sheep” and celebrate the man who rides on a donkey? How can we be people who accompany the common people in their real-life struggles and offer peace to all? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John List Next

Jesus prays for the disciples, asking the Father to consecrate them as he sends them out into the world. We, too, are called to be set apart or consecrated for the work he has for us. How well do we recognize and respond to our calling? [John 17:1-11; 17:1-5; 17:6-13; 17:14-19] Previous Next John List John 17:1-19 Jesus prays for the disciples, asking the Father to consecrate them as he sends them out into the world. We, too, are called to be set apart or consecrated for the work he has for us. How well do we recognize and respond to our calling? Eugène Burnand (1850-1921). La Prière Sacerdotale (The High Priestly Prayer) . 1900-01, 1918. Musée cCntonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_Pri%C3%A8re_Sacerdotale_2.jpg . Tom Faletti May 14, 2026 Read John 17:1-19 Jesus prays for the disciples, that the Father will sanctify them as he sends them into the world This prayer is sometimes called the “high priestly prayer”: Jesus praying for his disciples and us as the high priest interceded for the people. In verses 1-2, Jesus prays for things that, from our perspective now, have already happened. What was the result? How did each of these requests turn out? How did the Father give glory to his Son? How did the Son glorify the Father? How do we see the Son having authority over all people? How did, or does, the Son give eternal life to everyone whom the Father gave, or gives, to the Son? Verse 3, or perhaps just the phrase “Jesus Christ,” may have been added by John, since Jesus does not refer to himself as “Jesus Christ” anywhere else. Verse 3 is a different way of summarizing what eternal life is. What does verse 3 say that eternal life is? Since verse 3 tells us that eternal life is “knowing” God and “knowing” Jesus Christ, that means that eternal life is not simply a place in heaven or a spiritual condition: eternal life is having a relationship in which we know the Father and the Son. How does this insight that eternal life involves a relationship with God affect your thinking about eternal life? In verse 4, Jesus says that he glorified the Father by completing the work the Father gave him to do. This is a good way of evaluating ourselves as well. How do we glorify God – by completing the work God has given us to do. What is the work God has given you to do, and what progress are you making in completing it? In verse 5, Jesus makes another explicit statement of his divinity, saying that he was with the Father in glory before the world began. This means that he let go of the glory he already had in his divine state, in order to achieve his goal of saving us. What does this tell us about Jesus? In verses 6-8, Jesus describes the disciples. Where did the disciples come from? Who did they belong to? What is their relationship with Jesus? What do they now know, and what did they do to reach that state? In verse 6, when Jesus says he revealed the name of God, he could be referring to his use of the “I AM” for himself as co-equal with God; but more likely the point he is making is that he has revealed the nature of God: who God is. In verse 9, Jesus begins to pray for the disciples. He begins by saying that they belong to the Father and to him (the Son), because everything that is the Father’s is his and everything that is the Father’s (verse 10). He adds, “And I have been glorified in them.” How is Jesus glorified in the disciples? Jesus then notes that he will no longer be in the world, but they will. So in verse 11 he asks the Father to “keep them in your name”? What does it mean to keep them “in your name”? The name represents the whole person. Some people have jobs where they act in the name of their boss. “In your name” here suggests that he is asking the Father to help the disciples to live in a manner consistent with the nature and character of God and according to the faith he has taught them, so that they are always act in accordance with his ways. At the end of verse 11, Jesus identifies a goal: that the disciples “might be one, as we are.” What would that kind of unity look like, among the disciples? In verse 13, Jesus suddenly, surprisingly, interjects the word “joy.” He has just mentioned his betrayer in verse 12, and in verse 14 he will say that the world hates them. So where is there room for joy? What is there to be joyful about? Looking at verse 14, why does the world hate the disciples? The disciples are in the world, but Jesus says in verse 14 and again in verse 16 that they do not belong to the world. What does that mean? In verse 15, Jesus says he is not asking the Father to remove the disciples from the world. Why not? Hy doesn’t God just take us out of this fallen world? Since Jesus wants the Father to leave the disciples in the world, what does he ask the Father to do for them in verse 15? We pray, almost exactly the same thing in the Lord’s Prayer: "Deliver us from evil." In practical terms, what are we asking for when we pray that? In verse 17, Jesus has more to ask from the Father. He says, “Sanctify them (or consecrate them) in the truth.” What does it mean to sanctify something or something, or for someone to be consecrated? To sanctify is to make holy. The Greek word used here is hagiazon , from the root word hagios , which means holy, set apart, sacred, devoted to the gods (or, in our case, to God). We see the root word in the name of the ancient church known as the Hagia Sophia – “Holy Wisdom” – in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). The corresponding Latin word for holy is sanctus/sancta , from which we get our word “saint.” A person is consecrated when they are wholly set apart for a holy purpose. Jesus desires the same thing for us. How can we live lives that are holy and consecrated or set apart to fulfill God’s purposes? Considering that the word “holy” or “sanctified” can mean “set apart” for an intended purpose, if we are sanctified, what are we “set apart” from? In verse 17, Jesus’s prayer asks that the disciples be sanctified “in truth,” and Jesus adds that God’s word is truth. How does the truth help to sanctify us and make us holy? How does God’s word help to sanctify us and make us holy? In verse 18, Jesus says that, as he was sent into the world, he also sends the disciples into the world. What does he mean? How are we also “sent into the world” by Jesus? And as people who are “sent,” what are we called to do? How can we faithfully live in the world as people who are sanctified and consecrated and sent out into the world, but who do not belong to the world? What does this passage call you to do, at this particular moment in your life? Take a step back and consider this: Although in some ways the calling of the first disciples was unique, every generation needs people who live for Jesus and recognize that God has sent them into their part of the world to make the truth and character of Jesus known. We are not saved to sit; we are saved to be sent. Being “sent” does not necessarily mean to some far-off country. God desires to use us where we are, to bring his name, his character, his truth, his wisdom, his peace, and his hope to every situation we find ourselves in. In order to do this fully, we must be consecrated to God – not in the sense of a formal ordination but in a personal commitment to our calling to be set apart and used for God’s holy purposes. Are there ways that you are at risk of becoming complacent in your faith, looking mainly for how it can feed and comfort you and giving less attention to how you are called into the world to make the truth and character of Jesus present in the lives of others? Alternatively, are you deeply involved in trying to make a difference in your world and need a reminder that being “sent” means that there is a power behind that sent you and that you are not alone and not expected to produce fruit by your own power? In either case, verse 19 may be helpful. Jesus says, “I consecrate myself so that they may be sanctified (or consecrated ) in truth.” The process starts with Jesus. He has taken the initiative. He has acted first. He is the source of our consecration. He is the source of our sanctification. He is the source of our truth. How can you draw closer to Jesus as you go forth, so that you are more able to be wholly dedicated to the work he has set before you? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John List Next

Wise men come to see the newborn king – and still do today! Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 2:1-12 Wise men come to see the newborn king – and still do today! Possibly Antonio Vassilacchi ( also called L'Aliense) (1556-1629). Chiesa di San Zaccaria church, Venice, Italy. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti February 13, 2024 Matthew 2:1-12 The wise men seek the newborn king, and unintentionally alert King Herod The “wise men,” or “magi” in the Greek, were, according to The New Oxford Annotated Bible , “a class of Parthian (Persian) priests, renowned as astrologers” (fn. to Matthew 2:1-12, p. 1749). That may suggest more certainty than we have; other scholars do not think it is so certain. We mustn’t think of “astrologers” as being like modern-day fortune-tellers. They were scientists, trying to make sense of physical phenomena and how those phenomena might affect humans. There were whole bodies of “knowledge” that had been developed, connecting different nations to different “stars” (actually, planets). Why did the wise men from the East come looking for a baby in Jerusalem? In Matthew’s mind, what is the significance of the fact that these were wise men from the East rather than people from Judea? Note: The star could have been a comet, but it was more likely a juxtaposition of planets (“stars”) that had auspicious meaning according to the wisest understandings of the natural world at that time. There is a reference to a star in the Old Testament: In Numbers 24, Balaam prophesied that “a star shall come out of Jacob, / and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (24:17, NRSV) and “Edom will become a possession” (24:18, NRSV) – i.e., Edom will be taken over and lose its independence. Herod, with an ancestry reaching back to Edom, would have been especially troubled by this. Why do you think these men want to pay homage to a Jewish baby king? Note: Herod the Great was “king” from 37 BC to 4 BC, most of that time as a vassal (a client state) to the Roman Emperor. He was known for his great building projects, including his marvelous renovation and beautification of the Temple in Jerusalem, but he was also known for his ruthless treatment of any rivals; he even had his own wife and several members of his family executed. He was not from Judea. He was from Idumea, south of Israel, part of a non-Jewish Edomite family, and although his people several generations earlier had been forced to become Jews, he was always suspect among strict Jews, both because of his ethnic heritage and because of his profligate lifestyle. Why do you think Herod was frightened or troubled by the news these wise men brought? We sometimes sanitize the Bible of its politics. This is a story with a huge element of politics. Why might “all of Jerusalem,” perhaps including the chief priests, have been frightened or troubled by the news from the wise men? The people of Jerusalem knew that Herod often killed whole groups of people when he thought someone was trying to challenge him. When a tyrant is upset, everyone around him is on edge. Incidentally, Bethlehem was 5 miles south of Jerusalem, so if Jerusalem was stirred up, it also would have stirred up people in Bethlehem. Matthew tells us that Herod immediately thinks this might have something to do with the Messiah. What does this tell you about Herod? Herod is tuned in to Jewish thinking and is very sensitive to any claims that might be made against him. The idea that Jesus might be a king will remain a dangerous concept all the way to the end of Jesus’s life. We see him accused of that in his trial, and it is ultimately what he is charged with when he is executed (see Matt. 27:11,29,37). Note that Herod might have been suspicious of the magi from the beginning if they were Parthians. Before Herod was king, he took the side of Hyrcanus II when Hyrcanus’s nephew Antigonus took the throne from Hyrcanus. The Parthians were on the opposite from Herod in that fight. Herod went to Rome to seek help to gain the restoration of Hyrcanus, but the Roman Senate unexpectedly appointed Herod king, if he could gain control of Judea, which he did. The chief priests and scribes were able to name an Old Testament prophecy that they thought told where the Messiah would be born. What does this tell you about them? The prophecy in verse 6 is taken from Micah 5:1-5a (the verse numbering might be off by one in your Bible, as the Hebrew versions of our Old Testament counted 5:1 as 4:14). What does that prophecy say about Jesus? Bethlehem was David’s hometown and the place where David was anointed as king (1 Sam. 16:1-13). It was also the hometown of Ruth’s mother-in-law and father-in-law and of Boaz, who she ultimately married (he was David’s great-grandfather). In 2 Sam. 5:2, when King Saul died in battle, all the tribes of Israel came to David and said, “The LORD said to you: it is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel” (NRSV). Remember that Matthew set up in chapter 1 the importance of Jesus being the son of David. Matthew is making the connections for us here. Herod also professes to want to pay homage to the child (verse 8). That, we learn, is a lie. However, it raises questions for us. Why should we give homage to this child? What does it mean to “give homage” to Jesus? How can we do it genuinely and well? How does the faith of these Gentile wise men contrast with Herod’s attitude toward Jesus? How does the faith of the wise men prefigure the response to Jesus among Gentiles in Jesus’s own time and in the early church? The wise men were “overwhelmed with joy” (verse 10) when the star stopped and they knew they were near to finding the child they had been looking for. When have you been “overwhelmed with joy” at experiencing Jesus? What can you do to foster that joy? What can we learn from these wise men? They are open to other cultures; they are seekers of truth; they recognize that a future king could be poor – i.e., that poverty is not a defining limitation of a person. Note: In 2:11, Matthew tells us that: “On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother” (NRSV). “The house” indicates that when this takes place, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are not in a cave or stable. However, they could have been in the lower quarters of a house where the animals were kept (with “bedrooms”or sleeping quarters for the normal residents upstairs). There is no evidence about how many wise men there were, but since Matthew lists three gifts, the tradition developed that there were three of them. What is the significance of the gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh”? Gold is obviously costly, but so were frankincense and myrrh. How might these gifts have been, perhaps unwittingly, symbolically appropriate for Jesus? Gold symbolizes royalty. Jesus is our king. Frankincense symbolizes priesthood, in that priests offer incense as a sacrifice to God. When offered to Jesus, is suggests that Jesus is the Son of God. Also, Jesus is our great high priest, offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Myrrh was used for burial. Jesus’s death saved us. The myrrh symbolizes his humanity and his sacrifice for us. But also, myrrh was used in the tent tabernacle in the desert (before there was a Temple) to anoint the holy things (the tent, the ark of the covenant containing the tablets of the Law – God’s Word given to the Israelites, the sacrifice table, the utensils used in the sacrifices, etc.) and to anoint the priests (Exodus 30:22-33). Jesus is the tabernacle (the holy place that God resides) and he is the ark of the covenant (the Word of God in human flesh), anointed by God to bring us into a close relationship with God (and ultimate to take up residence in us through the Holy Spirit) and to deliver the fullness of God’s Word to us. Note: Some scholars think Matthew is adding details that go beyond the story, perhaps drawing from Psalm 72:10-11 (where the psalmist prays: may the kings of other lands bring gifts to the great future king of Israel) and Isaiah 60:6 (which says that people from Sheba will bring gold and frankincense); however, if Matthew was doing that, he would have called attention to those passages as additional “fulfillment prophecies”, and he does not do that. So it is unlikely that Matthew is making up details here to fit Old Testament passages. In 2:12, the wise men do not return to Herod but go a different way. In order to follow God faithfully, we too are sometimes called to avoid things we might have been involved with previously and “go a different way.” What is something in your life that you might need to avoid in order to follow God, and how will you “go a different way”? Take a step back and consider this: Christians delight in the story of the wise men. We honor their passion to find the new king of a far-off land. But Christians sometimes have attitudes that directly conflict with this praise for the wise men. The wise men studied the signs and evidence in nature that could expand their understanding of God’s activity in the world. Yet Some Christians disparage the work of people in our day who think hard and study carefully all of the evidence they can find in the natural world, in their search for truth (in our day, we call them “scientists”). The Scriptures don’t attack the wise men for following the evidence in the natural world wherever it leads, and neither should we attack those who follow the evidence in the natural world today. We can object when they go beyond the evidence to make claims not supported by evidence, but we need to honestly evaluate the evidence they find before rejecting it. Throughout history, Christians have suggested that God speaks to us in two “books”: the book of the Scriptures and the book of Nature. When you learn from Scripture, you are learning about God. When you learn from science, you are learning about God’s work in the world. We need to be open to the truths that arise from our careful study of nature, because nature is authored by God. Psalm 19:1-4 affirms that God speaks to us through the natural world: “The heavens are telling the glory of God; / and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. / Day to day pours forth speech, / and night to night declares knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2, NRSV). In other words, the natural world tells us about the work of God. When Christians belittle the importance of using our minds to expand scientific understanding – whether it is about diseases or vaccines or changing climate patterns or how stars are developed or how species change over time – they are acting exactly the opposite of how the wise men in today’s Scripture passage acted when they studied the heavens so carefully. If we close our minds to people who seek truth in the natural world that God created, we may miss important truths about God’s creation that would allow us to serve God better and take better care of his creation and his people. How can you be more open to the truths discovered by scientists? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Who are you willing to befriend? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 9:1-17 Who are you willing to befriend? “I say to you: Stand up.” Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin, Germany. Photo by Tom Faletti, 24 June 2024. Tom Faletti August 3, 2024 Matthew 9:1-8 a paralyzed man is forgiven of his sins (and healed) Jesus returns home to Capernaum, the city he moved to after he started his public ministry (Matt. 4:13). Matthew leaves out some details we are familiar with from Mark’s version of this story – for example, in Mark’s telling, they let the man down through the roof of the house. What does Jesus see in the men who are carrying the paralyzed man? What does he say first to the man (verse 2)? Why would Jesus focus on the man’s need for forgiveness from his sins? Why do the scribes react so negatively? Mark explains why they think he is blaspheming. They are saying to themselves, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7, NRSV) Unstated but probably also in their minds is that sins are forgiven through sacrifices offered in the Temple. Note that if Jesus were merely human, his claim would indeed be blasphemous, because sin is, at root, an offense against God, and only God can forgive that. Note also that blasphemy is a serious charge. Jesus will ultimately be charged with blasphemy when the religious leaders use it to call for his execution by crucifixion (Matt. 26:65). How does Jesus respond to the scribes in verses 4-5? Some people find Jesus’s statement confusing. The key to understanding it is to picture how easily people could check to see if the statement is accurate. It is easy to say , “Your sins are forgiven,” because no human can verify whether your words have made it happen. But it is hard to claim that a paralyzed person is now able to stand up and walk unless you actually have healing powers, because the evidence will clearly show whether you are telling the truth or lying. For a purely human person, which is easier: to tell someone their sins are forgiven or to tell them they are healed and can now walk? Why? In verse 6, Jesus says that healing the man will help the scribes know that Jesus can forgive sins. Explain how this is so. It is only at this point that Jesus now heals the man. How might this conversation have been important for the man to hear, before he was healed? How do you think the man felt, having his sins forgiven and his body healed? How do you feel when you experience God’s forgiveness? In John 20:22-23, Jesus gives to the apostles the power to forgive sins. How do you see this power flowing through the church today? How do the crowds react to what Jesus has said and done? How is their reaction different from the reaction of the people in the town where the demon-possessed men lived? How does this story ratchet up even further the power and authority Jesus is showing? How does forgiving sins show an even greater authority than stilling a storm or ordering demons to leave a man? What does this story say to you about your own life and your own relationship with Jesus? Go back to verse 2 for a moment. The man was only able to have this encounter with God because some friends brought him to Jesus. How are friends important to our faith? Are there some friends of yours who might need a little help from you to bring them to Jesus so that they can have an experience of God? Introduction to Matthew 9:9-17 : Jesus’s relationship with tax collectors and fasting Having related 3 more miracles, Matthew again takes a break to bring us two more conversations between Jesus and those around him. In both cases, Jesus is trying to give religious leaders a clearer insight into his purpose or mission. In each of these two dialogues, Jesus presents three arguments in response to a challenge. Matthew 9:9-13 going to a party at a tax collector’s house What good thing happens in verse 9? In Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27, the tax collector’s name is Levi, and in Mark 2:15 and Luke 5:29 the party takes place at Levi’s house. The fact that in the Gospel of Matthew this man’s name was changed to Matthew suggests that there may be some connection between this Gospel and this man. However, as our Introduction to Matthew explains, this tax collector is probably not the actual author of this Gospel, even though some sayings in this Gospel may have been handed down from him. Tax collectors (also called by their Roman name “publicans”) were responsible for collecting local taxes in Roman provinces and remitting the taxes to Rome. In Israel, they were Jews who were usually despised for two reasons First, they were seen as collaborators with the imperial overlords who oppressed them. Second, they were seen as extortionists. Tax collectors did not receive a salary. To become a tax collector, they had to win an auction where they made the best bid to collect the most taxes for Rome, and they had to deliver on the amount of taxes they promised. The only way they could make money was by collecting more taxes than they had to remit to Rome. They were allowed to use whatever means were necessary to collect the taxes, and since the more they collected the richer they became, the system was highly vulnerable to abuse. Many tax collectors used extortionist methods to enrichment themselves at the expense of their fellow countrymen. As a result, they tended to be wealthy and hated. The term “sinners” is used repeatedly in the Gospels. It includes people in a variety of occupations, including camel drivers, herders, and physicians (who expose themselves to blood and other impurities that might make them ritually unclean) (Benedict T. Viviano, “The Gospel According to Matthew,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary , par. 61, p. 649). H. L. Ellison indicates that there is a place in the Talmud where a list of sinners includes gamblers, people who engage in usury, criminals, and tax collectors, among others (H. L. Ellison, “Matthew,” The International Bible Commentary , p. 1131). In both cases, the word appears to focus on people who have made persistent business or vocational choices, not people who have committed individual sins in their private lives. Is Matthew’s decision to follow Jesus a good thing even if he is a tax collector? Are there times when we are skeptical about people who count themselves among the followers of Jesus? How do we deal with that? Why is it significant that Jesus dines at Matthew’s home? What is the Pharisees’ complaint against Jesus in verse 11? The Pharisees were devoted to strict observance of every tiny detail of the Law, with great concern about ritual purity. They would never have entered the home of a tax collector or sinner, much less eaten with them. They think Jesus should have the same view. What are they implying about Jesus? They are implying he is a sinner because he hangs out with sinners. As my Bible Study group member Migna Taveras put it, they are suggesting that “you are who you hang out with.” Matthew has now brought into the light the opposition of both scribes and Pharisees to Jesus. Jesus offers 3 arguments in response to the Pharisees’ concern. First, he uses the analogy of healthy and sick people (verse 12). How does this analogy fit the situation of going to this dinner party? Are we “well” or “sick”? Explain. What might we do when we realize that we and others are a combination of well and sick? Jesus’s second argument (verse 13a) uses a quote from Hosea 6:6 in which God says he desires mercy, not sacrifice. What does that mean? The prophet Hosea, speaking to the northern kingdom of Israel, was trying to call back to God a people who had rejected the Davidic line of kings, set up their own worship practices in place of worship in the Temple, and tolerated and often embraced the worship of other gods. The Pharisees, in their response to Jesus, are rejecting the Messiah in the Davidic line who is, like Hosea, trying to bring a wayward people back to God. Jesus echoes Hosea in saying that mercy is the first thing on God’s mind. How can we embrace Jesus’s call for mercy in our lives? Jesus’s third argument (verse 13b) is that he came to call sinners, not the (self-)righteous. We might find it uncomfortable to be counted among either of those groups. Is there a third option besides “sinners” and the “(self-)righteous”? How is Jesus’s statement that he has come to call sinners, not the righteous, a direct appeal to those who complained? How can we embrace more fully the attitude of the Lord who welcomes sinners, comes for the sick, and extends the mercy of God? What is something specific that you can do differently or do more consistently to by like Jesus? Matthew 9:14-17 John’s disciples and fasting Jesus encounters a third complaint, this time from the followers of John the Baptist. What is the complaint in verse 14? What are they implying about Jesus? Jesus offers 3 arguments in response to this question about fasting. First, he notes that people don’t mourn at a wedding (verse 15). What is the meaning of this seeming non-sequitur? Jesus is the bridegroom, and his disciples are the wedding guests. They do not need to fast while he is present. When Jesus refers to himself as a bridegroom, it evokes several Old Testament Scriptures where God is described as a bridegroom, including Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20; Hosea 2:14-20. When Jesus says that later they “will” fast, is that an order or just a prediction/prophecy? Jesus’s second point is that you don’t sow a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak (verse 16). What is wrong with doing that? What is Jesus’s point? What does the unshrunk cloth stand for, in this analogy? What is the old cloth? What are we? Where do we fit in the analogy Jesus offers? Jesus’s third point is that you don’t put new wine in old wineskins (verse 17). What is wrong with doing that? What is Jesus’s point? What does the new wine stand for, in this analogy? What are the old wineskins? What are we? Where do we fit in the story Jesus tells? How can we welcome the “new wine” in our lives and live as new wineskins? What about the “old wineskins” who live among us? Is there hope for them? What can we do with them? Note: In 9:15, Jesus gives his first hint of his coming death: “The days will come. . . .” These hints will get stronger and more explicit as we continue in Matthew. Take a step back and consider this: In the story of the paralyzed man, the man’s friends bring him to Jesus and the scribes are resistant to Jesus’s authority. In the story of the party at the home of the tax collector, the Pharisees are indignant that Jesus has befriended these obvious sinners. Whenever Jesus is confronted with a person, he begins with the fact they are created by God and loved by God, and therefore worthy of receiving our welcoming and love. He always sees the whole person – not just one thing they have done, or one aspect of who they are. Therefore, when he sees the paralyzed man, he sees someone who needs both healing and forgiveness. When he sees the tax collector, he sees someone who could be an apostle. When he sees the tax collector’s dinner companions, he sees people who are more than what they currently seem to be. And he wants to befriend them all. How can we put on Jesus’s eyes and see the fuller story of every person we meet, rather than rejecting people because parts of their story are objectionable? Who are you willing to befriend? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Peter and Judas illustrate 2 different ways to respond when you have committed a serious sin. How can you stay connected to a God who loves you even when you deny him? [Matthew 26:69-75; 27:1-2; 27:3-10] Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 26:69-27:10 Peter and Judas illustrate 2 different ways to respond when you have committed a serious sin. How can you stay connected to a God who loves you even when you deny him? Caravaggio (1571–1610). The Denial of Saint Peter . Circa 1610. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Denial_of_Saint_Peter-Caravaggio_(1610).jpg . Tom Faletti September 18, 2025 In Matthew 26:69 through 27:10, we see Peter’s denial and Judas’s betrayal, and 2 very different approaches to what to do next when you have sinned. Matthew 26:69-75 Peter denies Jesus 3 times We see here that Peter did not run away and hide after Jesus was arrested. On the contrary, he has come to the courtyard of the high priest, inside the high priest’s house. What do you think is going through his mind before the first servant girl calls him out? Look at each of the 3 times Peter is accused of being associated with Jesus and how he responds. What do the people say, and how does he respond? Notice how the vehemence of Peter’s denials escalates from “I don’t know what you are talking about to “I don’t know the man” to cursing. Sometimes sin starts small. How can we train ourselves to be honest in little things, so that we do not turn out to be dishonest in big things? After the first woman questions Peter, he moves from the inner courtyard out to the porch. Why do you think he didn’t just leave the place entirely at that point? This is a sign that Peter’s devotion to Jesus was great, even though his fear turned out to be greater than his courage. How do you think you would have responded to Jesus’s arrest? Would you have been at the high priest’s house in the first place, or would you have been somewhere else? How long would you have stayed there, before you decided it was too dangerous and you left? If you had been challenged about being one of the people with Jesus, what would you have said? Are there ways that we avoid making clear our association with Jesus today? Are there certain places, or conversations, where you decide to keep your mouth shut? Are there times when you, in effect, deny your connection to Jesus? The Romans rotated their soldiers every 3 hours during the night. The changing of the guards at 3:00 a.m. was called “cock-crow” and was marked by the sound of a trumpet. It is possible that this is the meaning of what Peter hears in verse 74, not a literal rooster crowing. When Peter hears the cock crow, how does he react? When the deed has already been done – when you have said or done something and later you deeply regret it – what do you do next? What would God want you to do, when you have failed to be true to your faith or to your relationship with him? Matthew 27:1-2 The chief priests hand Jesus over to Pilate After a night of agony, a mock trial, and abuse, what happens to Jesus in the morning (27:1-2)? Some scholars believe it is only now that the Sanhedrin formally passes judgment on Jesus rather than having done so during the night. Either way, they now have a plan for achieving their goal of having him killed. They bring him to the Roman governor, who has the power to carry out a death sentence. What do you think Jesus is thinking at this point? Matthew 27:3-10 The death of Judas How does Judas react to the action of the Sanhedrin? Recall that one of the theories for why Judas betrayed Jesus is that he was trying to push Jesus to act decisively to usher in the kingdom. In verse 3, Matthew tells us that when Judas saw that Jesus had been condemned, he repented, or regretted what he had done, and tried to return the 30 pieces of silver. How does this support the idea that Judas did not think what he was doing would hurt Jesus? What do you think Judas thought would happen when Jesus was arrested? Are there times when we use immoral or questionable means to try to force things to go in a particular direction? Why is that wrong, and why do we sometimes want to do it? It is wrong to do something evil, even if it will allow us to achieve something good, because we are meant to be like God, and God does not do evil in order to achieve good. This issue is sometimes described by saying that the end doesn’t justify the means: i.e., your goal (the end) is never so important that it justifies doing something immoral (the means) to achieve it. When a person is willing to use immoral means to achieve a good goal, how is that a sign of lack of trust in God? How can we train ourselves to use only godly ways of trying to achieve the goals we seek? In verse 4, how does Judas describe what he has done? How do the chief priests and elders respond to Judas? What does their response mean? In verse 4, the chief priests say to Judas, “See to it yourself” (Matthew 27:4, NRSV). In our day, we might say, “That’s not my problem.” Was it appropriate for the chief priests to try to absolve themselves of their role in Judas’s betrayal by saying, in effect, “Not my problem”? Think about our own lives now. When is it fair to excuse ourselves from involvement in another person’s concern by saying, “That’s not my problem” or “Don’t blame me,” and when do we have moral responsibilities despite our protests? In verse 5, we learn that Judas is in such a great state of despair that he kills himself. What do you think Jesus would have said to Judas, if he could have talked to Judas before Judas initiated his act of suicide? How can we help people who are considering suicide, whether because of despair, depression or other mental health issues, loneliness, pain, abuse, or other underlying issues? What can we say and how can we point them toward the help that is available to them? If someone expresses suicidal feelings to you, take it seriously. Don’t say, “Oh, they would never do that.” Take time to listen, recognize the pain they are experiencing, and let them know that people care – that they are seen as valuable. And help them get help. In the United States, getting help can start with the simple act of calling 988. In verse 6, we find that the chief priests are very concerned about the moral issue of what to do with the money that Judas gave back to them. They want to do the ethical thing with it. It's funny how we can be so focused on doing the right thing or avoiding sin in one area of our lives that we totally miss the fact that we may be participating in something evil in another area of our lives. What does that irony say to you? How do the chief priests solve this problem? What do they do with the money? Acts 1:18-19 passes on to us a different story about what happened to Judas and the 30 pieces of silver. Both stories agree that the money was used to purchase a field that then became known as the “Field of Blood,” but the details differ. In verse 9, Matthew refers to Jeremiah. This is one of the rare places where some scholars think Matthew might not have been as careful as usual with his Old Testament references. Jeremiah does not talk about 30 pieces of silver. Zechariah has a passage where 30 pieces of silver are thrown into the Temple (Zech. 11:12-13). The rest of what Matthew describes can be connected loosely to various events in Jeremiah. Jeremiah 18:2-3 talks about a potter. Jeremiah 32:6-9 talks about the purchasing of a field. And in Jeremiah 19:1-15, Jeremiah goes out to the valley of the son of Hinnom, southwest of Jerusalem, where in his time Jews were offering child sacrifices to false gods, breaks a potter’s jug, and declares that Jerusalem and its surrounding towns will be like that jug: their enemies will slaughter them and so many people will be buried in that valley of Hinnom that they will run out of space for more burials. (That place is the location of the garbage dump that was known as “Gehenna” in Jesus’s time, which Jesus used as a term for hell.) The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible ties it together in this way: “Ancient tradition locates Judas’ burial site (Field of Blood) in the same valley of Hinnom, precisely where Jeremiah smashed the pot and foretold its destiny as a future graveyard (Jer. 19:11). Matthew may think of the smashed vessel, originally a sign of Judea’s demise, as also a prophetic sign of Judas’ destruction” (Matt. 27:8-10 fn, p. 58). Matthew might have been working from memory rather than having the Old Testament texts in front of him, which might explain how he conflated these various Old Testaments passages. God inspired the authors who wrote the Scriptures, but he worked through real human beings who were real authors, not dictation machines, and God clearly didn’t consider it necessary to force Matthew to be precise here. It doesn’t affect our salvation or the overall gospel message. In Peter’s weeping and Judas’s despair we see very different approaches to how to deal with our own serious sin. Compare and contrast Peter and Judas’s betrayal and how they acted when they realized they had done wrong. How are they similar and how are they different? Both did wrong, and both eventually recognized it. Peter stayed committed to the community of disciples and is still with them two days later. Judas decided he had no options and gave up. He lost all hope. This is not the first time Peter has gotten something wrong: remember “Get behind me, Satan” (Matt. 16:23). What is different about Peter’s relationship with Jesus, compared to Judas’s relationship with Jesus? What can we learn from Peter’s example that might be useful in our own lives? Take a step back and consider this: Peter, for all his flaws, got some important things right. He realized that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. He poured his life into serving Jesus and letting Jesus be his Lord. And he realized that Jesus loved him so much that Jesus would never give up on him, even if he had denied Jesus. Some Christians find it easier to embrace the first two points – that Jesus is God and that we are called to serve him – without fully embracing the third point: that Jesus’s fundamental attitude toward us is love. Particularly if we were raised in households where love was conditional, or brought up in churches where God was presented more as a wrathful judge than as a loving Father, it can be hard to understand that third point: that God loves us unconditionally, even when we do wrong, and that we can stick with him even when we have failed. This understanding of Jesus’s love does not give us license to sin. Peter would be the first to say that the fact that Jesus forgave him did not mean it was OK to sin; rather, Jesus’s unalterable love made him want all the more to avoid sin. But it can make a huge difference in our lives if we understand that Jesus loves us even when we sin and doesn’t withdraw his love from us when we have a catastrophic failure of faith. We are taught that God is always watching us. Do you picture God’s “watching” as being more like a police officer always on the lookout to see if you break the law, or more like a parent seeing and delighting in every new step a young child takes? Take a moment to picture God delighting in you, and loving you so much that he keeps loving you even when you falter and sin. Bask in that love. What do you want to say to this God who loves you so much? Now take it a step further. If this is how God loves us even when we sin, and we are called to be like God, then this is the attitude we are called to have toward others when they sin. We are called to love even those who mistreat us or betray us. How can you immerse yourself in the love of God so deeply that you can love others as Jesus still loved Peter and Judas after they sinned against him? What is one step you can take to extend that unconditional love of God toward people in the world around you today? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Jesus told the paralytic man to “Arise, take up your mat, and walk.” Where is Jesus calling you to a step of faith right now? Previous Next John List John 5:1-9 Jesus told the paralytic man to “Arise, take up your mat, and walk.” Where is Jesus calling you to take a step of faith right now? Artus Wolffort (1581–1641) . Christ healing the sick at the pool in Bethesda (John 5:1-15) . First half of the 17th century. Cropped. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Artus_Wolffort_-_Christ_at_the_Pool_of_Bethesda.jpg . Tom Faletti January 13, 2026 Read John 5:1-9a Jesus heals a paralytic [“9a” in the verse reference means the first part of verse 9. “9b” would be the second part of verse 9.] John does not identify the Jewish feast that prompts Jesus to return to Jerusalem, but many scholars think it is Shavuot (this Hebrew word is pronounced shuh-VOO-oat and means Weeks). At Shavuot, Jews celebrate both the spring harvest and the giving of the Torah (the Law of Moses) to the Israelites on Mount Sinai when they were in the desert. It is celebrated 7 weeks after Passover and corresponds with the Christian feast of Pentecost. If it is Shavuot, the reference to Moses at the end of the story in John 5:46-47 would be particularly relevant. The pool called Bethesda, with its 5 porticos, has been found by archaeologists (Biblical Archaeology Society, “ The Bethesda Pool ”), after centuries of uncertainty. Skeptics used to say that this story was fictional because there was no archaeological evidence of the pool of Bethesda, with its odd description of having 5 porticos (a portico is a colonnade or walkway covered by a roof). However, the pool of Bethesda was discovered by German archaeologist Konrad Schick in 1888. It consists of two basins separated by a wall. The structure is surrounded by a rectangular portico along all 4 sides, and there is a fifth portico on the wall between the two basins. It turns out that John knew what he was talking about, and the skeptics were guilty of a logical fallacy: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. The pool of Bethesda was there, even though we couldn’t find it for hundreds of years. It is a short distance north of the Temple. Verse 4 is omitted in modern translations, because we have learned that the oldest manuscripts do not have that verse. It only appears in some later manuscripts, where it says that an angel of God would occasionally stir up the waters, and the first person to get in would be healed. It may have been added in an attempt to explain the man’s comment in verse 7. What happens in this story? Imagine you are this man: crippled or partially paralyzed for 38 years. Before Jesus comes along, how does it feel to be this man? What does Jesus ask him in verse 6? Jesus’s question might seem odd: of course he wants to be healed, right? Why do you think Jesus asks him this question? People sometimes have conditions that have become so much a part of them that they might hesitate to be healed. I have worn glasses since I was 7. I don’t know how I would feel if I suddenly did not need to wear glasses. A person who is deeply involved in the disability community might weigh the loss of that connection if they were no longer disabled. This is why a Christian should always ask permission before “praying over” someone to be healed. But there is more: Jesus’s greatest hope for the man is that he would come to faith, not just that he would be healed of his infirmity. How might asking the man what he wants help to stir up or clarify the man’s faith? Are there “infirmities” or other problems in your life that you would rather not be healed of? Explain. Now move away from the context of a healing and consider other ways that God wants to be deeply involved in your life. How do you react to the ways that God would like to change your life, develop a deep faith in you, form you into a person who has a deep love for others, etc.? When Jesus says, Do you want to be ____, how do you respond? Are there situations where God chooses not to act in our lives unless or until we make it clear to God (or even to ourselves) that there is something that we want or need? Where have you seen God wait for us? Why does God wait for our conscious involvement and not just heal us or resolve our problems without asking? People respond to the man’s answer in verse 7 in two different ways. Some think he is avoiding the question. Others think he is trying to explain just how hard he tries (“while I am going/coming/making my way”) in order to show how much he wants to be healed. Which perspective do you see here? Are we like this man? First, are there times when we try to avoid directly asking God to intervene in our lives? If so, what holds us back? Second, are there times when we clearly seek God’s help, but the healing or miracle or change we hope for does not happen? How do you handle that? Jesus accepts the man’s response to a certain extent, but he doesn’t immediately heal the man. What does Jesus tell him to do in verse 8? Why do you think Jesus doesn’t just say to the man, “You’re healed”? Jesus leaves it ambiguous so that the man must do something affirmative to receive the healing. The man needs to participate in the healing by standing up, picking up his mat, and walking. This will show whether he actually has faith in Jesus and believes that Jesus has the power to heal him. What does this suggest to you about how God works with us? What role does our participation play in the actions of God in our lives? In what circumstance in your life is Jesus asking you to take a step of faith right now, saying figuratively, “Arise, take up your mat, and walk”? How are you responding? How would you like to respond? Take a step back and consider this: We often think of Bible stories as being stories about “them,” and we rarely think about what happens next in “their” lives. The man was healed, and he lived happily ever after, right? He became a follower of Jesus and a pillar of the early church, right? Sadly, there’s no evidence to support that conclusion – in fact, quite the opposite. Jesus healed the man even though there were no guarantees that the man would use his new-found freedom to serve God. The same is true for us. God does good things for us even though we may or may not respond by giving him our wholehearted devotion. When God does something good in your life (a healing, a new opportunity, a renewed relationship), does it lead to a life of greater service to God, or to a time of complacency? How can you use God’ blessings as steppingstones to new levels of faith, commitment, and service to God? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John List Next