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

When Jesus calls us to serve, he doesn’t just mean servant leadership; he means servant “helpership” that puts others’ needs first [Matthew 20:17-19; 20:20-23; 20:24-28] Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 20:17-28 When Jesus calls us to serve, he doesn’t just mean servant leadership; he means servant “helpership” that puts others’ needs first. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti July 5, 2025 Matthew 20:17-19 Jesus plainly foretells his crucifixion This is Jesus’s third prophecy of his Passion. He reveals more each time. In chapter 16, he said he would suffer and die and be raised. In chapter 17, he added that he would be betrayed. Now, he fills in more details. Jesus’s first prophecy of his Passion (Matt. 16:21) had already mentioned Jerusalem. What are the various things Jesus now says will happen to him in Jerusalem? He will be handed over to the Jewish leaders; they will condemn him to death; they will hand him over to the Gentiles; the Gentiles will (a) mock him, (b) flog him, and (c) crucify him; and he will be raised on the third day. Why do you think Jesus takes the Twelve aside to tell them this, and why do you think he keeps telling it to them repeatedly? The crucifixion was so horrible that he wants them to be prepared – especially the leaders of his group. This is the first time he indicates the manner of his death: crucifixion. How might the disciples have reacted to that? Crucifixion was a horrific, excruciating form of execution that was assigned to serious criminals, rebels, and slaves in slave rebellions. It was designed to totally subjugate the person and cause them great and lengthy suffering. It was also designed to humiliate them. So the disciples would have been horrified. In Matthew’s Gospel, we have seen Jesus minister to Jews and Gentiles, so it is ironic that both Jews and Gentiles will be involved in his execution. This is the first time Jesus says explicitly that Gentiles (i.e., the Romans) will execute him. Throughout European history, Jews have suffered discrimination and maltreatment at the hands of Christians, with major pogroms attacking whole populations of Jews in 1096, 1189, 1254, 1348, 1492, 1881, 1938-1945, and many other times. People who lived 1,000 years or more after Christ were absurdly charged with somehow being responsible for his death. In light of that history, why is it so significant that, while Jesus said that the Jewish leaders would condemn him, he made it clear that it would be non-Jewish people who would mock and scourge and crucify him? The crucifixion is so much a part of our telling and retelling of our faith that we have probably lost the horror of it. Is there something in this prophecy that you think you should take less casually or take less for granted? Explain. Matthew 20:20-23 Special honor for James and John? Who makes this request? Note: This is not some random, foolish woman. The mother of Zebedee’s children was one of the women who fearlessly stood by the cross as Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:56). She was also possibly the sister of Jesus’s mother Mary (looking at the information in John 19:25 and comparing the lists of the women at the foot of the cross in the various Gospel accounts leads to this possible conclusion). James and his brother John, along with Peter, hold a special place among the apostles. They are the ones who are invited to accompany Jesus when he is transfigured. But it might be helpful to sort out the men names James. There are three Jameses in the New Testament: James, the brother of John, was an apostle. James and John are known as the sons of Zebedee and, in Mark 3:17 as the “sons of thunder.” They are the ones who in this passage ask to sit at Jesus’s right and left hand when he comes into his kingdom. This James is sometimes called James the Great. He was martyred around A.D. 44, executed by Herod in In Acts 12:2. He may have been the second Christian martyr, after Stephen. James the son of Alphaeus was also an apostle. He is sometimes called James the Less (perhaps because he was shorter, or just because he was less prominent). James the brother of Jesus becomes the leader of the Christian community in Jerusalem, as seen in Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18 and Galatians 1:18-19. He is sometimes called James the Just. Several ancient sources suggest that he was martyred in Jerusalem before the destruction of the Temple, perhaps in A.D. 62. What does the mother of James and John ask for? In the Gospel of Mark, James and John make the request directly. Some scholars have observed that Matthew rarely writes anything that makes any disciple look bad. Here, the way he tells the story, it is their mother who makes the request. Considering that they accompany her and readily answer Jesus’s first question, do you think they agree with their mother’s request or are embarrassed by it? Explain. When they ask to sit at his right and left hand in his kingdom, what do you think they think they are asking for? What does this tell you about them? They were ambitious, but also zealously loyal to Jesus and wanted to be as close as possible to him. Jesus tells them they don’t understand what they are asking for. Why? What is the “cup” (verse 22) that he asks them if they are ready to drink? Why do you think they are so sure they are ready for it? Jesus says they will drink his cup. What do you think that means? James was an early martyr (Acts 12:2), but John lived a long life ending in a natural death in Ephesus. So what is the “cup” for them? Why is Jesus unable to grant their request? If there are these right and left seats in heaven, and given Jesus’s upside-down approach to humanity, is it possible that the people who will sit on his right and left are people at the bottom of the social scale? Would that surprise you? Explain. Note that, although Jesus corrects James and John’s thinking in the next passage, he does not rebuke them for their request. What is your best guess as to why not? We will look at the other disciples’ reaction in a moment, but let’s think about how this passage might speak to us in our lives. When or how might we have inappropriate or misguided ideas about what God should do for us? In what ways might we get caught up in the glory of believing in Jesus and lose sight of the fact that we are called to take up our crosses? Matthew 20:24-28 The one who wants to be great must be a servant How did the other apostles feel when they heard about James and John’s request? How does Jesus describe the way the rulers of the Gentiles treat other people? In our day, what does it look like when people in authority “lord it over” others? In Jesus’s kingdom, if you want to be great or first, how must you treat others? What does it mean to be a servant (Greek diakonos ) of others? To serve means to work for or minister to others, to attend to the needs of others or wait on them (as Martha did, when she pointed out to Jesus that she was “serving” while Mary sat at Jesus’s feet). What does it look like when we are doing that? When we are serving, we are trying to help others achieve their goals or are trying to meet their needs, not our own. How can we, in practical terms, follow this teaching? How can we be a servant of others? My father was the one who, at every church event, always stayed after to put the chairs away and sweep the floors. That might be one example. What is the attitude of a servant toward those he or she is serving? In typical Jewish rhetorical fashion, Jesus makes his point in two different ways. First, he contrasts “great” with “servant”: if you want to be great, you must choose to be a servant. He then sharpens the point by taking those concepts to their extreme: if you want to be “first,” you must be a “slave” (Greek doulos ) – i.e., if you want to be at the absolute top, you must choose to be at the absolute bottom. Jesus is not endorsing slavery – he is making a point about God’s upside-down view of the world: If you want to be at the absolute top, then in God’s kingdom you must be willing to be at the absolute bottom of the ladder of social status. What does this say to you about the Christian life? What does this say to you about your life? Look at verse 28. How is Jesus as a model of servanthood? People who are placed in positions of leadership are called to serve even while filling those positions. What does verse tell them about what “servant leadership”? If you had to capture in a word or phrase the concept of what it means to serve others, without using the word “servant” or the word “slave,” how would you describe what it looks like to serve others, from Jesus’s perspective? One possible answer, among many, is: Work for the good that others seek, not just the good you seek, and put what is good for them first. (How would you answer?) In verse 28, Jesus says he is giving his life as a “ransom for many.” The word “ransom” usually means a price paid to free a person, but when the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into the Greek Septuagint, the word “ransom” was used in places where the Hebrew communicates the ideas of God’s liberation without implying that any payment has been made – for example, in Exodus 6:6; Psalm 77:16 in the NABRE, which is 77:15 in the NRSV and most other translations; and Isaiah 43:1 and 44:22. The idea is probably the same here: that Jesus will give up his life to liberate or free others ( New American Bible, revised edition , Matt. 20:28 fn. ). In verse 28, the word “many” is not signaling that some people are specifically excluded ( New American Bible, revised edition , Matt. 20:28 fn. ); it is merely explaining the difference between “the one” (the servant who brings freedom) and the “the many” (who are freed and also called to be servants). In verse 28, Jesus says he came to give up his life to free many people. In what ways does Jesus’s act of giving up his life free us? In what ways can we help free others by being a servant to them? Take a step back and consider this: Women have faced a long history of being stereotyped and confined to subservient roles. This can complicate their effort to respond to Jesus’s call to service. Is Jesus calling them to be a “doormat”? No. Does Jesus support discrimination and inequality? No. Women have a right to speak up for themselves when they do not receive respect and to seek equal treatment. They can do that and still respond to Jesus’s call to be a servant. Throughout history, men have been primed to think of themselves as leaders and to seek positions where they can direct others. They may sometimes unconsciously assume that women will take greater responsibility for the service work – food preparation, childcare, etc. When they hear the word “service,” they may tend to think mainly of ways they might “serve” others by being leaders in the positions at the top. But sometimes, we are called to servant “helpership,” not servant leadership. The challenge for many men is to get past the historical and cultural assumptions that expect them to serve at the top, so that they can also embrace opportunities to serve others from below, in the supporting roles that help others thrive and lead. How can we transcend cultural stereotypes and assumptions, and embrace the heart of a servant who is willing to be “last” in the eyes of the world, imitating Jesus’s self-giving service? How might God like to see you respond to this call to service 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

For these Christians, neither persecution nor suppression, not even an atomic bomb, has kept them from staying faithful to Christ. Previous All Special Materials Next Nagasaki - A History of Christian Faithfulness in Adversity For these Christians, neither persecution nor suppression, not even an atomic bomb, has kept them from staying faithful to Christ. Wolfgang Kilian, Augsburg (1581-1663). The Martyrs of Nagasaki (1597) . Engraving. 1628. MDZ: Münchener DigitalisierungsZentrum, Digitale Bibliothek. Wolfgang Kilian, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M%C3%A4rtyrer_von_Nagasaki_1628.jpg . Tom Faletti August 28, 2025 While I was doing some research for a post about peacemaking and the atomic bombing of Nagasaki , I learned that the Christian community in Nagasaki has a long and remarkable history. Nagasaki’s early Christian history In Nagasaki, the history of Christianity goes back almost 500 years, to the arrival of Portuguese sailors in 1543. Nagasaki was built to serve as a port for Portuguese ships, under the supervision of Jesuit missionaries and with the support of the local Japanese lord. It became a center for Christian activity in Japan. When the power structure of Japan turned against the presence of Christians there, the government forbade the preaching of Christianity. Nagasaki was seen as a center of the Catholic faith. In the late 16 th century, 20 Japanese Christians and 6 foreign priests were arrested, imprisoned, forced to walk through the snow to Nagasaki, and crucified (hung on crosses with chains and ropes) as a warning to the large Christian community in Nagasaki. (Today, people can visit a Twenty-Six Martyrs Monument and Museum in Nagasaki.) Christianity was driven underground in a campaign of persecution and suppression that lasted for more than 200 years. Amazingly, Christians survived in secret for generations, until a series of government reforms in the 1850s allowed them to practice their faith in public again. When the Christians emerged, they got to work. By 1864, they had built the Oura Church, which served as their first cathedral. In 1895 they built Urakami Cathedral. Nagasaki Christians arise from the ashes of atomic ruin When the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, the Oura Church survived the blast. It still stands today. Urakami Cathedral was not so fortunate. It was 500 meters from the spot where the atomic bomb detonated. The blast damaged it so severely that it could not be restored. It was replaced with an entirely new building in 1959. (Remains of the original Urakami Cathedral are on display in Nagasaki Peace Park and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.) The bell that had hung in the right tower of the cathedral was found in the rubble and saved, but the bell that had been in the left tower was totally destroyed. More than half of the Catholics in the Urakami district of Nagasaki – approximately 8,500 of the cathedral’s 12,000 parishioners – were killed. The Christian community in Nagasaki did not allow the attack to disperse them. They remained a community, just as they had remained a community underground during the years of repression. They built a new cathedral in 1959. The surviving bell was re-installed in the right tower of the new structure, but the left tower was left without a bell. When Professor James L. Nolan, Jr., of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, was researching the Nagasaki bomb attack in the spring of 2023, the Catholics of Urakami Cathedral were there to talk with him. One of the cathedral parishioners suggested to Nolan that perhaps American Catholics could provide a new bell for the left tower of the cathedral. Nolan was intrigued by the idea and went into action. He led a successful campaign that designed, casted, transported, and installed a new bell, which filled the empty spot in the left tower. On August 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM, the exact moment that the atomic bomb detonated 80 years earlier, the new bell rang out from the left tower of Urakami Cathedral. For more on the Nagasaki Bell Project, see Sound a Bell, Take a Step, Be a Peacemaker . Nolan saw the story of the new Nagasaki bell as part of the longer history of the Christian Church in Nagasaki: a history of people enduring suffering, staying true to their faith, and now welcoming a gesture of peace from the nation that had attacked them. Nolan said that the ringing of that bell was “a calling to mind of the years of faithful suffering and the martyrdom of the many Catholics who stayed true to the faith, and a calling to mind (of) their example.” Nagasaki Christians are an example to us Would we be so faithful and persistent, through hundreds of years of persecution and suppression, and then to bring our parish back to life after an atomic attack killed two-thirds of the people in our parish? God is always with us. The question is, do we stay with him? 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 All Special Materials Next

Jesus is the way to the Father. When we see him, we see the Father because he and the Father are one. He empowers us to do great things so that God will be glorified. How can you be like Jesus? [John 14:1-11; 14:1-12; 14:12-14; 14:13-14] Previous Next John List John 14:1-14 Jesus is the way to the Father. When we see him, we see the Father because he and the Father are one. He empowers us to do great things so that God will be glorified. How can you be like Jesus? Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti May 17, 2026 Read John 14:1-14 Jesus tells the disciples that he is the way to the Father Verses 1-3 Jesus urges the disciples to maintain their faith as he goes to prepare a place for them The tone is somber as Jesus begins this discourse. Jesus has announced that Judas will betray him and that Peter will deny him. How do you think the disciples are feeling as Jesus begins to speak here? In verse 1, Jesus says to them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” In the second half of verse 1, he tells them how to do that. What does he urge them to do? The Greek verb Jesus uses in the second half of verse 1 can mean to “believe in,” “trust,” or “put your faith in” Jesus ( Liddell and Scott , p. 641). Which of those words best captures your attitude toward Jesus – that you believe in , trust , or put your faith in him – and why? Jesus does not want his disciples to despair when he is crucified, and John does not want the Christians of his time to lose hope when they face persecution. When Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” what does that say to you personally? In verse 2, what does Jesus say about his Father’s house, and what does he say he is going to do? What does Jesus promise in verse 3? What do you think he is referring to when he refers to his “Father’s house” where there will be a “place” for us? In verse 2, Jesus says that his Father’s house has many “dwelling places” or “rooms.” The Greek word means a place to stay or abide. What do you think Jesus means when he says that his Father’s house has many of these places? What do you think it means when Jesus says he is going to prepare a place for us? What preparation is needed? In verse 3, Jesus says that he will come back and take us to himself, so that we will be where he is. What does that mean? Although Jesus’s reference to coming back certainly includes his eschatological return at the end of time, he also comes to us by his Spirit in many ways throughout our lives. How do you experience his “coming” even as you live? How does this promise from Jesus make you feel? How does this promise make you want to respond? What questions do verses 1-3 raise in your mind, and how do you think Jesus would answer those questions? Verses 4-6 I am the way, the truth, and the life In verse 4, Jesus tells them that where he is going, they know the way. Thomas objects. What does Thomas say in verse 5? Do you think Thomas’s objection is valid? Why or why not? How does Jesus answer in verse 6? What does it mean for you when Jesus says he is the “way”? When he says he is the “truth”? When he says he is the “life”? When Jesus says he is the way, that means that I don’t choose the way; he does. When he says he is the truth, that means I don’t choose what truth is; he does. Acts of the Apostles frequently refers to the faith of the early church as “the way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14; 24:22). I am called to follow his way, not make my own way. Similarly, I am called to embrace the truth he has revealed and live the life he offers. Jesus is not just a prophet: he does not just tell us how to get to the Father. He is not just a guide: he does not just show us the way to God . He is the way. In what ways is he the way, and the way to what? How do you experience Jesus being the way and the truth and the life in your life? In John 8:32, Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” How is truth essential to genuine freedom, and how do you experience freedom through the One who said, “I am the truth”? Jesus adds in verse 6 that no one comes to the Father except through him. What does that mean to you? What do you think verse 6 means with regard to people who died before Jesus lived, or who were raised in another faith and never had a chance to know Jesus? How might he provide the way for them? Some people hear Jesus’s statement, “No one comes to the Father except through me,” and wonder whether Christ died for all people or only for those who ultimately live forever with God. The Bible is clear that Christ died for all: In 2 Corinthians 5:14, Paul says that Christ died for all. In 1 John 2:2, John says that Jesus’s propitiation or expiation was not only for our sins but for the sins of the whole world. Hebrews 2:9 says that Christ tasted death for everyone. 1 Timothy 2:6; 1 Timothy 4:10; Titus 2:11; John 1:29; and Isaiah 53:6 provide similar statements indicating that Christ died for all. (In Romans 8:20-23, Paul even suggests that the whole of creation, not just all humans, groan as it awaits redemption.) These passages show that, although not everyone chooses to avail themselves of the offer to come to the Father, Jesus provides the way for everyone. What do people need to do to avail themselves of the “way” to the Father that Christ provides? Verses 7-11 You know me, so you know the Father and you know the way In verse 7, Jesus first makes a conditional statement that is literally, “If you had known me, you would have known the Father,” or “If you have known me, you have known the Father.” Since Jesus has made it possible to know the Father, he adds a declarative statement: “From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” What does this mean? How does verse 7 apply also to us? Philip hears Jesus say that they have seen the Father. He is not convinced that they actually have seen the Father, so in verse 8, he says, “Show us the Father, and it will be enough for us.” What do you think Philip has in mind? What does he hope to see, and how will it be “enough”? In verse 7, Jesus indicates that because they know him, they know the Father. In verse 9, he says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” What does he mean when he says they have “seen” the Father? Jesus elaborates in verse 10: “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” What does this mean? In verses 10 and 11, Jesus again points to his works as a sign that the Father is in him. What has led you to believe that Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus? What do these verses say to you about your faith? Verses 12-14 You will do greater things; ask anything of me in my name and I will do it Different Bibles divide up the verses in different ways. Verse 12 begins with “Amen, amen (or truly, truly), I say to you,” which might signal a transition a new point, and verse 13 begins with “And,” which might signal that it relates to verse 12. Therefore, we will examine verses 12-14 as a unit. In verse 12, Jesus first says that the people who believe in him will do the works that he does. What works does Jesus do that his followers also do? In the second half of verse 12, Jesus adds that those who believe in him (in Greek he uses the singular pronoun “he”) will do greater works than his works. How can this be? What works have followers of Jesus done, down through the centuries, that are greater than the works Jesus did while he was on the earth? Jesus’s time on earth was limited to a short ministry of only a few years and in only a few places, one place at a time. His followers have been able to spread the word of God, and show the love of God, to people all over the globe, for 2,000 years. In this way, the members of the Body of Christ, working individually and together, have been able to do many things that Jesus, in his one human body in 3 years of public ministry, could not do. Only Jesus could save us, but collectively, we can bring the good news of Jesus, in word and deed, to far more people. What great work might God be calling you to do or to be a part of? What do verses 13 and 14 say? There are two conditions attached to what Jesus says in verses 13-14. First, he says that whatever you ask, you must ask “in my name.” What do you think Jesus means when he says we must ask in his name? Is he just giving us a formula, some special words to say at the end our prayer in order to get what we want, or does it have a deeper meaning? What does it mean, to ask in his name? People sometimes turn these words into a formula, but Jesus did not encourage formulas in praying; he modeled praying for what would glorify the Father (see, for example, John 12:28; 17:1-5). Therefore, to ask in Jesus’s name would be to ask only what Jesus would ask, to ask only for what would glorify the Father. Consider some other uses of the phrase “in the name of”: Stop in the name of the law; I speak to you in the name of the king; the document was signed in the name of the mayor. “In the name of” has a connotation of acting consistent with the character and authority of the person who has the real power. If we desire to pray in Jesus’s name, how can we be sure that what we are asking for is consistent with his character and will? How do you discern what the will of God is, so that your prayers are truly being made in Jesus’s name? The second condition Jesus attaches to this statement is in verse 13, where Jesus says that he does what we ask “so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” This suggests that in order for Jesus to do what we ask in his name, it must be something that will glorify God. How can we focus our prayers on what glorifies God? Verses 13 and 14 have a direct connection to verse 12. In verse 12, Jesus says that his followers will do greater works than he. In verses 13-14, he says that whatever we ask in his name, he will do. The only reason we can do “greater” works than Jesus did while he was on earth is because he has the power and works through us when we ask for and do things that are consistent with his name and that will bring glory to God. How can we pray in a way that (1) recognizes that God is the source of all power but (2) also recognizes that God wants to do great things through us? How might you adjust how you pray to better reflect what Jesus says here? Take a step back and consider this: In John 1:18, John says, “No one has ever seen God, [but] God the only Son . . . has made him known.” In John 14:9, Jesus says that whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father. The apostle Paul spent a lot of time reflecting on the relationship between the Father and the Son. In Colossians 1:15, Paul says that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” In other words, if you want to know what God looks like, look at what Jesus looks like. Of course, Paul is not talking about Jesus’s physical appearance as a human, although I imagine that Jesus might have had a winsome smile, a joyful laugh, and sometimes a twinkle in his eye as he told his parables. Paul presumably had in mind more fundamental attributes that Jesus manifested, such as his loving heart, his wisdom, his self-sacrificing nature, the peace he exuded to those who were fearful, and so on. Take a moment to picture Jesus, the real Jesus. In what ways do you think he was the image of the invisible God? We were made in the image of God. Although our reflection of God’s image is not perfect, his goal is to restore us to his image. Paul says that we, “gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (2 Cor. 3:18, NABRE). What can you do to allow God to transform you into his image, so that when people see you, they see a visible image of the invisible 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

Jesus is the light of the world who gives us the light of life so that we do not have to walk in darkness. To know him is to know the Father. How can we embrace Jesus as the light of our lives and keep knowing him better? [John 8:12-20; 8:21-30] Previous Next John List John 8:12-30 Jesus is the light of the world who gives us the light of life so that we do not have to walk in darkness. To know him is to know the Father. How can we embrace Jesus as the light of our lives and keep knowing him better? Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 204 N Ohio St, Wanatah, IN. Photo by Chris Light, 2 June 2017. Cropped. CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jesus_2017-06-02_037.jpg . Tom Faletti March 11, 2026 Read John 8:12-20 Jesus is the light of the world Verse 12 includes the second of 7 “I am” statements in John’s Gospel where Jesus reveals great truths about himself. What does it mean when Jesus says he is “the light of the world”? In the second half of verse 12, Jesus says that those who follow him will not walk in darkness. What does it mean to you to not walk in darkness? In the same verse 12, Jesus says that those who follow him will have the light of life. How is Jesus the light of life ? What does it mean to have the light of life? If Jesus is the light of the world and we have the light, then we have Jesus. He is our light. In verse 20, John says that Jesus had this conversation while he was in the treasury. The treasury was a place within the Temple’s court of the women where there were large chests or collection boxes into which people could put their donations and offerings of money to the Temple. Now, picture the scene. On the first day of the feast of Tabernacles, 4 great torches were placed on golden lampstands or candelabras in the Temple’s court of the women and set ablaze. How are those flaming torches an illustration of how Jesus is the light? When those torches were lit, the court of the women would have been full of light, with no darkness. How does this illustrate how those who follow Jesus do not walk in darkness? There may be times when we slip partially back into the darkness (or back into the shadows), even though we have become followers of Jesus. What should we do about that? How can we stay with Jesus – stay in his light – so that we can avoid slipping back into the dark ? Jesus is not suggesting that we need to muster up our own light by our own willpower. We don't manufacture the light; he is the light, and we have it because we have chosen to follow him who is the light. How can you embrace, every day, every hour, every minute, the fact that, because you are a follower of Jesus, you have Jesus as the light of your life? The Pharisees again challenge Jesus’s credentials, saying in verse 12 that he is testifying on his own behalf and therefore his claims can’t be accepted. Jesus says in verse 14 that he knows where he came from (he came from his Father in heaven) and he knows where he is going (he will return to the Father after his death and resurrection), and he says that they don’t know these things. He then repeats in verse 15 that the Pharisees judge by appearances (literally, “according to the flesh”), which we have already explored when Jesus said this in John 7:24. In verse 15, Jesus says something that sounds contradictory to some people. He says that he judges no one. But in verse 16, he says that if he judges, he does it in conjunction with the Father – which implies that he does judge. And he says in in John 5:22 and 5:27 that the Father has given all judgment to him. So why does he say in verse 15 that he judges no one? There are at least 3 ways to make sense of this: (1) He could be saying that he does not judge by appearances (“according to the flesh”) as they do. In this case, he is not saying he absolutely does not judge; he is only saying that he does not judge based on human biases and misunderstandings the way they do. (2) He could be saying that his purpose is not judgment. He has not come to judge; he has come to bring people to eternal life (John 3:17; 17:2). He does only what the Father has sent him to do, which is to bring eternal life to all who will receive him (6:37-40). Those who reject the light (1:9-12; 8:12) will walk in darkness and not have eternal life. But that is not Jesus’s desire or purpose: his purpose is not to judge but to give eternal life. (3) He could be saying that he is not doing any judging while he is on Earth right now . When he returns in glory, he will judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1), and that judgment will be based on people’s response to his word (John 12:48; Matt. 25:31-46). But he is not judging right now, at this point in his life on earth. Jesus acknowledges that Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15 require two or three witnesses in order for testimony to be accepted. In verse 18, he offers himself and the Father as two witnesses. In verse 19, the Pharisees ask where Jesus’s Father is. He replies that they don’t know him or his Father, but that if they knew him, they would know the Father. This suggests that if someone were to say that they wish they could know God, you could respond by saying: If you want to know God, get to know Jesus, because Jesus says that if you know him, you know God. How is that a useful way to encourage people to know God better? How can you get to know Jesus/God better? Read John 8:21-30 Jesus says that when they lift up the Son of Man, then they will know that he has been speaking what the Father taught him In verse 23, Jesus says, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” What does is mean when he describes them as being “of this world”? In what ways are we “of this world,” and in what ways are we not of this world? Note: Jesus is not saying that the physical world or our bodies are bad. He is talking about (1) ways that we are stuck in or immersed in worldly thinking (of the world) and (2) ways that we are aware of and responsive to the Spirit prompting us to see and respond to spiritual realities that go beyond this world (not of this world). In verse 24, Jesus says, “If you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” Some translations say, “If you do not believe that I am he,” but the word “he” does not appear in the Greek. Jesus is again invoking the “I AM” name of God that was revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14. Why does Jesus say in verse 24 that those who fail to believe in him will die in their sins? What does that mean? Why is that the result of unbelief? In John’s Gospel, Jesus appears to say similar things in a variety of different ways: walking in darkness, not having eternal life, not being raised on the last day, dying in your sins. Do they mean the same thing or are there ways that they convey different truths? In what ways is dying in your sins the same as walk in darkness or not having eternal life, and in what ways are they different? Are you concerned about dying in your sins, and, if so, what do you do about it? John uses the word “true” frequently: true worshipers, true bread, true drink, true testimony about Jesus, etc. In verse 26, (and also earlier, in 7:28) he says that “the one who sent me is true.” In what ways is God the Father “true”? How do you experience God as true in your life? In verse 28, Jesus refers to when he will be “lifted up.” This is a reference to his crucifixion (John 3:14 also use the phrase that way), but it also alludes to his resurrection and his ascension into glory in heaven. All of these are moments when he is lifted up. He says, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM.” Why does his being lifted up demonstrate that he is God and that what he teaches comes from the Father? Verse 29 gives us a little glimpse inside the Godhead, inside the Trinity. What does it tell us about the relationship between the Father and the Son within the Trinity? Verse 30 says that because of what Jesus is saying here, many people believed in him. That was the exact opposite of what the Pharisees hoped would happen as they challenged him. Why do you think these interactions led people to believe in Jesus? Take a step back and consider this: Where there is light, there is not darkness. Scientists can’t directly measure darkness, because darkness does not have an independent existence: it is merely the absence of light. When scientists want to measure how dark it is in deep space or in the sky, they don’t actually measure darkness – they just measure how little light there is in those dark places. When you are in darkness in your home, you turn on a light. If you are in a dark forest, you turn on a flashlight or light a fire. The more powerful the light, the more completely it banishes the darkness. The closer you are to the light, the less you experience darkness. In John 8:12, Jesus says, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” We mostly interpret that statement metaphorically, as an image of a spiritual reality. But consider a little bit more literally: If Jesus is the light in our world, and we walk away from him, we will walk away from the light and into the darkness. Jesus says, “Follow me.” If, as we walk, we walk in a direction that does not follow Jesus, who is the light, we will walk away from the light and into the darkness. If we stand still, or sit around and do nothing, we also will eventually end up in darkness, because Jesus is always in action, always moving forward, always helping someone new. If we want to follow him and stay in the light, we have to move to. We have to walk where he is walking, or we won’t be “ following him. How are you doing at following Jesus, at walking in the light by walking where Jesus is walking? What do you need to do to be a better follower of the Light? Jesus is always at work, always bringing his light into dark places. Where do you see him calling you to keep following him into new places in order to stay in the light and not be left behind in the dark? 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 raised Lazarus from the dead. How does he want to give new life to you, and how can you receive it? [John 11:1-45] Previous Next John List John 11:1-44 Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. How does he want to give new life to you, and how can you receive it? The raising of Lazarus, from the Rossano Gospels, which is one of the oldest surviving illuminated manuscripts of the New Testament. 6 th century. Maria Santissima Cathedral, Rossano, Italy. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raising_of_Lazarus_manuscript,_Rossano_Gospels.jpg . Tom Faletti April 13, 2026 Read John 11:1-16 Lazarus is sick The raising of Lazarus is the seventh and final “sign” in John’s Gospel. In verses 1-2, John explains who Lazarus, Mary, and Martha are. He does not tell the story of Mary anointing Jesus until chapter 12, but he assumes his readers know that story well. In verse 4, how does Jesus describe what will be the outcome of Lazarus’s illness? How can an illness result in God (or Jesus) being glorified? Verse 5 says that Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus. John has not mentioned them previously, and all he tells us here is that they live in Bethany, which is a village around 2 miles east of Jerusalem, beyond the Mount of Olives. Matthew 21:17 tells us that during the final week before his crucifixion, Jesus spent the night in Bethany (presumably at the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus). If Jesus spent time at their house when he was in Jerusalem, what do you think his relationship with them was like? Because of the opposition Jesus encountered the last time he was in Jerusalem, he is currently in the area near the other Bethany, across the Jordan River, where John the Baptist had preached and where Jesus’s ministry had begun. When Jesus says in verse 5, “Let us go to Judea again” – i.e., back to the region that includes Jerusalem – how do the disciples respond? Jesus gives a cryptic response in verse 9. What does he say, and what does it mean? Jesus says: When you walk in the daytime, you don’t stumble because you see the light. You only stumble at night, when you are without light. Jesus made a similar comment in John 9:4 when he said that we need to do the works of God while it is still day, because the night is coming when no one can work. Here, he is implying that it is safe to go to Lazarus: they will be in the “light” because his hour has not yet come. Jesus says that Lazarus is asleep and he is going to wake him (verse 11), before stating more plainly in verse 14 that Lazarus is dead. He then adds that he is glad for them that he is not there, “so that you may believe.” Don’t they already believe in him? What benefit will they have when they see him raise Lazarus from the dead? Thomas’s response in verse 16 is instructive. Many people think of Thomas only as the Doubting Thomas. But here, we see that he is much more complex than that. What kind of faith does it take to say, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (verse 16)? Thomas shows his deep faith in Jesus and a willingness to give up his own life rather than stay behind while Jesus goes out into danger. Thomas is willing to follow Jesus even though he thinks it will lead to a bad end. How can we follow Thomas’s example of faith and stay dedicated to walking with Jesus even when we think it will lead to a bad outcome? Are there particular situations in your life right now where you are uneasy about following Jesus because of how you think things will turn out, but you want to follow him anyway? How can Thomas be an example for you so that you can trust Jesus and keep walking with him? Read John 11:17-27 Jesus tells Martha that he is the Resurrection and the Life In verse 21, Martha sounds like she is almost chiding Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She is showing both faith and disappointment in Jesus. When have you been disappointed in God, and how have you dealt with it? In verse 22, Martha tells Jesus that she still has faith in him: “Whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” How can you have that kind of faith in God even when you have not received what you hoped for? How does Jesus respond in verse 23? In this Gospel, Jesus has talked about never dying and about being raised on the last day. In verse 24, Martha affirms that she believes in the resurrection of the dead (as did many of the Jews at that time). That opens the door for Jesus to say something new. What does he say in verse 25? What do you think it means, to say that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? What does this mean to you? How is Jesus the resurrection and the life in your life? What does the rest of verse 25 and verse 26 mean? The Jews believed that only God had power over life and death. So again Jesus is asserting his divinity in identifying himself as the one who holds the power over life, death, and resurrection. In verse 27, Martha professes her faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. Why is this an important step? We often face difficult situations that don’t end in a miraculous healing of a loved one. How can we hold on to Jesus’s promise of life when have to face death so regularly in our world? Read John 11:28-37 Mary comes to Jesus in tears, and Jesus also weeps Mary comes to Jesus in tears and says the same thing Martha said: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (verse 32). But whereas Martha was controlled and probing, Mary is disconsolate. In verse 33, how does Jesus feel when he sees her and those with her weeping? The first word John uses, which is translated as “deeply moved,” “perturbed,” or “disturbed” (depending on your translation), is a Greek word that has the sense of being angry. John also says that Jesus is deeply troubled. Jesus asks where Lazarus has been buried, and they say, “Come and see” (verse 34) – the exact same words Nathaniel said to Philip in John 1:46 when Philip wasn’t sure what to think about Jesus. Notice the power in the words “Come and see,” It’s not “Go and see.” It is an expression of accompaniment: I will come with you; let us go together and see. Why is accompaniment so important in times of grieving? Verse 35 is one of the two shortest verses in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” (Ironically, the other shortest verse in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:16, also involves a feeling, but on the other end of the emotional spectrum: “Rejoice always.”) What does Jesus’s weeping tell you about him? Jesus has certainly seen other people die. Why do you think he is so deeply moved and emotional affected here? In the centuries after Jesus lived, people argued over the nature of Jesus. Some said he was only human; others said he was only divine and not really human at all. (Christians believe he was full God and fully human.) How is weeping a sign of Jesus’s humanity? What does the fact that Jesus, who is both God and man, weeps tell you about God? Some people find it difficult to be deeply moved by sad events, and other people experience such deep emotion that it feels like too much to bear. Where are you on the spectrum of how people react to sad events, and how does God work with you in those times? As always, what Jesus does elicits at least two different reactions. How do people react in verses 36-37? Do you see in yourself sometimes a tendency to look at other people’s behavior in a negative way, when there might be a more positive way to think about it? How can we train ourselves to be more generous in how we view other people’s actions and intentions? Read John 11:38-44 Jesus raises Lazarus Lazarus’s tomb was above ground, which was the norm in Jesus’s time – a cave cut out of rock. If you would like to see what Lazarus’s tomb might have been like, you can view this video of a tour group visiting the site that people have considered to be the site of Lazarus’s tomb since at least the 4 th century. It is in the town of al-Eizariya in Palestine, not far from Jerusalem, where Bethany was in Jesus’s time ( Hyman ). We have no way of knowing whether this was actually Lazarus’s tomb, but it can help us visualize it. They came to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled across the entrance. Jesus told them to take away the stone. Martha doesn’t understand what is about to happen and objects. What does she say (verse 39)? Note that even if Jesus had come immediately when he received word that Lazarus was ill, Lazarus would still have been dead for two days when Jesus arrived, since he only waited two days before coming. However, 4 days was long enough that the rabbis would be very convinced that Lazarus really had been dead and not just in a swoon. Jesus responds (verse 40), “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you will see the glory of God?” Raising Lazarus obviously brings glory to God. What about when people are not raised from the dead? How can we bring glory to God by the way we accept death? What does Jesus say to God in verses 41-42? What do his words say to you? When Jesus cries out, “Lazarus, come out,” Lazarus does come out. How do you think Martha and Mary felt when this happened? How do you think the other people who were there felt? How do you think Lazarus felt? How do you think Jesus felt, knowing that his own death is coming soon? In 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Paul says that when Jesus returns at the end of time, he will descend from heaven with a loud cry of command, and the dead shall be raised. When he cries out to Lazarus to come out, it might be considered a foreshadowing of that final shout at the end of time. In John 5:25, Jesus said that the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear his voice and live. How is the raising of Lazarus a foreshadowing of everything that Jesus has been saying for the last several chapters? When Lazarus’s body was prepared for burial, they would have wound strips of cloth around it (which, among other things, would prevent the limbs from flopping around as the body was carried since they did not use caskets). So Lazarus is, in effect, all tied up. In verse 44, Jesus says, “Unbind him and let him go.” Are there ways that we are still bound when we are brought to life by Jesus? What kinds of things “bind” us and make it harder to live the full life God has called us to, if we are not freed from them? We can remain “bound” by fears, by sin, by toxic relationships, by work that does not reflect our dignity and calling, etc. Jesus wants us to be freed from what keeps us from living fully in the light and life of Christ. Jesus doesn’t unbind Lazarus himself. He lets others do that. How is Jesus still using us today to unbind others and help them find freedom? How does Jesus want to bring his resurrection life into your life today? Take a step back and consider this: We Christians live in a curious blend of the now and the not yet. Jesus says in John 11:25-26 that if we believe in him, we will live even if we die, and if we live and believe in him we will never die. This suggests that although some aspects of Jesus’s role in our lives as the Resurrection and the Life will take effect later, we have already begun to experience some aspects of it now. His resurrection is real both in the now and in the not yet. In what ways do you hope to experience, when you die, Jesus’s promise that you will rise (11:23)? In what ways do you experience Jesus’s resurrection and life as a present reality that enlivens you today? How can you embrace his life more fully? Paul wrote, “If we have died with Christ . . . we shall also live with him” (Romans 6:8). In what ways do we need to die even now, while we are still alive, in order to live with him? 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 loves his people like a mother hen who desires to gather her young under her wings. How can we embrace this maternal love of God for us? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus loves his people like a mother hen who desires to gather her young under her wings. How can we embrace this maternal love of God for us? Ben Austrian (1870-1921). Hen with Baby Chicks . Circa 1915. Cropped. Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ben_Austrian_-_Hen_with_Baby_Chicks_-_2009.3.1_-_Reading_Public_Museum.jpg . Tom Faletti August 22, 2025 Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus yearns for the people of Jerusalem like a mother hen for her chicks We have completed the material Matthew has gathered together regarding the confrontations between Jesus and the leaders of the various factions of Jews in Jerusalem. Matthew ends with a passage that is very different but is connected by the fact that both this passage and the previous passage refer to the killing of prophets sent by God. But the tone in this passage is different. In the previous passage, where Jesus is uttering woes against the scribes and Pharisees, it would be natural to assume that Jesus’s tone was stern and judging. What is his tone in this passage? How does he feel about Jerusalem? What does the image of a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings tell you about Jesus? How does a mother’s love portray God’s feelings toward us? This is not the only passage in the Bible that presents God using maternal images. Read Isaiah 49:13-15 As they struggle in exile, how does verse 14 describe how God’s people (the people of Zion) are feeling? They are feeling forsaken or forgotten by God. How does God respond in verse 15? God describes his relationship with them as like that of a woman and her infant, saying: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, / or show no compassion for the child up for womb? / Even these may forget, / yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15, NRSV). God is to his people like a mother to her nursing babe. What does this tell you about God’s relationship with us and love for us? Read Isaiah 66:13 In this portion of Isaiah, the prophet is describing the future restoration of Israel. What does God say in this verse? God says, “As a mother comforts her child, / so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13, NRSV). How is the image of a mother comforting her child a helpful image of God’s concern for us? Read Psalm 131 How does the psalmist describe his approach to God? The psalmist says, “I have calmed and quieted my soul, / like a weaned child with its mother” (Psalm 131:2, NRSV). The psalmist could have said “father” – the child has been weaned, so this is not a nursing image. But here he pictures the peace and security he finds in the presence of God as being like a child leaning into the embrace of its mother. How does that enhance our image of God’s love for us? Can you picture yourself leaning into God’s embrace like a child to its mother? How does that make you feel? Does this image add anything to your usual image of your relationship with God? Read Hosea 11:1-4 Although the people of Israel have not been faithful to God, how does God describe his relationship with them? This is not an exclusively maternal image of God, but certainly has maternal overtones. When God says he taught his people to walk, “took them in my arms,” cared for them with love like those who “lift an infant to their cheeks,” and “bent down to feed them,” how does that remind us of a mother? Do you feel like God is helping you to grow and develop the way a mother nurtures her child? How is this image helpful? These few verses cannot be used to construct a theology for calling God “Mother,” especially considering the massive counterweight of biblical language that explicitly calls God “Father.” Since God is not a material creature, he is neither male nor female. But he chose to become a member of the human family as a male, and Jesus called God his “Father.” That is not something to be rejected. So it is appropriate to call God “Father.” Nevertheless, Jesus and Old Testament writers occasionally used the metaphor of a loving mother to express God’s love for us, which offers us the opportunity to explore the value of that metaphor in understanding how much God loves us. Go back and re-read Matthew 23:37-39 . Imagine being swept up into Jesus’s arms, or under his wings. How does that make you feel? What does Jesus want you to understand about yourself and him, in these words he spoke? Notice that Jesus’s words imply that he has been in Jerusalem many times previously. Matthew and the other synoptic Gospels tell Jesus’s story as though his public ministry included only one visit to Jerusalem. John’s Gospel shows that he has been there multiple times. Luke 3:41 tells us that Mary and Joseph and the child Jeus went to Jerusalem for Passover every year. It is unlikely that he would have stopped the practice as an adult. So Matthew’s Gospel, despite how much it covers, still only presents part of Jesus’s life in the public eye. Picture Jesus traveling to Jerusalem (like a pilgrimage) every year for the Passover sacrifice. What does that add to your understanding of his life? In verse 38, “your house” means Jerusalem – Jerusalem will be left desolate. This is another instance of Matthew alluding to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, after the time when Jesus spoke but before Matthew wrote his Gospel. Since Jesus has already had his dramatic entrance into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11, where the people cried out, “Blessed is he who come in the name of the Lord,” verse 39 can’ be interpreted as a reference to that day. Therefore, verse 39 is often interpreted as referring to the Second Coming, when Jesus will come in glory for the final judgment. That make sense in the context of what is coming in the next two chapters, which are about the Second Coming and the Final Judgment. Everyone will face a final judgment at the end of their life. Jesus shows patience rather than calling for an immediate punishment upon the people in Jerusalem who oppose him. How has he treated you with similar patience? How might we imitate Jesus’s love for people even when they are rejecting him? How might we imitate Jesus’s love for people even when they are rejecting us? Take a step back and consider this: In Psalm 131, the psalmist says, “I have calmed and quieted my soul, / like a weaned child with its mother” (Psalm 131:2, NRSV). You can imagine him simply being present to God: not trying to direct the conversation, not imploring God to do one thing or another, just being with God, as young child in its mother’s arms. The next time you have a quiet time with God, don’t start with your requests and petitions. Don’t start with your sins. Start by just being with God, like a child with its mother. Jesus wants to bring all of us under his wing, close to himself. Spend some time resting in the peace of knowing that Jesus is near you and wants you near him. Like a child, lean in and enjoy just being with God. What effect does this kind of prayer, just resting in the arms of God like a child with its mother, have on you? How can responding to Jesus’s desire to gather you under his wings change your spiritual life? 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

This is a perennial question, and for good reason. Previous Next Table of Contents If God is All-Good and All-Powerful, Why Does He Allow Suffering? This is a perennial question, and for good reason. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti (to be continued) 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 Table of Contents Next

Living the Christian life in the church. [1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; 5:23-28] Previous 1 Thess. List Next 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Living the Christian life in the church. Image from Wix. Tom Faletti January 31, 2025 1 Thess. 5:12-22 Relationships and behavior within the church Paul now turns to his expectations for how the Thessalonians should live with each other in the church. In verses 12-13, he describes how the leaders of the local church should act and how the “congregation” (the members of the local church) should treat them. In verse 12, what 3 things does he say the leaders do? They “labor” among you, they have a leadership role over you, and they “admonish” you. Different Christian denominations have different terms for these leaders of the church: priests, ministers, pastors, deacons, elders, etc. In the following questions, the term “priests and ministers” will be used, but please translate that into whatever terms you use in your church. In what ways do our local priests and ministers “labor”? What is the “work” they do? In what ways should we defer to them as our leaders? Do your priests/ministers admonish you? If so, how? If they don’t, should they, and if so, how? How important is it to have people in your life who will “admonish” you? And how should they do it so that it is effective and not just off-putting? In verse 13, what 3 things does Paul ask the members of the church to do in support of the leaders? He asks them to show their leaders “esteem,” love them ( agape ), and be at peace. Why is it important to “esteem” our priests and ministers and to show them “love”? Are there ways you could show them more appreciation for the work they do? Are there ways you could show more appreciation or support for the other church employees, who do so much unsung work? Paul adds that the Thessalonians – the members of the congregation – should be at peace with one another. Why is peace important? Why is being at peace with the other members of your church such an important part of loving the leaders of your church? What do you do to help bring about or maintain peace in your church? In verses 14-15, Paul moves into a longer list of things the members of the church should do with each other. What does he tell them to do? Why is he concerned about people who are idle (he also mentioned them in 4:11)? What would it look like to admonish people who are idle? How might you encourage the fainthearted and help the weak? Why is patience so important? How does it help us deal with the idlers, the fainthearted, and the weak? Verse 15 could be a good rule for life in a variety of circumstances. What does Paul tell them to not do and to do in verse 15? Don’t return evil for evil. Always seek the good for each other and for all. The first half of verse 15 says: Don’t return evil for evil. Why is this an important rule? What might this stop us from doing, and what are the kinds of circumstances where we need to remember this? The second part of verse 15 goes further. The first part only tells us what not to do. The second part tells us what to do instead . Why is seeking the good of “each other” important? And how does it counteract our tendency to focus on ourselves? But Paul goes even further. He tells us to seek the good of “all,” meaning everyone else, too. In order to be the kind of person who always does what is good not only for myself , and not only for just me and you, but also for everyone else , how might we need to change how we think about the situations we are in? How does this approach to interpersonal relationships reflect the way God does things? How does this approach to interpersonal relationships challenge you? In verses 16-18, Paul focuses more on what is going on inside of us – in our inner selves. What does he say? How can we rejoice always? (What have we to rejoice about even when things are going wrong?) How can we pray without ceasing? For a simple way to approach the habit of praying constantly, you might explore the very short book The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, an uneducated 17th century monk who spent most of his time working as a cobbler and in the kitchen of the monastery. It can be bought very inexpensively, but it can also be found online at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library . How can we give thanks in all circumstances? What might we give thanks for when we are experiencing illness, mistreatment, or misfortune? How might this attitude of rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks at all times revolutionize your relationship with God? How might it revolutionize your relationships with the people in your world? In verses 19-22 where Paul talks about prophetic utterances, he is probably talking about the kinds of manifestations of the Spirit that appear to have been common in the early church and are sometimes seen in charismatic communities in our time. What is the balance he is seeking? Paul seeks to allow people to speak freely in response to the movement of the Holy Spirit, but with testing and discernment by others. How might this be a good approach to inspiration in general? 1 Thess. 5:23-28 Paul’s closing prayer and greeting Paul ends with prayer (verses 23-25) and greetings (verses 26-28). In his prayer, what does Paul ask of God? Looking at verse 23, what would it take for you to embrace the goal of being “perfectly” (NABRE) or “entirely” holy? Paul’s hope is that the lives of all God’s people would be entirely without blame or fault, “spirit, soul, and body” – i..e, in all aspects of their being. God is working to perfect us. How do our spirit, soul, and body all play a role in the perfecting process that God wants to work in us? What does Paul add in verse 24, and how is it an encouragement? Do you live as though God is faithful and will accomplish your perfection in Christ? How might that insight transform your life? In verse 25, Paul also asks them to pray for him. Why is that important? What does it tell us about Paul? In verse 26, Paul tells them to greet “all the brothers” with “a holy kiss.” A kiss was a common form of greeting in his time. It was used in Christian communities and very early in the life of the Church it became part of the ritual or liturgy. (The Roman Catholic Church reclaimed it as a formal part of the liturgy after Vatican II.) In light of verse 27, however, there may be more to verse 26 than meets the eye. Paul orders, in unusually strong terms (roughly equivalent to “I charge you under oath”), that the letter be read to “all.” He says this right after he tells them to extend the holy kiss to “all.” We do not know why he felt the need to issue such a stern order to have the letter read to everyone in the Christian community. Scholars speculate that there might have been factions developing and Paul wanted to make sure his words reached everyone. But we don’t need to assume that there were factions in order to make sense of verse 27. Paul wanted to make sure that his letter reached everyone – even the idlers (5:14), even the ones who were not peaceful (5:13) or patient (5:14), even the ones who were not walking as children of the light (5:4-8), even the ones who were not living in sexual holiness (4:3-8). Greet all of them, he says, with a holy kiss, and make sure this letter is read to all of them. Paul wants his letter to reach even those who are not living the holiest of lives. Why is it important that we keep reaching out to all of the people in the church, not just the ones who are consistently living holy lives? How might your church be more welcoming of people who are not (and maybe not anywhere near) perfect? How might you be more welcoming of people who are not living a fully Christian life as you perceive it? Paul ends (5:28) where he began (1:1), with grace: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. How can you grow in being the kind of person who extends God’s grace to everyone? Take a step back and consider this: We need a Christian community. First, we humans are social creatures and need other people. Second, it is difficult to become like Christ without spending time in a community that is dedicated to living like Christ. Third, we cannot abound in love (3:12), encourage each other and build each other up (5:11), support those who are weak or fainthearted (5:14), or do the many other things Christians are called to do, if we are not living in a Christian community. We need to be around people in order to minister to them. Christian communities also offer opportunities to become more like Christ in another way. Spending time with other people opens us to interactions that may have some friction, which become additional opportunities to grow in holiness (5:23) as we try to serve our Lord together. They also give us a place to ask questions and answer questions (3:10; 4:13). We can explore together who God is, what he is trying to accomplish in our world, and how we can participate in God’s work in the world. It is fair to say that we need to be in a Christian community to be all we are intended by God to be. The fact that Paul ends his letter by urging that the holy kiss be extended to everyone and that his letter be read to all tells us how important he thought it was that everyone be supported and included in the community of believers. What is your church or Christian community? How is your Christian community important to you? How does your church enable you to be all you are meant to be? How could your church do more to enable others to grow in Christ, and what part might you play in that effort? How does your church challenge you to grow in Christ, and what might God want you to do in response? What is one practical piece of advice or insight or attitude that Paul offers in this letter, that you can take to heart and pursue within the context of your Christian community? Bibliography See 1 Thessalonians - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/1-thessalonians/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 1 Thess. List Next

Jesus uses the image of a grain of wheat to show us that we must die in order to bear fruit. How can we die to ourselves, and what kind of fruit are we called to produce when we do so? Previous Next John List John 12:20-26 Jesus uses the image of a grain of wheat to show us that we must die in order to bear fruit. How can we die to ourselves, and what kind of fruit are we called to produce when we do so? Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890). Wheatfield with a reaper . 1889. Cropped. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Wheatfield_with_a_reaper_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg . Tom Faletti April 27, 2026 Read John 12:20-26 Jesus says we must die in order to bear fruit In the previous verse (John 12:19), the Pharisees were saying that the world (i.e., everyone) has gone after Jesus. Now, some of “the world” comes to Jesus: some Gentiles. When verse 20 calls them “Greeks,” this probably means they are from a group of Greek-speaking Gentiles who were known as “God-fearers”: people who believe in the one God of the Jews but have not chosen to be circumcised. The historian Josephus talks about the God-fearers and we see them in Acts 13:26 and 17:4. John does not take this story about the Greeks to any specific conclusion, but he may have included it here because of the ways it connects to the previous verse and the following verse: in the previous verse, the Pharisees talk about the whole world turning to Jesus and here is an example of that; and in the following verse, Jesus says that his dying will bear fruit in the conversion of Gentiles all over the world. “Philip” and “Andrew” are not Hebrew names; they are Greek names. These two disciples are from Bethsaida, a town on the north end of the Sea of Galilee. Their town had both Jewish and Greek-speaking Gentile communities, and just to the north was a province that was part of the Greek world and not Jewish. As a result, Philip and Andrew might have had much more interaction with people who were not Jewish than the other disciples did. And with exposure often comes greater comfort. Some people are valuable in that way: they spend time in the intersections between Christians and non-Christians and can draw interested people into the Christian community. Who are the people you know who are good at connecting with people of different backgrounds? How might you be able to play that role of bridging the gap to connect other people to your church? Notice that up until now, Jesus has been saying that his hour has not yet come. Now, in verse 23, Jesus says that the hour has come. This is a turning point. Have you ever had a moment where it could be said that your “hour” had come to do something to glorify God? What happened and how did it bring glory to God? What do we need to have, in order to recognize those moments when God is ready to do something new? Jesus says that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (verse 23), referring to himself as the “Son of Man.” The Son of Man was a figure from Daniel 7:13 who would have everlasting dominion, and all nations would serve him. A book written between the Old and New Testaments that was popular in Jesus’s time (the book of Enoch) presented the Son of Man as a conquering messiah who would end forever the domination that the Jews had suffered for so long. But Jesus talks about dying instead, in verse 24. This would have confused those who heard him. How does his death glorify him? The image of a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying (verse 24) does not apply only to Jesus. How are we called to die in order to bear much fruit? The image of what appears to be “death” leading to new life is a common theme in nature –seeds, caterpillars, etc. What can we learn from these images of nature about how to let go of our lives for God’s sake? It’s easy to talk in the abstract about “dying.” In practical terms ,what is God asking you to let go of, in order to bear much fruit? What can you do when you find it hard to let go of yourself and “fall to the ground and die”? Verse 25 says, “Whoever loves his life loses it.” What does that mean? How does it play out, in practical terms? In verse 25, it is confusing when Jesus says we must hate our life in this world. In John’s time, when the Christian community sometimes faced persecution from Jewish or secular authorities, there may have been times when the choice was stark: choose what will protect this life, or eternal choose life. But this saying still has relevance to us. Jesus is not saying that we need to literally hate our family, our job, our friends, our home, etc., but all of those things must be treated as being of only secondary importance. Only one thing can have top priority, and that is our life with God, which lasts forever. How can we be committed to our obligations in those other areas – family, job, etc. – and still have only God as our ultimate affection? We see the same word “hate” used in Matthew 6:24, where Jesus says that no one can serve two masters, because you will either love the one and hate the other or vice versa. Only one master can come first, and only one life can take first place in our affections. It is either this life or eternal life that comes first. How does thinking about what comes first help us focus and evaluate our activities in this world? In normal times, we have to give some consideration to the things of this life – eating drinking, family, job, preparing for retirement, etc. What can we do to make sure we keep our priorities straight and keep our eyes on eternal life and the things of God? In verse 26, Jesus gives us a simple, practical way to think about the choice by phrasing it in terms of who we serve. What is he calling us to do? How do we serve God? In verse 26, Jesus tells us that where he is, that’s where his servant will be. But where is Jesus? In the Gospels, where does Jesus tell us to find him? In John, Jesus suggests we can find him by looking for where his light is, where his sheep are, etc. In the Gospel of Mathew, he tells us that we can find him in the hungry, the sick, the needy, the least among us. Another place we find Jesus is on the cross. When he says, “Where I am, my servant will be,” does that include the cross? How can we choose to be found with Jesus in his suffering on the cross? This passage has talked about dying, being fruitful, and serving. What does it say to you in the everyday realities of your life? How would you like to be responding to Jesus’s words here? Take a step back and consider this: When Jesus says that when a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it bears much fruit, what kind of fruit is he talking about? We can think about the fruit in terms of specific kinds of activities we might be engaged in. In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist tells people to bear fruit that is consistent with their repentance. In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus says of the false prophets, “by their fruits you will know them.” These warnings suggest that our fruit will be visible in our actions. Similarly, in Philippians 1:9-11, Paul prays that his disciples will increase in love and knowledge in order to be filled with the fruit of righteousness. Every person is different, so there will be differences in the kind of fruit we bear (we’re not all apples or tomatoes or wheat or beans). What kind of fruit is God calling you to bear in your life right now? We can also think about the fruit we bear in terms of the character we develop. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness [or generosity], faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” We are all called to develop the character of Jesus and become like him as he works his character into our souls, but Jesus does this in a variety of ways. He nurtures different kinds of spiritual fruit in different ways in different people. What spiritual fruit – what aspects of the fruit of the Spirit – is Jesus working to develop more fully in you right now? How can you cooperate with the Holy Spirit to allow greater growth in fruitfulness in your life? 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

Paul continues to guide the young church at Thessalonica with wisdom that is still relevant to local churches and the whole Church today. Previous 2 Thess. List Next Introduction to 2 Thessalonians Paul continues to guide the young church at Thessalonica with wisdom that is still relevant to local churches and the whole Church today. Detail of an image by Lucia Macedo provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti March 10, 2025 Introduction A NOTE BEFORE WE BEGIN This study material can be very enriching either for small-group Bible Study or for personal study and growth. We will occasionally offer instructions that would be useful for a small-group study. Introductions for a Small-Group Bible Study If you are studying as a group, it is important to build community, beginning with ensuring that everyone knows everyone else’s name. If you are either (a) starting a new year, or (b) have several new members, begin with introductions. One way to do this would be to ask everyone in the group to answer these questions: Share with the group your name, your connection to the Church or the parish or this group, and why you are interested in studying the Bible with other people. When have you received a letter (or perhaps an email) that was especially important in your life? What was it about? This is a study of Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians. See the Introduction to 1 Thessalonians for the primary background information for this letter. Introduction to 2 Thessalonians After Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians (known as 1 Thessalonians), something went wrong. We don’t know precisely what problem arose, but in 2 Thessalonians, Paul warns the Thessalonians (in 2 Thess. 2:2) not to become alarmed by a letter allegedly sent from him, claiming that the day of the Lord “is at hand” (NABRE) or “is already here” (NRSV) – i.e., that the Second Coming has already begun. (“The day of the Lord” was the term used in prophetic books of the Old Testament – Daniel, Isaiah, Joel, and others – for the miraculous time when God would bring victory for the Jews. Christians re-interpreted it as the day when Christ would return in power and glory.) Paul suggests in 1 Corinthians 16:21 and Galatians 6:11 that he ordinarily dictates his letters and someone else does the actual writing (the formal term for that person is an “amanuensis”). At the end of this letter (2 Thess. 3:17), Paul implies that he always signs his letters in a way that is distinctive and identifiable. He is suggesting that a forgery written in his name could be detected because it would be missing Paul’s genuine signature. It is also possible that Paul’s own words in his first letter were a source of the Thessalonians’ confusion. In 1 Thessalonians, he described the Lord’s coming as a sudden event, and they may have interpreted “sudden” to mean that it was imminent and they might have missed it. Most scholars believe this letter was written by Paul shortly after 1 Thessalonians, in which case it was probably written around AD 50 from Corinth. However, other possibilities have been suggested: Some say that it was written before 1 Thessalonians; some say it was written to some other church; and some suggest that it was written decades later by someone else using Paul’s name (which would be highly ironic given its claim that Paul’s authentic signature offers clear evidence that the letter was written by him). In this letter, Paul wants to clear up confusion about the Second Coming of Christ. He also wants to reinforce and expand on his teaching about the kind of orderly life that Christians should live. When has something you have said been misrepresented? What did you do about it? Do you have distinctive ways of writing or of using the signature block at the end of your emails, or distinctive ways of beginning or ending your emails or texts, that people might use as a guide to deciding whether a message is actually from you? How important to you are those signs of your individuality, and why? How is your individuality important in the body of Christ and in the kingdom of God? Take a step back and consider this: Paul is eager to guide the young church at Thessalonica – to support them in their faith, thank them for the love they show for one another, and encourage them in their endurance in the face of persecution. Paul has great concern for the church at Thessalonica. How do you demonstrate a concern for your own local church? In what ways do you support your fellow church members in their faith, participate in and bolster their love for one another, and encourage those who are facing difficulties? Bibliography See 2 Thessalonians - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/2-thessalonians/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 2 Thess. List Next

Jesus offers the same salvation to all – high or low, early or late – and asks us to adopt his attitude, which is that many who are last will be first. Can we embrace his approach? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus offers the same salvation to all – high or low, early or late – and asks us to adopt his attitude, which is that many who are last will be first. Can we embrace his approach? Lawrence W. Ladd (fl. 1865–1895). Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard . Circa 1880. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Public domain, via SAAM , https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/parable-laborers-vineyard-14162 . Tom Faletti July 4, 2025 Matthew 20:1-16 The parable of the vineyard owner and the laborers; the last shall be first This parable can be interpreted on many different levels, which we will explore; but first, we need to understand what actually happens in the story. Jesus tells a story about a landowner and laborers, but according to the first few words of verse 1, what is this parable really about? The kingdom of heaven. What does the landowner do early in the morning and what does he do at various times later in the day? How much does he agree to pay the first group of workers? A denarius was the standard daily wage. It was enough for a man to feed his family the next day. If he didn’t get a daily wage, his children very possibly might go hungry. Do the laborers agree to receive that wage? The landowner’s actions and the laborers’ actions were perfectly normal for that time. Workers who did not have a steady job would go to the marketplace and hope to be hired for a day’s work. When the harvest was ready, landowners needed a large number of people to bring in the crop quickly. Rain or other weather problems could ruin the crop, and it could go bad if it is left in the field too long. So the landowner needed everyone he could get. At the same time, the economic lives of common laborers were very precarious: they never knew from day to day whether they would be able to eat the next day – it all depended on whether they found work that day. We see this day-labor economy in many places. Where I live in the nation’s capital, I have often seen groups of day laborers in the Home Depot parking lot hoping they can get some work for the day. When the landowner goes back to the marketplace later in the day, he finds more workers. What wage do they agree to? They agree to his offer to be paid whatever is right, or righteous, or just. The Greek word here is díkaios , which is often used to distinguish a “righteous” person from a sinner. He’s saying to them, I’ll do the right thing; I’ll treat you right. Why do you think the laborers accept that vague statement? By the time he is hiring more workers at the end of the day, he doesn’t even talk about money. He just tells them to go work and they do. Why do you think they go work without any agreement about money? They are just grateful to no longer be standing around. A little pay would be better than no pay at all. When it is time to pay the workers, the landowner starts with the workers he hired last. Jesus tells the story this way to make a point. He is not saying this is how a boss would act or should act. It is a device he is using to make his point. How did the workers hired first react when everyone had been paid? Did the landowner cheat the workers who were hired first? Now let’s dig deeper. Level #1 Remember that this is a story about what (verse 1): the kingdom of heaven. So who in the parable stands for what in the kingdom of heaven? The landowner represents who? The workers hired first represent who? The workers hired last represent who? The landowner is God. The first group of workers is probably the devout Jews who keep challenging Jesus, people who have been devoting their lives to God from their childhood. The workers who come later are perhaps the “tax collectors and sinners” that Jesus has been welcoming into his kingdom, or perhaps Gentiles. What is the point Jesus is making about the kingdom of heaven? As we connect the story to the kingdom of heaven, what is the “pay” the workers receive? We are saved by grace, not be our works, so what is the “pay”? If the answer is “salvation,” what does that mean? Now, Matthew might have included this story to make a point about devout Jews and “sinners,” or about Jews and Gentiles. What would the point be? Different people say this in different ways, for example: All people receive the same salvation; all people receive eternal life; all people receive access to God. In verse 13, when the first group complains, what does the landowner call the one he responds to? Jesus calls him “Friend.” What does Jesus’s use of the word “friend” in verse 13 tell us about his attitude toward those who challenge him because they don’t like his egalitarianism? The workers who started in the morning could be interpreted as those who developed a commitment to Jesus from their childhood, in contrast to those who came to faith in adulthood or even at the very end of their lives. For that interpretation, what would the point be? Do people receive a greater reward from God if they come to faith earlier in life? They get to live more of their life in communion with God while they are still alive, but do they receive a greater salvation? Can the point of the parable be applied to other comparisons people might make? For example, is the reward of salvation greater for the speaker at a church event, compared to the person who provides the refreshments, the person who puts away the chairs afterwards, or the person who just comes in, listens, and goes home? In what ways do those things matter and in what ways do they not? Conclusion #1 : All who work for God will receive the same salvation: forgiveness of their sins and life forever with God – regardless of whether they came to God early in life or later. God saves all who work in his kingdom and loves all of them. Level #2 The reaction of the laborers who started first, when they see what the other workers are paid, is why Jesus told the story in the order he did. If he had said that the landowner paid the early workers first, those workers would never have found out that the workers who came last were paid the same amount, and we would not have been able to see their attitude toward the other workers. What is their attitude toward the workers who came later? The landowner implies that they do not have the right attitude. Why is it that attitude a problem? A BIG NOTE OF CAUTION: Some people are bothered by this story because they think that paying the workers who come late the same wage as the workers who start early will encourage laziness . They are bringing their own biases to the story. The story does not say that the workers who were hired later were lazy people who slept late and only came to the marketplace at the end of the day. The story says they were “idle,” but it does not use that word pejoratively. It doesn’t say it was their fault that they hadn’t found a job. It doesn’t even say they showed up late. They could have been waiting all day for someone to hire them. The story doesn’t say the landowner hired all of the people who were looking for work early in the morning. Perhaps the landowner originally thought 20 workers would be enough to bring in the harvest, but as the day progressed, it became clear that he needed more, so he went back to the marketplace. They might have been there from the beginning. Or perhaps some workers were taking care of a sick member of the family in the morning, or were themselves sick, or were testifying in court that morning, or were burying a loved one. If we choose to see them as lazy, we are injecting our own biases into the story. Jesus does not say they were lazy or at fault in any way. This leads us to consider the attitudes of the various groups of workers. At the beginning of the day for the first group of laborers, when they first encounter the landowner and their relationship begins, what do you think is the attitude of the first group of workers toward the landowner and the work they are getting from him? It's a contract – you pay me the normal wage, and I will work for you. Notice that when they challenge the landowner, they inject a sour note into their relationship with the landowner. When the second group of workers first encounter the landowner and their relationship begins, what is their attitude toward the landowner and the pay he is offering? They choose to trust him that he will be fair. When the later groups first encounter the landowner and their relationship begins, what do you think their attitude is toward the landowner and the pay they are likely to get? They also trust him. They don’t know what they will get, but they trust that the landowner will pay them something reasonable. Which attitude better reflects what God hopes to see in his followers? Why? What does this tell us about how we should feel about having the privilege of working in God’s vineyard, of being a member of God’s kingdom? It calls us to humility. If you’ve decided to work for God, trust him and don’t second-guess what he is doing with other workers in his kingdom. Conclusion #2 : Our attitude towards other people and their access to salvation can sour our relationship with God and with each other, and can even taint our thinking about the privilege of being in a relationship with God. There are two more levels of application to look at: This landowner recognizes that all people should have what they need for their daily bread. The last shall be first. God actually seems to care more about those who the world cares less about, because the world cares less about them. Level #3 The Catholic Church has a long history of concern for economic relationships in society and has developed an extensive body of teaching, often called “Catholic social teaching,” regarding how to apply Christian principles to social issues, especially issues related to God’s desire for justice. (And many other denominations have similar teachings.) One of the core principles in Catholic social teaching involves the dignity of work and the rights of workers. Two of the ways that Catholic social teaching develops that principle are relevant to this passage: (1) That everyone has a right to work, and (2) that everyone has a right to a living wage for their work. How do you see those principles affirmed in this passage? How might these principles be put into practice in our society? Ever since Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891, the Catholic Church has called for a minimum wage that is high enough to allow a worker to cover the basic needs of the worker and his or her family. Some people call that a “living wage” to distinguish it from a bare minimum wage that is not high enough to support a family. Ensuring a right to work – that everyone who desires to work can find a job – is a more difficult policy challenge, but some governments do more than others to try to ensure that everyone seeking work can find a job. Do you see ways that we are falling short of these goals for work, and what can we do about it? Conclusion #3 : We pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” but God also asks us to try construct our societies so that people can work for their daily bread and other basic needs. Workers have a right to work and a right to be paid enough to cover the basic needs of themselves and their families. Level #4 Now let’s look at a final point here that is often given little attention. Jesus says almost the same thing right before and right after he tells this story. In Matthew 19:30, he says, “But many of the first will be last, and the last, first,” and Matthew 20:16 is similar, without the “many”. This is a different point than the point about salvation being given also to those who come late. What is added by making this declaration about the last and the first? What does “first” mean? First in what? The only way to make sense of this is to interpret the “first” to mean those who are first in the eyes of the world – highest in status, wealth, sex appeal, fame, applause, followers on social media, etc. What does “last” mean? Last in what? In what ways are we – you and I – last? In what ways are we first? Notice that in Matthew 19:30, Jesus says, “ Many of the first will be last, and the last, first.” Why do think he qualifies it with “many,” as though it will not be true of everyone? What kind of person who is “first” in the eyes of the world might not be “last” in the kingdom of heaven? And what kind of person who is “last” in the eyes of the world might not be “first” in the kingdom of heaven? If everyone receives the same salvation by grace as a gift from God, does it make sense to talk about first and last? What is Jesus trying to tell us when he says, “The last shall be first”? What does it tell us about how God thinks? Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “The first will end up even with those who were last, and the last will finally catch up.” What does this tell us about God’s perspective? God sees things differently than we do, in his downside-up view (see God’s Downside-Up View of the World , with additional Scripture passages in God Takes a Downside-Up View of the World ). As God sees it, those who are seen as less important or further behind in this life are all the more of concern to him. If you ever find yourself thinking that you have more of a right to God’s favor than someone else, he might tell you that you’re missing something and someone else has moved ahead. Conclusion #4 : If you want to know what God is thinking about, what perspective God is looking from, look from the bottom up, because God is noticing what things look like from the bottom, from the people who are “last” in the world’s eyes. He wants all of us to see the world from his upside-down view – to understand that many of the last will be first. Looking over the whole parable and Jesus’s closing comment, what does this passage tell us about God? What does it tell us about God’s attitude toward us? What does it tell us about how we should live? Are you a Christian because of the reward you will get – the “pay” that comes when you die or at some other point in your life? Or are you a Christian because of the relationship and the privilege and the joy of participating in God’s work? Explain. Take a step back and consider this: It can be very hard for us to think as God thinks. We get too focused on ourselves. This parable reminds me of a poem by Shel Silverstein: God’s Wheel by Shel Silverstein God says to me with kind of a smile, “Hey how would you like to be God awhile And steer the world?” “Okay,” says I, “I’ll give it a try. Where do I set? How much do I get? What time is lunch? When can I quit?” “Gimme back that wheel,” says God, “I don’t think you’re quite ready yet.” (Source: Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic , HarperCollins, 1981, p. 152.) What are some ways that we tend to think we know better than God what he should do in our world? It is hard to see our own blind spots. Do you have any idea where you tend to think you know better than God? What can you do to more fully take on God’s perspective on our world? 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