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You have free will. Previous Next Table of Contents You Can Choose You have free will. Tom Faletti You have free will. Every day, all the time, you have the awesome privilege of making choices. For the most part, you can choose what you will do, who you will spend time with, and what you will think about. God has free will. He can do what He chooses to do. One of the ways in which you are made in the image of God is that you have free will. God made you that way. You are like Him in that way. What you do with that awesome freedom may show how much you are living in the image of God. You may choose to do what God would do, or you may choose other things. As you make those choices, you may present to the world an accurate image of God or a warped image of God. The choice is yours. But it isn’t that simple. As St Paul says in Romans 7:19, sometimes I don’t do the good that I want to do…. TO BE CONTINUED If God knows what I am going to do, how can I have free will? TO BE CONTINUED 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 Table of Contents Next

What are your goals as a small-group Bible Study leader, and what do you need to do to fulfill the role you have taken on? Previous For Leaders Next Important Functions of Leaders What are your goals as a small-group Bible Study leader, and what do you need to do to fulfill the role you have taken on? Image by Priscilla Du Preez, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti March 25, 2024 Bible Study groups seek to accomplish at least three important goals: (1) increase people’s understanding of the Bible, (2) foster spiritual growth through the application of God’s Word, and (3) provide a place to experience Christian community. Although leaders have different styles, leaders of every style need to try to fulfill several important functions as they guide their groups. 1. Ask all 3 types of questions. In order to facilitate both the understanding and application of God’s Word, a leader must ask all 3 major types of questions: Questions of fact : What does the passage say? Questions of interpretation : What does it mean? Questions for application : How can we apply it to our lives? Some leaders focus on the 2nd and 3rd types of questions but leave out the “What does it say?” questions. This leads to misunderstandings, as people jump to conclusions about what the Bible says and get it wrong. Some leaders focus on the 1st and 2nd types of questions but leave out the application questions. This leads to dry studies that seldom change lives. Make sure you ask a specific, challenging application question about every passage. A general question like “Where do you see this in our world?” will not change lives the way a specific question like “Where do you experience this in your own life?” can. Personal application questions are a key to having a thriving group. 2. Manage the time. A leader must stay aware of the time and manage it carefully. Leave plenty of time for application questions. Don’t let the first two type of questions squeeze out the chance to talk about how to apply the truths we have discussed. Don’t be afraid to gently redirect the conversation. Sometimes this is as simple as asking another question or drawing the group’s attention back to a particular verse. Break the passage down into manageable chunks. If you make your chunks too large, you can easily overlook key points. Sometimes it is helpful to say, “Let’s read verses 25 through 36 but focus first on verses 25 to 30.” Then you can ask questions about the first half of the passage before you discuss the second half. 3. Always welcome other people and their ideas. A leader must help set people at ease. People will not be able to be open to what the Scripture says if the group or the leader do not demonstrate an openness to them. Your openness to them sets the stage for their openness to God. Don’t try to refute every idea you think is wrong. It’s OK to leave unchallenged things that you disagree with. Sometimes you will want to point out that church teaching or scholars view the matter differently, but do it in a gentle way that doesn’t prevent future sharing. Otherwise, people will simply keep silent about their views. By allowing room for differing views, we allow room for the Holy Spirit to slowly guide people into a clearer understanding of God’s truths. 4. Encourage faith. A leader must guide the group toward a faith-filled response to God. When people express doubts about a Scripture passage, we need to give them space to share those concerns. At the same time, we want to encourage a faith-filled response to God’s Word. Often, the best way to do this is not by challenging the doubter but simply by expressing our own faith and our confidence that God is with us even in our doubts. We can tell Him how we feel and still try to stay open to Him. Our attitude of faith will rub off on others much more than anything we say. Don’t be afraid to express your faith and encourage and praise the faith-based responses of others. For more leadership training materials, see Leading a Small-Group Bible Study . 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 For Leaders Next

A note about our terminology: What do we mean when we refer to a “part of a paragraph”? Previous Next Jubilee Year 2025: Embrace God’s Hope and Extend It to All A Note About Our Terminology What do we mean when we refer to a “part of a paragraph”? Link to S pes Non Confundit Photo by Tom Faletti, bridge near Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau, Germany, June 27, 2024. Tom Faletti November 16, 2024 Church documents are often broken up into numbered paragraphs to aid in finding particular passages. This document follows that norm in having numbered paragraphs. However, in many places in Spes Non Confundit , one numbered “paragraph” extends over several paragraphs as we normally understand the meaning of that term. When this study guide says, “paragraph X,” it is referring to the paragraph that has the number X in front of it – for example , “paragraph 3” refers to the paragraph that has the number 3 in front of it . When a “paragraph” (as church documents count them) has more than one standard paragraph (as we normally understand a paragraph to be), this guide refers to those additional paragraphs as additional “parts” of that numbered “paragraph.” For example, the “second part of paragraph 3” refers to the second paragraph in the portion of the document that follows the number 3 and comes before the paragraph numbered paragraph 4 . Similarly, the “fourth part of paragraph 6” is the fourth regular paragraph that comes after the number 6 (and before the number 7). Bibliography See Jubilee Year 2025 - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/jubilee-2025/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 Jubilee 2025 Contents Next

Each of us will be judged by our treatment of the hungry, the stranger, the sick, those in prison, etc. What are you doing to find Jesus in those places? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 25:31-46 Each of us will be judged by our treatment of the hungry, the stranger, the sick, those in prison, etc. What are you doing to find Jesus in those places? Separation of Sheep and Goats . Early 20th century reproduction of a Byzantine mosaic originally dated early 6th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Separation_of_Sheep_and_Goats_MET_cdi24-144-4s1.jpg . Tom Faletti September 14, 2025 Matthew 25:31-46 in the final judgment, Jesus asks if you responded to those in need What is this passage about? Note that this story is not a parable. He is not saying the kingdom of heaven is “like” this. He is saying that this is what is going to happen. The only part of it that is like a parable is the use of the terms sheep and goats to picture Jesus separating people the way a shepherd would separate different creatures. The rest is a direct description of what Jesus says about how the final judgment will go. In verse 31, where is the Son of Man? Jesus has described himself as the “Son of Man” throughout Matthew’s Gospel. Here, for the first time, he takes to himself the title “king” (v. 34). The first title has messianic overtones but emphasizes his humanity. The second title offers a different perspective. What does his use of these two titles – Son of Man and king – tell us about Jesus and his relationship with the human race? Who is gathered before him (v. 32)? All the nations. Who do the sheep and the goats represent? Who is it that gets separated? He is not simply separating the nations for judgment; the language used makes it clear that this is a judgment of individual people – see the footnote below: Are individuals or nations judged? Note that the “sheep” and “goats” are used mainly as an illustration. Jesus isn’t asking us to draw conclusions here based on what we know about sheep and goats. In our day, he might have said: As a veterinarian separates the dogs from the cats. He used the image of separating sheep from goats because that was an image his audience was familiar with, an then he applied it to separating different types of people. In verse 34, what is the blessing given to those on his right hand – the sheep? What do you think it means to “inherit the kingdom”? In verses 35-36, what is it that they did, that led to this blessing? Do they understand what they did, or are they surprised by what he says? Explain. What is the king’s explanation of how they did these things to him? He says that when you did it to/for them, you did it to/for him. Different translations use “to” or “for” because in the Greek, the dative case used here indicates who receives the benefit of an action but does not specify a preposition. The point is that when we do these things, Jesus is the recipient of our actions: You did it to me. How do you think this passage applies to us today? How literally do you think we should take it? Do you think there are people who might be surprised to learn that when they were helping people in need, they were also doing those good things to/for Jesus? Explain. What does their surprise tell you about people who do good things, about God, and/or about our final judgment? It is probably unrealistic for any one person to do all these things with any frequency, so how do you think Jesus would want us to respond to this story? Those among us who like to-do lists (myself included) need to hear this caution: Jesus has not presented himself as the kind of person who would want us to turn this into a checklist and think that if you do each one of these things at least once we have earned salvation. That’s not what this is about. It is probably better to think about it as a way of life: responding to needs habitually and generously whenever needs present themselves. Now let’s look at the “goats.” In verses 41 and 45, what is the ultimate destination of the “goats”? What does the king say they failed to do, that has led to this outcome? Do they understand why they are receiving these consequences, or are they surprised? Explain. How does the king explain what he means by their failing to do these things to him? Note that these are what are called “sins of omission,” not “sins of commission.” It isn’t that they did something bad; it is that they failed to do something good that they could have done and should have done. Do you think there are people who might be surprised to learn that they are failing the test of the final judgment? If so, do you think it would be a situation where they should have known because they knew what Jesus taught in the Bible, and they willfully ignored what they should have known? Or do you think it would be a situation where, once it was pointed out to them, they would be able to say, “Yeah, you’re right; I should have known that and I failed”? Or do you think it would be a situation where they would be legitimately baffled to learn that this was Jesus’s criteria for judgment? Explain. What does their surprise tell you about people who fail to help others in need, about God, and/or about our final judgment? In verse 40, the king tells the first group that they did it to one of the “least” of these brothers of mine, and in verse 45 he tells the second group that they did not do it to one of the “least” of these. Who are these “least” ones? What do you think this passage says to us? As you read this, is there someone or some group of people that you think the Lord might be nudging you to do more for, or some action you feel he is calling you to take? What is this passage saying to you personally? Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, we have seen Jesus’s constant “ downside-up ” approach. Why do you think this is the perspective he has chosen to take: to place such an emphasis on our action to help the “least” among us? Do you count yourself among these “least”? If so, how does this passage make you feel? If you don’t, how do you feel about the fact that Jesus identifies himself with the “least”? Verse 34 is the first time in the Gospels that Jesus is explicitly referred to as a “king.” Why does our King care so much about what happens to the “least” among us? For the most part, people aren’t naked and in need of clothing in our day. But there might be some other needs that would not have made sense to mention in Jesus’s day but that he might have mentioned if he were speaking now. What are some other basic needs that Jesus might add to his list if he were making this point to our society today? There are many possibilities; for example: I was homeless and you helped me find shelter; I was pregnant and you gave me baby clothes and diapers; I was a victim of human trafficking and you rescued me; I was an immigrant and you welcomed me – oh, that one already is on his list when he says: I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. In our more complicated world, some social and economic problems can be addressed by the people collectively in far better ways than we can do individually – for example, helping the homeless, pregnant women, victims of trafficking, people with mental illnesses, etc. Sometimes, Christians and other people of good will take action collectively through nonprofit organizations or governments. Is working to help people through social organizations and governments a reasonable way of trying to respond to what Jesus is calling us to do in this passage? Explain. For people who live in democracies, is it reasonable to try to hold governments accountable to address the needs of the hungry, the sick, etc.? None of us can do it all. But we can work to live our lives with a mindset that the least among us need to be central to our focus. How can you do that better? Take a step back and consider this: Jesus clearly wants us to place a high priority on meeting the needs of the poor, the hungry, the stranger, the sick, and others who are the “least” among us. This concern meant so much to him that he equated himself with them when he said: “What you did it to them, you did to me.” How easy is it for you to see Jesus in those who are suffering on the fringes of our society? What can a Christian do to internalize this perspective? How do we grow in our ability to see Jesus in the least among us? If we take this passage seriously, it could lead us to worry about our salvation. Are we doing “enough” to join Jesus in heaven? He clearly wants us to feel challenged. But he does not want us to be afraid of him or to think that we can only make him care for us if we do the right things. He is not creating a new works-based legalism after having spent so much time trying to overcome the legalism of the Pharisees. He also is not offering “works” as an alternative to “faith.” We are saved by him, not by our fulfillment of a specific list of requirements, but our faith should be manifested in actions to help the least among us. See Is Jesus suggesting that we can earn our way to salvation by our works? for more on this how this passage relates to faith. Since we are sinners saved by grace and called to be conformed to Christ, it might be worth thinking about it this way: Can we be comfortable living with Jesus’s priorities and serving him whenever we encounter a person in need around us? That is our challenge. How comfortable are you with Jesus’s “downside-up” view of the world – his close identification with those who have the least? What can you do to become more comfortable with Jesus’s worldview? Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that “the poorest of the poor are . . . Christ under the guise of human suffering” ( Mother Teresa: In My Own Words , p. 24), and that she sought to “comfort Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor” ( Mother Teresa: Where There is Love, There is God , p. 15). If we can find joy in looking to serve Jesus in the least among us, we are on the right path of adopting the priorities and worldview of Jesus. The question is not whether we have fulfilled Matthew 25 perfectly. The question is whether we have embraced Jesus’s worldview. He wants our hearts. If we embrace his priorities, he is both willing and able to mold us into the people he wants us to be, through the power of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. If we allow the Holy Spirit to work his worldview ever more deeply into the fabric of our lives, we will become ever more like Jesus – our character following the mold of his character, our concerns reflecting his concerns, our actions manifesting his love to the world and responding to needs wherever he can be found. Am I willing to let the Holy Spirit mold me so that I take on the heart of Jesus and allow him to work his priorities into my actions? Am I willing to show forth his love to the poorest of the poor? If I’m willing, he is able. May it be so! Notes regarding 2 issues people find in this passage: Are individuals or nations judged? Some theologians claim that the final judgment story is talking about God’s judgment of nations, not individual people. They argue that in Matthew, “the nations” usually refers to nations other than Israel, and “brothers” usually means Christians, so they claim that Jesus is saying that the Gentile nations will be judged by how they treat Christians (see, for example, Father Daniel Harrington, p. 101). Both Catholic and Protestant theologians have rejected this argument. Father Benedict Viviano, O. P., points out ( The New Jerome Biblical Commentary , par. 145, p. 669) that in Matthew 24:9 and 14, and in Matthew 28:19, Jesus uses the term “all nations” in a way that includes Israel, not just the Gentile nations. Furthermore, Matthew often uses the word “brothers” to include all humans, not just Christians – for example, in the Sermon on the Mount. As a result, the idea that this is only a judgment about nations is not well supported. H. L. Ellison uses the grammar of the passage to show that argues that Jesus is talking about individual people, not just nations (Ellison, p. 1148). When Jesus says that the king separates “them” (Matt. 25:32), the Greek word for “them” is masculine, which indicates people. If he was referring to the nations, the neuter form of the word “them” would have been required. So this is an individual judgment, applying to each person. Myron Augsburger adds that, although Jesus uses the word “brothers” in verse 40, he does not use that word in verse 45. There, Jesus says the goats did not help the “least” ones – i.e., the needy in general, not specifically Christians (pp. 283-284). Jesus is warning us about how all individuals should treat all individuals who are in need. Is Jesus suggesting that we can earn our way to salvation by our works? Some people struggle with how to fit this passage into a “faith versus works” framework. Jesus never separated faith from helping others. We can’t save ourselves, but he made it very clear that he expects us to help the hungry, the stranger, the sick, those in prison, etc. If there is a “faith vs. works” contradiction between what Jesus says here and what modern-day preachers preach, we would have to choose Jesus’s own words over modern re-interpretations of the gospel, since Jesus is our Lord and God. However, there is no contradiction. Faith and service to those in need are both central teachings of Christ. See Faith Versus Works: What Does the Gospel of Matthew Say for a discussion of how faith and works come together rather than being in opposition to each other. Regarding this specific passage and the concern that it undermines a commitment to faith, evangelical scholar H. L. Ellison says that this passage “is intended to be a warning to us. Since from His brothers, He [Jesus] will expect more, not less, this can serve as a check on the reality of our profession” (Ellison, p. 1148). In other words, we can test the genuineness of our profession of faith by how we respond to the plain words of Jesus in this passage. On the other end of the spectrum, some people use this passage to argue that faith in Christ is not necessary – that how we treat the poor is all that matters. Catholic scholar Benedict T. Viviano, O.P., responds that the passage “is addressed to Christian disciples, and discipleship is understood, in a very bold way, as identical with care of the needy. This is not a denial of faith; it is of the essence of faith” ( The New Jerome Biblical Commentary , par. 145, p. 669). Jesus is not here rejecting his consistent call to faith; he is showing us one element of what faith looks like in action. If our understanding of the Christian faith does not include an understanding both of the centrality of service to those in need and of the centrality of faith in Christ, we do not understand Jesus as presented to us in the Scriptures upon which our faith is based. This passage presents the Word of God to us. What do you think Jesus would say to those who think the passage contradicts the gospel message about how we are “saved”? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

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

Jesus tells us to be ready for his return. What are you doing to be ready for that day (whether it is the Second Coming or your death)? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 24:32-44 Jesus tells us to be ready for his return. What are you doing to be ready for that day (whether it is the Second Coming or your death)? Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti September 7, 2025 Matthew 24:32-35 No one knows when Jesus will return, so be ready for whatever God does In verses 32-33, Jesus shifts from apocalyptic language to an image from the garden that most people can identify with and understand. What does he say about fig trees to help us understand that we will know he has come when he comes? Verse 34 is confusing even to scholars. We aren’t sure what Jesus meant when he said that “this generation” will not pass away until “all these things” have taken place. Obviously, the people who lived at the time of Jesus have passed away, but he has not returned. What could it mean? Some people interpret “this generation” to mean “this age” – i.e., this era in human history – but the word is not elsewhere translated in that way. Jesus could be saying that his death and resurrection will occur before that generation dies (similar to what he said in Matthew 16:28). Or he might be referring to the destruction of Jerusalem. However, neither of those events amounts to “all these things,” since Jesus has just discussed his Second Coming; so this is not a sufficient interpretation. It is not uncommon for prophetic and apocalyptic material to have multiple layers, so in different places Jesus could be referring to different events or even multiple events that occur at separate times. However, it would be unwise to argue that none of what Jesus has talked about refers to the Second Coming. Matthew often gathers different sayings of Jesus and presents them together in one place, so perhaps this sentence really belongs with the things Jesus said about the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24:15-22. The Greek word used for “generation” – genea – was also sometimes used by Greeks to mean a family or race (Liddell and Scott), so perhaps Jesus was saying that the Jewish people would not be wiped out before the Second Coming. This would mean that Jesus is using a different meaning for the word here than when he used the same word in Matthew 11:16 and 12:41. That is not an extraordinary thing to do, but some people reject this option for that reason. Although some scholars argue that the whole chapter is mainly about the destruction of the Temple, and others argue that the whole chapter is about the Second Coming, this study takes a more balanced approach that is consistent with the broad mainstream of scholars, including both Catholic scholars such as Harrington (pp. 94-97) and scholars with deep evangelical roots such as H. L. Ellison (1146-1147). In this approach, Matthew 24:4-14 stands as warning to Christians of all time periods, Matthew 24:15-22 is about the destruction of the Temple, and then Jesus makes a shift toward the Second Coming that becomes clear in verses 27-41. Since Matthew is mainly concerned about being ready for the Lord whenever he returns (which is the focus of the next passage) and would not have written an obvious contradiction into his Gospel, the third and fourth explanations above are the most satisfactory: Either Matthew has merged material from various sources and verse 34 is referring to the material in verses 15-22, or “this generation” has a meaning that could still make sense in Matthew’s time, such as that it means “this people” – i.e., the Jewish people. We don’t need to be troubled by the fact that we cannot be sure what verse 34 means. Nothing here is central to our faith, other than the encouragement that Jesus will return and that we should live our lives in a way that is always ready for him. We do not need an exact timeline –in fact, in verse 36 Jesus says that even he doesn’t know the exact timeline. What we do know is that Jesus will be victorious in the end and those who remain watchful and endure will live with him forever. What do you think about Jesus’s confidence that his people will be able to endure through the suffering and that he will come in the end to gather his people to be with him forever? Verse 35 says that Jesus’s words will live on even when the universe is no longer in existence. What does that tell you about Jesus? Does verse 35 make you want to know more of Jesus’s words, since his words will live on forever? If so, why? Would more studying of the Bible help? Matthew 24:36-44 No one knows when Jesus will return, so be ready When Jesus was speaking to them, did he know when the Second Coming will occur? Jesus said he did not know. As the eternal Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God knows everything the First Person of the Trinity knows (see, for example, Matt. 11:27, and also John 3:35). But as a human person, Jesus apparently did not know this in his human knowledge, unless he is exaggerating to emphasis the importance of not focusing on timetables but instead on always being ready. Given that Jesus says that neither he nor the angels know when the Son of Man will come, what do you think you should focus on? In verses 37-39, Jesus gives an illustration from Noah’s time to explain the attitude we should have toward the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus is contrasting Noah’s attitude with the attitude of the people around Noah. What is the point of the story? In verses 40-42, Jesus gives some examples where one person is “taken” and one person is “left.” The Left Behind franchise has popularized the idea of the “rapture” as one possible interpretation of these words, but that interpretation reaches far beyond the text of what Jesus actually says. For an exploration of “rapture” theories, see The Rapture? It’s Not a Pre-Millennial Escape from Tribulation . How does verse 42 explain the point of verses 40-41? Throughout this chapter, Jesus has been speaking metaphorically, so verses 40-41 are probably also metaphorical rather than literal. (The statement applies very well to our own individual deaths.) Obviously, our eternal salvation is not dependent on whether we literally “stay awake” or fall asleep. What is the point Jesus is making? Does this teaching about the Second Coming of Jesus have any relevance in our lives other than if we happen to be alive when the Second Coming occurs? What does Jesus want us to take away from this for our everyday lives? The next analogy Jesus offers involves a homeowner (verses 43-44). What is the point? A homeowner doesn’t know when a thief might be coming. What does that mean a homeowner must do in order to be safe? In verse 44, Jesus tells us to be “ready” (NRSV) or “prepared” (NABRE) for his return, even though we don’t know when he is coming. How can we be ready? How might it be useful to consider these questions in terms of our own death? No one knows when they will die but we all will die someday. What does it look like to live a life that is always ready for the day when we will meet our Maker? What would you do differently if you lived your life with a greater focus on being ready for the day you will meet God face to face? Take a step back and consider this: This passage challenges us – not to spend a lot of time trying to figure out the signs of the Second Coming, but to live a life that is ready for the day when he comes (perhaps in the Second Coming but more likely when we die). My Bible Study group explored the idea that we can get ready for God by living the life now that he has called us to live. This led us to ask: What are the signs that you are living the life God has called you to live? One member pointed out that sometimes she knows God wants her to take a new step to become more like him, because it keeps nagging her. One of the signs that we are living the life Jesus calls us to live is that we are talking with God about the ways he wants to change us and allowing him to make us more like himself. Another member described a time when she had to stop trying to make things go her way and just accept that she was called to a season of serving others. One of the signs that we are living the life Jesus calls us to live is that we are accepting those times of serving as Jesus would, rather than fighting it. Another member talked about how important it is to keep growing spiritually, and not think we are done growing. One of the signs that we are living the life Jesus calls us live is that we are looking for the next small way that God wants to help us be more like him. What are the signs that you are living the life God has called you to live? What do you need to do to get ready? It is a blessing that we can leave to God the timing of the Second Coming and don’t have to try to figure out obscure signs. We can focus on the interior signs that indicate we are ready for Jesus right now, and not be distracted by a focus on exterior signs of some future event. Matthew has been very clear about what Jesus is telling us to do right now, in the present. Here are some examples: Be pure in spirit and pure of heart; be peacemakers; don’t respond to others with anger, but love even your enemies; love God with your whole heart; love your neighbor as much as you love yourself; and, in the next chapter, use the talents God has given you to serve him, not to serve yourself; feed the hungry; welcome the stranger; take care of the sick; etc. Those are the concerns Jesus asks us to keep our eyes on, not an obscure timetable for his return. What is one thing you can do in the next week to keep your focus more on what Jesus is calling you to do right now, while you wait for his return? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

God teaches us through faith and science. Previous Christian Faith Articles Next God Reveals Himself in Scripture and in the Natural World, through Faith and Science God teaches us through faith and science. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti March 18, 2024 I saw a meme that said, “I don’t follow the Science. I follow Jesus.” This statement deserves further thought. I am a follower of Jesus. I believe He is God (John 1:1). He is the Author of life (Acts 3:15). All of the created world was created through Him (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). God reveals Himself through creation (Rom. 1:20). God reveals Himself in Scripture and in the natural world The heavens and the earth – i.e., all of the natural world – tell the glory of God and proclaim His handiwork (Psalm 19:1). In other words, God reveals Himself and His truths both through Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16) and through the natural world He created (Prov. 30:24-28). Since God is always true (John 3:33), He cannot reveal truth to us in one part of revelation and lie to us in another. All of God’s revelation is true – both that which is found in Scripture and that which is found in the natural world He gave us. Therefore, we can find truths revealed by God in Scripture, and we can find truths revealed by God in the natural world He authored. Science The word “science” refers to a well-developed set of processes people use to understand truths about the natural world. Although scientists wouldn’t say it this way because they are looking for natural evidence, since God is the author of all creation, when they find things that are true in the natural world, they are finding truths that God has revealed to us in the natural world. God teaches us through faith and science. The word “science” is also used to describe the body of truths that humans have discovered as they use the processes of science to explore the natural world. We see “science” in every part of our lives. Scientists used the processes of science to understand the nature of penicillin and its healing properties. As a result, we have a body of scientific knowledge about antibiotics. Scientists used the processes of science to understand the nature of fuels, providing us with the scientific knowledge to provide power to our tractors, our automobiles, and our power plants. Scientists used the processes of science to understand how to improve the yields of plants and animals, leading to the science of agronomy that helps us feed the world. Observing God’s orderly universe All of this is possible because God created an orderly universe with laws that govern that universe, and because He allowed people to discover the truths about the natural world that are hidden in that orderly world. (Even the seemingly disorderly parts of the natural world contain truths that humans can and do discover about the natural world.) The Scriptures speak approvingly of attitudes and actions that are Bible-era precursors of modern science. The Book of Proverbs applauds those who carefully observe the natural world in order to apply it to their own situations (Prov. 6:6-11; 30:24-28). Jesus calls attention to those who observe signs from nature to predict the weather and suggests that we should have a similar attitude in reading spiritual signs (Matthew 16:2-3; Luke 12:54-56). Jesus also tells a parable in which he speaks well of a gardener who seeks to experiment with the soil in order to increase the likelihood of a good harvest (Luke 13:6-9). These passages reflect God’s approval of our use of the processes of science – observing, experimenting, drawing conclusions, etc. Using all of God’s tools to understand truth God has given humans the ability to search out the truths of the natural world through science, just as He has enabled us to search out the truths of the spiritual world through Bible Study. To say, “I follow Jesus but I don’t follow the science,” would be like saying, “I follow Jesus but I don’t follow Bible Study.” They are both just tools – methods of learning. Science is a method used to understand what God reveals through the natural world. Bible Study is a method used to understand what God reveals through Scripture. One and the same God reveals Himself in both places – in Scripture and in the natural world, through Bible Study and through science. Thank God that He has chosen to reveal Himself in both places and has given us these tools – Bible Study and science – to make sense of His truths in both places. God teaches us through faith and science. Blessed is the person who listens to all of God’s revelation, wherever He chooses to reveal it. 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 Christian Faith Articles Next

Welcome a child, be as humble as a child, and don’t lead any “little ones” astray: the starting point for our relationships in the church. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 18:1-9 Welcome a child, be as humble as a child, and don’t lead any “little ones” astray: the starting point for our relationships in the church. Carl Bloch (1834–1890). Jesus Christ with the children / Let the little Children come unto Me / Suffer the Children . Date unknown. Oil on copper. Cropped. Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Let_the_Little_Children_Come_unto_Jesus.jpg . Tom Faletti June 29, 2025 In chapter 18, Matthew again gathers together various sayings and teachings of Jesus. This time, the focus of the teachings is on how to deal with issues that might cause dissension and strife within the Christian community. Jesus tells us how to treat each other and what to do when someone doesn’t treat us right. Matthew 18:1-5 Seeking status versus becoming like a child and welcoming the child What is the disciples’ question to Jesus? What do you think they are thinking about, and how does it show that they don’t understand Jesus’s ways yet? Notice that he doesn’t answer their question. Instead, he calls a child into their midst. What do you think it is about a child that shows what it takes to enter the kingdom of heaven? What does it mean, when Jesus tells us to humble ourselves like a child (verse 4)? In what ways is a child “humble”? Why does Jesus say that those who do this are “the greatest”? Greatest in what way? Why would Jesus say (in verse 5) that when we welcome (NRSV) or receive (NABRE) a child in his name, we welcome or receive him? Fr. Daniel Harrington tells us: “in ancient society the child had no legal rights or standing and was entirely dependent on the parents. . . . Likewise, no one through rank or status has a real claim on God’s kingdom” (Harrington, p. 74). Harrington explains that the Qumran community from whom we have the Dead Sea scrolls seated people at meals according to their rank within the community because “[t]he meals were supposed to mirror what would happen when God’s kingdom comes” (p. 73). This focus on status was apparently not uncommon in the time of Jesus. How does our society give attention to status and elevate some people over others? In what ways do people seek status in our society? How are people asking today a modern-day equivalent of “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” How are we infected by that kind of thinking? What does Jesus say in response? How is a child’s dependence and lack of worldly status a model for us? In the context of the rest of the passage, Jesus is not just talking literally about children. They represent all the people at the bottom of the social ladder. The disciples want to know who is greatest – who has highest rank. Jesus says, those who appear to have the lowest rank, the least claim, the lowest status are the ones who, in the kingdom of God, have the highest status or who are the greatest. If this is the criterion for greatness, what does it say to us about ourselves? What does this tell you about God and about God’s thinking? Jesus identifies himself with the children, the people with the lowest status. This is not the only time Jesus identifies himself with someone else. In Matthew 25, in the story of the sheep and the goats, he identifies himself with the hungry, sick, etc. What does this tell you about Jesus? What does this tell us about the importance of looking out for the vulnerable: children, the poor, people with mental or physical disabilities, and others who have no claim to greatness? Jesus appears to be saying, I will measure you not by whatever status you think you have, but by how you treat the people who don’t have status, the people who are not considered the greatest. Who are the people who lack status in our community and nation, and what must we do differently to respond to this challenge from Jesus? Harrington sums up this verse by saying that Jesus is saying that “He dwells in them in a special way” (p. 74). What is this special relationship between God and the least among us? What does that relationship challenge us to do? How can we welcome those with the lowest social status? This passage starts out talking about status in the kingdom of heaven. But by the end of the chapter, we will realize that Matthew is thinking in part about the church on Earth and the struggles between people within the church. In that context, who are those with low status that your local church should be showing greater concern for? Matthew 18:6-9 Don’t lead the little ones astray In this passage, Jesus refers to “these little ones,” and most people interpret it as not just talking about children. Who are “these little ones”? Harrington suggests that this term describes “a simple and good-hearted member of the community who can be lead astray” (p. 74). The one other place where Jesus uses the term is in Matthew 10:42, where it means a disciple as Jesus praises anyone who gives one of “these little ones” a cup of cold water. The word Jesus uses to describe the offense committed by someone who leads others astray is a word we have seen before: the Greek word is skandalon . When Jesus calls Peter a “stumbling block” or “obstacle” in Matthew 16:23, it is this word. When Jesus says in Matthew 17:27 that they should pay the Temple tax so that they will not give offense (Matt. 17:27), the word for “offense” is the verb form of the same word. Here again it is the verb form of that word. To be a stumbling block, to give offense, to scandalize – these are all situations where one person might trip up another person so that their faith is shaken or they are led into sin. How can one person lead another person to sin? Jesus says that the perpetrator would be better off if some pretty bad things happened to him or her. What are those things he warns us about in verses 6, 8, and 9? What is his point in making these comparisons? In verse 7, Jesus addresses the common rationalization: it’s going to happen anyway. What is his warning? How might we be a stumbling block for others if we are not careful? Take a step back and consider this: Matthew is selecting various teachings of Jesus and arranging them in the order he thinks might have maximum benefit for the Christian community. He could have chosen any story to tell first. It is worth considering why he chose to start with these teachings about how to treat children and the “little ones,” before dealing with what to do when a member of the community sins against you and how often you should forgive people (which are coming next). By starting here, Matthew provides a bigger-picture perspective with which to consider the rest of the teachings in this chapter. If you think of yourself as a big deal, you may be more tempted to get angry when someone does something you don’t like. You may be more tempted to try to exclude them or cut them off. If you think of yourself as a humble child, you might choose a different way to deal with disagreements. In every age, there are people in prominent positions who identify themselves as Christians but aren’t living up to the “high calling” or “upward call” we have in Christ (Phil. 3:14). They may be too focused on power, or on what they can gain from their prominence. They may have a tendency to lord it over other people or act as though they think they are more important than others. We too sometimes get off track. Maybe we get too focused on ourselves and our own desires. Maybe we start treating others as underlings whom we expect to help us accomplish our desires. Maybe we start treating people as means to our ends, rather than as important in themselves. Matthew 18:1-5, can be an antidote to that. How can viewing ourselves as simply a child in the kingdom of God help us maintain the right perspective and not act like we and our agenda are more important than everyone else and their agenda? How can viewing the world through the eyes of a child help prepare you to forgive others when they hurt you? 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

Paul takes the long view, seeing present events in light of eternity, and provides early evidence of the doctrine of the Trinity. [1 Thessalonians 2:17-20; 3:1-8; 3:9-13] Previous 1 Thess. List Next 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13 Paul takes the long view, seeing present events in light of eternity, and provides early evidence of the doctrine of the Trinity. Image by Chuttersnap via Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/white-and-blue-cloudy-sky-TSgwbumanuE . Tom Faletti January 26, 2025 1 Thess. 2:17-20 Paul longs to visit the Thessalonians In this section of the letter, Paul describes what has been happening since he left the Thessalonians and how much he longs to see them again. When have you been separated – as Paul put it, “in person, not in heart” (2:17) – from someone you cared greatly about? How did you feel at the time and how did you feel when you received news about them or were reunited with them? How do you feel when you see signs of progress in the faith of someone whose spiritual welfare you have been concerned about? In verse 18, Paul says that Satan “thwarted” him (NABRE) or “blocked” him (NRSV) when he desired to return to Thessalonica. He does not specifically describe the obstacle. When the things you want to do are blocked, do you tend to interpret it as Satan thwarting you or as other people making choices that get in the way, or both? Explain. In verse 19, Paul describes the Thessalonians as his crown and joy. The word he uses for “crown” is not the word for the crown of royalty but rather for what an athlete receives after having won a race or other competition – for example, a laurel wreath. He uses similar language years later to describe the Philippians (Phil. 4:1). He is not saying he will get a crown for something he did. He is saying that they are the affirmation that his life was not lived in vain. In verse 20, Paul says the Thessalonians are his glory and joy. In verse 19, he says that their faith is an affirmation that his efforts were worthwhile. When your life is over and you come before God, what aspects of your life will you be joyful about or see as an affirmation of how you lived your life? How does thinking about what might matter to you when you come into the presence of the Lord affect how you want to live your life now? Notice how Paul frequently sees a bigger picture. Nothing ever matters to him only for the moment or only for itself. He is always evaluating everything in the light of what it will look like when we are fully in the presence of God. 1 Thess. 3:1-8 Paul sends Timothy, who brings back good news about the Thessalonians In verse 2, the phrase Paul literally says Timothy is a “co-worker of God.” Many translations soften this to co-worker for God, but scholars suggest the best translation may be “God’s co-worker” (see Collins, “1 Thessalonians,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary , par. 26, p. 776, and Cousins, “1 Thessalonians.” The International Bible Commentary , p. 1463). In what ways are you God’s co-worker, working with God to help bring about God’s purposes in your sphere of influence? Paul says that Christians should expect persecution (3:3). Do we live our lives with that expectation? Why or why not? What is Paul’s worst fear regarding the Thessalonians, the thing he most fears might happen as they are persecuted (3:5)? In 2:18, Paul referred to the devil as “Satan,” a word that comes from the Hebrew word for “adversary.” Satan is God’s chief adversary in the spiritual world. In 3:5, Paul uses the word “tempter” – another reference to the devil. In what ways is the devil a “tempter”? How does temptation work in our lives today? What can we do so that our initial openness to the gospel is not in vain? In verses 6-8, what good news does Timothy bring back from his visit to the Thessalonians? Specifically: How do the Thessalonians feel about Paul? How are they handling the persecution? In verse 8, Paul says that “we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord” (1 Thess. 3:8, NRSV). What does he mean? What do you need to do to keep standing firm in the Lord? 1 Thess. 3:9-13 Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonians and prays that he may see them again Why is Paul so full of joy? In verse 10, what is the additional reason he now wants to visit the Thessalonians? Paul says that he would like to “restore whatever is lacking” (1 Thess. 3:10, NRSV) or “remedy the deficiencies” (1 Thess. 3:10, NABRE) in their faith. Many scholars think the meaning is probably that he wants to give them further instruction in the faith, since he may have spent less than a month with them. He might want to address individual gaps in understanding that individual members have, but he is probably thinking about what the community still needs to be taught collectively, as a community. In what areas might you need additional understanding, to be stronger in your faith? What things might be lacking in your local church, and how could you help fill the gaps? Parts of the doctrine of the Trinity are embedded in Paul’s letter In verse 11, Paul prays that he may be able to return to the Thessalonians. There is a significant theological point buried in that prayer. When Paul refers to God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the verb he uses (the word “direct”) is in the third person singular. In English, we sometimes can’t tell the different between the third person singular and the third person plural (“he will direct,” “they will direct”), but the Greek language does a better job of making that distinction. The difference matters here. It’s the difference between saying of two directors of a play, “Sue and Bob direct it” (third person plural) or “Sue and Bob directs it” (third person singular). You would only use the singular if Sue and Bob were in such total union with each other that they always act as one. Otherwise, you would use the plural “are.” Paul uses the third person singular verb . He chooses the verb form that treats God the Father and the Lord Jesus as a unity that acts as one. This was written a mere 20 years after Jesus rose from the dead. We find that Paul already had in his head two key parts of what was eventually worked out fully in our doctrine of the Trinity: the divinity of Jesus (that he was God) and the oneness of the Father and the Son (that the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father were one God, not two gods). In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30), but that was not written down until perhaps 40 or 50 years after Paul wrote this letter. Paul’s language suggests that, from the early days of Christianity, Christians accepted that the Father and the Son were one God. The idea was not the creation of the Council at Nicaea in 325, although that is where some key language explaining it was nailed down. In verse 12, we see another theological development. Paul prays that the Lord Jesus will help the Thessalonians abound in love. That is not a request one would make of a mere human. God is the one who can answer prayer. This indicates that, 20 years after the Resurrection, Paul sees Jesus was as having the power of God. So, to sum up, Paul is implicitly showing that Christians, very early on, believed that Jesus was one with God and was God. See my article When Did Christians First Recognize the Divinity of Jesus? for a more complete exposition of the early Church’s belief in the divinity of Jesus. Some skeptics like to suggest that the doctrine of the Trinity did not take shape until the Council of Nicaea. That is not true. Paul was not concerned with writing formal doctrine, and it took time to work out the language, but the basic idea was there from the beginning: that Jesus was God – not merely a human – and that Jesus was one with the Father. How is the doctrine of the Trinity important to your understanding of the faith? In verses 12-13 what does Paul pray for the Thessalonians? He prays (1) that the Lord may make them abound in love for each other and for all people; and (2) that the Lord may strengthen their hearts so that they will be blameless and holy before God when the Lord returns. In his prayer for the Thessalonians in verse 12, Paul asks that they may abound in love not just for one another but for all. How is your Christian community doing in abounding in love not just for each other but for all people? What could your church do better in order to abound in love for all? What could you do? What does blamelessness look like? What does holiness look like? Why is it important to have our hearts be strengthened in order to be blameless and holy? To what extend are the two parts of this prayer related? Can you actually be blameless and holy if you are not abounding in love for all people? Explain. Compare Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians with your own prayers for those you care about. When you pray for those you love, do you pray that they may abound in love for each other and for all people, and that they may be strengthened in order to be blameless and holy? (Or do you confine your prayers to more mundane concerns?) How might Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians guide your own prayers for those you care about? Take a step back and consider this: We see in this letter that Paul is constantly looking at everything that happens around him from the perspective of what it looks like in the presence of God. The things he hopes will happen now are the things that he believes will have value when we are with God forever. In that sense, Paul is always playing the long game – considering the present in the light of eternity. How might you focus a little less on how things look from your own perspective now, and a little more on how things look from God’s perspective? How would routinely seeing our time in the light of eternity affect how you think and act in everyday life now? 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

The healing love of God is for Gentiles, too Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 15:21-28 The healing love of God is for Gentiles, too. Pieter Lastman (1583-1633). Christus en de vrouw uit Kanaän [Christ and the woman of Canaan] . 1617. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christus_en_de_vrouw_uit_Kana%C3%A4n_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-1533.jpeg . Tom Faletti June 13, 2025 Matthew 15:21-28 The healing of the Canaanite woman Jesus now moves clearly into Gentile territory. Tyre and Sidon are coastal cities northwest of Galilee, outside of Jewish territory. Who comes to Jesus, and what does she ask? Mark tells us more specifically that this woman is a Greek(-speaking) Syrian Phoenician woman. Matthew calls her a Canaanite, which is an anachronistic term he takes from the Old Testament. Centuries earlier, the Israelites had battled the Canaanites when they took over the Promised Land. In Genesis’s table of the origins of the nations, Canaan is the father of Sidon (Gen. 10:15). The Pharisees of Jesus’s time would have had nothing to do with this woman for multiple reasons: she was a woman, a foreigner, and a Gentile, and therefore unclean. Jesus, however, allows her to engage him. In verse 22, what words does she use to describe Jesus? What does her uses of these terms tell you about her faith? How does Jesus react, initially? He says nothing. Why do you think Jesus at first does not respond to her, but waits until she persists and the disciple ask him to send her away? How does Jesus respond to the disciples and her in verse 24? The woman’s reply is very simple: “Lord, help me” (Matt. 15:25). How is that a good example for us? I will explain Jesus’s troubling statements in verses 24 and 26 in a moment, but first, given that the woman gets what she wants in the end, do you think Jesus may be testing her in some way? Jesus appears to be prejudiced here, but that's a misunderstanding. What is really going on? Jesus’s dismissive and seemingly racist comments to the Syrophoenician/Canaanite woman – “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24) and “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Matt. 15:26) – have troubled many people. Jesus sounds callous and prejudiced. But that interpretation does not fit with the rest of what we know about Jesus, so there must be more to the story. And there is! Here are 5 big points that can help us accurately interpret what Jesus says here: First, Jesus has already shown that he cares about Gentiles and is willing to heal them: In Matthew 8:28-34, Jesus goes to the Gentile territory of Gadara and heals the men who were possessed by demons. In Matthew 8:5-13, he heals a Gentile centurion’s servant. Matthew has been hinting to us from the very first chapter that Jesus’s gospel is for all people. He started by identifying the Gentile women in Jesus’s genealogy (see the study Matt. 1:1-17 ). Although when Jesus sent the apostles out on their first preaching mission he told them to stay in Jewish territory and not preach to the Samaritans (Matt. 10:5-6), that was only a first step. Matthew’s whole Gospel is driving toward its final verses where Jesus says the gospel must be preached to all nations (Matt. 28:19-20). In the passage right before this one, Jesus demolishes the idea that something outside of you can defile you. That’s how Jews felt about Gentiles, that they were a source of defilement. Second, this appears to be another case where Jesus quotes a claim others are making before showing how it is wrong. We have seen this in several places: In Matthew 5:21, Matthew 5:27, Matthew 5:31, Matthew 5:33, Matthew 5:38, and Matthew 5:43, Jesus begins a teaching by starting with, “You have heard that it was said . . .” or similar words, and then reframes the issue. In Matthew 11:7, he quotes people’s erroneous thinking about John the Baptist before providing a true understanding of John’s role. In Matthew 15:5, he quotes the Pharisees’ flimsy excuse for not taking care of their parents, before calling out their hypocrisy. This appears to be another case where Jesus is quoting the erroneous thinking of the people of his time. In fact, it is quite possible that the disciples said these things to Jesus when they were asking him to send the woman away. Third, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon for a reason – perhaps with the specific intention of having an interaction such as this one. Matthew tells us that Jesus “withdrew” to the region of Tyre and Sidon, but he doesn’t say why. In Matthew’s Gospel, nothing happens without a reason. Some scholars think that Jesus just wanted to get away from the crowds so that he could focus on training his disciples and preparing them for his crucifixion. But there were out-of-the way Jewish places he could have gone to. Or he could have gone to Bethsaida, the Gentile city his disciples were supposed to meet him in when he walked on the water (see Matt. 14:22 and Mark 6:45). Going to the Tyre and Sidon allows him to show by his actions that his point in the previous passage that nothing external can defile you apply to the Gentiles. Fourth, when he said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Matt. 15:26), the word isn’t actually “dogs.” The Jews routinely called Gentiles “dogs.” Dogs were despised at this time: mostly unclean, stray scavengers, not domesticated pets. But Jesus doesn’t actually use the word “dog.” The word he uses is the word for a little dog, a house dog, or a puppy. So he is twisting the standard quote of his day as he prepares to demolish the ungodly attitude behind it. Finally, Jesus is following the typical style of verbal jousting that was common for the men of his time, which was to make an argument and then see if the other person can make a better argument. Jesus honors this woman by treating her as an equal and worthy of such an argument. When you put all these points together, it becomes clear that Jesus is quoting the prejudices of his day to in order to demolish them, not because he believes them. How does the woman react in verse 26? Jesus loves the woman’s response. Why? How is her response an act of faith? How does Jesus respond to her in verse 28? This is the only person of whom Jesus says that they have “great” faith. What does this woman teach us about faith? What did this event show about Jesus’s relationship to the Gentiles? Can we talk back to God? If so, how? Does it matter that she talked back to him while still being respectful? . . . and that it was based in faith? What do you think this woman thought about Jesus? What do you think she thought he felt about her? She must have sensed that he really cared about her, even though his words didn’t sound like it. We, too, can embrace the fact that God really cares about us, even though some of the things he allows to happen might make it seem like he doesn’t. Jesus didn’t even make her bring her daughter to him. He just healed the daughter from a distance. That also happened in the healing of the centurion’s servant. Both requesters were Gentiles. Why do you think he did the healing at a distance in both cases? What does the fact that he never sent her away tell us? What can we learn from that, with regard to our own relationship with Jesus? Take a step back and consider this: Unless you are a Jew by heritage, this is a really important story. Jesus shows that his good news is for you, not just for Jews. Are we as welcoming? Are there any groups in your society that are not welcome in your church community? How do you think Jesus would respond? How can you help make all people welcome in the church? 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

The return of Christ and how to be ready. [1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11] Previous 1 Thess. List Next 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 The return of Christ and how to be ready. Photo by Matthias Münning on Unsplash . Tom Faletti January 31, 2025 1 Thess. 4:13-18 Christians, dead and living, will join Christ when he returns This passage has been a distraction for many, due to poor theology. Some Christians have woven whole books and movies out of inventive interpretations of Paul’s language and the Book of Revelation. Let’s examine what Paul actually says. Paul uses the term “fallen asleep,” a term the early Christians frequently used by for the dead. In what sense are they only “sleeping”? Looking at verses 13-14, what is the concern that has troubled the Thessalonian community? They are troubled that members of the church have died before Jesus has returned. Why does Paul say they can have hope? In verse 14, what is the connection he makes between Jesus and Christians who die? How does Jesus’s resurrection affect your view of death? When we lose a loved one, grief is natural and to be expected. But how does our faith affect our grief? Paul now turns to a brief discussion of Second Coming of Christ. In verse 15, he says that what he is going to tell us in verses 16-17 is a “word of the Lord.” We do not have this in any of the Gospels. It might have been received as a prophetic utterance in the early church or as a prophetic revelation to Paul himself. What is Paul’s main point in verse 15? Why might it matter to Christians that, when Christ returns, those who have already died will not be left behind? The Nicene Creed, which is accepted by most Christian denominations, professes belief in the Second Coming of Christ when it says, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” Although the Nicene Creed had not yet bee formulated, this is what Paul is talking about in this passage. In verses 16-17, Paul describes the return or Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 16, what words or sounds signal that the time has come? The Lord gives the command, and then two things happen, or one thing happens that is described in two ways: the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God. When that signal is given, what happens first (still in verse 16)? Christians who are dead rise. What Paul says here seems to be consistent with what Jesus says in Matthew 24:31. Let’s look at it: Read Matthew 24:29-31 What elements of Jesus’s words are matched in what Paul says? Jesus will return. Jesus will come in the clouds. A trumpet will sound. Jesus will gather his followers. He will gather the dead as well as the living. He says he will gather them from the four winds and from one end of “the heavens” to the other – this is poetic language, but “the heavens” means not just the people living on the Earth. A trumpet sound could be literal, but it could be symbolic. What does the sounding of a trumpet signal? What kinds of people get heralded by the sound of trumpets? What difference does it make to you that Jesus will return with power and glory? What difference does it make to you that those who have died will rise again – that we will have a resurrection? What difference does it make to you that your loved ones who have gone before you will be part of the resurrection? Return to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 . In verse 16, Paul says that the dead will rise to life. In verse 17, he says that the people who are alive at that time will be “caught up” with the dead who have risen, to meet the Lord in the air. The Greek word for “caught up” is used in other places in the Bible to mean “snatched” or “taken by force” (e.g., Matt. 11:12; 13:19; John 6:15; 10:12, 28, 29; Acts 8:39). When the Scriptures were translated into Latin, this word was translated to a Latin word that begins with the letters rapt . When the Latin was translated into English, it became our word “rapture.” This passage later became one of the primary passages used by people such as Tim LaHaye of the Left Behind series, and Hal Lindsey in The Late Great Planet Earth and other books, to teach a particular theory about the end times in which Christians are “raptured,” or taken to heaven, before the tribulation that everyone else must face. People who subscribe to that theory are described as pre-tribulation pre-millennialists. What Paul teaches does not support the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial view popularized with the modern use of the term “rapture.” That “rapture” teaching is actually not consistent with the Scriptures, which is why it was rejected throughout much of Christian history until the 19th century. Almost all Christians agree on certain truths: Christ will return. The dead will be raised. Christians who are dead and Christians who are still alive will be united with Christ and live with him forever. That’s what Paul says. But Christians don’t get to escape tribulation by being snatched up to God while everyone else is left behind to suffer. The Catholic Church does not accept that claim. The Orthodox Churches do not accept it. The Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist Churches to not accept it. Many other Christian churches do not accept it. It goes against established Christian teaching that reaches all the way back to St. Augustine. This new interpretation of the “rapture” did not become a popular belief until isolated groups of Christians proposed it starting in the 19th century. There are at least two key flaws in the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture theory. First, nothing in Scripture supports the idea that Christians will be protected from tribulation. On the contrary, the Bible tells us over and over again to expect serious suffering. Second, the theory is intertwined with the idea that after Christ comes to take Christians to heaven, there will be a 1000-year gap before the final judgment. Jesus and St. Paul are clear that when Christ comes in his Second Coming, three things will happen immediately: the dead will be raised, those who are still alive will be caught up to Christ, and Christ will carry out the final judgment. There is no 1000-year gap in the middle. Revelation 20:2-3 mentions a 1000-year period known as the “millennium” without explanation as to whether it is symbolic or literal. The mainstream understanding of the millennium is that it is a symbolic “1000” years that began when Jesus ascended into heaven and will end when he returns in glory. During this time, God is restraining evil so that the Word of God can be spread throughout the whole Earth. However, as Jesusa and Paul taught, a time of severe persecution (the “tribulation”) will come before the end, and Christians will not be exempt from that persecution and suffering. See The Rapture? It’s Not a Pre-Millennial Escape from Tribulation for a fuller exploration of how the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture theory contradicts what Jesus and St. Paul clearly teach. Is it a disappointment or a relief to you that Paul, here in 1 Thessalonians, does not teach what has been popularized in books and movies such as the Left Behind series? Why? In verse 17, Paul says that we will be with the Lord forever. What difference does it make to you that we will be with the Lord forever? In verse 18, Paul tells the Thessalonians to use these teachings to “console” (NABRE) or “encourage” (NRSV) each other. How might these teachings about the end times be consoling or encouraging? How are these teachings a source of consolation or encouragement to you? 1 Thess. 5:1-11 Always live in the light, ready for the Lord As Paul continues to discuss the return of Christ, he refers to “the day of the Lord,” which is a term used in Old Testament prophecies in the books of Daniel, Isaiah, Joel, and other prophets. For the Jews of Jesus’s and Paul’s time, that was when God would bring victory for the Jews. Christians re-interpreted it as the day when Christ would return in power and glory. Considering verses 1-3, what can we know about when Christ will return in his Second Coming? What do you think of Paul’s analogy comparing Jesus’s coming to the coming of a “thief in the night”? (FYI- 2 Peter 3:10 uses the same analogy of a thief.) What does it suggest to you as to how you should be prepared? In verses 4-5, what does Paul say about darkness and light? What does it mean to be “children of light”? In verses 6-7, Paul talks again about people “sleeping,” but this time it is not a metaphor for death. What does the metaphor of “sleeping’ mean this time, and what is Paul calling us to do, to avoid “sleeping” like others do? What does it look like to be the kind of Christian who lives in the light? How can you be a child of the light more fully or consistently? In verse 8, Paul tells us to put on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. He is again talking about the three theological virtues: faith, love, and hope (first mentioned in 1 Thess. 1:3). In this metaphor, they are defensive gear, to protect our head and heart. How do faith, love, and hope protect our head and heart? How do you “put on” faith, love, and hope? In verse 10, Paul uses the word sleep again, but now he is using it as he did in 4:13-18 to refer to death, not as he used it in 5:6-7 regarding lax living. What does he call us to do in verse 10? Since Christ died for us, we are called to respond by living with him, in this life and after we die. How can we live with Christ while we are alive? Paul ends this section by again urging us to encourage each other (verse 11). How can we do that? Paul also urges us to build each other up. What does that mean, and how can we do it? Looking back over 1 Thessalonians 4:13 through 5:11: Which of Paul’s teachings in these passages is most comforting or encouraging to you right now, and why? Which of Paul’s teachings here challenges you to take a new step, and what can you do specifically to respond? Take a step back and consider this: Paul talks about faith, love, and hope twice in this letter. In 1:3, he says the Thessalonians are actively exhibiting all three of these virtues. In 5:8, he urges them to put on the protection of faith, love, and hope. In some ways, faith, love, and hope sum up the whole gospel: if we are actively living our lives in accordance with these three virtues, we will be living the kind of life to which we are called in Christ Jesus. Genuine faith puts God first in all things. Genuine love treats others with the same love God has for us. Genuine hope helps us endure suffering and hold fast to the God who loves us. Which of these virtues would be good for you to focus on this week? Why? We are not alone. God is working to help us respond to these virtues, which he has placed in us. What can you do, or stop doing, to allow the virtues of faith, love, and hope to guide every aspect of your life? 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 wanted the Temple to be a house of prayer and a place of healing. Can our churches and our lives be that, too? [Matthew 21:12-13; 21:14-17] Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 21:12-17 Jesus wanted the Temple to be a house of prayer and a place of healing. Can our churches and our lives be that, too? August Jernberg (1826–1896). Kristus utdriver växlarna ur templet [Christ Driving the Moneychangers out of the Temple]. 1857. Cropped. Göteborgs konstmuseum (Gothenburg Museum of Art), Gothenburg, Sweden. Public domain. Photo by Hossein Sehatlou, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Driving_the_Moneychangers_out_of_the_Temple_(August_Jernberg)_-_Gothenburg_Museum_of_Art_-_GKM_0008.tif . Tom Faletti August 4, 2025 Introduction to Matthew 21:12-17, Jesus’s first day in Jerusalem What do you think is the first thing Jesus does after he arrives in Jerusalem and gets off the donkey? Make a courtesy call to the political leaders? Visit the religious leaders and ask for their blessing? Get a permit for a rally where he can preach to the people in the city? Set up a healing tent? As we will see, the first thing he wants to do is heal people, but he needs a quiet place to do it. So the first thing he does is one of the most disruptive and confrontational things he could have done: clear the Temple of the people providing currency exchange services and selling sheep and doves for sacrifice. Matthew 21:12-13 The cleansing of the Temple: Jesus clears the Temple area of commercial business We saw in our study of the previous passage that, in the time of the Maccabees, palm branches were waved as part of the ritual in which the Temple was restored and purified after its defilement by the Greeks. Here, Jesus is addressing what he sees as a new defilement of the Temple. Some scholars see in this passage a reference to Mal. 3:1-3, where the prophet says that the Lord will come suddenly to his temple and “he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD” (Mal. 3:3, NRSV). What does Jesus do in the Temple? Who is the target of his disruption? Why does he do this? Jesus quotes from two places in the Old Testament. Let’s take them in reverse order. A den of robbers When Jesus refers to a “den of robbers,” he is drawing from Jeremiah 7:4-11. In that passage, God tells the people not to boast about the Temple because they are oppressing others and acting unjustly and have turned the Temple into a den of robbers (v. 11) In what ways might the Temple have become a “den of robbers”? The selling and buying took place in the outermost court of the Temple complex – not in the Temple building itself but in the Court of Gentiles. This was the first of several courts Jews had to walk through to reach the Temple itself, which could only be entered by the priests. The Temple tax, which every male Israelite was required to pay yearly, was a half-shekel, which was equivalent to about two days’ wages. However, the Temple authorities would not accept Roman or Greek coins because the emperor’s image was stamped on the coins. They would accept only Tyrian coins (because of their higher silver content) and Jewish coins. The currency exchange fee was about 10% (one gera or ma’a, which was around one-twentieth of a shekel, according to my research). In addition to paying that fee, if you brought a larger coin and needed to have change given back to you, the charge was doubled. So the fee was 10%-20% of two-days’ wages, which was a significant charge for poor people, who didn’t always find enough work to earn a days’ wages every day and who were sacrificing several days of wages to come to the Temple. There was a thriving trade in cattle, sheep, and doves (see John 2:14) for the sacrifices people needed to make at the Temple. For pilgrims, it was hard to bring an animal from far away, so people in Jerusalem sold sheep to them. This could have been seen as a helpful service, unless the prices were set high to take advantage of the pilgrims. Furthermore, you could only sacrifice an animal that was without blemish, and the power to decide if an animal was without blemish was in the hands of the Temple priests. It was easy for the Temple authorities to reject a supposedly “imperfect” animal, so the potential for abuse was high. Doves With regard to doves: Poor people who could not afford a sheep were allowed under the Law to bring turtledoves and pigeons (Lev. 5:7). Also, whereas Israelite men were commanded to offer a lamb, women were directed to offer a dove. Barclay says that price for a dove inside the Temple precincts could be as much as 20 times as high as the price outside the Temple (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , p. 270). Matthew and Mark both specifically mention that Jesus overturned the seats of the people selling doves. In John, he specifically chastises the people selling doves, telling them to stop making his Father’s house a marketplace (John 2:16). Why might Jesus be especially concerned about the selling practices regarding doves? Since doves were the offerings made by poor people, Jesus might have been particularly concerned about how the sellers were taking advantage of poor people. Poor people are easier targets for financial abuse since they have little power to respond, so perhaps the markup was especially large for doves, or perhaps he was concerned more generally about the impact of these practices on the poor. There is one other significant point of background: The high priest Annas had major control over this business and therefore probably took it personally when Jesus drove out the sellers. Are there ways that we can be at risk of turning God’s holy places into places of commercial exploitation? There is a lot of money-making associated with the Christian faith (consider Christian music, Christian books, Bible sales, Christian movies, Christian art, statues, candles, devotional materials, Sunday school materials, etc.). How can we evaluate when it is appropriate, or not, to make money from religious activities? A house of prayer In verse 13, Jesus says that his house should be a “house of prayer.” This phrase comes from Isaiah 56:6-7, where God says that foreigners will come to the Temple and worship there, and it will be a house of prayer for all people. Even if there was no exploitation going on, how might the money-changing and selling and buying have made it hard for this to be a house of prayer? How might this have been particularly problematic for the Gentiles, and why would Jesus care? Jews could go beyond the Court of the Gentiles, to the courts where things were quieter. But Gentiles could not go further and were stuck in the court where the marketing was going on. Do you think that all of the people involved in changing money and buying and selling were evil? Or is it possible that many were devoutly trying to honor God in their lives? Is it possible for Christians today to be faithful believers but not realize that they are caught up in accepted practices that undermine God’s work? What might be some examples? How might we take this message into the business world? What should the Temple have looked like and sounded like and felt like, as a house of prayer? If our churches are to be effective houses of prayer, what do we need to help them look like and sound like and feel like? Matthew 21:14-17 Jesus heals people and responds to the criticisms of the leaders After Jesus has cleared the Temple courts of the sellers, it is presumably a quieter, more prayerful place. What is the first thing Jesus does (verse 14)? Notice that he does this in the Temple – i.e., in the courtyards of the Temple – a place that is crowded with thousands upon thousands of pilgrims. What does this tell you about Jesus? Given that the Jewish leaders have not been friendly to Jesus, what does it tell you about Jesus that he is doing this right in the Temple courtyards? Why do you think the chief priests and scribes are unhappy that children are crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David”? How does Jesus respond (verse 16)? Jesus quotes from Psalm 8:2. This is the psalm that begins, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.” The verse Jesus quotes is the very next verse, which says, roughly: out of the mouths of babes and infants, you have [done something – scholars aren’t sure what the words mean here] to silence your enemies. Jesus chooses not to quote the words calling them “enemies” – he is an eternal optimist, hoping people will respond to his teaching. What is Jesus implying, by using this quote? What kind of link is he implying between himself and God? Notice that Jesus defends himself by quoting God’s Word to the religious leaders. How important is it to know the Bible? It is telling that the chief priests had no problem with the hubbub of the animals and the buying and selling and money changing in the Temple precincts, but now they are indignant about the noise of the children’s praise of Jesus. They see (verse 15) the miracles of healing that Jesus is performing. Yet they are indignant about the children, rather than moved by the healings. The chief priests may be unhappy that Jesus is healing people in the Temple precincts. Leviticus 21:16-23 said that people with a “blemish” – i.e., a physical deformity or deficiency – were not supposed to approach the altar. But Jesus is welcoming them right there in the Temple precincts, not far from the altar. The chief priests and scribes are more focused on their ideas about what the Temple should look like than on the good that Jesus is doing. Are we sometimes like that too, focused on our rules and preconceptions and missing the good that God is doing? Do any examples come to mind? If so, how might you do things differently? Jesus spends the night in Bethany, presumably with his friends Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Martha and Mary are mentioned in the Gospel of Luke, and all three of them are mentioned in the Gospel of John. Take a step back and consider this: Jesus had had a special fondness for the Temple at least since he was 12 years old, when he first called it “my Father’s house” (Luke 2:49). He clearly believed that this was a special place – a place where heaven and earth meet and people have a special opportunity to commune with God. He is now making it not only a place where prayer can happen, but also a place where healings happen. Are there places that you think of as specially graced for prayer, healing, and communion with God? If so, how do you nurture the prayerfulness of those spaces? We are not bound to a Temple as the unique place where God resides, but rather have come to understand that every Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who resides in us. What are some things we might consider doing to make our hearts, our souls, our very selves more fitting places of prayer, and healing, and communion with God? What can you do to nurture a spirit of prayer and healing in your own 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