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Pray with confidence that God will respond as your Father. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 7:7-11 Pray with confidence that God will respond as your Father. Image by Gustavo Sánchez, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti June 7, 2024 Matthew 7:7-11 Pray expectantly Overall, what is your initial impression of this passage? What is it saying? In verses 7-8, what is the attitude Jesus is calling us to have in prayer? The tense of the verbs in these verses is the present imperative active ( Interlinear Bible , https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/7.htm ), which means that they would be better translated as: Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking; or continually ask, continually seek, continually knock. We don’t have this tense in English, so our translators settle for “ask, seek, knock,” but the tense in Greek means to continually do that thing. The Greek verbs that are used in verses 7-8 indicate that Jesus is not talking about asking just once. The verbs actually mean “keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.” How does that affect your understanding of this passage? What does this tell you? In verses 9-10, Jesus offers two images of what human parents would or would not do, and then uses them as analogies to God. What would human parents not do, and why? To an innocent and undiscerning child, a large stone might look like a small loaf of bread. A small fish might look like a snake or eel. If a child asked for bread or fish, a parent would not give them a stone or a snake; that would be malicious. Almost all parents love their children and would responding lovingly, not cruelly or callously. In verse 11, Jesus then compares the parents to God. What does he say about “your Father in heaven”? By describing our prayers as like a child seeking what he or she needs from a parent, Jesus is telling us about our relationship with God who is our Father. What does this tell us about how we can approach God in prayer? Jesus says even human parents, who are “evil” (NRSV) or “wicked” (NABRE), wouldn’t give their child a stone if they asked for bread. What is he trying to tell us by using that word “evil” or “wicked” to contrast us with God? God, who is all good, will not give us fake gifts or false gifts. God will only give us what is good, what is consistent with His perfect love. This means God will not always give us what we ask. Even when we ask for good things, God does not always give us what we ask for. How do you make sense of that reality in the context of this passage? It is often said that God answers our prayers in one of three ways: Yes, No, or Not Yet. If the answer is Yes, we receive the blessing and move forward. If the answer is No, we accept the answer and move on. If the answer is Not Yet, we wait patiently, continuing to pray and trust that God has our best interests at heart. God cannot always give us what we ask for, because sometimes what we ask for would not actually be what is best for us, and God would not give us a stone even if we thought it was good and asked for it. How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a Yes? How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a No? How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a Not Yet? There is a fourth way that God answers prayer. Sometimes, after praying for a period of time, we come to realize that what we truly want and need is not what we were asking for, but something else. In this case, God has answered our prayer by changing our heart and our desires. When our heart is aligned with God, it opens the door for God to work in new ways that might not previously been feasible. But that requires us to be willing to more forward according to God’s ways, not our ways. How have you experienced your requests to God changing as you kept asking God for something? There is a fifth way that God answers prayer: with a “Not That But This.” God sometimes gives us something that is a blessing but not the blessing we sought. As William Barclay says: “God will always answer our prayers, but He will answer them in His way, and His way will be the way of perfect wisdom and of perfect love” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , pp. 275-276). A relevant quote that has been attributed to many people over the years is: “When one door closes another always opens, but we usually look so long, so intently, and so sorrowfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened” (quote investigator Garson O’Toole concludes that the source is unknown, although part may have come from Johann Paul Friedrich Richter). How have you experienced God answering a prayer not by giving you what you asked for but by opening a door to something else? Did you find it easy or hard to recognize that God was answering your prayer by giving you that alternative? The relationship we have with God, our Father, is far more important than anything we ask God to do. Are there ways that your prayer life might change if your prayers were consistently founded on the relationship you have with God as Father and not so much on what you want? How does this passage help you pray to God with confidence? Having looked at this entire passage in detail, what does it say to you? Take a step back and consider this: Sometimes what we ask for is not evil but misses the point. My grandfather, when he was in his 60s, told me that when he was young, he had asked God for three things: a beautiful wife, a beautiful car, and a big house. With his 8th-grade education and hard-scrabble upbringing, those probably seemed like big asks. But he was a hard worker, a sociable person who was good at understanding what other people wanted and how to bring people together, and a wise man about many things despite his meager formal education. He advanced in the steel mill from blue collar to white collar, then left to become a very successful insurance agent. He married early and eventually obtained a big house (relative to others in his community) and the fancy car he wanted. But he told me about his early prayer not boastfully but ruefully, as if to show the foolishness of the request. When he told me this, he was spending most of his time in one room of the big house, sitting next to the bed where his wife lay 23 hours a day. Her life had been sapped by chronic health problems, but she had all the time in the world to carp at him as he sat there. The fancy car mostly sat unused in the garage. People sometimes say: Be careful what you ask for. But that is too cryptic to catch the point. It isn’t what you ask for, but why, that matters. For whom are you asking, and to what end? For whom are you most earnest prayers delivered? To what end do you ask God to bless you? How would your prayers change, if you were only allowed to pray for things that you knew would help advance God's loving work in the world? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Jesus doesn’t want to lose anyone – not those who have strayed, and not those who have wronged others. He offers a path that seeks reconciliation and broad agreement before disciplinary action. [Matthew 18:10-14; 18:15-20; 18:19-20] Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 18:10-20 Jesus doesn’t want to lose anyone – not those who have strayed, and not those who have wronged others. He offers a path that seeks reconciliation and broad agreement before disciplinary action. Domenico Fetti (c.1589-1623). Das Gleichnis vom verlorenen Schaf [The parable of the lost sheep] . Circa 1619-21. Cropped. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden, Germany. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parabola_della_pecora_smarrita_-_Fetti.png . Tom Faletti June 29, 2025 Matthew 18:10-14 God seeks out the little ones who stray from his ways In verse 10, Jesus describes the little ones as having angels in heaven. The Jews of Jesus’s time thought that nations and individuals had guardian angels and that angels presented people’s prayers to God. We can see this in the books of Daniel and Tobit. This verse reflects that thinking. Verse 10 seems unrelated to the verses that follow, but maybe it’s not. What does it tell us about the importance of the little ones, and the importance of saving any who are lost, if their angels stand before the face of God and therefore are in the direct presence of God? Most modern Bibles skip verse 11, because it is not in the oldest manuscripts. Some manuscripts insert here: “For the Son of Man has come to save what was lost.” Many scholars see it has having been added by a copyist, who took it from Luke 19:10. As later copyists copied that copy, that addition was preserved, even while the older versions without it were still being copied and handed down. Verse 11 might have been seen as a useful link connecting verse 10 to the parable of the lost sheep. In the parable of the lost sheep, who does the owner of the sheep represent? The 99? The one? What is the meaning of the parable? How does the shepherd feel about those who have been led astray or wander off from his flock? What does he do about it? What does this tell us about the shepherd? He knows when even one of the 100 is missing. And he cares enough to go after those who are missing in order to bring them back. How does he feel about them when they are found and returned? What does this parable tell us about the love of God? This parable indicates that God cares for each one of as an individual. How should that affect the way you live or the way you think about yourself or others? There are significant differences between Matthew’s version of the parable and the version told in Luke’s Gospel (see Luke 15:3-7). In both versions, the sheep owner is joyful; but in Luke that joy is the main point, whereas in Matthew the main point – the point the parable ends with – is different. What is the point made in verse 14? God does not want anyone to perish. This chapter is not primarily about us as individuals; it is about the church. What does it say to us as church? If the church is called to be the Body of Christ, how should the church view someone who strays? If we are to be like God, how should we think about someone who has strayed from the faith or are doing wrong? Should we condemn them, and, if not, how should we think about them? How should we feel when they return? What should we do about it when someone strays from the faith? Matthew 18:15-20 When a church member does wrong; and agreeing in prayer This section begins with a scenario where a “brother” has wronged you. In the context of Jesus’s teaching to his disciples, a “brother” was a fellow disciple of Jesus. Translating this story to our time, who would a “brother” be? In Matthew’s time, and in ours, a “brother” would be a fellow member of the local church community. In our time, what might be some examples of a “brother” sinning against another brother? This could be lying or saying unkind things about another, treating another unkindly, not living up to one’s commitments, not doing one’s share of the work, flirting with another’s spouse, owing money and not paying it back, pushing ahead of others – the list of problems that could arise in a church is endless. Jesus lays out a series of steps for dealing with an offense. Step 1 What is the first approach to dealing with a situation where someone has done you wrong (verse 15)? Why would Jesus want us to start here? What is the value or benefit in approaching the matter in this private way? What happens if we don’t start with this first step? What is the significance of Jesus saying that if you succeed you have “regained” the brother? What was lost and now is re-gained? How is this language of “gaining” the offending brother connected to the previous passage about the “lost” sheep? Step 2 What is Jesus’s second step for dealing with a case where someone has wronged you (verse 16?) Sometimes, what we think is an offense against us is actually a misunderstanding or might even be our own sin. What are some possible examples of that? What is the value in this second step where we bring someone else into the dialogue? Why does Jesus say it is useful “so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses”? What is the “evidence” that is provided if other Christians are willing to support you in confronting the person who has done you wrong? If other members of the Christian community don’t agree with your interpretation of the situation and don’t see the need to confront the person you think has done you wrong, what might that tell you? This might be a sign that you have misunderstood the situation, or that you are as much at fault as the other person, or that you are making too big a deal out of a little offense and should just let it go and leave the situation to God to deal with. What is the goal of this intervention, where others join you in talking with the person who offended you? Is it the same as in verse 15? If so, what attitude should we have? Step 3 What is the third step Jesus offers if a person who has done you wrong does not come around in your first two efforts (verse 17)? Who is the “church” in this verse? The local assembly, i.e., your local church, congregation, or parish. What is the goal of bringing the sinning person to the whole community? Is it the same goal that was sought in verse 15? If so, what attitude should we have? Note that this strategy presumes that the church at large will agree with you. If there is wide disagreement in the church, it doesn’t really work. How do you think we should situations where the church is divided over whether something wrong has been done? Is the goal still the same (to re-gain a “brother”)? If the church is in agreement and the offender still won’t listen, what does Jesus say to do? Why might it be necessary to impose this kind of social discipline on a person when they have refused to listen to the entire church? In light of verses 14 and 15, what do you think the goal of spurning the sinning person is? And therefore, what attitude do you think must accompany this action? It may sound odd to us when Jesus tells his disciples to treat the offending or sinning member of the church like a Gentile or tax collector, given that he spent time with Gentiles and welcomed tax collectors who repented and followed him. But that may be part of the point. Gentiles and tax collectors did not have a place of welcome in the bosom of the Jewish religious community, and a person who has taken a stand against the entire church after having been found guilty of a significant offense does not fit in the bosom of the local church. This language may have sounded perfectly normal among the significant Jewish population in Matthew’s community. At the same time, Jesus would have expected his followers to treat them with the same respect that he treated them. For an extended exploration of how to apply Matthew 18:15-17 to our everyday lives, see How to Deal with Difficult People . Verses 18-20 Verse 18 takes some of the broad authority to bind and loose that was given to Peter in Matthew 16:19, and delegates it to all of the disciples and, by implication, to those who follow in subsequent generations. What does that say to you? In what sense does the Christian community have power to bind and loose in a way that will be honored in heaven? How should the Christian community use this authority? Verses 19-20 are ordinarily thought of as being primarily about prayer. But Matthew has placed those verses here for a reason. In the context of verses 15-18, Jesus could be indicating that it is important to collaborate with fellow believers and not try to deal with the matter alone, when we want to address a situation where we have been wronged. Why is it important to involve others? This connection between verses 15-18 and verses 19-20 also suggests that when we are wronged, our responses need to be immersed in prayer. Why is that so important? Why is important that Christians “agree” with others in prayer, in cases involving church discipline? What does this passage say to you about anything you or your church community should be doing differently? Take a step back and consider this: When we look at the overall sweep of these passages and how they are interconnected, we see some themes: God does not want to lose anyone – not those who have strayed from the church community and not those who have stayed among us but are doing wrong. He wants all of them, together. God asks the church to be involved in addressing the interpersonal conflicts that arise in the local church. God calls us to join together in agreeing on any consequences imposed on those who do wrong, and also to agree in prayer. These observations suggest that God has a mindset we often lack. When someone does wrong to us, we see it as setting up an interpersonal battle that we want to win. When God sees someone doing something that wrongs another member of the church community, he sees it as a moment where the church needs to come together and agree on a way forward. For us, the focus is often on the point of division. For God, the focus is on the route to unity. How can we cultivate God’s focus on unity and agreeing together whenever possible, in situations where it may be more in nature to focus in the hurt and division? 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 illustrates that he is the light of the world as he heals a blind man and addresses the spiritual blindness of those who reject his work. How can we embrace Jesus’s light? [John 9:1-38; 9:39-41] Previous Next John List John 9:1-41 Jesus illustrates that he is the light of the world as he heals a blind man and addresses the spiritual blindness of those who reject his work. How can we embrace Jesus’s light? El Greco (1541-1614). Christ Healing the Blind . Circa 1570. Cropped. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. El Greco, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Healing_the_Blind_MET_DT407.jpg . Tom Faletti March 12, 2026 Read John 9:1-41 The man born blind The healing of the man born blind is the sixth of the 7 “signs” in John’s Gospel. In the previous passages, Jesus revealed himself in a new way, saying, “I am the light.” This story is a physical illustration of that spiritual point, a living parable about how Jesus is the light. Verses 1-5 A man’s blindness provides an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate the work of God, and he calls us to do the works of God while we can Jesus’s disciples believe that if something bad happened to someone, it must be because someone sinned. If this man was born blind, either he sinned even before he was born (some rabbis thought that was possible – see 9:34) or his parents sinned. In verse 3, how does Jesus respond? In the second half of verse 3, Jesus says that this situation is not because of someone’s sin but “that the works of God might be displayed in him” (9:3b). This is sometimes described as God’s providence or the providential plan of God, which is God’s active involvement in the world and his constant work to fulfill his purposes even by bringing good out of bad (see Romans 8:28). How do you experience God’s providence in your life? Sometimes people bring injury open themselves – for example, by driving drunk and being injured in an accident. But when people experience birth defects, illnesses unrelated to their behavior such as cancer, or injuries from acts of nature (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.), to what extent can we apply what Jesus says here: that those misfortunes are not because someone sinned but instead are opportunities for God to do good? How can we apply Jesus’s thinking to every difficulty in our lives: that every difficulty or misfortune we face is an opportunity for God to work in us or to do good through our situation? What are some examples you know of, where God has brought good out of situations that were not, on the surface, good? In verses 4-5, Jesus is partly talking about himself. What is the time he refers to as “day,” when he can do the works of God, and what is it “night,” when no one can work? It is day when Jesus says this, as he is making the work of God visible. vWhen Jesus submits to his arrest, crucifixion, and death, he goes through a “night” where they will not see him doing the kinds of works he had been doing. He then rises from the dead, ascends to heaven, and sends the Holy Spirit to continue the works of God in our lives. In John’s telling of this story, Jesus uses the word “we” in verse 4. In John’s mind, the “we” would have included Jesus’s followers, so it applies to us, too. When are the times when it is “day” and we can do the works of God, and when is it “night” when we cannot do God’s work in the same way? Before turning to the man, Jesus adds one more thing in verse 5: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Because Jesus has given us his Holy Spirit to live in us, he is always present with us (Matthew 28:20; John 14:16-20). Therefore, his light is always shining in our world. How can you find comfort and strength in embracing him as your light, regardless of the circumstances? This story offers a contrast between Jesus, the light, and this man who, because he is blind, lives in darkness. In this way, it is like a parable or illustration of the spiritual point he is making. How does Jesus bring light into the darkness of the world? How does Jesus bring light into your darkness? Verses 6-12 Jesus heals the blind man What does Jesus do, physically, to heal the man? Jesus could have healed the man with a simple word. Why do you think he goes through the steps of combining saliva and dirt into clay, applying it to the man’s eyes, and telling him to wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam? People can go to the Pool of Siloam in our day. Archaeologists have found the remains of two pools in Jerusalem that are near each other and near Hezekiah’s Tunnel (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chron. 32:30), and the locations are consistent with other ancient writings describing the Pool of Siloam and Solomon’s Pool (Biblical Archaeology Society, “ The Siloam Pool ”; Steinmeyer ). Unlike the lame man Jesus healed on the Sabbath in chapter 5, this man knows who healed him. As of verse 12, we do not yet know the degree to which the man believes in Jesus. How do you think he is feeling as his neighbors and others who have seen him in the past quiz him about what happened? Verses 13-34 The religious authorities are unable to make sense of what Jesus has done, even when the man explains Jesus is again in trouble with the authorities, because he performed this healing on the Sabbath (verse 14), and making clay to heal the man would have been considered “work” that is prohibited on the Sabbath. In verses 15-17, we see 3 different opinions about Jesus. What do the Pharisees say about him? What do other people in the crowd say? What does the formerly blind man say? In verse 18, the religious authorities (the “Jews”) get involved. They don’t even believe the man was born blind until his parents confirm the fact. In verse 22, John says that the man’s parents are afraid they will be expelled from the synagogue, and, indeed, the blind man is thrown out in verse 34. This risk had special meaning to John and his community, because at the time John was writing, Christians who were Jewish were being kicked out of synagogues. How would this story of a man who is no longer blind and has received the “light of the world” give comfort to Jewish Christians facing expulsion from the synagogue in John’s time? How can this story give you comfort when you face pressure for being a Christian or are out of step with the world in other ways because of your faith? After the parents establish that the man was indeed born blind and therefore has been healed miraculously, the religious authorities demand to know how the healing occurred. But they aren’t willing to accept the answer. In verse 24, they say that Jesus could not have healed the man because Jesus is a sinner. How does the man respond in verse 25? In the song “Amazing Grace,” John Newton drew from the man’s statement in verse 25 – “One thing I know: I was blind, and now I see.” How does this statement apply in your life? In verses 29, the leaders say that they do not know where Jesus is from. The man is quick to reply. What does he say in verses 30-33? Do you think the man’s argument in verses 30-33 is convincing? Why or why not? Verses 35-41 Jesus distinguishes physical blindness from spiritual blindness The man has gone through quite a spiritual journey in a short period of time. In verse 11, he only knows that a man named Jesus healed him. By verse 17, he is convinced that Jesus is a prophet of some kind. By verse 33, he is describing Jesus as being “from God.” Now, in verse 38, the man comes to believe fully in Jesus as the Son of Man and calls him “Lord.” How does the man respond with his newfound faith in verse 38? The term “Son of Man” has now been used several times by John, invoking Daniel 7:13 where “one like a son of man” is presented to God and given eternal dominion over all nations and peoples. What do you think about the man’s journey of faith? Does it have any relevance to your faith or to the steps people in our day go through as they come to faith in Jesus? Notice the trust the man shows. When Jesus asks if he believes in the Son of Man, the man basically says: You tell me who it is, and I will believe in him. He trusts Jesus completely. How can we grow in faith so that we can trust Jesus’s answers to the questions we have? The one who was blind now sees physically and also sees spiritually. In verse 39, where Jesus says that he has come for judgment, the word is nuanced and could mean that he has come for a decision. With his coming, those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. What is the meaning of that statement? People need to make a decision about Jesus that will affect them for the rest of their lives and into eternity: Will they accept the light that Jesus offers, and see (even if they are physically blind), or will they reject him and be spiritually blind (even if their physical eyes can see)? Some of the Pharisees take the hint and say, “We’re not blind, are we?” (verse 40). How does Jesus respond? In verse 41, Jesus says there is no sin in being blind. He is not speaking just of physical blindness. There is no sin in being spiritually ignorant, if one is willing to be taught. How can we cultivate an attitude that accepts that we are always “blind” in some ways and always have more to learn? Jesus ends by saying that the Pharisees remain in sin because they claim to see when they do not. How can we recognize when we are claiming to know more than we do, and become humble enough and teachable enough to receive sight from Jesus? What other spiritual insights do you see in this passage? Take a step back and consider this: People who have good eyesight tend to take it for granted. Take a moment to consider what it might be like to live in total darkness. We may also take our spiritual eyesight for granted. The blind man gains his physical sight and gradually gains spiritual insight, while the religious leaders remain in darkness. Take a moment to consider what it might be like to live in spiritual darkness – to not know about Jesus, to not have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to not know that God is your Father. If you were living in spiritual darkness, how would that affect your ability to deal with the ups and downs of life? When we are in a dark place, even a small amount of light – for example, from a flashlight or nightlight – can make a significant difference. But that pales in comparison to the bright light of the sun or even to the amount of light indoors in a well-lit house with the lights on. Similarly, we may think we are enjoying the bright light of life with Jesus even if we are partially blocking his light. How can you more fully embrace all of the light that Jesus wants to bring into your life? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. 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Jesus gets in trouble for healing a man on the Sabbath. No one seems to care that God has done a marvelous deed. In what ways do we miss what God is doing by being too focused on rules and protocol? Previous Next John List John 5:8-18 Jesus gets in trouble for healing a man on the Sabbath. No one seems to care that God has done a marvelous deed. In what ways do we miss what God is doing by being too focused on rules and protocol? Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti January 17, 2026 We are in the middle of the story of the paralytic man Jesus healed on the Sabbath (John 5:1-18). Read John 5:8-18 Jesus is criticized for healing a man on the Sabbath This is the first passage in John’s Gospel where Jesus encounters strong opposition from what John calls “the Jews.” We need to understand what the phrase “the Jews” means. When John refers to “the Jews,” he means the Jewish religious leaders Read John 1:19 , which is the first time that John uses the phrase “the Jews.” In 1:19, John says that “the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites” to question John the Baptist. (Some translations put the words in a different order, but the Greek clearly says that these men are “Jews from Jerusalem.” The Temple was in Jerusalem. The priests performed the sacrifices in the Temple, and the Levites had other duties in the Temple. If someone has the power to send priests and Levites, what does that tell you about their position or power? The “Jews in Jerusalem” who are doing the sending must be the religious leaders, for they are the only people who would have had the authority to send priests and Levites. So John is referring to the high priest and the other religious leaders in Jerusalem. Throughout his Gospel, John uses the phrase “the Jews” as a shorthand for what he said more fully in chapter 1: that he is referring to the Jewish religious leaders based in Jerusalem (and their followers). When he uses the phrase “the Jews” in this way, he is never talking about the Jewish people as a whole. Whenever there is a conflict, “the Jews” means the Jewish religious leaders. Why is this an important thing to understand as we read and interpret the Bible? The man Jesus healed picks up his mat and walks away, as Jesus told him to do. He runs into some men who are under the leadership of the Jewish religious leaders. That is not surprising since the pool of Bethesda was near the Temple. They don’t like what they see. In verse 10, what is their objection? John assumes we know why it would be unlawful for a Jew to carry a mat (or mattress or pallet) on the Sabbath. Why was that forbidden? God rested on the 7 th day of creation and told the Israelites to honor the Sabbath by doing no work on that day. Over the centuries, the Jewish scholars developed a detailed interpretation of what counts as “work” that encompassed almost any exertion. The prophet Jeremiah, 600 years before the time of Jesus, issues a prophecy saying that no burden shall be carried into Jerusalem on the Sabbath (Jer. 17:19-27). So now it is not just work for pay that is prohibited, but any exertion. But what is a “burden”? By the time of Jesus, the Torah was interpreted so severely that carrying even small items, even your bed-mat, crossed the line and was prohibited. Sometimes, when we “Arise, take up our mat, and walk” in response to God, we run into trouble from people who don’t like what God is doing. Have you ever seen or experienced that? What do you think Jesus would say to you about how to handle it? Notice what happens in verses 11-12. The man tells the Jewish leaders two things: a man healed me, and he told me to pick up my mat and walk. The religious leaders could have asked for more information about either half of his story. They picked the wrong part to focus on. Why didn’t they ask more about the unusual fact that the man was healed? Are we ever like those men, missing something good because we are so focused on the rules? How does that happen in our day? Jesus then finds the man. In verse 14, what does Jesus say to him? Jesus is not linking all suffering to sin – in John 9:3, he rejects that idea. But it is possible that Jesus knew that this man had a particular area of sin that he needed to resist or it might lead him to a worse outcome (perhaps he had become disabled in an injury caused by anger, for example, and another incident like that could get him killed). Or Jesus could be referring to the final judgment of a life lived in rejection to God, since that would be a “worse” situation than simply being disabled. This may be what John has in mind. In every age, Jesus says to all people: “Sin no more.” For your own self-examination, consider this: With regard to sin, what is your point of vulnerability? How does Jesus guide you and help you to avoid sin? This man has not thanked or honored Jesus for healing him. What does he do in verse 15 that makes life more difficult for Jesus? Now that the man has spoken again with Jesus, he knows who healed him and he reports Jesus’s name to the Jewish religious leaders. Some scholars see in this the “sin” Jesus warns about in verse 14 when he tells the man not to sin anymore. This man may be a symbol of people who don’t believe in Jesus (Perkins, p. 959, par. 75): he never indicates any faith and acts in a way that undermines Jesus, whereas the man born blind whom Jesus heals in chapter 9 puts his faith in Jesus and defends Jesus when challenged by the authorities. For this reason, the New Oxford Annotated Bible goes so far as to call this healing “The sign that failed” (5:1-18 fn.). Both the religious authorities and the man who was healed, miss the significance of the fact that God is working in their lives. How might people in our day fail to notice the way that God is at work in their lives? In what ways are you most likely to forget to thank God or to notice what God is doing in your life? How do the Jewish religious leaders respond in verse 16 when they learn who healed the man? How does Jesus respond in verse 17? Jesus says that, as his Father is at work, so too, he is at work. This statement seems unrelated, but there is a connection. Jewish rabbis debated what kind of work God still did even while he rested on the Sabbath: for example, he still sustains the universe, gives life to newborn babies, judges those who die, etc. ( New American Bible, revised edition , John 5:17 fn.). Jesus is saying that they shouldn’t be criticizing him, because he is just doing what his Father does. His Father (God) works on the Sabbath, and he does too. When Jesus refers to God as his “Father” in verse 18, this further enrages the religious leaders. Why? For the next 8 chapters, every single chapter will include at least one instance where Jesus or one of his followers is threatened. In this story, there is not a single hint that the religious leaders care at all that a man who was paralyzed now walks free and can live an independent and productive life. Are there situations where your leaders seem to be so focused on following the letter of the law that they miss opportunities to help people live free, independent, and productive lives? Explain. How can you be more focused on healing and opportunity, and not just on protocol? Take a step back and consider this: In some ways, the fundamental question about Jesus, which becomes a central issue in this passage, is this: Is Jesus God’s Son, the Second Person of the Trinity? Is Jesus God? Throughout history, non-religious people have usually been able to tolerate the Jesus of moral philosophy (“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” etc.). Some find it much harder to tolerate his claim to be one with God, because it interferes with their own absolutes (or their rejection of absolutes). Do you believe that Jesus and God are essentially one – that Jesus is God? If so, why? If not, why not? If you aren’t sure, what would you like to explore more in order to answer your questions? What different does this question make in your faith? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John List Next

It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; it’s what comes out of your heart that defiles you. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 15:1-20 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; it’s what comes out from your heart that defiles you Image by Nick Fewings, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti June 13, 2025 Matthew 15:1-9 The hypocritical Pharisees In verse 15:1 we see the first mention of Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem . Up until now, Jesus has been dealing with local Pharisees and scribes in Galilee. But he has now caught the attention of the religious leaders in the capital city of Jerusalem, and Pharisees and scribes have come north to check him out and ask him why he is doing what he is doing. What is the specific complaint of these Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem? This is not about hygiene. The Pharisees had developed a long list of traditions to reinforce their attempts to be ritually pure, traditions that were passed down from generation to generation “from the elders.” One of those traditions was to perform a ceremonial or ritual washing of the hands before eating. That rule didn’t come from the Old Testament Torah. The priests were commanded to wash their hands before serving at the altar (Exodus 30:17-21), but that did not apply to Jesus’s disciples. What is Jesus’s response? Jesus tells them that their tradition that allowed resources to be devoted to God even at the expense of taking care of one’s parents violates God’s command to honor one’s parents (in the Ten Commandments). His point is that they were putting tradition above God’s Law. Jesus distinguishes the law of God from the traditions of humans. When is it appropriate to break with traditions that have been handed down from the past, and when should they be upheld? In verses 8-9, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13 (Matthew quotes from the Septuagint version). Looking at the passage Jesus quotes from Isaiah in Matthew 15:8-9, what is the fundamental problem with the Pharisees’ focus on tradition? Jesus is probably speaking in front of a crowd. His harsh language (“hypocrites”) draws a clear distinction between what is right and wrong; what is man-made and what is divinely inspired. In what ways might we find ourselves putting tradition or established rules ahead of what God has told us is right? In what ways might we be at risk of honoring God with our lips while our hearts are not in sync with God’s heart? Jesus’s response to these Pharisees and scribes is very forceful. When is it appropriate to take a strong stand, even if it offends other people? This exchange between Jesus and the delegation from Jerusalem appears to be a key moment in the events that lead to Jesus’s execution. When Jesus challenges their traditions, he is indirectly challenging the powerful people at the top of the social, religious, and political structure. Matthew 15:10-20 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you but what comes out In this dialogue, Jesus is talking about what “defiles” a person – that is, what makes a person ritually impure or spiritually unclean : what makes them unholy in the sight of God. According to Jesus in verse 11, what defiles a person in the sight of God? How is this view different from what the Pharisees think defiles people? In verses 13-14, Jesus uses two proverbs to describe the Pharisees. What does he say about them? Why is their focus on ritual purity rules misguided? Why can’t what you eat make you impure before God (see verse 17)? In what ways does their focus on external purity make them “blind”? Jesus says that it is what comes out of your mouth that defiles you. In verse 18, he explains why. Where do these things that defile us come from? The heart. In verse 19, what are the specific sins he identifies that come from the heart? Why is it appropriate to say that these things “defile” us? How do they defile us? Would you say that the defilement is already within us before it comes out in sinful actions, or that we are not defiled until we do specific immoral things? Explain. Matthew’s list of the things Jesus names that defile us is shorter than Mark’s list. Matthew sticks to sins that specifically break the Ten Commandments (from the Old Testament). In Mark 7:21-22, Mark includes other vices or sins, such as greed, envy, and arrogance. Which of these sins do you think are especially a problem for people in the Church today? How can you know when you have given in to sin and have become defiled? What can you do when you have given in to sin and become defiled? If you had to summarize this passage in a sentence or two to explain the main point to someone who doesn’t know much about religion, how would you summarize it? In the next story, Matthew shows Jesus putting these words into action and applying this principle to a much bigger issue. Take a step back and consider this: In our day, we don’t think that touching a non-believer, a foreigner, or even a sinner can make us unclean before God. Even so, Christians tend to separate themselves from the world when they can. Sometimes, the reason given for this is that we should not associate ourselves with sin, or that we should not put ourselves in situations where we might be tempted to sin, or that we should build the church or Christian community that God desires and not get mixed up in the aspects of the world that do not reflect God’s desires. However, Jesus did not tell his disciples that they should separate themselves from the world. He told them to avoid sin, but he told them to go out into the world. In his long, final prayer in the Gospel of John, Jesus describes us as being “in the world” (John 17:11) even though we “do not belong to the world” (John 17:14). He then said to the Father, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are not meant to be separate from the world. But we are meant to be separated from sin, so that what comes out of our hearts and into our words and actions come from God. In what ways are you maintaining a presence in the world rather than avoiding it, so that you can be a witness for Christ in your words and actions? What challenges or temptations do you face in trying to live out your faith in the world? What can you do to be faithful to Jesus and avoid the defilement of sin while you live your faith in a messy world? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

A righteous man, Zechariah, has a supernatural experience that begins the story of Jesus. Previous Next Luke List Luke 1:5-24 A righteous man, Zechariah, has a supernatural experience that begins the story of Jesus. Image by Julian Hanslmaier, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti Luke 1:5-14 In this passage, a priest has an overwhelming, spiritual experience in the Temple in Jerusalem. How is Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth described? What kind of people are they? What kind of life do they live? If someone were summarizing your life in a couple of sentences, could they say that about you? What would they say about your faith life? (to be continued) Bibliography See Luke - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/luke/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Next Luke List

Luke provides an orderly account of the life and teachings of Jesus, explaining the significance of Jesus for all nations. His Gospel places a special emphasis on the lowly, outcast, and marginalized, and God's concern for them. Previous Next Luke List Introduction to Luke Luke provides an orderly account of the life and teachings of Jesus, explaining the significance of Jesus for all nations. His Gospel places a special emphasis on the lowly, outcast, and marginalized, and God's concern for them. Image by James Coleman, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti This article will provide an introduction to the Gospel of Luke, including what we know about its author, when it was written, who the intended audience was, Luke's purposes/goals, etc. Bibliography See Luke - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/luke/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Next Luke List

Betrayal and a denial foretold surround Jesus's command to love one another. Can we love even when it is hard, as Jesus did? [John 13:21-30; 13:31-35; 13:36-38] Previous Next John List John 13:21-38 Judas leaves the Last Supper with a moneybag in hand, as the devil enters at the right. Pieter Pourbus (c. 1523–1584). The Last Supper . 1548. Cropped. Groeningemuseum, Bruges, Belgium. Photo by Vassil, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Groeningemuseum_Pieter_Pourbus_Last_Supper_01052015_1.jpg . Tom Faletti March 27, 2026 Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous John List Next

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Previous Next Template 2 Subtitle. Image by David Tomaseti, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti ​ Template text 2. 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 Next Please Join the Conversation! If you are a member and would like to react to or ask a question about any topic here, please post a question in the forum below. You are also encouraged to continue the conversation in any post by posting a response. Join the conversation here: Forum Page Become a Member

Previous Next Template 3 Subtitle. Image by David Tomaseti, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti ​ Template text 3. 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 Next Please Join the Conversation! If you are a member and would like to react to or ask a question about any topic here, please post a question in the forum below. You are also encouraged to continue the conversation in any post by posting a response. Join the conversation here: Forum Page Become a Member