Bible in Life

In this episode of the Bible in Life, we wrestle with to passage where Jesus says some very shocking words. They're harsh, and they don't seem to fit with other things Jesus says. 

And the subject of both passages is following Jesus. In other words, what Jesus says here concerns being his disciple and that means they're of central importance to us if we claim to be His disciples. 

So what does Jesus mean by "let the dead bury their own dead" (Luke 9:57-62) and if you want to follow Him you must "hate" your family (Luke 14:25-27)? 

For more on the cultural background to Jesus' teaching:

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes

Want to get more out of your Bible reading? Free Resource: 7 Ways to Immediately Get More Out of the Bible

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Buy a sword and stop crying! 

Has someone ever said something to you and what they initially said doesn’t sound quite right? It just doesn't sound like something they'd say.

And you’re like, “wait, hold on … I’m not tracking with you at all.” And then once they explain themselves, you’re like “oh, I see what you mean…” 

That’s sort of what we get sometimes from Jesus. So...

In this week’s episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we look at two statements like that from Jesus that just don’t seem to fit everything else He says and what we know about him. 

Did Jesus tell his apostles to buy swords and get ready to fight?

Why did Jesus tell the ladies weeping for him as he went to be crucified to stop crying for him and to cry instead for themselves?

Want to get more out of your Bible reading?  Free Resource: I’ve put together a free guide to help you immediately get more out of the Bible: 

https://www.johnwhittaker.net/seven-ways

Support this ministry:

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Connect with me:

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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

What did Jesus mean by ....? pt. 2

Jesus said "no one comes to the Father except by Me" (John 14:6). 

But He also said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father draws them" (John 6:44). 

This seems like a catch 22 - you can't get to Father without Jesus and you can't get to Jesus without the Father. What's going on here? 

When reading the Bible it's always critical to pay attention to the original context, both historical context and literary context. So in this episode we seek to listen to what Jesus was saying to His original audience and then figure out how these two passages fit together. 

John 14:1-6

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. 4 And you know thse way where I am going.” 5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 6:41-45

41 So then the Jews were complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” 42 And they were saying, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 

Also read Isaiah 54 and John 8:38-44

Want to get more out of your Bible reading? Free Resource: I’ve put together a free guide to help you immediately get more out of the Bible: 

https://www.johnwhittaker.net/seven-ways

Support this ministry:

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/

The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Here are some ways to connect with me:

▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram

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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

What did Jesus mean by...?

What does it mean that there will be no marriage in heaven? What's the purpose of marriage on earth? Will I know my spouse in heaven? 

These question all derive from what Jesus said in Matthew 22:30: "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." So in the is episode we explore what Jesus means by there will be no marriage in heaven and how that connects to the purpose of marriage. 

Want to get more out of your Bible reading?

Free Resource: I’ve put together a free guide to help you immediately get more out of the Bible: 

https://www.johnwhittaker.net/seven-ways

Support this ministry:

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/

The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Here are some ways to connect with me:

▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram

▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

There's been a lot of emphasis on leadership development for pastors and church leaders over the 15-20 years. While some good has come of that, I wonder if we've misunderstood what we're leading and what church leadership is really about. And this has led us to get things backwards. And in practice, it's even led a lot of confusion about what the "church" is. 

This episode is a random reflection on this subject. I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Want to get more out of your Bible reading?

Free Resource: I’ve put together a free guide to help you immediately get more out of reading the Bible: 

https://www.johnwhittaker.net

Support this ministry:

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Here are some ways to connect with me:

▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram

▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Many Christians really want to know Jesus and experience the abundant life He offers. Because of that, they know they should (and often want to) read the Bible. But when they do, they discover the Bible is hard and often leaves them feeling confused. And they aren’t quite sure why and what to do about it. 

This episode explores that difficulty, helping you see that it's not all your fault and what you can do to make more sense of the Bible... and the the goal, of course, is that you can follow Jesus in your everyday life. 

Because when you do that, you will experience the abundant life He offers … because Jesus and the Bible really do have the best wisdom for life - even if you have to work for it a bit!

FREE TOOL: 7 Ways to Immediately Get More Out of the Bible

https://www.johnwhittaker.net/seven-ways

Support this ministry - this podcast and ministry is made possible by many people's generosity 

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/

The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Here are some ways to connect with me:

▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram

▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

The book of Habakkuk ends with one of the most beautiful descriptions of faith and faithfulness in the entire Bible. Habakkuk 3:17-19 says:

Though the fig tree does not bud

    and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

    and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

    and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

    he enables me to tread on the heights.

In this episode, we explore this beautiful text in the context of all of ch. 3 (and all of Habakkuk) learning what it takes to trust God continuously ... even when His actions don't make sense to us. 

[THIS WEEK] - Pastors and Church Leaders - Free Workshop on 5 Shifts for Becoming a Disciple Making Church:

discipleshipworkshop.net

Support this ministry:

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Here are some ways to connect with me:

▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram

▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Have you ever felt like whatever God was up to, it didn't make sense? Where you wanted to say, "God, I don't understand?!" 

That's Habakkuk's experience. God responds to his complaint and assures Habakkuk that He is indeed doing something about all the injustice among Israel. The problem is, God's cure is worse than the disease, and Habakkuk doesn't get it. So he complains to God again! 

And God responds with one of the most important verses about faith ... what God tells Habakkuk is quoted in Romans and Galatians as the baseline for what it means to be a Christian: "The righteous shall live by faith."

Pastors and Church Leaders - Free Workshop on 5 Shifts for Becoming a Disciple Making Church:

discipleshipworkshop.net

Support this ministry:

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/

The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Here are some ways to connect with me:

▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram

▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Habakkuk records a dialogue between God and the prophet Habakkuk that begins with Habakkuk complaining to God about the state of affairs among the Jews and God's silence ... He's not doing anything about the injustice being practiced by His own people. 

And Habakkuk can't figure out why God isn't doing anything. So He expresses his thoughts to God. 

If you've every felt like life wasn't fair or been frustrated by God's absence or felt like God needed to act, Habakkuk is for you!

Habakkuk shows us that faith wrestles with God!

Pastors and Church Leaders - Free Workshop on 5 Shifts for Becoming a Disciple Making Church:

discipleshipworkshop.net

Support this ministry:

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/

The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Here are some ways to connect with me:

▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram

▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Do you want a deeper relationship with God this year? I know I do. In this episode I explore 4 things I'm going to focus on to deepen my walk with God and I believe they can be helpful for you this year as well. 

Now here's the thing: any strong relationship takes intentional effort, and the same is true in our relationship with God. So after you listen to this podcast, I'd encourage you to carve our space to reflect and plan what you will do to deepen your walk with God in 2021. 

Want to get more out of your Bible reading?

Free Resource: I’ve put together a free guide to help you immediately get more out of the Bible: 

https://www.johnwhittaker.net

Support this ministry:

Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.

http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/

The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself: 

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Here are some ways to connect with me:

▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram

▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.