Main Point | Knowable Word

Same Truth, Different Audience

August 8, 2014 By Peter Krol

Yesterday I worked on a Bible study I’m supposed to lead on Monday. The preparation took longer than I expected, even though I’ve led this Bible study before. In fact, I’ve already led this study 3 times in the last 3 months, and I plan to convert this study into a sermon for my church in a few more weeks. This is my 4th time in the same text with the same main points.

It’s taking a while, though, because my context and audience changes each time. I must reconsider the passage for each one.

My text is 2 Timothy 3:10-17. The text’s main point is that we must learn from Scripture and continue in the things we’ve learned from Scripture (observe the only imperative in the paragraph – 2 Tim 3:14). The sub-points have likewise remained constant; Scripture matters because:

It makes us wise for salvation (2 Tim 3:15).
It makes us competent and equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).
It enables us to recognize and resist deception (2 Tim 3:10-13).

What complicates my preparation is that different audiences need different applications of these same truths. For that reason, I want to frame each Bible study differently to get the most mileage with participants.

Vern Hart (2007), Creative Commons

Here’s how I’ve pitched it each time. This “pitch” dictates how I advertise, introduce, and conduct the study. It’s given me a different title for each discussion. The pitch also drives which questions I ask and how we arrive at our application.

At a homeschooling convention, I pitched the study as “Teach your children how and why to study the Bible.”
In an article for broad consumption, I pitched it as “My love-hate relationship with Bible study tools (and why we must learn to study the Bible itself).”
For the orientation of our ministry’s summer interns, I pitched it as “Why our organization focuses on studying the Bible.”
[On Monday] To help train our ministry’s new staff in fundraising, I’ll pitch it as “How the Scriptures direct our fundraising.”
In a few weeks at my church, I’ll pitch it as “What our church believes about the Bible.”

In all 5 cases, I’m using the same text, the same main point, and the same outline of sub-points. But the flavor of the study changes dramatically with the audience.

The 4th practice for preparing effective Bible studies is to decide how to lead your group toward what God has said. This step must come after relying on the Lord, figuring out what God has said, and allowing the message to change you. Practicing those first 3 steps doesn’t yet mean you’re ready to lead your Bible study. You must consider your group and how they’ll best hear the truth.

I didn’t invent this idea of “framing” or “pitching” a text differently to different people. Notice how two apostles can take the same text in very different directions for different audiences.

And [Abram] believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:6, ESV)

In Romans 4:1-12, Paul expects Roman believers not to boast in religious experiences like circumcision.
In Galatians 3:1-14, Paul calls Asian Gentiles to grow in Christ—and not merely come to Christ—through faith.
In James 2:20-26, James commands Hellenistic Jews not to grow complacent in proving their faith through good deeds.

The main point of Genesis 15 remains intact—God promises protection and great reward to those who take him at his word; none of these New Testament passages violate the original intent. But they re-frame the point to reach new audiences.

So should we.

Not Creation but Discovery

July 4, 2014 By Peter Krol

Fields of Music

As far as musicians go, I’m an odd bird. I play the trombone, and I’ve performed both solo and in ensembles (jazz, quintet, marching band, symphony, wind ensemble, brass band)—but I couldn’t make it as a performer. I’ve composed a few miserable pieces—but I despise composition.

After getting my bachelor’s degree in music, I almost went to graduate school for the one thing most musicians loathe: music theory. I wasn’t nearly as into creation or expression as I was into investigation. I wanted to know why good music was good and why bad music was bad. I wanted to know not only who the great composers were but also what they did that was so great.

Carl Guderian (2014), Creative Commons

How did Beethoven build an entire symphony (his 5th) off of 4 notes: short-short-short-long? How did Dvorak get an orchestra to play every note of the scale at once and have it still sound good, in the climax of his 9th symphony? How does the rock band Dream Theater move so smoothly between 4/4, 7/8, and 6/8 time?

So I confess my bias is more toward the analytical arts than either the expressive or compositional ones. And I concede that we need all sides for life to be interesting.

But there’s a time and place for each skill. If a composer can’t create, or a performer can’t express, or a critic can’t analyze—that person’s craft is doomed.

What does this have to do with leading Bible studies?

Leading Bible Studies

To switch the metaphor from music to literature: Leading a Bible study is not like a creative writing assignment. Nor is it like a poetry reading. It should be much more like a literature club: reading, discussing, and responding to the author’s thoughts.

In other words, preparing a Bible study should involve much more discovery than creation or expression.

A Bible study is not the place to express yourself or your views of the world—unless you mean them to be examples of bringing every thought captive to Christ. A Bible study is also not about how clever or profound you can be. Your burden is not to come up with something new, but to speak what has already been spoken.

Notice the Apostle Paul’s final charge to the one who would inherit Paul’s ministry:

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Tim 4:1-2, ESV)

Paul charges Timothy:

In the presence of God
In the presence of Christ Jesus
In light of Jesus’ impending judgment of all people
Because of Jesus’ appearing
Because of Jesus’ kingdom

As my friend Dave Royes has said, “There is no larger font in the Bible.” Paul could not draw any more attention to this charge than he has drawn. His life’s work, which he passes to the next generation, rests in the following imperative.

And what is the charge? What is so important that Jesus’ appearing and kingdom took place to make it happen? What will impact Jesus’ judgment of both living and dead? For what purpose has God become present in Christ?

That we might preach the word.

You don’t have to write your Bible study; it’s already written for you, and you merely have to discover it. You don’t have to prepare an intriguing sermon; you must uncover what has been said so you can say it.

If you try to be profound, you’ll fail to figure out what God has said (the second practice for preparing effective Bible studies). But those who depend on the Lord are free to speak what he wants them to speak.

You Can’t Resist Immorality with an Empty Weapon

April 7, 2014 By Peter Krol

Ken (2008), Creative Commons

In Proverbs 7, Solomon unmasks immorality’s deception to help us stand against it. But we won’t be ready to skirmish unless we first lock and load. You can’t win a battle with an empty weapon.

1 My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words. (Prov 7:1-5, ESV)

Observe Key Words

First observe three key words: “keep,” “my,” and “words.”

Keep

The word “keep” is repeated 4 times.

The first 3 repetitions are all parallel. Keep my words. Keep my commandments. Keep my teaching. “Treasure up my commandments” is sandwiched in the middle and fits the idea well. We should get the idea that keeping the commandments is not the same thing as obeying the commandments (what we usually mean by “keeping a command”). It has more to do with treasuring, storing, valuing, or guarding.

The one who keeps the commandments is the one who hungrily savours every word and fends off any threat of dilution, forgetfulness, or spin.

Notice now the twist in verse 5. This compulsive hoarding of wisdom (and keeping it close) will keep you from the forbidden woman (that is, from immorality). When you keep (protect) wisdom, wisdom keeps (protects) you. Thus the opposite should come as no surprise: The one caught by immorality is the one who has failed to guard wisdom (the one who lack sense – Prov 7:7).

My

Observe next how Solomon likewise plays with the word “my,” a pronoun of possession. There’s a reason possession is nine-tenths of the law.

“My son” – you, the audience, are a possession of the one speaking to you.

“My words,” “my commandments,” “my commandments,” “my teaching” – the words of wisdom are a precious possession, but freely available to you.

“Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister'” – keeping the words of wisdom will teach you a thing or two about possession. You’ll learn intimacy from the one who was intimate with you.

Words

“Words” bracket this stanza. The one who keeps Solomon’s words (Prov 7:1) is kept from immorality’s smooth words (Prov 7:5).

For this reason, I write. For this reason, we speak truth to one another. This battle will always be one of words. Which words will rule your heart? Whose promises will you treasure deep within?

Observe Structure

Now that we’ve noticed how the key words are used, we can fit the pieces together. This stanza is structured as a chiasm, a pretty common literary device in ancient literature where the second half is a mirror image of the first half. The point is often to draw attention to the center.

A Keep my words – Prov 7:1

B Life-giving commandments become the apple of your eye – Prov 7:2

C Make sure these words fill your heart and are bound on your fingers – Prov 7:3

B’ Intimate insight/wisdom becomes your sister – Prov 7:4

A’ Be kept from immorality’s smooth words – Prov 7:5

The Main Idea

Like an arrow, the passage’s structure points right to verse 3. Something must be written on the tablet of your heart. The words found there will seep out of your fingers into your everyday choices. Solomon already covered this ground in his formula for change in Prov 4:20-27: Wisdom must come in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips.

Now he gets specific and applies his formula to the realm of sexual temptation.

If you’re tired of capitulating and want to get in the ring with your sexual sin, your training begins now. You must hear the words of wisdom. You need to get them inside, and you need to keep them there. Guard the commands, memorize the Word, serve the Lord. Your fight doesn’t begin when you’re looking at seedy websites. Your resistance begins long before.

The battle is coming, and your cartridge is empty. You need to fill it with rounds of ammo. Check the safety. Clean the barrel. Let’s lock and load.

But know this, soldier. You’ll still lose this battle if your hope lies in your ability to pack your own ammo. If that’s all you get from this post, you’re doomed.

What you need is a companion. An intimate friend. A sibling (Prov 7:4).

Your hope is in that wisdom which came down from heaven to be your friend. That man of wisdom who called you “Mine” long before you considered him yours. The Word (John 1:1) whose Father can keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy (Jude 1:24-25).

When he unzips you and steps inside, immorality won’t ever stand a chance. It’s no longer a fair fight.

How Jesus Read the Old Testament

March 26, 2014 By Peter Krol

Jesus read and studied the Bible, just as you and I do. He observed, interpreted, and applied the main points of each passage, just as you and I work to do.

One difference between Jesus and us, however, is that Jesus knew the entire Old Testament was written both to him and about him.

Nick Batzig, writing at the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, lists 10 implications of this fact in his recent article “How Did Jesus Read the Old Testament?” Batzig admits these are not the only 10 implications, but they get us started.

Jesus understood that the entire Old Testament revealed that He would be the law-keeping Redeemer of His people.
Jesus understood that all the promises of God were made to Him–first and foremost–as the Son of Abraham and Son of David.
Jesus understood that the Old Testament spoke preeminently of His own sufferings and glories (1 Peter 1:10-12), as revealed by His Spirit through the prophets.
Jesus understood that the Old Testament saints were not–first and foremost–examples of moral uprightness for fallen sinners to emulate, but were themselves sinners who were looking forward to Him by faith (Heb. 11).
Jesus understood that all the Old Testament types, shadows and symbols pointed to some aspect of His saving work or benefits.
Jesus understood that every prophecy was about Him.
Jesus understood that He was the True Israel, who came to recapitulate Israel’s history for the redemption of His people.
Jesus understood that His ministry was to be one of proclaiming the Kingdom of God and the Good News of redemption to hopeless and helpless sinners.
Jesus understood that all the festivals and feasts in the Old Testament were pointing forward to what He would accomplish in the work of redemption.
Jesus understood that marriage was ordained at creation in order for Him to have a spiritual bride in the church that He would redeem.

This man, Jesus, understood the fulness of God’s revelation, and he bore the weight of fulfilling it. He did it so we might know him and have eternal life.

Batzig’s article explains each point in further detail. I commend it to you that you might grow in amazement and thanks for your marvelous Redeemer and King.

Check it out!

The Feeding of 5,000 According to Mark

February 3, 2014 By Peter Krol

Why did Jesus feed the 5,000?

Each Gospel writer gives a different answer. In this post, I’ll unpack Mark’s account. I’ll start wide before zooming in on the passage.

The Book

In one sense, Mark’s Gospel is the simplest Gospel. It’s the shortest. It’s a to-the-point Gospel. It’s a matter-of-fact Gospel.

Sean MacEntee (2011), Creative Commons

In Mark, there’s much more doing than teaching, which is great for those readers who find Jesus’ teaching confusing. The action comes fast (notice the repetition of “immediately” in Mark 1:10, 12, 18, 20, 21, 23, 28, 29, 30, etc.) and hard (people respond strongly: Mark 1:20, 26, 27, 28, 45, etc.).

In another sense, however, Mark is challenging to interpret because he does more showing than telling. His rarely states his point explicitly. For example, compare Mark 8:14-21 with Matthew 16:5-12. Matthew and Mark tell of the same conversation, but only Matthew writes a narrative conclusion for the episode (Matt 16:12). Mark leaves the narrative open, and we must infer Mark’s conclusion from the context and flow of thought.

Mark sneaks his points into the order of events far more subtly than the other Gospel writers do. Interestingly, however, Mark’s versions of parallel episodes usually have more narrative detail than either Matthew or Luke. For example, Matthew and Luke each take only 8 verses to recount the feeding of the 5,000, but Mark stretches the tale to 15 verses. (John gives it 64 verses, but remember that much of that is dedicated to the debate surrounding Jesus’ identity. The feeding itself gets 14 verses in John’s account.)

My point is this: When Matthew, Luke, or John have a point to make, they usually say it. When Mark has a point to make, he prefers to show it.

The Structure

Mark structures his action-oriented Gospel around the works of Jesus. In the first half of the book, those works involve healing and calling disciples. In the second half, they involve preparing for his death (and, of course, dying).

Early on, Jesus calls four disciples and heals four people (Mark 1:16-2:12). Then he calls one and heals one (Mark 2:13-3:12). Along the way, he establishes his authority over sickness, the Sabbath, the unclean spirits, the forgiveness of sin, and the Jewish traditions.

Then he appoints 12 apostles, redefines his family, and praises those who show faith (Mark 3:13-6:6). He shows what sort of people—those of faith—will comprise his new kingdom.

Then he sends out his duly appointed kingdom representatives. When they return, they struggle to keep the faith they began with, but Jesus will not let them go. He can heal their blindness and make them useful in his kingdom (Mark 6:7-8:30).

Once they get it (Mark 8:29: “You are the Christ”), Mark launches into Part 2 of the book, designed to show them—and us—what sort of Christ Jesus is. This Messiah will usher in God’s new kingdom by his death; his followers must also trod the way of the cross as they come after him.

Here’s an outline:

Introduction: the Kingdom’s call is to repent and believe the gospel—Mark 1:1-15

I. Establishing the Kingdom—Mark 1-8

A. Jesus establishes his authority—Mark 1:16-3:12

B. Jesus assembles his new people—Mark 3:13-6:6

C. Jesus help his people understand his authority—Mark 6:7-8:30

II. Securing the Kingdom—Mark 9-26

A. Jesus prepares to die, calling his followers to die as well—Mark 8:31-10:52

B. Jesus’ kingdom will displace Israel’s kingdom—Mark 11:1-14:11

C. Jesus dies and is crowned king—Mark 14:12-16:20

The Feeding

The feeding of 5,000 occurs in Mark 6:30-44. The disciples are fresh off a successful preaching tour, packed with exorcisms and miracles of healing (Mark 6:12-13), and they’re exhausted (Mark 6:31). Readers sense a hint of doom, however, as they remember the fate of last one to preach God’s word powerfully (Mark 6:14-29). Will these twelve apostles likewise donate their heads to the hors d’oeuvre platter?

Jesus already gave them the key to his kingdom: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear…Pay attention to what you hear: With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Mark 4:23-25, ESV). They must listen and respond with faith. If they have ears to hear, they will be given more. If they stop listening, they’ll lose whatever momentum they once had. Such is how the kingdom works.

So they go off with Jesus to find a quiet rest (Mark 6:32), but many recognize them and run to meet them (Mark 6:33).

Jesus has compassion for those who seek him. Sheep in need of a shepherd win his heart every time (Mark 6:34). But those who don’t think they need shepherding should be wary.

The disciples endure the change of plans for a day, but by evening they’re ready to send folks away to buy their own food (Mark 6:35-36). Will the disciples pay attention to all Jesus has shown them about his kingdom authority? “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37).

Their answer: “Shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread [everything we have] and give it to them to eat?” (Mark 6:37).

Uh oh. They’re in danger of losing what they had…

“How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” Jesus won’t make them into martyrs just yet. All he wants for now is the first five loaves and two fish (Mark 6:38).

Then Jesus shows his tremendous authority over the elements, commanding the sheep to sit in green grass (remember Psalm 23:1-2), dividing them into groups of hundreds and fifties (like Israel in Ex 18:25, etc.), blessing, breaking, and giving. Jesus gives and gives what he has until all eat and are satisfied. They end up with twelve baskets full of broken pieces (Mark 6:39-44).

The Section

The full beauty of Mark’s account lies in the flow of the entire section.

Jesus feeds a multitude (Mark 6:30-44), crosses the sea (Mark 6:45-52), corrects the Pharisees (Mark 7:1-23), dialogues about bread (Mark 7:24-30), and heals a sensory problem (Mark 7:31-37). The section climaxes with a confession of Jesus’ authority: “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mark 7:37). Terrific, but can he work such miracles on the disciples?

Next, Jesus does it all again: feeding (Mark 8:1-9), crossing (Mark 8:10), correcting (Mark 8:11-13), dialoguing (Mark 8:14-21), and healing (Mark 8:22-26).

That last healing occurs in two stages (a picture of these two cycles of events in Mark 6-8) and results in the disciples finally understanding who Jesus is: “You are the Christ.”

Jesus healed their blindness! They’re not worthy of him, but he has kingly compassion anyway. What grace! Such grace will lead them to lay down their lives with him (Mark 8:31-37).

The Main Point

The point of the story (according to Mark) is this: When Jesus is your king, he will transform your selfish faithlessness into compassionate self-sacrifice.

It’s okay if you’re not perfectly selfless yet. It’s even okay if you don’t have as much compassion as Jesus has for his sheep. If you follow him, he’ll get you to where he wants you to be. He’ll give you the faith you need to lay down your life for him. His kingly authority is transformative.

The Feeding of 5,000 According to Luke

January 27, 2014 By Peter Krol

Why did Jesus feed the 5,000?

Each Gospel writer gives a different answer. In this post, I’ll unpack Luke’s account. I’ll start wide before zooming in on the passage.

Ron Cogswell (2012), Creative Commons

The Book

Luke writes his Gospel to give an “orderly account” of “all that Jesus began to do and teach” so a man named Theophilus could be certain about what he had been taught (Luke 1:1-4, Acts 1:1-2).

A few themes distinguish Luke’s Gospel, especially in contrast to Matthew and Mark:

Jesus cares for the poor and marginalized of society.
Jesus receives Gentiles.
Jesus relies on and sends the Holy Spirit to carry out God’s work.
Much space is spent “on the way” to Jerusalem (Luke 9-19).

These themes are not absent from the other Gospels; they’re just given greater prominence in Luke.

The Structure

Luke orders his account of Jesus’ life around (primarily) geographic divisions:

Prologue: Jesus’ birth and preparation for ministry—Luke 1:1-4:13
Ministry in Galilee (northern Israel)—Luke 4:14-9:50
1. Summary scenes—Luke 4:14-37
2. First tour—Luke 4:38-7:50
3. Second tour—Luke 8:1-56
4. Third tour—Luke 9:1-50
Journey to Jerusalem—Luke 9:51-19:27
Final Week in Jerusalem—Luke 19:28-24:53

Because the feeding of the 5,000 occurs in Luke 9:10-17, this post will focus on the Galilean section of Luke.

Notice how Jesus’ ministry in Galilee unfolds. First, Jesus preaches the good news of the kingdom of God on his own, gathering his disciples along the way (Luke 4:43). Second, he proclaims the good news of the kingdom, being more intentional about incorporating his disciples in the work (Luke 8:1). Third, he gives the disciples much opportunity to do the work themselves under his oversight (Luke 9:2).

At the end of the section, however, they are unable to:

cast out a demon (Luke 9:40)
understand Jesus’ destiny (Luke 9:45)
become truly great (Luke 9:46-48)
distinguish enemies from friends (Luke 9:49-50)

These disciples must learn the way of the cross before they’ll be ready to build the Kingdom. So Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), and the next 10 chapters illustrate Jesus’ immovable commitment to go and die for the sins of the people.

The Ministry

Before we look at the feeding episode in detail, we should understand Luke’s summary of the entire Galilean ministry. Luke’s introductory scene sets the stage for all that follows:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21, ESV)

Time slows as Luke draws out the tale: standing up, receiving the scroll, unrolling it, finding just the right spot, reading, rolling it up, handing it back, and sitting down. Eyes glued. Scripture fulfilled.

According to Luke, Jesus’ ministry is one of proclaiming good news to the poor. He brings liberty, sight, freedom, and favor to the captive, blind, oppressed, and miserable. Jesus chose that passage from Isaiah to describe his work. Luke chose that scene from Jesus’ life to describe God’s purpose in Christ.

Jesus’ work in Galilee—and his inclusion of the disciples in that work—is focused on bringing good news to the poor.

The Feeding

Like Matthew, Luke shows Jesus instructing the disciples in the preaching of the word of God (Luke 8:1-14). But Luke doesn’t focus on the word nearly as much as Matthew does. In the third Galilean tour, Luke gives a more complementary twofold commission “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Luke 9:2).

As they proclaim and heal, the disciples must take no provisions. They must learn to rely on the hospitality of those who will receive the kingdom (Luke 9:3-6).

As they preach, Herod the tetrarch hears of it and feels some guilt over his oppression of the captive John (Luke 9:7-8). He wants to see Jesus (Luke 9:9), but not so he may worship him (Luke 23:8-11).

On their return from proclaiming and healing, the apostles make a report, and Jesus withdraws with them to Bethsaida (Luke 9:10). The crowds follow, and Jesus welcomes them. He again models for the disciples the twofold ministry: “He spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing” (Luke 9:11).

Though Luke’s account of the feeding is very similar to Matthew’s account, be careful not to sidetrack interpretation by harmonizing them. Notice a few subtle differences that highlight Luke’s unique purpose.

The disciples’ solution to overcrowding:

Matthew: “Send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves” (Matt 14:15).
Luke: “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions” (Luke 9:12).

Jesus’ alternative proposal:

Matthew: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat” (Matt 14:16).
Luke: “You give them something to eat” (Luke 9:13).

The disciples’ indignation:

Matthew: “We have only five loaves here and two fish” (Matt 14:17).
Luke: “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people” (Luke 9:13).

Jesus’ hospitality:

Matthew: “Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass” (Matt 14:19).
Luke: “And he said to his disciples, ‘Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each‘” (Luke 9:14).

While Matthew’s account focuses on the crowd’s real need (not just food but the word of God), Luke’s account focuses on the idea of hospitality. The crowd needs not just food but lodging. The disciples are unwilling to be hosts for such a crowd. Jesus directly plays the role of host: speaking, instructing the disciples, and shepherding the people into smaller groups.

The Main Point

With the feeding of the 5,000, Luke isn’t focused on Jesus’ identity as the Son of God (as John is). He’s also not focused on training the disciples to preach the word (as Matthew is). He’s more interested in showing Jesus’ benevolent hospitality to the poor and hungry masses.

The point of the story is this: Jesus’ followers, on mission from their master, must learn not only to accept hospitality but give it in Jesus’ name. Such hospitality will be both lavish (Luke 9:17) and costly (Luke 9:13b). This good news of the kingdom is not only for the wealthy, the successful, the happy, the Jews. It’s for those who are down and out, oppressed, captive, blind, marginalized, and hungry. And the message of the Kingdom must be illustrated visibly by the Kingdom’s messengers.

Question: This week, how can you be lavishly hospitable to the poor who might be ready to follow Jesus?

The Feeding of 5,000 According to Matthew

January 20, 2014 By Peter Krol

Why did Jesus feed the 5,000?

Each Gospel writer gives a different answer. In this post, I’ll unpack Matthew’s account. I’ll start wide before zooming in on the passage.

The Book

Matthew is not as overt in his purpose as John is (John 20:30-31), but he leaves colossal footprints while trekking through Jesus’ biography.

The Gospel opens with a genealogy connecting Jesus to Israel’s history, particularly through David and Abraham. Jesus’ birth fulfills God’s promise to be with his people (Matt 1:22-23), and his infancy recapitulates the experience of God’s people in Egypt (Matt 2:15). His baptism and temptation echo the Red Sea crossing and wilderness wanderings. Matthew wants us to think of the kingdom of Israel while he explains the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew’s connections to the kingdom of Israel are not always implicit, either; some could hardly be more direct. Matthew explicitly quotes the Old Testament 45 times, almost as many times as the other three Gospels combined (54).

The Speeches

Dan Paluska (2009), Creative Commons

But the frames and bars of Matthew’s work are the five main speeches of Jesus. In order for “God with us” (Matt 1:23) to become “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20), Jesus must build his house (Matt 16:18). So each long speech covers an aspect of the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus’ followers can build the house according to the pattern shown them (Heb 8:5). Observe how Matthew concludes each speech with a bit of fanfare: “And when Jesus finished these sayings” (Matt 7:28), “When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples” (Matt 11:1), and so on (Matt 13:53, 19:1, 26:1).

Kingdom Citizenship (Matt 5-7)
Kingdom Proclamation (Matt 10)
Kingdom Ministry (Matt 13)
Kingdom Community (Matt 18)
Kingdom Judgment (Matt 23-25)

The narrative sections between the speeches embody the kingdom principles from the prior speech and set the main characters up for the next speech.

So chapters 8 and 9 have Jesus bringing new citizens into the kingdom (speech #1) and so inspiring the disciples to proclaim this kingdom (speech #2).

Chapters 11 and 12 show Jesus proclaiming good news (speech #2) and evaluating various responses to the message (speech #3).

Chapters 14 to 17 picture Jesus’ on-the-job training sessions with his disciples. He must train them to minister the word (speech #3) and lead the new community that will result (speech #4). So in this section, the disciples truly get engaged in ministry. They no longer simply accompany Jesus; now they take part in the work. In other words, this section describes Jesus’ kingdom boot camp.

Chapters 19-22 crank up the relational tension as Jesus gets specific about who is in the kingdom (speech #4) and who is out (speech #5).

Chapters 26-28 narrate the greatest act of judgment (speech #5) on Jesus. But this section doesn’t drive ahead to another speech. Instead, it climaxes with an empty tomb, a conspiracy, and a divine person on a mountain top with a Grand Plan. The Word has become flesh, but he’s relocating his tabernacle and leaving behind a permanent house that will grow to fill the whole earth.

The Feeding

Now that we’ve seen the plan of the book, we’re ready to place the feeding of the 5,000 within the structure. The story comes in Matthew 14:13-21, at the beginning of ministry boot camp (Matt 14-17).

Jesus has already sent the disciples out with both authority to heal the sick and a mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven (speech #2). He has taught them to focus their ministry on preaching the word of the kingdom and evaluating how people are responding to it (speech #3).

Then Jesus moves away from his hometown because they don’t receive the word with joy (Matt 13:53-58). Herod fears Jesus, for he had not received the word from the first messenger, John (Matt 14:1-12).

So Jesus withdraws from Herod to find others who will receive the word (Matt 14:13). In compassion, he heals the sick who come to him (Matt 14:14), and the fertile soil is ready for seed to be sown on it.

The disciples don’t see it, though. They believe that what the crowds really need is to be found in the surrounding villages (Matt 14:15). This place is desolate; the day is now over.

Jesus gives them a hint: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat” (Matt 14:16). In other words, “You have what they need!” So the disciples bring what they have, and Jesus gets everything in order (Matt 14:17-19a).

Observe carefully what happens next (Matt 14:19b):

Jesus looks up to heaven. (Hint, hint! Remember that kingdom up there that he’s been telling them about?)
Jesus says a blessing. (Remember that whole citizenship-in-the-kingdom thing from speech #1 in Matt 5:3-12? Perhaps they have some potential citizens right in front of them.)
Jesus breaks the loaves and gives them to the disciples (in contrast to John 6:11, where the disciples are not mentioned as middlemen).
The disciples, participating in Jesus’ kingdom work, give the loaves to the crowds.

All 5,000 men, plus women and children besides, eat and are satisfied. They take up 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over (Matt 14:20-21). What Jesus gave the disciples was more than adequate; they simply needed to get engaged and distribute it broadly.

The Main Point

With the feeding of the 5,000, Matthew isn’t as focused on Jesus’ identity as John is (though Jesus’ identity is clearly in the background). Matthew is far more concerned with the disciples and their training in the ministry of the kingdom. Jesus is setting up a new Israel, a new kingdom, with these twelve disciples.

The point of the story is this: Jesus’ followers must learn to identify good soil when they see it, and upon seeing it, they must be ready to proclaim the word of the kingdom to hungry souls.

The lingering question at the end of the story is: Will they get it? Will they see the ministry of the kingdom not as something Jesus does alone, but as something he wants them to do with him?

If these questions will keep you awake tonight, check out the next story (Matt 14:22-33). Perhaps there’s a reason only Matthew mentions Peter’s request to join Jesus out on the water. It sure is a dumb idea, but Jesus encourages such initiative.

Question: How can you join Jesus in the ministry of his kingdom this week?

The Feeding of 5,000 According to John

January 13, 2014 By Peter Krol

Why did Jesus feed the 5,000?

Each Gospel writer gives a different answer. In this post, I’ll unpack John’s account. I’ll start wide before zooming in on the passage.

The Book

John leaves no doubt about why he wrote his Gospel:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, ESV)

John’s Gospel records numerous signs and their explanations. Many more signs could have been included, but John chose to report those that best fit his intentions: to show Jesus to be the Messiah (Hebrew for “Christ”), the Son of God, and to help people believe in Jesus and have life.

The Signs

John often refers to the signs generally. “These signs” catalogue a series of events that should lead people to consider Jesus’ identity:

“Many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing” (John 2:23).
“No one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).
“When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” (John 7:31)
“John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true” (John 10:41). [Remember, John spoke of Jesus’ identity as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).]

A few particular events are explicitly called “signs”:

Turning water into wine: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory” (John 2:11).
Healing an official’s son: “This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee” (John 4:54).
Feeding the 5,000: “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!'” (John 6:14)
Healing a man born blind: “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” (John 9:16)
Raising Lazarus from the dead: “The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign” (John 12:18).

Since these five miracles are labeled as “signs,” we can infer what other “signs” are included in John’s summary statement (John 20:31):

Making a lame man walk (John 5:1-9)
Walking on water (John 6:16-21)
Dying on the cross (John 3:14-15, 10:11, 12:23-36, 19:30-37)
Rising from the dead (John 2:18-22, 10:17-18, 20:26-29)

The Gospel of John focuses on these nine signposts and the discussions they generate about Jesus’ identity as God’s Messiah, his only beloved Son. Those who trust in Jesus find the life they’ve been looking for.

The Feeding

So when we read John 6, we should expect the text to explain Jesus’ role as Messiah. Like the other signs, the feeding of the 5,000 shows the way to eternal life. Let’s observe the text and make some connections.

James Cridland (2007), Creative Commons

A large crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick (John 6:2). Passover—the great feast celebrating God’s mighty redemption of his people by substituting a spotless lamb (Ex 12:43-13:10)—was at hand (John 6:4). Salvation was in the air, and Jesus took advantage of the fact.

Jesus tested his disciples but knew exactly what he would do (John 6:5-7), just like God did with the Israelites in the wilderness (Deut 8:1-10).

Of the Gospels, only John mentions the little boy who provided the first five loaves and two fish (John 6:8-9). Many preachers today focus on the boy’s willingness to share his lunch, but the text focuses on Andrew’s disbelief that such scarcity of barley loaves could provide for a multitude. “What are they for so many?” Through Andrew’s words, the narrator sets the scene for an impossible promise to come true (Deut 8:8-9). Jesus is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who will provide.

Jesus directs the people to sit down in green pastures. He makes it so they will not want for food (John 6:10-11). The table has been prepared; goodness and mercy have followed them (Psalm 23:1-6).

Jesus tells his disciples to gather the remaining fragments so nothing may be lost, and the meal’s remnant fills twelve baskets (John 6:12-13). Could this be an echo of the OT prophetic books, where God promises to save a remnant of the twelve tribes of Israel through the hand of his ruler from Bethlehem (for example, Micah 5:1-9)?

Finally, when the people see the sign, they draw conclusions about Jesus’ identity as the Prophet foretold by Moses (John 6:14, Deut 18:15-22).

The Main Point

John goes on to draw further connections between Jesus and Moses, the giver of bread from heaven (John 6:32-33). And he explains the miracle in great detail. Just as Jesus distributes loaves for the life of the hungry crowd, so he will give his flesh for the life of the world (John 6:51).

The point is simple: Jesus is the very Messiah Israel has waited for.

He gives life. He saves. He blesses. He nourishes and comforts. He provides.

But most of all, he dies. For God’s precious people, life comes only when the Passover lamb dies. And of that butchered lamb, the innumerable crowds of the world can eat their fill, as much as they want.

Will you join the feast?

3 Skills to Help You Find the Main Point

October 25, 2013 By Peter Krol

You’re swirling in details. You tried the OIA method of Bible study, and it yielded more observations and more questions than you could handle. You thought you’d dabble in the magic of Bible study, but the spell has taken over, and the water line has exceeded flood stage. You’re tempted to cue “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and drown your exhaustion in a bucket of popcorn.

Don’t lose hope. You’re almost there; you just need to pull it all together and integrate the details into a coherent main point.

Such integration matters because ancient authors didn’t waste space with meaningless details. Every word had a purpose. Every sentence captured an idea. Every paragraph advanced the agenda. And every section had a main point. The accumulation of these points promoted the goal of bringing the audience closer to the Lord. These main points are the ones worth fighting for.

So how do we figure out the main point? I’ll give 3 tips and illustrate them from my recent posts on Proverbs 5.

1. Always ask “why?”

The challenge of interpretation is to move past the “what” to discover the “why” of the passage. Why is this text here? What was the author’s agenda?

Though most Bibles have headings at the beginning of each section (Proverbs 5 in ESV: “Warning Against Adultery”), these headings are usually observation summaries and not interpretive main points. These summaries help when you’re flipping through and trying to find a specific verse, but they don’t always comprise the passage’s meaning. To convert these summary headings to main points, sometimes you only have to ask “why.” For example, “Why does this passage warn us against adultery?”

Similarly, you can take any or all of your observations, ask “why,” and move closer to the main point.

2. Account for the context.

We’ve seen how the book overview places the work in history. This historical context influences our reading of the text and helps us to see the main point. In the case of Proverbs 5, we see Solomon training a new generation of nobility to lead Israel with purity and integrity.

In addition to the historical, two further types of context should guide us.

First, examine the literary context. What was the main point of the previous section of text? How does the author move from that section into this section? What issues lingered at the end of that section, and how does this section address those issues? Because Genesis 1 is the beginning, we have no prior literary context. Instead, this chapter will establish the context for everything that follows. Thus, we should read Genesis 2:4-25 (and following passages) in light of Genesis 1:1-2:3.

Second, examine any intertextual context. That is, use a search engine, cross-references, or list of Old Testament quotations to find other parts of the Bible that quote this section (or are quoted by it), and figure out the connection between them. When God inspired authors to quote other passages, he was showing us how to interpret those passages.

3. Track the author’s flow of thought.

Ask: How did the author get from the first verse to the last verse? Break the chapter into paragraphs or stanzas, and figure out each paragraph’s/stanza’s main point, which is a sub-point on the author’s agenda. String those points together to see how one paragraph/stanza moves to the next. If you’re still stumped, you can break each paragraph/stanza down into sentences and track the flow from sentence to sentence. Don’t give up; this challenging skill gets easier with practice.

For Proverbs 5, I outlined the flow of thought in my first post:

verses 1-6: not all sexual temptation is as good as it seems
verses 7-14: the wrong choices have dire consequences
verses 15-20: utter unselfishness in the context of marital love is surprisingly intoxicating
verses 21-23: those who think they know satisfaction better than God does have sprung their own trap

So, compiling all my observation and interpretation, my final post on Proverbs 5 reached this main point: The wise can see through the culture’s illusion of sexual “freedom.” This main point took me right to Jesus and on to application.

Sexual freedom is truly an illusion. Jesus submitted to the cross and the grave so we could be free of both forever; he proved it by his glorious resurrection. Now we get to image him to the world. Find your freedom in self-denial. Obtain life through your death. Secure satisfaction by serving and satisfying others, especially your spouse.

The wise person sees the culture’s illusions, blasts them with Bible dynamite, and wins others to radically selfless, Christ-like joy, far more exciting than either religious prudishness or enslaving immorality.

Each text has a point. These three skills will help you get there so you can see Jesus and find eternal life in him.

Fight for the Main Point

October 18, 2013 By Peter Krol

The main points of the Bible are the ones worth fighting for. Often, however, Christians disagree over things other than the main points. And while we’re not wrong to draw conclusions about secondary, debatable, or implied points, such conclusions must never drown out the Bible’s main points.

Alex Indigo (2008), Creative Commons

The Pharisees demonstrate the problem. As the fundamentalists of their day, they cared about God’s truth. They wanted to glorify God and live lives pleasing to him. They passionately protected important doctrines, and they went to great lengths to win converts and change the world.

But in the process of remembering good things, they forgot the best things.

They attended Bible studies to improve their lives, but they didn’t embrace Life when God sent him (John 5:39-40).

They promoted God’s moral standards to a degenerate, fallen world, but they plotted harm on the day designed for doing good (Mark 3:1-6).

They put God first over every relationship, but they neglected God’s own wishes for human relationships (Matthew 15:3-6).

Sometimes Jesus condemns them for doing the wrong things, but sometimes he condemns them for neglecting the best things. Consider this judgement in Matthew 23:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! (Matt 23:23-24, ESV)

Notice that they should have continued tithing. They weren’t expected to exercise justice, mercy, or faithfulness instead of giving 10%. They were expected to exercise justice, mercy, and faithfulness in addition to it. They always drank skim milk, but then got caught eating too much ice cream.

Today, we likewise can get distracted from the Bible’s main points. The worst distractions are not bad things but good things. They’re not false teaching but true teaching. They’re not opposed to God’s kingdom but in favor of God’s kingdom. These distractions consist of things that should concern us, but they’re not the only things that should concern us. Nor are they the main things that should concern us. We should reserve plenty of bandwidth for the weightier matters.

For example, we study Genesis 1 and focus our discussion on the length or literalness of the days of creation. We spend so much time on the “what” that we forget to seek the “why,” and we mistakenly believe we know the “why” because we’ve discovered the “what.” We might get the “what” (“What is the length of each day?”), and we should try hard to get the “what.” But we must press on to get the “why” (“Why does the author tell the story of creation as a sequence of 7 days?”). We must not neglect the fact that God’s creative process sets the pattern for our lives on earth (Mark 10:6-9, 2 Cor 4:5-6, Heb 4:1-5). And we must not ignore Jesus—the creator, light, life, word, sustainer, ruler, subduer, multiplier, author of faith, image of the invisible God, and firstborn of all creation.

For another example, we study Hebrews 11 and trumpet the heroes of faith. And rightly so, as the text recounts their lives with much fanfare. But we must not miss the main point. It’s a faith hall of fame and not a works hall of fame. The point is not so much to show the greatness of these heroes as it is to show their smallness. We should fix our gaze on these heroes, but only as long as we keep Jesus in our field of vision. The heroes huddle around us, bearing witness to the real Hero, Jesus (Heb 12:1-2).

Finding a passage’s main point is hard work, but we must fight to get it. And once we’ve got it, we must fight to keep it.

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