(7/20/21) Jesus Receives Sinners - Bible Study
A STUDY IN BIBLE INTERPRETATION:
Not so "Doubting" Thomas
Passage: John 20:24-29
Read John 21:1-14
Let's begin today by comparing what happened with the disciples (abandoning Jesus, hiding in locked rooms, doubting his resurrection) with what Jesus said in Luke and Matthew:
Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Matt. 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
If we read these two passages by themselves, it would appear that Jesus requires complete dedication and radical abonnement of everything to be considered his disciple. When we read John's account of the disciples to whom Jesus chose to follow him, these are not the two characteristics that come to mind.
When reading any verse in the Bible, we must consider the context that comes before or after. It is just as important to compare it to what was written about the topic all throughout the Bible. If we ignore these two important steps when we study our bibles, we commit what is called "eisegesis." Eisegesis is when you isolate a passage or a group of verses from the rest of the context and the Bible and provide an interpretation. When you do this, even outside of the Bible, you can come to completely wrong conclusions concerning the Bible.
Here is a good example:
A man wanted to send an email to his wife but mistyped the address, sending it to an elderly preacher's wife who lost her husband the day before…
The man left Chicago's snow-filled streets for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was supposed to meet him in Florida the next day.
Hence, when the man arrived at his hotel room, he wanted to send his wife a quick email, telling her his experience in Florida and how it compared to Chicago.
However, while typing the address, he missed a letter and sent his email to an elderly preacher's wife. The woman had lost her husband the day before and was grieving his demise.
The title of the email read, "Sure is hot down here!"
Looking to context:
Luke 15:1 ¶ Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
Luke 15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
If Jesus truly meant this about who could follow him, why was he receiving "tax collectors and sinners?" Why in John 21:1-14 does Jesus bless the disciples with 153 fish and call them to eat with him after what they had done?
Jesus also said,
Matt. 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt. 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The audience matters when it comes to applying Jesus' words. Just like the email, the wrong audience can be devastating to the application. Luke 15 was directed toward those who saw themselves as righteous, obedient to the law. So, Jesus gave them more law to crush them. They didn't come to Jesus asking for salvation. They came to critique Jesus and wondered why he was claiming to be their savior.
Jesus came to save sinners, and for those who could not see themselves as one, he would use the law to crush them so they would see their sin.
QUESTION: The law was designed to show us our sins, not save us. Have you been confused by passages like Luke 15:1-2? Does knowing the context now help?
The disciples proved they could not abandon everything to follow Jesus. They could not faithfully follow his commands, and yet Jesus loved them. He proved his love three separate times after the resurrection.
QUESTION: How does this encourage you considering your own journey with Jesus?
If Jesus requires strong followers, we have no reason to hope. But if Jesus calls the weak, the sinner, the failure, the scared to come to him to find rest…then we all have reasons to rejoice.
QUESTION: Why is admitting we are weak and failing to obey God's law so hard for us?
Praise, Prayer and Confession:
• What can you offer to the Father in praise?
• What is a sin you need to confess?
• What is a burden we can carry?
• What can we take to our Father in prayer?