Commuter Bible NT

Practical problems in ministry call for practical answers based on good theology. In today’s reading, Paul helps Timothy and his church navigate the practical matter of supporting widows. In summary, his conclusion is that widows with family members should be supported by their family but widows who are devoted to the Lord and are truly in need should receive help from the church. He goes on to consider what it looks like to support good leaders. The phrase “the elders who are good leaders” can also be translated “those who rule well” pointing us beyond those who are simply old...

Paul warns that some people will depart from the faith and begin teaching things that are contrary to Scripture. In order to be equipped and ready to fend off such falsehood, Timothy, as well as the church he shepherds, should train themselves in godliness. This comes from being nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching of the church. Is training in physical fitness beneficial? Sure, but only in limited ways; spiritual fitness, on the other hand, is beneficial in every way and worthy of our efforts. Paul encourages Timothy to command and teach these things...

Paul instructs Timothy and the church to pray for everyone including kings and those who are in authority. Given that Paul was imprisoned and mistreated regularly by these in authority, we should mark that such admonition doesn’t come lightly. For the sake of the gospel going forward, Paul wants the church to pray and to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects order and appropriate forms of submission and authority. This includes relationships between men and women in the church, and appointing overseers and deacons. He writes these directions so that God’s people might know how to cond...

In today’s episode we’ll being reading Paul’s first letter Timothy, the young man who worked alongside Paul during some of his missionary journeys, serving as his protégé in pastoral ministry. The two are now separated and Timothy is in a season of life where he is shepherding a church. He advises his son in the faith to address those in the church who teach, or who believe, false doctrine, warning especially about those things that are opposed to the Gospel and are speculative, divisive, and fruitless. Paul finds his hope, comfort, and identity in this gospel w...

Lest we forget that Paul is writing a real letter to a real local church with real people, today’s passage begins with practical counsel concerning two ladies who can’t seem to agree with one another. These women have contended for the gospel along with Paul, and he urges them to be united in Christ. He encourages the church at large to rejoice at all times and to pray without ceasing, thanking God for his gifts even while making prayer requests known. He also urges the church to let minds dwell on that which is good in a worl...

Paul warns the church at Philippi to beware of the dogs, and no, he’s not talking about puppies or pack animals, he’s talking about those Judaizers who say you must be circumcised in order to be a follower of Jesus. If anybody had reason to boast in the Jewish-ness, it was Paul, and in today’s chapter he gives an extensive list of his Jewish commendations. He places no trust in these fleshly accomplishments, however, as his goal is only to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection. He is quick to say that he is not pe...

Even within the church, humility and unity don’t come easy, but even so, Paul wants to see the church at Philippi to be united in their thinking, int their love, in spirit, and in purpose. There’s a lot of heart-work involved in serving one another with Christlike love, and Paul admonishes the church to meditate on Christ’s humility as inspiration for humility. The church ought to shine like stars in the world, bringing light to the dark through blameless and pure conduct. As examples, Paul puts forth Timothy and Epaphroditus as faithful men whom the church should...

During his second missionary journey, Paul travelled through the city of Philippi and planted a church there. As is evident from the opening chapter of Philippians, Paul had a deep love for this congregation and he has no trouble expressing his affection. His occasion for writing is to inform them about the details of his imprisonment, and even in such circumstances, Paul’s mind and heart are focused on the gospel of Christ going forward. He springboards from reflections on dying for the sake of Christ into encouraging the church the live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. Wh...

At the end of our last reading, Paul was admonishing husbands and wives to love each other in a way that reflects the relationship between Christ and his church. Today, we pick up where we left off as Paul admonishes children to obey their parents in the Lord, for this is right. As mentioned in our intro to Philemon, the relationship between slaves and masters during this time period was closer to that of modern-day contract labor. With this in mind, slaves are instructed to obey their masters, and masters and slaves should both serve others in the same...

Paul continues to admonish the Ephesian church to live a new life in Christ, a life that is distinct from the rest of the world. The Christian ought not to partner with those who are disobedient. Instead of walking in their darkness, as we once all formerly walked, we should instead walk as children of light. To do this, we must pay attention to our daily walk, growing in our understanding of the Lord’s will, giving thanks to God, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. Continuing in this line of distinctive thinking, Paul goes on to...

If you’re a part of a healthy church, you know that unity and fellowship is God’s good gift to the saints, but that gift doesn’t come without effort. Paul urges the Ephesian church to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. This kind of work doesn’t fall only to those who have titles within the church; the ascended Christ has blessed the whole church with gifts of varying kinds to strengthen and equip the entire church body for the work of ministry. In Christ, we are to put off...

Here in chapter 3, Paul uses the word “mystery” again and again, so be gracious and allow me to reveal and clarify what the word mystery means in this sense. We often to refer to that which is unknown to be a mystery, but that’s only a partial definition. Technically, a mystery is something that was once hidden but is now revealed. In this case, the mystery is that God’s plan was to redeem both Israel and the rest of the world through the Messiah, a plan that was once hidden but has now been revealed. Paul has been giv...

Most of us do not like to think about death, especially when we think about our own death. While all men will die one day in the future, Paul turns this concept on its head by saying that all men start off as dead men. In this case, however, they are spiritually dead. In his extravagant grace and mercy, God, who is very much alive, brings lifeless souls to new life in Christ. Paul goes out of his way to say that it is by grace we have been saved, through faith and not of works. In other words...

After a standard greeting to the church at Ephesus, Paul seems to overflow with joy and thanksgiving over the rich blessings of God offered to the believer through the gospel. The entire passage seems to effervesce with gratitude and jubilant praise. Notice, too, how much of this is centered on Christ and on God the Father. God is the main actor of the passage; in other words, it is God’s work for God’s glory. We’ll hear the phrase “in Him” repeatedly, and three members of the triune Godhead are present. This God of power, glory, and honor has...

At the end of Colossians, Paul mentioned a man named Onesimus as a beloved brother in the work of ministry. This brother, Onesimus, was a slave to Philemon, and Paul writes to Philemon to ask if he could be freed. Many in slavery in this day and age were enslaved voluntarily as means by which they could repay debt. Once that debt was paid or the years of service to which they agreed came to an end, that person would be freed. Onesimus had been helping Paul, presumably by helping him to get what he needs to survive. Paul...

Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae concludes with admonition to speak with God regularly in prayer, and to speak graciously with others, acting wisely toward outsiders who do not yet know the mystery of Christ revealed through his gospel. After this, he includes a summary about the ministry of the gospel being performed through other faithful men. These include Tychicus and Onesimus who are delivering the letter, Aristarchus, who is also in prison with Paul, as well as Mark, Barnabas, Justus, Epaphras, Luke the physician who wrote the gospel of Luke and Acts. On a technical note, we...

Paul has positioned Christ rightly as the one who is before all things, and in whom all things hold together. All things were created by him, through him, and for him. This same Christ humbled himself to death on a cross so that our debt our sin might be canceled. In doing so, he disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly, triumphing over them. With this as his preface, Paul tells the church to seek the things that are above, where Christ is, who rests in victory and in authority at the right hand of God. This...

Having reminded the church of the preeminent Christ, He who is before all things and in whom all things hold together, Paul moves on to consider how false teachers compare to him. All treasures of wisdom and knowledge are to be found in this Christ, which means that mere men cannot teach anything that would be new or unknown to the Lord. It is the gospel of Christ that has saved them and cancelled their debts, and no new teaching can compare with this glorious reality. Rather than trusting in empty philosophies or submitting to regulations that bring unwarranted...

Paul writes to the church at Colossae from prison to correct false teaching and encourage the church to trust in Christ fully as Lord. In this first chapter he presents Jesus as supreme and preeminent over all of Creation. He is the firstborn, meaning he is the one inherits all things from the Father and that He comes first before anyone else and before anything else. This same powerful and authoritative Jesus is also the head of the church. Though we were alienated from God and hostile to him, he has reconciled us unto God through his gospel. Finally...

We have reached the final chapter of the Gospel of John, wherein John reveals some of the events that took place following the resurrection of Jesus. In our last episode, the disciples discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead. He has presented himself to them on a couple of occasions already, but in today’s episode, Jesus appears to them on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius where has breakfast with the disciples. You may recall that Peter had denied Jesus three times, before the crucifixion. Christ takes this opportunity to restore Peter threefold, giving him the co...

To quote 1 Corinthians 15, Quote: “I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” End quote. In today’s passage we’ll read about...

Jesus has testified before the Jewish Sanhedrin and before Pontius Pilate the Roman governor of Judea. While denying culpability, Pilate eventually gives way to the demands of the Jews and send Jesus to be put death by crucifixion. The cries of the Jews which declare, “We have no king but Caesar” recall the posture of Israel of old, for as early as the book of Judges they declared that they were in need of a king although God himself was to be their king. John takes care to point out the fulfillment of the Scripture as Jesus endures the agon...

At this point in the narrative, Jesus is confronted by a mob comprised largely of chief priests and Pharisees who wish to have Jesus killed for blasphemy. They arrest him, tie him up, and take him Annas, a man of considerable influence who was a former high priest and the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was serving as high priest that year. They press Jesus for information on his teachings, but he simply responds that he’s been teaching in public for all to hear, so there shouldn’t be any confusion about what he’s said. It is during this e...

Jesus is walking with his disciples and teaching them about his relationship with the Father, with the Holy Spirit, and with his disciples. In today’s reading, we’ll hear Jesus pray for himself, for his disciples, and for all those believers who come after them. This section is often called “the high priestly prayer,” as Jesus is interceding for those whom he loves based on his status before the Father. Directly following this prayer, Jesus will be betrayed by Judas Iscariot into the hands of the Jews who wished to put him to death, including the chief priests, Pharisee...

Christ has introduced his disciples to the inner workings of the trinity and what must take place in the near future so that God’s will might be fulfilled. At the end of our last episode, we had a brief introduction to the Holy Spirit, whom Christ calls “the Counselor.” Today, Jesus says that he must return to the Father, because if he doesn’t go away, the Counselor will not come. Later, he explains to his disciples that they will be sad for a while, but their sorrow will be turned to joy, for he will see them again. H...

Jesus continues to teach his disciples after they have celebrated the Passover, and at this point they are on their way to the Mount of Olives. During this discourse, Jesus emphasize relationships within the Trinity and today he’ll expand to include the relationship between the Triune Godhead and Christ’s disciples. Jesus begins by saying that his disciples are the branches and that he is the vine; they will only grow and bear fruit if they remain in Christ. His disciples are to relate to one another in the love of Christ, remaining in that love. Remaining in Chri...

Jesus and his disciples are in the upper room celebrating the Passover, and up until this point, Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, predicted the betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter, and has commanded them to love one another. Jesus is preparing to leave his earthly ministry and return to the Father, and as such is the case, he gives his disciples further insight into his relationship with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Over the next few chapters, Jesus will talk about the inner workings of the Trinity, expounding upon the relationship between the three me...

The time of the Passover has come, and Jesus has gathered with his disciples in the upper room where he will institute the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. Before that happens, Jesus humbles himself before his disciples, takes the job of a servant upon himself, and begins to wash their feet. This act of service is confusing to Peter, who refuses to receive it at first, then asks to be washed entirely. After predicting that one of the men breaking bread with him would betray him, Jesus commands his disciples to love one another, just as he has lo...

Our chapter begins in a home in Bethany of Judea just before the Passover celebration takes place in Jerusalem. Jesus is there with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, the latter of which washes the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume and with her hair, a decidedly lavish and humble act. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the chief priests plot to kill Lazarus because he is evidence of Christ’s power and authority. Later, Jesus enters Jerusalem with great fanfare as the crowds greet him with excitement and anticipation. While Jesus prophecies of his coming execution, God the Father speaks to Jesus au...

In today’s episode, we’ll consider the seventh of seven signs in John’s gospel: the raising of Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus hears the news that his friend is sick, he doesn’t leave immediately, but instead, he waits to days before traveling to Judea to see him. Remember, they recently left Judea because the Jews tried to stone Jesus when he was in Jerusalem. Upon entering Bethany of Judea, Christ is greeted by Martha, and after a brief exchange, Jesus tells her that he is the resurrection and the life, and shortly thereafter, Jesus raises Lazarus...

Jesus has rebuked the Pharisees for being spiritually blind, though they claim to be the spiritual leaders of God’s people. Jesus is not like these men: he is the good shepherd who knows his sheep, calls them by name, and lays down his life for them. During the Festival of Dedication, which we know as Hanukkah, Jesus is cornered by Jews who demand that he plainly say whether or not he is the Messiah. Jesus responds by saying that his sheep know his voice, and that they don’t believe because they aren’t his sheep. They try to sei...

Jesus performs the sixth of seven signs recorded in John’s gospel by healing a man who was born blind. The disciples assumed that his blindness must have been attributed to sinfulness; in other words, someone must have acted sinfully, or else God would not have punished him so. Jesus dispels this assumption, simply saying that he is blind so that God’s works might be displayed in him. Once he is healed, his neighbors notice and are confused about how something so miraculous could have happened. They take him to the Pharisees, and he testifies before them, calling out...

In today’s episode, Jesus continues conversing with the self-righteous Pharisees about his identity. He has told that them that he is the light of the world and has claimed that the Father has sent him. Some of those present believe in him, and today, he tells them that if they trust in him the truth will set them free. Confused, they press Jesus for answers, saying that their father is Abraham and they aren’t enslaved. Jesus responds by saying that their father is not Abraham, but the devil. That doesn’t go well, and they accuse him of hav...

The earliest manuscripts do not include the account in verses 1-11 about the adulteress who was forgiven by Jesus, and for several reasons (which you can look up later) it is probably not original to John. It’s likely that a well-meaning scribe added the account at a later time, and while it interrupts the flow of John’s work, it’s not a big deal because it doesn’t really change anything about our understanding of Christ’s person, work, or teaching. The rest of our reading includes Christ’s self-revelation as the light of the world, and a prediction...

Jesus travels to Galilee where his brothers encourage him to go to Judea, but Jesus tells them that his time has not yet come. The festivals of shelters is near, which was a celebration where the Jewish people lived in tents as a way of remembering God’s faithfulness to Israel during their time in the wilderness. Jesus shows up unexpectedly and the crowds become even more divided. Some are taken aback by his teaching and his command of the Scriptures, while others doubt him and question his origins, saying that no prophet is arises from Galilee. Through the co...

The crowds follow Jesus to the other side of the sea, and there, they ask him to perform a sign to prove that he has been sent by God. When they mention manna, Jesus reminds them that the manna came heaven, not from Moses. He thereby makes the case that he, himself is the bread of heaven. Then things get weird, for Jesus tells them that his followers must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have eternal life and be raised on the last day. Because of this, many of those who were following Jesus...

John chapter 6 is the third longest chapter in the New Testament, and as such is the case, we’re going to break it down into two episodes. As mentioned in the introduction of our last episode, John includes seven significant signs in his gospel leading up to the Last Supper. The signs show the crowds that he isn’t just a man with interesting things to say, he is, by nature, the Son of God. Today we’ll read John’s accounts of the fourth sign, where Jesus feeds 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, and the fift...

There are four gospel accounts written by four different writers, and each of these writers has compiled the events of Jesus’ life in ways that emphasize particular aspects of his and ministry. John includes seven significant signs in his gospel leading up to the Last Supper. We’ve covered two of the seven signs already: turning water into wine at a wedding feast and healing the official’s son. We’ll cover the third sign today as Jesus heals the sick. This sign points to his divine power over creation and over the effects of sin, making broken bodies whole an...

While traveling and teaching, Jesus visits Samaria, a region that the Jews intentionally avoided at all costs. Remember, in the history of Israel, there was a time when Israel split from Judah and tried to establish a center of rule and worship outside of Jerusalem; that location is Samaria. Though it would have been taboo in Jewish culture to do so, Jesus speaks to a woman there and asks her for a drink. This is not the only surprising incident in this interaction, as Jesus reveals his divine knowledge and his identity as the promised Messiah. Later, Jesus performs...

Jesus performs his first miracle at a wedding, where the party is about to stop short because there is no more wine. Jesus miraculously turns water from purification jars into wine that tasted better than all the other wines that came before it. In so doing, Jesus proclaims through the miracle that the promised Messiah has come. He is the better bridegroom and the better wine that has come at the right time, providing his people with something better than all that came before. Later, Jesus meets with a Pharisee named Nicodemus who has come to him in secret...