Transcription

Chris
So, Jeff, see if you can finish this quote. Behind every good man is a.

Jeff
Good woman.

Chris
And in this case, behind Jesus were several good women.

Jeff
Oh, hey, that’s a great segue, dude. It is. That’s fantastic. He’s Chris and I’m Jeff and we’re the Bible guys. And I think that statement has nothing to do with the fact that men are out front and women are behind. It’s that men are nothing without women. That’s the that’s that’s the point.

Chris
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because inevitably you have to think, how are people going to receive this? So, uh, so listen, Jeff, today there is an element or a segment, uh, that we’re calling and we have called before Stomp the Pastor. And it’s when somebody writes in a question that they’re wondering about, it has to do with the Bible and they’re confused about it. Yeah. Which, by the way, we are always open to taking brand new questions. Yeah. So if you would go ahead and email us at info at the Bible guys. Com or you can, you know, respond on a YouTube site or.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah. And YouTube you can leave questions.

Chris
Right, right, right. Or you could uh go to our, our website which is the Bible guys. Com. Yeah. And so anyway go ahead and uh send those in. But here’s today Cathy C asks this question.

Jeff
CC.

Chris
Yes, will there be activities in heaven will we eat. Will we need to eat? Will we play sports, etc.. Audio adrenaline’s Big house, which is the song big House? Yeah, keeps playing over and over in my mind when I think about it. Uh, and by the way, that’s funny. So it’s a big, big house with lots and lots of rooms. It’s a big, big table with lots and lots of food. It’s a big, big yard where we can play football. Touchdown! It’s a big, big house. It’s my father’s house.

Jeff
Right. So that was a big song when we were both youth pastors. Yes. Yeah yeah.

Chris
Yeah yeah. And so that’s why I was.

Jeff
Million years ago.

Chris
That’s why I was doing motions with lots and lots of rooms. Yep. So, uh, so yeah. So that’s what she’s really thinking. She’s thinking. What do you mean? So are.

Jeff
There activities in.

Chris
Heaven playing football in heaven? Yes.

Jeff
So she’s asking, are there activities in heaven? No, Cathy, you’re going to be bored for eternity. Yes. All right, let’s go on.

Chris
So the the.

Jeff
End. The end.

Chris
And when? Cue the cue. The music. Musical effect. Whomp, whomp.

Jeff
Yeah. No. So actually, this is a great question because I think we’ve so mystified. Heaven. Yeah. That we just don’t understand, I think what God’s intent is or was. So here’s what we know. The descriptions of eternity include animals. Right. So we know that there’s animals. The Bible talks about the lion and the lamb. It talks about snakes, horses. We know horses are there. So there’s animals. You name the animals. I believe that they’ll be there.

Chris
And I believe that our maybe cats and dogs.

Jeff
And maybe we’ve answered that question before. I know.

Chris
And I’m still banking on it.

Jeff
So. Yeah, sure.

Chris
Miss you, Tony. Yeah.

Jeff
And then, um, so we know that there’s animals there the Bible talks about there’s a river flowing right through the, the, the, the center of the, you know, uh, of heaven. Um, we know that there are streets, there are gates. Yep. We know that there’s commerce people coming and going. We know that there are governments. We know that there are governors. We know that there are judges.

Chris
Cities.

Jeff
Yes. Talking about cities, um, we know that there are trees. We know that there’s a thousand year wedding party. Right. Um, so food banquet, it talks about, uh, all these things. So everything that you have in this existence is a broken, cursed version of what God always desired and planned for us when he created humanity and created the world. Then we broke it through our sin, and the garden were banished from the garden. But then God’s description of eternity. When all this is done, he destroys this eternity, or this, this heaven and this earth, and he makes a new heaven and a new earth, and there’s multiple heavens. There’s the heavens. The Bible talks about, like the atmosphere around our planet. There’s space that heaven. And then there’s the place where God is. Right? So when it talks about a new heaven and a new earth, what he’s doing is he’s he’s destroying maybe this universe and this atmosphere and making a new planet, a new Earth. And then the Bible talks about how the New Jerusalem, it’s 1500 miles square, will come down and blend in with this new planet that he makes. And that’s what I believe is God is making his place, his dwelling, be our dwelling. And he says, I’ll be with them, and they will be my people. I will be their God. They’ll be like my children. I’ll be their father. And so he’s bringing us back to what he always planned, which is the perfect existence for humanity.

Chris
Where the supernatural will now exist again, once again with the natural.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah, yeah, well, we will be able to experience it that way, right? He already does, but we will be able to experience it that way. And so it’ll be everything that he plans. So societies uh, we will need governance. We’ll need commerce. We will need homes. The Bible talks. There’s homes, there’s streets, there’s trees, there’s gates, there’s doors, all the things. So it’s the perfect version. It’s the. It’s the sunrise at Yosemite version. It’s the abbey in Yellowstone in a few weeks. And it’s the, it’s the, the animals walking across the, the, um, the Lamar Valley. It’s. I’ve been on safari and the animals and the birds and I had one moment, one time in Tanzania where it was elephants and zebras. About 500 yards out in front of them was a bunch of gazelles and white birds flying like this. And it was thousands of animals all at one time, stunningly beautiful. I mean, that’s going to be heaven. That’s that’s the garden, right? Only there’s no danger, there’s no death, there’s no sadness, there’s no loss, there’s no disease, there’s no pain, there are no tears. So it’s all of the perfection that God planned for us. It’s not like this idea that he has on the planet today animals, trees, sunshine, stars. It wasn’t like that was one idea. And then he has a different idea, right? It’s that this is the broken version of the perfect version. So once Jesus remember he he ends the book of revelation saying, I’m going to make everything new, that everything new is I’m restoring everything. That’s what he’s saying. I’m making. I’m fixing it, and then I’m making it.

Chris
Like it was like it was new in the beginning. It was new.

Jeff
Broken, new again. That’s that’s what he’s doing. So it’s not a new concept. It’s renewed. Right? Right. That’s why the Bible talks about in us. He renews us. Uh, he the idea of salvation is regeneration. We were dead. He made us alive again. Right? It’s it’s that kind of idea. And so it’s the same. So I believe the beautiful, perfect, perfect things on this planet are almost perfect things on this planet. That will be the existence in eternity. Yeah, yeah. So all the things that you love, I think will be there as long as you’re not sinful or, you know, harmful.

Chris
So we don’t know about sports we don’t know about. And we but there’s no reason not to have them. That’s right. That’s not correct. Yeah. There’s no reason to believe that we won’t have things like that. Yeah.

Jeff
If humanity can think of a fun thing like that on this side, why wouldn’t it be available on the other side? On the other side, right in the in the perfect world. So we get glimpses of these beautiful things and these wonderful things and these fun things and exciting things.

Chris
Only the only difference is in heaven. The Lions win the super Bowl I believe.

Jeff
That, yeah, this is our year, man.

Chris
This is our year. That’s so funny.

Jeff
It’ll be the Lions and the Browns every year in the Super Bowl right. That’s right that’s.

Chris
Right.

Chris
This is awesome. Heaven is awesome. That’s so funny.

Jeff
Yeah. Hey so that was a great question by the great question. Yeah yeah yeah. So this is why. I think some Christians are afraid to die because they don’t know what it’s going to be like on the other side, right? But if you just understand, it’s the perfect version on the other side.

Chris
Well, my good buddy in college told me, when I think about eternity long enough, I almost get sick and I want to throw up. And I said, what do you mean? He goes, we’ll just get bored. And I said, I said, you know that there’s no negative. Like, like, like what if boredom was an impossibility? Right? Right. We’ll get sad and depressed. No no, no. What if, what if sad sadness and depression and crying were an impossibility, right? Right. Because that’s what God says. Yeah. So therefore think about that. So if, if, if, if you are in your happiest moment and it’s literally impossible to experience boredom, that’s what your existence will be like, right?

Jeff
Right. But it’s because of the existence, the fulfillment of the existence. What you’re doing, what you’re participating in, you are made to do and learn and grow and experience, and you will be able to do all of those things. But we have looked at too many Renaissance paintings of fat, naked babies bouncing from cloud to cloud, playing harps, and everybody looking sad and up and to the left. Yeah. Like that.

Chris
Up to the.

Jeff
Left. Right with no suntan. They’re just all bleached out people looking like this. Yeah. And. And it looks boring because you think it’s going to be an eternal church service. Well, even God doesn’t want an eternal church service, right? Right, right. So he of course, there’s perpetual worship and all those things around his throne. But yeah, the way he describes it, he talks about will be, uh, governors and rulers and there will be leaders in kings and all these things. So, yeah, it’s the perfect version of humanity and human society. That’s awesome. So I believe that, yeah, there’ll be football.

Chris
All right, well, let’s, uh, let’s jump into today.

Jeff
Okay.

Chris
Hey, guys, this.

Jeff
Is the most amazing podcast ever. And we know that. You know that. And so here’s what we want you to do. Like it. Give us a thumbs up. Leave comments about how amazing Chris is. And you’re going to let everybody else know that the Bible guys is worth paying attention to. And then make sure you share it with all your friends. So here are two passages about women engaging with Jesus in the book of Luke. So we’ll read from Luke chapter seven, verse 36 through Luke eight, verse three. It just says, one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. And when a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner. Then Jesus answered his thoughts. Simon, he said to the Pharisee, I have something to say to you. Go ahead, teacher, Simon replied. Then Jesus told him this story. A man loaned money to two people, 500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other, but neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that? Simon answered, I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the larger debt. That’s right, Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon. Jeff
Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home. You didn’t. Offer me water to wash the dust from my feet. But she’s washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss. But from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she’s anointed my feet with rare perfume. I tell you her sins. And they are. Many have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love. Then Jesus said to the woman, your sins are forgiven. The men at the table said among themselves, who is this man that he goes around forgiving sins? And Jesus said to the woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Soon afterward, Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the good news about the Kingdom of God. He took his 12 disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager Susanna, and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.

Jeff
Yeah, isn’t that great?

Chris
Yep. That’s great. Uh, well, the woman with the alabaster box. Uh, this this woman who, uh, anoints Jesus’s feet. Uh, alabaster is, uh, like a nard, right? Alabaster. Yeah. Or not, that’s the box. Oh, yeah. Yeah, the nard that was in the perfume.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the perfume would have been, uh. Yeah, yeah. Like an oud or a nard. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they’re usually made from bark or sap and then it turned into like a essential oil. It’s very expensive and hard to make.

Chris
And some people would even estimate we’ve, I’ve always read that, uh, it could have been as equivalent to like one year salary.

Jeff
Yeah. Perhaps. Yeah.

Chris
So, so either way, it’s expensive. And Jesus himself even calls it rare. And so, uh, and because and, uh, uh. Now I’m going to show my vulnerability here. Uh, isn’t there another place where it says that. That somebody thought this could have been sold to the poor? We didn’t just read that.

Jeff
No. So that was when Mary anoints Jesus right before he dies. Yes. Yes, yes. And Judas was mad and said, this should have been sold to the poor.

Jeff
Sold for the poor. That’s right.

Jeff
So this isn’t that story. Jesus gets anointed two times. Two times?

Chris
Yeah.

Jeff
So by women.

Chris
Yeah. And so I knew that was confusing to me. So, uh, I was I couldn’t reconcile those two things. So, um, but either way, though, this woman comes in and just, uh, falls down and and, uh, anoints Jesus’s feet. Well, think about it. In the Old Testament times, when you traveled from city to city, there were no asphalt roads, right? Everything was dusty. Right. And in that part of the country and everybody wore sandals.

Jeff
And all of your vehicles had, uh, very, um, uh, messy, um, what should we say? Uh, exhaust.

Chris
Right there it is. There it is. Yeah.

Jeff
Your donkeys, your horses, your goats leaving all kinds of exhaust on on the road.

Chris
Last week, I was just up in Mackinac Island which is

Chris
an island. Yeah. There you go. On the northern side of, uh, uh, northern part of, uh, Michigan, uh, just off the coast there. And they don’t.

Jeff
Allow any vehicles.

Chris
And no vehicles. So it’s all horse drawn carriages, right? Right. And, you know, it’s just this wonderful town of Mackinac, and you get off the boat and you’re like, smell the fresh air off the ocean. And you’re like, I’m trying to. Yeah.

Jeff
Uh, Lake Huron or Lake Huron.

Chris
Excuse me?

Jeff
I’m trying to, but it smells like, uh. Well, it smells.

Jeff
Like horses, right?

Jeff
Horse exhaust.

Chris
So anyway, what I’m saying is, is that, uh, this is the reason why it was customary for, uh, people to wash other people’s feet. So when Jesus modeled it for the disciples, uh, and he actually knelt down and washed the disciples feet right before he went to the cross, it was, uh, a symbol of humility because it was reserved for the lowest of servants. Right, right. So really, in essence, this is what this woman was doing. She was washing the feet of Jesus, which was customary. But again, Jesus points out to this Pharisee, you didn’t do that for me. You didn’t have you didn’t have this courtesy. You didn’t treat me with respect and honor this way. And he’s trying to say, uh, and by the way, it’s it’s sort of like a backhanded compliment, isn’t it? Because because he’s saying, like, you don’t have as much to be forgiven for. There’s the compliment, right?

Jeff
Right, right. Yeah.

Chris
And therefore you don’t love me as much. Yeah.

Jeff
Yeah. Right. Yeah yeah. Yeah. Right.

Chris
So I mean, you know, in terms of missing heaven, we all are forgiven the same amount, right?

Jeff
What? Somebody tells you you’re a lot smarter than you look.

Chris
Yes. Right.

Jeff
That’s kind of one of those backhanded compliments, right? The same kind of thing. That’s what he says. You know, you don’t have very many sins to forgive. So that’s why you don’t love me as much, right?

Chris
Right.

Chris
So so we all so let’s be clear. The Bible says we all miss heaven by the same margin, right? So we all miss heaven. We all, we all fall short. So in that sense, we all need forgiveness. But in terms of the sins that we, you know, and the consequences and the lives lived and honoring God and all these different things, it’s clear that Jesus is saying her sins are many and her sins, you know, are greater than your sins to the Pharisee Simon. And she has much more to be for to be forgiven for so, so, so therefore there is a there is a difference. And, uh, I can’t even imagine what this Pharisee thinks or feels because it’s not recorded. Right. But how do you think he took that?

Jeff
Yeah, well, they didn’t like the fact that he was forgiving sins. Well, for sure. So. So there was. Yeah. Um, I don’t know, man. He he certainly it would have been an uncomfortable moment, but he was so high and mighty looking down on Jesus because Jesus accepted this woman that I don’t think that anything Jesus said would have really mattered that much.

Chris
And let’s not breeze past the fact that Jesus answered his thoughts.

Jeff
Yes, that’s the coolest phrase in this whole thing.

Chris
Yeah, so? So again, I try to wonder. I try to wonder, was Jesus assuming or was Jesus embracing his God powers? Yeah, yeah. And knowing their thoughts. Right. Uh, but see, I believe it’s.

Jeff
I think he, I think the Holy Spirit was telling him what was.

Chris
I believe so too.

Chris
Because in other parts of the Scripture it says Jesus knew their thoughts, right. There was no assumptions, right, right, right. He knew what they were thinking and therefore he addressed it.

Jeff
Yeah. Well, spiritual gifts in in Paul’s writings include knowledge and prophecy. Right. Which are both the Holy Spirit giving you these supernatural insights and abilities. Right. So yeah, I think that that’s what Jesus, because the Bible often says Jesus was, you know, he left the the desert full of the spirit, right, and all this kind of thing. So it was the Holy Spirit. I think it was doing those things for him. So, um, let’s talk about just the fact that she was able to anoint his feet right. One she was an uninvited guest, right? Right. But she comes into the home. That’s not super uncommon because these villages were fairly communal, not 100% communal. But it wasn’t a weird thing. And especially for a guy like this who’s hosting Jesus, you hosted Jesus. To be seen that you were hosting a celebrity, right? So the doors will be open, the windows would be open, people would be gathering around. And this guy is enjoying the vicarious celebrity of having a celebrity in the home. So he probably had crowds around people watching, looking. It was a neat thing.

Chris
It was a who’s who.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah, it was a neat thing. So then they, you know, we think of Jesus sitting at a table with a chair. They didn’t it would have been a very low table. And you’ve been in places like this before, right. Where you just go and sit on the mats and the cushions on the, you know, you recline. Right? So it’s a big room long table. You kind of recline out, your feet are out in front of you, and you have a little corner of the table, and he has a little corner of the table, and they just keep bringing stuff into the table, but you’re kind of leaning on an arm, whatever. So Jesus feet were probably out this way. So people are sitting down, maybe laying down, reclining also around. And it wouldn’t have been a weird thing that this woman could have been at Jesus feet and just weeping. The fact that she had. So it’s not that she’s coming down and bowing to him like a statue, but rather he’s reclining. She’s reclining near him, crying on his feet, and then maybe embarrassed that she was crying on his feet, he keeps wiping his feet. Um, in that moment, she anoints his feet. There’s all this, uh, it’s I think I think she came to anoint him, give him this gift. Yeah. And then the tears just flowed, right. And so there’d be a little bit of, uh. She’s around these holy men and kind of embarrassed by it, but at the same time, couldn’t think of a better gift to give Jesus, except maybe the most expensive thing she had.

Chris
So, you know, this passage reminds me of it reminds me of how Jesus spoke very plainly and said, there’s two men that walk into the temple. One of them says, God, thank you that I’m not as bad as these other sinners. Right? And then the other guy, he said, he beats his chest, he puts his hand on his chest, and he and he and he and he’s just and he’s just, you know, he’s driven with repentance. And he says, God forgive me, for I’m a sinner. And, and and he compares the two, right? Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, and this is, this is what this is. Yeah. You have you have a Pharisee who thinks of himself better than everybody else. And thank God I’m not like this woman who has come in here. Yeah. And then you have this woman who, uh, is so grateful. And so. Jesus, uh, has just as much compassion and shows this woman just as much value as he does as dinner guest. And in some ways, he elevates her.

Jeff
Yeah.

Chris
Almost above him.

Chris
Right.

Jeff
Well, he knew the man’s thoughts and looked at the woman and spoke to her. Right. He spoke to the man while he’s looking at the woman. Right, right. He’s engaging with her. There’s there’s almost. He’s not ignoring Simon. He says Simon’s name. Uh, he’s not ignoring him, but he’s giving his attention to this one, to this woman. Another thing that really strikes me here is Jesus never says a negative thing to Simon.

Jeff
He never says one negative thing right?

Chris
He tells them the truth.

Jeff
Yeah.

Jeff
He doesn’t. Even Jesus doesn’t even have a problem with the fact that Simon is pretty content with the fact that he lives a pretty clean life. I think you should have a contentment that you live a clean life. If you’re if you’re making clean choices, you’re making holy choices. You’re making godly choices. It’s okay to be content with that. Just. Contentment is a weird word or satisfied because I also know I’m a sinner, but I should be glad that God has given me the ability to make wiser choices, to walk away from those things that contaminate me, walk away from them. You know, he says, come out from among them and be separate. Touch not the unclean thing, right? Those are all New Testament phrases. And so I think there can be a joy, a satisfaction in knowing. I think where God has me right now in my life, I’m making some pretty good, godly choices. And I’m I’m walking away from the the putrescence of the world. Yeah, but the problem was, was not the fact that he was satisfied that he was living a pretty clean life, it was that he was, like, horrified by how dirty she was.

Chris
Right?

Jeff
Right. And that’s the that’s the sad part.

Chris
That’s the only thing that seems to be, uh, where Jesus gives a form of correction because he makes actually, you’re right, like like, like neutral and good, good statements about his life. Sure, sure. Because clearly he needs to be forgiven less. Right? But he did say, uh, you know, you didn’t show me the courtesy. That’s right. And what you’re really doing is.

Jeff
Because he’s feeling like he’s Jesus. Equal.

Chris
Well, yes.

Jeff
Wash your own hands.

Chris
And certainly better than this woman. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. You’re right. Yeah, yeah. That’s so funny. Right. Because had he had he shown Jesus respect, he would have elevated the danger of elevating Jesus. Right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Perhaps there’s something there too. Yeah. Right. But but the but clearly, though Jesus doesn’t rebuke his life, Jesus rebukes his thoughts, right? Right. And his attitude toward this woman and elevates this woman in that manner.

Jeff
And then he’s honest with the woman, right? Jesus is not just saying, you know, I know you think she’s a sinner, but you shouldn’t judge her. She’s a wonderful person and she means well. He doesn’t say that either. Right? He says, I tell you her sins and they’re many, right? Have been forgiven. So she’s shown me much love. Jesus. Jesus never sugarcoats sin. Never. He calls it what it is. He’s just willing to forgive it if she’s willing. She was acknowledging it, right? And she’s not trying to hide it. She acknowledges it. Every time you find Jesus engaging with somebody who acknowledges their sin, the woman at the will, well, the woman caught in adultery, some of these other people that are caught in sin, he acknowledges the sin. He doesn’t sugarcoat it. Eventually he goes and dies for it, but he always will forgive it. Right? If they’re acknowledging it. Yeah.

Chris
And then, of course, we have this, uh, you know, reference to the other women. We read a few verses.

Jeff
Oh, I forgot about that.

Chris
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, uh, you know, it says that, uh, you know, there’s Mary Magdalene who funded, uh, Jesus, there’s Joanna. Uh, and then there’s Herod’s business manager, there’s Susanna and other women who, uh, again, were just there to resource Jesus. And we sort of ran out of time.

Jeff
Totally. I wanted to talk about that.

Jeff
So, hey. Well, that’s the Bible. There’s always more to learn. There’s always more to talk about.

Chris
Yeah. So maybe we’ll reference it tomorrow.

Jeff
Yeah. We’ll see.

Chris
So hey listen, this is our time. So we will see you next time on The Bible Guys.