And sometimes it’s hard to know where to turn, who to turn to, or what to do when we’re overcome with exhaustion, loneliness, confusion, frustration, helplessness…

But please know that you’ve made a smart, mature choice by looking to the Bible for help.

God cares about you, and He knows what you’re struggling with (Hebrews 2:17-18). He wants you to find His messages of hope, strength, and inspiration that will help you move forward in faith.

So let’s explore specific passages of Scripture that are meant to heal our broken spirits. We’ll find encouragement for:

• When you’re worried about the future
• When you’re in difficult situations and dealing with ongoing struggles
• When you feel anxious or overwhelmed
• When you feel stuck or defeated
• When you feel burnt out or fed up
• When you feel lonely or rejected
• When you question your salvation

Disclaimer: Before we dive in, we want to make it clear that this page is not meant to diagnose or treat depression, anxiety, or other serious conditions. If you’re dealing with overwhelming circumstances or think you might suffer from mental illness, please seek a licensed professional for treatment.

Let’s start with a common cause for discouragement—when what’s ahead of us looks difficult, unclear, or confusing.

Promises for the future

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, regardless of how well we try to plan. But whatever the future may hold, God has promised to take care of us and never to leave us.

Having misgivings about the future is common because it makes sense. It’s both unknown and unknowable. And that can make us feel out of control or helpless if we’re in the middle of already-unsure circumstances.

And just to make things more overwhelming, while we’re bombarded with troubling or dramatic news headlines, we’re likely to also see content about “securing our future” or “being prepared” or “beware of the latest scams,” etc. So among all the chaos, there’s also a lot of pressure to get it “right.”

Thankfully, the Bible gives us some wisdom for situations like this.

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (ESV).

This verse comes from a letter the prophet Jeremiah wrote to Jewish exiles in Babylon. He initially had some bad news to deliver: Their exile would be long—70 years to be exact. But both in spite of this and because of this, Jeremiah was also supposed to encourage them to build homes, raise families, and essentially continue with their lives, “that you may be increased there, and not be diminished” (Jeremiah 29:6, NKJV).

Jeremiah also told them to seek “the well-being” of the city they were exiled to, and not to listen to false prophets.

In other words, even while in exile, God had plans for their individual and communal well-being. So Jeremiah prompted them to make the best of a bad situation by creating a supportive community, reflecting His goodness, and trusting that God has everything worked out already.

Then, if His people would keep their eyes on Him, God promised He would restore them to the land and lives they had before.

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:12-14, ESV).

We sometimes end up in sticky situations where it feels like we’re in some kind of exile, far from what we know and what we want for ourselves.

But God already has all of the plans worked out. While we wait on Him, we can rest in the promise of His plans, even if we don’t know what they are yet. And we can focus on building and nourishing the community around us as a loving expression of thanks to God.

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand’” (NKJV).

When we feel alone in our exile, God reminds us that He’s still with us and will ultimately take care of everything. Whatever strength we need, He’s willing to give us.

Isaiah 41 is about a coming conflict that had the Israelites worried. Verses 5-7 depict people scrambling to prepare for war. But God assures them that He will strengthen them for the difficulty—and their enemies won’t prevail over them.

They didn’t have to scramble around like everyone else. In fact, God even mocks the opposing nations and their gods, calling them “wind and confusion” (verse 29, NKJV).

When chaos or disruptions strike out of nowhere, sometimes it almost feels like we’re supposed to panic and prepare for the worst. That’s often what we see other people do. Most of the world’s examples promote looking to ourselves to get us out of whatever struggle we’re in, so it’s easy to lose sight of God’s promises in the Bible.

But God wants us to have confidence in Him when we can’t have confidence in anyone or anything else. It’s His desire to help us, strengthen us, and point us in the right direction. He’s chosen us, so He’s not about to let us go.

How He helps each of us will look different. But whatever He decides to do, we can pray for confidence in His ability to handle the situation completely.

John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NKJV).

When we have confidence in Christ and His plans, it opens ourselves up to a new kind of peace.

In John 16, Jesus had just finished telling His disciples what events were about to transpire. But even though He was leaving them, they would have the Holy Spirit to stay in touch with Him and continue to grow in their faith.

Jesus made it clear that life would be hard at times, and they would feel rejection and persecution. Yet despite the difficulties, He gives a kind of peace that’s beyond comprehension (John 14:27) and a joy that can’t be snatched away (John 16:22).

When Jesus said He had overcome the world, He overcame the power of sin, death, and even the devil (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8).

He didn’t escape hardship. In fact, during Jesus’ time among us, He experienced the worst this world had to offer!

It may seem contradictory to expect a life with difficulty and unthinkable peace. But because Jesus endured without failing His mission, He is able to help us overcome whatever tries to tempt us away from Him. He can empathize with us like no other (Hebrews 4:15).

It’s easy to slip when we’re under pressure. But God is able to get us through our pain victoriously, not as victims. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us and to intercede on our behalf (Romans 8:26).

Other verses to study: Matthew 6:24-34; Revelation 21:4-5

Encouragement for difficult situations and ongoing struggles

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Sometimes it feels like trying situations drag on and on. It can be discouraging that no matter what we do, no matter how much we pray or try to change, nothing seems to happen.

But the Bible reminds us that God is patient (2 Peter 3:8), His timing is perfect (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and He has His eye on everything (Ephesians 4:6), even the things that seem like they aren’t changing.

In these kinds of difficult situations, we can find encouragement in the following verses.

Psalm 34:17-19

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit. One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all” (Psalm 34:17-19, CSB).

Our challenges can sometimes feel like they’ll never end, or that they’ll keep coming back. But God promises to be by our side, ready to comfort us in our discouragement.

Psalm 34 reflects on God’s care for His people—hearing their cries, understanding their despair, and promising to get them through the affliction they’re facing.

It starts with what seems to be an answer to prayer (verses 1-7) and then reflects on God’s care for those dealing with “troubles” and “afflictions” and how He is able to save those who trust in Him (verses 8-22).¹

This psalm is attributed to when David pretended to be insane to escape Abimelech (also called Achish in 1 Samuel 21:10-15). What David didn’t realize at that moment was that he didn’t have to pretend to be something he wasn’t in order to escape trouble. Instead, God invites us to trust Him for deliverance when the time is right (1 Corinthians 10:13).

But what happens if time takes longer than we would like? What if the affliction doesn’t go away any time soon? What if we’re still hurting?

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV).

Whether things are going well or going poorly, we can rely on God to strengthen us for whatever we encounter. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, He’s with us, giving us what we need.

Paul learned to be content in both difficult and easygoing situations because he learned to navigate them with God instead of on his own.

He learned how to recognize God’s provision whether he was in abundance or need, strength or weakness, certainty or uncertainty. And he assured those he visited that God would do the same for them.

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, CSB).

The strength of Jesus is what gets us where we need to be—not our own strength. And He sticks with us no matter what’s happening in our lives.

Times of prolonged need or stagnation can tempt us to grow bitter and anxious. On the other hand, ease and prosperity can tempt us to grow indifferent, or even prideful. Either way, there’s a risk of relying on ourselves or others instead of God to fulfill our needs. And doing so can just increase our stress or disappointment when they are unable or unwilling to come through for us.

We can learn from Paul that no matter what is happening around us, or even when we’re tired of nothing happening at all, we can be content knowing that God sees the big picture in ways we can’t, and He gives us strength to endure the season we’re in.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, CSB).

Strength in weakness? Taking pleasure in difficulties? It all sounds backwards. But when God is the center of our lives, He becomes our compass and points us in the right direction.

Even so, however, none of us relish the idea of having a constant weakness. But God can use our weaknesses for His strength to come through in ways we don’t always expect.

In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul mentioned that he was dealing with “a thorn in the flesh” (v. 7, CSB). He begged God to take it away, but instead of removing it, God told Paul His strength would make up for Paul’s weakness.

We’re never told what the “thorn” was, exactly. It may have involved things that were highly personal for Paul. But in a way, that makes it easier to apply this passage to any physical, mental, or spiritual struggle.

When we’re in the trenches of a battle that seems endless, we can ask God to help us focus on Him all the more, since that’s where our strength comes from. And then, like Paul, we can smile at difficulties because we’ll know that God has other plans.

There’s a day coming when pain, death, and grief will be done away with forever (Revelation 21:4). Until then, God promises that His strength will make up for any weaknesses we have.

Other verses to study: Psalm 30:4-5; Psalm 126:5; Matthew 5:4; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 16-18

When you’re anxious or overwhelmed

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Life, and everything it entails, can just be a lot.

Here’s some Scriptural wisdom and inspiration that can speak to our hearts even when our burdens feel too big to carry.

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, NKJV).

These words came to Joshua from God Himself. Moses had just passed away, and Joshua was now faced with the enormous task of leading an entire nation—one that had already proved to be tough to govern—into the Promised Land. We can bet Joshua was nervous because God tells him to be brave three times (Joshua 1:1-9)!

Facing a new chapter in our lives can be intense, and we don’t always feel ready for it. Sometimes we feel completely unprepared for whatever new responsibility gets dropped on us.

Have you ever been promoted but second-guessed yourself? Or wrestled with doubts and fears when becoming a parent? Have you ever questioned God’s wisdom when you sensed Him leading you into something new? You’re in good company if you have.

God promised Joshua that it would be ok because He would be the one who was really in charge. God had led Joshua to this point, so He would see to it that he succeeded.

We can remember God’s words to Joshua when we are faced with challenges we don’t expect or don’t feel ready for.

Psalm 27:14

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14, NKJV)

Psalm 27 is a surprisingly cheerful psalm considering the circumstances. While the Bible doesn’t say when David wrote it, its content suggests he was hunted down by his enemies, likely couldn’t access a place of worship, was separated from his parents, and endured cruel words.² It’s also clear he dealt with grief and physical distress.

David admits he would have been overwhelmed had he not trusted that he would see God’s goodness. With that in mind, he finishes the psalm by telling us to take courage and wait on God (verses 13-14).

But the “waiting” David mentions here isn’t passive. Psalm 27 shows that David sought the Lord through prayer and worship. He pleaded for wisdom and guidance.

By writing this psalm, David also reminded himself of God’s character, His faithfulness, and His power to save.

Like David, we can actively wait on God by praying to Him and pleading for His strength to carry us through. When we pray, we can receive the peace that comes with the promise of God’s faithfulness to “strengthen our hearts.”

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27, NKJV).

Just before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples He would give them the Holy Spirit to teach them what they would need to know and remind them of everything He’d said.

Even though He would be physically separated from His disciples, Christ said that He was leaving the gift of peace. It would be unlike anything the world could ever offer. In fact, Paul calls this the “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7, NKJV). It’s a kind of peacefulness that doesn’t make sense because it’s often experienced amid danger and difficulty. That’s because it comes from God, regardless of our circumstances.

The disciples would experience the loss of Jesus’s physical presence. They would endure being rejected and punished for loving Jesus and sharing their faith in Him. They would encounter deceivers and false teachings designed to confuse people and turn them away from God. And they would experience the strong emotions that come with all of this.

Jesus wanted them to know they could have strength, commitment, and even joy and rest amid these difficulties. The peace He gave them through His Holy Spirit would strengthen them and reassure them of His presence.

And He gives this same gift to all of us who accept it.

Other verses to study: Deuteronomy 31:6; Psalm 34:4; Psalm 56:3-4; 1 Peter 5:6-10

When you feel stuck or defeated

Even with Jesus, life doesn’t let up. Sometimes all the struggles and disappointments make it feel like nothing is ever going to get resolved.

In times like these, it’s helpful to remember that God knows what’s going on. He sees the big picture. So whatever is happening to us, we can know that God is more powerful, and nothing can stop Him from carrying out His loving plans for us.

Easier said than done when you’re in the middle of a crisis, but these next verses can help.

Philippians 1:6

“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, ESV).

The Bible calls Jesus the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV). He’s like a writer who knows our faith journey and intends to finish the story. There’s no way He’d give up on any of us.

The apostle Paul remembers when the Philippian Christians first accepted the Gospel and said that he had confidence that they’d finish as well as they started. We could say this confidence is from the fact that God works in His people so their desires and actions line up with His (Philippians 2:12-13).

It may sometimes feel like we’re always falling short or missing the mark. Or it may feel like we’re making zero progress. But we can have confidence in God’s promise to finish what He started.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV).

In light of the “ministry of reconciliation,” Paul explains that Jesus gives us a new identity—and a new start—when we are reconciled with Him.

Reconciliation means restoring a relationship after a falling out.³ Our falling out happened back in Eden. So being reconciled means that our faults and imperfections don’t have to stand in between us and God (verse 19). Instead, we’re set free from our old life that would lead to nowhere, and we now have a life that involves God, so we know that no matter what, we will be saved, and the life we live now includes the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is all because Jesus Christ “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (verses, NKJV).

This means Jesus can turn us around. He can take who we are and clean us up, refine us, and craft a character that is in harmony with His character and law of love.

When we realize Christ’s salvation makes us a new and improved person, it can be easier to swap out our old habits and worries in favor of a new direction in life. Our past difficulties don’t have to define us!

1 John 2:1

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1, ESV).

When we make mistakes or bad decisions, He doesn’t leave us to drown in despair. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (NKJV). If we’re honest with God and go to Him, He not only forgives us, but He also makes it possible to experience a genuine, lasting change of heart.

Jesus stands between us and the devil’s accusations, like how He stepped in between the woman caught in adultery and the religious leaders who condemned her. And like He encouraged her,

He assures us of His forgiveness and encourages us to pick up where we left off (John 8:1-11).

Other verses to study: Psalm 37:23-24; Proverbs 24:16; Micah 7:8-9; John 8:36; Romans 8:1-4; Galatians 5:1; Philippians 3:13-14

When we’re burnt out or fed up

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Note: If you’re experiencing physical and mental symptoms of burnout that are interfering with your ability to function at work and home, we encourage you to reach out to someone you trust, or to seek a licensed professional if your physical and mental health are affected.

Perseverance and endurance are qualities God desires us to develop. But “endurance” doesn’t mean continually wrecking our health for the sake of a goal.

There are times when God leads us to push our limits, and He gives us the strength to do so.

But there are also times when our bodies and minds can only take so much. And God is there for us, even when we feel like we can’t go any further.

Burnout and exhaustion can have external and internal causes and they can wreak havoc on the mind and body. What’s more, sometimes mental fatigue is harder to recognize than physical fatigue, and we might continue to push ourselves to dangerous limits because the risks of doing so aren’t as apparent.

The Bible is one resource we can turn to when we run out of steam and need encouragement to continue on.

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NKJV).

This is an invitation to find spiritual rest through a relationship with Jesus. Jesus told His listeners no one can personally know the Father except Himself and those to whom He reveals Himself (verse 27; John 14:6-9).

That’s why many things were hidden from those who considered themselves to be more righteous than others.

He then invites His listeners to approach Him and find satisfaction working alongside Him.

For the people of Jesus’s day, religion “had degenerated into a meaningless round of ‘labour’ in an attempt to find salvation by works.”⁴

Laboring in vain still happens today. The world bombards us with messages about how to live and all that we need to do to achieve its impossibly high standards. As a result, we exhaust ourselves and sometimes make decisions we later regret.

A “yoke” was a type of harness that linked two oxen together to carry heavy loads⁵ and it represents a relationship of training, or discipleship. When we become Christ’s followers, we learn how to live and act like Him. Our characters change to be a unique reflection of His as we get to know Him through His Word, serving others, and living out our faith.

Rather than dumping a load on us and leaving us alone with it, Jesus not only helps us carry it, but He also carries the most weight.

Matthew 11 is about the revelation of who God is through Christ. Jesus reaffirms His Messianic identity as a healer. He commends John the Baptist, confirming his role as a messenger sent to prepare God’s people for the revelation of the Messiah. He then condemns some cities for their rejection despite receiving revelations, and thanks God the Father that those who have accepted the revelations are not the proud religious leaders, but to those with a simple, childlike faith.

If you’ve been feeling worn out and bogged down, sometimes refocusing can help. Overthinking is so tempting, and it often leaves us feeling worse. But shifting toward a simple faith, focusing on stepping forward rather than analyzing where we’ve been, can sometimes make all the difference in the world.

Galatians 6:9

“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9, CSB).

When we’re worn out, often the last thing we want to hear is, “Don’t give up!” or “Just keep at it!” And while it looks like that’s exactly what this verse is saying (because it is), it’s also saying that there’s an optimal time for us to “reap” what we’ve “sown.” God will make things right, and we’ve already read plenty about how He promises to give us the strength we need.

In the last chapter of Galatians, Paul tells the believers to share each other’s burdens and to examine their own works. They were supposed to encourage one another to do what’s right, support one another, and look for opportunities to serve and uplift others (verses 1-10).

“Doing good” can mean many things, ranging from going overseas as a missionary to simply being kind and courteous to the grumpy clerk at the convenience store.

And if we find ourselves getting tired of following God’s principles, then it’s a good time to step back, spend time with God, and find out why.

But even when we’re in the middle of an exhausting situation, we can remember that if God is asking us not to give up, that also means He’ll give us the resolve we need to keep going.

Isaiah 40:31

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV).

Faith in Christ and leaning into His will can unlock new levels in ourselves that we didn’t know were there. And they wouldn’t be there if not for Him.

Isaiah 40 gives a series of questions and declarations. Toward the end, the writer says that God never tires out and He strengthens the weak and powerless. Those who wait on God, or who put their trust in Him, will find strength to move forward with whatever they’re facing.

Faith is the key that unlocks everything God has to offer.

None of these verses are meant to encourage us to exhaust ourselves. Rather, they’re meant to remind us that God can provide the strength and endurance we need for whatever He’s called us to do.

Other verses to study: Psalm 130:5-6

When we feel lonely or rejected

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Loneliness and rejection are an extra bitter flavor of sadness, especially if we’ve put ourselves on the line and made ourselves vulnerable. And it can make it hard to ever want to do that again.

Again, we can remember that Jesus Himself felt lonely and rejected at times during His human life, to the point where He asked God the Father, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46, ESV).

These feelings are nothing to take lightly, and partnering with Jesus can lead to victory over them.

Romans 8:38-39

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, ESV).

Paul is saying here that “no power in heaven or earth, in time or in eternity, can separate us from the divine love… nothing can pluck us out of Christ’s arms against our will.”⁶

Romans 8 opens with the assurance that those who belong to Jesus are not under condemnation. They’re free to live a new life, knowing that they belong to Him, not to the world. They’re free to listen to the Holy Spirit instead of all the other noise of life that pulls in so many different directions. And they can go through challenges because God stands with them as their mediator and He redeems their experiences—including the bad parts—so they reflect Jesus more and more.

We live in a world where human love is as consistent as the weather. But no one is too flawed for God’s transformative love.

His love transcends any of the conditions that often affect human love. It can’t be erased or cut off. Nothing in existence could cause Him to stop loving any one of us, and nothing can wear out His affection.

Hebrews 13:5-6

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6, ESV, emphasis added).

The more we get to know God, the more we see the rest of our corrupted world for what it really is. But we also become more attuned to the good things that often get overshadowed. So the promise that God is always with us and actively being our “helper” can lead us to a level of contentedness nothing else can provide.

Sacrifice and service are two cornerstones of discipleship. In the surrounding verses of Hebrews 13, Paul lists different ways to spread His love, like being hospitable, empathetic, and embracing others as part of the same family.

Contentedness follows this perspective shift, and God, our helper, will guide us into it. These verses encourage us not to be discouraged by what we don’t have, or to give into fears that come from other people. Instead, because God refuses to abandon us, we can navigate this life with peace and courage.

Because of the nature of humanity, people will let us down. So it’s easy to go about our lives resenting others for what they have or what they’ve done. God can set us free from this and bring us into healthy relationships—with Him and with others.

Ephesians 1:3-5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will” (Ephesians 1:3-5, ESV, emphasis added).

Imagine being wanted even before you existed.

Every single one of us—no exceptions—is a fully intentional creation of God (Psalm 139:16).

Paul greets the Ephesian Christians by declaring that God chose them long before the world was created and His plans for them involved being part of His family. He then goes on with other spiritual blessings Christians have been given: acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, a destiny, security, an inheritance, etc. (verses 5-13).

When we declare Jesus as Lord, we are also identifying as children of God. One strong source of encouragement is found in our identity in Christ.

Other verses to study: Psalm 27:10; Psalm 68:5-6; Psalm 139:1-5; Isaiah 49:15-16; Isaiah 54:4-6

When we have spiritual discouragement about salvation

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It can be one of the most despair-filled experiences to doubt our salvation. It can feel suffocating, often accompanied by self-loathing and shame. Sometimes there’s a gnawing fear that you’re not going to “make it,” and it can fester in the back of your mind.

But God wants us to live in the peace of assurance and to be free from this mental burden, and our freedom lies in the sacrifice of Jesus. All we have to do is accept the gift.

The following verses are a great reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

John 3:16-17

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17, NKJV).

A respected Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to talk with Him. Like so many others, he had waited for the Messiah to come and bring forth God’s kingdom.

Jesus went straight to the heart of the matter: the kingdom of God required an experience called being “born again.”

Being born again is the ultimate new start. God works in our hearts so that we desire to do His will and live accordingly, different from our former lives (Philippians 2:12-13). It’s like the process of metamorphosis when a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.

Being born again means trusting our salvation with a God who was willing to give everything up to give us eternal life. Because God loves this world despite its horrors and brokenness. He loves us.

Anyone who craves this type of love doesn’t have to worry about being accepted. God eagerly embraces all who come to Him (John 6:37; Hebrews 7:25)!

It wouldn’t have made sense for Jesus to pay such a high price for our salvation if He was going to make it difficult for us to receive. It’s His highest desire to save us.

Romans 5:9-10

“How much more then, since we have now been justified by His blood, will we be saved through Him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life” (Romans 5:9-10, CSB).

Romans 5 tells us what the grace of God has accomplished for us.

In the previous verses, Paul reminds his readers that they have access to God’s grace because they’ve been saved by faith. He also says they can experience joy and hope even when they suffer—a kind of hope that doesn’t disappoint because of God’s love (verses 1-5).

Paul explains how the ultimate expression of God’s love was demonstrated when Christ willingly and painfully died even for those who vehemently opposed Him (verses 6-8).

His sacrifice secured our reconnection with God, and now His work as our Mediator keeps that connection alive.

Nothing you do can make God love you more or less. He’s already poured it out on us by giving His life for us. And if His love is strong enough to save us, then it’s definitely strong enough to keep us saved!

Other verses to study: Psalm 34:22; John 10:27-29; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 3:19-21; 4:17-18; Jude 24-25

Ephesians 2:8-10

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV).

The good works that we’re supposed to do are meant to be the outflow of God’s grace working in our hearts. They are an expression of what we believe and our love for the One in whom we believe—Jesus.

Ellen G. White, co-founder of the Adventist Church, reflects on this:

“If our salvation depended on our own efforts, we could not be saved; but it depends on the One who is behind all the promises. Our grasp on Him may seem feeble, but His love is that of an elder brother; so long as we maintain our union with Him, no one can pluck us out of His hand.”⁷

Thank God that we don’t have to achieve our own salvation. We would fail every time. Jesus took that burden upon Himself and bought our salvation at the price of His life, and our lives can be an expression of gratitude.

Tips for when we’re feeling down

Along with studying God’s promises in His Word, we can also apply them.

You may have heard phrases tossed around like, “Give God your burdens” or “Cling to Jesus!”

Even the Bible says to “Cast your burden on the Lord” (Psalm 55:22, NKJV).

But what does that really mean? How do we do this when we’re dealing with intangible troubles?

Let’s look at some simple things we can try to get us started.

Focus on God first

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV).

What we focus on can determine the quality of our lives (Proverbs 11:27). This verse in Matthew doesn’t say focus on God only and ignore everything and everyone else. It says focus on God first. Everything else can then fall into place.

When we place our focus on God first and foremost, He will supply all of the strength, wisdom, and resources we need to balance taking care of others, ourselves, and our responsibilities.

Pray

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“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, CSB).

Prayer allows us to process our thoughts and feelings while we’re in the presence of God with intention. We’re free to hold nothing back. God isn’t hindered by the human limits we’re so reflexively familiar with—so He will never pull away to recharge, He’ll never need a break, and He’ll never feel like our stuff is “too much.”

Not only does He know what’s going on inside us, He knows why. He sees all, so He sees what’s affecting us—including everything we don’t see.

Praying can also help us recognize and challenge thought patterns that feed our discouragement. That’s a big part of what “taking our thoughts captive” means (2 Corinthians 10:5).

And we can pray any way we want to. Locked away in a private, silent area, out loud while we’re driving, in our heads while amid chaos, journaling, singing, dancing, whispering, right when we wake up, over lunch, or while we’re having our morning beverage.

Engaging in prayer doesn’t always mean that our feelings or circumstances will immediately change. It’s sometimes a long battle before we get to the breakthrough. But we can battle knowing that God has already won the war, He will never leave our side, and He’ll see to it that we get where we need to go.

Prayer is where we can find our peace.

Worship

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28, ESV).

After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to fortify His faith. While there, the devil tempted Jesus in all sorts of ways, and every time, Jesus responded to the devil’s lies with the truth of Scripture (Matthews 4:1-11).

When you’re feeling discouraged and your mind is flooded with everything that’s going wrong, you can turn to worship like Jesus did. He said to Satan, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10, ESV). After that, Satan left Him.

When you’re discouraged, you can worship God in so many different ways. It’s all about intent—acknowledging His power, His benevolence, His wisdom, etc. We can worship Him by reading Psalms (Psalm 99 is great), singing, attending a church service, doing an art project, writing a poem, marveling at nature…whether we can hike a trail or just admire two potted plants on a tiny porch. Worship happens when we actually do stop and smell the roses and appreciate the little things God sustains even amid our corrupted world (Romans 1:20, Psalm 19:1; 95:1-2; 100:1-2).

It can indeed be encouraging to praise God for who He is!

Cultivate gratitude as we look for the good

Photo by Dmitry Zvolskiy

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NKJV).

Giving thanks is more than counting our blessings or thinking positive. And it does not require dismissing the negative.

Being grateful means you’re actively looking for glimmers of hope in seemingly hopeless situations. You’re choosing to thank God for the good you can see, and asking Him to reveal the good you can’t see.

This can be so hard when all we see around us is anger, destruction, conflict, tragedy, etc. The devil is an expert at displaying humanity’s worst on center stage. But the renowned and adored

Fred Rogers of yesteryear’s PBS kids programming reminds us of what we can look for and what we can do, in a quote that now peppers inspiration boards everywhere.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things on the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ … To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words and I’m always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world.”⁸

(And even if we can’t always see the helpers in the moment, we can know that God is constantly sending people where they’re needed.)

It’s important to note that the verse above says to give thanks in everything, not for everything. We’re not being asked to thank God for all the awful things that happen to us and to others. But

Paul was telling the Thessalonian Christians, who had been through a lot, the importance of gratitude when we’re reflecting Christ to the world. He was affirming how they kept moving forward despite significant “affliction” (1 Thessalonians 3:1-7).

The Bible says God uses everything for our good so that it brings us closer to Christ (Romans 8:28-29). So we’re not ignoring our pain, but we’re essentially telling it that we trust God, and that we won’t let it ruin our lives.

Reach out to someone you trust

Sometimes we desperately need to hear someone else say we’re going to be okay. Discouragement can grow like mold if we’re isolated. Talking with people we trust can help us gain fresh perspectives.

A trusted person can be a family member, friend, pastor, mentor, doctor, or counselor. And while it may feel awkward asking for help, doing so is a powerful way to grow and heal. It takes courage.

We can remember that Jesus empathizes with us and He knows from personal experience how to navigate the thick fog of discouragement. But it is indeed possible to have joy, strength, and peace despite everything else. And we can always turn to the word of God when we need to be reminded of His promises.

For a next step,

Related Articles

1. NKJV Andrews Study Bible, comment on Psalm 34, p. 696 [↵]
2. Spurgeon, Charles. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Psa/Psa_027.cfm?a=505001 [↵]
3. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, “Reconcile.” [↵]
4. Nichol, F.D., “Matthew.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, [↵]
5. NKJV Andrews Study Bible, comments on Matthew 11:29. [↵]
6. Nichol, “Romans.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, [↵]
7. White, Ellen G. The Acts of the Apostles, p. 553 [↵]
8. “Fred Rogers Interview, Part 7 of 9,” Foundation Interviews, 6:51 [↵]

More Answers

Hypocrites. Brood of vipers. Whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones. A blunt public statement of, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29 ESV).

These are the very phrases Jesus used when confronting opposition from Pharisees and Sadducees—two prominent groups of Jewish religious leaders.

What could have prompted Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to address them in these ways?

First, let’s note that not all of these first-century religious leaders were hostile to Jesus. Some had more positive, constructive interactions with Him, and some became His followers and defenders.¹

But interestingly enough, of all the people who publicly conflicted with Jesus’s teachings or methods, almost all of them were not “common” people but those who were supposed to be respected spiritual leaders.

These leaders had a different view of what the Messiah should be like. And they were suspicious (and jealous) of Jesus’ popularity and the way He spoke with divine authority.

(Not to mention that His teachings tended to contradict many of their legalistic beliefs and practices.)

So they tried everything to entrap Him in His words, hoping for an opportunity to discredit Him or get rid of Him somehow.

Eventually, they would take part in having Him crucified.

So it makes sense that Jesus’ strongest words were reserved for their outright hypocrisy. They were people with great spiritual influence, yet they opposed His character and mission.

But what led up to all this? What kinds of religious beliefs or traditions did Jesus challenge?

Let’s get to know the Pharisees and Sadducees a bit better.

• Who the Pharisees and Sadducees were
• What Jesus’ relationship with them was like
• Lessons we can learn from Jesus’ interactions with them

We’ll start with what defined these two groups of religious leaders.

Who were the Pharisees and Sadducees?

The Pharisees and Sadducees were two distinct groups of Jewish religious leaders during the time of Jesus’s earthly ministry.

Both groups were part of the Sanhedrin, or the supreme council of the Jews in Jerusalem.² And ultimately, they had a shared key motive—the restoration of Israel.

But their similarities don’t go much further than that. They typically considered each other to be rivals.³

Pharisees

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The Pharisees came from among the common people. They focused on obedience to every aspect of the law of Moses.⁴

Perhaps they hoped that by their efforts—whether in keeping the law to perfection or leveraging their political connections—they could usher in the national greatness their ancestors had lost by straying from God’s guidance (as described in the Hebrew Scriptures).

The Pharisees existed from about 515 BC to AD 90.⁵ They were “a group of mostly lay, not priestly, members that focused upon interpreting the law—both written and oral.”⁶ (The apostle Paul was also a Pharisee, according to Acts 23:6.)

The Hebrew word for Pharisee means “separate ones,” and this aptly describes what they attempted to do: separate themselves from anything that could make them ritually impure or disobedient to God.⁷

At the time, the Jewish people had the written law—the first five books of Moses, also called the Torah (or the Pentateuch in Greek).

The oral law was separate from the written law. This “tradition of the elders” comes from the Greek word paradosis and refers to “the massive body of oral, rabbinical regulations that had grown up around the Torah.”⁸

It contained instructions and guidance that the Jewish leaders added over time to help them keep the written law.

And the Pharisees believed in upholding both the written law and the oral law.⁹

But despite these very formal, legalistic methods, the Pharisees were more popular among the Jews than the wealthy Sadducees because they lived among common people and related better to them.

Sadducees

The Sadducees, on the other hand, were wealthy, “upper-class aristocrats”¹⁰ and emphasized political matters. The word “Sadducee” is thought to be derived from Zadok, the first high priest of Solomon’s temple, with the root form of the word meaning, “to be right, just.”¹¹

So while the Pharisees represented the laity and focused heavily on day-to-day obedience to the law of Moses, the Sadducees occupied most of the positions of the Jewish priesthood, as well as the majority of seats in the Sanhedrin.¹² The high priest during Jesus’ ministry, Caiaphas, was a Sadducee.¹³

Even with this level of authority and influence, however, there were much fewer Sadducees than Pharisees.¹⁴ But they had significant political sway and maintained good relations with the Roman rulers of Palestine.¹⁵

And when it came to spiritual matters, while the Pharisees considered the oral law to be equal in authority to the written law (Torah), the Sadducees held only to the written law.

Because of this, they also upheld a literal interpretation of the more harsh practices of early Israel, such as frequent use of the death penalty and what is commonly referred to today as the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” principle.¹⁶ They also oversaw temple proceedings and placed high importance on temple rituals as a means of purity.¹⁷

Despite a more fundamentalist approach to Scripture, however, Sadducees held some unique beliefs that conflicted with the Torah, such as:¹⁸

1) Claiming that God had little, if any, involvement with people on a personal level

2) Denying the existence of spirits, such as angels or demons (Acts 23:8)

3) Denying any kind of a resurrection or afterlife (a point they even questioned Jesus about in Matthew 22:23-33)

So the Sadducees were focused on the here and now. They wanted to preserve their heritage and keep their positions of power, having little interest in serving others.

These beliefs clashed with those of the Pharisees, who regarded God as a strict, intensely involved eternal father who expected perfection.

Despite these differences, though, neither group agreed with Jesus.

Like most Jews during their time, both these groups had expected a Messiah who would bring earthly power, allowing them to conquer the Romans. They saw this as how they could reclaim their former freedom and influence as a proud, set-apart nation, favored by God.

So when Jesus gained a sizable following while preaching an inclusive, service-oriented kingdom of heaven, this threatened the authority of both groups.

What was Jesus’ relationship to the Pharisees and Sadducees?

The Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ relationship with Jesus was one of conflict and friction. Their pride, hypocrisy, and thirst for power and influence had blinded them to who Jesus was—the Son of God. So instead of receiving Him as the prophesied Messiah of the Scriptures, they denied His divinity and did everything possible to discourage the people from following Him.

In the Bible, most of Jesus’ interactions were with the Pharisees, since they more commonly crossed paths with the laity and had more opportunities to interact with Him or His followers.

The Pharisees’ pride led them to critique His every move. They thought that if they could trip up His words, they could arrest Him and discredit Him in the eyes of the people (Matthew 22:15).

They also publicly questioned His authority, asking Him repeatedly for signs—even though He’d already given them many indications of who He was (Matthew 21:23; Mark 8:11-12).

They even went so far as to plot His death after His incredible miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:45-53). And they would eventually get what they wanted: Jesus’ arrest and death (John 18:3)

But what led them to that point?

Let’s look at some key interactions Jesus had with these religious leaders. In them, we’ll see some of the biggest differences they had with Jesus and why they sought to kill him.

(See the box below for a full list of these interactions.)

Eating with sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:16-17; Luke 5:30-32)

Photo by iMattSmart on Unsplash

“Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” the Pharisees asked the disciples (Matthew 9:11, NKJV). The question itself shows their prejudice.

Tax collectors were widely shunned among the Jews because they worked for the Roman government and were also known to charge people more than necessary so they could make a profit. The religious leaders likely saw this profession as a betrayal of loyalty to the nation of Israel.

And the other label the Pharisees use is “sinners.” This likely meant people whose struggles with sin were more obvious, those who might be ceremonially unclean, or those who simply didn’t follow all the rigorous rituals and laws and thus weren’t “righteous” like they considered themselves to be.

Jesus, though, had come to save sinners (Jews and Gentiles—i.e., everyone) and reveal the heart of God to them. He responded to the Pharisees with a quote from the Old Testament Scriptures—something they should have known:

“It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13, CSB).

Jesus didn’t subscribe to human laws or rituals that pushed people aside. He saw beyond people’s sin and came to bring hope and healing to broken hearts.

Accusations of Sabbath breaking (Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:23-28, 3:1-6; Luke 6:1-11)

In this situation, the Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath in two ways:

1. Allowing His disciples to pick and eat handfuls of grain to satisfy their hunger
2. Healing someone with a withered hand

In both cases, the Pharisees were setting up their human traditions as the standard of behavior. They categorized these two acts as “work,” thus breaking the command not to work on Sabbath—even though these acts had nothing to do with their professions or economic gain.

This shows how the Pharisees missed the true purpose of the Sabbath: rest, connection with God, and blessing others.

Jesus wasn’t there to break the Sabbath. Instead, He proclaimed Himself, the Son of Man, as the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28) and showed what it truly meant to keep it. Adventist scholars note the following about Jesus:

“Throughout His ministry on earth Christ was in conflict with the Jewish leaders over the validity of man-made laws and traditions.”¹⁹

In this story, Jesus challenged the Pharisees:

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4, NKJV)

But they refused to answer Him and went out to plot His death (verse 6).

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:22-45)

Jesus had just healed someone possessed by a demon—something that should have been cause for rejoicing.

And it was for some. Many who had witnessed the miracle were eagerly inquiring whether Jesus was the Son of David—the Messiah.

As if to shift the attention away from the miracle and blunt its impact, the Pharisees suddenly accused Jesus of casting the demon out “by Beelzebub, the prince of demons” (Matthew 12:24, NKJV).

This was contradictory, and Jesus pointed it out. How could He set someone free from Satan’s power by the same power? It didn’t make sense.

Jesus went on to warn the Pharisees of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (verse 31). In other words, by ignoring the conviction that Jesus was God, they were in danger of rejecting the Holy Spirit’s voice in their hearts.

Even as they hardened their hearts against Him, Jesus was still trying to show the Pharisees their deep need for salvation and His willingness to save them.

Ritual purity or inner purity (Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23)

Photo by George Becker

The Pharisees were hyperfocused on following the oral law—the traditions passed down from one generation of Jews to another. These laws expanded on the law God gave to Moses, and they were the Pharisees’ way of being extra sure they weren’t breaking God’s law. They were considered “a fence around the Torah.”²⁰

Think of a building with a restricted area, and the rules state that anyone who enters it is forced to leave the building. But to be extra safe, building management also makes the room next to it restricted as well. That might sound harmless or even smart, but it becomes a problem if someone receives the same punishment for entering that room instead of actually entering the restricted area. That would mean that the “just in case” instruction the management came up with was treated as if it had the same authority as the building’s official, original rule.

As for the oral laws the Pharisees followed, one in particular had to do with ritual hand washing. When Jesus’ disciples didn’t follow this tradition, the Pharisees were quick to protest:

“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread” (Matthew 15:2, NKJV).

Jesus got right to the heart of the matter in His response:

“Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3, NKJV)

Then He gave an example of how they’d done this.

“Corban” was a practice among the Jews during that time that allowed someone to neglect caring for their elderly mother and father if that person chose to devote their land and money as a gift to God.²¹

The Pharisees encouraged people to make these kinds of gifts to God because they benefited the religious leaders.

The motive was money.

Jesus explained that the motives of the heart—including greed and covetousness—are what make someone impure, not failure to follow ritual hand washing (Matthew 15:19-20).

Woes on the Pharisees (Matthew 23; Luke 11:37-54)

Matthew 23 contains one of Jesus’ longest rebukes of the Pharisees. It consists of eight “woes” that point out and give examples of their hypocrisy, greed, and pride.

In summary, He denounced them for:

1. Hindering people from experiencing the kingdom of God
2. Making long prayers but neglecting to care for those in need
3. Trying to convert people into their selfish, prideful, hypocritical ways
4. Becoming so particular about making an oath rather than focusing on the importance of keeping the oath²²
5. Focusing on minute details of the law while ignoring justice, mercy, and faithfulness
6. Presenting a holy exterior while being full of greed and self-indulgence.
7. Appearing righteous on the outside but being impure of heart
8. Revering the prophets of the past while persecuting those who served God in the present

Though Jesus no doubt wanted to awaken the Pharisees to their condition, scholars also believe He denounced them for the sake of the people listening.

He wanted to “break the chains that bound the people to tradition and those who perpetuated it.”²³

Rebuke to Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-50)

Simon was actually one of the Pharisees who wasn’t hostile toward Jesus and even invited Him to eat at his house. But in this situation, Jesus had to call out a serious issue that Simon and others in attendance needed to learn from.

While at Simon’s house, a woman, whom the account tells us was “a sinner,” came up to Jesus while He was at the table and, in an act of sacrificial love, anointed His feet with fragrant—and pricey—oil (Luke 7:37-38, ESV).

Here’s how Simon reacted:

“Now when the Pharisee who invited Him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man [Jesus] were a prophet, He would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner” (verse 39, ESV).

His comment revealed His pharisaical mindset. “Sinners” were to be avoided.

Ironically, Jesus knew who the woman was, and He knew what Simon was saying to himself. So He told Simon a parable:

“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” (verses 41-42, NKJV)

Simon correctly responded that the one who’d been forgiven more would love more.

Then Jesus drove the point home:

“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (verses 44-47, NKJV).

Did Simon receive the rebuke?

Or did he harden his heart to Jesus’ teachings the way the other Pharisees did? The Bible doesn’t record what happened in Simon’s life after this moment.

But it does tell us about one Pharisee who allowed the Gospel to change him.

A night meeting with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21; 7:50-51)

Photo by Min An

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews who had come to believe Jesus was a teacher from God (John 3:1)

Intrigued, he wanted to talk with Jesus. But perhaps out of fear that others would know, he went to Him at night, under cover of darkness.

In their conversation, we see Nicodemus wrestling with his need for salvation.

After all, the Pharisees believed they had it all together. They were saved.

But Jesus turned that upside down and showed Nicodemus the heart change that was necessary to understand God’s character and the kingdom of heaven:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, NKJV).

In this conversation, Jesus also shared some of the most precious truths in the Word of God. Bible verses that are very familiar to us today:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17, NKJV).

John 3 doesn’t tell us the conclusion of the conversation. It leaves us wondering whether Nicodemus chose to believe in Jesus or not.

But later, we’re let in on more of the story.

During a meeting of the chief priests and Pharisees who wanted to kill Jesus, Nicodemus defended Him before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51). And after His crucifixion, he showed himself a follower of Jesus by helping to respectfully bury His body (John 19:39).

Nicodemus was one Pharisee who chose to let go of his pride, choosing to follow Jesus even if it cost him.

What are lessons we can learn from Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees and Sadducees?

Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees and Sadducees teach us a lot about the reality of following God in a world hostile to Him and His principles.

The Pharisees and Sadducees longed for the Messiah they’d created in their minds. They wanted someone who would free them from oppression and support their hunger for wealth and power.

But Jesus didn’t do so.

He came to break people free from much more than that—the chains of selfishness, pride, corruption, greed, etc.

When the Pharisees realized that He wasn’t someone who would free them from Roman rule, they were unwilling to acknowledge that the Messiah might be different from what they expected. They allowed pride to get in the way, leading them to persecute Jesus through their words and actions.

Here are some takeaways we can gather from their stories.

The reality of persecution

Photo by Keira Burton

Jesus experienced persecution throughout His life and ministry because He lived His life so differently from those around Him.

His principles of self-sacrificing love and true justice, and His full confidence in His Father, angered those who were seeking gain for themselves or prioritizing the systems that benefited them.

Jesus Himself said,

“If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you” (John 15:18-19, CSB).

Similarly, when we as Christians choose to live for principles that are different from the world around us, we will face opposition. Opposition from society, co-workers, friends, and sometimes even family.

But we can take courage that Jesus experienced it before us and will strengthen us to go through it (John 16:33).

Handling opposition with love

When confronted by the Pharisees who were trying to entrap Him at every turn, Jesus didn’t retaliate. Yes, at times, He spoke some strong words to them (after all, He is God, and they were grossly misrepresenting Him), but He didn’t try to argue, prove Himself, or defend Himself to them.

When they would ask Him for a sign, He wouldn’t take the bait. Instead, He would often ask them a core question that revealed the state of their faith (Matthew 16:1-4; Mark 11:27-33). He didn’t enter into their mind games.

Likewise, when we face opposition, silence is often the best answer, rather than trying to justify ourselves. And we can also remember that if there is something we’re supposed to say, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will give us those words:

“Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said” (Luke 12:11-12, CSB).

Danger of pride and self-importance

Pride and self-importance can lead us to categorize ourselves apart from others while also relying on our own efforts for achievement, salvation, contentment, etc. And if we feel like there isn’t anything more we need to learn or that we never need any help, that often blinds us to the truths right in front of us.

This was the downfall of many of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

When Jesus spoke to these religious leaders of His mission to set people free, they were quick to react:

“We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” (John 8:33, NKJV).

Their pride closed them off from receiving what Jesus offered. Likewise, when we feel that we have everything together or that we don’t need to learn anything, we may be closing ourselves off to what God wants to do in our lives.

The Pharisees’ example serves as a warning and reminder to keep a tender, open heart toward God. And the Bible promises us:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, NKJV).

Meeting people where they’re at

Jesus knew how to approach people. He knew when He needed to be firm and straightforward with the hardhearted Pharisees, even to the point of rebuking them publicly. And He also knew when someone was sincerely seeking, as in the case of Nicodemus.

A survey of the Gospel accounts reveals that Jesus was never harsh to anyone who came to Him in desperation or brokenness. He knew they needed tenderness and care, and that’s exactly what He gave them.

His way of approaching people reminds us that different people need different approaches. Yes, there may be a time when you have to be firm with someone who is pushing boundaries or causing harm to others, and something needs to be stopped immediately. And at other times, someone who has made mistakes may need your kindness and encouragement.

And if we’re ever not sure which approach to take, we can ask God for His Holy Spirit to help discern what is best in each situation (Luke 11:13).

The Pharisees and Sadducees’ missed opportunities

The Pharisees and Sadducees were quite different from one another—one group cared about adherence to the oral law, while the other cared about secular and political activities.

But they were united in their desire for influence, power, and authority. And their collective pride caused them to oppose Jesus.

They didn’t understand His ways of self-sacrifice, humility, and mercy.

And their anger would lead them to call for His execution.

Yet, Jesus still wanted to reach them, still desired to show love to them—as we see in the example of Simon or Nicodemus.

Jesus gave the Pharisees and Sadducees many opportunities. And He does the same for each one of us.

Jesus’ Interactions with the Pharisees and Sadducees

Most of Jesus’ interactions were with the Pharisees, who were more present in day-to-day life while the Sadducees tended to separate themselves from the laity. Passages that included the Sadducees are noted.

• Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:30-32
• Matthew 9:32-34
• Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:23-28, 3:1-6; Luke 6:1-11
• Matthew 12:22-45
• Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23
• Matthew 16:1-4; Mark 8:11-12 (Pharisees and Sadducees together)
• Matthew 19:3-12; Mark 10:2-9
• Matthew 21:23-46; Mark 11:27-33; 12:1-12 (“Chief priests and elders” include Sadducees)
• Matthew 22:1-14
• Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17
• Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27 (Sadducees)
• Matthew 22:34-46; Mark 12:28-37
• Matthew 23
• Luke 5:17-26
• Luke 5:33-39
• Luke 7:36-50
• Luke 13:31-33
• Luke 14:1-24
• Luke 15
• Luke 16:14-18
• Luke 17:20-37
• Luke 19:37-40
• John 3:1-12
• John 8:3-20
• John 9:35-41

1. To name a few: Nicodemus (John 3:1-21; 7:50-51; 19:39); Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50-51; John 19:38-42); and Paul, a former Pharisee (Acts 23:6). [↵]
2. “Sanhedrin,” Britannica. (1954), p. 679. [↵]
3. “Sadducees,” Britannica. [↵]
4. “Pharisee,” Britannica. [↵]
5. Ibid. [↵]
6. Klingbeil, Gerald, “Religious Groups in First-Century A.D. Palestine,” Adventist World, April 2015, pp. 16-19. [↵]
7. Horn, Siegfried, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, p. 872-873. [↵]
8. Ibid., p. 622. [↵]
9. Ibid. [↵]
10. “Sadducees,” World History Encyclopedia. [↵]
11. Ibid. [↵]
12. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, p. 872-873. [↵]
13. “Caiaphas,” New World Encyclopedia. [↵]
14. Klingbeil, “Religious Groups in First-Century A.D. Palestine,” [↵]
15. “Sadducees,” Britannica. [↵]
16. Ibid. [↵]
17. “Sadducees,” World History Encyclopedia. [↵]
18. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary., pp. 874, 967 [↵]
19. Nichol, F.D., Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 586. [↵]
20. “Pirkei Avot 1”, Mishnah, translated by Dr. Joshua Kulp, Sefaria, https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.1.1?lang=bi [↵]
21. The Pulpit Commentary, comments on Mark 7:11, Bible Hub. [↵]
22. Nichol, p. 338. [↵]
23. Ibid., p. 486 [↵]

More Answers

The Bible includes a lot of names for Jesus, and they all reveal different facets of His identity, power, character, and mission.

We’ve all had nicknames throughout our lives. They might be shortened versions of our real names, terms of endearment, or something related to a memory. They are often expressions of love.

And so it is with Jesus. His names are expressions of His love, so to understand them, we need to look at them through a lens of love because “God is love” (1 John 4:8, ESV).¹

Let’s go through them and see what we learn.

• A summary of His names
• A closer look at:
  • Prince of Peace
  • Immanuel
  • Son of David/Son of Man
  • I AM
  • King of kings and Lord of lords
  • The Last/Second Adam
  • Lion of Judah
  • Lamb of God
  • Alpha and Omega
• What we can learn from the names of Jesus

Let’s begin with an overview of all His names, then we’ll look at some of them in further depth.

A quick summary of the names of Jesus

Photo by Tara Winstead

It can help us understand the different names of Jesus to list them in a timeline for when they were used. It helps us realize the proper context for the names we’ll look at more closely.

In the Old Testament, Jesus is called (references are from ESV unless otherwise noted):

• Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14)
• Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
• The Branch (Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8²)
• The Lord Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6 NKJV)
• Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)
• Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6)
• Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
• Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6)
• Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2)
• Michael (Daniel 10:21; 12:1)
• Shiloh (Genesis 49:10 NKJV)

These names, spoken by prophets in the Old Testament, pointed to a Savior that would restore the hope of salvation to a fallen humanity.

In the Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), Jesus is called:

• Son of God (Matthew 16:16)
• Beloved Son (Luke 9:35, NKJV)
• Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32)
• Only Begotten Son (John 3:16, NKJV)
• Son of Man (Matthew 26:64; Luke 5:24³)
• Son of the Blessed (Mark 14:61)
• Lamb of God (John 1:29)
• Christ (Matthew 1:16)
• Messiah (John 4:25)
• Son of David (Matthew 1:1; 9:27⁴)
• King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2; 27:11⁵)
• Lord (John 21:7)
• Teacher or Rabbi (John 13:13, 20:16)
• Prophet (Matthew 21:11; John 7:40)
• Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
• Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48)
• Immanuel (Matthew 1:23)
• The Holy One (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34)
• I AM (John 8:58)
• The Word (John 1:1)
• Light of the World (John 8:12; 9:5)

These names confirmed that Jesus was the Savior the Old Testament prophets spoke of. And they highlighted important aspects of His mission on Earth.

Later in the New Testament (Acts-Jude), Jesus is called:

• Prince of Life (Acts 3:15, NKJV)
• Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7)
• King of kings (1 Timothy 6:15)
• Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15)
• The Just One or the Just (Acts 3:14, NKJV; 7:52 NKJV⁶)
• The Apostle (Hebrews 3:1, NKJV)
• Deliverer (Romans 11:26)
• Good Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25⁷)
• The Holy One (Acts 3:14, 13:35)
• High Priest (Hebrews 3:1, NKJV)
• The Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45)
• The Second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-47)
• Michael (Jude 1:9)

These names highlight key aspects of His character as well as His role in the Trinity.

And lastly, in Revelation, Jesus is referred to as:

• Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5)
• Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8⁸)
• King of kings (Revelation 17:14; 19:16)
• Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14; 19:16)
• Lamb of God (Revelation 5:8⁹)
• King of Saints (Revelation 15:3, NKJV)
• The Amen (Revelation 3:14)
• Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16, NKJV)
• The Word (Revelation 19:13)

These names look to a future when Jesus will return, defeat the devil, and once and for all be with His people (us!) in a fully-restored relationship in Heaven.

Now let’s look more closely at some of these names to better understand Jesus’ identity, character and mission.

Prince of Peace

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Jesus as Prince of Peace reveals two important aspects of His identity: His royal status and His peaceful essence.

King David was a royal ancestor of the Isrealites, and Old Testament prophets predicted that the coming Messiah, or Savior, would come from his bloodline (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Isaiah 9:7) . Calling Jesus “prince” solidifies this royal part of His identity (more on that when we discuss Son of David).

The word “prince” also means “a son of the sovereign.”¹⁰ When we think of God the Father as being sovereign, it’s fitting to call Jesus, the Son of God, Prince.

Peace refers to the profoundly peaceful nature of Jesus (Philippians 4:7). His very existence and presence on earth meant He brought peace to a world full of conflict and trouble (John 14:27).

Because He is the Prince of Peace, this also suggests He is the authority of peace; He brings peace but also maintains peace. “Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are seen as the ultimate fulfillment of this peace, reconciling humanity to God and offering inner peace to believers.”¹¹

Remember, the very essence of God is love, and 1 John 4:18 says that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (ESV). In Christ, we do not have to fear anything, and a life without fear is a life of perfect peace.

In Jesus, peace descended from heaven in the flesh to dwell among us, as we’ll discover with the next name of Jesus.

Immanuel

The Hebrew word Immanuel literally means “God with us”¹² (Matthew 1:23). (“Emmanuel” is the Greek translation of Immanuel, but it means the same thing.) It partly points to a physical presence of God with us on earth. Immanuel identifies Jesus as part of the Trinity (God the Son) that came to live among us and take part in our humanity.

Also, since sin entered the world through a human (Adam) and separated us from God, it would be another human (Jesus) who would reconcile that relationship. “God with us” means that Jesus is the way back to a restored relationship with God.

The prophet Isaiah predicted that Immanuel would come from a virgin, which mirrored the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth. These miraculous circumstances were to act as a sign that the son she had would be the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14).

Not only were the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth a sign of who He was, his lineage was also a sign that He was the prophesied Messiah.

Son of David/Son of Man

Genealogies played a significant role in biblical societies. They traced the line of descent and, in the case of Jesus, His genealogy is part of what identified Him as the Messiah and one with God, the King of all creation (Psalm 47:7). Jesus is “the first born, an Old Testament phrase about Jesus’ royal status, over all creation.”¹³

Matthew 1 uses the genealogy of Jesus to connect Him to Abraham, God’s chosen person (and family) through whom promises would flow to humanity.¹⁴

Matthew is saying that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises about a coming Messiah who would descend from David (hence the name “son of David,” Matthew 1:1, Luke 2:4). Because David was a king, calling Jesus the Son of David connected him to David’s royal line.

Luke 3 traces Jesus’ genealogy all the way back to “the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:38, NKJV). As a descendent of Adam, Luke is pointing out that Jesus is the Son of Man and Savior to all people, not just Abraham’s descendents.

Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man over 80 times.¹⁵ It connects Jesus back to the Old Testament prophecy of the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven and beginning a work of judgment (Daniel 7:13-14, John 5:27).

Son of Man also relates to Jesus’ ability to relate to us because He was born a human (Hebrews 2:17, 4:15).

I AM

Though Jesus was born into humanity, His existence is eternal. I AM points to His timelessness and self-existence.¹⁶ He created, but was not Himself created. This can be a difficult concept for us to understand since we are created beings, and how can the finite understand the infinite? It’s hard to mentally grasp something or someone always existing, even before we existed. But I AM expresses this.

When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush in the Old Testament, He identified Himself as I AM (Exodus 3:14). The religious leaders in the time of Jesus would have been very aware of this, so when Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58, CSB), they considered it blasphemy and wanted to kill Him (verse 59) because He was saying He was God (but they didn’t want to believe Him).

It was unlawful to claim to be God, but Jesus made this claim boldly (John 10:30, John 14:9). He stood firmly in His identity and revealed His divine nature with confidence.

King of kings and Lord of lords

This same confidence is displayed in the name King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus is timeless and His kingdom lasts forever.

The title king of kings (with a lowercase k) was often used in the Old Testament to show honor to someone of great authority and political power (Ezra 7:12, Ezekiel 26:7, Daniel 2:37).

To call Jesus King of kings and Lord of lords (with uppercase K and L) is to honor Him as a king and lord above all other kings and lords that have ever existed. In fact, He has the authority to set up and take down earthly kings (Daniel 2:21). He is ultimate, and to call Him as such is to show Him great honor and glory.

It demonstrates the power He has to defeat the devil and the authority He has to judge fairly (Revelation 19:11,16) when He will establish His kingdom on earth, which will last forever (Revelation 11:15).

The Last/Second Adam

His kingdom will last forever because Jesus was successful where Adam, the first human, failed (Romans 5:17-18). When Adam was tempted by the devil, he gave in to sin. But when the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus resisted him at every turn (Matthew 4:1-11).

Jesus is called the Last Adam, or the Second Adam, because the salvation of the human race comes through him (1 Corinthians 5:22).¹⁷ In his book The Sonship of Christ, Ty Gibson puts it this way: “A second ‘Adam,’ a new ‘Son of God,’ will take the stage of human history and succeed where the first Adam failed.”¹⁸

Defeating such an evil force brings up images of a mighty warrior holding up a bloody sword in victory. And this next name of Jesus emphasizes that image really well.

Lion of Judah

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

Lions are fierce. If you saw a lion roaming around your neighborhood, you’d likely run the other way! Even if you’d never seen a lion before, just the way they walk and glare might spark your instinct to get away, and fast.

The name Lion of Judah holds fortitude and intensity in its words. “The strength and power of the lion, his undoubted place as king of beasts, make him a fitting symbol of the all-powerful Messiah.”¹⁹

Lion of Judah also connects Jesus to the fulfillment of a promise in Genesis that Joseph made to his son, Judah (Genesis 49:9-10). This prophecy of Joseph to his son was a message that the Messiah would come through Judah’s line.²⁰ So, “Among the Hebrews, and throughout the Old Testament, the lion was the achievement of the princely tribe of Judah.”²¹

There’s so much powerful language around some names of Jesus that you’d think He conquered sin through being a powerful warrior (Jeremiah 20:11-12). And He is a mighty warrior who wages war against evil (Revelation 19:11), but it’s His self-sacrifice that saved us from sin and reconciled us to God.

The next name we’ll look at speaks to a part of Jesus’ identity that is equally as full and true as Lion of Judah; both names “represent the union of omnipotent power and self-sacrificing love.”²²

Lamb of God

Where lions are fierce, lambs are equally as gentle. Jesus’ victory over sin came at a great price and in a way we might not expect from someone with all power at His disposal (Matthew 28:18).

One writer says, “Men since Old Testament times hoped for a Messiah who would be like a lion; the New Testament presents the Messiah as a lamb.”²³ Jesus didn’t defeat the Romans (who were oppressing the Jews) and establish His kingdom through military warfare, like the Jews expected Him to. Instead, it was through self-sacrifice and dying on the cross that Jesus triumphed over all sin for all time (1 Corinthians 15:56-57, Colossians 2:13-14).

Lambs are gentle creatures and, without a shepherd to guard them, are easy prey. Calling Jesus Lamb of God symbolizes the way He conquered the sin of the world. Isaiah said the Messiah would be “like a lamb that is led to slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7, NASB) and John the Baptist publicly identified Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

Throughout the Old Testament, the people of Israel used unblemished lambs for sacrifices to God (Leviticus 1:3) for the atonement of the Israelites’ sins. The lamb had to be unblemished because it represented Jesus, who is sinless and without blemish.

Jesus was the perfect sacrifice who saved us all (1 Peter:18-19).

The different names of Jesus speak to the fullness of who He is, even when they seem to contradict each other. But they don’t cancel each other out because they all stem from His goodness and love.

The last name we’ll look at speaks to this seeming contradictory nature of Jesus.

Alpha and Omega

Is He as fierce as a lion? Yes. Is He as gentle as a lamb? Absolutely. Does He have the power to raise rulers and put them down? Yup! When we take a step back and look at all of Jesus’ names together, we better understand where Alpha and Omega comes from—the beginning and the end (Isaiah 44:6).

Revelation 1:8 (ESV) says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. Together, Alpha and Omega are “a figure of speech that expresses the totality by references to polar opposites.” The name emphasizes God’s sovereignty because He controls the beginning, the end, and everything in between.²⁴

Jesus isn’t either/or. He is and. That and this. It is precisely this characteristic that makes Him eternal and complete. He is the only one who is “the fulfillment of God’s plan from creation to the end times.”²⁵

What we can learn from the names of Jesus

Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

Jesus is love, and His many names show different aspects of that love.

Something would be lacking if Jesus was King of kings and Lord of lords but not the Lamb of God. If He promised to be the Prince of Peace but didn’t dwell with us as Immanuel, an important piece would be missing.

But nothing is missing in Jesus. There is a name for Him for any way that we need Him.

If we need Him to protect us, we can call Him the Good Shepherd.

When we’re confused and need a guide, we can call Him Wonderful Counselor.

When we need a reminder that we are heirs to God’s promises because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can call Him Passover Lamb.

When we need a reminder that He understands our experience, we can call Him Immanuel.

There are so many names for Jesus because His love is big. And He is everything that we could ever need.

Not only do Jesus’ names tell us more about His identity and mission, prophecies about Him do as well.

1. Nixon, Paul D. and Clarise Nixon. God Is A Person: Discovering God for Yourself, TrueVinePublishing, 2021, p. 16. [↵]
2. See also Jeremiah 33:15 and Zacheriah 6:12 [↵]
3. See also John 5:27 [↵]
4. See also Matthew 15:22; 21:9 [↵]
5. See also Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:2-3 [↵]
6. See also Acts 22:14, NKJV [↵]
7. See also 1 Peter 5:4 [↵]
8. See also Revelation 1:11, NKJV; 21:6; 22:13 [↵]
9. Revelation uses this title for Jesus more than any other book of the Bible: 5:12-13; 6:1, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17, and many others! [↵]
10. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prince [↵]
11. https://biblehub.com/topical/m/mighty_god,_everlasting_father,_prince_of_peace.htm [↵]
12. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6005.htm [↵]
13. “Book of Colossians” by BibleProject, https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-colossians/. [↵]
14. “Jesus and Genealogies” by BibleProject, https://bibleproject.com/articles/jesus-genealogies/ [↵]
15. “Lesson 2: The Son,” General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. p. 15 [↵]
16. SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 172 [↵]
17. Nichol, Francis, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 811. [↵]
18. Gibson, Ty, MDiv, The Sonship of Christ, p. 30. [↵]
19. Specht, Walter F., PhD, “Christ the Lamb,” Andrews University. [↵]
20. “Revelation 5:5,” BibleHub.com. [↵]
21. “Lion,” Smith’s Bible Dictionary. [↵]
22. White, Ellen G. The Acts of the Apostles, p. 589. [↵]
23. Specht, “Christ the Lamb.” [↵]
24. Gallusz, Laszlo, PhD. “The Incomparable ‘Alpha and Omega’: God’s Speeches in Revelation,” Ministry Magazine (2021). 172 [↵]
25. “Revelation 1:8” BibleHub.com. [↵]

More Answers

More Answers

Want some ideas for ways you can prepare for Sabbath?

Chores/tasks/activities that can help you feel more physically, mentally, and spiritually prepared to enjoy the Sabbath:

• Finish the laundry
• Do dishes/clear the countertops
• Put fresh bedsheet and pillows on the bed
• Tidy up rooms
• Vacuum and sweep
• Fill cars up with gas
• Go through the mail stack
• Pre-plan or pre-make meals
• Take a long, relaxing bath
• Silence phone notifications
• Journal
• Write a to-do list for next week…then set it aside
• Take a walk
• Pray
• Read a devotional or a passage of Scripture
• Attend an evening church service
• Gather as a family
• Spend quality time with friends or extended family
• Bake and share bread
• Sing or play music
• Light candles
• Make hot drinks
• Put fresh flowers in a vase

Why do people prepare for Sabbath?

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Preparing for Sabbath allows us to more deeply enjoy its purpose and its blessings.

This makes sense, considering what Sabbath is all about. On the very first Sabbath, God finished His work, then made time to stop and enjoy it (Genesis 2:1-3). To appreciate it. To experience it. It’s a transition from “go mode” to “chill mode.” And He extends this same blessing to all humankind so we can enjoy fellowship with Him, appreciating the world He made for us.

The Hebrew word for Sabbath, Sabbat or Shabbat (שַׁבָּת), means “to cease.”¹

But why would we need to “prepare” to cease? To stop? To pause?

Well, we can’t rest very well if we don’t put down our work, right? And if you think about it, preparing for rest is a fairly natural process. For instance,

• We work hard to earn enough money for retirement.
• We prepare for holidays weeks (or months) in advance so we can truly relax, de-stress, and enjoy the festivities (or intentional lack thereof).
• Before a vacation, we try to finish as much of our work as possible so we don’t have to think about it while we’re gone. Instead, we want a clear head so we can make the most of our getaway.
• If we’re hosting some visiting friends or family, we want to clear our schedules and prepare certain things ahead of time so our regular obligations don’t get in the way of the quality time we want to spend with our loved ones.

Similarly, Sabbath is like a little vacation each week where we also get to spend quality time with the best Friend we could ever have. That’s why God asks us to hit the pause button—so we can be present, tune into His Spirit, and have a legitimate chance to stop and smell the roses (both literally and figuratively).

It’s so much easier to do this if we make an effort to be ready for it. It enables us to disconnect from the constant need to produce, deliver, construct, achieve, etc. Then we can appreciate God allowing us time just to exist, acknowledge His presence, and remember that we can lean on Him for sustenance instead of trying to take on the world ourselves.

So what are some ways we can prepare for Sabbath beforehand?

Let’s start by looking at how God taught the Israelites to prepare for Sabbath in the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Sabbath preparation?

In chronicling the lives and spiritual growth of Israel, the Bible provides several examples of God teaching the Israelites how to prep for Sabbath.

The fact that the Israelites needed God to give them instructions for preparation suggests that the Israelites had forgotten the Sabbath day amid their captivity in Egypt. As slaves, they would have had little opportunity to observe it.

But God brought the Sabbath back to them. He did it to restore the original plan He made for humankind, but also to remind them of the love and rest He offered (Ezekiel 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:15).

What a relief this day must have been for a group of people who had been enslaved, required to regularly work to the point of exhaustion (Exodus 5:4-18).

In addition to being a reminder of God’s love and care, the Sabbath was intended to reforge their relationship with God that had been stifled in Egypt. And pausing from work to reserve quality time is an essential way to do that.

In Exodus 16, we find the Israelites wandering the wilderness, slowly making their way to the Promised Land. But along the way they began to complain that they were hungry, expressing doubt in God and Moses’ leadership.

God responded to their doubts graciously. He wanted the people to trust Him and see that His leadership would never fail. He also needed to help them mature morally, spiritually, and practically after being liberated from slavery. So He provided them with a food routine.

The food came to them in the form of manna, a flaky, bread-like substance that they could easily find and gather each day. Along with this food, He gave the Israelites specific instructions:

• They were to gather manna every day of the week (except for the seventh day).
• Each morning, they were only to gather enough for that day—they weren’t to hoard it or take more than their household needed (otherwise, any extra they took would spoil overnight).
• But on the Sabbath, no manna would appear for them to gather.
• Instead, they were to prepare for the seventh day by gathering a double portion on the sixth day (Friday). This was the one day they were allowed to gather more than just a day’s worth.

This simple practice was a reminder to the Israelites that it was in their best interests to keep the Sabbath God had first instituted at Creation:

“‘See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.’ So the people rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 16:29-30, NKJV).

God continued to teach the Israelites how to prepare by explaining what tasks could be avoided on Sabbath and done beforehand.

This included tasks like:

• Wrapping up work (Exodus 20:8-11): Because people paused from their work on Sabbath, final tasks for the week were completed before Sabbath arrived. Even servants and animals would get the chance to rest from their labor.

• Buying and selling (Nehemiah 13:15-22): Commerce was also paused on Sabbath. Because Sabbath rest is for everyone, the Israelites avoided work (like selling things to earn a profit) as well as any activity that would require others to work for them (buying goods and services from others). In this way, the Israelites would have bought and sold everything they needed before Sabbath began.

• Tasks that required significant effort (Exodus 35:3): The Israelites also avoided sizable chores like lighting fires on Sabbath. Back in their day, gathering materials for fire (and lighting it) required a hefty amount of manual labor. So they made preparations for warmth, safety, and cooking/preserving so they could have a break from these things on Sabbath (Exodus 16:23).²

• Gathering (Numbers 15:32-36): If you’ve ever gathered, hauled, and assembled a stack of wood to make a fire or use in a stove, you know it can be exhausting and time-consuming. So the Israelites were instructed to gather enough of what they’d need during their day off.

• Carrying heavy loads (Jeremiah 17:21-22): These verses most likely refer to the act of carrying goods to sell.³ However, we can understand why carrying any kind of load would put a bit of a damper on our Sabbath rest. It might feel like using our precious little time off to pack up a moving truck. For this reason, Israelites would ensure all heavy lifting was taken care of before Sabbath.

In completing these tasks before Sabbath, the Israelites would have an easier time sincerely focusing on the day God set aside for their rest, both physically and spiritually (Luke 23:54-56; Genesis 2:1-3).

Of course, some things couldn’t always be prepared for—like emergencies or daily necessities. The Jews still needed to feed and water their livestock every day (Luke 13:15). They also wouldn’t ignore or put off urgent needs, especially those that involved the health and safety of others.⁴

But there were many things they could do in advance like cook, clean, sell, buy, gather, make, and so on.

One other thing to keep in mind is that the Bible also shows us how sin can corrupt or skew Sabbath-keeping and preparation into something completely different.

As we can read about in the beginning of the New Testament, the meaning of Sabbath was distorted by some factions of Jewish religious leaders as they heaped on additional regulations for Sabbath-keeping and preparation.⁵ But Jesus Christ Himself confronted this and clarified that Sabbath was made for the benefit, health, and joy of humanity. It’s a blessing—it was never supposed to be a burden (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:27).

So, instead of being founded on ultra-specific rules, observing or preparing for Sabbath is all about acknowledging and embracing the principles it was built upon.

And it’s these principles that can help us determine how to get ready for Sabbath in a way that’s relevant, personal, and meaningful for us today.

How can we prepare for Sabbath in today’s world?

Photo by Teona Swift

Just as it’s always been, celebrating Sabbath is easier and more accessible when we take care of unnecessary distractions and to-do lists beforehand.

The two key principles of the Sabbath are pausing for rest⁶ and spending special time with God,⁷ so any way we can facilitate these things would be an example of preparation.

That being said, just like with Sabbath-keeping, preparation isn’t about adhering to specific tasks or rules that, upon completion, make us somehow more “officially” prepared for this weekly holy day.

Making things like this too specific can be limiting and isn’t always helpful or relevant. That’s why, throughout the Bible, we more often find principles to apply than highly-detailed, step-by-step instructions for life.

The actual tasks of prep will also vary from person to person. For example, cooking can feel like a chore for some while others find it fun or calming. So one person might try to pre-make some meals for Sabbath and enjoy a break from cooking, while another might enjoy the chance to prepare special meals on Sabbath as part of the enjoyment of the day. But both of these types of people are likely to make sure all the grocery shopping for the weekend was done ahead of time, etc.

Or some people who are artists by trade might make an effort to clean up and put away their art supplies before Sabbath so they don’t have to think about work throughout that day. But those who like to paint or sketch as a hobby might find the Sabbath a meaningful time to follow the whims of artistic inspiration, so they leave their art supplies out and instead focus on completing other mundane or burdensome tasks that they don’t want to have to think about on Sabbath.

Or some people might like to assign Friday as a reserved day of preparation while others spread out preparation efforts during the week.

But setting up strict rules for Sabbath preparation can weigh it down, making it seem like a burden when God made it to be a delight. Sabbath won’t be restful if we’re always rushing to finish a big list of tasks in time. We don’t need to put that kind of pressure on ourselves. And this kind of focus can also cause us to forget Sabbath’s purpose in the first place.

That’s why there’s no lengthy to-do list here. Instead, some fairly simple Bible study can provide just the wisdom we need to prep for Sabbath. Scripture encourages us to do what we can to:

• Guard Sabbath rest: We naturally guard our time for things that we prioritize. And in Bible times, guarding Sabbath rest involved taking care of strenuous tasks and chores before the sun set on Friday night. While what we consider “work” looks different today due to modern conveniences, there’s still plenty we can do to lighten our load on Sabbath. This might be finishing the week’s laundry, cleaning the house (or key parts of it), running errands for things we might need during the weekend, or pre-cooking Sabbath meals in the crock pot. Or it could mean getting through all our emails by Friday and turning off all our pings and notifications until Saturday night.

• Guard special time with God: Sabbath was also meant to be the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with God by gathering together for worship and studying His Word. If we ready ourselves mentally and spiritually for Sabbath, we can enjoy a more intentional, liberated mindset. So if we have things that often distract us, weigh on us, or hold our attention and moods captive, we might choose to give those things a break for 24 hours.
  Some might put their phones away for most of the day, or make sure certain apps are closed or silenced. Some might refrain from binge-watching the day away on the shows they’re currently into. Some might plan ahead to do certain activities only on Sabbath, making them extra special and purposeful. Some might make it a point to attend a Friday vespers (evening service) at their local church. Some might have family prayer or worship at sundown on Friday to direct their mindsets to the beginning of Sabbath. The possibilities are limitless.

Now let’s look at how we can turn our preparation priorities into a routine that we can stick to.

Developing a Sabbath prep routine

Some may prepare for Sabbath differently each week, especially if their work schedules vary from week to week. But many people like to make routines or habits that can be planned for and counted on. So let’s talk about some ways to build a Sabbath preparation routine that’s both meaningful and practical.

The number one step will be the same for everyone: prayerful consideration. The whole point of Sabbath preparation is to help us enjoy God’s gift and deepen our relationship with Him, so He is more than willing to bring helpful things to mind.

Then, it can help to ask yourself questions like:

• What tasks can I take care of to make my Sabbath feel more restful?
• What would be nice to not have to think about on Sabbath?
• How can I prep my mind to enjoy a Sabbath free of distractions and stress?
• How can I make it a priority to spend personal time with God this Sabbath?
• What special things can I do to make Sabbath something I look forward to every week?

As you reflect on these things, know that the Holy Spirit is always there to provide guidance.

But that’s not to say you won’t run into difficulties. You might struggle with finding the time (or energy/willpower) to complete all the things you’d like to get done before Sabbath.

It’s all too easy to be ambitious with our plans, but then have to adjust for reality later on. And that’s ok.

What if I can’t prepare everything in time?

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Again, let’s remember that Sabbath is Sabbath, and the blessing is there for us even if we aren’t as prepared as we want to be. There’s no need for guilt or shame if it’s sundown on Friday and our minds are still spinning from work drama, or we arrive home to a very messy house that we just don’t have the time or energy to clean up in the nick of time.

Instead, we can just be thankful that the weekly time has come to set all the chaos aside for 24 hours

For many people, their work schedule could already interfere with how they’d prefer to prepare for Sabbath. Especially during the winter months, by the time we get home from work on Friday evening, it’s already about to be Sabbath. Sometimes we don’t get a whole lot of transition time.

While it may be possible for a few people here and there to adjust their work schedules, this is likely not an option for most others. That means the priority will be finding ways to facilitate a quick, smooth transition to the Sabbath mindset, even if we’re just getting back from an exhausting day at work.

Some might choose to have things as prepped as possible before even leaving for work on Friday.

Some might read devotionals right after work or have an inspiring, thoughtful podcast cued up.

Some might switch on some calming music or even some background ambience tracks, like rain, birds, or ocean.

Some might have a dedicated prayer in the car on the commute home.

Some might enjoy a family routine that becomes a meaningful tradition, like lighting candles, eating challa (a Jewish bread recipe sometimes called “Shabbat bread”), choosing a Bible verse to reflect on together, or simply reserving time for the whole family to be present and attentive, relaxing together and welcoming the incoming peace of the Sabbath.

Preparing to receive this peace is the whole point.

It’s okay if your house is still untidy by Sabbath. It’s okay if your to-do list for the week only got half done. Preparation isn’t about meeting standards; it’s about meeting your needs. What do you personally need to have ready so you can embrace Sabbath peace?

What helps you “remember”?

In the Sabbath (fourth) commandment, God asks us to “remember” the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8). It’s all about remembering who God is (our Creator) and what He did for us.

So when we’re “preparing” for the Sabbath each week, it helps to ask, What helps me remember that Sabbath is here—that I can slow down, pause, and reflect on this blessing?

And above all, the very best Sabbath preparation advice anyone can give is to pray. God has always intended for us to enjoy the Sabbath with Him each week, so it only makes sense that He is already there to help us prepare for it as well.

Want to keep learning about the Sabbath?

or

1. Strong, James LL.D, S.T.D. The Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Zondervan, 2001. pp. 1570, 1784. [↵]
2. Nichol, F.D. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary And Bible Students’ Source Book, vol. 1 (1954), p. 679. [↵]
3. Nichol, F.D. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary And Bible Students’ Source Book Volume 3, Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1954. p. 424. [↵]
4. Luke 14:5; Mark 2:23-26; Matthew 12:11-12. [↵]
5. “What Are Some Sabbath Rules That The Pharisees Made?” BibleAsk.org, June 6, 2017. [↵]
6. Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11. [↵]
7. Leviticus 23:3; Isaiah 58:13-14; Ezekiel 20:20. [↵]

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More Answers

The parables of Jesus teach object lessons about the kingdom of God. And three parables in particular, the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the prodigal son, specifically teach about God’s unconditional, redemptive love.

Here we’ll walk through the “Lost Sheep” parable specifically. We’ll look at the purpose and context behind the story, as well as the encouraging and profound lessons we can learn from it.

We’ll cover:

• What happens in the parable of the lost sheep
• Meaning and purpose
• Context
• Three Takeaways

It might look to be a fairly simple, short, straightforward parable. But there’s a lot packed into it.

What happens in the parable of the lost sheep?

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The parable of the lost sheep can be found in the New Testament, in Matthew 18:10-14 and Luke 15:1-7.

It can be helpful to look at these passages for yourself before we walk through it here.

We’ll start with a summary.

The story begins with a shepherd who has exactly 100 sheep. But one day, the shepherd notices that one of his sheep has run off.

Instead of cutting his losses, the shepherd decides to leave his flock of 99 sheep to head out after the missing one. After combing the mountains and wilderness, the shepherd finally finds his missing sheep.

We’re not told how long his sheep had been missing. It might have been hurt or hungry—certainly frightened. But instead of being angry at the sheep for making him go out of his way to find it, the shepherd is filled with relief and joy.

He tenderly places the sheep on his shoulders and takes it home.

The shepherd is happier to see his missing sheep than the 99 sheep that had remained in his pasture. He’s so happy he can’t keep it to himself. He calls his friends, his neighbors—everyone he knows—to tell them the good news and celebrate with them.

His missing sheep is home at last.

In the version in Matthew, Jesus closes the parable by telling listeners that:

“In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14, CSB).

In Luke’s version, He ends by saying:

“I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance” (Luke 15:7, CSB).

How did Jesus go from talking about missing sheep to talking about sinners and salvation?

Let’s look closer at what the story means and who these characters represent.

What is the meaning of this parable?

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This cute little story is an analogy for God’s compassion toward every single human being—even those who struggle to follow Him, and even those who have turned away from Him. His desire is still to restore them and save them, just because they are His.

In the parable, Jesus is the shepherd. The 99 sheep are those who faithfully follow God. And the one lost sheep represents anyone who either gets led astray, confused, or decides to go their own way for a bit.

John 10 helps us make these connections.

In it, Jesus refers to Himself as “the good shepherd.” He uses this title to describe His intimate understanding, care, and devotion to His “sheep” (John 10:11).

This is a fitting symbol. Like sheep, we are ultimately helpless. We depend on Jesus to help us navigate our daily lives, challenges, and spiritual growth.

We also have a tendency to be led astray.

Some might get distracted and lose sight of Jesus. Others might decide they know an easier or more attractive path and try to go their own way. They might believe the grass is greener on the other side of the pasture, but when they wander away, they see that not only is the grass no better than the grass they had, but now they’re lost—alone and vulnerable in the dangerous world around them.

We’ve all been a lost sheep at some point.

Like the lost sheep in the story, the further we wander away from Jesus, the deeper we’re led into the influences of sin, which usually manifest in a self-serving way. But they never lead us to peace, love, or joy that lasts.

But no matter whether we’re currently clinging to God or wandering away from Him, we can count on Jesus when we call upon Him, just as sheep can count on their shepherd for protection, provision, and guidance.

Even though we can be quick to give up on others (and ourselves) after a series of mistakes or bad decisions, Jesus won’t. Ever.

He does everything in His power to come after us and save us because He loves us so much.

The ending of this parable recorded in the Gospel accounts confirms this lesson of God’s desire to save sinners (i.e., everyone). We learn that God doesn’t want a single person to be lost, and that nothing would make Him happier than a lost person being found and restored to their place at His side (Matthew 18:14; Luke 15:7).

This message is crucial for everyone to understand, but it also bears special relevance to the issues of Jesus’ time.

The context behind this Bible story

The parable of the lost sheep is found in two places in the Bible— Matthew 18:10-14 and Luke 15:1-7.

Bible scholars believe the parable in Matthew and the parable in Luke were given on two separate occasions during Jesus’ ministry.¹

Matthew’s version is believed to have been recorded in Galilee, either near Cana or Capernaum, during Jesus’ retirement from public ministry (that is, from the third Passover of AD 30 to Autumn of AD 30), possibly the same day Jesus advised Peter to pay the temple tax.²

Meanwhile, Luke’s version is believed to have been recorded in Peraea during Jesus’ ministry in Samaria and Peraea (that is, from Autumn AD 30 to the Passover in AD 31), possibly on two months before the crucifixion.³ However, no exact time or location is known for certain.

Whatever the case, it’s worth noting that both versions share a similar message but occur in different contexts.

Matthew’s version is given as part of Jesus’ counsel for working together as a body of believers. In Luke, it is given among a series of parables that all point to God’s desire to reunite all sinners with Himself.

Let’s look at the specific context behind each version.

Matthew’s version

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In Matthew’s version, Jesus is talking to His disciples (Matthew 18:1).

The disciples had been arguing about who would have the highest rank in Heaven.⁴ But instead of answering their questions about rank, Jesus directs their attention to a child.

He tells them to adopt the nature of children (Matthew 18:1-4). In other words, He asks them to focus on relying on and trusting in Him, the way children trust their parents or parental figures.⁵

While He’s on the subject of childlike faith, He warns the disciples not to cause “little children,” or new or struggling Christians, to stumble into sin or fall away from the truth as a result of how they regard or interact with them (Matthew 18:5-6, 10-11).⁶

Then, Jesus gives the parable of the lost sheep. The closing lines of the parable (Matthew 18:14) explain why these believers should not be made to stumble— because God values the salvation of every human being, just as the shepherd values every sheep.

This was an important lesson for the disciples, but also for the entire Jewish nation.

Because they were God’s chosen people for so long, tasked with representing God to the rest of the world, the Jews often saw themselves as superior to Gentiles (i.e., any other people group).

High-ranking Jews like the Pharisees even saw themselves as superior to other Jews—especially those who struggled with more obvious, publicly-shunned things, such as collecting taxes and prostitution (Matthew 21:31-32).

These attitudes were problematic for a multitude of reasons. Primarily, any person or group of people who see themselves as superior to others naturally causes division while simultaneously feeding pride.

That caused a significant rift in what could have been a community of believers who worked together to represent God.

So, since the disciples were starting to show signs of this mindset, there was a serious concern that they could discourage new believers from following Jesus.

The fact that Matthew wrote his account of the Gospel to teach the Gospel to Jews⁷ provides some insight as to why his book focuses on how new believers are to be treated. This had been a longstanding problem among his people.

Luke’s version

In Luke’s version, Jesus addresses a group of Pharisees and social outcasts with this story.

Let’s set the scene.

Jesus was eating with a group of tax collectors when Jewish religious leaders, or Pharisees and scribes, “began to grumble” among themselves. They were shocked and offended that Jesus would be showing kindness to and spending time with people they thought of as “sinners” (Luke 15:1-2, NASB).

Apparently they had forgotten the fact that everyone is a sinner.⁸

Jesus was fully aware of their attitude toward these people who were considered outcasts. He knew the religious leaders thought they were morally and spiritually superior. And He’d seen the way they looked for opportunities to condemn, punish, or judge others instead of offering forgiveness or grace.

This kind of attitude and behavior was founded on pride, which often conflicts with unconditional love.

And so, in response to their comments, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. In contrast to the contempt of the Pharisees, this parable paints a picture of God’s love for every human being—no matter what label they carry or what they’ve done (John 3:16-17). Jesus drives this point home by following this parable with two more parables on the same subject.

First is the parable of the lost coin—a short story of a woman with 10 silver coins who loses one, searches for it with all her effort, and rejoices over finding that single lost silver coin (Luke 15:8-10).

After that, He tells the parable of the prodigal son—a story of a father who celebrates the return of his lost son, who initially left his father’s house for blatantly selfish reasons (Luke 15:11-32).

Both stories further emphasize the joy God feels when anyone who has gone astray, for whatever reason, turns back to Him.

Going back to the parable of the lost sheep, we can see Jesus’ closing line (Luke 15:7) does two things.

1. It points out the joy God feels when any of His children want to return to Him
2. It states that God rejoices over a repentant person more than those who “need no repentance” (ESV).

What could Jesus mean by this? Does it almost sound like He’s saying that He loves some more than others? Or that those who never leave Him aren’t as appreciated or celebrated?

Well, let’s unpack things a bit further. The Bible says in many places that no human being is righteous by their own efforts (Mark 10:18; Romans 3:10-12). But the Pharisees sure thought they were.⁹

Jesus speaks of “righteous people” ironically, using it to describe the way the Pharisees thought of themselves to make a point—that God is happier about repentant sinners than “righteous” people who think they don’t need to repent.¹⁰

While this parable works to correct the erroneous and harmful perspective of the Pharisees, let’s not forget—the “sinners” Jesus had been eating with were listening to the parable, too.

They would have heard Jesus describe the shepherd’s love for the lost sheep—the way he searched for it, placed it on his shoulders, and brought it home to celebration. Given that Peraea was a land of sheep fields, many of them might have been shepherds themselves and may have been particularly moved by Jesus’ story as they thought of their care for their own herds.¹¹

Even if many of the Pharisees ultimately disregarded the parable, Jesus also wanted to give hope to the others around Him. Even though it seemed like everyone else in their society had given up on them, He wanted them to know that God had not given up and would always be there to guide them.¹²

Even the fact that this version shows up in Luke’s account of the Gospel, which was written more for a Gentile audience,¹³ suggests that this parable was given to encourage those who felt lost, or like they weren’t good enough.

Altogether, both versions of the parable provide many surprisingly profound, timeless lessons. This story is just as relevant today as it was then.

3 Key takeaways—What does this mean for us today?

Besides its overall message of God’s unsurpassable, unconditional love, the Parable of the Lost Sheep teaches us about human value and redemption. It helps us better understand how we’re supposed to regard one another.

1) Jesus won’t give up on you

Jesus won’t give up on any one of us, just as the shepherd didn’t give up on the lost sheep.

The shepherd wasn’t satisfied with having 99 percent of His sheep in their pasture. He wanted to make sure every single one was safe and sound.

He traveled through the wilderness on his own, with no guarantee that he would find his sheep. Others might have even tried to discourage him, asking him if finding one lost sheep was really worth all the trouble.

But yes, it was worth it to the shepherd. Every one of his sheep was valuable to him. He knew them all personally.

Think about loving parents of a big family who leave their house to look for one lost child. The size of their family, or the number of kids they have, is irrelevant to the fact that one of their own is missing.

And when the lost child is brought back home, the siblings will no doubt join their parents in celebrating the return. And it’d seem rather petty for the children who remained at home to demand the same level of rejoicing just because they didn’t run away.

(Sure, there are broken homes and troubled families all over the world who don’t always show this kind of perfect love. But this kind of unconditional, familial love is widely recognized and upheld.)

All this is fitting because we are God’s children, and we all lost our way, ever since “the fall” in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).

And Jesus came to live among humanity at great personal risk. He was willing to die to save us with no assurance that we’d each accept His salvation (John 3:16). The lengths He was willing to go to save us were so great that, to someone with earthly values and expectations, it might even seem foolish (Romans 5:8).

But we are each worth it to Him (Isaiah 43:4; Luke 12:24).

He knows us all by name (Isaiah 43:1). He loves us so much that He’d be willing to die for us even if there was only one sinner in the world who turned back to Him.¹⁴

Others might try to discourage us by telling us we’re unworthy of Jesus’ love or that we’ve strayed too far or too many times for Jesus to come and save us again.

But the truth is Jesus won’t ever give up on you. No matter how others have treated you. No matter what others have said to you. No matter what you’ve done or how often you struggle or make mistakes (2 Corinthians 1:10).

Lost people are just the kind of people Jesus is looking for (Mark 2:17).

His greatest desire is to restore our relationship with Him, and eventually, for us to experience the kingdom of heaven with Him.¹⁵

Jesus loves you, and nothing could ever change that.

He’ll always keep pursuing us (Jeremiah 31:3).

2) Jesus does the saving

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Jesus doesn’t expect us to find our way back to Him on our own any more than the shepherd expected the lost sheep to find its way home.¹⁶

After all, the lamb is the one that got lost in the first place. How was it going to find its way back without the shepherd’s help?

Like the good shepherd, Jesus is the one pursuing us (1 John 4:14, 19; Acts 4:12).

As the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary points out:

“God has taken the initiative in effecting men’s salvation. Salvation consists, not in man’s search for God, but in God’s search for man. …man of himself can never find God. The glory of the Christian religion is that it knows a God who cares for man so much that He left everything else in order to ‘seek and save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10).”¹⁷

While we are helpless to save ourselves, we do have a choice in whether we allow Jesus to help us. We can run away from or refuse Christ’s efforts to save us.

Or we, like the lost sheep, can trust in Jesus and allow Him to carry us (Proverbs 3:5-6).

What does it mean to let Jesus carry us?

It doesn’t mean that we expect to coast along with ease. It’s more that we’re letting Jesus do all the legwork when it comes to salvation and sanctification. We’re not trying to earn forgiveness or make ourselves holy by the things we do or say.

Instead, Jesus is the one responsible for getting us from point A to point B. We accept the salvation He offers—but Jesus’ assistance doesn’t stop there.

Along our Christian journey, we’re called to continue trusting in Him. We submit our lives to Him and ask Him to guide us, allowing Him to transform our hearts so we may produce the fruit of a Christian character—becoming kinder, more patient, more loving, peaceful, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled.

We trust Him not to give up on us, and we trust in Him to lead us to a better way of life even when He works in ways we don’t understand.

And this level of trust, well, it’s not always easy for us to put so much faith in someone else. We’re usually more comfortable relying on ourselves, especially if people have broken our trust before.

But even though other people may fail us, Jesus never will (Isaiah 42:16). He is more than worthy of our trust—He proved exactly how devoted and loyal He is to us when He died for all of humanity on the Cross.

We don’t have to worry about being “good enough” to come to Jesus. He’s already there.

3) Nothing but rejoicing

Like the shepherd, when Jesus saves us, He can only think of how happy He is to have us back.

He doesn’t scold, judge, or punish us. Once He saves us, all our sins are forgiven and forgotten (Ezekiel 18:22; Isaiah 43:25).

That’s not to say Jesus is incapable of remembering what we did before. It’s just that everything we did pales in comparison to the joy He feels at our return.

Think back to the idea of having a son or daughter run away.

Distraught, you search everywhere for them, desperate to get them back and to keep them from harm. Then, maybe days later, they’re standing on the doorstep.

What would your first thoughts be?

Would your mind automatically go to all the times they argued with you or disobeyed?

Or would you be overcome with relief, wrap them up in your arms, and tell them you’re glad they’re okay?

Sometimes we struggle with letting go of the past. And when people in our family or in our community become hostile or estranged, it makes sense to feel the ripple effects of that. And if they come back, we might be tempted to focus on the things they’ve said or done before that caused confusion, frustration, or pain.

(The same can be true of the way we feel about ourselves.)

But while it can be difficult for us to put the past behind us, Jesus already has. It’s only the present that matters, because that’s when choices can be made. That’s when paths can be corrected. That’s when connection can happen.

If anyone has a reason to remember our sins, it’s Jesus, who died because of them. But because Jesus has forgiven us, we are enabled (and encouraged!) to forgive ourselves and others (Romans 8:1).

We can move on to embrace the new life Jesus has to offer us with joy and celebration.

And if you want to learn more about the incredible love of Jesus, learn more about the other parable that is told alongside this one.

The Parable of The Lost Sheep

Matthew 18:10-14, ESV:

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

 

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

 

And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Luke 15:1-7, ESV:

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

 

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’

 

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

1. Nichol, F.D., Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary And Bible Students’ Source Book, vol. 5, Seventh-day Adventist Church (1956), p. 815. [↵]
2. Ibid., p. 198, 221, 445. [↵]
3. Ibid., p. 198-199, 223, 814. [↵]
4. Ibid., p. 445-446. [↵]
5. Ibid., p. 446. [↵]
6. Ibid., [↵]
7. “Study Resources—Intros to the Bible—The Gospel of Matthew,” Blue Letter Bible. [↵]
8. Psalm 14:2-3; 51:5; 53:2-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 53:6; Isaiah 64:6 [↵]
9. Nichol, p. 814. [↵]
10. Ibid., pp. 814, 816. [↵]
11. Ibid., pp. 814-815. [↵]
12. Ibid., p. 815. [↵]
13. The Remnant Study Bible, Remnant Publications, 2009. p. 1205. [↵]
14. Nichol, p. 815. [↵]
15. 1 Timothy 2:3-4; John 14:2-3; 2 Peter 3:9. [↵]
16. Nichol, p. 816. [↵]
17. Ibid., p. 447. [↵]

More Answers

We don’t know exactly when Jesus Christ will return.

The Bible says that no one can know, not even the angels (Matthew 24:36)! That’s why the Bible discourages us from trying to set dates for His return. In the meantime, we’re encouraged to be ready.

However, the Bible does tell us some things that will happen before the Second Coming. These biblical signs don’t indicate a timeline progression of events, but they do indicate the direction the world is headed.

It’s natural to wonder what happens in the end times and what the signs indicate. Let’s take a closer look at what the Bible says.

Here’s what we’ll talk about:

• Why can’t we know the exact timing of Jesus’ coming?
• What do we know about Jesus’ return?
• What this all means

Let’s start with the reason we can’t know.

Why can’t we know the exact timing of Jesus’ coming?

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Jesus does not tell us when He’s coming back because that’s not the focus. The timing is something we can’t comprehend.

God’s perspective is so much bigger than ours. He sees the big picture of where the earth is headed, and He can tell when Jesus needs to return.

This is illustrated in 2 Peter 3:8. To God, “one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (NKJV).

We can’t see the big picture—we don’t even know what will happen in the next hour! This is why it doesn’t make sense for us to know when Jesus will come.

And that’s why Jesus tells the disciples on the Mount of Olives, in a conversation about His return,

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36, NKJV; see also Matthew 24:42, 44; Mark 13:32).

Jesus wants us to focus on the fact that He is returning (John 14:2-3)! This is the hope humankind has had since Jesus ascended into Heaven in the first century, and it’s something to look forward to with all our hearts.

Thinking about the timing can distract us from the real goal: to be filled with Christ’s love and share it with others, which prepares us for His second coming. Jesus’ coming is near (Revelation 22:12)—it could happen at any time. In the meantime, we need to believe in Him, accept Him, and hold fast to Him—even when the world is spiraling into chaos in the last days.

Because that’s exactly what will happen.

Scripture tells us that sin made Earth the mess it is (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 5:12). And if sin is not stopped, the Earth will destroy itself at some point.

Jesus’ coming will put an end to sin (Revelation 21:4; 1 Corinthians 15:24), which is why Christians look forward to it so deeply.

Jesus gives us signs in the Bible to watch out for, to assure us that they are part of the world’s trajectory. If we are aware of the signs, we won’t have to be afraid or worried when they happen. Instead, we can hold onto Him, knowing His return is soon.¹

Predicting a time or date can distract us from this, and we’ll never be right because there’s no way to know. People have set dates throughout history, only to be disappointed.

For example, the Millerites thought the return of Christ would occur on October 22, 1844.²

And Howard Camping predicted the kingdom of God would come on several different dates in the 1990s and, most notably, May 21, 2011.³

Others thought the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012 meant the end of the world.⁴

These dates (and their passing) have only distracted people from the real message: Jesus is coming, and we need to be ready!

It’s clear there’s a lot we don’t know about Jesus’ coming, so let’s look at some things we do know.

What do we know about Jesus’ return?

Photo by Doruk Aksel Anıl

The New Testament gives us a lot of insight into what will happen in the world leading up to the Second Coming.

In the Gospels, specifically Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus tells His disciples of events that will happen as the world continues in its downward spiral. The events don’t tell us exactly how close we are to Jesus’ return; rather, they describe to us where our dying world already is.

Sin is destructive (Romans 6:23), and a destructive process allowed to continue indefinitely will naturally end in destruction.

When Jesus told the disciples of these events, He reminded them,

“All these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. … All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6, 8, NKJV, emphasis added).

These events just mean we’re getting closer to the time, not that Jesus is coming tomorrow. They will get worse as we continue down the path of destruction.

The Bible compares the progression of events to birth pains. Matthew 24:8 in English Standard Version reads, “All these are but the beginning of birth pains.”

And Paul alludes to this in one of his letters: “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman” (1 Thessalonians 5:3, NKJV).

Just as labor intensifies as time goes on and the baby’s birth draws near, so will these signs increase in frequency and intensity the closer we get to the return of Jesus.

And another thing to remember is that with labor, you know it will happen soon, but you still have no idea when until it suddenly begins. We know Jesus will return, but we don’t know exactly when. These signs just tell us it will be at some point.

With this in mind, here are some of the events Jesus talks about the first time He came, indicating we’re on our way to the Second Coming:

• People falsely claiming to be prophets and even Jesus (Matthew 24:5, 11, 24; Mark 13:6, 22; Luke 21:8)
• Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9)
• Disasters like famines, epidemics, and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11)
• Societal upheaval (Matthew 24:9-10; Mark 13:8-9, 12-13; Luke 21:12, 16)
• Natural phenomena (Matthew 24:29-30; Mark 13:24-25; Luke 21:25)

The apostle Peter also talks about people who won’t believe Jesus is returning, forgetting about Creation and Noah and the Flood (2 Peter 3:3-6).

And the apostle Paul warns Timothy (2 Timothy 3:1-5) that people will be:

• Selfish
• Greedy and pleasure-seeking
• Boastful
• Proud and haughty
• Blasphemous and having a false godliness
• Disobedient and lawless
• Unthankful
• Unholy
• Unloving
• Unforgiving
• Lacking self-control
• Brutal

Peter and Paul describe people traits that existed in their time—and even more so today. The world isn’t getting any better—it will only continue to go downhill.

The book of Revelation records a vision given to the apostle John about the final events of Earth. It mentions the beast and the mark of the beast (Revelation 13), which represents an inward choice people will make to follow a religious-political power instead of God.

Bible prophecy also talks about the antichrist (1 John 2:18, 22, 4:3). This is a religious power attempting to take Jesus’ place, claiming to be like Him (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).⁵

Some people also believe that a secret rapture will occur before the Second Coming of Christ, but we don’t see anything in the Bible that talks about this.

There are a lot of signs the Bible talks about. How can we apply everything we’ve learned to our own situation right now?

What this all means

The important takeaway from this discussion is that Jesus is coming—soon! And the signs He gave us are reminders that we’re headed in the right direction.

We can see the signs everywhere. We don’t have to keep our eyes glued to the news and worry about missing one. The main thing is to be aware of them, so that when we see them, we aren’t scared or anxious.

The coming of the Lord is the good news we can look forward to as the world spirals into chaos.

We don’t need to worry about the exact timing of Jesus’ return.

We need to worry about being ready.

“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, NKJV).

 

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44, NKJV).

This doesn’t necessarily mean we have to stock up on canned food or become fanatical. It means we need to think about where our hearts are.⁶ Is our faith in Jesus? Are we loyal to Him instead of the world? Will we trust Him to take care of us when the world is falling apart? Are we impassioned by His unconditional love? Are we openly sharing it with others?

That’s what Jesus wants us to focus on: putting our faith in Him, so that we’ll lean on Him when things get really difficult on earth. If we’ve accepted Him, then the timing doesn’t really matter.

Just like the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25, we have to be mindful and pay attention. Or, in the words of Mark Finley, a pastor and evangelist: “The only way to be ready is to get ready, and stay ready.”⁷

Put your faith and loyalty in Jesus now.

In the meantime, we can go about our days as usual (Luke 19:13), without obsessing over every sign we might see, trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us. We can work on building our own relationship with Jesus so we’re ready when He returns in great glory. And we can live out our relationship with Him and show His love to others, so that they can be ready as well.

What happens after the Second Coming of Jesus?

1. Mukuka, Christopher Kabwe, MA. “Discerning signs of the times in the context of Matthew 16:2-3,” Ministry Magazine, February 2024. [↵]
2. “United for Mission: One Hundred and Fifty Years,” General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. [↵]
3. “Harold Camping, radio host who predicted world’s end, dead at 92,” CBS News, December 17, 2013. [↵]
4. Vance, Erik. “Neither the Maya Calendar—nor the World—Ends on December 21, 2012,” Scientific American, July 6, 2012. [↵]
5. “An Introduction to End-Time Prophecies in the Bible,” General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. [↵]
6. Nichol, F. D. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, notes to 1 Thessalonians 5:6. [↵]
7. Finley, Mark. “End Time Events Before the Second Coming of Christ,” HopeLives365. [↵]

More Answers

The “Prodigal Son” is one of the many parables found in the New Testament, in the Gospel account of Luke.

Jesus used parables during His earthly ministry to explain “the secrets of the kingdom of God” in relatable ways (Luke 8:10, ESV). In other words, He told stories to the people around Him that would help them understand spiritual truths.

The “Prodigal Son” is an allegorical story that Jesus told to a skeptical group of people to teach them what God’s love really looks like and how it often contrasts with our self-centered human nature.

There’s much to learn from in this parable, like:

• What happens in Jesus’ story
• What the context tells us
• Who the characters are in the story
• How this story helps us today

Let’s begin with what actually happens in the story.

What happens in Jesus’ story?

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

The word “prodigal” means to waste money or to spend recklessly, so the “Prodigal Son” is a story about a son who demands money and spends it frivolously, without thinking about the consequences.

We can read the full parable in Luke 15:11-32. We’re introduced to two sons who are working for and living with their father. The younger son asks for his share of the inheritance early because he thinks it will bring him happiness and independence.

(Spoiler alert: it does, but only for a very short time.)

His father agrees, and when the son gets his share of the estate, he moves to a distant land and quickly squanders his riches on “wild living” (verse 13, NASB).

Soon, the area he’s living in suffers a severe famine, and he becomes so poor that he can’t feed or house himself. Ashamed, he decides to go back to his father and ask for a job because the servants who work in his father’s house are living much better than he currently is.

To his surprise (and the surprise of his older brother), his father gets word of his return and runs out to meet him. He welcomes him back into his home, but not as a servant…as his son!

The father throws a huge feast to celebrate the return of the lost son. The elder son, however, is really upset about it all because he chose to stay home and continue working for his father but was never celebrated for it.

In the end, his loving father explains that everything he has also belongs to him, his elder son. But isn’t it worth celebrating that a family member, his own brother, “was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (verse 32, CSB)?

What does the context of Luke 15 help you understand?

To better understand the parable, we have to zoom out a bit and notice what’s happening around Jesus.

When several Pharisees, a class of religious leaders in Israel, saw Jesus talking and eating with “tax collectors and sinners,” they started to complain (verses 1-2, ESV).

The Pharisees were an influential religious group among the Jews, but they were focused on works and reputation. Jesus’ ministry, however, was focused on community and restoration. So they felt offended and threatened by Jesus’ actions.

Jesus told three parables in response to the Pharisees’ complaints.

The first, “The Parable of the Lost Sheep,” is about a shepherd leaving 99 sheep to go find just one that got lost.

The second, “The Parable of the Lost Coin,” is about a woman who lost one of her 10 coins and got on her hands and knees to search for the one she’d lost.

“The Parable of the Prodigal Son” was the third in this series, and it stayed with the theme of demonstrating how God values every individual equally. But this one put that theme into a human scenario.

So while all three stories illustrate unconditional love, the “Prodigal Son” is different because the focus of the story is love between people and the restoration of one who left his family for selfish reasons.

Who are the characters in the story?

Each character in the “Prodigal Son” is relatable because each one demonstrates real human experiences and emotions. So it’s likely that you’ll see part of yourself in at least one of the characters, though possibly in all three.

The father

The father in the story is a wealthy member of the community with two sons who he loves very much.

When his youngest son asks for his inheritance early, the father surprisingly grants him his request.

The very act of granting his younger son’s audacious request shows that he values freedom of choice, experience, and independence.

And when he later meets his wayward son on the road back home, he tells his servants to clothe him with the best robe, shoes, and jewelry! Then he tells them to prepare the fattened calf, the choicest meat that was usually reserved for a special occasion.

The father values the restored relationship much more than anything else and welcomes his son home with open arms.

The elder son

The parable doesn’t provide much description of the elder brother/son. For most of the story, he is obedient to his father and stays home to work for him.

It isn’t until the end of the parable that we get to know the older son’s personality and mindset. When the younger son returns home and his father throws a party, we’re told that he’s angry and questions his father’s actions (verses 28-30).

He’s quite upset about the whole thing and refuses to celebrate with everyone.

We can tell by his response to his younger brother’s return that the older son feels like all of his hard work should be rewarded, and his brother’s return home should not be celebrated because of what he’d done.

The “prodigal” (younger) son

The main character of the parable is the younger brother/son who makes what could easily be considered an insulting request—to get his share of the family estate early.

Soon after he gets his money, he packs up and moves to a distant country so he can live his life on his own terms (Luke 15:13).

We can tell from his actions that he was probably tired of living under his father’s watchful eye. He wanted to do things his own way. Getting his inheritance early gave him the opportunity to pursue things he thought would give him more excitement and enjoyment.

But he realizes his mistake once he’s poor and living among pigs.

Luke 15:17 says, “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger’” (ESV)!

He decides to return home as a servant, feeling that because of what he’s done, he isn’t worthy to be called his father’s son anymore (Luke 15:19).

But before he even reaches his father’s house, his father meets him on the road, clothes him, and celebrates his return.

How can we use this Bible story today?

There are many lessons in the “Prodigal Son,” but how is any of it relevant for us in our day-to-day modern lives? How can we use these principles today?

Let’s look at the several relatable and relevant points of view we find in the story.

When we feel like the older son

It can be so easy to feel like the older brother in this story when we’re trying to do what we’re supposed to, and yet we see others (often who were not always doing what they were supposed to) getting praise and attention. And sometimes we rarely even get a “thank you” for a job well done.

Yes, it can be disheartening. And it can lead us to compare ourselves to others around us, wondering if there’s something we’re missing or not doing right.

And if others are forgiven of wrongs we’d never even think of committing…that can almost feel like an injustice! It can make us jealous, indignant, resentful—even to the point that we don’t want to be a part of celebrating their repentance.

Relatable as this may be, especially from our limited human perspective, acting on these types of feelings means we’re choosing to lock ourselves in a prison of negativity instead of living freely and soaking up goodness wherever we can find it. It means letting entitlement and resentment rule our actions instead of love.

So what can we learn from the older brother’s character?

We might wonder how close this older son really was to his father. He seemed to be more focused on doing the right things (especially with language like “these many years I have been serving you” in verse 29 [NKJV] or “been slaving many years for you” [CSB]) rather than maintaining a close, familial relationship. He didn’t seem to view himself as on the same “team” as his father and instead reflected a more transactional kind of relationship.

We could wonder the same about his relationship with his brother. Yes, sibling relationships can be tense and complicated. But that doesn’t have to mean that we wish them harm, or that we don’t care if they come back home—and refuse to celebrate if they do.

When we feel betrayed, brushed aside, forgotten, cheated, unappreciated, etc., it’s natural to start to see things like the older brother did and resort to fault-finding. But even though the world’s way is to “keep score” on people’s worth, we can remember that God, our Heavenly Father, loves and celebrates us all equally.

Plus, when we “rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15, ESV), we allow the goodness they receive to spill over into our own lives.

When we feel like the younger son

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Sometimes, we can feel like the prodigal son.

It can be so tempting to receive something early that we know will belong to us eventually. Or sometimes we think that if we could just do some things our way, we’d be significantly happier.

Especially if we’re often thinking about or experiencing part of something we want to have more control (or just fewer restrictions) over, it can be so hard to be patient. Sometimes holding back might even feel just plain wrong!

When something seems so close, we might think we just need one more dollar, one more opportunity, one more obstacle out of the way and then we’ll truly be happy.

Sometimes we let waiting taint the gift because we start to feel ownership over something that’s promised to us, but it isn’t the right time for us to have it yet.

So we might demand our “share” early like the younger son did.

And when we receive it, we feel free—like a weight has been lifted off of our shoulders because we’ve been obsessing over it for so long.

But it’s a shallow, short-lived, and superficial freedom. For many possible reasons.

We might not be mature enough to handle the responsibility of the gift we’re granted. Or maybe the gift needs to “cook” a little longer before it’s ready to be received and experienced in full. Or maybe something else is happening altogether that God knows, but we don’t know.

But hindsight is 20/20. And the younger son became filled with shame because he realized how quickly he’d wasted an inheritance that was supposed to last him a lifetime, and possibly beyond his lifetime to his children and children’s children.

Going back to a parent (or a respected authority figure) in shame, especially if you’ve insulted them or taken them for granted, can be humiliating.

But the prodigal son’s choices, though selfish, opened his eyes extra wide to exactly what he had taken for granted while living in his father’s house.

He realized his mistake, took accountability for his actions, and understood that he ruined his relationship with his father. That’s what prompted him to return to him as a servant, rather than as his son.

Even though he’d lost everything, he returned home in a better state of mind—with humility and hope that he’d at least be able to live a decent life, even if he couldn’t return to the high place he had before.

That’s commendable.

Being grateful for little is a much better mindset than taking a lot for granted.

When we feel like the father

Even if we’re not parents, we can still empathize with the father who just wanted his loved one back home.

One of the deepest pains we can experience is rejection.

When we love someone and express that love by preparing something for them with the utmost care, and they don’t recognize or accept it—that just hurts. Plain and simple.

The father had no idea if he’d ever see his son again, and knowing that surely crushed him.

It must have been excruciating watching his son pack up and leave home. But this father knew he’d done his best to raise his son well, and now he was an adult. So he didn’t stop him from leaving. He allowed him to make his own decisions for his own life.

Even though rejection can cut deep, it doesn’t cancel out the love a person has for one of their own. Though it would have seemed so easy (maybe even appropriate) for the father to say, “I told you so,” or ask, “What were you thinking?” it didn’t even cross his mind when he saw his lost son had returned.

He didn’t reflect anger or resentment or even pain once he heard the news. Instead, he poured all of his energy into loving his son rather than criticizing him. His deepest desire was that his estranged son would come back home—and that eclipsed everything else.

Love is so risky because it doesn’t force someone to return that love.

True love is freely given, and it doesn’t try to control.

And true love forgives.

The father was so full of relief when he heard his son was returning home that he ran to meet him (verse 20) and immediately threw him a huge party (verse 22-24).

We’ve heard the old adage, “If you love someone, let them go.” That’s exactly what the father did.

And if we’ve ever had to let someone go, whether that’s a child, a sibling, a parent, a friend, or even a mentor or mentee…how sweet would that relief and joy be if they willingly come back into our lives!

Seeing God’s character in the story

Photo by Christian ErfurtTara Winstead

But where is Jesus in all of this? Why did He tell this story to the Pharisees?

The father in the story represents Jesus Christ.

Sometimes Jesus will give us what we are asking Him for even though He knows we aren’t ready for it, and even when He knows it will draw us further away from Him.

But he is always waiting for us to return home.

And when we return with a humble and repentant heart, like the prodigal son did, Jesus rejoices and embraces us not as His servant, but as His child.

Anyone—no matter their background, culture, or history—can come to Jesus and receive His love. And all of heaven will celebrate (Luke 15:7).

This is the lesson Jesus had for the Pharisees, His disciples, and all His followers who were listening that day. And it’s still a lesson He wants us to understand today.

The Prodigal Son tells us that we can return to God even when we’ve left Him. And He will always welcome us home (Ephesians 2:1-9).

All we have to do is take the first step toward Him, and He will meet us on the way.

Want to learn more about other parables Jesus told in the Bible?

Related Articles

More Answers

We first get to know Jesus, the Son of God and our Messiah, by reading the Gospel accounts of His earthly ministry. And after He died for our sins and was resurrected, He returned to heaven. This is known as “the ascension of Jesus Christ,” and it’s described in Mark 16:19, Luke 24:50-51, and Acts 1:9-11.

But what about after that? What was Jesus doing throughout the rest of the New Testament?

Of those three passages about His ascension, all that’s immediately said was that He “sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19).

So what does that mean?

“Sitting at the right hand” means to be in a position of honor and power.¹ So Jesus’ ascension back to heaven was also an ascension to a specific position of authority in relation to humanity (Hebrews 1:2-4).

He works under this authority to nurture and guide those who accept Him as their Savior (Hebrews 2:9-11) and to complete the work He started in all of our lives (Philippians 1:6).

So even though His physical form left the earth, He never left His church (the global community of believers) to do the heavy lifting—He’s been working in and through His people to share the Gospel and reveal God’s character.

He’s also been preparing for the day when He will be forever reunited with us.

The New Testament writers revealed what He’s done and continues to do. We’ll explore the ways Jesus has been working with humanity after the ascension:

• Preparing a perfect, eternal home for His people
• Sending the Holy Spirit
• Interceding
• What He’s doing now

One of the first hints Jesus gave about His post-ascension role had to do with our collective future as believers.

Preparing a home for His people

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Jesus promised His disciples He would come back for them because He was “preparing a place” for them.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3, ESV).

While this may or may not mean physically building an eternal structure for us to call home someday, it shows He’s taking a personalized approach to making eternity a blissful experience for us. In heaven and the New Earth, we will be fully experiencing the kingdom of God. We will be where we can walk and talk with Him in person as we would with any loved one (Revelation 7:15-17; 21:3).

When Christ left earth, it wasn’t a final goodbye. It was more like He was saying, “Wait for me. I’ll come back and get you when the time is right.”

We can think of it like a committed long-distance relationship.

But that doesn’t mean we’re just sitting around staring at the sky. Jesus taught His disciples to prepare for His return.

Jesus told a parable about how He expected His followers to stay active and ready for His return (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27). In it, He described His followers as servants conducting the “master’s business” until their master returned (Luke 19:13). The faithful servants actively waited by using their master’s resources for his purposes (Matthew 25:14-28; Luke 19:11-27).

This parable teaches us to use what God has blessed us with to advance His work on earth—spreading the Gospel and serving others—while He continues His role in heaven.

But He knows we can’t do it alone, so He sent His Spirit to help us get ready.

Sending the Holy Spirit

After Jesus ascended, He fulfilled His promise to send His Holy Spirit. Many Christians refer to this as the “outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” and it kick-started the early church. For centuries, the Holy Spirit has connected people with Jesus, empowering them to overcome the challenges in their paths.

Here’s how:

The promise before the crucifixion

Jesus declared before His death that He would send a “Helper,” the “Spirit of truth.” These are other names for the Holy Spirit who would reveal Jesus and guide His followers (John 15:26-27; 16:13-14).

The disciples initially struggled with this promise because it meant He was leaving. And that’s understandable. It’s hard to say goodbye to someone close to you, especially someone you’d been spending every day with.

“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:5-7, NKJV).

They didn’t yet understand that Jesus could always be with them through the Holy Spirit.

With a physical body on earth, He could only be in one place at a time.

But through the Holy Spirit, He can be everywhere by living in our hearts (John 16:13-15). Through the Spirit, we can stay connected to Him as our source, just like branches that grow out of a vine as their source of life and energy (John 15:4-5).

Here are some ways the Spirit is our connection to Jesus:

• Dwelling within us (John 14:16-17). This means we have immediate, ongoing access to Jesus. We can pray to Him anytime, and He will always guide us (Romans 8:14, 16).
• Teaching us “all things” and reminding us of what Jesus said (John 14:26, NKJV).
• Guiding us into all truth (John 16:13)
• Revealing who Jesus is and what He wants us to know (John 15:26; 16:14).
• Giving us the words to speak when we need it (Mark 13:11).
• Interceding for us, searching our minds, and interpreting our prayers (Romans 8:26-27).

The Gospels refer to the Holy Spirit as the “Helper” (“Counselor” in the Christian Standard Bible).² It’s comforting to realize the Spirit of Christ functions to help and be there for us while we navigate the challenges of this life.

The 12 disciples were clueless about the true purpose of Christ’s mission and death. This was such a big, new concept to them. But the Lord knew this and promised the Spirit would shed light on His teachings (John 16:13).

Sure enough, when Jesus rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit opened their eyes (John 20:21; Luke 24:44-45) and they finally understood that “it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations” (Luke 24:46-47, NKJV).

Now, they just needed the power and encouragement to declare it.

The promise after the resurrection

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The Holy Spirit enabled them to preach the Gospel as His witnesses. Before ascending, Jesus instructed His disciples to stay in Jerusalem until He sent the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49).

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NKJV).

This empowerment began on the Day of Pentecost. Also called the Feast of Weeks, Pentecost was a Jewish holiday that followed the Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9-22; Exodus 34:22).

The Feast of Firstfruits pointed forward to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20)³, and the Feast of Weeks symbolized a spiritual “harvest” when thousands accepted Christ after He poured out the Holy Spirit.⁴

Jesus used the Spirit to build His church, communicate with His people, and work through them. This manifested in different ways:

• He gave His followers boldness to share the Gospel (Acts 4:8-13, 31, 33).
• He healed people through His disciples (Acts 3:1-8; 9:32-35; 16:16-18; 19:11-12).
• He helped His followers through difficult situations, either by removing them from them or giving them the grace to endure (Acts 7:54-60; 18:9-11; 2 Timothy 4:16-18).
• He spoke through visions and prophecies (Acts 9:10-17; 11:5-15, 27-28; 18:9-11; 21:10-11). He even showed John, who was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,” the visions that would become the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:9-11, NKJV)!
• He directed who should go where (Acts 8:26-35; 13:2-3; 16:6-10).
• And He gave out different spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

And the same Jesus who guided the early church with His Spirit keeps doing it today! The Gospel is still preached. Miracles still happen. God can still have a deep, personal connection with us.

One way Christ keeps it going is through His work as an intercessor.

Interceding for us

A mediator or intercessor is someone who “stands in the gap” for someone else. Their main job is to reconcile damaged relationships and to perform tasks on people’s behalf that they are unable to do. Intercession also involves advocating on behalf of people when direct confrontations or reconciliations are not feasible.

In the Old Testament, the priests served as the mediators and intercessors between God and His people (Hebrews 7:27). Their earthly roles provided the example of what Jesus does for us now.

When Jesus returned to heaven, He went from being our sacrifice on the Cross to entering the heavenly temple as our High Priest (Hebrews 7:24-26).

The Bible says the temple on earth was a copy of the one in heaven. All the furnishings and items pointed to how Christ would work as our mediator for the new covenant (Hebrews 8:5; 9:6-9; 10:1).

As a high priest, Jesus intercedes for us in several ways:

• Forgiving our sins
• Cleansing us from the stain of our sins
• Being our advocate
• Helping us overcome temptations
• Giving us guidance in times of need, through His Holy Spirit

Let’s go over each of these.

Forgiving sins

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John wrote that Christ came into the world to “take away our sins” (1 John 3:5, NKJV).

This means He took on the ultimate consequences of sin—death and eternal separation from God. He declares us forgiven and heals our broken relationship with Him (Hebrews 10:11-23). He took the death penalty on our behalf and now stands in our place as our advocate (Hebrews 9:11-12).

To emphasize this point, Israel’s high priest wore a turban and a breastplate that represented the tribes of Israel. Wearing these symbolized him bearing the weight of their guilt (Exodus 28:29-30, 37-38).

Likewise, Jesus has taken our sins, our guiltiness, upon Himself. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24, CSB).

By doing this, He demonstrated the peak of unconditional love: He willingly died for each and every person, even knowing that some opposed Him and even wanted Him dead.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8, ESV).

What makes Jesus different from the Levitical priests is His work is enough to save us. While the priests served as mediators in a symbolic manner, they had no actual power to grant salvation—because they needed it, too!

Jesus, on the other hand, made it possible to be saved by embracing what He did for us.

Now He’s cleansing us from sin and helping us grow in spiritual maturity.

Cleansing us from our sins

When Christ removes sin’s power over our lives, He gently changes our hearts to become more like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Paul explains that Christ gave Himself for His people “that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14, NKJV).

This ongoing experience is commonly called “sanctification.” And a great example of this process is Paul’s life.

The apostle recalls how he went from persecuting the church to becoming one of its most passionate representatives. It was by God’s grace that he became known as an apostle who switched to working hard for the church rather than against it (1 Corinthians 15:9-10, NKJV).

Unfortunately, we often mess up during this process. But God doesn’t give up on us.

Being our advocate

But if (when) we mess up, we don’t have to punish ourselves. It’s not God’s will for us to sin, but He doesn’t cut us off if we do.

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1, NKJV).

God is like a father who wants what’s best for His children. Like many parents, He’s set up boundaries and expectations designed for us to have a healthy relationship with Him and experience life in the best way possible.

And for the most part, we are often like overzealous children who push those boundaries or even run right past them at times. But like a loving parent doesn’t give up on their child just because they do something wrong or make poor decisions, God doesn’t reject us or stop loving us even when we fail Him.

Like the father in the “lost son” parable, He embraces us. What’s even better is that He turns our failures into learning experiences and opportunities to understand His compassion on a deeper level.

Parents also often advocate for their children by representing them as legal guardians. They do this when their children can’t make decisions that adults can. As God’s adopted children, we have Christ as our representative. He does this because our own human strength isn’t enough to keep us in perfect alignment with His will.

And Jesus not only stands in the gap for us and communing directly with God the Father, but He also steps in when the devil, the “accuser of our brethren,” tries to hang our past over our heads to discourage us (Revelation 12:10-11, NKJV).

To illustrate this, the prophet Zechariah saw a vision where Satan condemned and accused Joshua the high priest before the Lord, only to be rebuked and silenced. As far as God was concerned, Joshua was forgiven, and the devil had no authority to say otherwise (Zechariah 3:1-10).

The only person with the right to condemn us sacrificed Himself and now mediates for us (Romans 8:34). It’s like having the lawyer and judge on our side!

So through Christ’s life-changing work, He steps in to silence any claim the Devil could possibly conjure up.

Simon Peter experienced this firsthand. Jesus told Peter that He was praying for him because He knew Satan wanted to trip him up (Luke 22:31-32).

And this indeed happened. Peter was one of Jesus’s closest followers, yet he denied their relationship three times (Luke 22:54-62).

After the resurrection, Jesus restored Peter by giving him an opportunity to express his love for Him three times (John 21:15-17).

Christ’s mercy changed this rough-around-the-edges fisherman and made him one of the boldest preachers in the New Testament (Acts 2:14-38; 3:12-17; 4:8-12).

Giving us grace in time of need

Jesus gives His church everything needed to overcome struggles.

Whatever you’re wrestling with—be it financial struggles, chronic illness, trauma, or a crisis of faith—Jesus understands, and He wants to give you victory.

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16, NKJV).

When Paul wrote about his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7, CSB), he recalled that God promised His grace would be enough to keep him going. This meant that Paul’s weakness wouldn’t hold him back, and instead Jesus’ strength and power would shine through. So Paul welcomed challenges and opposition. He knew his toughest experiences would let Him experience and demonstrate Christ’s redemptive power (verses 9-10).

This kind of grace is also ready when we wrestle against sinful tendencies and habits.

Helping us overcome temptations

Image by Chaiyan Anuwatmongkolchai from Pixabay

Christ can help us overcome temptations because He knows what it’s like to struggle against sin. Even though He never sinned, He dealt with all the temptations we face. But He also gained victory over all of them. He has what it takes to resist sin, and He delights in empowering us to overcome it, too.

“Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. For since He Himself has suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:17-18, CSB).

Scripture says no temptation is too powerful for Jesus to help us beat. With Jesus as our advocate, there’s always an escape route (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Sometimes the escape is by cutting something out of our lives.

Take the Ephesian new believers, for example. They had been dabbling in spiritualism, but after seeing Jesus work miracles through Paul, they destroyed their “magic books” (Acts 19:11-20). This severed their ties to occultic practices and would make it easier to resist temptations to go back.

But removing something usually also means needing to replace it with something better. And not everyone has to cut something completely out in order to resist temptation. It may just be a matter of setting boundaries or shifting perspective. Whatever the case, there are countless ways God helps individuals overcome their struggles.

So even though we can’t see and hear Jesus the way people could during His earthly ministry, there are lots of ways we can see how He’s active in our lives. Through His Holy Spirit, He works His priestly, sanctifying ministry.

What’s Jesus doing now?

Jesus’ role hasn’t changed today, even after all this time. He is still actively involved in every moment of our lives. He’s seeking to save us from sin’s grasp while we learn more and more about His love, His character, and His mission. While He gets our eternal homes ready, He continues to help us through the Holy Spirit:

• He enables us to resist the devil and temptation (1 Peter 5:8-10)
• He strengthens our prayers (Romans 8:26-27)
• He helps us mature in our faith and spiritual growth (2 Peter 1:5-10)
• He refines our hearts and our character, and we end up seeing how our truest, purest, deepest desires actually line up with His (Philippians 2:12-13)

And of course, these processes will look different for each individual. We all have different experiences, tendencies, perspectives, etc. In one way or another, we’re all tempted by greed, envy, pride, etc. But we can be confident that Jesus, our Creator, Savior, and High Priest, joins us on our journey. And He knows just what we need to conquer each challenge we face.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3 ESV).

Even as Jesus’ intercessory work continues today, one rather fascinating thing has changed in God’s heavenly sanctuary.

The Old Testament talks about a time when Israel’s high priest entered the holiest place in the sanctuary to finalize atonement with God’s people (Leviticus 16). This was a symbolic event, foreshadowing something else Jesus did (and continues to do) for us.

If you’re interested in learning about this event and how it further points to Jesus as our advocate,

1. Nichols, Francis D., https://archive.org/details/SdaBibleCommentary1980/SdaBc-6%20%2845%29%20Romans/page/n125/mode/2up [↵]
2. John 14:16; 15:26; 16:13 [↵]
3. Commentary on Leviticus 23:11, NKJV Andrews Study Bible [↵]
4. Commentary on Leviticus 23:16, NKJV Andrews Study Bible [↵]

More Answers

Worrying about financial debt can wake us up in a cold sweat.

For many people, debt feels like a necessary part of life. But anyone who’s had suffocating student loans or a mountain of medical bills knows it’s not ideal.

And it can leave us wondering: What does the Bible say about debt? Is debt a sin? Is it normal? Or is it neither?

The Bible says in Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other” (ESV).

But it also says, “It is well with the man who deals generously and lends” (Psalms 112:5, ESV).

Scripture emphasizes principles on lending and debt forgiveness far more than financial debt.

At the same time, it talks about being a responsible borrower and the consequences of debt.

So even though the Bible wasn’t meant to be a finance manual, we can learn a lot of fitting principles for dealing with debt. So let’s comb through Scripture and discuss:

• Whether debt itself is a sin
• Ten key Bible principles about financial debt
  

  1. General advice to lenders
  2. When the Bible says to lend
  3. How the Bible says to lend
  4. Avoiding usury
  5. Stewardship and debt
  6. Borrowing and repaying debt
  7. Living within our means
  8. Co-signing on loans
  9. Debt canceling and forgiveness
  10. Depending on God vs. debt”

• Why it matters for us today

Let’s start with some good news: The Bible doesn’t condemn anyone just for having debt.

And when we look at what Scripture says about financial debt as a whole, God’s loving guidance and goodness shine through.

So let’s start by addressing a common question.

Does the Bible say debt is a sin?

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Here’s the short answer: No. The Bible doesn’t call debt a sin.

It’s especially clear because of how often God encourages lending—which puts people in debt to us. (We’ll cover that in the next section.)

But we also see Bible verses warning that debt isn’t God’s ideal, either:

“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender” (Proverbs 22:7, ESV).

 

“Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to [David]” (1 Samuel 22:2, ESV).

Is it any wonder the Bible links debt with bitterness, distress, and slavery? Sounds a lot like how debt feels today, too.

In this sinful world, debt can get us in over our heads. It puts us at the mercy of those who might not have our best interests at heart. It can limit our potential to lead fulfilling lives, provide everything we want to give to our children, or support causes we care about.

But we’ll see that even though debt isn’t God’s ideal, it doesn’t change His love for us or His willingness to help us or work through us.

And He doesn’t leave us to figure it out alone.

In Nehemiah 5, the people of Israel were desperate because of a famine. Many had to mortgage their homes and land—and even send their children as slaves—to pay for food and taxes.

“Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards” (Nehemiah 5:5, ESV).

Here’s how Nehemiah responds:

“I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, ‘You are exacting interest, each from his brother.’ And I held a great assembly against them” (Nehemiah 5:6-7, ESV).

Nehemiah’s concern is the injustice towards those in desperate need. And he scolds the wealthy in Israel for charging them high interest rates (usury).

We don’t hear Nehemiah disciplining the people who were in debt. He even lends them money and grain himself. (But note, they weren’t taking out debt for luxuries and vacations, but because they were starving.)

So far, we don’t see debt called out as a sin. Isaiah 24:2 even says God doesn’t judge us based on our financial position:

“As with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor” (ESV).

But we get multiple perspectives of why it isn’t considered a “Plan A.” And we see that the Bible takes a serious stance on how we lend to others.

But that barely scratches the surface. So let’s explore ten key financial topics from the Bible.

Ten Key principles the Bible gives about debt

From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God covers a lot of financial ground.

And it’s practical wisdom we still need today.

The Bible advises on when, how, and who to lend to—and on the responsibility that comes with debt. God teaches stewardship, debt forgiveness, debt-free living, and how to depend on Him.

But first, let’s get the lowdown on lending.

The Bible’s advice to lenders

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The Bible often connects lending with generosity. So it’s no surprise that God encourages Christians to lend.

“He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing” (Psalm 37:26, ESV).

In the New Testament, Jesus says:

“Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42, ESV).

The Bible also gives precise advice about when and how to lend.
Let’s start with when the Bible says to lend to others.

When the Bible says to lend

It says we’re supposed to lend to those who are poor and in need:

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17, ESV).

“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you” (Leviticus 25:35, ESV).

“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8, ESV).

Something all three verses have in common is their mention of lending to brothers. But what does that mean?

In Nehemiah and Deuteronomy, “brother” refers to those within your community.

And in the New Testament, Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50, ESV).

The Bible says to care for people in need—especially those in our churches and communities.

And that includes our direct relatives:

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8, ESV).

But that doesn’t mean that lending to strangers is wrong. We saw in Leviticus that it’s pretty much assumed that everyone will be looking after newcomers and travelers.

But God’s love shines through us when we remember to bless the needy within our reach.

And it’s not only about money. It can mean loaning groceries, cars, time, spare rooms, or whatever you might have that matches the need.

So the answer to “when” is “whenever you have the opportunity!”

Now let’s look at verses that discuss how to lend.

How the Bible says to lend

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The Bible tells us to lend freely, and usually without charging interest (Matthew 10:8, Leviticus 25:36-37).

The next couple verses say it’s okay to charge interest on loans to strangers, but not to people we’re connected with:

“You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake” (Deuteronomy 23:19-20, ESV).

 

“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest” (Exodus 22:25, NKJV).

We’re also supposed to give without expecting or demanding anything back. And give generously (Luke 6:30, Luke 6:35, ESV).

Deuteronomy 15:10-11 points out why God encourages us to lend. Because until the end of the world, we’ll always find people in need:

“You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land’” (ESV).

Usury in the Bible

The Bible commands us to avoid usury when we lend. And that’s different from regular interest. Even today, usury is illegal and we have laws about it.

According to the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions:

“‘Usury’ is the unlawful act of charging interest on a debt…at a rate greater than what is permitted under any applicable law… .”

Think credit card rates—and higher.

So the Bible’s advice on being responsible moneylenders is timeless:

“He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved” (Psalm 15:5, NKJV).

Let’s recap the biblical advice to lenders.

It says to give freely, charge little to no interest, and not to expect anything back.

But that can feel intimidating. A little foolish, even. Won’t we go broke? Won’t we get taken advantage of?

Though God wants us to live as generous lenders, He also says it’s wise to seek discernment (Matthew 10:16, ESV).

But understanding biblical stewardship can help calm that fear, too.

Stewardship and debt

When it comes to lending, it helps to remember that everything we have comes from God (1 Chronicles 29:14, Psalm 50:10, Haggai 2:8). And He can easily replace what we lend.

Biblical stewardship means we manage what we have (like our money, time, and resources) for God.

Jesus makes that clear in Luke 16:1-8 when He tells the parable of a rich man who fires his money manager. He accuses the manager of “wasting his goods” (NKJV).

Before the manager leaves, He goes around to everyone who owes his boss money and lowers their debts. He aims to get in the good graces of others in the community so he won’t get left out in the cold.

In the end, the rich man commends his ex-manager for how he dealt with the debtors.

It’s strange to commend the manager from a financial viewpoint. But it helps when we look at the purpose of money through God’s lens.

Tim Mackie, PhD, biblical studies professor and creative director of the BibleProject, shares this conclusion from his research on this parable:

“While it’s unlikely that a real master would praise a slave for doing this, this is exactly what God would praise His servants for doing with His money. Which is not to treat it as an ultimate end, but to treat it as an instrument to build relationships. And what’s most valuable is the networks of relationships, and support, and care you build in.”¹

When we see ourselves as God’s stewards, it can help us loosen our grip on lending.

But good stewardship also impacts how we view debt.

God gives us “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17, ESV). He gives us the ability to make money (Deuteronomy 8:18). And He gives us only what He knows we can manage well (1 Corinthians 10:13).

When we want something that requires debt, those are helpful Bible verses to keep in mind.

Let’s dig into more Bible principles on borrowing.

Borrowing and repaying debt

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The Bible says to repay what we owe—and do it fast. It also says not to take out debt unless we know we have means to repay it.

“The wicked borrows and does not repay” (Psalm 37:21, NKJV).

“When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, ESV).

“Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest” (2 Kings 4:7, ESV).

We learned earlier that debt isn’t ideal, so it makes sense that God expects His people to repay debts without delay:

“Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler” (Proverbs 6:4-5, ESV).

Dave Ramsey, a Christian financial expert, says about debt, “A Cheetah is after your family. Run! … We find out that people get out of debt when they get gazelle intensity.”²

Repaying debt quickly includes anything we borrow. Even if it means replacing something of someone else’s that we lost or broke (Exodus 22:14, 2 Kings 6:5-7).

But that doesn’t mean that if we’re stuck in debt or we’ve ever gone bankrupt, we have to live in shame. We’ll see later that the Bible says plenty about debt forgiveness.

First, however, let’s get principles for living within our means.

What the Bible says about living within our means

Bottom line: The Bible’s view on borrowing money is that it’s best to live within our means.

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28, ESV).

 

“The Lord your God will bless you, as He promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow” (Deuteronomy 15:6, ESV, emphasis added).

But that can feel impossible at times, can’t it? And sometimes we get hit with unplanned expenses and it sets us back.

But whatever our circumstances may be, the Bible challenges us to be content with what we have (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:11-13, Luke 12:15). And it gives us questions we can ask ourselves when we’re tempted to take on debt that we might not need to, like:

• Is it God’s will? (James 4:15)
• Is it a want or a need? (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
• Are we trying to impress people? (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
• Are we in too much of a rush? (​​Proverbs 21:5)

What about paying tithe? To live within our means, can we put it on pause while we’re in debt?

We won’t cover all the verses on tithe.³ But in Luke 21:3-4, Jesus indicates that He wants us to give tithe, no matter our circumstances:

“Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (ESV).

The last kind of debt we’ll cover involves signing a loan for someone else (aka surety).

Co-signing on loans

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Several proverbs caution us against this kind of agreement. This is different from lending to a friend in need. It’s becoming legally liable for someone else’s debt.

A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, and becomes surety for his friend” (Proverbs 17:18, NKJV).

And here’s the reasoning behind that advice:

1. It traps us in an agreement we have little control over (Proverbs 6:1-2).
2. If the debtor doesn’t pay, we get stuck with the bill (Proverbs 22:26-27).
3. It can put us in harm’s way (Proverbs 11:15).

So these proverbs are not telling us not to help out or lend money, but to be wary of legal agreements that could saddle you with someone else’s responsibility.

Debt forgiveness and canceling debt

Jesus used parables about canceling financial debt to represent the forgiveness of sins. And it clues us in that He longs to help with our spiritual and financial welfare (Matthew 18:23-35, Luke 7:41-43).

In Philemon 18-19, Paul writes a beautiful letter for a runaway slave. He tells the slave’s master,

​​”If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it” (ESV).

The slave alone was responsible for his debt. Paul wasn’t a co-signer. But he offers to pay the slave’s debt, giving us a striking representation of what Christ Jesus did when He died for us.

And that still happens today.

One person struggled with student loan debt for eight years. Then an anonymous donor paid off all $139,000 of the debt she had left.

Stories like that amaze us. But in the Old Testament, God made debt forgiveness a regular practice:

In Leviticus 25:10, God set aside every 50th year to “proclaim liberty throughout the land” (ESV). In it, everyone got back what they’d lost through debt.

And every seven years, “Every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor” (Deuteronomy 15:1-2, ESV).

But there’s more.

Colossians 2:14 talks about Jesus “canceling the record of debt that stood against us” (ESV). And in Matthew 6:12, He says to pray: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (NKJV).
Debt forgiveness is something tangible that many long for and can understand. So the Bible uses canceling debts to explain the beauty of forgiven sins.

And that leads us to another question.

Is it okay to ask God to help us clear our financial debts?

Let’s discuss that before we wrap up.

Dependence on God vs. debt

We know that God doesn’t leave His people to handle things alone. He is the ultimate lender (Psalms 37:24-26, ESV).

We can boldly ask God for help, even when we’re in a mess we made ourselves (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).

God also reminds us that He has enough to cover all our needs (Philippians 4:19).

God promises to have our backs when we make it a habit to avoid debt and depend on Him (Matthew 6:31-33).

He wants to put us in a position where we don’t have to borrow:

“The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow” (Deuteronomy 28:12, ESV, emphasis added).

So while things may not be financially ideal right now, know that God always has a plan for each one of us.

How to apply the Bible principles on debt today

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Overall, the Bible promotes both generous giving and cautious borrowing. And if we’re dealing with debt (or any of life’s sizeable difficulties), we don’t have to feel stuck at a dead end.

These practical tips on becoming debt-free are a helpful way to get momentum.

For one, the Bible says it’s wise to have counselors who give biblically-based guidance (Proverbs 11:14). So it’s worth exploring programs by Christian financial experts like:

• Dave Ramsey (Financial Peace University)⁴
• Joseph Sangl (I was Broke. Now I’m Not.)⁵

We also might have to take on extra work for a season. But it doesn’t have to be a drag.

Colossians 3:23 tells us to remember who we’re doing it for: “Work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (ESV).

And this might seem obvious, but we sometimes need to be reminded that we can ask God to show us the way. Every. Single. Day.

Following the Bible’s principles on financial debt can allow us to:

• Have freedom to follow where God leads
• Have healthier community relationships
• Live with less stress
• Leave ill-fitting jobs for work we love⁶
• Give God glory by letting Him provide
• Stop comparing our lives with others
• Be generous givers

And plenty more.

Maybe you’re already experiencing debt-free living. But if you’re not there yet, that’s okay. God understands everyone’s individual circumstances and offers the Holy Spirit to be our guide through all of life’s challenges and decisions.

Want to know more?

1. “What Does Jesus Say About Money?” in BibleProject, hosted by John Collins and Tim Mackie, July 8, 2024, podcast, 22:27. [↵]
2. “Dumping Debt: Freedom from Debt – Sermon by Dave Ramsey.” Christian.Sermons Daily. January 1, 2016. Video, 17:10:00. [↵]
3. Leviticus 27:30-32, Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Proverbs 3:9, Malachi 3:8-10, Hebrews 7:4, Genesis 14:20, Genesis 28:22, Matthew 23:23, 2 Corinthians 8:5, Mark 12:41-44, 2 Chronicles 31:4-9
   [↵]
4. “Financial Peace University.” Ramsey Solutions, 2024. [↵]
5. “About Us.” I was Broke. Now I’m Not. 2016. [↵]
6. Coleman, Ken. 2021. From Paycheck to Purpose. Ramsey Press. [↵]

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