I have been a lover of the book of Psalms for more than 40 years. I read them, study them, memorize them, pray them. I’ve been a Christian therapist for almost the same amount of time. Over the years, my calling and career have grown into a ministry with global reach — which has given us a unique look into the mental health of the church and of the world in general. And I’m concerned with what I see.
On the one hand, mental health resources have never been more widely available. The number of mental health professionals (therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers) are at an all-time high, as are community centers, campus services and even grade-school mental health programs. The developments in science, like neurofeedback and psychopharmacological drugs to assist mental health, are also at their most advanced point in history.
And yet, every mental health professional will tell you we are not anywhere near meeting the need. The scale of our global mental health crisis is overwhelming even all these resources.
I do not know a single therapist that has an opening; everyone has long waiting lists. When you read statistics like the fact that nearly one in every two young adults report a struggle with anxiety, I feel that data is not a reflection on their personal weakness. (Many of you reading this can empathize.) I believe the tsunami of anxiety and depression are a kind of canary-in-the-coal-mine, an alarm.
In the last 30 years anxiety disorders have risen 50 percent among adults. Currently, 45.3 percent of young adults have symptoms of an anxiety disorder. These are folks living in the unprecedented safety and comfort of America; I wonder what would the data be in places around the world experiencing civil war, earthquakes, political collapse? Humanity is feeling the intensity of the hour, and the need for a true place of emotional, mental, and spiritual refuge.
While I believe in the important place of therapy and other medical responses to this, there is a spiritual angle too, which must not be forgotten. I am convinced that the resources of Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, and the church have been and will always be God‘s answer for human need.
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (Ps. 91:1-4, NLT)
The refuge being described here is unlike any other refuge in the world, because it is situated within God himself — the all powerful, unchanging, almighty Trinity!
Now today, we are all children of the Enlightenment, living in the era of the Internet, so we need to remind ourselves that the refuge being described here is real, substantive, actual, and not just a comforting thought. The shelter being offered in Psalm 91 is the presence of God. As the great English preacher Charles Spurgeon said in his commentary on the psalm in his book The Treasury of David,
“No shelter can be imagined at all comparable to the protection of Jehovah’s own shadow. The Almighty himself is where his shadow is, and hence those who dwell in his secret place are shielded by himself.”
If we could lead people into an actual daily experience of this, I wonder how much those anxiety rates would plummet? When the soul feels safe, our bodies respond; our cortisol levels drop and we begin to experience the peace that has felt so elusive.
If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. (Ps. 91:9-12, NLT)
So then, we are faced with a question: How can we make this our own personal experience? How can we help others into it? I believe this requires a fresh way of thinking about and teaching Psalm 91.
Not Merely Poetic Assurance
First off, we need to say very clearly that being safe and feeling safe are not the same thing. People with a fear of heights feel a surge of anxiety as they peer out the glass windows of a 17th story office building, but they are perfectly safe. There is zero chance of them falling. The child in its mother’s arms might leap in fear at the bark of a dog, but she is perfectly safe.
Psalm 91 is a truth we embrace before it is an existential experience we enjoy. That is very important to grasp.
Next, there is a critical “If” located in the psalm, right there in verse nine: “If you make the Lord your refuge.” Psalm 91 is something we choose not only to believe, but to participate in. This is the same “if” of John 15, when Jesus lays out a condition for life in him:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5, NIV)
If you remain in me. People take a very naïve view towards the refuge of God, and abiding in Christ (which are the same thing). I think most of us assume it’s just something that happens because we are Christians. Not at all. It is something we choose.
We choose to believe it, regardless of what our feelings might be doing in the moment.
We choose to move towards it, when we love God, draw near to him, and practice his presence.
We choose to stay within the refuge when we keep his commands.
But there is more.
We Are After Experience, Not Just Inspiration
One of the great failures of Christian discipleship in this hour has been the over-emphasis on the delivery of left-brain rational content, and a lack of mentoring into experiential union with Christ. If you read the saints of ages past, they speak of intimacy with Christ as if he were their best friend (the very thing Jesus himself spoke of throughout John 15, and in many, many other places).
Listen to these words by the French noblewoman Jeanne Guyon (who was imprisoned for her faith):
“I have found it easy to obtain the presence of God. He desires to be more present to us than we desire to seek Him. He desires to give Himself to us far more readily than we desire to receive Him … this is easier and more natural than breathing.”
“Easier than breathing” — wouldn’t that be lovely? But this isn’t just a spiritual dream. We can come to know this for ourselves. This experience of God’s presence and refuge is entirely available to you. The humble friar Brother Lawrence wrote the famous little book The Practice of the Presence of God in the 1600s. Listen to his daily reality:
“I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God. For my part I keep myself retired with Him in the depth of the center of my soul as much as I can; and while I am so with Him I fear nothing; but the least turning from Him is insupportable.
“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God; those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it.“
Notice he said, “practice it.” This is so important. Intimacy with Jesus, coming into awareness of his presence and moving more deeply into it — is something we practice, just like riding a bike or playing an instrument. This is how we come into the experience of Psalm 91. And then, having learned the practice for ourselves, we can disciple others into it.
A Few Simple Steps
Let me suggest a few simple steps to guide you:
You do have to create sacred space, free from all distraction (hard to do in this hour when we are tied to our phones). Try ten minutes to begin with. Get into a quiet place.
Use simple, soft instrumental music without lyrics. I like the offerings of William Augusto. (If you need your phone for music, put it on airplane mode.)
Begin with simply loving Jesus: I love you Jesus. I love you, Lord. I love you. Not just once, but over and over.
Holy Spirit, help me into the shelter of the Most High. Help me into the secret place of God’s presence. I choose to believe you are before I feel it. Thank you that you are. Now help me, Holy Spirit, to tune in. Help me experience the presence of God with me, in me, surrounding me.
And then you just linger, loving Jesus.
Your soul is made for union with Jesus Christ, and it will gravitate towards him. And just like anything else you’ve learned in your life, you will grow better at it over time. Ten minutes becomes twenty, then thirty, and the intimacy deepens.
Then the “secret place” of Psalm 91 will become home for us, something we are able to access anytime, anywhere. Imagine how that would transform the spiritual dimension of our mental health and holistic wellbeing. Imagine with me what it would feel like if that became experiential reality for each of us. Imagine what that would mean for the world!
Learn more about finding refuge, strength, and wonder through everyday encounters with God in John’s new book and video Bible study, Experience Jesus. Really. Watch Session 1 below:
My parents tell me I was a curious child — always asking questions, challenging assumptions, and refusing to accept simple answers. I vividly remember the frustration of asking, “Why do I have to go to bed if I’m not tired?” only to hear the dreaded response, “Because I said so.” That answer so vexed my young soul that I swore I would never use it on my own children.
Of course, as I grew, I realized that not everything in life is open for debate. Some things simply are. But my curiosity never faded — it just shifted toward deeper questions. How do we know there’s a God? How do we know Jesus really existed? How can believing in the right thing lead to eternal salvation? These weren’t just abstract thoughts; they were questions that shaped my understanding of faith.
For a while, I drifted into what I now call “practical atheism” — not outright denying God’s existence, but simply living as if He didn’t matter. I figured God could do His thing, and I would do mine. But everything changed when I got married. Loving my wife in a selfless way opened my eyes to the reality that life isn’t just about me. And when we had our first child, my entire worldview shifted.
I’ll never forget looking into my newborn daughter’s eyes and realizing, this is unconditional love. A love that would do anything to protect, guide, and nurture — not because of anything she had done, but because of whose she was: mine. That realization hit me in a new way: This must be how God loves us. It isn’t about performance or perfection. It’s about our identity, about belonging to Him.
Even after my faith was renewed, the questions persisted. If faith in Jesus is the only path to salvation, what about those who lived before Him? Can someone believe in Jesus, receive salvation, and then live however they want? How does God look at us and not remember all the sinful things we’ve done?
What I’ve come to love about Christianity — and about the book of Galatians in particular — is that God never asks us to check our intellect at the door. He invites us to wrestle with Him, to seek, to question, and to grow. In fact, the name Israel means “one who wrestles with God” (Gen. 32:28). And in Isaiah 1:18, God invites us, “Come now, let us reason together” (ESV).
Galatians: A Book for Thinkers
Galatians is not just another book of the Bible — it is a fiery, passionate defense of the gospel, written by a man who had everything to lose by preaching it. The Apostle Paul, with unshakable conviction, addresses some of the most fundamental questions of the Christian faith, questions that continue to shape our understanding of the gospel today.
In this letter, Paul boldly asserts his authority as an apostle, defending both his calling and the message he received directly from Christ. He confronts the pressing issue of how we are made right with God, making it clear that salvation comes by faith alone, not by works of the Law. He exposes the dangers of false gospels and clarifies the true gospel of Christ. Paul also wrestles with the role of the Law, explaining its purpose and how it relates to believers under the New Covenant. He challenges distinctions between Jews and Gentiles in the Church, emphasizing unity in Christ. And perhaps most powerfully, he unveils the meaning of true freedom in Christ — freedom that releases us from bondage to the Law while calling us to live lives of love and service as we walk by the Spirit.
These are not just ancient theological issues — they are real, pressing questions that Christians wrestle with today. Even among well-meaning believers, confusion often arises over the relationship between faith, works, and the Law. You’ve probably heard statements like, “We should follow the Old Testament Law because Jesus followed it,” or “Salvation is by faith, but you still need to live a certain way to prove it.” Others claim, “Christians should obey the Ten Commandments, but not all the other Old Testament laws.”
These kinds of statements reveal a deep need to understand the message of Galatians. Paul’s letter cuts through the confusion, making it clear how the gospel transforms our relationship to the Law and what it truly means to live by faith. The same struggles faced by the early church still challenge us today, and Galatians provides the answers we need to walk in the freedom and grace of Christ, revealing a gospel that is just as radical today as it was 2,000 years ago.
God Welcomes Our Questions
Early in my faith, I remember coming across Jesus’ interaction with the father of the boy with an unclean spirit. Jesus told him, “All things are possible for one who believes,” and the father immediately cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24 ESV). This passage hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. We can believe and still struggle with doubts?
What I love about Galatians is that it shows us God is not afraid of our questions. He doesn’t command our blind faith and simply declare, “Believe because I said so.” Instead, in His great mercy and love, God provides us with reason, history, and evidence. Paul builds a logical, scriptural case for why the gospel of Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises and why the works of the Law the false teachers demanded could not justify anyone. Galatians reminds us that the Christian faith is not about rule-keeping and moralism — it’s about relationship. We are not saved because we followed the Law perfectly. We are saved because of what Christ has done for us. And that changes everything.
If you’ve ever wrestled with questions about faith, grace, the Law, or salvation, Galatians is for you. This book is a battle cry for freedom in Christ, a call to reject legalism and embrace the unshakable grace of God. Paul wisely pairs this declaration of liberty with a warning against the abuse of such freedom. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13 ESV). Jesus did not bring us freedom to sin, but freedom from sin.
So, I invite you to dig into Galatians — not just as a theological study but as a personal journey. Let it challenge you. Let it refine you. Let it remind you that you are not defined by your performance but by your identity in Christ. Because, at the end of the day, God’s love for us isn’t based on what we do. It’s based on whose we are — His.
Take a fascinating verse-by-verse walk through Galatians with Professor R.L. Solberg in his book, The Law, the Christ, the Promise.
In the face of modern challenges to faith, The Law, the Christ, the Promise is an essential guide for believers seeking a firmer grasp on Christian truths. This concise yet profound Bible study dissects the Apostle Paul’s message to the Galatians, addressing false teachings and bringing to light the significance of justification, righteousness, and God’s promise through Christ. It’s a pivotal read for anyone looking to deepen their grasp on the gospel and defending it today.
“Look at the Book” is Bible Gateway’s series of short blog posts and infographics introducing you to the books of the Bible. The book of Acts is a direct sequel to the Gospel of Luke, written by the same author and picking up directly where the gospel left off.
Scroll to the bottom if you’d prefer to see (and save) this article as an infographic. You’ll also find a handy 30-day reading guide. Or, for a challenge, you can do it in one week using the 7-day reading guide below.
Summary
Beginning with Jesus’s ascension, through the birth of the church on the Day of Pentecost, to Paul’s preaching at Rome, Acts chronicles the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church.
Category: History
Theme: Church
Timeline: Written together with the Gospel of Luke around 60 AD
Key Verse
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 1:8 (NIV)
Paul’s Missions
Paul’s three missionary journeys in Acts:
Twelve stops, nine cities, from around 46-48 AD
Nineteen stops, 19 cities, from around 49-52 AD
Twenty-six stops, 23 cities, from around 53-58 AD
These events serve as a kind of microcosm of Paul’s entire ministry: stiff opposition from most Jews and joyous acceptance of the gospel message by many Gentiles.
Paul’s joyful perseverance in the face of extreme persecution is testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life.
Access the rest of the series. Browse Bible studies for each book of the Bible. Or right-click on the infographic below to download and save the image for your reference.
True to their nature, demons in the Bible are a tricky category — much harder to pin down than angels. Angels, despite having many types or kinds throughout the Bible, are mostly referred to as malakh in the Hebrew Old Testament and angelos in the Greek New Testament — both literally meaning “messenger.” Demons, though, can refer to many different beings in the Bible.
As a rule, demons in the Old Testament are more varied, ambiguous, and frightening than demons in the New Testament. While the latter are not to be trifled with — they can cause all sorts of harm to people — the former often appear to be much more ancient and cosmically powerful. But there are exceptions.
This article will explore the many types of demons and associated evil beings, and where they can be found in Scripture.
Demonology: A Brief Biblical and Historical Background
Christian demonology developed gradually and comes from combing through and combining a variety of Biblical and extrabiblical sources.
Terms for ‘Demons’ in the Bible
The English word “demon” comes from the Greek daimon, which appears in the New Testament more than 80 times. The two words sound very similar, but their meanings are quite different. The Greek word originally had a broad application: it can mean any divine or spiritual being, good or bad. In the New Testament context, though, they are usually bad.
On the other hand, there is no single word for “demon” in Hebrew, so they do not appear as such in the Old Testament. When you see “demons” in the Old Testament, they could be any of a variety of Hebrew terms, such as shedim, elohim (a word that’s, confusingly, also used for God), or se’irim.
Because of this diversity in their terminology, the Bible is not clear on the overlaps and differences between classes and categories like demons, fallen angels, pagan deities, and other strange, frightening, and sometimes evil entities. Many such figures are named in the Bible (and its adjacent literature), but it seldom specifies their origin or purpose in God’s design.
Ambiguous Purpose
It’s also not clear which of these spiritual beings operate on their own, or in service to Satan, or are themselves manifestations of Satan. Sometimes they even seem to operate under the command — or at least approval — of God!
All of these ambiguities meant that Christians had to do a lot of guesswork in the centuries after Jesus, piecing together the puzzle of what demons are and how they came to be — especially when it comes to their leader, Satan. Not all of their conclusions are actually found in the Bible, but for the most part they were very careful not to contradict it. Still, there remains much we don’t know (and perhaps aren’t meant to).
As for what we do know — it’s usually not hard to discern which spirits are evil (key word, usually: the devil is known as the “Prince of Lies” for a reason). Let’s take a look at each of them now.
Demons and ‘Unclean Spirits’ in the New Testament
Let’s get these out of the way first, because they’re the most straightforward.
Demons in the New Testament refer almost always to malign spirits who take possession of unwitting human beings (and occasionally animals) sometimes causing physical or mental afflictions and other times urging them toward immoral behavior. They are also often referred to as “unclean spirits” (cf. Mark 1:21-28, 5:1-13, Acts 5:16).
But despite their prevalence in the New Testament, we never learn where they come from, nor do we receive any physical descriptions of them. It’s likely that they are invisible, at least to those without divine sight. It’s worth mentioning, though, that many of the church fathers believed them to have been connected to the Nephilim, the giants or fallen angels mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4 — perhaps as their disembodied spirits.
The other kind of demon that crops up a few times in the New Testament, mostly in Paul’s letters and Revelation, appears to be of a higher order — perhaps fallen angels or pagan gods, whom we will look at below. These demons receive sacrifices (1 Cor. 10:20), offer teachings (1 Tim. 4:1), and are worshiped as alternatives to the Lord (Rev. 9:20).
Demons, Fallen Angels, and Other Semi-Divine Beings in the Old Testament
The Hebrew of the Old Testament lacks a single, specific word for demons — but it certainly does not lack for evil creatures! Some of these beings appear to be fallen angels (or descended from them), while others are specific entities with proper names who appear to be in a class of their own. A few even seem to be in the service of God.
Nephilim
The Nephilim are a class of angel mentioned briefly in Genesis 6:1-4 and Numbers 13:33, who descended (or fell) and coupled with human women, spawning a race of fearsome giants. Though referred to as “sons of God” and “heroes of old,” they soon took on a more sinister character. They are a central focus of the extracanonical (though highly influential) book of Enoch.
Shedim and Se’irim
The shedim and se’irim are the two types of being in the Old Testament that come closest to what we now think of as demons. Neither appears frequently, but they left a strong impression on the ancient Israelites.
Shedim appear only twice, in Deuteronomy 32:17 and Psalm 106:37, where they are associated with foreign deities who demanded child sacrifice. Their physical appearance isn’t mentioned, but in other ancient texts they are described as winged, sometimes serpentine spirits.
The appearance of the se’irim on the other hand is much clearer: the word is associated with male goats and “hairiness,” and is often translated “goat demon.” Because of this, they are often associated with the goat-legged satyrs of Greek mythology — and are probably where the later depiction of Satan as a goat-legged figure originated. They are usually seen as a much lower form of demon, though. They appear in only four passages: Leviticus 17:6-7; 2 Chronicles 11:14-15; Isaiah 13:21; and Isaiah 34:14.
Lilith
Did you read Isaiah 34:14? It’s also the only mention of Lilith, known as the “Mother of Demons” — though only in later, Medieval thought. In fact, the word in Isaiah is disputed: it could refer to Lilith, or simply a “creature of the night.”
Despite the ambiguity, a dense mythology developed around Lilith in the Middle Ages (long after the Bible was written), describing her as Adam’s disobedient first wife and a consort of witches and succubae.
Azazel
Like Lilith, Azazel is mentioned only once in the Bible (Lev. 16:6-10) and it is similarly disputed whether the passage in question refers to a named demon/fallen angel (as in the ESV, NRSVue, NABRE, CEB, and NLT) or simply to the Hebrew word for “scapegoat” (as in the Septuagint, Vulgate, KJV, NIV, and NASB).
The Hebrew meaning is unclear, but early church fathers interpreted it through the influential extracanonical book of 1 Enoch, which identifies Azazel as one of the fallen angels who fathered the Nephilim. According to this legend, Azazel later gave various gifts (such as weapons and cosmetics) to humanity, before being defeated and chained to a rock by the archangel Raphael.
Prince of Persia (and Other ‘Princes’)
The Prince of Persia is another spiritual or divine being — perhaps a fallen angel — who appears only once in the Bible, though in more detail than Lilith or Azazel, in Daniel 10.
In this chapter, Daniel describes a vision in which an unidentified angel (traditionally associated with the archangel Gabriel) delivers an apocalyptic message about the “end of days” (Dn. 10:13). But first, the angel says he was delayed 21 days in conflict with the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” before “Michael, one of the chief princes” came to his aid. Afterwards, Gabriel will have to return to fight against the prince of Persia, and then the prince of Greece, along with Michael, “your prince” (Dn. 10:20-21).
This passage has led many commentators to believe that there are perhaps angelic or spiritual beings watching over every nation — some evil (e.g., the princes of Persia and Greece) and some good (e.g., Michael). It’s also likely that the angels, principalities, and powers that Paul refers to in Romans 8:38-39 are these very princes.
Mavet (Mot)
Mot — spelled mavet or maveth in Hebrew — was the Canaanite god of death. In Hebrew the word (which appears over 100 times in the Old Testament) usually just means “death,” and that’s nearly always how it’s translated into English.
But there are some places — such as Job 28:22, Psalm 49:14, Isaiah 28:15, and Habakkuk 2:5 — where it seems to become more personified. Is that simply poetical, metaphorical language? Or does it suggest Mot is a demonic entity of some kind? We can’t be sure.
Early Christians debated about whether pagan gods: a) didn’t exist; b) did exist, yet were impotent; or c) did exist, and were malevolent. The score was never really settled, and the conversation continues to this day.
Abaddon
Like Mot, the word abaddon is a Hebrew word with a general meaning — in this case, “destruction.” Unlike Mot, it only occurs six times in the Hebrew Bible, and is understood to be a proper noun — either as a place or an angel. Abaddon is closely associated with Sheol, the place of the dead — and with Mot: they appear side-by-side in Job 28:22. (See also Job 26:6, 31:12; Psalm 88:11; Proverbs 15:11, 27:20).
Abaddon also appears in the New Testament under the Greek name Apollyon (Rev. 9:11), where he guards a bottomless pit (probably Sheol, though it’s not named in the passage) from which smoke and horrifying locusts emerge to scourge the people who do not have “the seal of God on their foreheads” (Rev. 9:4).
Destroying Angels: Are They Good or Evil?
Many of the creatures on this list are pretty squarely evil, while a few (such as Mavet and Abaddon) are somewhat ambiguous as to whether they are demonic foes or divine agents of vengeance.
Destroying angels, though, are a special case: also known as “destroyers,” “death bringers,” “messengers of death,” and sometimes simply “the angel of the Lord,” they are fearsome and (as the name implies) destructive. Yet they operate under God’s control to deliver his retribution.
In 2 Samuel 24, the Lord asks David to conduct a census. Yet after he has done so, David comes to believe he has sinned, and the Lord sends pestilence upon Israel in punishment. God’s angel is then about to destroy Jerusalem, when God relents and tells him to stop. David then sees what must have been a terrible and astonishing sight, the angel with sword outstretched over Jerusalem. David repents and asks God to punish only him rather than his people.
This story is retold in 2 Chronicles 21, yet curiously, here it is Satan that asks David to conduct the census. But it is still God who sends (and recalls) the destroying angel.
The angel of the Lord slaughters 185,000 Assyrians when King Sennacherib launches an invasion against Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:35).
The Bible (specifically the Old Testament) mentions quite a few pagan deities (elohim) worshiped by neighboring peoples of the Israelites — and all too often, by the Israelites themselves.
As I said above (while discussing Mawet/Mot, the Canaanite god of death), it’s not altogether clear — either in the Bible or from rabbinical and church authorities — whether these deities should be seen as real demonic entities or impotent idols. But either way, they did often distract the ancient Israelites from true worship of the Lord, and sometimes led to abhorrent practices such as child sacrifice.
Here are some of the more prominent pagan gods mentioned in Scripture:
Baal/Ba’al: “Ba’al” is a word that simply means “Lord” in some ancient Semitic languages, so it can and does refer to a lot of different gods in the Bible — especially in the books of Judges, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, and Jeremiah. (For example: Numbers 25:3; Judges 2:11; 1 Kings 16:31-32, 18:16-40; 2 Kings 10:18-29; Jeremiah 19:5; Hosea 11:2)
Baal-Zebub/Beelzebub/Beelzebul: The most famous of the Baals, a Philistine god whose name means “Lord of the Flies”; later associated with Satan. (2 Kings 1, Matt. 12:22-32, Mark 3:20-30, Luke 11:14-23)
Molek/Molech/Moloch: An ancient god to whom some cultures (like the Ammonites) sacrificed children, often by fire. (Lev. 20:2-5; 1Kg. 11:4-8; Isa. 57:9; Jer. 32:35)
Ashtoreth/Astarte: A major goddess in ancient Semitic cultures, particularly the Phoenicians, associated with fertility, love, and war. (Jdg. 10:6, 1Sm. 12:10, 1Kg. 11:5)
Dagon: An agricultural god of the Philistines, often depicted as half-man, half-fish. (Jdg. 16:23, 1Sm. 5)
Chaos Monsters and Dragons
Not demons exactly, chaos monsters were common figures in Near Eastern mythology who represented the forces of nature or supernature that even the gods could not control. The God of the Bible can, of course, control them (in fact, Genesis 1:21 might refer to him creating them — or just to large sea creatures like whales and sharks). But they are often depicted as being in opposition to him.
Dragons, on the other hand, can represent several different possible creatures, depending on the translation. In some versions, such as the KJV, NRSVue, and NABRE, the word “dragon” often translates the Hebrew word tannîn (e.g., Psalm 74:13). Other times you might see it rendered “sea monster,” “serpent,” or even just “snake” (e.g., Deut. 32:33).
In the book of Revelation, where the word translates the Greek drakon, the translation is much more consistent. Here, it clearly depicts a fearsome being that has come to be associated with Satan himself (see Rev. 12). The question is: which Old Testament “dragons” should be, too?
Satan, Prince of Demons
Satan is of course the leader (or prince) of the demons. He goes by many, many different names, and indeed many of the other entities in this article are frequently associated with him, either as servants, aspects, or epithets.
In other words, exactly who Satan is and how he is connected to the many other angelic, demonic, spiritual, and divine entities mentioned in the Bible is very unclear and a topic of ongoing discussion. Again, that’s partly the point: he’s not known as the “Father of Lies” for nothing.
We don’t have space here for the full picture of how the different understandings of Satan in and out of the Bible developed. But here are a few important aspects to be aware of.
The Adversary/Accuser
Like Mavet and Abaddon, the word “satan” is not actually a proper name but simply a Hebrew word meaning “adversary” or “accuser.” Yet also like Mavet and Abaddon, it became increasingly associated with a very particular Adversary in ancient Israel.
In the Old Testament the word appears many times in both meanings — mostly as a general term in the historical books and as a name in Job and the prophets.
The other most common name of Satan in the Bible is the Devil, a translation of the Greek word diabolos meaning — surprise — “accuser” or “slanderer.” So in other words, while the Hebrew word for “accuser” had become the proper name Satan, Satan was also still referred to by the Greek word for “accuser.”
You can also find diabolos in its more general meaning of “slanderer” or “false accuser” in a few places, namely 1 Tim. 3:11, 2 Tim. 3:3, and Titus 2:3.
Other Names Associated With Satan
Many other names and entities in (and outside) the Bible have come to be associated with Satan, though in many cases the Bible itself isn’t explicit about the connection. Here are some of them — you can look up the verses and do your own research using Bible Gateway Plus or your favorite Study Bible.
The Serpent (Gen. 3:1-15) is often believed to be Satan based on his manipulative dishonesty and references to “that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” in Rev. 12:9 (RSV, ESV, NRSVue).
Belial (Jdg. 19:22, 1 Sam. 2:12, 2 Cor. 6:15), a Hebrew word meaning “wicked or worthless,” later became used as a proper name in the same manner as we have seen in other examples above.
Taking a long look into the wild, phantasmagoric world of the Bible’s demonology, as we’ve done in this article, can feel like an adventure into a fantasy world. Indeed, angelic and demonic imagery has been mined for many incredible works of fiction — including an excellent Christian board game.
It’s an open question and point of ongoing discussion (for thousands of years) how literally Christians should take all of these demonic creatures. But regardless of whether Lilith, Azazel, and Mavet are real beings or symbolic representations, they speak of the indisputably real evil that Christians (and all people) must contend with in the world. In general, it’s good to be aware of these forces — but not to spend too much time looking into them. Instead, let them be a reminder to put on your spiritual armor every day and turn your gaze to the saving light of Christ through Scripture and prayer.
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How cool would it be if there was a Control+F (Command-F if you’re Mac-fancy) function in life? Hear me out. If you could somehow look back over your life, hit Control+F, and “find” all the places where certain issues, patterns, and words come up. Think about how much faster that could make the process of figuring out why you do the things you do, why you say the things you say, why you feel the way you feel.
I got to have a Control+F experience, literally, while working on my last book, Becoming Free Indeed. It revealed something about my life with greater frequency and importance than I’d ever realized before. If you were to go into a digital copy of that book, which is about my journey of breaking free from the harmful beliefs and influence of the religious system I was raised in, and you were to search for the words people pleaser, your screen would light up like a Christmas tree. Even though people pleasing wasn’t what that book was about, there was no denying that both by the way I’m wired and from the environment around me, people pleasing has had a grip on me for a long time.
It makes sense now, but I have to tell you that it took me by surprise, realizing that people pleasing was a phantom heartbeat in my life. Someone recently asked me when I became truly aware that I was a people pleaser. After all, from the way I was raised to how I’m naturally wired, trying to keep everybody happy and on an even keel was simply part of my original operating system.
I didn’t know why managing my emotions, my stress, and my jitters felt so hard. I was doing everything I knew to avoid any kind of confrontation or failure. I was doing everything I knew to be the most “perfect” I could be. I also knew that I was miserable.
What I didn’t know was why.
People Pleasing at Its Core
As it turns out, a lot of different feelings come with pleasing people. For me, people pleasing has felt like dread and anxiety. But I can remember other times it felt like sadness or nerves. And I remember still other times I felt really proud that I had accomplished or said or done something in the way that another person wanted me to.
People pleasing feels a lot of different ways.
But people pleasing at its core is this: when we put everyone else’s preferences and opinions above our own or above what we know is true and right for the purpose of gaining acceptance and approval or to avoid criticism. It’s when we feel like someone else’s approval is critical to our survival and our understanding of our worth. It’s when we lose the ability to stand up for ourselves in order to keep someone else happy. It’s when we’d rather just go along than have that tough conversation or confront harmful behavior in someone else.
In a nutshell, people pleasing is when someone else’s approval, happiness, preference, or opinion comes before anything else in your world. And your whole world is built around accommodating those things for them in order to gain their approval, whether they’ve directly told you that’s what they expect or you’ve imagined it all on your own.
Doesn’t God Want Us to Prioritize Other People?
If you’re someone who was raised in church, you might think, Now wait a minute, Jinger. I thought God wanted us to put other people before ourselves. And you’re not wrong; Scripture does talk about not thinking more highly of ourselves than we should (Romans 12:3). Jesus does teach about going the extra mile for others (Matthew 5:41).
But here’s the difference. It’s all about motive — what you’re trying to get by people pleasing. Are you walking in humility? Are you walking in generosity for the right reasons? Or are you appeasing people around you because you want their approval and acceptance back? Seeking acceptance or seeking to avoid disapproval are the two big mile markers on the people-pleasing path. And both of those paths will get you twisted in knots eventually.
Avoid the Snare of Fear
While some verses talk about serving others well and caring for them, there are plenty of other places in Scripture that talk about not trying to please others. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (ESV). It’s that word snare that really stands out to me. My people pleasing has always been about me trying not to get “snared” or “trapped” by someone’s upset or anger or disappointment. But in turning myself inside out in that effort, I was trapped in my own skin, mute to speak what I really thought or needed, caught between bars of the expectations of others and the ones I’d put on myself.
I also entered the trap of seeking approval. My understanding of my own worth was so wrapped up in someone telling me I was doing a good job or that I was so easy to be around. And when all you know of yourself is what someone else is telling you about yourself, it’s a cage like no other.
The Cost of People Pleasing
What has people pleasing cost you? Have you let yourself down, making a choice you wouldn’t have otherwise, were it not for the pressure you felt from others? I have. Have you put up with someone treating you in a way you wouldn’t let them get away with toward a friend? Maybe you have let the idea of possibly letting someone down consume you so much that you haven’t gone for a particular opportunity. Maybe you feel a pulse of people pleasing course through you when you know you should say something … but you don’t.
Feel like I’m reading your journal? It’s because I’ve been there, and on bad days, I still go there a little bit, the muscle memory of people pleasing leading me down some of the same familiar paths and feelings.
The Good News
But I’ve got good news for us. I’m learning that it is possible to get free from the web of it. It’s not easy. It takes staring down yourself and your motives and your behaviors with an honest eye. It requires honesty and courage and failing and trying again. It means you’ll have to let go of some patterns, definitions, and relationships that are keeping you tangled up.
Are you a people pleaser? Can you even begin to measure how the approval of others has shaped your heart and mind? Your faith and relationships? Your habits and identity? In People Pleaser, New York Times bestselling author Jinger Vuolo shares her personal journey of constantly seeking approval from others and how she found her true identity.
Through her faith and reliance on God, Jinger began to break free from the need for approval and discover true freedom. This book is a guide for anyone struggling with people-pleasing tendencies and seeking to find their true identity and purpose in life.
Beliefs about angels are typically an amalgam of what people pick up from popular culture, what they remember from childhood cartoons, and what they have culled from casual Bible reading.
Consequently, there are a lot of misconceptions — some harmless, others theologically problematic. For instance, the idea that people become angels when they die seems to persist, despite having no biblical support. (I blame Looney Tunes.)
What Do We Know About Angels in the Bible?
The Bible refers to angels in sixteen of the Old Testament books and seventeen of the New Testament books, and yet the primary focus of Scripture is on God and our relationship with him. This means that a lot of details about angels aren’t spelled out with specificity. They aren’t supposed to be.
Why?
Because they are a sidelight to the central plot of the Bible and unnecessary information for us to have at this point. A lot of what we can discern about angels, then, is inferred from what is revealed in the text.
Nevertheless, when we look at the totality of the Bible, we see that angels are active from beginning to end. Graham Cole, who served as a professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, highlighted how angels were present at these key moments of redemptive history: “The exodus of God’s people from Egypt (Ex. 14:19) and subsequent journey (Ex. 23:23), the giving of the law (Gal. 3:19), the incarnation of the Son of God (Luke 1:26), his ordeal in the garden (Luke 22:43), his resurrection from the dead (John 20:12), and his return in judgment (2 Thess. 1:5–8).”
What Can We Know About Angels Today?
Although Cole recognizes that angels were “minor players in the drama of redemption,” their activities clearly made a difference in a lot of ways during biblical times and — if various accounts are credible — in the contemporary era as well. So when exploring the supernatural realm, it makes sense to delve into what we can know with confidence about these elusive celestial spirits.
“The greatest of Christian thinkers have consistently recognized that angels and demons are far more than a divine embellishment designed to make the Bible interesting,” said theology professor Peter R. Schemm Jr. “Angels are actual beings whose existence affects human life.”
Ron Rhodes agrees. “Angels are real. Angels are alive. And though we rarely perceive their presence, they are very much with us here on the earth,” he wrote in The Secret Life of Angels. “A vast world of intelligent, powerful, invisible spirit beings is all around us and warrants careful study.”
To investigate how these spirit beings influence our lives, I flew to Charlotte, North Carolina, to meet with Douglas Potter, a professor who had collaborated with prominent theologian and apologist Norman Geisler to write a book called The Doctrine of Angels and Demons.
Potter earned a master’s degree in apologetics and then a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES). Now in his mid-fifties, Potter serves as a professor of apologetics and theology and director of the Doctor of Ministry program at SES.
What About Guardian Angels?
At one point in the interview, I broached a controversial topic that Australian theologian Michael Bird has conceded is “complex”: Does each individual have a “guardian angel” assigned to them by God to watch over and protect them?
“The issue is not whether angels guard,” Graham Cole observed. “They clearly do. The issue is whether a specific angel is assigned guardianship of a specific human person. The great early church Bible translator Jerome (347–419) certainly thought so. … In the medieval period, Aquinas, following Jerome, whom he quotes, certainly thought so.”
Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft put it this way: “There are twice as many persons as we see in every place, every kitchen or classroom, every hospital or nursery. Only half are human persons. There is an angel standing next to each bag lady.”
Moreover, the Orthodox tradition teaches that at baptism God assigns every individual a guardian angel.
Theologian Herman Bavinck is among the scholars who disagree. “There is not even a hint that every elect person is assigned his or her own angel,” he wrote. “The idea is found only in the apocryphal book of Tobit.”
I said to Potter, “One scholar says the idea of individually assigned guardian angels is a text-less doctrine. What’s your opinion?”
“I wouldn’t characterize it as a text-less doctrine,” he said. “How many biblical texts do you need to establish a doctrine if there’s a fairly clear reference? And there is a reference to guardian angels in Matthew 18:10, where Jesus himself says, ‘See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven’” (NIV).
Potter cleared his throat. “Notice that Jesus is referring to their angels. T-H-E-I-R. Jesus doesn’t elaborate, but that doesn’t diminish the reference here. This is Scripture, and it’s not denied anywhere else in the Bible.”
I interrupted to point out that according to Graham Cole and Michael Green, the emphasis of that text is not on guardianship but on representation of these “little ones” before God.
“Still,” said Potter, “it’s a reasonable inference that guardian angels exist based on the specific language of the verse. There’s another interesting passage too.”
“Which one?”
“In Acts 12, Peter, fresh from escaping prison, showed up at the house of Mary, the mother of Mark, where some Christians had gathered. He knocked on the door and the servant Rhoda recognized his voice and announced it was Peter, but the others doubted it because they thought he was still imprisoned. So in verse 15, they say, ‘It must be his angel.’”
I pointed out that some scholars believe this reflects a popular Jewish belief in the first century that every Jew had a guardian angel and that the author of Acts is reporting this rather than endorsing this view.
Potter shook his head. “Given Jesus’ teaching, I don’t think the author of Acts would intentionally mislead readers if the belief about Peter’s angel was a falsehood. Why would he do that?” said Potter. “All in all, it’s a reasonable inference that guardian angels are real. The texts are sufficiently clear, and they aren’t negated elsewhere. Besides, we know there are certainly a sufficient number of angels to carry out this task.”
“How does it affect you personally to believe there’s an angelic being who is overseeing your life?” I asked.
“It’s encouraging. It’s comforting. It’s such an expression of God’s love,” he replied. “You know, we can protect ourselves from physical harm by learning martial arts or getting a permit to carry a gun. But what protection do we have in the spiritual realm? There are battles going on there that affect us personally. And knowing I’ve got some protection immediate to me is reassuring.”
He paused. “I’ll add this,” he said. “The overall study of angels has highlighted to me that what I see and touch — this physical world in which we live — is only part of reality. There’s an enormous but hidden supernatural arena populated by angelic spirits that are as real and active as you and me. And when I think that God created them to minister to us — well, that’s a blessing that deserves our gratitude.”
Discover solid answers to the provocative questions you have been asking about the supernatural world — healings, angels, demons, mystical dreams, near-death experiences, heaven, hell, and more — through the investigative work of a former spiritual skeptic.
If you’re going through a period of trial or feeling sapped of strength and wondering if God is there for you, the Bible has good news: the Lord is with you especially when you feel weak and small.
With a few exceptions, the Bible is clear and consistent on this point: we are not to rely on our own strength, but on God’s. Nowhere does the Bible say “the Lord helps those who help themselves.” Instead, it says, “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10), and “it is not by strength that one prevails” (1 Sam. 2:9), and “the Lord is my strength and my power” (Ex. 15:2).
In other words, human strength is weakness, and true strength comes from the Lord alone — so place your faith in him.
Here are over 30 Bible verses on strength for when you need encouragement. (We have provided them in a variety of different Bible translations; click on each verse reference to open it in your own favorite version.)
The Lord Is Strong
The Lord is my strength and my power; he has become my salvation. This is my God, whom I will praise, the God of my ancestors, whom I will acclaim. — Exodus 15:2 (CEB)
God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. — 2 Samuel 22:33 (KJV)
Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually. — 1 Chronicles 16:11 (NASB)
The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. — Psalm 28:7 (ESV)
God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. — Psalm 46:1 (GNT)
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. — Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)
So You Don’t Have to Be
He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails. — 1 Samuel 2:9 (NIV)
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. — Psalm 73:26 (CSB)
The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. — Psalm 118:14 (NKJV)
This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. — Zechariah 4:6 (NRSVUE)
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. — 1 Corinthians 1:25 (NABRE)
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. — 2 Corinthians 12:10 (ESV)
But He Will Make You Strong
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. — Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV)
The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger. — Proverbs 24:5 (NLT)
A woman of strength who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. … She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong. — Proverbs 31:10,17 (NRSVUE)
But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak. — Isaiah 40:31 (GNT)
Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. — Isaiah 41:10 (NABRE)
He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 1:8 (NET)
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. — 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV)
I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit,and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love. — Ephesians 3:16-18 (CSB)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. — Ephesians 6:10-11 (NASB)
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. — Philippians 4:13 (ESV)
May he encourage your hearts and give you strength in every good thing you do or say. — 2 Thessalonians 2:17 (CEB)
So You Can Strengthen Others
This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. — Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)
We who are strong in the faith ought to help the weak to carry their burdens. We should not please ourselves. — Romans 15:1 (GNT)
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, — 1 Timothy 1:12 (ESV)
Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. — 1 Peter 4:11 (NRSVUE)
Above All…
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. — Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) (cf. Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27)
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“Look at the Book” is Bible Gateway’s series of short blog posts and infographics introducing you to the books of the Bible. The Gospel of John differs sometimes drastically from the other three (“synoptic”) gospels, presenting a more theological depiction of Jesus.
Scroll to the bottom if you’d prefer to see (and save) this article as an infographic. You’ll also find a handy 30-day reading guide. Or, for a challenge, you can do it in one week using the 7-day reading guide below.
Summary
John wrote to all people to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God who operated with his Father’s full authority. John’s gospel goes the deepest theologically, touching on issues such as the incarnation and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Category: Gospels
Theme: Belief
Timeline: Written around 85 AD by the Apostle John
Key Verse
“Jesus answered, ’I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” — John 14:6 (NIV)
I Am Who I Am
Seven “I am” statements identify Jesus as God and Messiah:
John and James, his older brother, were known as “the sons of Zebedee,” and Jesus gave them the name “Sons of Thunder.”
Access the rest of the series. Browse Bible studies for each book of the Bible. Or right-click on the infographic below to download and save the image for your reference.
Our childhoods shape who we are for the rest of our lives.
Our relationships with our parents are foundational for how we form bonds with others. Our connection with our ancestors can shape our dreams for the future. The customs and values of the town we call home can influence everything from what dishes we serve on holidays to which policies are the highest priorities for us during election seasons.
It is with good reason that one of the first questions we ask someone when we meet them is, “Where are you from?” Even though the answer doesn’t tell us everything, it gives us a starting point for understanding who a person is now.
So, where was Jesus from? And how do we, 2,000 years and many cultures and languages removed, make sense of the answer to help us better understand Jesus in adulthood?
Jesus had a mom and dad with personalities and commitments that shaped him.
Jesus had younger siblings who followed him around, and maybe even relied on him.
Jesus had a weighty lineage that could be traced all the way back to King David and Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the reign of a paranoid and violent king.
Jesus grew up in Nazareth under Roman colonization and amid whispers of revolt.
Getting to know Jesus the boy is a significant piece of understanding Jesus the man. But, besides the birth stories in Matt. 1-2 and Luke 1-2 (with a short story about 12-year-old Jesus at the Temple at the end of Luke 2), we have nothing in the Bible that addresses Jesus’ formative years. At least, not directly.
What we can do is use context clues from the gospels, Paul’s letters, ancient historians like Josephus, and archaeological discoveries to paint a fuller picture of what Jesus’ childhood was like.
Jesus’ Family
In many societies, especially those in the modern West, where we normalize and celebrate individualism, we often imagine Jesus as quite singular, solitary, and set apart. We might even impose individualistic narratives on him, like that he discerned and accomplished his mission alone or that he “pulled himself up by his bootstraps.”
But the truth is that Jesus was fully human, and like all humans, Jesus — his birth, identity, perspectives, priorities, and sense of purpose — did not emerge from a vacuum. He was heavily influenced by the people around him, and, being from a more collectivist culture than many of us alive today, it makes sense that the people around him would shape who he is.
Jesus’ Parents
First, we have Jesus’ parents. Much has been written about Jesus’ mother, Mary, since we hear from her at Jesus’ birth and glimpse her relationship with Jesus as an adult. The song Mary sings when she is pregnant with Jesus (Luke 1:46-55) reveals how well-versed she is in the Bible, and we can assume she passed that wisdom to Jesus. She also seems to know of Jesus’ power even before his ministry has begun at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-12), and she ends up following Jesus all the way to the cross, presumably as one of his disciples (John 19:25-27).
Less has been written about Jesus’ relationship with his (human) father, Joseph. Besides his brief appearance in Matt. 1-2, Joseph is not mentioned at all in the Bible, and most scholars believe he probably died before Jesus started his ministry. However, that doesn’t mean that Joseph had little impact on Jesus’ formative years.
If we read Matt. 1-2 from Joseph’s perspective, we can see that Jesus would have been immersed in stories about his own birth and childhood, not just from Mary, but from Joseph, too. Joseph understood Jesus to be his own son, conceived miraculously before he and Mary consummated their marriage. He did everything, including flee his homeland, to protect his wife and infant son when their lives were threatened.
Having a model of protective, intimate, parental love from both his mother and father may have helped Jesus articulate a compassionate and present God, who is close enough to refer to as “Abba,” Father, and in whom Jesus urged us to place our unequivocal trust.
Jesus’ Siblings
The New Testament also gives us glimpses of Jesus’ relationship with his siblings: James, Joses, Simon, Jude, and his unnamed sisters. Because Jesus was the oldest, it is likely that Jesus was responsible for helping with his younger siblings in childhood, and depending on the age gap, also for caring for them after Joseph died.
While John 7:1-5 tells a story where Jesus’ brothers were skeptical of his ministry, Acts and Paul’s letters (1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:18-19) tell us that Jesus’ brother James became not only a disciple of Jesus, but one of the most important leaders of the church after Jesus’ ascension. It is James who makes the final judgment at the pivotal Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:13-21; Gal. 2:1-10), where the Jewish leaders decided that Gentiles did not need to convert to Judaism to follow Jesus.
Because of James’ leadership in the early church, it is reasonable to guess that we have the stories of Jesus’ birth and childhood thanks to his siblings. They would have told their family stories repeatedly as they talked about Jesus. Caring for his younger siblings during his formative years and navigating his relationship with them over the course of his ministry would have been immensely formative for Jesus’ character and priorities.
Jesus’ Ancestries
It was not only Jesus’ immediate family that shaped and influenced him. Communities of the ancient world were far more tight-knit than what many of us experience today, especially in the modern West. Ancient communities also felt far deeper connections to the people of the past. It’s not just where a person was from, but who a person was from that defined how they saw the world — and how the world saw them.
Jesus as a Descendant of David
Stories about our birth and early childhood provide each of us with a sense of identity, belonging, relationships, and expectations. One of the defining elements of Jesus’ early life is that he was born into the royal line of David. It is unlikely that this sort of heritage would have or could have been invented, since genealogies were closely remembered and orally tracked in the ancient world, and since Jesus’ siblings were around to correct any outright fabrications.
As a descendant of David and first-born son, Jesus would have felt an immense weight. First, being in the Davidic line was a liability. King Herod, who was from a family who converted to Judaism, was verifiably terrified of losing his power, and he was willing to kill, including his own sons and countless innocent people, to keep it.
To compound that reality, having David in his ancestry would have provided Jesus with a sense of destiny, especially since there was the lingering promise from God of future leadership from David’s line. People believed there would be a king-Messiah from the descendants of David who would save Israel from oppression. This expectation weighed heavily on Jesus and influenced how other people perceived him. When he rides into Jerusalem on the donkey at the end of his ministry, it is with this identity-marker that the crowds greet him: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matt. 21:9).
This means Jesus was not only rooted in Jewish Scriptures as a story he could learn from; he was born into a family and a context where the story of Jewish Scripture was his story.
Jesus as a Jew, Judahite, and Judean
While many are familiar with the idea that Jesus was Jewish, we are not always familiar with the dimensions of what that actually means. Jesus was a Ioudaios, which is the Greek word that the New Testament uses as a rendering of the Hebrew word Yehudi. Our English word, “Jew,” is a contraction derived from these terms. To be a Ioudaios, for Jesus, was tridimensional:
Jesus was a “Jew,” in terms of his ethno-religious identity. To be Jewish in this sense meant identifying with a specific ethnic group that saw itself as chosen and called by God in a unique way. It also meant worshipping the one true God, under the guardianship of the Law and with a special focus on the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was a born Jew, not a convert to Judaism, which heightened this identity for him. This dimension of Ioudaios is a theological and philosophical outlook, which means it would have shaped everything about how Jesus saw the world.
Jesus was a “Judahite,” in terms of his tribal heritage as a descendant of one of Jacob’s twelve sons, Judah. For those of us from the West, we probably have a hard time understanding the importance of Jesus belonging to a “tribe,” but in many indigenous cultures, tribal belonging remains an important part of identity. For Jesus to be able to trace his lineage back to a founding ancestor would have provided him with a sense of rootedness within his community and a shared history with his neighbors. In addition, the story of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) is largely the story of Judah, as a tribe, within the broader tribes of Israel (e.g. Gen. 35:22; 42:13,32; 49:28; Ex. 24:4). This story would have been told to Jesus over and over, at the family dinner table as much as in the synagogue. It was the story that belonged to him, his family, and his community.
Jesus was a “Judaean,” in terms of his physical regionality in the area known as Judea. As the ancestral land assigned to his ancestor Judah, Jesus would have felt a deep emotional tie to the land through his heritage. He would have been tangibly and intimately familiar with the landmarks mentioned throughout much of the Bible. As a native resident of the land, he would have spoken their language (Aramaic), dressed in their clothes, eaten their food, danced to their music, and felt most at home among their architecture and art.
Being Judean also means that Jesus would have experienced firsthand the violence and unrest that took place in Judea in the first century, too.
Jesus’ Traumas
Identity is about selfhood developed through social interaction. It governs how we relate to others and the world. It includes gender, ethnicity, culture, heritage, family, tribe, race, socio-economic class, occupation, politics, nationality, place, religion, physicality, sex, sexuality, parenthood, relationship status, age, ability/skill, and more.
One’s identity can also be linked to life experiences, and trauma is especially formative for a person’s perceptions of themselves and the world. Consider, for example, how survivors of crime, abuse, wars, health crises, or environmental disasters are shaped by their experiences.
As we consider Jesus’ formative years — where and who and what shaped him in his early life — we must include trauma. Before Jesus turned 12, he endured the threat of violence, escaped a horrific massacre, was hunted by political powers, lived as a refugee in a foreign land, and immigrated back to his own home, where political unrest and economic instability reigned.
Herod’s death and Jesus’ family’s move to Nazareth did not end the threats to Jesus’ life before he even began his ministry. There is a well-attested cultural memory of resistance to Roman rule in Judea during Jesus’ childhood. Rome met these rebellions with extreme violence.
Sociopolitical turbulence, imperial atrocities, and terrible pain and suffering at the hands of the Roman Empire defined Jesus’ childhood — and the hopeful expectations of his community as he grew up.
As we flesh out Jesus’ childhood, we get a fuller picture of how Jesus, having taken on human form, became the teacher, leader, and Messiah that we get to know in detail — and meet personally — in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Dr. Joan Taylor, a world authority on the history and literature of the first century AD, draws both on the latest archaeological findings and on the historical clues to be found within ancient texts of the period. The result is a book that brings the story of Jesus’ childhood clearly and vividly to life as never before, while also pointing to the many ways in which Jesus’ experiences as a child are likely to have influenced his life, attitudes, and actions as an adult.
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Psalm 91: A Door to Mental Health in Troubled Times
I have been a lover of the book of Psalms for more than 40 years. I read them, study them, memorize them, pray them. I’ve been a Christian therapist for almost the same amount of time. Over the years, my calling and career have grown into a ministry with global reach — which has given us a unique look into the mental health of the church and of the world in general. And I’m concerned with what I see.
On the one hand, mental health resources have never been more widely available. The number of mental health professionals (therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers) are at an all-time high, as are community centers, campus services and even grade-school mental health programs. The developments in science, like neurofeedback and psychopharmacological drugs to assist mental health, are also at their most advanced point in history.
And yet, every mental health professional will tell you we are not anywhere near meeting the need. The scale of our global mental health crisis is overwhelming even all these resources.
I do not know a single therapist that has an opening; everyone has long waiting lists. When you read statistics like the fact that nearly one in every two young adults report a struggle with anxiety, I feel that data is not a reflection on their personal weakness. (Many of you reading this can empathize.) I believe the tsunami of anxiety and depression are a kind of canary-in-the-coal-mine, an alarm.
In the last 30 years anxiety disorders have risen 50 percent among adults. Currently, 45.3 percent of young adults have symptoms of an anxiety disorder. These are folks living in the unprecedented safety and comfort of America; I wonder what would the data be in places around the world experiencing civil war, earthquakes, political collapse? Humanity is feeling the intensity of the hour, and the need for a true place of emotional, mental, and spiritual refuge.
While I believe in the important place of therapy and other medical responses to this, there is a spiritual angle too, which must not be forgotten. I am convinced that the resources of Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, and the church have been and will always be God‘s answer for human need.
Enter the power of Psalm 91.
Refuge for the Soul
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (Ps. 91:1-4, NLT)
The refuge being described here is unlike any other refuge in the world, because it is situated within God himself — the all powerful, unchanging, almighty Trinity!
Now today, we are all children of the Enlightenment, living in the era of the Internet, so we need to remind ourselves that the refuge being described here is real, substantive, actual, and not just a comforting thought. The shelter being offered in Psalm 91 is the presence of God. As the great English preacher Charles Spurgeon said in his commentary on the psalm in his book The Treasury of David,
“No shelter can be imagined at all comparable to the protection of Jehovah’s own shadow. The Almighty himself is where his shadow is, and hence those who dwell in his secret place are shielded by himself.”
If we could lead people into an actual daily experience of this, I wonder how much those anxiety rates would plummet? When the soul feels safe, our bodies respond; our cortisol levels drop and we begin to experience the peace that has felt so elusive.
And the great offer of Psalm 91 does not stop there, as you know…
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. (Ps. 91:9-12, NLT)
So then, we are faced with a question: How can we make this our own personal experience? How can we help others into it? I believe this requires a fresh way of thinking about and teaching Psalm 91.
Not Merely Poetic Assurance
First off, we need to say very clearly that being safe and feeling safe are not the same thing. People with a fear of heights feel a surge of anxiety as they peer out the glass windows of a 17th story office building, but they are perfectly safe. There is zero chance of them falling. The child in its mother’s arms might leap in fear at the bark of a dog, but she is perfectly safe.
Psalm 91 is a truth we embrace before it is an existential experience we enjoy. That is very important to grasp.
Next, there is a critical “If” located in the psalm, right there in verse nine: “If you make the Lord your refuge.” Psalm 91 is something we choose not only to believe, but to participate in. This is the same “if” of John 15, when Jesus lays out a condition for life in him:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5, NIV)
If you remain in me. People take a very naïve view towards the refuge of God, and abiding in Christ (which are the same thing). I think most of us assume it’s just something that happens because we are Christians. Not at all. It is something we choose.
We choose to believe it, regardless of what our feelings might be doing in the moment.
We choose to move towards it, when we love God, draw near to him, and practice his presence.
We choose to stay within the refuge when we keep his commands.
But there is more.
We Are After Experience, Not Just Inspiration
One of the great failures of Christian discipleship in this hour has been the over-emphasis on the delivery of left-brain rational content, and a lack of mentoring into experiential union with Christ. If you read the saints of ages past, they speak of intimacy with Christ as if he were their best friend (the very thing Jesus himself spoke of throughout John 15, and in many, many other places).
Listen to these words by the French noblewoman Jeanne Guyon (who was imprisoned for her faith):
“I have found it easy to obtain the presence of God. He desires to be more present to us than we desire to seek Him. He desires to give Himself to us far more readily than we desire to receive Him … this is easier and more natural than breathing.”
“Easier than breathing” — wouldn’t that be lovely? But this isn’t just a spiritual dream. We can come to know this for ourselves. This experience of God’s presence and refuge is entirely available to you. The humble friar Brother Lawrence wrote the famous little book The Practice of the Presence of God in the 1600s. Listen to his daily reality:
“I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God. For my part I keep myself retired with Him in the depth of the center of my soul as much as I can; and while I am so with Him I fear nothing; but the least turning from Him is insupportable.
“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God; those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it.“
Notice he said, “practice it.” This is so important. Intimacy with Jesus, coming into awareness of his presence and moving more deeply into it — is something we practice, just like riding a bike or playing an instrument. This is how we come into the experience of Psalm 91. And then, having learned the practice for ourselves, we can disciple others into it.
A Few Simple Steps
Let me suggest a few simple steps to guide you:
You do have to create sacred space, free from all distraction (hard to do in this hour when we are tied to our phones). Try ten minutes to begin with. Get into a quiet place.
Use simple, soft instrumental music without lyrics. I like the offerings of William Augusto. (If you need your phone for music, put it on airplane mode.)
Begin with simply loving Jesus: I love you Jesus. I love you, Lord. I love you. Not just once, but over and over.
And then ask the Holy Spirit for his help:
Holy Spirit, help me into the shelter of the Most High. Help me into the secret place of God’s presence. I choose to believe you are before I feel it. Thank you that you are. Now help me, Holy Spirit, to tune in. Help me experience the presence of God with me, in me, surrounding me.
And then you just linger, loving Jesus.
Your soul is made for union with Jesus Christ, and it will gravitate towards him. And just like anything else you’ve learned in your life, you will grow better at it over time. Ten minutes becomes twenty, then thirty, and the intimacy deepens.
Then the “secret place” of Psalm 91 will become home for us, something we are able to access anytime, anywhere. Imagine how that would transform the spiritual dimension of our mental health and holistic wellbeing. Imagine with me what it would feel like if that became experiential reality for each of us. Imagine what that would mean for the world!
Learn more about finding refuge, strength, and wonder through everyday encounters with God in John’s new book and video Bible study, Experience Jesus. Really. Watch Session 1 below: