#139 - Joby Martin // Knowledge vs. Relationship: Meeting Jesus in the Darkness

Summary

Summary of Podcast Episode #139: "Knowledge vs. Relationship: Meeting Jesus in the Darkness"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson
• Hosts: Pastor Joby Martin (Church of Eleven22) & Kyle Thompson (Undaunted.Life)
• Description: A short-form devotional show that equips Christians to apply the Word of God to their everyday lives.
• Episode: #139 - Joby Martin // Knowledge vs. Relationship: Meeting Jesus in the Darkness
• Release Date: July 14, 2025

Introduction

In Episode #139 of The Daily Blade, hosts Pastor Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson delve into the profound themes of knowledge versus relationship through an in-depth exploration of John Chapter 3. The episode, titled "Knowledge vs. Relationship: Meeting Jesus in the Darkness," examines the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, highlighting the critical distinction between merely knowing about Jesus and having a personal relationship with Him.

Deep Dive into John Chapter 3

The Encounter with Nicodemus

Kyle Thompson opens the discussion by setting the stage with John 3:1-21, focusing on the interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a Jewish ruler. He emphasizes Nicodemus's initial approach:

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ([00:20])

Kyle reflects on Nicodemus's motivations for visiting Jesus at night, suggesting it was likely to avoid public scrutiny and peer pressure from other Pharisees and religious leaders. This secretive approach underscores his internal struggle and curiosity about Jesus.

The Role of the Pharisees

The discussion transitions to the nature of the Pharisees, explaining that the term "Pharisee" means "separated ones." Kyle describes them as devout followers of Yahweh who adhered strictly to the Old Covenant laws, aiming to live in such a way that set them apart from worldly sin:

“They believed that if they could separate themselves from the sin and nastiness of this world, if they could obey God's law with such perfection... they would be the first ones to see the Messiah.” ([00:52])

However, Kyle points out the inherent flaw in this approach—while the Pharisees excelled in legalism and scriptural knowledge, they often missed the essence of the Scriptures, which is a personal relationship with God through Jesus.

Nicodemus's Struggle: Knowledge vs. Relationship

Kyle highlights Nicodemus's predicament: despite his extensive knowledge of the Scriptures, Nicodemus fails to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. He underscores that Nicodemus’s emphasis on following the law and memorizing the Scriptures blinds him to the living Word standing before him.

“He was so caught up in the rules that he misses out on a relationship with Jesus...” ([03:15])

This segment serves as a cautionary tale for listeners, emphasizing that intellectual knowledge and adherence to religious practices are insufficient without a genuine, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Key Insights and Warnings

The Danger of Missing Jesus Amidst Knowledge

Kyle issues a poignant warning to believers and seekers alike:

“Please, please, please don't miss out on Jesus. Please don't know about church, and please don't know about Bible stories... and miss out on Jesus.” ([04:10])

He stresses that knowing about Jesus intellectually or attending church regularly is not enough. True faith requires surrendering one's life to Jesus and recognizing Him as the Son of God who sacrificed Himself for humanity's sins.

The Contrast with Other Disciples

Kyle draws a comparison between Nicodemus and the disciples during the Last Supper. While the disciples grapple with betrayal and fear, Nicodemus struggles with understanding Jesus beyond His role as a teacher.

“It is not enough to know Jesus Christ as the son of God, the Lamb that came to die in our place for the sacrifice and substitutionary atonement of our sins.” ([04:50])

This highlights the essential need for a transformative relationship with Jesus, moving beyond mere admiration or acknowledgment of His teachings.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Kyle Thompson ([00:20]): “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
• Kyle Thompson ([00:52]): “They believed that if they could separate themselves from the sin and nastiness of this world... they would be the first ones to see the Messiah.”
• Kyle Thompson ([03:15]): “He was so caught up in the rules that he misses out on a relationship with Jesus...”
• Kyle Thompson ([04:10]): “Please, please, please don't miss out on Jesus.”
• Kyle Thompson ([04:50]): “It is not enough to know Jesus Christ as the son of God...”

Conclusions

The episode concludes with a reaffirmation of the central message: the necessity of fostering a personal relationship with Jesus over mere religious knowledge or adherence. Kyle emphasizes that while knowledge of the Scriptures and church participation are important, they must be complemented by genuine faith and surrender to Jesus Christ.

“Understand that knowing Jesus as a teacher is not sufficient; one must know Him as the Savior and Lord of their lives.” ([05:00])

Final Thoughts

Pastor Joby Martin wraps up the episode by encouraging listeners to share the podcast, leave reviews, and support the mission to equip men for spiritual battles. The hosts emphasize the importance of embracing Jesus personally to avoid the pitfalls of intellectualism without heartfelt faith.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Prioritize Relationship Over Knowledge: Intellectual understanding of Christianity is valuable but must be paired with a personal relationship with Jesus.
• Avoid Legalism: Strict adherence to religious laws without embracing the essence of Jesus's sacrifice leads to spiritual blindness.
• Surrender to Jesus: True faith involves recognizing Jesus as the Savior and Lord, not just a teacher or moral guide.
• Reflect on Nicodemus: Use Nicodemus's encounter with Jesus as a mirror to assess one’s own faith journey and relationship with Christ.

Conclusion

Episode #139 of The Daily Blade masterfully navigates the delicate balance between religious knowledge and personal faith. Through the lens of Nicodemus's encounter with Jesus, Kyle Thompson and Joby Martin challenge listeners to deepen their relationship with Jesus, ensuring that their knowledge of the faith transforms into a living, dynamic connection with the Savior.

Transcript

[Joby Martin]

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

[Kyle Thompson]

Howdy and welcome to the Daily Blade. This week we are going to do a deep dive on John, chapter three. John is obviously written by the Apostle John. He lives longer than any of the other apostles. He, according to himself, is the one that Jesus loves the most. He writes a whole bunch of Bible, honestly. He's got the gospel of John 1, 2 John and the book of Revelation. And we get some insights into who Jesus is, the character and nature of God in the Gospel of John that we don't get into in the Synoptic Gospel. So we're going to do a deep dive on John chapter 3. Beginning in verse 1, the Bible says this. Now, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. And this man came to Jesus by night and said to him, rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. All right, let's talk about Nicodemus a little bit. He comes at night, and probably the reason is because he doesn't want anybody to know that he's talking to Jesus. Maybe he's got peer pressure from the other Pharisees, maybe he's got peer pressure from the other religious leaders. Yet he is curious enough to show up at night under the guise of darkness. And one of the beautiful things is that Jesus is going to meet him right where he is. Now. Here is a big fat warning that I want to give you about Nicodemus. My fear is, is that if you're listening to the Daily Blade, then you are probably have questions and curiosity about Christianity and the Bible and Jesus, just like Nicodemus does. But the problem with the Pharisees in the first century, I know they get a bad rap, but the name Pharisee literally means separated ones. And the idea was it was a group of Yahweh followers, God followers, folks that were a part of the old covenant, the Hebrew Bible readers and believers. And they believed that if they could separate themselves from the sin and nastiness of this world, if they could obey God's law with such perfection and maybe even create some guardrails, which are not bad things around God's law, to make sure that they were not tainted by the sin of this world. Then they would be so separated, they would be so holy, they would be so set apart that they would be the first ones to see the Messiah, the coming Messiah when he showed up on the scene. The problem is, is what we see over and over and over. But we see it best here with Nicodemus in this conversation that he was way caught up in the activity of following the law, that he missed the lawgiver. He was so caught up in the rules that he misses out on a relationship with Jesus, that he was so caugh up in the words of the scripture in the Old Testament that he missed the point of the scripture that he's literally memorized. In order to be a Pharisee, he would have memorized the entire Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi, forward and backward and backward and forward. And he had memorized all of the words of the scripture at that point. And yet he doesn't recognize the author of scripture is standing right in front of him. He can literally smell the breath of God. But because he has yet to surrender his life to Jesus, he is not filled with the breath of God. Now the good news is we find out by the end of the Gospel of John that eventually, probably at the cross itself, he comes around to finally put his faith in Jesus. But at this point, he doesn't know who Jesus is. And here's my big fat warning to you. Especially if you go to church all the time, if you grew up in church all the time, if the moment that I said John chapter three, you knew that Jesus was going to be talking to Nicodemus. Let me give you a warning. Please, please, please don't miss out on Jesus. Please don't know about church, and please don't know about Bible stories. And please don't just know about Bible verses, and please don't know about just good Christian morality and values and those kind of things and miss out on Jesus. You see, he calls Jesus Rabbi. And that's the only way that he knows him. Which funny enough, when Judas is sitting around the table and Jesus says, one of you will betray me. Every single one of the 11 disciples other than Jesus, I mean, other than Judas says, is it I Lord? Is it I Lord? Is it I Lord? Is it I Lord? And then Judah says, is it I, Rabbi? It is not enough to know Jesus Christ as a teacher or a good moral example. It is not enough to simply follow the teachings of Jesus. That's a very popular phrase these days. But do you know Jesus Christ as the son of God, the Lamb that came to die in our place for the sacrifice and substitutionary atonement of our sins. Have you surrendered your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ? Please don't listen to the Daily Blade every day and miss Jesus. I hope this deep dive into John Chapter three helps. You know Jesus.

[Joby Martin]

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight, Share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.