Scripture First

It's Reformation Sunday and Sarah Stenson and Lars Olson join the podcast to break down the bedrock of biblical Reformation theology and Martin Luther's law-gospel distinction by answering Kiri and Mason's questions including: How can you continue in Jesus' word? How do you know the truth? What does it mean to be a slave to sin? Lars and Sarah explain that Christ is the one who...

The Pharisees plot to entrap Jesus in an impossible to answer question. If Jesus answers one way, He breaks Jewish law by breaking the First Commandment. If He answers the other way, the Roman authorities have grounds to arrest Him. How does Jesus get out of this dilemma? By flipping the accusation on to the Pharisees: show me the coin used for the tax. If Jesus is the one on trial, why do the Pha...

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet—when Jesus tells a parable, He's talking about election. In this week's lectionary text, Jesus tells the Pharisees a parable about a king gave a wedding banquet for his son. As you'll hear Dr. Chris Croghan explain, Jesus had sent out his disciples to the lost sheep of Israel—to the Jews like the Pharisees. They were the first to hear God's pr...

In this week's lectionary text, Jesus continues to address the Pharisees who questioned His authority last week. He tells them a different kind of parable—not a parable of election, but a parable addressing what the Old Testament says about Him. The Pharisees think if they kill Jesus, they'll get rid of the man who is claiming to have the authority of God and they'll be the ones bac...

“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” The religious power players confront Jesus about His teaching and preaching with authority. Jesus flips the question on the chief priests and elders to reveal their supposed power is based on their own thinking—they only care what the crowd thinks. As Lars Olson explains, Jesus reveals where righteousness and true pow...

In this week's episode, Jesus is explaining what the kingdom of heaven is like by comparing it to a generous landowner who hires laborers to work in his vineyard at all times of the day, promising to pay them whatever is right. Everyone is on board if this is what heaven is like! Things take a turn at the end of the day when the landowner pays the workers an equal amount, regardless of how lo...

In Adam's farewell episode, we're discussing Peter's natural question after Jesus tells him the definition of the church is to use the office of the keys to bind and loose sin. How often do I have to forgive? Sarah Stenson and Dr. Chris Croghan explain how Jesus forgives Peter's sin and Peter immediately tries to place that forgiveness back in the law. Then Chris and Sarah brea...

The only time in the entire Bible Jesus says the word, "church," is in this week's lectionary text. It's the only place Jesus defines what His church means, we better pay attention! Kiri and Mason ask Dr. Chris Croghan: What does it mean to be a member of the church? What's the difference between saying, "it's ok," versus, "I forgive you?" and how...

For the first time, Jesus tells His disciples He's going to be killed and be raised from the dead. Understandably, Peter objects, "This must never happen to you," causing Jesus to say to him, "Get behind me, Satan!" Sarah Stenson teaches Adam, Kiri, and Mason how this is Peter's confession of sin. Peter is trying to prevent Jesus from doing what He came to do. He does...

Jesus opens this week's text by asking His disciples a general question, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" As you'll hear Lars Olson teach Kiri and Mason, the disciples answer: John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. Then Jesus asks them directly, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter confesses, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Lars...

After dealing with the Pharisees and their cleanliness and righteousness in the law, Jesus enters pagan cities and encounters a Canaanite woman whose daughter is tormented by a demon. Adam and Mason ask Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson, what does it mean the Pharisees thought they were righteous according to the law and why is righteousness a matter of the heart? In His exchanges with His disci...

The miracle of Jesus walking on the water—Kiri and Mason welcome Dr. Chris Croghan back to the podcast to discuss this well-known text and call out the subtle details between the action that preaches the gospel. When Mason reads the passage, listen closely to these three parts of the passage: first, when the disciples are terrified and think they're seeing a ghost, Jesus responds, "Take...

Feeding the 5000, a miracle story found in all four gospels—Kiri and Mason welcome Sarah Stenson back to Scripture First to break down this famous passage. Sarah teaches us how this story is not a story of the forgiveness of sins; it's a story of how "all ate and were filled." God creates, and gives us daily bread, in abundance. God gives us everything we need to sustain life. With...

Jesus says He purposely makes parables difficult to understand so we turn to Him for the explanation. This week, we have four parables in the same lectionary text: the parables of the mustard seed, the yeast, the hidden treasure, and the pearl. Lars Olson teaches Adam, Kiri, and Mason that all of these parables are depicting what the kingdom of heaven is like. For the mustard seed and the yeast, i...

Coming off of last week's passage where the disciples asked Jesus why He speaks in parables, Jesus puts another one to them: the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat. Sarah Stenson and Dr. Chris Croghan join Adam, Kiri, and Mason to explain what Jesus is getting at in this parable: what election means. Election can be a scary topic. Am I in? Am I out? And as you'll hear in the conversati...

Many people who hear or read the Parable of the Sower try to find the "to-do" as in where or how to plant seeds. Others try to find themselves in the parable: "I am good soil." As you'll hear Dr. Chris Croghan teach Kiri and Mason, this is not how parables work. Jesus tells parables as a depiction of what happens to you, not as a command of what you should do. In fact, thi...

In this summer lectionary text, Sarah Stenson joins Kiri Haugen and Mason Van Essen to discuss what it means that Jesus is exclusive in stating, "no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Then we get the incredibly reassuring verse, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest," befo...

What is the prophet's reward? What does it mean to welcome Jesus? Should churches get better at welcoming strangers? These are the questions Adam, Kiri, and Mason ask Lars Olson in this week's conversation. Lars explains how the world is trained to hear reward as the opposite of punishment—you get a reward for good behavior. But—as you'll hear Jesus explain—the prophet's reward...

This text is packed with well-known verses like: "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master..." "...but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven." "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson lead us in a wide-ranging con...

When Jesus saw the crowds, in this week's lectionary text, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless. Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." Then, Jesus gives his disciples the authority and power to reverse the crowd's harassment and helplessness. How? By proclaiming the good news. Dr. Chris Croghan join Kiri...

As you heard in Mason's initial reaction, this week's lectionary text is bonkers. It's absolutely nonsensical. A man asks Jesus to touch his dead daughter to bring her back to life, and—on His way —a woman with hemorrhages touches His cloak to be healed. Once there, Jesus says the girl is just sleeping. People laugh at Him. But, as you'll hear Sarah Stenson teach us in this wee...

It's Holy Trinity Sunday and Adam, Kiri, and Mason ask Lars Olson in this week's conversation: what is the Trinity? What does it mean to have authority? And what does it mean that Jesus is with us always? Lars explains that Jesus saying go and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is very much a command, but that doesn't make Jesus the new Mo...

In this Day of Pentecost episode of Scripture First, we're breaking down a passage in Acts where God breaks into His creation like a rush of violent wind and divided tongues of fire rest on the disciples. Adam, Kiri and Mason ask: What is Pentecost? What is a tongue of fire? And why is God delivering this miracle years after Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven? Nick Hopman explains h...

Jesus tells His disciples He is going to leave them and they being to panic. In today's lectionary text: Luther House of Study's, Lars Olson, explains how Jesus responds to His disciples—and to us—by promising to give them another Advocate. Lars teaches us in order for Jesus to be with us forever, He first has to leave us. The Advocate is the Holy Spirit, who abides with us and in us, fo...

In this special Ascension Day episode, Adam, Kiri, and Mason ask Dr. Chris Croghan: how can both of these things be true? How can Jesus stay with us forever and ascend into heaven? Dr. Croghan points us to Psalm 68:18 where Jesus—in the Hebrew translation—was prophesied to take captivity captive. He kills death. It may seem like an oxymoron, but, as you'll hear Dr. Croghan teach us in this co...