Sunday Dive

This week we continue in the spirit of Jeremiah with our first reading from Baruch, the man who served as Jeremiah's scribe. In it we find many parallels with the Old Testament and contemporary prophetic literature, specifically the Book of Isaiah. We explore the three covenant types of Ancient Near Eastern culture and link Baruch to Genesis 22 in which God himself is the covenant guarantor. Lastl...

As Advent begins, the Church invites us to reflect on prophetic texts that illuminate the season's profound themes of hope and expectation. This week, we delve into the prophet Jeremiah, focusing on his ministry during the late 600s BC under King Josiah's reign. By exploring the historical backdrop of Jerusalem's turmoil and exile, we uncover the depth of Jeremiah's prophecy about a "righteous bra...

The Church points us to the Gospel of John for our feast today, looking specifically at the exchange between Pontius Pilate and Our Lord at the latter's trial. The question at hand is kingship: is Jesus a king and, if so, where is his kingdom? Looking at the literal translation of the Greek we discover how emphatic Our Lord's answers are. He reigns indeed but his reign does not flow from human aut...

Our Lord leaves the Temple for the last time. On the way out his disciples comment on the Temple's beauty and Jesus takes the opportunity to direct their hearts from an earthly worldview to a heavenly one, foretelling the destruction of that beautiful structure. Our Gospel picks up toward the end of this exchange and in it we find an abundance of allusions to a new creation, the ingathering of the...

Jesus takes aim at the scribes in our Gospel today, calling them out for their love of fine things and special treatment. In contrast, Our Lord offers the example of the widow at the Temple. While the opulent monetary contributions of the rich ring out for others to hear, the widow's quiet offering does not go unnoticed by God. Jesus explains that, contrary to appearances, this woman has offered m...

Join me on pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi for the Jubilee Year and get $200 off if you register before the end of October! Details here: https://bit.ly/rome_assisi A scribe, emboldened by Jesus’ compelling answer to the debated topic of resurrection presents another question before the Lord, “Which is the greatest commandment?” Exploring Our Lord’s answer we discover a response oozing with Scriptur...

Jesus makes his final stop before reaching Jerusalem, passing through the ancient town of Jericho. On his way out of town the cries of a blind man reach his ears, compelling him to stop. Our Lord's encounter with and subsequent healing of the blind man are full of Old Testament resonances. In our Gospel we see the fulfillment of many prophecies announcing the arrival of the Messiah, we find fascin...

We leave Our Lord's words to speak for themselves in our podcast today, looking closer at the spiritual implication of his message rather than digging into scholarly insights on the text. The former exercise proves deeply important for our interior life, especially in periods of suffering. Understanding that the role James and John wish to possess is actually filled by two thieves leads us to reco...

We hear two of Jesus' favorite words in our Gospel today: Follow me! Where in the past these words were met with tremendous faith by the apostles, today they are met with sadness and rejection. We're talking about the rich young man who's unfulfilled longings bring him to the feet of Jesus. Diagnosing his restlessness, Our Lord calls him to leave behind his possessions, a cure that proves too burd...

Jesus travels to Judea where he is not always well received and is immediately confronted by Pharisees as regards his view on marriage and divorce. Referencing Deuteronomy, the Pharisees make the case that Moses allowed for divorce but Jesus moves earlier in the Biblical account to make his argument, citing two verses of Genesis. From Our Lord's words we glean a radical view of marriage, one that...

The apostles encounter a man performing exorcisms in Jesus' name though they do not know who he is. When asked his opinion, Our Lord's response points us to the outpouring of the spirit of God in the Old Testament and the prophetic words of Moses who longs for all of God's people to perform miraculous works. Continuing on in our Gospel we hear Jesus speak intensely about "stumbling blocks." Explor...

Jesus redefines greatness in His second prediction of the Passion. After His transfiguration, He pulls the Twelve aside to teach them an unexpected truth—true greatness comes through humility and the cross. Diving deep into our Gospel, we’ll explore the loaded Greek word "paradidomi," which reveals Jesus' active rather than passive choice to give Himself up. We’ll take a closer look at the first c...

Set against the historical backdrop of Caesarea Philippi, a location steeped in ancient ties to the Greek god Pan, our Gospel is grounded in real-world settings. In addition to the geography, we’ll examine the pivotal interaction between Jesus and Peter, a moment that transitions the Gospel of Mark from revealing Jesus's identity to uncovering his salvific destiny. Finally, examination of a single...

Having cleansed foods and thereby abolished many of the ritual purity laws that served to separate Jew and Gentile, Jesus intentionally travels into Gentile territory. He performs several miracles like the one recounted in our Gospel. Exploring the healing of the deaf man we discover an explicit link with the prophecies of Isaiah that allude to an ingathering of the Gentiles and mincing Jesus' wor...

We head back into Mark in our Gospel today and into the thick of Pharisaic criticism. Jesus is asked why his disciples do not wash their hands before eating. To fully understand the Pharisees' charge we take a step back and explore the heart and history of the Pharisaic school of thought. What we find in the Pharisees are Jews zealous for the law of God but fixated on ancillary things, things that...

Provided with two sets of first readings, the Church beckons us to look both backward and forward to understand our Gospel and the feast of the Assumption at hand. Diving into Luke as well as our Old Testament first reading we see the evangelist draw clear parallels between David's reception of the Ark of the Covenant at Jerusalem and Elizabeth's reception of the new Ark just outside Jerusalem. Th...

Further exploring our multi-week look at John 6, this week's episode is a recording of the talk that Katie gave onsite at the Church of the Multiplication on the shore of the Sea of Galilee during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in January 2023. Enjoy! Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit www.sundaydive.com/...

Over the next several weeks the Church breaks from Mark’s Gospel, pivoting instead to John 6. Encountering the people’s hunger, Our Lord feeds them with the miraculous multiplication of loaves and fish. The Scriptures then recount a fascinating response to the miracle: the people want to make Jesus king. Delving into the history of the Old Testament manna as well as the Jewish tradition surroundin...

The Twelve return from their initial missionary outreach, their success evidenced by the continually growing crowds. Unable to find time even to eat, Jesus invites the disciples to follow him to a place of solitude. The people, however, are undeterred and follow on foot, beating Jesus to his destination. What Our Lord does next shows the tenderness of his heart. Moved with compassion he provides f...

Jesus called the Twelve to himself in the beginning of Mark's Gospel. Now he sends them out two-by-two to do the very works that he has done. Exploring Our Lord's pre-departure instructions we discover several connections to not only the Old Testament but also first century culture. Through these connections we see Jesus distinguishing his followers from some (like itinerant Greek philosophers) bu...

Jesus travels home to Nazareth in our Gospel today but the reception he receives is far from warm. Comparing and contrasting our episode with an earlier synagogue encounter in Capernaum we realize that those who reject God often have the same evidence for belief as those who accept him. At the end of the day we have to decide - with the same evidence that the people of Israel had - is this man who...

The long form of our Gospel today provides us with two miracles which Mark sandwiches together: the raising of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the hemorrhaging woman. Contextualizing these stories in light of Levitical purity laws reveals a deeper message lingering below the surface: not only does Jesus desire to heal us physically but he also wants to restore us spiritually. At the end of the...

In one of his most amazing feats, Jesus sleeps through a mega-storm on the Sea of Galilee. We'll spend our time together uncovering the quite detailed picture archaeology can paint for us about seafaring in first century Palestine and we'll also unveil some fascinating parallels between our Gospel and the Old Testament Book of Jonah. At the end of the day what we discover in our Gospel is not so m...

We return to the heart of Mark's Gospel and Our Lord's teaching in our episode today, exploring some of his many parables. What becomes quickly evident in our survey of his teaching is that Jesus' words contain a surface profundity in and of themselves and yet at the same time reveal a depth of meaning that could be sounded for an eternity. Turning to the parables themselves, we'll unveil their su...

Jesus is in his adoptive hometown of Capernaum, visited by great throngs of both supporters and adversaries. Among the latter are scribes from Jerusalem and members of his own family traveling from Nazareth to confront him. Accused of being possessed by the devil, Our Lord uses the famed “House Divided” parable to put them to shame. Comparing and contrasting the ensuing dialogue, clear parallels e...