A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast

In Scripture, whenever someone is loosed from bondage or raised up, it is for the purpose of submitting to the will of God. When Israel disobeys the ordinances of the Lord, they are left subject to another master, one who enslaves them but cannot offer them life - Judges 2-3. This is the predicament of the woman with the spirit of infirmity in Luke chapter 13. And her encounter with Jesus, while h...

In the gospels we often treat Jesus like a magician. We want to dazzled, wowed and amazed by what he offers and we expect others to be as well. But don’t be fooled: real life-giving instruction is not in the spectacle and fireworks, but rather in boring, repetitive words written in a scroll and offered to us. It is to that bread we must submit.

In the synoptic Gospels - Matthew Mark and Luke - the use of parables to teach is widespread. In comparison, the Gospel of John, in which Jesus doesn’t teach in parables per se, can be more difficult to grasp. On the surface, just hearing the story we might think we can tell what’s going on, but often the real meat of the teaching is found in the small details that draw us in. What’s going on in J...

We all love to quote Scripture to show other people that we know it. We like to seem educated and knowledgeable about the words of God…until those very words come back to bite us. This episode we take a look at John 3:16 in light of the overall scriptural teaching.

The death of John the Forerunner appears in Chapter 6 of Mark interrupting a narrative about Jesus sending out the twelve apostles. It’s intentional insertion at this point underscores John not only as the one who comes before the Christ, but the one who - in contradiction to Jesus’ twelve - perfectly accomplishes his apostolic work by becoming an image of his master.

How can I preach when I’m not permitted to speak? “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Hello and welcome to epi...

When we hear the biblical story, we should remember that what we are hearing is, first and foremost, a story. Its purpose is to teach, and the teaching is communicated through the words themselves. Any attempt on our part to historicize the text is problematic because it impairs our ability to actually hear the story in the way it was intended to be heard - as a story. When we make the biblical na...

In this episode we compare key details   in the marriage stories of Isaac and Jacob in Genesis. Jacob leaves home, works hard to get exactly what he wants and it results in slavery. Isaac, on today other hand, stays at home, does nothing and receives grace. His cycle, a story “about nothing”,” parallels the episode in Genesis 22 in which Abraham’s faith is tested. He responds by doing nothing, exc...

In the Gospel of Mark with the so-called shorter ending, the hearer is taken from Jesus’ death on the cross to the expectation of his coming in glory, with little or nothing happening in between. That’s how the narrative moves, and it moves that way intentionally. We might hear the shorter ending and think we are being cheated out of something because it doesn’t depict Jesus alive after his crucif...

In Scripture, no one gets to be exceptional or special. If you are special at all, it is only as an example used for the edification of others. To put it another way, you become the example of what not to do. In spite of your wandering astray, God can and does use your punishment and correction to achieve His purpose according to His will. Your screwing it up becomes a blessing to those on the out...