Bedford Road Podcast

Drawing on the prophecies of Daniel, Jesus evokes memories of Antiochus IV’s blasphemy that launched a seven year war that ravaged all of Judea. He warns of a coming atrocity that will make this pale in comparison. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Jesus’s last great discourse begins with him leaving Jerusalem and the disciples asking him to admire the temple. Jesus then takes the disciples on a tour of the coming end of Jerusalem (which was destroyed by the Romans a couple decades later) and foreshadowing the final judgment of the world. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

As Jesus transitions to his last great discourse (24:1–25:45), he pauses to present a poetic lament over the way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem refused to see what God was doing. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

This week, we’ll take a look at two more questions Jesus was asked in Jerusalem. Then we’ll consider the way Jesus turns the Pharisees’ question back on them, setting up his great sermon from the Mount of Olives. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

The Pharisees make an uneasy alliance with their rivals in an attempt to get Jesus to say something they can use against him. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Now in Jerusalem to do his Father’s work, Jesus is challenged concerning his authority. He answers by telling a series of parable which revolve around different kinds of sons and their service to their fathers. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Finally, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem. He is greeted with acclamations that upset the religious leaders, but the real lesson happens near a tree by the side of the road. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

As Jesus walks toward Jerusalem for the last time, he deals with another question about status in the Kingdom of Heaven. He answers with one of his last miracles, which results in blind men heralding him as he enters the city. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

A question from the disciples shifts Jesus into a discourse dealing with relationships and priorities among his followers. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Simon Peter is asked what he thinks is an innocuous question, but Jesus uses Peter’s answer as an opportunity to point out that things in this world are not always as they appear | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we consider how the resurrection altered the disciples’ perception of the world. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we will pause to consider how important the idea of resurrection was in first century Judaism. The resurrection is foundational for Christian beliefs but we see it with hindsight.  We will look at the ways ancient Israelites viewed death and the surprising role of early prophets in Jewish understanding of hope after death. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

When Jesus’s disciples miss the real problem with a sick boy, Jesus takes the opportunity to remind them of the scope of their ministry and the need for prayerful discipline. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

This week, we pause to look back over Matthew’s gospel so far and consider what it meant to be a disciple. Why did Jesus choose those he did? What did he ask of them in the moment? And what he was preparing them for? Last, what does that mean for the Church? | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

In one of the oddest moments of Jesus’s ministry, something happens on a mountain that three of his disciples struggle to comprehend. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

While walking through the Golan Heights, Jesus asks a strange question. When Simon Peter takes a leap of faith, Jesus changes his name and makes a declaration that has been misinterpreted for 2000 years. During the message, Erik discussed the way that ancient temple locks (called Laconian Locks) worked. Here is a video of a | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

When the Pharisees and Sadducees ban together to “stump” Jesus with a question about the end times, his response puts them on their heels and confuses his disciples. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Picking up after the healing of the Canaanite woman, Jesus makes a circuitous journey home. Along the way, he teaches a subtle lesson about the reach of the gospel and relationship between Jews and Gentiles. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Confronted by religious leaders who have traveled north from Jerusalem to question him, Jesus openly criticizes their interpretation of the Scriptures. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Hearing John the Baptist was executed, Jesus makes what appears to be an “accidental” tour around the northern Galilee performing two extraordinary miracles and healing many, drawing attention from the religious elite. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

At the beginning of this narrative section, Matthew takes a moment to relate what happened to John the Baptist. This gives us a unique insight into the historical context of Jesus’s ministry. You can download the lyrics sheet for the songs here. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

The Parables Discourse is bookended by confrontations with Jesus’s family (12:46–50) and then with the people from his hometown (13:53–58). It is here that we begin to see how Jesus’s radical notions are upsetting the status quo. This begins the winding road to his betrayal, trial, and crucifixion. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Matthew gives us several short parables that Jesus gave concerning the kingdom. Although short, they contain so much of how Jesus viewed the Kingdom of Heaven—who composed it, what it was for, and where things were going. This message will wrap up our consideration of this section, and we will begin next week moving toward | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King