Fig Tree Ministries Podcast

Why did God need Ten Plagues? Indeed, God is powerful enough that he could have delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians with one plague. So why did He insist on Ten? In today's lesson, we explore this question and how it leads us towards understanding the "hardening" of Pharaoh's heart. Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/support-figtree-ministries Support Fig Tree through Smile....

In Exodus 3, Moses inquires of God about His name. A name in the ancient world was more than just a referent but gave indications into your essence, nature, and function. God gives Moses a future-oriented but vague answer. In this video, we explore how we can understand God's name - "I will be what I will be" - and how it can impact our walk with Christ today. Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://...

Moses is a 'type' of Messiah. There are numerous 'types' throughout the Hebrew bible, including Joseph and David. Moses is chosen for a specific task in God's plan of redemption. In this video, we explore attributes of Moses' character that make him uniquely suited as the redeemer and lawgiver of Israel. Moses is the first redeemer, and Jesus is the final redeemer. Throughout the New Testament, th...

Pharaoh's daughter has a remarkable place in redemptive history. She rescued Moses – the future redeemer of Israel - from certain death and raised him as "her son" under the nose of the Pharaoh who wanted to have him killed. Her compassion and moral courage compelled her to disobey her father's command in the name of saving a human life. Does God reward her for her courage and actions? Later in th...

The book of Exodus opens with several stories of civil disobedience including the midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh's command to murder the Hebrew males. In this episode, we explore totalitarianism, civil disobedience, and the two midwives - Shiphrah and Puah. When it comes to matters of human life, God is the ultimate authority and must be obeyed. Shiphrah and Puah display the moral courage necessar...

God brought the Bible to the world through Israel - in the culture of the east. The Bible was written in the east by easterners and given first to easterners. The Bible is an eastern book. The cultural gap between the Ancient Near East (ANE) and the modern West is profound. This video explores how the West and the East communicate through their specific cultural context. If we don't take the time...

In this introductory video to the book of Exodus, we take a birds-eye view of the book's flow to gain a deeper understanding of the overall message. There are two prominent themes of the book of Exodus. First, Redemption. We explore the ancient cultural concept of redemption and how the book of Exodus serves as an example of God's plan for the world. The second theme is God's presence. The final t...

The book of Judges shows us the cyclical decline of Israel's society during the period of the Judges. The result of this decline is a descent into a civil war (Judges 20). Judges 19 symbolically represents the deterioration of societal norms. At the end of chapter 19, we find a disturbing story of a Levite who dismembers his concubine's body and delivers the pieces to the tribes of Israel. What ar...

The book of Judges tells the story of Israel's cyclical descent into chaos and eventually civil war. In this lesson, we examine the cycle that repeats six times throughout the book, each getting worse than the last. Amid these cycles, we find a parable (technically a fable) that is a warning about the people making sure they choose the proper leadership. The key to understanding the parable is a p...

What message can we understand from the narrative of Jesus' betrayal and unjust suffering found in the Gospels (Matt. 26 & 27)? Peter helps us understand the more profound message when he explains that Jesus suffered as an "example" for us. Should we face betrayal and unjust suffering - as we likely will - we are to look to Jesus' actions as the example of how we should respond. In today's lesson,...

Jesus is asked, 'What is the Greatest Commandment?' In this video, we explore the background to the question and how it would have been understood by his first-century audience. We also explore a rule of bible interpretation called Gezerah Shavah that Jesus and his audience would have been familiar with. Using this rule, Jesus is able to connect two commandments from the Old Testament. Connecting...

In the first century, "store up treasure in heaven" was a common phrase used as an idiom for charity. In this week's lesson, we explore the background of this phrase as it is developed from the Old Testament - through the Apocryphal writings of the intertestamental period - and into the New Testament. When you give to those in need, you store up treasures in heaven, and God becomes the guarantor o...

The transfiguration of Jesus - Matthew 17:1-7 - is a difficult event to understand because of its mystical nature. What does this event tell us about the reality of who Jesus is? In this lesson, we explore the transfiguration from the perspective of Jewish mysticism. We will look at numerous examples from the first century that will help us understand what is actually going on. Support Fig Tree Mi...

Matthew 13:24-31 - commonly referred to as the Parable of the Weeds or the Parable of the Tares. In today's video, we will look at the plant that underlies the parable and how knowing the characteristics of that plant gives us a greater understanding of the parable. When Jesus tells a parable, he is precise with his details. We must learn to look at the characteristics of those details to see how...

As translated in English, Matthew 11:12 is a difficult verse for many. In today's video, we explore this verse to see if there is a better way of understanding what is being stated. We look to a Messianic prophecy from the Old Testament that serves as the background for the verse. Once we understand that prophecy and how it relates to John the Baptist, translating the Greek becomes clearer. Join u...

In this video, we explore the idea of Measure for Measure. Most Christians are unaware of this idea's prevalence within the Biblical text (unlike our Jewish brothers and sisters). Measure for measure is part of God's justice and woven into the fabric of the cosmos. The more aware of Measure for Measure we are, the more we pay attention to our own behavior. Additionally, a deep understanding that G...

In this lesson, we tackle a verse that is often misinterpreted - Matthew 5:17. What does Jesus mean when he uses the words "abolish" and "fulfill?" In this video, we explore Rabbinic writings that also use these words in the context of scripture interpretation. These Rabbinic uses help us shed light on what Jesus is actually saying. Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/support-figtree...

When Matthew composed Jesus' genealogy at the opening of his Gospel did he have the moon cycle in mind? Jesus' genealogy provides the foundation for what is to come in the remainder of Matthew's Gospel. Matthew deliberately divides the genealogy - Redemptive History - into three sets of fourteen generations. Why 14? Join us as we explore the structure of the genealogy and what Matthew may be commu...

This video is the first of a ten-week Bible study series on the Gospel of Matthew. We discuss the phrase "the kingdom of Heaven." What would that mean to those hearers of first-century Israel? Over the many years, this phrase has taken on western connotations of a local (Kingdom as a noun) in the future that we call heaven. But for the Jews of the first century, the Kingdom of Heaven meant the pre...

This week we tour the hometown of Mary the Magdalene - the village of Magdala. Magdala was a wealthy fishing village that was famous throughout the Roman Empire for its salted-sardines. According to Luke 8:2-3, Mary supported Jesus and the disciples "out of her own means." There are many questions about Mary. Does the Bible say she was a prostitute? Is it possible that she controlled her own wealt...

In Matthew 11: 20-24, Jesus gives a warning to three of the cities that were closely tied to his ministry. How are we to understand what is going on in these passages? Matthew comments that the reason Jesus was denouncing these cities was that they saw his miracles but did not "repent." In this lesson, we explore the concept of "repent" and "repentance." How we conceive these words affects how we...

This lesson was recorded in June 2019. This past week we had to cancel our regular bible study due to Hurricane Ida. I wanted to get a video posted, and this is one of our favorites but had not been published before. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, he is very intentional with his actions that publicly declare that He is the King. One very intentional act is to stop at the village of Bethphage before ge...

This week we take a second look at Matthew 14:22-33 and the telling of Jesus walking on the water. Matthew tells us that Peter got out of the boat and also "walked on the water." What does this mean for us? How can we read the entire story as a metaphor that can be applied to our own lives? Join us as we dive deep into this well-known story. Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/suppor...

What does it mean that Jesus "walked upon the sea?" Join us in our latest lesson on the Sea of Galilee as we explore this well-known story from the perspective of Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) symbolism. Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/support-figtree-ministries Support Fig Tree through Smile. Amazon.com: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/83-0587741 www.figtreeteaching.com Class handouts:...

This video is the second in a two-part series looking at the Crucifixion (Mark 15:16-39) through the lens of a first-century Roman Triumph. The picture that Mark is painting - if we have eyes to see - is that Jesus is the king and true Son of God. The crucifixion is the coronation of a king! We can contrast the Roman Via Sacra - the Sacred Way - with the Via Dolorosa - the Way of Suffering. Jesus...