Geocaching Scripture

Recorded during my kids’ swimming lessons under an apocalyptic sun, we talk about Jesus drinking habits. When the Pharisees saw Jesus’ generous, welcoming approach to people they declared him a drunk. But when they saw John the Baptist’s austerity they accused him of being possessed. Okay, well which is it? Do we as Christians usually get accused of having too much of a good time? Of being too wel...

Mary Magdalene was the first to see the resurrected Jesus in the book of John. She looks in the tomb and sees two angels sitting in a particular way. Again, the gospel writers never waste ink. What does an ancient angelic seating arrangement have to do with the identity of Jesus? Welp, let's geocache. 

"He meant to pass by them..." Mark 6:48. This is an uncomfortable detail in the otherwise comforting story of Jesus walking on water. Why would he pass them by? They needed him! But the gospel writers were connecting the story of Jesus with the stories of God's glory passing by Moses and Elijah. So pay attention. 

“…there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matthew 16:28). What now, Jesus? Those peeps have been dead for a few dozen centuries, so what was He talking about? Let’s take a gander, and I’ll do my best impression of British atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell. Promise. 

Jesus makes a comment in the middle of a great Peter moment and a great Peter gaffe. He talks about "binding and loosing," which has always confused me, am I alone on this? Anyway, let's geocache it and we'll talk a little bit about changing your oil. Strap in. 

Ummm....so I've been gone a bit, but I can't help myself. I'm back and our name is Geocaching Scripture again and there it shall stay. In this episode, we talk about the so-so water supply in Laodicea in Asia Minor, Daniel Day Lewis and how metaphors – even biblical ones – are best drawn from whatever's laying around. It's very, very good to be back, fellow cachers. Pax humana. 

Warning: This episode is Dan-less. He's moving and I told him to take a few weeks off to carry boxes and not break dishes. He will return right soon!  So me, just me, looks here at the calling of Peter in Luke 5. Jesus walks up to expert fishermen on the beach and tells them how to do their job. What was a very crowded day of teaching becomes a one-on-one conversation between Jesus and Peter,...

Jesus wanders off to the temple in the traffic jams of the Passover celebration in Jerusalem. It's one of the more confusing episodes in the gospels, and the only glimpse we have of Jesus' childhood. What was he up to? Why does the cataclysmic story of Jesus' birth lead right into a very pedestrian story of a wandering t'ween and frustrated parents? What happened the time when Dan got lost hunting...

John the Baptist seems to appear out of thin air with his wild hair and blazing eyes and message of judgment. But he was actually part of a prophetic tradition that had been around for a long time. Part of it, but also out of step with it in just the right way, just the right amount of pushback on a paradigm. Wade in the water with Weird John for a minute, there's much to learn. 

Welcome to the late-night Tired Dad's Cafe, as Josh and Dan zoom after the kids' bedtime to talk polygamy. This practice, so foreign to the modern western mind, is everywhere in scripture. But just because polygamy shows up there, does that mean the bible is advocating it? Is polygamy – and other morally repulsive ideas – advocated by scripture? The answer is in the narrative, not the bullet...

We zoom it this time to talk about the Mark of the Beast, 666, in Revelation 13. John’s strange symbol/cipher has spillt much ink in speculation as to what he was talking about. Was it a riddle we are supposed to sleuth out? Was it a veiled reference to leaders at the time he was writing? Does Kirk Cameron know? The answer is...well, complicated. It brings in symbolism, apocalyptic genre, linguist...

Dan and Josh are back in the mineshaft talking through table etiquette in the first century. Minding your manners back then wasn't just a matter of good form, it was the nerve center of social interaction and cultural exchange. So, when Paul tells them to bring someone's lifestyle and character into consideration, he's asking for quite a bit. We also talk through various awkward meals and family o...

On his last night before being executed, Jesus takes the time to wash 24 feet. What was important about this moment? Why did Jesus do the grunt work? Guest host, and Josh's dad, Angus McDonald, helps us talk through this ancient, hygienic practice that suddenly became utterly meaningful. Father and son talking about the Father and Son. Enjoy. *episode pic is the very lovely Heather McDonald having...

We look at Jesus' prophecy of the destruction of the temple in Luke 21. This is often mistaken for language about the Second Coming itself, which is probably inaccurate. Jesus discusses the devastation of the temple and the change in God's relationship to humanity that follows. Dan discusses being left in a tree stand in the dark for the rapture and Josh talks about weird things he saw on the beac...

Melchizedek is a strange character who walks out of thin air and encourages Abraham in Genesis 14. Then he appears again briefly in Psalm 110 and makes one more cameo in Hebrews 7 and environs, never becoming much more clear. Us nerds take a look at who he might've been and how he plays into the story, and also how we can hold faith without knowing everything. We also consider marketing "Nerds in...

Peter eats with Gentiles and then wusses out and Paul calls him out on it. Circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, Kosher eating, these were the signs of Israelite identity, what are the signs of this new Christian community? We talk through this, and discuss cowboy hats and board shorts and compulsory ankle tattoos all of an early Wisconsin Morning. 

The podcast formerly known as GEOCACHING SCRIPTURE, now known as Nerds in the Word takes a gander at one of the stranger conversations Jesus has. He sees a Gentile woman and says, essentially, "What up dog?" Why would Jesus address her with this common ethnic slur? What does this conversation mean? We go into linguistic background, we go into ethnic context, we go into the Targum because why not a...

It's negative five degrees and it's time to party! Josh and Dan discuss James 2, where the irascible old apostle forbids favoritism among God's people. Why was the so important back then? What did it mean in that society, and what does it mean in ours? Tune in, and help us find a new name for the podcast...

Lazarus and the rich man – a familiar, if somewhat confusing, story from Jesus about these relatable opposites. What do the details tell us? Why does Jesus give the beggar a name? Why does the rich man speak to Abraham? Also where to go in the New York subway for a geocache. 

Jesus cleansing the temple is an episode we can look at over and over – there's much to see here. On a certain day in a certain moment, Jesus disrupted the center of Israelite identity at the time, crashing symbols and making waves we still feel today. We talk through the significance of the word "robbers" (it's not what you think), the importance of welcoming all people and what you can find...

We're joined by Caleb Williams, founder, owner and OG of Clear Hits Radio. He talks about the place of Christian hip hop in transforming his life and turning him back to Christ. We talk through Psalm 108, God using music and culture to speak truth and the time that Santa Claus punched a guy at church. 

**First a warning: There was a sound issue at the beginning of this episode that ends at about the 10 min mark. You can skip to there if you need to, it's fine, we won't be hurt at all.  Josh and Dan dig through one of the most bizarre books in the OT, and that's saying a lot! Who is the drenched prophet who fled his calling? What's this book really about? End of the day, this is a tragic cha...

Have you taken down your decorations yet? Put the tree on the curb, taken apart the nativity set? Let us help you with that last one! There was no "inn" and no mean "innkeeper." Jesus was not born seclusion in a drafty barn as the cows looked on. Joseph and Mary didn't arrive in sudden duress with her ready to have a baby right away. The story is the same, but the picture is different than we've f...

Merry Christmas from Geocaching! The shepherds were rugged loners who kept no polite company. God chose "nobodies" like this to receive the announcement of Christ's birth. Then Jesus chose "nobodies" throughout his whole life and still does today. Who were these people and why did God choose them? Where is the highest geocache in Antarctica? Josh and Dan answer all your questions from the mineshaf...

The "Murder of the Innocents" in Matthew accents the danger and corruption Jesus was born into. There is no corroborating extra-biblical evidence of this event, but it is well within the scope of Herod's brutality. We'll look at the historical implications and the advent implications of Herod being one of the first to recognize Jesus as king.