Rabbit Holes & Meditations - Christian Bible Study

We continue to follow our fictitious reporter from the Jerusalem Chronicle to get a boots-on-the-ground view of what happened on Monday (today) of Passion Week.  Previous Podcasts covering this day include: The County Fair on the Temple Court https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-county-fair-on-the-temple-court/   The Curse of the Fig Tree https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-curs...

As our Red-Letter journey closes in on the Crucifixion, we decided to pull back. Every day this week, we are acting as a News Reporter traveling with Jesus and the disciples. The notes are written like a News Story from the Jerusalem Chronicle. The News Story is provided in the notes. Related Podcasts.   Accusing Mary https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/accusing-mary/     Palms and Psalms ht...

As usual, Google will put things in my path that it thinks I want to see. This was no different. 3.4 million views in three weeks. The good news is that people are very interested in this. The bad news is that people will use this as their resource for knowledge. We want to address this. The name of the YouTube video is Father Chad Ripperger - Signs of the Mark of the Beast & Rise of the Antic...

This was a tough podcast to study for. The journey to Calvary is depicted in all four gospels, and each provides detail that paints a grueling picture of suffering. What you immediately notice about Jesus is not the agony of his suffering but his outreach and concern for the men doing this - and for His Mother. There is mockery from everywhere, even from the criminals beside him. When you bear the...

As I was reading the account of Pilate's interaction with Jesus, it dawned on me how familiar it was. We often read the account in isolation, and I decided to dig deeper and consider its implications across the span of history.  We've said it time and again through our podcasts. God is orchestrating this.  Essay - The Evil That Men Do Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/e/the-e...

 Pilate knows the truth of Jesus' innocence. He has stated it three times. Yet when he issues the verdict, it is for the crucifixion of Jesus. The irony is staggering. The very word "verdict" means "to speak the truth".  I'm not exactly sure how to describe Pilate. He's often depicted as ruthless. He feels more like a puppet. He's that person always concerned about what others think. In this case,...

What is truth? Those three worlds have consumed me for years. Isn't that the endeavor of every philosophical pursuit? And yet, we read those three words uttered by Pilate to Jesus, and simply move on. Not so fast. Pilate had the luxury of standing before the only person, the only human that ever existed, who could have possibly answered that question. But Pilate himself had already dismissed the a...

How many times have you blown over the passage. Yeah, you marveled that Peter heard the rooster crow, which recalls what Jesus told Peter would happen when they were in the upper room. But let's really dig into this. There is so much we can learn from Peter in this moment and the subsequent restoration.  Notes for Lovest Thou Me Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/lovest-thou-m...

We are living in a simulator ! ?? I'm hearing this a lot so I wanted to address it. I don't know if this is just a meme type phenomenon or if these guys really know what they are suggesting. Let me name some of the bigger influencers on YouTube (at least the ones that cross my path). They include Tom Bilyeu, Steve Bartlett, Chase Hughes and many others including many of those whom they've intervie...

Stephen Bartlett interviews two people, among many others, who have a similar landing. I chose these out of the many because they come from completely different backgrounds and arrive at similar conclusions. One is a psychologist and one is a neuroscientist. Collectively, these have gotten over 10 million views. After watching these and some others, I noticed something that feels – well – “off”. T...

As you listen to this podcast today, reflect on how little has changed. As I was reading the accounts of the interrogation of Jesus, it struck me how much we could learn just by going back to our roots for justice,  for accusation, for testimony. Think about this. We often drag people (via subpoena) to "testify under oath" in the hopes of setting up a perjury trap. Smear campaigns are more than no...

Often when you listen to a debate between a Christian and an Atheist you get lost in emotional tension.  Feedback from the Unabashedly Apologetic podcast we ran recently prompted this follow-up. Fortunately, my YouTube feed seems to know what I'm looking for. I stumbled across this video between Wesley Huff and Steven Bartlett. These are raw, honest questions from someone who is seeking answers ab...

We leave Gethsemane almost with determination. There is no hesitation following the priestly prayer, no trying to seek a hiding place, no planning for what is to happen next. It is a foregone conclusion, approached with resolve. There is no parable, no guessing, no wrestling with the text. We created a 4 gospel harmony of this scene to get a three-dimensional picture of what is going on. Notes for...

I think today's podcast is a helpful example of how we study. I spend a good part of my day in a variety of different resources. This is daily and habitual. In between all of that, I actually retreat to work, which has nothing to do with my biblical studies. My commercial breaks during the day usually return me to my Christian studies. I usually open with a section of the Bible I want to read in t...

It's been a tough night and it's only just begun. Jesus knows that his disciples are going to go through a lot. What's fascinating here is Jesus is more concerned with his disciples than with Himself. He knows exactly what is to transpire within the next few hours and His concern is for them. Notes and Commentary for Jesus Prays for the Eleven Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.co...

Sometimes we tend to think of the cross as the finish line. But Jesus chooses to look past it. I was tempted to call it a speed bump, but it's way more than that.  I know we've already discussed Gethsemane so this podcast and the next two occurs out of sequence. It is likely that the prayer in John 17 is before they reach Gethsemane. John Chapter 17 stands alone and while it probably occurs before...

The disciples finally leave the upper room, but this is the proverbial out of the frying pan into the fire. They retreat to Gethsemane, and this is where we pick up in today's podcast. Specifically, we are looking at Matthew 26:36-45, Mark 14:32-41, and Luke 22:39-46. Notes and Commentary: The Cost and the Cup Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-cost-and-the-cup/

All the buzz right now is about artificial intelligence, but amid all the hype, there is one thing that keeps AI from outpacing its creators. Namely, energy and autonomy. While we're all looking at this AI phenomenon, is it possible that we are focused on the wrong thing? Many believe that the quantum computing problem will be solved in the next 3-5 years. There is serious research into creating s...

The closer we get to the Cross in our Red-Letter journey, the deeper it gets. The disciples are in a confused emotional state. They are hearing a lot but not completely understanding. The beauty of this in scripture is that, through their confusion, we hear Jesus' responses and explanations, which help clear up our own confusion. You could easily spend a week on John 16:12-33. We will do what we c...

Jesus said I have told you these things now so that when they happen, you will remember and believe. He did not say I'm telling you these things as a warning so that you can predict the next thing in the news cycle. Have we flipped prophecy on its face and reversed its meaning?  I think it's worth reflecting for a second on current world events and prophecy, but not the way you might think. To man...

We hear Jesus last words to the eleven before the cross, and Jesus answers the question the disciples are too distraught to ask. For many Christians, even today, the Cross is a mystery that it doesn't need to be. Jesus spells it out. It is proven and acted upon. Today, we go deep into John 16:1-11, asking the questions that Jesus knew were on the disciples' minds, even if they could not see clearl...

So right now we are overlapping our current events series with our continuing Red Letter series. To help you isolate the current events series, we are going to change the season number for these to 3 - leaving the Red-Letter Journey in season 2. That way, if you want to isolate the podcasts, that is one easy way to do it. Also, on our website, www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com, there is a tab spec...

Sometimes when we say: "The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit", the Holy Spirit rolls off the tongue as an afterthought. We don't know what to do with Him. I know analogies aren't perfect, but it helps to think this way. Father is like the coach who designed the entire plan, Jesus is the quarterback who runs the decisive play and throws the ball that makes the score possible, the Holy Spirit is...

Just so you know, we are not going to stop doing our Red-Letter Journey. However, we are adding a 2nd series today comparing current world events with biblical prophecy. What will become extremely useful in this endeavor is applying our Berean Filter application to current events and how they can be interpreted with respect to Biblical prophecy. We are completely open to suggestions regarding who...

You walk onto the lot and I show you the car. “Let me be straight with you,” I say. “This isn’t the most popular car on the road. In fact, some people actively avoid it. Others will tell you it’s too restrictive, that it limits where you can go or how you can drive.” “But here’s the thing.” I tap the hood. “This car was designed by the One who built the entire road system. He knows every turn, eve...