Rabbit Holes & Meditations - Christian Bible Study

I wrestled with what to title this podcast. Just after Jesus is confronted by James and John (and their mother) to sit at his right and left hand in the kingdom, a new play is sent out from the sidelines. Jesus huddles up with his disciples with a play that, let's be honest, neither they nor we are familiar with. And that is why it can feel awkward when Jesus says that the greatest among you is yo...

Part of me wants to be offended by the question that James and John asked Jesus. Another part of me admires them for having the kahunas to do it! But then, they had to get their mother to do the asking. That's kind of weak for two grown men. I'm jesting a little here. This can be a pretty provocative section of scripture to the reader but after meditating on it a bit, the thought that occurred to...

Jesus didn't have a GPS, he had something better. He had ancient prophecy. And at this point in the journey, Jesus is the only one who can see the destination. The other disciples are blind and fearful. They are marching right where they think they ought not be traveling.  Notes for Marching on the Roadmap Through Prophecy Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/marching-on-the-roa...

Did you miss it? How many times have you wandered through the gospels and noticed all the healings and through about Jesus saving all these people. It is worth going back and reviewing those healings. You'll see the distinction. Healing is not saving. Recall the times when Jesus says to a person "Your faith has saved you". Remember the paralytic where Jesus forgave his sins? He then healed him. Tw...

We approach one of the clearest passages in the gospels regarding Jesus and his mission. As they seek shelter in a Samaritan village on the way to Jerusalem, they are denied. The overzealous James and John want to rain down hellfire onto the village.  If you have ever considered your understanding of the gospels to be slow and confusing at times, this passage should give you hope! Even the discipl...

Let’s face it, we don’t want to be called unworthy. We don’t like the word servant. We take an honest look at this tension as we explore Luke 17: 7-10. I actually came away from this feeling good about being the unworthy servant! https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vvf9ua67y9f7msqs/Unworthy_Servants6ll9s.pdf Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/unworthy-servant/  

I think we can all relate to this on worldly terms. You get hired by the owner of a business and agree to $100 for the day. Then you put in a full 12-hour day. A new hire has just come on an hour ago. The guy who is paying your wages pays that new hire $100. You're thinking, wow... I'm about to make out like a bandit! You start doing the multiplication in your head but when the owner gets to you,...

After the rich young ruler walks away sadly, you can imagine that the disciples have some pretty pointed questions. And if you want to summarize, it's basically "ok, what about us?".  Jesus answers Peter, who is asking this question. If you're like me, that left me with more questions.  "Jesus, what do you mean by 'the regeneration'?" and deeper questions that come from this deep dive. If the Apos...

I always harken back to that famous wrestling match that Jacob had with God. For me, it is a healthy connection to approaching scripture. I wasn't comfortable leaving the Rich Young Ruler where I left it. I felt like I should have been wrestling more with Jesus in that passage. So I went back and engaged directly with the context and the meaning. In this dialog, I am using myself and my situation...

I think we can approach the rich young ruler as something that doesn't apply to me. That would be a mistake. The issue isn't wealth. The issue is dependence. What are you dependent on? Those things, by definition are idols. Some admittedly, are easy to give up. Others look like lifelong addictions. Whatever it is that you're holding on to is at some level, dependency. The amazing irony that we all...

I think we've all heard the story of the Rich Young Ruler. But very often the entire story gets flattened to be about money and wealth. As we got into this, the entire theology of grace emerges. Once we came to the root of this passage, we got into a discussion about stewardship which was useful and then we circled back to probably the most profound point of the passage... a discussion of what is...

Sorry for the vague reference - if you have not seen the movie "Benjamin Button". Benjamin Button, a character played by Brad Pitt, is living life in reverse. He is reverting to his childhood.  On our Red-Letter journey, People are lining up, probably more like mobbing than single file, to get close to Jesus. Some of those in that mob are parents who have brought their children. Jesus never lets a...

While we are walking through the Red Letters in the New Testament, I just wanted to take a step back and show how that red thread weaves its way through ancient biblical text.  We got the idea from a video on YouTube: The SECRET that connects the entire Bible. While overstated, is interesting. The idea of connecting Jesus to the Old Testament Stories is not merely hyperbole. Jesus makes some of th...

Ok, we're back on the Red-Letter Trail. We are late into Jesus' ministry. We've left the resurrection of Lazarus. At this point, Jesus is a wanted man however it appears that Jesus is not deterred. We catch up with him across the Jordan in Matthew 19:1-12 and Mark 10:1-12. And just so we know that Jesus is not tiptoeing in the Kingdom, he is teaching where John the Baptist made his reputation. And...

So, yesterday started like every other day. It was early, and I was deep into my studies. Digging into more, reaching out for more and engaged. Then, my phone beeped. I was interrupted by a fellow disciple who was having an issue with her email. (My work involves website development, hosting and email). I was annoyed that on a Sunday, in the middle of my quiet time, I had to drop what I was doing...

We don't remove our podcasts if we think we said something wrong. We want you, the listener to stay engaged in the process of learning. We don't profess to be all-knowing by any stretch.  During our discussion about the raising of Lazarus, I think we overstated our position and interpretation of Daniel 9:27. We have had many discussions about this and are still trying to consider the best interpre...

We jump of the Red-Letter trail today. Just for a bit. The reason will become obvious. We noticed that in almost every deep dive into the Red-Letter journey through the Gospels, that we inevitably reference the Psalms.  So today, we asked a very simple question. "Can we construct a version of the Gospels only from the record of the Psalms?" The answer was a resounding YES! So that's what we did! N...

Today we close the chapter on the resurrection of Lazarus. This chapter leaves no room for ambiguity with respect to who Jesus is. In all of scripture there is only one the commands death. We've seen resurrection elsewhere in the Bible, but never like this. We gained some deeper insight into the local politics beyond the Pharisees, and I think it's the time in our Red-Letter journey that we've enc...

The resurrection of Lazarus itself is almost anticlimactic in the scope of what's presented. So we slow down dramatically and focus here on the interaction of Jesus with Martha and Mary. Within this context we see one of the rawest expressions of emotion we see from Jesus anywhere in the Gospels (and also the shortest sentence in the Bible: Jesus wept.) By slowing down, we were able to determine n...

During the Red-letter journey, we encountered the Thomas. It occurred to me that we didn't know much about Thomas except this one phrase that has lingered through history - "Doubting Thomas".  When Jesus is ready to turn back toward Judea, in the face of imminent danger - Thomas stands up and basically says to the other disciples: If He's going to face death, we're all going with Him. It's worth t...

We've back on the Red Letter trail today. Jesus and his disciples are on the outskirts of Jerusalem, having just been pursued by a band of Jewish zealots wanting to stone Him. Jesus gets the word that Lazarus, his beloved friend is very sick. The resurrection of Lazarus is perhaps one of the most well known miracles in the Bible but today we stop short of that to focus on the events leading up to...

Before you go ahead and start the New Year with another resolution that will fail (80% of New Years resolutions fail within the month!) consider creating a resolution this year that can't fail! Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/grace-and-resolutions/  

We're on the last leg of Jesus' journey to the cross. One shift that I'm noticing is a focus on logic and argument derived from Scripture. Earlier in Jesus ministry, it was more about actions. Lately, Jesus is showing a command of scripture and the Law that is irrefutable. If you want to go find these arguments, look no further than where the Jews pick up stones. When Jesus presents an argument to...

As we continue along on our red-letter journey, we encounter Jews asking Jesus who will be saved. Will it be many or just a few? The beauty of following along chronologically is that we just heard Jesus discussing the narrow door over in John 10. There he was addressing the religious leaders. Well, that doesn't mean that their followers get off the hook and Jesus makes it abundantly clear. Some wi...

We drop into a conversation between some Galileans and Jesus in Luke 13:1-9. This is a fascinating discussion that is enriched with some historical backdrop. This is the first time we have encountered Pilate in the Red-Letter journey. He's not a good guy! What unfolds are some very pointed questions that Jesus answers and the answers do not make the one who asked the question any more comfortable....