Sabbath School From Home

The strong emphasis on the authority of Jesus continues through a number of stories.  We briefly discuss Jesus calming the storm at the end of Mark 4, and then spend some time examining the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. The second half of this chapter tells of a woman healed and a girl resurrected, but we can't add to the stimulating comments way back in episode 8 of season 2 of this podcast! We...

Mark 4 presents a number of seed stories, and we go looking at even more.  It is interesting to see how useful the agricultural analogy of seeds are for Jesus and other biblical writers. We explore a few examples growing out of this chapter, and end up somewhat sympathetic to the disciples who later "asked him what the parables meant".

Mark's rapid story-telling presents a healing and a confrontation with religious leaders.  The paralysed man being lowered through the roof is a well-known story, but has plenty to discuss. The four faithful friends are one of the best examples of the power of intercession, and it is interesting to honestly examine whether we might be inclined to an attitude similar to "the teachers of religious l...

It's interesting that the first "healing" in Mark is casting out an evil spirit.  This is a short episode recorded in somewhat adverse circumstances, and we notice the emphasis on Jesus' authority and authenticity. We look forward to exploring these themes as we progress through Mark.

We're looking forward to a season exploring the Gospel of Mark.  One of the interesting themes in this opening chapter is time.

How do we keep our awe and attention on the Love of God as the story ends?  The Adventist church has various more-or-less clear pictures it regularly tells about the closing stages of the Great Controversy. It is certainly not unique in its fascination with the apocalypse and transition to a restored resurrected eternity. We discuss a few details which seem not to mesh all that well with the lovin...

In the great controversy, what is Truth opposing?  The lesson this week states it is a battle between "truth and error", but quotes from John 8 where Satan is called the "father of lies". It doesn't seem that error means exactly the same thing as lies, and so we explore this passage in John to see what might be the opposite of Truth. We strongly suspect the issue at hand might go deeper than erron...

We look honestly at the world in light of "the upcoming conflict" between God and Satan.  The lesson this week takes a deliberate focus on the Catholic church and the pope, but we can't help looking broader for the Beastly powers mentioned in Revelation's description of end times. Our lived social experience no longer resounds to the great dichotomy between catholic and protestant - indeed there's...

Deception is a key theme when discussing spiritual conflict and controversy.  The topic for this week is satanic deception, which the Adventist lesson guide identifies quite specifically with spiritualism. 2 Thessalonians 2 has a lot to say about a "man of lawlessness" instigating grand deceptions, but we find some of the details are not straightforward to understand. We are drawn to a question fr...

How does God's law reveal His character?  We explore how God's Law (and the Sabbath) impact our picture of who God is. Are they the only way (or even a good way) of understanding God's character?

Imagery from the Old Testament sanctuary pervades the Bible.  A listener comment points us towards Zechariah 4, which mirrors many elements from Rev 11 that we discussed recently. It also speaks of the sanctuary both literally (foundations being laid) and figuratively (lampstand metaphor). The New Testament seems to take this temple idea and radically apply it to the community of Christ.

Hope is an incredibly powerful motivator.  Prophets are fascinating and unsettling in an incredible variety of ways throughout the Bible, but one consistent theme is anticipation of the future. We look at Joseph's teenage dreams and explore how things don't turn out the way he probably expected. It seems one important role of prophecy is to remind us of hope.

There's definitely controversy described in Revelation 11, and there could also be  about this chapter!  The lesson this week makes quite a strong statement about this chapter pointing to the French Revolution. We discuss a few cautions about confirmation bias, and don't see this connection particularly vividly in the text itself. Rather than try to reach a definitive interpretation, we explore so...

Reformers exhibit faith against all odds, but we recognise this more easily in hindsight.  The bible has numerous accounts of "reformations", where followers of God either re-found truths of old or expanded into new truth. We mention a few examples before looking a bit more closely at Ezra. There is much to admire in this reformation story, but some details are troubling. Reformation seems to be n...

Standing for the Truth is vital, but what if our "truth" needs tweaking?  History is full of people who passionately defended what they felt was true, but which seems more questionable to us in retrospect. This problem is not new - exactly the same thing occurred in Biblical times. Throughout the Gospels people struggle to accept the Truth in Jesus because of their passion for defending truth they...

Why is it so hard to accept an incarnational nature of scripture?  Christians take that name because of their belief in Jesus as God incarnate - the whole point is that He had to become human in order for us to better understand who God is (and what we mean to Him). It seems reasonable to encounter the Bible in the same way: inspiration but through genuinely human authors.

"Love or selfishness" forms an interesting axis.  It might seem strange not to contrast love with hate, but the book of 1 John spends a lot of time on the relationship between love and a focus on what is best for others. It is quite a stimulating perspective on love and its role in the revelation of God. We realise that love can have many "opposites", each of which represents a somewhat "great con...

This new season will explore "the Great Controversy", and so we start with some of the biggest questions about good and evil.  It is easy to get tied up in knots with this sort of thing, ending up squeezed into a rhetorical corner that sounds like God is responsible for bad things in the world. In a way that's the whole point of this theme and exploration - searching for a way to express a deep co...

It is tricky to summarise the Psalms, or even the things we've learnt from them this season.  One helpful thought is that things are never "just symbols" - human societies are too much dominated by story-telling for that to work as a dismissive statement. Symbols matter, and feelings matter, and we find that validated by the Psalms.

"Worship that never ends" speaks to more than just time. Psalm 134 is extremely brief but packs in a number of interesting thoughts. There's a suggestion that worship is valid at all times and all places, and we are invited to explore what it means to bless someone. 

Many Psalms speak joyfully or longingly about specific places, so how do we read them in a culture not much concerned about location?  The idea of pilgrimage has been central to much of religious history, and yet is largely absent from protestant Christianity. Are we missing anything of importance? How might the idea apply to our own experience? 

"Lessons from the past" are important, but not always easy to transmit.  This Psalm is dominated by an overview of Israelite history, with a remarkable focus on where they failed to stay faithful to God. It seems the main point is that "God cared for them" even though "the people kept sinning". It is interesting to reflect on how well lessons from the past are handed between generations in our own...

Messianic elements in the Psalms can be tricky to handle.  Some psalms obviously (to our eyes) foreshadow aspects of the earthly life and ministry of Jesus. Psalm 22 and 23 contain perhaps the most prominent examples, which we enjoyed in the first season of Sabbath School from Home. Psalm 2 makes mention of "submitting to God's royal son", but there's some cultural and linguistic context worth exp...

The Sabbath School topic this week is "wisdom for righteous living", and Psalm 141 serves us a good dose!  It is clear that controlling what we say is a core step towards wisdom, and this psalm also contains a vivid reminder of how important it is to be open to correction. These are both harder than they initially appear, and we explore the themes and challenges within these few verses.

Mercy seems to be one of God's most prominent characteristics.  Psalm 57 is a beautiful celebration of God's mercy, but this concept keeps popping up all over the Bible. It is clearly an emphasis worth dwelling on.