Sunday Dive

Jesus travels home to Nazareth in our Gospel today but the reception he receives is far from warm. Comparing and contrasting our episode with an earlier synagogue encounter in Capernaum we realize that those who reject God often have the same evidence for belief as those who accept him. At the end of the day we have to decide - with the same evidence that the people of Israel had - is this man who...

The long form of our Gospel today provides us with two miracles which Mark sandwiches together: the raising of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the hemorrhaging woman. Contextualizing these stories in light of Levitical purity laws reveals a deeper message lingering below the surface: not only does Jesus desire to heal us physically but he also wants to restore us spiritually. At the end of the...

In one of his most amazing feats, Jesus sleeps through a mega-storm on the Sea of Galilee. We'll spend our time together uncovering the quite detailed picture archaeology can paint for us about seafaring in first century Palestine and we'll also unveil some fascinating parallels between our Gospel and the Old Testament Book of Jonah. At the end of the day what we discover in our Gospel is not so m...

We return to the heart of Mark's Gospel and Our Lord's teaching in our episode today, exploring some of his many parables. What becomes quickly evident in our survey of his teaching is that Jesus' words contain a surface profundity in and of themselves and yet at the same time reveal a depth of meaning that could be sounded for an eternity. Turning to the parables themselves, we'll unveil their su...

Our Gospel this week is packed with hidden gems and secret keys that unlock layers of hidden meaning in Mark's Last Supper account. The Essenes, producers of the famed Dead Sea Scrolls, serve as one of these keys. We'll make the case that Jesus celebrated the Passover with the Essene community in Jerusalem, a thesis that instigates a cascade of implications and we'll end our time together delving...

Our Gospel today comes from the end of Matthew. Jesus offers the great commission which includes the Trinitarian formula and the all-important summons to Baptism. Turning first and foremost to the Book of Daniel as well as the beginning of Matthew's Gospel we discover that Jesus' reception of authority is a fruit of his self-abasement and total obedience. Looking to the Christian calling with this...

When Luke mentions the feast of Pentecost in our first reading, we can easily gloss over the implication that Pentecost is a Jewish feast. One of four springtime feasts on the Jewish liturgical calendar, Pentecost celebrated both the ingathering of the harvest as well as the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. Comparing and contrasting the first Pentecost with the new Pentecost we discover that the ou...

Our readings today explore the Ascension of the Lord.  Drawing on our first reading from Acts which is proclaimed each year on this feast we discover fascinating connections between the Son of Man image in the Book of Daniel as well as interesting connections to the Jewish feast of the Day of Atonement.  Enjoy this rebroadcast from May 24, 2020!   For the full show notes head here. Join Katie's we...

Picking up where we left off in last week's Gospel, Jesus continues his Last Supper discourse, this time turning his attention to love, the law, and friendship with God. Taking the lead of the evangelist himself we explore the idea of belovedness and how receptivity to Divine love is the foundation of the spiritual life. Bringing in the topic of the law as well as the thought of Thomas Aquinas we...

We continue exploring the Gospel of John in our readings for this Sunday. In them Jesus makes his seventh and final "I am" statement, comparing himself to the true vine. Combing through the Old Testament we discover that vine imagery is often associated with Israel, but an Israel that is unfaithful and disobedient. It is Christ then, the faithful son, and we his disciples who are to embody a new I...

Basking in Easter glory, the Church confirms for us the tenderness and compassion of God's heart with our Gospel reading from the Good Shepherd discourse. Having compared himself to the gate of the sheepfold in previous verses, Jesus continues the theme, likening himself not merely to the gate but to the shepherd himself. Whereas a hired hand flees at the sign of danger in an act of self-protectio...

Coming to the Easter account of the Gospel of Luke we see Jesus appearing in his risen glory for the third time. The disciples are dismayed by this appearance but Jesus, making an offer of peace, provides ample evidence to bolster their faith in his resurrection. Rich in parallels with Luke's road to Emmaus story we discover a God in our Gospel who condescends to our human needs and who himself ac...

Year after year, regardless of the three-year cycle of readings, the same Gospel from John is read every Divine Mercy Sunday.  For that reason, we offer you a rebroadcast of last year's episode.   For the full show notes head here. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit www.sundaydive.com/bible101

On Palm Sunday the Church offers us two Gospels.  Our first Gospel records the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, an entry that bestows clear royal connotations on the events of Holy Week.  Turning to the beginning of our second Gospel we'll unveil two more themes: a nuptial theme evidenced in the anointing of Jesus  by the woman of Bethany and a Passover theme born out of a tentative detail...

Katie is recovering from a cold but still wanted to offer a pared down version of the podcast.  In this episode we see some Greek converts asking after Jesus, the sight of which prompts Our Lord to finally declare that his hour has come.  We spend the episode exploring why this simple affair proves to be the catalyst for Jesus' passion and the manner in which the whole episode points to a new cove...

Our Gospel today drops us into the middle of a conversation between Jesus and a prominent Pharisee named Nicodemus who comes to question Our Lord under the cover of night.  Jesus turns the topic of discussion to salvation making the most famous declaration in Scripture: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son."  What we discover from their interaction is that our God  proves his love...

We head into the fourth Gospel today following Jesus into Jerusalem for the first Passover of his public ministry.  There he encounters a city bustling with thousands of Jews and a Temple filled with money changers and animals. What happens next is astonishing. Looking to the Old Testament, the greater context of John's Gospel, and the history of the Temple complex we try to make sense of the clea...

We join Peter, James, and John atop the mountain of Transfiguration in our Gospel this week. Jesus has just made his first passion prediction and so, to bolster the faith of his disciples, he pulls back the veil on his Divine glory. Breaking open the Old Testament we discover several connections with our Gospel, connections that point toward a new creation, a new temple, and the sure hope of the r...

We dive into Lent by backtracking in our reading of Mark today, heading to the scene of Jesus' temptation and forty day fast. Though a short passage, we find a Gospel rich with Old Testament imagery and typological fulfillment. Jesus heads into the wilderness to re-stage many scenes from Scripture but this time as the faithful son who has come to reconcile the world to his Father. Diving deep into...

Jesus is approached by a leper in our Gospel today.  Having ignored the Mosaic command to avoid others he draws close to Christ in order to request a miracle.  Moved by the man's faith, Jesus also ignores the conventions of Mosaic law, touching the man, healing him from his leprosy, and proving that the Divine touch is not only immune from ritual impurity but can actually bring about the wholeness...

BIBLIOGRAPHY Donahue, John R., and Daniel J. Harrington. The Gospel of Mark . Edited by Daniel J. Harrington. Vol. 2. Sacra Pagina Series. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002. Donin, Hayim. "HAVDALAH: The Ritual and the Concept." Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought 3, no. 1 (1960): 60-72. Accessed January 8, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23255448. Healy, Mary. The Gospel o...

We've gotten a ton of emails asking what happened to the podcast. Here's the latest update! Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit www.sundaydive.com/bible101

BIBLIOGRAPHY Davies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 3 . International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004. Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary . Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009. Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri....

BIBLIOGRAPHY Davies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 3 . International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004. Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary . Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009. Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri....

BIBLIOGRAPHY Davies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2 . International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004. Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary . Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009. Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri....