Wednesday in the Word

When Jesus calls himself the "bread of life" in John 6, he is not offering an easier life with endless free food. He is offering something far greater: eternal life that comes through trusting him as the one sent from the Father. This episode walks through the feeding of the five thousand, the walking on water, and the long conversation that follows to show how a miracle can attract a cr...

In this episode, we look at the Sabbath healing in John 5 and how it becomes a turning point in Jesus’ ministry, not because of the miracle itself, but because of what it reveals about his authority as the Son who speaks and acts for the Father. We see that the real issue is not a man carrying his mat on the Sabbath, but whether we will accept Jesus as the one who holds our life, our judgment, and...

In this episode, we return to the woman at the well in John 4 and look at how Jesus shifts the focus from religious labels and rituals to the inner reality of worship and obedience. We also see how he invites his disciples, and us, to share his hunger for the Father’s will and to see ourselves as part of God’s long, patient work of sowing and reaping faith in others.  In this week’s episode, we ex...

Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well shows how God reaches across every barrier to offer eternal life to unlikely people. In this episode, we look at how John uses this story, and the story of a desperate Jewish official, to show that real faith grows through testimony about what Jesus has done, not just from spectacular signs.  In this week’s episode, we explore: How John’s Go...

In this episode, we look at John 3:22-36 and discover what it means to gladly step out of the spotlight so that Jesus can take center stage. Through John the Baptist’s words, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” we see a rare picture of humble joy, contentment with God’s calling, and a clear reminder that what we believe about Jesus has eternal consequences.  In this week’s episode, we explore...

Many of us know John 3:16 by heart, but this passage around Nicodemus shows why believing in Jesus is not just agreeing with a famous verse. In this episode, we look at how Jesus explains that our response to him reveals what is going on deep inside us - whether we are hiding from the truth or willing to step into the light and receive mercy.  In this week’s episode, we explore: How John 3:14-21 f...

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night convinced that the miracles prove Jesus is a teacher from God. Jesus surprises him by saying that signs and religious effort are not enough. To see the kingdom of God, a person must be born again, given a new kind of life by the Spirit. This episode unpacks what that means and why sincere faith is always more than being impressed by what God can do.  In this week’...

When Jesus storms through the temple courts in John 2, turning over tables and driving out animals, he is not having a temper flare. He is acting as the Messiah who has authority over his Father’s house and who already knows his path will lead to the cross and resurrection. This episode looks at how the temple cleansing both strengthens the disciples’ faith and exposes the difference between excit...

The wedding at Cana is more than a sweet story about running out of wine. In this episode, we look at how Jesus’ first public sign quietly reveals his glory, strengthens the disciples’ faith, and begins to show why we can trust their testimony that he really is the Messiah.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Why John places this story early in his Gospel and how it fits his big themes of testimo...

The calling of the first disciples in John 1 is not just a list of names. It is a living picture of how faith spreads through testimony, how skepticism is answered, and how ordinary men become convinced that Jesus really is the Messiah. In this episode, we trace the chain from John the Baptist to Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, and see why their eyewitness testimony matters for us today.  In...

John 1:19–34 shows John the Baptist answering one big question: why should anyone believe that Jesus is the Messiah? In this episode, we look at how John’s clear testimony, both about who he is not and who Jesus is, gives solid reasons to trust that Jesus really is God’s chosen king and the Lamb of God who takes away sin.  In this week’s episode, we explore: How John’s Gospel skips John the Baptis...

John’s famous prologue introduces Jesus not just as a great teacher, but as the one through whom God created the world, the source of true life, and the only one who can make God known. This episode walks through John 1:1-18 and shows how John starts from ideas his readers already knew about an ordered universe, then reveals that the creator and giver of life has stepped into history in the person...

This episode launches a new series in the Gospel of John and lays the groundwork for how we will study it together. We look at who wrote this Gospel, why the early church was so confident about its author, how John’s account differs from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and what it means to read a Gospel as carefully crafted persuasion rather than a simple timeline of events.  In this week’s episode, we e...

Fall 2024 marks the 25th season of the Wednesday in the Word podcast. I can't prove it, but I believe Wednesday in the Word is the longest running Bible study podcast in the world. In June 2005, Apple added podcasting to iTunes 4.9. When I started podcasting in 2011, iTunes (which is now Apple podcasts) carried approximately 300 podcast shows. You had to complete 20 episodes before you could...

June 2024: Wednesday in the Word Update: The podcast is on break. In the meantime listen to one of the 500+ previous episodes and this song. Thanks to everyone who listened to the Galatians and the Fruit of the Spirit .  I pray that God used it to help you grown in wisdom and understanding.  It’s such a joy to share the Bible with you and hear your wonderful feedback.  I’ll be taking a short break...

Paul ends his series on the fruit of the Spirit by pulling back to the big picture: these qualities are not a checklist of virtues to chase or feelings to manufacture, but the natural outgrowth of a new worldview the Spirit creates in us through the gospel.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Why the fruit of the Spirit are not the cause of spiritual maturity but the result of a Spirit-shaped wor...

Self-control may sound like the one fruit of the Spirit that disqualifies us all—but Paul does not mean a flawless ability to always say and do the right thing.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Why Paul’s own struggle in Romans 7 shows that self-control cannot mean the end of temptation or the disappearance of inner conflict in this life  How the Law functions like a diagnosis—exposing our “di...

Gentleness, or meekness, is often misunderstood as weakness or mere softness. But in Scripture it is the strength of someone who trusts God so deeply that they don’t need to push themselves forward, grab for status, or trample others to get what they want.  In this week’s episode, we explore: How “gentleness” in Galatians 5 is the same idea as “meekness” in the Beatitudes, and why no single Englis...

Faith belongs on the list of the fruit of the Spirit but not as vague optimism, positive thinking, or a one-time decision we made years ago. In this episode, Krisan Marotta unpacks “faith” in Galatians 5 as a growing, Spirit-given way of seeing reality: believing the gospel, holding its core convictions, and learning to stand firm in that truth for a lifetime.  In this week’s episode, we explore:...

Goodness, as a fruit of the Spirit, is not bland niceness or a vague sense of being “a good person.” In this episode, Krisan Marotta explores goodness as a clear-eyed pursuit of what is truly right, holy, and true in a world that often laughs at moral boundaries.  In this week’s episode, we explore: How “goodness” in Galatians 5 fits into Paul’s larger contrast between the works of the flesh and t...

Kindness, as a fruit of the Spirit, is not mere politeness or being “nice.” It is a deliberate choice to work for the good of others—especially when they don’t deserve it, don’t appreciate it, or even oppose us—because we have begun to grasp how lavishly God has treated us in Christ.  In this week’s episode, we explore: How the New Testament uses “kindness” to describe actively pursuing someone el...

Patience, as a fruit of the Spirit, is not quiet politeness or simply “putting up with” hard things. In this episode, Krisan Marotta unpacks the biblical idea of longsuffering. In this week’s episode, we explore: Why the New Testament word often translated “patience” is better captured by the older word longsuffering —being “slow to anger” and willing to endure over a long time The two main ways S...

Peace, as a fruit of the Spirit, is not a quiet life with no problems and no difficult people. In this episode, Krisan Marotta explores what Scripture means by “peace” and why, in Galatians 5, it is especially about believers learning to live at peace with one another.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Different biblical uses of “peace”: peace with God instead of war (Romans 5:1), peace as the...

Joy, as a fruit of the Spirit, is not a constant emotional high or the absence of sorrow. In this episode, Krisan Marotta explores joy as a deep, steady confidence rooted in the promises of God.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Why “joy” in Scripture can coexist with sorrow, loss, and hardship—and how Paul can say he is “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing”  The difference between happiness (pleas...

Love as a fruit of the Spirit is not only about how we treat all people made in God’s image—it also has a particular shape in the way believers treat one another. In this episode, Krisan Marotta explores the special bond Scripture describes between followers of Jesus, showing how our attitude toward other believers reveals what we truly think of Christ, His gospel, and our shared hope.  In this we...