Prayer and encountering God?s presence are biblical topics we can study, but they?re also very personal experiences for each of us, and so this message combines both. First, Tim shares his personal history with prayer, and then dives into a biblical study of God?s Eden paradise appearing where we least expect it. Tying these two parts together is a personal parable involving a wild huckleberry field on a remote mountainside. Tim gave this message at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Ore., on October 19, 2022.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill (Instrumental)? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty writes our show notes.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ecclesiastes E2 ? In the first teaching of this series, we explored the teacher?s core metaphor for life, which is the Hebrew word hevel, meaning ?smoke? or ?vapor.? The teacher takes a pretty dim view of things, saying that everything in life is unpredictable, enigmatic, absurd, and ungraspable. So what do we do with such a sobering truth? In this message, Tim explores how embracing life as hevel can actually be a gift to enrich our days, rather than diminish them. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on January 13, 2013.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill (Instrumental)? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ecclesiastes E1 ? In the book of Ecclesiastes, the teacher shows how most of our daily time and energy is spent on meaningless things. The core metaphor he uses to make this point is smoke or vapor, which in Hebrew is the word hevel. So why is such a bleak book in the Bible?  Tim unpacks Ecclesiastes? introduction, its authorship, and how the book as a whole seeks to motivate humility, integrity, and enjoyment of the simple things in life. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on January 6, 2013.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill (Instrumental)? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Making of the Bible E3 ? The manuscript history of the New Testament is very different from that of the Old Testament. The number of manuscripts, the amount of time they cover, the history of manuscript discoveries?it?s all very complex and fascinating! Then there is the separate history of how the New Testament has been translated and regarded by the Church over the centuries. In this third and final lecture of the series, Tim explores this manuscript and its translation history, as well as the process and dynamics of how these books were collected into an official canon of Scripture. Tim gave these lectures in February 2012 at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisconsin.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Novum Testamentum Omne (often called ?The Majority Text?). Edited by Desiderius Erasmus.Tim references a quote from biblical scholar Frederick Constantine von Tischendorf. Some of this scholar?s key works include Codex Sinaiticus: The Discovery of the World?s Oldest Bible, Novum Testamentum Graece, The Sinai and Comparative New Testament, and When Were Our Gospels Written?Tim also references a quote from biblical scholar Samuel Prideaux Tregelles. Some of his works include Canon Muratorian: The Earliest Catalogue of the Books of the New Testament and the three-volume Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.Novum Testamentum Graece (also known as the ?Nestle?Aland New Testament?). Edited by Eberhard Nestle and Kurt Aland.The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance by Bruce M. Metzger.Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill (Instrumental)? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today?s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today?s episode. JB Witty writes our show notes. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Making of the Bible E2 ? In this series of lectures, we?re building the foundation for understanding where the Bible came from. When looking at Scripture through this lens, we discover that the texts themselves offer clues about how they came into existence and why they were written. Rather than casting doubt on the Bible, this work actually helps us gain a deeper sense of what the Bible is and what we?re supposed to do with it. In this second lecture of a three-part series, Tim explores the manuscript history of the Old Testament, as well as the composition and writing of the books of the New Testament. Tim gave these lectures in February 2012 at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisconsin.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, edited by Karl Elliger, Willhelm Rudollph, Otto Eissfeldt, and Adrian Schenker.Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham.Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill (Instrumental)? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today?s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today?s episode. JB Witty writes our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Making of the Bible E1 ? Many people who view the Bible as God?s word believe it must have come into existence with little or no human agency. But this idea is foreign to the biblical authors and to Scripture?s very traceable history. It was not written in secret! The authors of these texts were, of course, human. However, they also claimed God was speaking to his people through these human words. In this first lecture of a three-part series, Tim explores the making of the books of the Old Testament and what we can know from the Bible itself about how it came into existence. Tim gave this series of lectures in February 2012 at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisconsin.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill (Instrumental)? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today?s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today?s episode. JB Witty writes our show notes. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Torah Crash Course E3 ? The books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy tell the story about God?s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai?and make up two-thirds of the entire Torah! God gives Israel 613 laws, interspersed with stories that offer commentary on them. Tragically, the Israelites demonstrate their inability to truly love and obey God and follow the laws. This unresolved tension creates a future hope announced by Moses himself: God will one day transform the people?s hearts and minds so they can be loving and faithful covenant partners. In this message, Tim explores Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, showing how they develop the storyline that Jesus fulfilled. Tim taught this series in the early 2010s at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill (Instrumental)? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today?s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today?s episode. JB Witty writes our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Torah Crash Course E2 ? Israel?s liberation from Egypt and the night of Passover were the foundational stories for ancient Israelites, and they?re also crucial for understanding Jesus and his mission. For example, Jesus timed his arrival into Jerusalem with the Passover feast, and at the Last Supper, he used the symbols of Passover to explain the meaning of his coming death. Exodus also contains the covenant agreement between God and Israel, including the Ten Commandments, which Jesus picked up and developed in his own teaching. In this message, Tim explores all of these Exodus narratives and their influence on the Bible?s story. This series was taught in the early 2010s at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Torah Crash Course E1 ? For many modern readers, the first five books of the Bible?known as the Torah?can feel strange, overwhelming, or confusing. But when we look at these five books as a single narrative, we can begin to see how it sets up a larger story of God?s rescue plan for humanity that is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. In this episode, we?ll start with Genesis. From creation and humanity?s calling as God?s image-bearers to God?s surprising promise to bless all people through one man and his family, Genesis sets the stage for the rest of the Bible. In this episode, Tim traces the structure and themes of the book, revealing how God?s purpose to bring good out of human evil shapes the entire biblical story. This series was taught in the early 2010s at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon.

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode?s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. LewisPerelandra by C.S. LewisCheck out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In modern Western culture, we have two very different narratives swirling around the first two pages of the Bible. In the first narrative, the creation story in Genesis 1-2 represents a literal seven days, and this all happened only a few thousand years ago. In the second narrative, earth and its inhabitants took billions of years to evolve into their present form?and therefore, Bible-believing Christians are fools. What if both these narratives miss the main point of what Genesis 1-2 is all about? In this lecture, Tim explores the Bible?s creation story alongside other ancient creation stories, revealing a very different narrative about the origin of life, our purpose and identity as humans, and what all of this tells us about the God of the Bible.

Tim taught this lecture in January 2016 at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Nothing: A Very Short Introduction by Frank CloseThe Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate by John H. WaltonThe Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder by William P. BrownCheck out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill (Instrumental)? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today?s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today?s episode. JB Witty writes our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many people view science and religious faith as bitter enemies with conflicting views of the universe, especially when you consider the scientific explanation for the universe?s origin versus the biblical account. But is this tension real, or is it based on a deep misunderstanding of what the Bible is and how it communicates? Genesis 1-2?written thousands of years ago?says many surprising things about the origins of the universe. But these chapters also leave most of our modern scientific questions unaddressed. So what do we make of this? In this 2011 lecture from a science and faith conference at Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wisconsin, Tim asks what it means to read the first two pages of the Bible as ancient Hebrew texts and considers how they might interact with modern scientific claims.

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode?s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate by John WaltonIn the Beginning... We Misunderstood: Interpreting Genesis 1 in Its Original Context by Johnnie V. Miller and John M. SodenAdam and the Genome: Reading Scripture after Genetic Science by Scott McKnight and Dennis VenemaScience, Creation and the Bible: Reconciling Rival Theories of Origins by Richard F. Carlson and Tremper Longman IIIEnuma Elis (ancient Babylonian creation narrative)Atrahasis Epic (ancient Babylonian cosmology text)Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Amazing Jonah E5 ? We?ve come to the final episode of a five-part series on the book of Jonah. And this last part of the book is one of the most puzzling. After Jonah preaches his strange, five-word sermon, the people of Nineveh surprisingly repent. And when God forgives them, Jonah fumes with anger and berates God for being too gracious. In this episode, Tim closes out the story of Jonah, connecting it to Jesus? challenging words to love and forgive our enemies. This message was given on September 1, 2013, at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop by William L. UryThe Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium by Walter WinkCheck out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Amazing Jonah E4 ? After the great fish vomits Jonah onto the shores of Nineveh, the prophet finally?and begrudgingly?obeys God. Even though Jonah only utters a strange five-word sermon to the Ninevites, they still repent and turn to God. In this episode, Tim teaches on Jonah 3, while also discussing what the biblical word ?repentance? means?and doesn?t mean. This message was given on August 25, 2013, at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

You! Jonah! by Thomas John CarlisleCheck out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Amazing Jonah E3 ? After he is thrown into the sea and swallowed by a fish, Jonah utters a strange and beautifully intricate poem from inside the fish?s belly. He is in a moment of crisis that is actually God?s way of bringing him to the end of himself. How can Jonah?s experience invite us to think about the moments of crisis in our own lives? In this message, Tim teaches from chapter 2 on this heavily ironic yet powerful moment in Jonah?s story. This message was given on August 18, 2013, at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon VanaukenCheck out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Amazing Jonah E2 ? Jonah is portrayed as God?s prophet, but ironically, he is the only person in the book who refuses to listen to God. How can this story invite us to consider our own lack of perception and awareness of God?s voice in our lives? In this message, Tim explores Jonah chapter 1, looking at the many ways that the prophet seems unable to hear God directly or through anything else that God sends his way. This message was given on August 11, 2013, at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon.

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT 

View this episode?s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene H. PetersonCheck out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Amazing Jonah E1 ? Many of us know the story of Jonah as the prophet who gets swallowed by a whale. And while that is part of the story, it?s only a couple sentences in a longer narrative. So who is Jonah? Why did he flee from God and board a boat to Tarshish? And why is his story even in the Bible? In this first message of a five-part series, Tim lays the groundwork for exploring Jonah?s story and also ponders why Jonah runs from God?s vision for his life?a choice we all face at some level in our lives. This message was given on August 4, 2013, at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

In the introduction, Tim references his professor, Dr. Ray Lubeck, who taught him to read the Bible as Hebrew literature. While it is not mentioned by name, Dr. Lubeck?s core work on the Bible as literature is Read the Bible for a Change: Understanding and Responding to God's Word.Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. 

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After his baptism and testing in the wilderness, Jesus leaves Nazareth for Capernaum. There, he begins his public ministry, inviting fishermen to follow him and calling on people to ?repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.? So what is the ?Kingdom of Heaven,? and what does it mean that it has come near? In this message, Tim teaches from Matthew 4:12-25 on Jesus? beginning proclamation, the call of the first disciples, and his pattern of Kingdom teaching and healing, which still challenges how we order our lives and values today.

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode?s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. 

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hope is an important virtue that God?s people have actively cultivated for thousands of years. And the messianic hope we see throughout the Hebrew Bible is a kind of hope that followers of Jesus still need today. So what does this hope look like for us now as we wait for Jesus to return and fulfill all of the Bible?s promises? In this message from the Advent season, Tim explores a number of passages from the book of Isaiah, focusing on how what we hope for shapes what we live for.

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode?s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Aaron Olsen edited and remastered today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes. 

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 2016, we began releasing this collection of sermons and lectures that Tim Mackie gave over almost twenty years as a teaching pastor and professor. Then in 2019, we stopped releasing new episodes because that was all of Tim?s teaching! But starting today, we?re excited to begin re-releasing the episodes, now remastered and sounding much better. Plus, we?ll occasionally drop in a new sermon or lecture that Tim has given in the years since the conclusion of the show?s original run. In this short introduction, Tim shares his own story of going from life as an aimless skateboarder in Portland, to encountering Jesus, to becoming a Bible scholar, pastor, and co-founder of BibleProject.

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode?s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

Check out Tim?s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

?Nob Hill Instrumental? by Drexler

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today?s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today's episode, with support from Aaron Olsen. Tyler Bailey also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A message from Tim to let everyone know that we will be putting this podcast on pause for now. It will remain active online so you can still listen or re-listen to his sermons.

If you want to hear more from Tim, check out The Bible Project Podcast: https://thebibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This story has changed the course of human history over the past 2,000 years. Of course the story is profound, but the IMPLICATIONS of what it means to the history of our universe leading up to Jesus? resurrection is incredible. This teaching is a reflection about the significance of Easter.

Jesus walking out of the empty tomb offered a whole new history of the world.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are in the final moments of Jesus? story, and we focus on his trial, but also the story in Matthew about Judas after his betrayal of Jesus. Judas experiences extreme remorse and ends up committing suicide.

These are grim stories, but they are very important insights into human conditions. You can see how Judas became trapped in his black hole of terrible decisions and how they destroyed him. It?s a very sobering and sobering portrait of the human condition.

I think you?ll find these stories profound and interesting while they address some of life?s biggest questions.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We?ve come to (from my perspective) one of the most profound, mysterious, and almost terrifying stories of the Gospel. It is the story of Jesus right before he gets arrested and executed.

He took his friends and followers to a small olive grove and he was disappointed by their inability to stay awake? his closest people fail him at the moment that he needs them the most. So then Jesus turns to God and multiple times he asks that he not have to go through the arrest and execution. It was so scary that Jesus actually experienced a panic attack.

This story tells us so much about Jesus? experience with God and it blows my mind. Listen in and we?ll learn together.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This teaching is actually kind of a replay and development of a teaching that I gave numerous times about the Messianic Passover. As we retell the story of Passover year after year, we can see that the story is forward-pointing as it represents liberation. What Jesus does with this meal and how he takes its meaning and tweaks it is really interesting. We address all of this and more about the Passover Meal in this episode.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we ponder a pretty well-known peril of Jesus that has been misused and abused in unfortunate ways when it is read out of context.

This story is about a landowner who gives different sized investments to his servants and then expects them to produce something with the investments. Then based on what they have done with the investment, the landowner rewards or punishes different people.

As you can see, this is one of those stories where if you take it out of context, you can just do terrible things with it.BUT when you locate this parable as a warning or challenge that Jesus gives to the leaders of Jerusalem, all kinds of parts of this parable pop out in new ways.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We go over Matthew Chapter 24 today, which in modern, especially American Protestantism, has become a very controversial text related to biblical discussions about ?the end times?.

The longer I?ve gone on to learn more about the bible and how symbolism works and apocalyptic texts in Jewish writing, my understanding has really depended. That being said, they still remain controversial because of the symbolism.

Let's dive in together.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are in the ?passion? week during Jesus? stay in Jerusalem for Passover, and there are a series of controversies. Today we explore a controversy that Jesus has with some priests. They try to trap Jesus in a scripture-type puzzle, but he really doesn?t fall for it.

We watch Jesus deal with controversy, the future, resurrection, and more in this episode.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We look at a story from a controversy that Jesus was involved in in this episode. During his final week in Jerusalem for Passover, he ends up telling this famous story of God?s covenant with Israel leading up to Jesus. He tells it through a story about a landowner who owns a vineyard and then has some hired hands who end up hijacking the farm and getting violent about it.

Jesus really confronts his contemporaries with the squandered opportunity of Israel?s history. This teaching of Jesus shows a level of challenge for all generations of his followers as Jesus can get under our skin and bother us sometimes.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this teaching, we take apart Matthew Chapter 21 and the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem during the week of Passover, and he creates a storm. He literally storms into the temple and turns over tables and stages a protest.

Immediately following that, there is a story about Jesus and a fig tree. Get ready for Hebrew word plays, prophetic poetry, and more in this episode.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We slow down on Matthew Chapter 18 and address Jesus? aside road trip in this teaching. He is trying to give his staff and disciples an idea of what it is like to live in the upside-down value system of the kingdom in our personal conflicts and relationships.

He particularly addresses forgiveness because, for Jesus, forgiveness was the quintessential feature of what it means to follow him. We explore forgiveness and reconciliation in this episode.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode takes us into Matthew Chapter 18. Jesus was taking a road trip, and then he decided to go on a solo march towards Jerusalem for Passover. He had been trying to invite his disciples specifically (his closest followers). This chapter focuses on resolving conflicts and relational problems within the kingdom of Jesus.

It is full of practical teachings about what the kingdom of God looks like on the personal, individual relationship level. It starts here, with Jesus urging his disciples to become a student of their own character flaws and how they hurt others without knowing it. It invites followers of Jesus into a journey of self-learning.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At this point, we take a look at Matthew Chapter 17 about taxes and death. This isn't the most famous story about taxes in the Bible, but it is one of the first. It is about how Jesus relates to power and the Jewish institutions within religious people. This is an interesting story to show how Jesus related to these powers that he believed were corrupt but still submitted to them, and it also sheds light on what it means for Jesus and his followers to relate to the power structures that they happen to live under.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At this point, we look at Matthew Chapter 15. It is a story about a woman who approaches Jesus and asks him to heal her child, and Jesus HESITATES (which is totally bizarre because it doesn?t fit the portrait of Jesus, right?). The backstory of this woman and her history in the scriptures is really interesting, and it really helps us frame why Matthew has included this odd story in the first place.

It has to do with Jesus? mission to the people of Israel and God. Listen in to learn more.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We?re looking at Matthew Chapter 14. I consider two stories alongside each other in this teaching. One is the story of John the Baptist getting beheaded by the royal family. It is followed by another story of Jesus providing food for hungry people in the wilderness that interrupts his cousin?s death.

The character of Jesus shines brightly in this episode.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We consider one of Jesus? parables in this episode. Jesus is explaining who he is and what the kingdom of God that he is announcing is like. He is trying to shift and recreate new paradigms for people and life and God. The ?Weeds and Wheat? is a famous parable that Jesus gives in Matthew Chapter 13. Listen in as we dive in together.
Want to learn more about the larger biblical ideas about God's justice in this video? Check out Josh Butler, Skeletons in God?s Closet: The Mercy of Hell, the Surprise of Judgment, and the Hope of Holy War.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this teaching, we address Matthew Chapter 12. Here, the leaders of Israel challenge Jesus and they want to make him prove his identity. Jesus responds by giving them a riddle and talking about the sign of Jonah.

This story also raises a fascinating parallel with many of our own personal stories where Jesus is not coming through for us at all the way we thought he would, and we begin to bargain with him, but Jesus just doesn?t really work like that. Listen in for more on these topics.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Matthew Chapters 11 and 12 are stories about people responding to what Jesus has been doing in chapters 4 -10. What we see here is one of the first notes of people?s rejection of Jesus by the Israelite contemporaries. So in this episode, we situate Jesus how he thought of himself in the tradition of the Hebrew Prophets. He gives warnings that are serious and significant, and they show us that Jesus was fully embedded in the religious controversies of first-century Israel in relation to the Roman empire.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We look at Matthew Chapter 11 today. It is kind of a puzzling story, where John the Baptist (who is actually Jesus? relative and played a very key role in Jesus? life early on) is in prison. John the Baptist is also expressing serious doubts about who Jesus is and his identity.

It is a fascinating story that gives us a window into the kinds of expectations that Jewish people had about the Messiah. What was Jesus NOT doing that made John have these doubts?

We explore this story and our own personal expectations of Jesus in this episode.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode addresses faith in a story about Jesus healing a blind man in Matthew Chapter 9. In the Gospels, the word ?faith? and specifically "having faith and trust in Jesus" really has a specific meaning.

We see that different people have very different experiences with Jesus. Why the different reactions and responses? We address that question and more in this episode?

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We unravel a well-known story that takes place in Gospel Chapter 9 about Jesus forgiving the sins of a man who is paralyzed in legs. Then, he heals his legs so that he can get up and walk away. However, this is a controversy around this healing that Jesus performs, and it becomes a focal point for the whole story.

For Jesus to forgive sins a first-century Jewish context was a loaded and symbolic act. We?ll discuss more about this and Jesus redefining the definition of God in today?s episode.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we look at a story in Matthew chapter 9. Each story makes a unique claim on Jesus?s identity, about his character, and the kind of communities that Jesus came to create. Jesus has brought together a diverse and complicated group of people around his Kingdom of God announcement. He?s labeled a rebel by the Jewish community, but today we are going to explore the method and mindset that is underneath Jesus? mission of creating these really unique Kingdom of God communities.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are in the narrative chapters of Matthew Chapters 8 and 9, where Matthew has collected nine stories of Jesus performing a whole number of powerful deeds and acts. Some of them are acts of healing, others of them are acts of creative power.

In this episode, we talk about two stories. One is about Jesus calming chaotic waters. The other is about Jesus meeting two dangerous men in a graveyard. Listen in to hear more.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In previous episodes, we explored the Sermon on the Mount, but now we turn a corner back into the story Matthew of chapter 8. We explore this story of Jesus healing a man with a skin disease, which holds a lot of symbolic freight.

Most importantly, this story is about Jesus? contagious holiness. Jesus embodies the healing power of God?s holiness. This is an amazing story, especially once you take into consideration all of the Old Testament context.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode explores Jesus? teaching about prayer. It is the famous ?ask and you shall receive? teaching.

Personally, prayer has always been one of the aspects of following Jesus that I?ve found most difficult to make a big part of my life. So in this episode, I explore both what Jesus says, but also some of the objections or questions that come up in our minds when we try to take Jesus at his word and pray.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we are going to explore one of the most memorable teachings of Jesus that many people, even non-Christians, know. It is the teaching that centers around judgment or the idea ?Don?t judge so that you will not be judged?.

What did Jesus mean when he said not to judge other people? This is one of the teachings of Jesus that has truly taken on a life of its own. How has its meaning morphed over time, and what did Jesus intend for this teaching to mean?

We address these questions and more in this episode.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Specifically, we talk about the meaning and significance of one of the most important things that Jesus ever said to his followers. Jesus passed along his prayer and taught us how to pray, which he addressed in his Sermon on the Mount.

Even after I became a follower of Jesus, I still never adopted the Lord's prayer as my own prayer that I prayed regularly. It took me years until I came across other people who really advocated that we should adopt the Lord?s prayer into our daily habits.

Listen in to hear more about this on today?s show.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we explore the meaning and significance of Jesus?s command ?Love your neighbor?, which even includes the people who hate you (or your enemies). We?re going to look into why this is such a shocking and controversial teaching, especially in Jesus?s day and age. It can sometimes feel very counter-intuitive.

This is a difficult teaching to hear and process and think of what it means, but let?s go into this with open minds.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we are going to focus on Jesus? teaching about swearing? as in ?swearing oaths?. You?re probably not too hung up on ?swearing too many oaths?, but it was actually a really important part of Jesus? culture in his day and age.

More importantly, we?re going to explore some of the basic heart-level issues that Jesus is getting at here. The way we talk to each other with spins, half-truths, etc. is actually the very same thing that Jesus is trying to address in this piece.

This became a surprisingly relevant and important teaching for me, and I hope it is helpful for you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today?s particular teaching is about one of the few times that Jesus addresses the topic of sex and sexual desire. He uses a lot of intense language that has really stuck with Jesus? followers for many thousands of years.

The goal is to get inside Jesus? heart and mind about his vision of what sexuality is and what it is for.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Probably Jesus's relationship to the Torah isn't something that you woke up thinking about this morning, but it was actually a major major issue. The Torah represents not just the Bible, but the whole story and terms of the covenant that Israel used to relate to God.

Jesus came saying that the Kingdom of God had arrived through him and the work he was doing, but it was confusing to a lot of people so he addressed how he related to the story and the covenant that God made leading up to him. This is super important to learn about how Jesus talked about himself and what he was here to do.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.