The Ten Minute Bible Hour Podcast

And now for the hardest part...

... if we haven't already dealt with the most difficult to interpret portion of Matthew, we're just about to get there. Chapter 23 is not easy, but doing chapters 21 and 22 slowly and in detail like we have should set us up for success. We might not agree on every single detail about how we read this stuff, and heck we might not even agree with ourselves from a month ago at times, but if we come out at with grace and patience and humility, I think we're likely to understand it pretty well and...

The social dynamics and stakes...

... of Matthew 22 are hyper interesting. And we're taking a closer look at all of these interactions.

Thank you for wanting a podcast like this to happen!

It's almost as if...

... Jesus is facing three tests for a second time, and he's handling his business again. We're diving deeper into Matthew 22.

This whole project is weird, but I love coming at this the way we get to here. Thank you!

We're not messing around at this point...

... every interaction Jesus has with the religious elites gets him much closer to death. They're literally going to kill him soon, and we're getting down to his last few statements/teachings. More intensity this week in Matthew 22.
Thanks for doing this with me.

Chapters 21 and 22 are like...

... high-stakes, maximum-tension Tarantino dialogue, but with less camp. Every little verbal maneuver both parties are making back and forth has gallons of implications, and behind these exchanges is the threat of bloodshed. This is fascinating stuff to dissect, and all the more fascinating when you realize that Jesus is willingly entering into this mess.

What a wedding!

This parable at the front end of Matthew 22 paints quite the picture! Nobody shows up, then there's a murder, then there's a war, then homeless people show up, then some dude wears the wrong outfit and is out on his butt. So much to think about here....
Thank you for being a part of this!

Very Hard Questions Ahead

Some people find these next topics Matthew brings up to be exhilarating and some find them exhausting, but regardless of how they hit me, questions about God and Israel and time and the Church and how they all fit together is what we've got to think through next.
I think it'll be fun and useful to step away assumptions and try to read the text carefully.
Grace and peace to all of you.

I LOVE...

... this exchange between Jesus and the religious leaders. It feels so incredibly human, and also cathartic to see the hero of the story out duel them so easily.
We've got a very fun week ahead.
Thank you!

About this guy who married a prostitute on purpose

Hooray! That's what we're talking about this week!
This Matthew 21 fig tree business is a living metaphor that points right back to stuff like the shocking story of Hosea and the also shocking stuff that happened in Israel in those old days.
Deep-dive ahead.
Thanks for being a part of this project friends.
Matt W.

Passion Week? More like...

...Passion Six Months! Because that's about the pace at which we move; which is how I like it. This week we are thinking about the initial positive reception Jesus received upon his arrival in Jerusalem, and what changed over the ensuing days.

This week opens with a FRESH, SICK...

...first century BC cultural reference! Making sense of Jesus apparent departure from his normal demeanor in Matthew 21 merits reflection and hopefully talking about Julius Caesar and his entry into Rome will help with that. If not, well........hopefully we had a nice time together.

Thank you for making this kind of Internet happen. This program is weird and incredibly specific and yet it can exist because of literally you. Thanks.

Game on

Jesus is officially into Jerusalem as of this episode and this is going to feel very different from everything else we've been through so far.
I'm excited for this. Seriously excited.

Matthew 20

I like sharing this conversation with you every week. Thank you for overlooking the places we might differ and for being patient with me as a person.
I appreciate you.

I. Feel. BETTER!

Last week was a rough week oh, but I feel much better and I'm super excited about the stuff we get to cover this week. I think it's got the right makings for a ton of fun and lightheartedness, and also a ton of deep dive reflectiveness on some of the biggest themes in all of the book of Matthew and the Bible in general.

Game on friends!

Just a couple more conversations, and then...

... Jesus is going to show up in Jerusalem and then we are into the third act of this book! But we have work to do before we get there, including landing the plane on this very important conversation with the rich young ruler. That's what we're working on today.

This passage about the rich young ruler...

...is among my favorites in the whole Bible because of the mirror it holds up to my soul. I can't relate on the rich part, but I can relate on the insecurities and on the struggle to understand the most basic aspect of the whole Kingdom equation Jesus is laying out.

It's a humbling, thoughtful, and important passage and I'm going to think about it a little more before we get on to the reaction to the whole exchange.

I value and appreciate you.

Thanks,

Matt

Two more on marriage and Jesus...

... and then on to the part where the disciples are jerks to babies.

Also, the new Ironwood Rhino podcast just launched and I hope you'll give it a listen!

Here's a link: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ironwoodrhino/001_-_The_Shadow_Monster_In_My_Room.mp3?dest-id=2944055

Delicate passages ahead!

No getting around it. We're going to have to talk about some of the subjects society is sharply divided over in the next few episodes.
Thanks in advance for your grace and patience as we slowly work out through.

We're Back to This Forgiveness Concept Again...

... it comes up so often I'm starting to think it's important.

This gets us into the deep water in a hurry.

Thanks for going there with me.

This content feels different...

... and I think that's because it reads differently than the other stuff Jesus has said so far in Matthew. This Matthew chapter 18 business is, by design, very personal and very specifically directed at the person who has decided they are going to participate in the new family of faith Jesus is creating.
I'm not going to lie, it's more difficult material for me to handle than anything else we've gone through so far. Thanks for chipping away at it with me!

Matthew 18 is...

... practical, useful, and reassuring. This week will feel a little different than some of the deep water theology weeks we've had lately.
I'm excited for this passage.
Thanks,
Matt

Matthew 18...

... but not the part about what to do if someone wrongs you just yet. We've got some much lighter stuff first (like people being weighed down with rocks and thrown in water).

We'll still make it fun :)

And we're back!

I had a great week off with family, but I'm psyched to be back at the desk to game out what this temple tax situation is about.

Thanks for being a part of this!

Coming Down From the Mountain

The second coming down from the mountain in the Book of Matthew looks a lot like the first coming down from the mountain in Matthew, but there's one very notable exception and that's what we're having out right now.

Thanks for letting me do this!

Matthew 17 is underway!

And the third act is within view starting with the transfiguration.

Also, I'm sorry for the space hot dog dream story.

Thank you for supporting this program anyways.

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Newest Episodes Yet!

Why is Jesus calling Peter Satan right after Peter got done saying nice things about Jesus?

We investigate.

Thank you for making this happen.

Shiny new week of podcast!

This week we are pulling back out from the historical theological debate surrounding Peter's confession of Christ, and just appreciating the thing for what it is. Then we're on to the part where Jesus calls Peter Satan. Should be fun!

Big Week!!!

Perhaps the most theologically important human pronouncement of the Book of Matthew happens in the passage we're looking at this week, and also perhaps the most theologically controversial statement in the Book of Matthew happens in the passage we're looking at this week. To sort it all out, we're going to have to sit through some deeply held competing historical theology positions, and on top of that we're going to try to make it all fun.
I hope you're still reading at this point, becaus...

Should the passage we've been talking about even...

... be in the Bible? There's a debate about the reliability of the manuscript tradition behind these verses at the beginning of Matthew, and since I'm just some guy on the internet, I thought it would be better if we brought in an actual expert to sort that out for us, so the first two episodes of this week will be about that. And they are delightful, because my guest, Dr. Craig Blomberg, is brilliant and does a great job of explaining a complicated thing in a way that normal people like me c...

What a payoff!

I LOVE the way the end of chapter 15 pays off the confusing middle part of chapter 15, and 16 has an even bigger payoff.

I love doing this. Thanks for making it happen.