Sermon on the Mount E10 – In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus reveals the divine wisdom of Israel’s Old Testament laws through six case studies. In the first case study, he expounds on one of the Ten Commandments, “Do not murder” (Exod. 20:13). After acknowledging this command, Jesus takes it further by saying that anyone who is angry with his brother or publicly shames someone is also guilty of murder. What does he mean? In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss Matthew 5:21-32, exploring key concepts—such as...
Mar 04, 2024•56 min•Ep. 402
Sermon on the Mount E9 – What did Jesus mean when he said he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets? In Jesus’ day, the laws from the Torah were over a thousand years old. And the Jewish people under Roman occupation weren’t able to follow all of the laws perfectly, leading to countless interpretations of how the people could observe the Torah. So what made this rabbi from Nazareth’s approach to the law any different? In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss Matthew 5:17-20, unpacking its historic...
Feb 26, 2024•47 min•Ep. 401
Sermon on the Mount E8 – Why does Jesus call his followers salt and light? In the Hebrew Bible, salt is a metaphor for God’s long-lasting covenant with Israel, connected to priestly sacrifices, ritual purity, and social bonds. And the Hebrew word for light, or , shares a wordplay with torah , meaning God’s wise instruction. God’s wisdom given in the Torah is a light for Israel that they are called to share with the nations. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss the meanings of salt and light, sho...
Feb 19, 2024•46 min•Ep. 400
Sermon on the Mount E7 – What will it cost us to live like Jesus in our world? In the third and final triad of the Beatitudes, Jesus declares that the good life belongs to the peacemakers. But making peace Jesus-style will mean conflict, pain, difficulty, and even persecution. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and others explore the cultural tensions surrounding Jesus, his audience, and the four ancient groups who tried to make peace and how Jesus’ teachings created conflict with all of these groups. V...
Feb 12, 2024•44 min•Ep. 399
Sermon on the Mount E6 – What does it look like to have our desires and actions completely aligned with God’s will? In the second triad of the Beatitudes, Jesus paints a picture of the kind of people God is forming in the Kingdom of the Skies. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and guests break down the biblical words for righteousness, justice, mercy, and purity throughout the Bible, leading up to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Chapter 1: Hunger...
Feb 05, 2024•47 min•Ep. 398
Sermon the Mount E5 – What does it mean to be poor in spirit, mourning, and meek? Jesus uses these words in the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, and the guys examine them in biblical Greek and Hebrew, finding that a better translation may be “powerless,” “grieving,” and “unimportant.” These are the people that Jesus believes will have the “good life.” How can that be? In this episode, Jon, Tim, and guests explore the first triad of the Beatitudes, shedding light on how those at the bottom of ...
Jan 29, 2024•41 min•Ep. 397
Sermon on the Mount E4 – What does Jesus mean when he calls people “blessed” in the first section of the Sermon on the Mount? The Greek word translated as “blessed” is makarios , and its Hebrew equivalent is ashrey , which means “the good life.” But there’s another Hebrew word for blessing, barukh, which refers to blessings from God. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and guests unpack what it means to be blessed according to Jesus’ counterintuitive message as he ushers in the kingdom of the skies. View...
Jan 22, 2024•34 min•Ep. 396
Sermon on the Mount E3 – The Sermon on the Mount is one of five major speeches Jesus gives in the Gospel of Matthew, and there are many similarities between these speeches. What is Matthew doing in his gospel that is unique from the other gospels? And how does this shape his portrayal of Jesus? In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss how the Sermon on the Mount fits into the larger context of the Gospel of Matthew. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Chapter 1: Jesus’ Five Speeches in M...
Jan 15, 2024•41 min•Ep. 395
Sermon on the Mount E2 – As a Jewish rabbi, Jesus was immersed in the Hebrew Bible, or what Christians often call the Old Testament. The Hebrew Bible tells the story of God working with ancient Israel to bring about his Kingdom. And in the New Testament, Jesus claimed that God’s Kingdom was at long last arriving in him. In this episode, Tim and Jon walk through the three parts of the Hebrew Bible, showing how they connect to what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount. Plus, Michelle, Dan, and...
Jan 08, 2024•44 min•Ep. 394
Most of us have probably heard sayings from Jesus’ famous teaching, commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. It's only 100 verses, but the sermon has created an enduring legacy that has shaped countless lives throughout history. In this first episode of a yearlong series on the Sermon on the Mount, Tim and Jon introduce some new voices and share stories of influential people who were inspired by Jesus’ words. Then the team lays out the basic facts of the Sermon on the Mount and the different way...
Jan 01, 2024•56 min•Ep. 391
In our final episode of 2023, Tim, Jon, and BibleProject CEO, Steve, celebrate everything we worked on this year and the patrons who made it possible. The guys then talk about everything coming up in 2024 and beyond, including a sneak peek of a special new series coming in 2024 at the end of the show! View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part (00:00-9:28) Part two (9:28-17:09) Part three (17:09-32:39) Part four (32:39-49:10) Referenced Resources Interested in more? Check out Tim’s lib...
Dec 25, 2023•53 min•Ep. 393
Does the dragon always deceive humans into sinning? Can we become agents of chaos even when our intentions are good? What does it mean that Satan “entered into” Judas at the last supper? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from the second half of the Chaos Dragon series. Thank you to our audience for your thoughtful questions! View more resources on our website → Timestamps Does the Dragon Always Deceive Humans Into Sin? (00:00-7:36) Are the Scales in Paul’s Eyes a Reference t...
Dec 18, 2023•48 min•Ep. 392
In this series, we’ve talked a lot about chaos—chaos waters and the great chaos monsters of the deep. In this episode, Tim and Jon interview an expert with a unique vantage point on the chaos of the cosmos, NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell-Dyson. Listen in as they discuss the fascinating intersection between ancient cosmology and modern scientific exploration of our universe. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-16:23) Part two (16:23-29:02) Part three (29:02-45:07) Part ...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 390
The Revelation, the last scroll in the Bible, is an apocalyptic vision about the reordering of the entire cosmos. And like the conclusion of any good story, it brings together all the themes in the Bible, including the theme of the dragon. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the dragon in John’s Revelation. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-8:19) Part two (8:19-25:19) Part three (25:19-37:40) Part four (37:40-51:08) Referenced Resources Interested in more? Check ou...
Dec 04, 2023•57 min•Ep. 389
The biblical theme of the dragon is a way to think of a personal foe, the Satan, and an impersonal force—the relentless power that exerts itself over humanity and all of creation. In this episode, Tim and Jon look at how the Apostle Paul talked about death and disorder almost as if they were dragons, starting with Paul's letters to the Romans and the Corinthians. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-10:26) Part two (10:26-26:42) Part three (26:42-44:46) Part four (44:4...
Nov 27, 2023•56 min•Ep. 388
The theme of the chaos dragon runs all through the story of the Bible—along with the biblical authors’ expectation of a coming king who will one day slay the dragon for good. That dragon-slaying king is Jesus, but the way he defeats the dragon is not what anyone expected. In this episode, Tim and Jon explore what it means to truly gain victory over the dragon. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-8:53) Part two (8:53-22:31) Part three (22:31-36:21) Part four (36:21-44:...
Nov 20, 2023•52 min•Ep. 387
As we’ve traced the theme of the chaos dragon in the Bible, we’ve come to expect what the biblical authors expect: a dragon-slaying king to come. When the gospel authors introduce us to Jesus, they’re quick to show that Jesus is human, yet he wields power beyond what other humans possess. He triumphs over snake-like adversaries in the wilderness, subdues chaos waters with a word, and even has power over spiritual beings. In fact, Jesus does all the same things God himself does. In this episode, ...
Nov 13, 2023•47 min•Ep. 386
Daniel 7 describes an incredible, apocalyptic dream had by the prophet Daniel where he sees four chaos monsters oppressing the people of God. Just like the other dragon stories we've encountered in the Bible, Yahweh shows up in Daniel's vision as the ultimate dragon slayer—only this time, he's not alone. There's another human-like figure who comes riding in on the clouds to fight the dragon. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the theme of the dragon in the scroll of Daniel. View more resources...
Nov 06, 2023•49 min•Ep. 385
In the story of the Bible, the dragon is a recurring symbol of chaos, death, and destruction. The good news is, Yahweh is the dragon slayer, and he gives humans power over the dragon too. But in the Bible—and in our own lives—we can encounter stories like Job’s. The scroll of Job explores what happens when a righteous person, someone who should be experiencing God's Eden blessing, gets their life co-opted by the dragon instead. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they explore the story of Job. ...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 384
While the chaos dragon is not God’s rival--it’s the rival of creation--it is God’s enemy. The Psalms sometimes portray creation as the ordered result of Yahweh’s battle with the dragon, to bring order out of chaos. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss two psalms that look back to the cosmic battle at the beginning of creation and also look ahead to a day when Yahweh will give his own dragon-slaying power to a human image of God. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-8:0...
Oct 23, 2023•48 min•Ep. 383
Did God create disorder and chaos? What does it actually mean to be evil? And how do you tell your kids that in the Bible dragons are actually the “bad guys”? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from the first half of the Chaos Dragon series. Thank you to our audience for your incredible questions! View more resources on our website → Timestamps Did God Create Disorder? (2:29) What is God’s Relationship to the Darkness? (15:05) What Does it Mean to be Evil? (21:41) Does God Us...
Oct 16, 2023•59 min•Ep. 382
The theme of the chaos dragon raises some challenging questions. For instance, if God created a perfect world and humans messed it up, why did the dragon and the chaos waters exist at the beginning of the universe? Why would God allow the potential for chaos at all? In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss God’s goodness and the existence of evil, through the lens of the chaos dragon theme. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-13:33) Part two (13:33-30:44) Part three (30:4...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 381
The story of Jonah employs all the major motifs of the theme of the chaos dragon: chaotic waters, a servant of God who rebels against him, and a great sea monster. But the story doesn't call it a sea monster—the story calls it a great fish! Join Tim and Jon as they discuss Jonah, thrown into the deep abyss and swallowed up by death, and the reality that even the belly of the beast is no match for Yahweh. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-11:21) Part two (11:21-28:00...
Oct 02, 2023•59 min•Ep. 380
When Israel chooses to act like the chaos monster instead of living like the people of God, God brings judgment on them. How? He sends other bigger monsters after them, namely, Babylon and Egypt. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the scrolls of Jeremiah and Ezekiel and their focus on the dragon-like behavior of these three nations––as well as God’s promise to bring about justice for each and every dragon in the end. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-12:26) Part t...
Sep 25, 2023•47 min•Ep. 379
What happens when the entire nation of Israel consistently aligns themselves with the dragon? They themselves become a chaos monster Yahweh has to deal with. In this episode, Tim and Jon explore the scroll of Isaiah and the prophet’s indictment of Israel for choices that betray the image and blessing of God they were meant to bring to the world. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-12:52) Part two (12:52-23:50) Part three (23:50-36:22) Part four (36:22-56:54) Reference...
Sep 18, 2023•57 min•Ep. 378
So often the symbol of the chaos monster shows up embodied by a human bent on oppressing other people. Goliath, one of the Bible’s most well-known bad guys, is depicted as having scaly armor like a snake and defying not just Israel, but Yahweh. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the theme of the dragon in the story of David and Goliath. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-18:05) Part two (18:05-32:00) Part three (32:00-42:32) Referenced Resources The Serpent in Samu...
Sep 11, 2023•51 min•Ep. 377
In today’s episode, we once again encounter a theme that’s becoming all too familiar: humans becoming chaos monsters. Jabin, king of Canaan, and Sisera, the commander of his army, are depicted as serpents in Judges 4, and the humans who overcome these two dragons are two women, Deborah and Jael. Join Tim and Jon as they explore the theme of the dragon in the scroll of Judges. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-11:44) Part two (11:44-28:25) Part three (28:25-42:07) Pa...
Sep 04, 2023•50 min•Ep. 376
Was Cain’s city a good thing initially? If Israel was just as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah, why didn’t God destroy it too? And how will God redeem the city in the new creation? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from the second half of The City series. Thank you to our audience for your insightful questions! View more resources on our website → Timestamps Was Cain’s City Originally a Good Thing? (2:28) Why Didn’t Israel Face the Same Judgment as Sodom? (13:24) Why Is Babylon Dep...
Aug 30, 2023•54 min•Ep. 375
God created humans to bear his image, but sometimes we choose our own destruction and start to look a lot more like chaos monsters instead. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss a human who the prophets frequently called a sea dragon: the Pharaoh who ruled Egypt and enslaved Israel in the scroll of Exodus. If Pharaoh is the seed of the serpent, who is the seed of the woman in Exodus? Listen in to find out! View more resources on our website → Timestamps Part one (00:00-15:26) Part two (15:26-23:5...
Aug 28, 2023•51 min•Ep. 374
Genesis 3 is probably the most famous serpent-featuring story in the Bible—the moment we get to see humans and the nahash interact for the first time. Because the serpent lures the humans into choosing their own demise, it’s also the moment Yahweh announces that the seed (descendant) of the serpent will remain a rival to the seed of the woman. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss Genesis 3-4 and talk about what happens when humans themselves start to act like the chaos monster. View more resourc...
Aug 21, 2023•47 min•Ep. 373
