The Bible can often seem like a weird ancient book that many people use to say different things. These things can even sometimes lead to using the Bible to oppress or hurt others or the world. And on top of the confusion, reading the Bible can also be tedious and confusing, so most of us just stick to the parts we know and understand. But what is the story of the Bible? Like the big, meta story? The ideas in this episode might surprise you. In this episode Tim and Jon discuss the big, narrative ...
May 19, 2017•1 hr•Ep. 41
This is our Q+R episode for the Day of the Lord theme. Thank you to all the people who submitted questions! Q's and Timestamps: The Day of the Lord can be a sensitive subject, so how do you have good and respectful conversations with others about the Day of the Lord? (2:40) What is the spectrum of views that Christians have on the Day of the Lord and what is the view the Bible Project is presenting? (12:30) What is the role of divine violence in the Bible? Why does Jesus seem so nice and peacefu...
May 18, 2017•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 42
This is our final episode in our Day Of The Lord series. In this episode Tim and Jon discuss the book of Revelation. It's perhaps the most famous and obvious thing people think about when talking about a future “Day Of The Lord.” Tim and Jon dive in and tackle some of the tough imagery in Revelation. The guys also pose another penultimate question: When will Jesus come back? Spoiler alert: no one knows. The first ten minutes of the show talks about some of the New Testament and Pauline ideas on ...
May 17, 2017•51 min•Ep. 40
In this episode Tim and Jon finally get to Jesus. Ancient Israel was being occupied by the Roman Empire. A brutal military power that used violence and war to bring "Pax Romana" or "Roman Peace." But Ancient Israel has a hope, long ago they were promised a Messiah. Someone would come and lead them out of oppression into true freedom. Jesus of Nazareth shows up and begins performing miracles and speaking of a new kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Many people think this is the man who will lead them in...
May 10, 2017•57 min•Ep. 39
How do books like Amos, Habakuk and Zephaniah fit in the story of the Bible? These books can be really confusing and their violent imagery is disturbing to many readers. Tim and Jon discuss these books, their original context and some of the challenges that come when reading them, including the origins of evil. The Bible believes evil is real but often seems confusing when readers ask questions like "where did evil come from?" and "why does evil exist?" These episodes are designed to accompany o...
May 04, 2017•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 38
In this episode, Tim and Jon cover a lot of ground on the biblical theme, Day of the Lord. As God’s chosen people, Israel is supposed to be a nation set apart, a counter-nation to Babylon. But we’ll see how God’s people make their journey from an oppressed people to the oppressors. God’s commitment is to dismantle human empires that rise to power and redefine good and evil, even if that means that God will have to defeat his own chosen nation. The story picks up with King Solomon in ancient Isra...
Apr 21, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 37
In this episode, Tim and Jon continue their conversation on The Day Of The Lord. The guys will build on their discussion on Babylon from part one as they try to get at what the biblical authors think about technological advances. Why did God seem to disapprove of man's invention of the brick in the story of the Tower? The guys will also spend some time talking about the exodus of the Hebrew people from ancient Egypt. It's one of the key events in Scripture, and it’s where the term Day of the Lor...
Apr 14, 2017•42 min•Ep. 36
The End Times. The Tribulation. Judgement. All of these buzz words can be sensitive subjects for Christians. But how do the Bible authors deal with the future of the world? They use a phrase called "The Day of the Lord." This is the first episode in our new series on that phrase. Tim and Jon talk about this phrase, its origins, and some of big questions attached to it. Where does the Bible think history is going? What is God going to do about evil? This series will accompany a new theme video on...
Apr 07, 2017•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 35
This week is our second to last release in our Old Testament Q+R series. We talk Deuteronomy. It's an interesting read. Moses is delivering his farewell address, a soliloquy urging Israel to follow God and his commandments. But some of his commandments seem pretty strange, especially to modern Westerners. Why did God have commandments about how slaves should be treated? Did he approve of slavery? And what about Israel's treatment of other nations when they would invade? Tim and Jon discuss these...
Apr 06, 2017•49 min•Ep. 57
This is our Q+R on the book of Numbers in the Old Testament. This audio originally came from a Youtube series of Q+R's that Jon and Tim did. You can view the original Q+R video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTwaNoZ35NA And our videos on the book of Numbers here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zebxH-5o-SQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp5MIrMZFqo Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps It seems like the pagan sorcerer Balaam has an awareness or ...
Apr 05, 2017•46 min•Ep. 56
This summer we've been releasing a Q+R series we did on Youtube covering hard questions in the Old Testament. This week we are in the book of Leviticus, a very confusing, very ancient book. Tim and Jon discuss issues about being "unclean" in the Old Testament, whether Christians should get tattoos and many other things. Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps: What’s the deal with the law against tattoos in leviticus? And how should modern christians inte...
Apr 05, 2017•44 min•Ep. 55
This summer we are re-releasing a Q+R series we did on Youtube. Tim and Jon discuss questions in front of a live Youtube stream about different books in the Old Testament. In this episode the guys discuss stories in the second half of the book of Exodus. Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps: What is the relationship between the Sinai Covenant and the rest of the Bible? (3:27) Is there any symbolism in the tabernacle that’s recognizable? (9:10) Why do t...
Apr 04, 2017•46 min•Ep. 52
This is our Q+R on Exodus 1-11. This show was originally a Youtube live video of Tim and Jon discussing questions about Exodus stories. Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q’s and Timestamps: Why does God harden Pharaoh's heart? (1:30) What’s the deal with Zipporah circumcising her son in the middle of the night to save Moses in Exodus 4? (15:00) Is there any significant pattern to the order of the ten plagues? (17:42) Why would God do the plague of the firstborn and ki...
Apr 03, 2017•39 min•Ep. 51
This summer we are re-releasing audio of a Youtube Q+R series we did on Old Testament books. This week we are in the book of Genesis. We cover a lot of questions in this episode like why would God ask for a child sacrifice from Abraham and Isaac, when he forbids child sacrifice? Thank you to all of our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps: Genesis 12-end How do you approach the theme that God’s approach to solving the mess, is a mess itself? Why does God keep working with ...
Apr 02, 2017•43 min•Ep. 50
This summer we're releasing audio of Q and R's that we did on our Youtube channel talking through different books in the Old Testament. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss Genesis 1-11, and the video they made on it. Thank you to all of our supporters and listeners. You can find more resources, all free here at our website. www.thebibleproject.com Q's and Timestamps: Why did we leave out the snake in the video? (1:00) Why did we leave out the snake in the video? (1:00) What is imagery of serpen...
Apr 01, 2017•46 min•Ep. 49
This week on the podcast we do something a little bit different. We try to look inside the biblical writers’ imaginations and think about what they were trying to picture when they used certain words. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. For thousands of years its been passed down through translators. And sometimes the words that we read today in our Bibles don’t fit with the context the authors were originally using. Tim and Jon have a quick discussion on a popular Heb...
Mar 24, 2017•28 min•Ep. 33
This is our very first Question and Response episode and we had a blast doing it! Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. In this episode we fielded questions on the Holy Spirit. What is the difference between spirit and soul in the Bible? How do the New Testament authors portray the Holy Spirit in relation to Greek spiritual ideas? Are Paul's list of spiritual gifts in the New Testament comprehensive, just examples, or something else? What are some of the different interpretations and id...
Mar 16, 2017•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 32
This is the final part of our conversation on the Holy Spirit. Tim and Jon look at how the Holy Spirit is discussed in the New Testament. They talk about the ways the gospel authors say The Holy Spirit guided Jesus and some of the Holy Spirit rich events in Jesus life (e.g. virgin conception, baptism and resurrection). They talk about Pentecost, and how Paul envisioned the Holy Spirit interacting with believers. Tim and Jon discuss what does it mean to "keep in step with the Spirit" or "to be gu...
Mar 10, 2017•48 min•Ep. 31
In this episode, Tim and Jon continue to unpack the concept of the Holy Spirit. Last time, they focused on the spirit of God. This time, they’ll look at what the word spirit means and the difference between God’s spirit and human spirit. Scripture is full of examples of God’s spirit influencing and empowering people, but is this really still happening? What does the spirit of God have to do with us today as followers of Jesus, and how will God use his spirit and use people to fulfill his purpose...
Mar 03, 2017•52 min•Ep. 30
The Holy Spirit is a tough subject in Christianity. It seems everyone has their own experiences of how the Spirit works. Or doesn’t. Tim and Jon talk a little bit about their own Holy Spirit experiences growing up. Jon grew up in a Baptist church where the Holy Spirit was largely theoretical. Tim grew up with the opposite experiences in a community that got really dramatic about the Holy Spirit. The guys also talk about what the ancient Hebrews believed about the Holy Spirit and the differences ...
Feb 23, 2017•58 min•Ep. 29
In this episode, Tim and Jon give an overview of the entire Bible with a focus on the Hebrew Scriptures. They also spend some time going deep into the structure of the book from beginning to end. The Bible, like any other book, experienced human revision. The guys talk about what it means for the Bible to be a work of literary genius created by humans and also the divine word of God. There’s a lot to unpack here––let’s go. In the first part of the episode (01:25-54:15), the guys talk about the s...
Feb 14, 2017•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 28
What does it mean for the Bible to be both divine and a work of literary genius? The Hebrew Bible is a sophisticated piece of literary art that has a theological message, and that message is communicated through a nuanced literary medium. On this podcast, Tim and Jon spend plenty of time talking about the literary structure and design of the books of the Bible. They examine the themes in the Bible that are found throughout the entire narrative arc of Scripture. But for this episode, they back up...
Feb 08, 2017•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 27
In the fourth part of their discussion on the gospel of Luke, Tim and Jon talk about the strange story in Luke 9 of the transformation of Jesus on the mountain. In this travel section, we find many parables of Jesus, and the banquets and parties he attended. Jesus is fascinated with parties, and he even used them to talk about what the Kingdom of God is like. These stories continue to reinforce that Jesus’ mission was first for the outsiders, a message that gets him into trouble with religious l...
Jan 06, 2017•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the first six chapters of the gospel of Luke. Luke stands out among the other gospels because it is all about Jesus’ message being first for the poor and outcasts. This made the religious leaders of the day mad, and Jesus’ ministry was totally revolutionary in a culture that was all about status and wealth. Luke’s gospel is constantly calling back to the Hebrew Scriptures, and it emphasizes, again and again, that Jesus is the Messiah that the prophets talked ...
Dec 13, 2016•56 min•Ep. 24
Following up on part one of their discussion on the gospel of Luke, Tim and Jon continue to unpack the main themes of Luke’s unique account of Jesus’ life. The book of Luke makes clear that Jesus’ story is the continuation of the hope of the Hebrew Scriptures. Luke wants the reader to see how Jesus’ mission is for the outsiders, the poor, and the marginalized. As Jesus went around preaching about the Kingdom of God, he left behind people who were changed by him, and he called these people to liv...
Nov 22, 2016•29 min•Ep. 23
In this episode, the guys give an introduction to the gospel of Luke. What does it mean for Luke, and all of the gospels, to be historical accounts? All history is interpretation, and all of the gospel accounts have different a different focus as they tell the story of Jesus’ life and ministry. But how do we make sense of all of this information? If you’ve ever wrestled with being able to trust the gospels, then this dialogue is for you. The guys spend the majority of the episode (02:13-40:46) t...
Oct 28, 2016•42 min•Ep. 22
In this episode, Tim and Jon try to tackle some of the glaring questions about the story of Job. They talk about the surprise friend, Elihu, who seems to show up out of nowhere towards the end of the story. They also spend some time discussing Job’s speech in chapter 28. There’s a lot to unpack in that chapter, and understanding it may give us clues as to what this book is all about. Finally the guys look at Job’s final showdown with God and how God responds to Job’s accusations of being unjust ...
Sep 10, 2016•59 min•Ep. 21
In this episode, Tim and Jon continue their discussion on Job. How exactly does Job fit in with the other wisdom book of the Bible? It’s kind of a weird book. Job takes place in Uz, a non-Israelite town, and it features non-Israelite people. It seems out of place, but it’s also a book that other biblical authors refer to throughout Scripture. We have to wonder about the differences between Job and the other books of the Bible. Is Job a literal account, or is it a wisdom parable that is intention...
Aug 29, 2016•42 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, the guys take a bird’s eye view of the book of Job. Job is considered wisdom literature, and it aims to teach the reader about justice, suffering, and the role of God in the lives of humans. The author is intentionally trying to ruffle some feathers. This book is all about calling into question the reader’s views of God and the world. In the first part of the episode (02:15-09:02), Tim and Jon give an overview of Job and talk about what it’s trying to communicate. The book doesn...
Aug 03, 2016•51 min•Ep. 19
In this episode, the guys explore the story of two Harvard Business School graduates who were confronted with a biblical view of money that changed their lives. In the first part of the episode (01:12-09:51), Tim and Jon talk about what the Bible says about money. On one hand it says it’s the root of all evil––kind of intense. But on the other hand it also talks about ways to use your money to bless others. How does the Bible ask us to view money? In the next part of the episode (10:08-22:15), J...
Jul 14, 2016•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 18
