Sermon on the Mount E37 – The final teaching of the Sermon on the Mount addresses the most important aspect of the choice Jesus presents to his listeners. Where does the path that we choose lead us? Jesus describes two builders—a foolish man who builds his house on sand and a wise man who builds his house on rock. When the storm comes, the house on sand is destroyed, while the house on rock remains standing. This seems straightforward, but unpacking the biblical themes of houses, cities, and flo...
Sep 16, 2024•53 min•Ep. 432
Sermon on the Mount E36 – In the second part of the final section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasizes the tension present in the choice between two paths. How do we know if someone is leading us toward the path to life, and whose voice should we listen to? Jesus uses the images of a sheep in wolf’s clothing and trees bearing fruit to emphasize the wisdom needed to identify those who truly represent him. In this episode, Tim and Jon wrestle with the challenge of discerning God's words an...
Sep 09, 2024•44 min•Ep. 431
Sermon on the Mount Q+R 4 (E35) – Can Jesus’ riddle about the good eye and the bad eye also apply to Genesis 3? Does the Bible offer conflicting views on the topic of testing? What is the connection between asking God for our daily bread and Jesus calling himself the “Bread of Heaven?” Does God forgive us only after we forgive others? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from episodes 22-28 in the Sermon on the Mount series and share some of the Lord’s Prayer song submissions. ...
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 430
Sermon on the Mount E34 – Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount by presenting his listeners with a choice, illustrated in three parts. He first describes two gates and two paths. The narrow gate is difficult to enter, but it opens up the way to life. The wide gate is easy to navigate, but it leads to ruin. In this episode, Tim and Jon explore the choice we all must make after listening to Jesus’ words and how the decision to live out our true calling as humans is challenged daily by paths that ap...
Aug 26, 2024•45 min•Ep. 429
Sermon on the Mount E33 – The final teaching in the main body of the Sermon on the Mount is commonly known as the Golden Rule: do to others what you would have them do to you. Jesus says that all of the Law and Prophets—everything he has come to fulfill—are contained in this one statement. How? In this episode, Tim and Jon unpack what many consider Jesus’ most famous teaching. Join us as we examine how the Golden Rule fits into the intentional design of the Sermon on the Mount, reinforcing the c...
Aug 19, 2024•55 min•Ep. 428
Sermon on the Mount E32 – In his fourth teaching on relationships and conflict in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages his listeners to ask God for what they need. Because the three previous teachings don't directly tell us how to respond in specific situations, Jesus emphasizes that the challenges of relationships require wisdom that comes from a deep dependence on God. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss Jesus’ invitation for his followers to relate to God as a loving and generous Father...
Aug 12, 2024•54 min•Ep. 427
Sermon on the Mount E31 – Is it possible to evaluate the behavior of others in a healthy way? Jesus offers two parables that illustrate the wisdom needed to evaluate someone else's behavior. The first parable invites us to examine ourselves before others, and the second parable reminds us the necessary discernment for this happens only in a community of faith. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss Jesus’ teachings on how and when to speak into the lives of others. Timestamps Chapter 1: To Judge o...
Aug 05, 2024•52 min•Ep. 426
Sermon on the Mount E30 – After the four-part section on our relationship to money, Jesus turns to addressing our relationships with each other. He begins with the command to not judge. But judging can mean condemnation—or it can mean evaluation. So when is it acceptable to judge someone? And what does that mean for how we will be judged? In this episode, Tim and Jon unpack a challenging command that calls for a deep understanding of God’s generosity to compel us to respond generously to each ot...
Jul 29, 2024•48 min•Ep. 425
Sermon on the Mount E29 – In Jesus' fourth and final teaching on money, he offers his listeners an antidote to the worry that accompanies life’s daily troubles. Jesus teaches that the path to a peaceful mindset is found in what we pay attention to or seek. And seeking the Kingdom of the skies leads to trusting in God's abundance. In this episode, Jon, Tim, and Michelle explore how communities who understand God's character can live without worry, knowing that even death does not separate us from...
Jul 22, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 424
Sermon on the Mount E29 (Studio Conversation) – In Jesus’ fourth and final teaching on money, he offers his listeners an antidote to the worry that accompanies life’s daily troubles. Jesus teaches that the path to a peaceful mindset is found in what we focus on—or seek. Seeking the Kingdom of the skies leads to investing in what is permanent and trusting in God's abundance. In this uncut episode, join an uninterrupted conversation with Jon and Tim about how understanding God’s character can help...
Jul 22, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 423
What does an obedient follower of Jesus do with their money? In this re-release of one of our most popular episodes, Jon and Tim share the story of John Cortinez and Greg Baumer. Ambitious, driven, and financially successful, John and Greg meet in class at Harvard Business School, confident of the plans they have for their lives. But when a class project gives them a vision for how their money could be part of God's Kingdom here on Earth, everything changes. Timestamps Chapter 1: Are You Telling...
Jul 15, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 422
Sermon on the Mount E28 – In his third teaching on money, Jesus issues a warning about elevating wealth to the position of God in our lives. To describe wealth, Jesus uses the word “ mammon, ” which can be translated as “the thing in which you trust.” What happens when we put our trust in our wealth? What does Jesus mean by “unrighteous wealth?” And what can it look like to be free from the love of money? In this uncut episode, join Tim and Jon in a long-form dialogue exploring the Parable of th...
Jul 08, 2024•43 min•Ep. 421
Sermon on the Mount E28 – In his third teaching on money, Jesus issues a warning about elevating wealth to the position of God in our lives. To describe wealth, Jesus uses the word “ mammon, ” which can be translated as “the thing in which you trust.” What happens when we put our trust in our wealth? And what can it look like to be free from the love of money? In this episode, Tim and Jon and special guests explore the power we give our possessions and the upside-down wisdom that sharing, not ho...
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 420
Sermon on the Mount E27 – Jesus continues addressing our relationship to money and possessions with a riddle about the eye being the lamp of the body–a reference to a common cultural metaphor in which “having a bad eye” meant someone was stingy. By saying that the eye is the lamp of the body, Jesus highlights how our relationship to our possessions reflects our true character. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Michelle explore how generosity creates possibility, while clinging tightly to our stuff ...
Jul 01, 2024•39 min•Ep. 419
Sermon on the Mount E26 – The third section of the Sermon on the Mount's main body opens with a call to examine how we think about our stuff. Jesus makes it clear that how we relate to our money and possessions reveals how we relate to God and neighbor. He urges his listeners to not store up their treasures here on Earth but in the sky. But what is sky treasure? In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Michelle explore the differences between our earthly values and the values of God’s Kingdom in the skies...
Jun 24, 2024•57 min•Ep. 418
Sermon on the Mount Q+R 3 (E25) – What does Jesus mean when he describes people entering the Kingdom of the skies? Are the promises in the Beatitudes possible now, or do we need to wait for the new creation? How did Jesus respond to other perspectives on how to treat our enemies? How do we reconcile Jesus’ teachings on creative nonviolence with violence in the Old Testament narratives? Why does Jesus tell his followers to be perfect when the Bible repeatedly mentions that all humans fail? In thi...
Jun 17, 2024•54 min•Ep. 417
Sermon on the Mount E24 – Many of us first learned the King James translation of the final, personal request in the Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” But does God actually lead us into temptation? In a motif that weaves throughout the Hebrew Bible, we see God allowing tests to strengthen his partnership with humans. When this motif picks up in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is the one experiencing testing. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Michelle explore the th...
Jun 10, 2024•57 min•Ep. 416
Sermon on the Mount E23 – The second half of the Lord’s prayer contains four requests on behalf of the person praying. The second personal request is for God to forgive us. But forgiveness is not just a transaction between individuals or between God and humans. Forgiveness plays a central role in the arrival of God’s Kingdom. In this episode, Jon, Tim, and Michelle explore what forgiveness is, what it isn't, and what it looks like to set each other free. View more resources on our website → Time...
Jun 03, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 415
Sermon on the Mount E22 – The first half of the Lord’s Prayer features three requests on behalf of God and his Kingdom: he is our Father in the skies, whose name we recognize as holy and whose way of life we want to see on the land. The second half of the Lord’s prayer focuses on four personal requests, where we seek to align our needs with God’s wisdom. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss the first request of “daily bread” and its connections to stories and wisdom in the Hebrew Bible. View mor...
May 27, 2024•44 min•Ep. 414
Sermon on the Mount E21 – Prayer is at the center of the center of the Sermon on the Mount. And it’s in this section of teaching that Jesus gives us a simple prayer that we can participate in. It’s only 12 lines long, but it contains a universe of ideas that center us with God. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss the first half of the prayer: “Our Father who is in the skies, may your name be recognized as holy. May your Kingdom come and your will be done as it is in the skies so also on the lan...
May 20, 2024•41 min•Ep. 413
Sermon on the Mount E20 – We are now halfway through studying Jesus' most famous sermon, which brings us to the Lord’s Prayer. What’s the significance of a prayer being right here at the center? And what’s the purpose of regularly reciting a short prayer like this one? In this episode, Jon, Tim, and others kick off a five-part series on the Lord’s Prayer, exploring its structure, core ideas, and historical background. For more information about writing and sharing your own Lord's Prayer song, vi...
May 13, 2024•59 min•Ep. 412
Sermon on the Mount Q+R 2 (E19) – How do we reconcile Jesus’ words about the Law with other New Testament teachings? How is God’s justice with gehenna different from karma? And why does the BibleProject translation of the Sermon on the Mount refer to the Kingdom of Heaven as the Kingdom of the skies? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions on the first four case studies about righteousness (episodes 9-14) in the Sermon on the Mount series. Thank you to our audience for your incred...
May 06, 2024•56 min•Ep. 411
Sermon on the Mount E18 – In Matthew 6, Jesus turns his attention to religious practices of his day, specifically generosity to the poor, prayer, and fasting. But Jesus gives a surprising warning about these practices: if you do religious practices to get praise from people, then you're missing the point. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss these three religious practices and reflect on the pitfalls of making religious devotion about yourself. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Cha...
Apr 29, 2024•54 min•Ep. 410
Sermon on the Mount E17 – In Matthew 6, Jesus transitions from sharing a vision for righteousness that fulfills the Torah and Prophets to talking about how true righteousness impacts religious practices. Religious practices—like prayer, serving the poor, or generosity—are meant to align our hearts with God. But Jesus noticed that many people in his day were doing religious practices to promote their own name and status. He called this behavior hypocrisy, which meant something different to him th...
Apr 22, 2024•31 min•Ep. 409
Sermon on the Mount E16 – In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus shares his sixth and final case study based on the wisdom of the Torah, and it may be the most challenging one yet. The first three case studies focused on treating others as sacred image-bearers of God. The fourth and fifth case studies offered guidance on how to handle conflict. And in the final case study, Jesus concludes with wisdom on how to respond to people who not only dislike us but even desire our harm. In this episode, Jon and Tim di...
Apr 15, 2024•52 min•Ep. 408
Sermon on the Mount E15 – In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus offers wisdom from the Torah about retaliation, justice, and nonviolent resistance to injustice. He references a series of laws in Exodus 21, Leviticus 24, and Deuteronomy 19, all of which contain the familiar language of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Jesus reveals the surprising wisdom within these laws, using real-life scenarios that would have been familiar to oppressed Israelites living under Roman occupation: turning the other cheek, giv...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 407
Sermon on the Mount E14 – In Matthew 5:33-48, Jesus offers three case studies about how people can work together in spite of conflict. The first case study focuses on the ancient practice of oath keeping. By the time of Jesus, ancient Israelites no longer spoke the divine name of Yahweh out of respect, but they would still swear oaths by things closely related to God—like the sky, land, temple, etc. Some people used these oaths as a loophole because they felt less serious to break (“I only swore...
Apr 01, 2024•46 min•Ep. 406
Sermon on the Mount E13 – In Matthew 5:31-32, Jesus offers a quote from the Torah about when it is lawful to divorce, and then he shares his perspective. But what is the context of these words, and how would Jesus’ original audience have heard them? It’s easy for modern readers to miss, but Jesus is entering a longstanding debate concerning a passage about divorce in Deuteronomy 24—and his take is surprising. In this episode, Jon, Tim, and special guest Jeannine Brown discuss the story surroundi...
Mar 25, 2024•45 min•Ep. 405
Sermon on the Mount E12 – In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus references the Torah’s command to not commit adultery (Exod. 20:14), going on to say that any man who lusts (or “goes on looking”) at a woman commits adultery with her in his heart. So what is his solution to avoid lust? Cut off a hand and gouge out an eye! Whoa—what is Jesus talking about? In this episode, Jon, Tim, and special guest Lucy Peppiatt discuss the meaning and impact of lust, the Bible’s original ideal for men and women, and Jesus’ ...
Mar 18, 2024•48 min•Ep. 404
Why do we not find the Sermon on the Mount in the gospels of Mark or John? Why is “blessed” not a good translation of the word makarios ? And if Jesus says that mourning, powerlessness, and poverty are the key to the good life, should we pursue those things? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from the first seven episodes of the Sermon on the Mount series. Thank you to our audience for your incredible questions! View more resources on our website → Timestamps Why do we not fi...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 403
