John 19 - 1:17 . John 20 - 9:45 . John 21 - 16:25 . Isaiah 42 - 22:05 . The disciple Jesus loves, better known as John, continues to give us his account of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. As in the rest of his gospel, John points out the ways in which the death of Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures that preceded him. While all of the gospel accounts include the resurrection of Jesus, each one gives unique perspectives from the participants of what happened afterward. After Jesus reveals h...
Nov 21, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 220
John 15:26-27 – 1:11 . John 16 - 1:28 . John 17 - 7:34 . John 18 - 11:47 . Isaiah 41 - 20:11 . As Jesus walks to the garden where he will spend his final moments with the disciples, he continues to divulge the relationship between the persons of the Trinity. The Spirit comes from the Father and submits to the Son. The Son commands the Spirit but submits to the Father. And the Father has authority over the Son and the Spirit while still honoring both as equal in divinity. Jesus prays for His pres...
Nov 20, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 219
John 12 – 1:10 . John 13 – 9:25 . John 14 – 15:31 . John 15 – 20:44 . Isaiah 40 – 24:47 . Here in John’s gospel, we get a lengthy behind-the-scenes look at the Last Supper. As Jesus eats the Passover meal with his disciples, he knows that the hour of His crucifixion is drawing near. As both Lord and servant, Jesus leads by example and washes the disciples’ feet and commands them to love one another. It’s revealed that Judas will betray Jesus, and he departs from the other disciples to execute hi...
Nov 17, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 218
John 9 - 1:11 . John 10 - 8:34 . John 11 - 14:26 . Psalm 146 - 23:56 . Psalm 147 - 25:25 . Our reading begins with a miraculous and undeniable sign: Jesus heals a man who was born blind, and the Pharisees can’t believe it. Later, Jesus raises his friend, Lazarus, from the dead in front of large crowd. This is Jesus’s seventh messianic sign given before the crucifixion, and this one points forward to his own resurrection and his power over death. As many in people in Bethany had witnessed the cor...
Nov 16, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 217
John 6 - 1:09 . John 7 - 12:28 . John 8 - 20:52 . In today’s passage, Jesus feeds 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. Those who received this free meal begin looking for Jesus, not because of the sign itself but because of what they can get out of it. Here, Jesus begins teaching strange things, saying that his disciples must eat his flesh and drink blood, and after hearing this, many abandon Jesus. Later, during the Festival of Shelters, Jesus goes to Judea to preach and teach even thoug...
Nov 15, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 216
John 4 - 1:09 . John 5 - 10:16 . Psalm 145 - 17:56 . In today’s episode, Jesus passes through Samaria, a town that most Jews considered to be so loathsome that even setting foot inside the city limits would have been frowned upon. Jesus not only does this , but he breaks custom by asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water, telling her about the living water that leads to eternal life. Along with his disciples, he stays for two days before continuing onward to Galilee. Later, in Jerusalem, Je...
Nov 14, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 215
John 1 - 1:12 . John 2 - 9:56 . John 3 - 13:32 . Psalm 144 - 19:32 . As many of you may know, there are four gospel accounts in the New Testament, three of which are called “synoptic” gospels, which means “seeing the same thing.” The gospel of John is the outlier, especially because it dives into some of the deeper aspects of Christ’s life and teachings. John opens with a profound reflection on the Christ of eternity past who existed before creation, calling to mind the opening of the creation a...
Nov 13, 2023•23 min•Season 5Ep. 214
Ezekiel 45 - 1:15 . Ezekiel 46 - 7:57 . Ezekiel 47 - 13:10 . Ezekiel 48 - 18:57 . Psalm 142 - 26:12 . Psalm 143 - 27:18 . For modern audiences like us, these concluding chapters may feel more drudgery than delight, but for the original audience, these final depictions would have been the most exciting. Ezekiel once brought a message of condemnation and despair, but now that those prophecies have come true and Israel has spent 25 years in exile, Ezekiel brings a message of hope and restoration. S...
Nov 10, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 213
Ezekiel 42 - 1:11 . Ezekiel 43 - 4:54 . Ezekiel 44 - 12:12 . Psalm 140 - 19:26 . Psalm 141 - 21:21 . To put today’s passage in context, it’s important to spend a moment considering when this vision occurred and what had happened up to this point. Remember that God had declared through Ezekiel that his glory had left the temple. Jerusalem would be made a desolation, and the people exiled from the land. The temple had become defiled and desecrated by Israel’s idols, so the Lord sent the Chaldeans ...
Nov 09, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 212
Ezekiel 39 - 1:08 . Ezekiel 40 - 8:30 . Ezekiel 41 - 18:53 . Psalm 139 - 24:23 . There are different takes on the exact meaning of the temple Ezekiel sees in today’s passage, some say it is symbolic, others heavenly, while others take note of it’s cross-shaped floor plan. Here’s what we know. First, it was never built. Second, this passage is the longest recording of a revelation in Scripture and it gives very specific dimensions for a temple design with measurements that differ from the origina...
Nov 08, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 211
Ezekiel 36 - 1:13 . Ezekiel 37 - 10:44 . Ezekiel 38 - 18:14 . Psalm 137 - 23:57 . Psalm 138 - 25:16 . You may have noticed this turn already, but ever since the mention of Jerusalem’s fall in chapter 33, God’s message to His people has become one of promise and hope for a restoration that will take place in the future. In our last episode, God promised to send a shepherd to his people, one that would be a prince among them from the line of David. Today, Ezekiel prophesies that Israel will be fru...
Nov 07, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 210
Ezekiel 33 - 1:15 . Ezekiel 34 - 10:06 . Ezekiel 35 - 18:27 . Psalm 136 - 21:41 . In today’s passage, Ezekiel recalls the day when, 12 years into exile, he first hears word that Jerusalem has been overtaken. Those who remain behind want to claim the land as their own property, but the Lord sees their wickedness and vows to make them a desolate waste. The Lord also sees the shepherds of Israel, those leaders and rulers who have been entrusted with taking care of God’s flock. Rather than nurturing...
Nov 06, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 209
Ezekiel 29 - 1:10 . Ezekiel 30 - 6:02 . Ezekiel 31 - 12:05 . Ezekiel 32 - 17:41 . Psalm 134 - 25:17 . Psalm 135 - 25:44 . As evidenced by the pyramids that remain standing today, the treasures of the pharaohs, along with abundant of historical records, Egypt was once a major world power that ruled mightily for centuries. Bible readers will recall that Joseph helped Egypt thrive early in their history and that Egypt held the nation of Israel in bondage for 400 years. This proud nation defied the ...
Nov 03, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 208
Ezekiel 25 - 1:13 . Ezekiel 26 - 4:52 . Ezekiel 27 - 10:50 . Ezekiel 28 - 18:16 . Psalm 132 - 24:36 . Psalm 133 - 26:53 . Israel and Judah have incited the Lord’s wrath by their wanton disregard for His statutes, and the Lord intends to pour His wrath out on His people. Even so, He will continue to stand by His promise to save a remnant and bring them back into the land. This is not the case for the surrounding nations, who have shown contempt for Jerusalem and disregard for the Holy One of Isra...
Nov 02, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 207
Ezekiel 22 - 1:17 . Ezekiel 23 - 8:33 . Ezekiel 24 - 19:24 . Isaiah 39 - 25:11 . The Word of God sometimes shocks us with the imagery it gives to describe the sins of mankind, and today’s passage is no exception. As we begin, the Lord speaks with Ezekiel inviting him to pass judgment on Jerusalem, for the princes of Israel have abused their power in order to shed blood. The Lord goes on to tell a parable of sorts, describing Samaria (aka Israel) and Jerusalem as two sisters named Oholah and Ohol...
Nov 01, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 206
Ezekiel 19 - 1:14 . Ezekiel 20 - 3:46 . Ezekiel 21 - 15:44 . Isaiah 38 - 22:56 . Our episode begins with a lament for the princes of Israel, who are compared to lions that grow up to devour people, and are therefore captured and taken away. Some of the elders of Israel gather around Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord, but God denies them and recounts the history of Israel’s rebellion and idolatry. Time and again, the Lord would have been justified in exhausting His wrath against Israel, but over and...
Oct 31, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 205
Ezekiel 16 - 1:20 . Ezekiel 17 - 16:28 . Ezekiel 18 - 22:51 . Psalm 131 - 29:19 . Today we get a glimpse of God’s lovingkindness toward Israel as God describes Himself as a Father who adopts an unwanted baby, then as a man who redeems the life of a woman by claiming her as His bride. This woman becomes beautiful through the nurturing love of God, and as she grows in beauty, she begins to trust her beauty more than her husband. This bride is more anxious to please other men than to please her own...
Oct 30, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 204
Ezekiel 13 – 1:09 . Ezekiel 14 – 7:43 . Ezekiel 15 – 13:49 . Isaiah 37 – 15:33 . We begin today’s passage with prophecies against false teachers who make up things to say from the Lord even though he didn’t actually say them. These prophets are figuratively like those who don’t repair the structure of a weakened wall so that it is strong once again, but who simply whitewash over it to make it look nice. Women who practice sorcery and sell bracelets as magic charms are condemned here as well. Lat...
Oct 27, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 203
Ezekiel 9 - 1:13 . Ezekiel 10 - 4:02 . Ezekiel 11 - 9:03 . Ezekiel 12 - 14:06 . Isaiah 36 - 19:23 . In our last episode, while meeting with Judah’s elders, Ezekiel was carried off in a vision by the Lord. In one scene after another, the Lord showed Ezekiel the abhorrent practices of idolatry that the people were committing, especially those in the Lord’s temple. Today, the prophet sees an otherworldly visual representation of the Lord’s sovereign decrees as judgment is declared upon Jerusalem an...
Oct 26, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 202
Ezekiel 5 - 1:12 . Ezekiel 6 - 5:31 . Ezekiel 7 - 9:48 . Ezekiel 8 - 16:17 . Isaiah 35 - 20:51 . When we last left Ezekiel, the Lord had given him prophetic acts to perform before the people of Jerusalem. In one he drew the city of Jerusalem on a brick and then laid siege to it. In another, he was commanded to lay on his left side for 390 days, and then 40 days on his right, all while eating bread baked over cow dung. Today, at the Lord’s direction, Ezekiel shaves his head and beard, a look that...
Oct 25, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 201
Ezekiel 1 – 1:12 . Ezekiel 2 – 6:46 . Ezekiel 3 – 8:47 . Ezekiel 4 – 15:24 . Isaiah 34 – 19:13 . Ezekiel is on his way to Babylon with a group of exiles when suddenly, the heavens are opened and he sees a vision from God. The symbolism here is pretty deep. Coming from the north, like the Chaldean armies, the Lord’s angels are fourfold with four faces and four wings, communicating the Lord’s sovereignty over the fourfold directions of the earth (north, south, east, and west) over every mighty cre...
Oct 24, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 200
1 Peter 1 - 1:11 . 1 Peter 2 - 5:56 . 1 Peter 3 - 11:30 . 1 Peter 4 - 15:38 . 1 Peter 5 - 19:00 . Psalm 128 - 21:41 . Psalm 129 - 22:29 . Psalm 130 - 23:23 . The apostle whom Jesus named “Peter,” the rock upon whom Jesus would build his church, is now writing to encourage the churches who are scattered across northern Asia Minor. The churches were suffering under persecution from those who lived around them, and Peter reminds them of the Savior whom they are called to follow, for he suffered for...
Oct 23, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 199
Haggai 1 - 1:12 . Haggai 2 - 4:10 . 2 John - 10:12 . 3 John - 12:41 . Jude - 15:14 . Psalm 125 - 20:36 . Psalm 126 - 21:27 . Psalm 127 - 22:26 . The book of the prophet Haggai addresses the people of Judah who returned from exile and who had prioritized making their homes comfortable while neglecting to rebuild the Lord’s temple. The letter known as 2 John is addressed to “the elect lady and her children” which is most likely a reference to the church body to whom he was writing. In it, he encou...
Oct 20, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 198
Lamentations 1 - 1:08 . Lamentations 2 - 7:01 . Lamentations 3 - 13:50 . Lamentations 4 - 22:01 . Lamentations 5 - 26:40 . The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah’s recorded response to the devastation and ruin of Jerusalem. It is presented in a series of five poems, of which the first four are acrostics of the Hebrew alphabet, much like Psalm 119, only shorter. It is a book of suffering, shame, horror, and defeat, but centered in the middle of the work, we read of Jeremiah’s confident hope in the ...
Oct 19, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 197
Jeremiah 51 - 1:12 . Jeremiah 52 - 16:45 . Psalm 123 - 23:36 . Psalm 124 - 24:19 . The final prophecy against a particular nation is a doozy, proclaiming total annihilation and ruin and spanning two long chapters, one of which is the fifth longest chapter in Scripture. Who could this prophecy be against? What nation’s actions would merit such a rebuke? If you guessed Babylon, you are right! Though the Lord allowed Babylon to attack His own people and send them into exile, Babylon is still respon...
Oct 18, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 196
Jeremiah 49 - 1:12 . Jeremiah 50 - 11:45 . Psalm 121 - 24:33 . Psalm 122 - 25:29 . As noted in our last episode, we’re now in the section of Jeremiah that includes prophecies against individual nations. These prophecies were gathered over the course of Jeremiah’s life and have been collected here at the end of his account. The overarching theme of these chapters is that the Lord sees the injustice and disgrace of the surrounding nations, and they will not escape his wrath and judgment. In some c...
Oct 17, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 195
Jeremiah 44 - 1:10 . Jeremiah 45 - 10:07 . Jeremiah 46 - 11:20 . Jeremiah 47 - 17:51 . Jeremiah 48 - 20:14 . Psalm 120 - 29:30 . In our last episode, the prophecies of Jeremiah came to fruition and the King of Babylon successfully destroyed Jerusalem, slaughtered his opponents, and captured those who surrendered. The Chaldeans held Jeremiah in honor and allowed him to choose to remain with a remnant of people. After an insurrection against Gedaliah, the governor, Johanan rescues those taken capt...
Oct 16, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 194
Jeremiah 39 - 1:13 . Jeremiah 40 - 4:53 . Jeremiah 41 - 10:19 . Jeremiah 42 - 15:06 . Jeremiah 43 - 20:09 . Psalm 119:161-176 - 23:31 . In today’s episode, the prophecies of Jeremiah come to pass. The Chaldean army lays siege to Jerusalem and Zedekiah meets Nebuchadnezzar face to face. Those who have surrendered to the Chaldeans have been spared, and those who resisted are put to the sword. Through it all that Lord keeps His promises and protects Jeremiah from harm, and what’s more, the leaders ...
Oct 13, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 193
Jeremiah 35 - 1:15 . Jeremiah 36 - 5:47 . Jeremiah 37 - 13:36 . Jeremiah 38 - 18:43 . Psalm 119:145-160 - 25:40 . Have you ever been watching a TV show that begins with a jump in the story’s timeline for dramatic interest, then jumps back to show the circumstances that have led up to that point? Similarly, our previous reading opened with Jeremiah in prison, but there was no explanation of how he got there. The accounts in today’s episode pre-date the events in that last episode and lead up to h...
Oct 12, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 192
Jeremiah 32 - 1:15 . Jeremiah 33 - 11:42 . Jeremiah 34 - 18:51 . Psalm 119:129-144 - 24:26 . This part of the text may be a little confusing, so let me give a little historical context. The Babylonian siege began after King Zedekiah had been in office for nine years. This siege was lifted for a small window of time when the troops caught word that an Egyptian army was approaching. During this break, Zedekiah arrested Jeremiah because he was encouraging the men of Judah to surrender, but God comm...
Oct 11, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 191
