We zoom it this time to talk about the Mark of the Beast, 666, in Revelation 13. John’s strange symbol/cipher has spillt much ink in speculation as to what he was talking about. Was it a riddle we are supposed to sleuth out? Was it a veiled reference to leaders at the time he was writing? Does Kirk Cameron know? The answer is...well, complicated. It brings in symbolism, apocalyptic genre, linguistics and all kinds of fun stuff. Tune in. (Spoiler alert: we don’t know exactly what 666 means and an...
Apr 17, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Dan and Josh are back in the mineshaft talking through table etiquette in the first century. Minding your manners back then wasn't just a matter of good form, it was the nerve center of social interaction and cultural exchange. So, when Paul tells them to bring someone's lifestyle and character into consideration, he's asking for quite a bit. We also talk through various awkward meals and family occasions.
Apr 09, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 55
On his last night before being executed, Jesus takes the time to wash 24 feet. What was important about this moment? Why did Jesus do the grunt work? Guest host, and Josh's dad, Angus McDonald, helps us talk through this ancient, hygienic practice that suddenly became utterly meaningful. Father and son talking about the Father and Son. Enjoy. *episode pic is the very lovely Heather McDonald having her foot washed at our wedding.
Apr 04, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 60
We look at Jesus' prophecy of the destruction of the temple in Luke 21. This is often mistaken for language about the Second Coming itself, which is probably inaccurate. Jesus discusses the devastation of the temple and the change in God's relationship to humanity that follows. Dan discusses being left in a tree stand in the dark for the rapture and Josh talks about weird things he saw on the beach this one time.
Mar 17, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 57
Melchizedek is a strange character who walks out of thin air and encourages Abraham in Genesis 14. Then he appears again briefly in Psalm 110 and makes one more cameo in Hebrews 7 and environs, never becoming much more clear. Us nerds take a look at who he might've been and how he plays into the story, and also how we can hold faith without knowing everything. We also consider marketing "Nerds in the Word" official cardigans, but we will wait for your votes.
Mar 11, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 57
Peter eats with Gentiles and then wusses out and Paul calls him out on it. Circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, Kosher eating, these were the signs of Israelite identity, what are the signs of this new Christian community? We talk through this, and discuss cowboy hats and board shorts and compulsory ankle tattoos all of an early Wisconsin Morning.
Mar 03, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 56
The podcast formerly known as GEOCACHING SCRIPTURE, now known as Nerds in the Word takes a gander at one of the stranger conversations Jesus has. He sees a Gentile woman and says, essentially, "What up dog?" Why would Jesus address her with this common ethnic slur? What does this conversation mean? We go into linguistic background, we go into ethnic context, we go into the Targum because why not and try to get to the bottom of this one. We also announce our new name, new look, same old geeks. Th...
Feb 24, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 54
It's negative five degrees and it's time to party! Josh and Dan discuss James 2, where the irascible old apostle forbids favoritism among God's people. Why was the so important back then? What did it mean in that society, and what does it mean in ours? Tune in, and help us find a new name for the podcast...
Feb 17, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Lazarus and the rich man – a familiar, if somewhat confusing, story from Jesus about these relatable opposites. What do the details tell us? Why does Jesus give the beggar a name? Why does the rich man speak to Abraham? Also where to go in the New York subway for a geocache.
Feb 11, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Jesus cleansing the temple is an episode we can look at over and over – there's much to see here. On a certain day in a certain moment, Jesus disrupted the center of Israelite identity at the time, crashing symbols and making waves we still feel today. We talk through the significance of the word "robbers" (it's not what you think), the importance of welcoming all people and what you can find at the grave of Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwood.
Feb 05, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 52
We're joined by Caleb Williams, founder, owner and OG of Clear Hits Radio. He talks about the place of Christian hip hop in transforming his life and turning him back to Christ. We talk through Psalm 108, God using music and culture to speak truth and the time that Santa Claus punched a guy at church.
Jan 29, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 38
**First a warning: There was a sound issue at the beginning of this episode that ends at about the 10 min mark. You can skip to there if you need to, it's fine, we won't be hurt at all. Josh and Dan dig through one of the most bizarre books in the OT, and that's saying a lot! Who is the drenched prophet who fled his calling? What's this book really about? End of the day, this is a tragic character study of one man who resists God's love for others. As we read it, we may find the proverbial "red ...
Jan 20, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Have you taken down your decorations yet? Put the tree on the curb, taken apart the nativity set? Let us help you with that last one! There was no "inn" and no mean "innkeeper." Jesus was not born seclusion in a drafty barn as the cows looked on. Joseph and Mary didn't arrive in sudden duress with her ready to have a baby right away. The story is the same, but the picture is different than we've framed it in our modern minds. Let's bring it into accurate focus and see how Christ was, indeed, bor...
Jan 11, 2021•25 min
Merry Christmas from Geocaching! The shepherds were rugged loners who kept no polite company. God chose "nobodies" like this to receive the announcement of Christ's birth. Then Jesus chose "nobodies" throughout his whole life and still does today. Who were these people and why did God choose them? Where is the highest geocache in Antarctica? Josh and Dan answer all your questions from the mineshaft.
Dec 24, 2020•20 min
The "Murder of the Innocents" in Matthew accents the danger and corruption Jesus was born into. There is no corroborating extra-biblical evidence of this event, but it is well within the scope of Herod's brutality. We'll look at the historical implications and the advent implications of Herod being one of the first to recognize Jesus as king.
Dec 16, 2020•19 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the temple, trying their best not to be seen. An elderly priest calls them out and prophecies over the child. What does this strange interaction mean? Where does that take us? What does it have to do with monoliths appearing in rural Utah? The answers, and a whole heaping lot more, are right here. (Luke 2:22-32)
Dec 09, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Josh and Dan huddle in the mineshaft to discuss virginity and barrenness as biblical themes that find their culmination in the birth of Jesus. Mary and Elizabeth are both unable to conceive, and both are suddenly "with child" at the beginning of this miraculous season. There's also some stuff in here about Zorro, and pound-for-pound the most laughter of any episode yet. Happy Advent!
Dec 02, 2020•21 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Jesus stops everything to watch an elderly woman give her two penny offering. Why would he watch that kind of moment, with all the "important" stuff He had to do? And what do Willy Wonka and Hunter S. Thompson have to do with it? Your answers are here...tune in.
Nov 26, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Why is Jesus always multiplying fish? As far as supernatural powers go, there are more exciting options. We look at the strange intertestimonial book of 2 Baruch and how it relates to the big fish fries in places like Luke 5 and John 21. What's this connection that made Peter jump up to Jesus in the surf and suddenly call Him, "Lord"? What were the expectations of the Messiah that were in the air around the time Jesus walked the earth? Also, where is the only geocache in North Korea? Stop what y...
Nov 18, 2020•22 min•Season 2Ep. 5
I once was blind, but now I see! Let's talk about John 9, in which Jesus cures a blind man by making mud and putting it on his eyes and also upsets the Pharisee authorities at the same time. What was the importance of this miracle? Why were the ruling powers so upset? We jump into it, and we also talk briefly about great white sharks off the coast of California. Josh also comes up with the lamest name for Christian rap since ever.
Nov 04, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 3
I saw you under the fig tree! Fig tree imagery is woven throughout the bible, from the impromptu clothing of Adam and Eve to the tree where Jesus sees Nathanael. This is one of those long-running symbols the gospel writers pick up and "geocache" in the details to tell a story within a story. Josh and Dan investigate and eat "VBS-grade" generic Fig Newtons.
Oct 29, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome to season two!! I am joined by my new co-host Dan Hintz, who will become a welcome fixture around here. We open season two with a talk about "agnostic openness." We know the rich young man "went away sad," but do we really know if he never follows Jesus? Can we judge him? Or is it one of Mark's cliffhangers? What does Jesus teach us here about approaching people in our centrifuged, rhetoric-riddled, news-junkie world??
Oct 22, 2020•19 min•Season 2Ep. 1
This week our exclusive, hard-to-find, A+ list guest is my wife, Heather McDonald, artist and art therapist. She talks with us about Bezalel from Exodus 31, the second person who is ever empowered by the Holy Spirit in scripture. He was an artisan and artist, who designed the Ark of the Covenant, and showed us that worship is not just singing and teaching but artistry, expression, craftsmanship and all of life. Peep this Heather McD orig episode art...
Oct 15, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 38
The iconic scene of Jesus cleansing the temple. Geocaches are pretty much tumbling out of this highly symbolic act. What was going on? Why was he so upset? We'll also talk a little about Dr. Who's appearance in Wisconsin.
Oct 09, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 37
John 1, the Logos. This concept blended Hebrew and Greek thought beautifully and yet is confusing to a lot of modern readers. Also there's some stuff in here about a flooded mine in Finland.
Sep 30, 2020•11 min
Guest geocacher, pastor, scholar, one of my BFFs, and also my dad joins us to talk through Psalm 23. Green pastures, sitting down, rods and staffs, and tables at the enemy's house all make an appearance in this line-by-line meditation.
Sep 23, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 35
The story of Pilate freeing Barabbas is so familiar at Easter we probably don't even read it. But, as usual, there's more than meets the eye, especially in the name the gospel writers give this shadowy character.
Sep 17, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Judas Iscariot is, tragically, one of the most famous disciples. We don't know much about this shadowy figure, and there's more than one theory. What were his motivations? What was he after? Where did he come from? Let's see what we can find out.
Sep 10, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Pastor Shawn joins us to talk through the prodigal son story, Luke 15:11-32. He tells us what "hired worker" meant in those days, and how the son tried to qualify his own return. Right in the middle, some homeless folks knock on the door of the church and Shawn stops to help them out – the kingdom waits for no podcasts!
Sep 01, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 33
John the Baptist worked in Bethany beyond the Jordan. Lazarus is from Bethany. To turning points in Jesus' public ministry. But there is no Bethany beyond the Jordan, so...?
Aug 24, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 32
