This week’s lectionary text centers on the people in Jesus’ hometown saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him?...Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?’...And they took offense at him.” Sarah Stenson explains why these people were astounded at Jesus, and how people are offended by Jesus’ message today, too. Many, many people want God to be fair, to operate by the rules. Instead, Jesus delivers mercy and forgiveness. It blows up the law and lea...
Jul 01, 2024•30 min
In this week’s lectionary text, we hear two examples of truly desperate people: a leader of the synagogue with a dying daughter and a hemorrhaging woman. They’ve tried everything under their power. At their wits’ end, they reach out to Jesus. Sarah Stenson and Lars Olson teach us that it’s not about reaching out to God earlier. It’s demonstrating that Jesus will always be your last resort, and He’ll never fail you. Like Luther said, “dying and being damned is what makes someone into a theologian...
Jun 24, 2024•33 min
Caught in a windstorm with the waves from the Sea of Galilee swamping the boat, the disciples are terrified for their lives as Jesus sleeps soundly in the stern. Dr. Chris Croghan teaches Kiri, Max, and Mason: How Jesus is so calm in a life threatening situation Why the English translation of Jesus’ response to the sea doesn’t cut it And how preachers can deliver the gospel in a text that doesn’t have the forgiveness of sins or Jesus raising the dead COURSES Do you like what you learn in the con...
Jun 17, 2024•25 min
What comes to your mind when you think of the kingdom of God? A place? A thing? A membership? In this episode of Scripture First, Sarah Stenson explains how the kingdom of God is faith in Christ. This is crucial to not only understanding the parable of the growing seed and mustard seed in this week’s text, but to understanding that all parables are about God electing you. Faith comes through hearing. Preachers are delivering the kingdom of God—delivering faith in Christ—by electing those who hea...
Jun 10, 2024•26 min
Jesus is healing people, casting out demons, and forgiving sins. The scribes respond by calling Him the chief of demons. Lars Olson joins the Scripture First to explain how Jesus not only dismantles their logic, but flips it on them. A higher demon wouldn’t throw out a lower demon. They’d empower them! He came to bind the demons to take what they claimed to have possessed for Himself. We also talk about a verse that scares many: 29 “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have f...
Jun 03, 2024•24 min
After performing the first miracles of His ministry and demonstrating authority at the temple, a Pharisee named Nicodemus seeks Jesus out at night to determine where He gets His power. Dr. Chris Croghan teaches us context and meaning packed into this text starting with why Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. We also discuss Jesus’ response to Nicodemus, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above,” and how hearing the Greek translation of this text flip...
May 27, 2024•32 min
After performing the first miracles of His ministry and demonstrating authority at the temple, a Pharisee named Nicodemus seeks Jesus out at night to determine where He gets His power. Dr. Chris Croghan teaches us context and meaning packed into this text starting with why Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. We also discuss Jesus’ response to Nicodemus, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above,” and how hearing the Greek translation of this text flip...
May 20, 2024•34 min
The day of Pentecost had come. A sound like the rush of a violent wind. Divided tongues of fire rested on each of them. Speaking in tongues. Kiri, Cole, and Mason ask Sarah Stenson about the many misguided assumptions Christians have about this passage of Acts. Why do we assume speaking in tongues is some sort of gibberish that requires an interpreter? There are a lot of misunderstandings about what the Holy Spirit does and does not do. The Spirit is never separated from Christ. It functions to ...
May 13, 2024•33 min
The same night that Jesus is arrested, He gives a lengthy prayer. Kiri, Max, and Mason ask Lars Olson, why did Jesus say this prayer and what is the content of what He’s praying? Jesus tells His disciples, and us, that He has given His word to everyone God has given to Him. That word delivers God’s very nature: mercy. Having received God’s mercy, you are now a new creation. You are comfortable being God’s creature. Keep this in mind as you hear about Judas and the rest of the disciples' betrayal...
May 06, 2024•35 min
In a text that says, “abide in my love,” “if you keep my commandments,” and, “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another,” you may think Jesus is giving you the instruction manual on how to live correctly. But then He says, “You did not choose me but I chose you.” Sarah Stenson and Dr. Chris Croghan explains how the texts from recent weeks all point to this moment of election. Some people are chosen. Others are not. God is the one acting. But it’s not a surprise whether you’...
Apr 29, 2024•31 min
This week’s text says that Jesus is the vine and God is the vinegrower. Everyone who produces fruit, God prunes to produce more fruit. Everyone who doesn't produce fruit, God lops off the vine to wither and burn. And this is supposed to be reassurance? Dr. Chris Croghan explains how this is an election text. The fact you’re hearing this means you’re connected to the vine; you’re connected to Jesus. Through that connection, you’re producing fruit: faith. COURSES Do you like what you learn in the ...
Apr 22, 2024•27 min
Many of Jesus’ “I Am” statements lend themselves to comforting depictions for Christians. “I am the light of the world,” makes for a nice painting! But in today’s passage, Jesus is the gate. Sarah Stenson teaches us how Jesus is being categorical in this text. There are two options: enter through the gate by hearing the shepherd’s voice or climbing in another way which makes you a thief and a bandit. Many will hear this as a prescription: how can I be a sheep and not a thief who steals, kills, a...
Apr 15, 2024•30 min
The two men who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus are just starting to tell the disciples about what they’d experienced when Jesus appears before them again. Lars Olson explains how the Gospel of Luke is using this literary structure to depict what happens when the resurrected Jesus shows up: fear, joy, and disbelief. The resurrection is so unbelievable the disciples desperately try to rationalize it away by explaining that Jesus must be a ghost. Lars teaches us that, for most of church hi...
Apr 08, 2024•28 min
The political power, religious authorities, and the general public all demanded Jesus’ death. The disciples were terrified they were next. Suddenly, Jesus breaks the laws of nature and shows up in the locked room and starts a sermon: peace be with you. Here is the consequence of your sin. Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson explain how Jesus shows them the marks on His hands and sides and clearly places the bullseye on all of them, and all of us: your sin is what killed me. Yet the message is lo...
Apr 01, 2024•25 min
It’s Easter Sunday and three women head to Jesus’ tomb fully expecting to find the dead body of the man they betrayed. Suddenly, an angel appears to deliver them the incredible news that is the basis of the Christian faith: “He has been raised; he is not here.” Sarah Stenson and Dr. Chris Croghan explains why the women expected to find death despite Jesus having told them He would be raised, the importance of the angel’s sermon, and the surprising last verse of the original manuscript of the Gos...
Mar 25, 2024•20 min
This episode is going to be a little different. No background music. No closing summary and calls to action. Why? Because we’re grappling with the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” in this conversation. Dr. Chris Croghan and Lars Olson do an incredible job calling out how everyone involved in Christ’s final moments sinned against Him. From the betrayal to the power dynamics to the self-preservation, every single person called for Jesus to be crucified. Why did Jesus have to die? Because eve...
Mar 22, 2024•32 min
In the first of two Holy Week bonus episodes, Lars Olson and Sarah Stenson break down what Jesus meant by giving us a new commandment to love one another in this Maundy Thursday text. Jesus demonstrates true humility by washing His disciples’ feet. He also commands us to love one another. Many will read this as a command in the Law, as an expectation of what they’re supposed to do. But what Jesus is depicting is what makes someone a disciple. A disciple is someone who betrays Christ. He’s not de...
Mar 21, 2024•34 min
Palm Sunday. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. In many churches, we’ll wave our palm branches and shout, “Hosanna!” In this week’s conversation, Sarah Stenson and Dr. Chris Croghan explain how the crowds believed the Messiah was going to be a king whose power came through the Law. They thought the Messiah would defeat their enemies and make their lives materially better—much like how people view being a Christian today will benefit them. The crowd chants, “Hosanna! Blessed is the coming ki...
Mar 18, 2024•34 min
Dr. Chris Croghan summarized this week’s text in two sentences, “God made a promise. God fulfilled that promise.” After his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, a few Greeks show up to the festival. What could be overlooked as a passing detail, Dr. Croghan explains how pivotal this detail is. God promised Abraham that the Messiah would come from his line for all nations. With the Greeks showing up, suddenly it’s not just the Israelites. Non-Jews were present, too. With the promise fulfilled, Jesus p...
Mar 11, 2024•29 min
Kiri and Mason welcome Lars Olson to the podcast to break down the verses surrounding one of the most well-known verses in the Bible: John 3:16. This week’s lectionary text begins with, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness…” Lars explains the story about God sending snakes to bite His people in Numbers and Moses lifting up a bronze snake. Then we ask, “What does it mean that God so loved the world?” Lars teaches us we think of love as an exchange: if I love you, there’s an ...
Mar 04, 2024•27 min
A dramatic scene unfolds at the temple where Jesus is driving out livestock with a whip and flipping over the bankers’ tables, spilling money everywhere. Kiri and Mason ask Sarah Stenson what’s happening here and why is Jesus reacting with such a physical disturbance? She explains the context of Passover: a festival where God commanded His people to offer a sacrifice, but—over time—the priests taught that sacrifices were the best form of worship (over obeying other aspects of the Law like the 10...
Feb 26, 2024•37 min
Immediately after Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus lays out the entirety of what that means in a single verse: He’s going to undergo great suffering, be rejected, be killed, and rise again. Peter tries to prevent this from happening and Jesus tells him, “Get behind me, Satan!” Both Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson teach us in this conversation why Jesus reacts this way. It’s an example of setting your mind on a human thing—idolatry—instead of on divine things. They also ...
Feb 19, 2024•33 min
At the beginning of Lent, the Gospel of Mark continues on a blistering pace: in six verses, Jesus is baptized, driven into the wilderness, John was arrested, and Jesus proclaimed the good news of God. In these six verses, Kiri, Max, and Mason ask Sarah Stenson about the details that could get overlooked when focusing on the big events happening in these verses. At Jesus’ baptism, Sarah explains how the Greek word for “just” in the verse, “and just as he was coming up out of the water,” means imm...
Feb 12, 2024•33 min
The Transfiguration. A literal mountaintop experience, and the bookend to the season of Epiphany as Jesus moves toward Jerusalem, His crucifixion, and, ultimately, His resurrection. Kiri, Max, and Mason ask Dr. Chris Croghan why Jesus elected Peter, James, and John to witness this incredible moment when they've been acting like the Three Stooges up to this point. We also discuss what transfiguration actually means as it remains a difficult-to-envision story in the Gospels. As you’ll hear Dr. Cro...
Feb 05, 2024•28 min
We continue to move through Mark at a breakneck speed: John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism, Jesus vs Satan in the wilderness, Jesus teaching in the synagogue with authority before casting out a demon; all in the first chapter! Now, Jesus enters Simon’s mother-in-law’s house to heal her from a fever. Word gets out, and the entire city descends looking for a piece of Jesus’ miracles. In this week’s conversation, Kiri, Max, and Mason ask Lars Olson: The disciples were married?! If Jesus says He came t...
Jan 29, 2024•29 min
In this week’s lectionary text, we hear of the first thing Jesus does in His ministry: teach in the synagogue with authority. As you’ll hear Sarah Stenson and Dr. Chris Croghan teach Kiri, Cole, and Mason, everyone who heard Jesus was shocked because He spoke with the power of God. The event only gets more shocking as a man controlled by a demon bursts on the scene. We discuss: How do the demons know it’s Jesus? What does it mean for Jesus to be able to command demons? Why were the scribes panic...
Jan 22, 2024•34 min
In this week’s episode, Kiri, Cole, and Mason welcome Dr. Chris Croghan back to the podcast to break down Jesus’ first sermon in the rapid Gospel of Mark. In five short words, Jesus fulfills the Old Testament and ushers in the kingdom of God. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." They ask Dr. Croghan: What does it mean the time is fulfilled? What is the kingdom of God and how can it be near when heaven is a place we go when we die? H...
Jan 15, 2024•35 min
In this week’s text, Jesus goes to Galilee and finds Philip and tells him to, “Follow me.” This prompts Philip to tell Nathanael they’ve found the one the Old Testament prophesied. Sarah Stenson explains how this is what happens when Jesus grabs you. When you hear of Jesus’ promise you can’t help but to tell others about it. Similarly, Jesus tells Nathanael He’s known him before He ever met him, and Nathanael responds, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God!” When you’re named by Christ, you confess tha...
Jan 08, 2024•34 min
Happy New Year, Scripture First listeners! The lectionary text for the first Sunday of 2024 centers on the same verses about John the Baptist we discussed a few weeks ago in Advent. In our conversation, Kiri and Mason ask Lars Olson about the verses not included in the previous passage: Jesus’ baptism and how it ties into the creation story in Genesis chapter one. We cover high level questions about baptism: what is the promise you receive in your baptism? What’s the difference between baptism a...
Jan 01, 2024•33 min
What does it mean Jesus was put under the law? That He who knew no sin became sin? That’s the question Kiri, Justin, and Mason ask Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson in this week’s episode about Jesus in the temple and the prophets Simeon and Anna. In order for Jesus to get rid of the law, He needs to go under it so it can do its full work on Him. We try to make sense of the gospel: how can three people be one? How can God be under something He created? How can someone who never sinned become s...
Dec 26, 2023•29 min
