What is pentecost? What can we learn from the early church? Join us as we discuss the significance of Pentecost, exploring its historical and Biblical context, the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the early church. We also reflect on the courage and community of the early believers, and the lessons that can be applied to the church today. Join us for a week of Pentecost devotionals. Timestamps (00:00) - Intro (02:00) - What is Pentecost and where does it come from? (04:40) - What hap...
Jun 05, 2025•30 min
Why has this story been included in the biblical canon? What does it reveal about Jesus’ divine position as just lawgiver and merciful judge? In this bonus episode, returning special guest Stuart Ford joins Esther and Mark to discuss the story of the woman caught in adultery from John 8.1–11. We explore the complexities of the narrative, including the authenticity of the passage and its inclusion in Scripture, the agenda of the Pharisees and scribes, and what Jesus’ response reveals about him. W...
May 16, 2025•32 min
What does it mean for Jesus to be the true vine, or vineyard? What does it mean to abide in Christ and be fruitful? In this episode, Noël and Mark are joined by special guest Chantelle Baker, to discuss the final I Am statement in John’s Gospel: ‘I am the vine; you are the branches’ (John 15.5). We begin by exploring how this verse has been translated. Should it in fact be rendered, ‘I am the vineyard and you are the vine’ and does this change the meaning of the metaphor? The conversation touche...
May 09, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 6
In what sense is Jesus ‘the way, the truth, and the life’? What was the significance of his words about his Father’s house? In this episode, we’re joined by Jack Morris, our producer, to discuss Jesus' statement in John 14: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life'. As well as unpacking the significance of each word, asking what Jesus meant by ‘way’, ‘truth’, and ‘life’, we explore the wider context in John’s Gospel for Jesus saying this and the picture he provides of his Father’s house. The conve...
May 02, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 5
How does Jesus fulfil the role of the good shepherd? How does the use of shepherding imagery in John 10 compare to how it is used in Ezekiel 34? In this episode we're joined by special guest Michael Pfundner to explore John 10, where Jesus identifies himself as both the good shepherd and the gate for the sheep. We explore the significance of Jesus' statement in relation to Old Testament use of sheep and shepherding imagery, such as that found in Psalm 100 and Ezekiel 34. The discussion also touc...
Apr 25, 2025•38 min•Season 7Ep. 4
What does it mean that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? How does Jesus raising Lazarus foreshadow his own resurrection? In this episode Noël and special guest Rev Amanda Bedzrah delve into the theme of resurrection as presented in John 11, focusing on Jesus' statement: 'I am the resurrection and the life.' They explore the story of Lazarus and Jesus' tears. Amanda speaks of the human experience of grief and how these verses highlight the deep love and empathy of Jesus. They discuss how Je...
Apr 18, 2025•45 min•Season 7Ep. 3
What did Jesus mean when he said, 'I am the light of the world'? In this episode we look at John chapters 7—9, focusing on Jesus' second I am statement: 'I am the light of the world.' We track the wider context John provides in his Gospel account touching on the escalating tension between the Jewish leaders and Jesus. We explore the significance of references to light in the Bible and connect Jesus’ statement with both the healing of the blind man and the discussion about spiritual blindness. We...
Apr 11, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 2
What does Jesus mean when he says, 'I am the bread of life'? How does Jesus satisfy eternally? Welcome to the first episode of our series on the 'I am' statements Jesus makes in the Gospel of John. The conversation focuses on what Jesus meant when he said, 'I am the bread of life' in John 6. We consider how this statement links to the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 as well as exploring its connections to the story in Exodus 16 about God providing manna, or 'bread from heaven', for his peopl...
Apr 04, 2025•40 min•Season 7Ep. 1
How does Proverbs help us to have peace in our world of anxiety? In this episode we're joined by Leonie to explore the intersection of biblical wisdom and the challenges posed by today's news cycle. We discuss the impact of constant negative news on mental health, being constantly fed by scripture and the importance of trusting in God amidst chaos. We also talk about how wisdom literature can guide Christians in navigating these turbulent times. The conversation emphasises the need for engagemen...
Mar 14, 2025•41 min•Season 6Ep. 6
What challenges do we face in applying God’s wisdom about conflict today? How can we pray about conflicts, war, peace and reconciliation? In this episode, we’re joined by special guest Rachel Jones to discuss what Proverbs says about conflict. We explore various aspects of conflict we experience today, whether that's in personal relationships at home, work and church, in our wider communities, or on an international scale. Proverbs says much about avoiding conflict, but we also consider whether ...
Mar 07, 2025•40 min•Season 6Ep. 5
What does Proverbs say about honesty, integrity and lying? In this episode Mark is joined by Stuart Ford to discuss how Proverbs deals with the themes of honesty and integrity. They explore various proverbs related to lying and false witness, considering the complex moral implications of dishonesty – in personal relationships and in society. They tackle the challenging question of whether lying is always wrong. The conversation touches on the cost of integrity, the realities of living in a falle...
Feb 28, 2025•34 min•Season 6Ep. 4
How does Proverbs challenge our view of money and what we should do with it? In this episode, along with special guest Liam Thatcher, we delve into the theme of wealth as presented in the Book of Proverbs. First we think about how we define wealth today, particularly in the West, and consider how this compares to an understanding of wealth in biblical times. Then we discuss how money and abundance are presented in Proverbs and the principles it provides about how to honour God with our wealth. W...
Feb 21, 2025•41 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Why is wisdom personified as a woman in Proverbs? This episode opens with a discussion about different ways wisdom is portrayed in Proverbs. We look at wisdom’s personification as a woman, considering the power of this literary device in its original context, whether it is partly a marriage metaphor and how it connects back to Genesis 1 and a design pattern established in creation. We explore three passages from Proverbs chapters 1, 3 and 8 to unpack their meaning. What is our responsibility to ...
Feb 14, 2025•37 min•Season 6Ep. 2
What does it mean to have wisdom? Why should we pursue it and how can we put it into practice? In this episode, we explore how wisdom is presented in the Bible. With particular reference to Proverbs, we discuss the contrast between biblical wisdom and current ideas about self-help. We look at the relationship between age, experience and wisdom, and how wisdom is passed on. We discuss the need to see wisdom modelled in community and explore how Jesus both taught and embodied wisdom. We ask whethe...
Feb 07, 2025•41 min•Season 6Ep. 1
What does it look like to live by faith? What is the relationship between faith and doubt? How can we persevere and grow in faith? This episode focuses on Hebrews 11. We discuss the definition of faith at the beginning of the chapter and what this looks like in a person’s life. From believing in God’s existence to taking him at his word, we explore how this shapes our relationship with him as well as our actions. Touching on the stories of some of the heroes of the faith listed in Hebrews 11, we...
Jan 24, 2025•38 min•Season 5Ep. 6
How does Jesus' once for all sacrifice supersede the Old Testament sacrificial system? In this episode we dive into the theme of sacrifice as presented in the book of Hebrews. We explore the significance of the Old Testament sacrificial system as part of God's people keeping their covenant with him. Then we look at how Jesus' sacrifice permanently fulfilled the purpose of the sacrificial system and brought about a new covenant relationship with God. We compare the transactional nature of the old...
Jan 17, 2025•42 min•Season 5Ep. 5
What did Joe Rogan and Wesley Huff say about the Bible? Can we really believe in the credibility of the Bible? In this bonus episode of The Rooted Podcast, we're joined by Dr Andrew Ollerton, head of Bible Engagement at Bible Society, to discuss the recent increase of interest in the Bible sparked by Wesley Huff's appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. We look at the credibility of the Bible and ancient manuscripts, the role of translators and the formation of the canon. We finish by di...
Jan 16, 2025•38 min
What was the role of a high priest in the Old Testament? How did Jesus fulfil the role of high priest for eternity? Who was Melchizedek? In this episode we focus on priesthood in the Bible and the role of Jesus as the great high priest. We begin by exploring the historical context of priests and the Levitical priesthood in Judaism. Then we consider the picture of Jesus as the superior and eternal high priest in the book of Hebrews and the implications for us today. We discuss Melchizedek – his s...
Jan 10, 2025•34 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Happy Christmas from everyone from The Rooted Podcast. We hope you've enjoyed the podcast this year. The Hebrews series will continue in the new year, but we're going to take a short break over Christmas. We'll be back with episodes looking at priesthood, sacrifice, examples of faith, and just more all about the book of Hebrews. So in the meantime, from all of us on The Rooted Podcast, Happy Christmas and have a really good New Year as well.
Dec 24, 2024•37 sec
Are we in danger of drifting away from the faith? Can you lose your salvation? In this episode, we discuss the warnings peppered throughout the Letter to the Hebrews: don’t drift away from the faith; don’t harden your hearts; it’s necessary to grow in spiritual maturity and discernment; don’t grow weary! We consider the author’s intentions as we talk about the importance of community in being active in our faith and keeping each other on track. We reflect on the need to approach church with soft...
Dec 20, 2024•46 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Why does it matter that Jesus became human like us and why was it necessary for him to die in the way he did? In today's episode, we’re joined by a special guest, Sarah Hindley, as we dive into Hebrews chapter 2. Our conversation focuses on the significance of Jesus being fully human as well as fully God. We discuss the Old Testament references used by the author and what they meant by describing Jesus' death as ‘fitting’. The episode concludes with a conversation about Jesus suffering temptatio...
Dec 13, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews? What did they want their readers to understand about Jesus? Welcome to series five of The Rooted Podcast in which we'll be looking at the Letter to the Hebrews. In this episode, we give a quick overview by considering what we can know about the author, audience and context of the letter, before diving into chapter one. We discuss the supremacy of Christ as God’s Son, appointed as heir of all things; the cosmic nature of his role in creation; what it means for...
Dec 06, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Thank you to those of you who asked us your toughest Bible questions at last summer’s New Wine festival! In this episode we explore them together. From the credibility of the creation story, to whether there will be a sea in heaven; from Bezalel and Oholiab’s abilities, to whether Jesus can lie or die; from who wrote the Bible and when, to how we know when to take it literally and whether it’s possible to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament, we tackle your qu...
Nov 15, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 7
How can storytelling help us communicate the reality and relevance of the Kingdom of God today? For this episode we're joined by spoken word artist, Dai Woolridge. He shares the creative inspiration behind the Parables Edition of the Rooted Journal and the significance of storytelling in sharing our faith. The conversation dives into the well-known parables of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son. How can we truly love others in the way God commands? Are there personal or societal biases we n...
Nov 08, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 6
In this episode we focus on parables that encourage us to make decisions about the Kingdom of God. We explore the confrontational nature of the parables about the sheep and the goats and the barren fig tree, drawing out their emphasis on the importance of what we do – Christian faith in action. We discuss how Jesus used these stories to provoke and challenge his audience regarding their relationship with God and their life choices. We conclude by thinking about the cost of discipleship, highligh...
Nov 01, 2024•41 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Today we're joined by Liam Thatcher, a church pastor from Oxford and former writer at Bible Society. In this episode we discuss how Jesus used simple illustrations to convey profound truths about the kingdom of heaven, emphasising the hidden yet transformative nature of these teachings. Looking at the parable of the leaven, we discuss the growth and impact of the kingdom in the world today, highlighting the importance of being active agents of change. We also explore the parable of the dragnet, ...
Oct 25, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 4
What do the parables tell us about the value system of God's Kingdom? In this episode we look at God's value system as illustrated through Jesus' parables. We begin by touching on the big story of Scripture, exploring how humans have inverted kingdom values and the call to make sure God is on the throne in our lives and our values align with his. Then we explore the parables about the workers in the vineyard, the unforgiving servant, and the rich man and Lazarus. We draw lessons from them about ...
Oct 18, 2024•40 min•Season 4Ep. 3
How do the parables reveal the nature of God's Kingdom? Today we look at the nature of God's Kingdom through the lens of various parables and explore why it was such a big theme in Jesus' teaching. We discuss its countercultural nature and how the reality of the Kingdom was different to the expectations of the original Jewish audience for these parables. We explore the parables of the sower, the mustard seed and the growing seed, and discuss how these examples reveal the nature of God’s Kingdom....
Oct 11, 2024•40 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Why did Jesus speak in parables? What does the parable of the shrewd manager actually mean? In the first episode of our new series we delve into the significance of parables in the teachings of Jesus. We explore the definition of a parable, their use in other ancient societies and why Jesus chose to use them as a teaching tool. We then look at the parable of the shrewd manager and discuss the context, the audience Jesus was addressing, what it meant for Jesus' listeners and what it means for us ...
Oct 04, 2024•37 min•Season 4Ep. 1
What is apocalyptic literature and are we living in the end times? Revd Dr Peter Hatton joins us again and we discuss apocalyptic literature and references to the end times in the book of Daniel. We look at the non-linear treatment of time by exploring the repetition and cyclical nature of events in the book. We consider the cycles of success, sin and failure in Daniel alongside the cycles of sin and deliverance recounted in the book of Judges. Turning to the historical context of the book, we d...
Sep 06, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 6
