Explore every episode of the podcast Nothin' But Fine: Bible Talk with Emily
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don't Grieve Your Kids | Episode 14 | 04 Dec 2024 | 00:29:19 | |
Unsolicited parenting advice. Wait! Don’t turn me off! Noone asked me how I parent, but I am giving you my opinion anyway. After some digging in Bible I actually am pretty convicted about how I’ve done the past 21 years. We all know the Old Testament says to honor your father and mother. It’s in the Ten Commandments, the BIG rules Israel were given right off the bat. Upon further study however, us parents have an even heavier load than we thought. Are you encouraged yet? The long and the short of it is this: we are our kids first models. And who should we be modeling? Jesus. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Shane Green On Grief | Episode 13 | 27 Nov 2024 | 01:00:22 | |
The holidays are a time of happiness. Right? What if you aren’t happy? What if you are grieving? Grief is tricky. It sneaks up on you sometimes and can roll over you like waves. It is possible to hold bother grief and joy at the same time. How do you cope? What do you do? My pastor, the Reverand Dr. Shane Green speaks so eloquently on this subject. It seemed like a good time to have this conversation. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| This Time | Esther: Episode 4 | 25 Sep 2024 | 00:22:38 | |
Esther is one of only two books in the Bible titled by the female main character. (Ruth is the other one.) It also does not really reference God. So why do I think it is important? First of all, a verse that you have probably heard before is in it. “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” 4:14 I have referenced it many times in my life. It means that maybe God put you wherever you are for a very specific reason. In Esther’s case, to save the Jewish people in the Persian kingdom from execution. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 9: Jehovah-tsidkenu | 31 Aug 2022 | 00:14:39 | |
Names of God Week 9: Jehovah-tsidkenu. The LORD is my righteousness. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 8: Jehovah-nissi and Jehovah-shalom | 24 Aug 2022 | 00:26:29 | |
Names of God Week 8: Jehovah-nissi and Jehovah-shalom. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 7: Jehovah-ra’ah | 17 Aug 2022 | 00:27:48 | |
Names of God Week 7: Jehovah-ra'ah. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 6: El Roi and Jehovah-shammah | 10 Aug 2022 | 00:26:41 | |
Names of God Week 6: El Roi and El/Jehovah- shammah (pronounced shaw-ma) - The God Who Sees. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 5: Jehovah-shammah | 03 Aug 2022 | 00:30:37 | |
Names of God Week 5: Jehovah-shammah - The LORD is there. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 4: El Shaddai and Jehovah-jireh | 27 Jul 2022 | 00:40:03 | |
Names of God Week 4: El Shaddai and Jehovah-jireh. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 3: El Elyon and Adonai | 20 Jul 2022 | 00:34:26 | |
Names of God Week 3: El Elyon and Adonai - The God Most High and Lord/Master. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 2: Elohim | 13 Jul 2022 | 00:38:05 | |
Names of God Week 2: Elohim - Creator.
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| Bible Talk: Names of God Part 1: Introduction | 06 Jul 2022 | 00:18:40 | |
Names of God Week 1: --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: The Parables of the Two Servants, the Ten Bridesmaids, and the Talents | 29 Jun 2022 | 00:40:09 | |
Parables Week 6: The Two Servants, the Ten Bridesmaids, the Talents --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| I'm Going With You | Season 2 Ep.3 | 18 Sep 2024 | 00:35:04 | |
During the time of the Judges an Israelite family from Bethlehem went across the Jordan into Moab because of famine. Should they have gone? Who knows? Moab was not a place Israelites should be. The Moabites were a constant problem to the Israelites. I’m sure Elimelech did what he thought was best for his wife and children. His two sons were not the healthiest. They were sickly kids. As it turns out Elimelech dies in Moab. His sons take Moabitesses as wives. And then they die. Now the family consists of a widow (Naomi) and her two widowed daughters-in-law (Ruth and Orpah). Three women left to fend for themselves. This was a nightmare scenario for them. Naomi gives the opportunity to Ruth and Orpah to return to their families. She knows she has no means to support them. What would become of them? She knows the young women can remarry and secure better futures without her. They insist that they will stay with her. There is clearly such a bond there. Even in their short time together they have been through so much. Eventually, Naomi determines to go back home. She figures she must have some family that will take pity on her. Again, she insists that Ruth and Orpah return to their families. Orpah does decide to go home, but Ruth says the words that we are all familiar with, ”Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. Your God, my God.” --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: The Parable of the Wedding Feast | 22 Jun 2022 | 00:30:35 | |
Parables Week 5: The Parable of the Wedding Feast --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: The Parable of the Prodigal Son | 15 Jun 2022 | 00:34:12 | |
Parables Week 4: The Prodigal Son --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: The Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin | 08 Jun 2022 | 00:30:10 | |
Parables Week 3: The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
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| Bible Talk: The Parable of the Sower | 01 Jun 2022 | 00:38:33 | |
Parables Week 2: The Sower. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Intro to the Parables of Jesus | 25 May 2022 | 00:32:37 | |
Parables Week 1: What is a parable? Why are they so confusing? --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Jonah Part 3 | 18 May 2022 | 00:38:39 | |
Jonah Week 3: Jonah throws a tantrum. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Jonah Part 2 | 11 May 2022 | 00:33:13 | |
Jonah Week 2: Jonah is IN A WHALE! --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Jonah Part 1 | 04 May 2022 | 00:36:40 | |
Jonah Week 1: --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Titus Part 6 | 27 Apr 2022 | 00:54:52 | |
Titus Week 6: --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Titus Part 5 | 20 Apr 2022 | 00:45:27 | |
Titus Week 5: --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| We Need a Hero | Season 2 Ep.2 | 11 Sep 2024 | 00:30:20 | |
Deborah is a nominally well-known bible character. And rightfully so. She led the Israelites to victory over an army of 900 iron chariots that had been plaguing them for like twenty years. (By the way, iron chariots at that time would be like a tank.) This was no small feat. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Titus Part 4 | 13 Apr 2022 | 00:45:53 | |
Titus Week 4: --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Titus Part 3 | 06 Apr 2022 | 00:41:31 | |
Titus Week 3: --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Titus Part 2 | 30 Mar 2022 | 00:42:49 | |
Titus Week 2: Paul gives instructions to Titus on setting up the church in Crete. What are elders? --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Bible Talk: Introduction to Titus | 23 Mar 2022 | 00:26:16 | |
Titus Week 1: --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| God Made Women | Season 2 | 04 Sep 2024 | 00:29:04 | |
What is a woman? This question has come up more than probably necessary. Or at least been answered in ways…that make you scratch your head. While I have many opinions on the subject of what makes a biological woman, this isn’t about that. I am a woman, born and raised. I have never questioned that fact, but I have wondered about purpose and place. All I ever wanted was to be a wife and mother. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. See? I am just told to submit. The husbands are given way more direction. It is pretty specific to say love your wife as Christ loved the church. I mean, Christ DIED for the church. That is a lot more responsibility than submission. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Vacancy | Matthew 28 | 12 Jun 2024 | 00:23:06 | |
He is not here. Case. Closed. It is finished to just as he said. Wow. Just wow. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Hurts So Good | Matthew 27 | 05 Jun 2024 | 00:18:26 | |
The crucifixion is terrible to read. The whole thing actually, from beginning to end. All the events that took place…unsettling. I don’t want Jesus to have suffered. The anger I feel when I think of those priests and teachers and elders. The lies they told. Their blood lust. They were supposed to be the ones you could trust. Goodness and morality were key parts of their job. Yet they were the crowd that shouted to crucify. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| The Plot Thickens | Matthew 26 | 29 May 2024 | 00:35:35 | |
We are familiar with all those stories. We are getting to the part of the Bible that we know. Here is what I notice. So much of this chapter is about us getting completely off track. Religious leaders that have gone completely awry, disciples that miss the beauty of the anointing, the meal, the prayer time, and betrayal. I got stuck on Caiaphas and Judas. Caiaphas was the Chief Priest for goodness sake. But he likely had a good relationship with Rome and Herod which would mean he didn’t have a good relationship with the Jews. He enjoyed a long tenure of being chief priest. He gained a lot while in the position. He had a lot to lose by what Jesus was trying to set straight. He took everything Jesus did personally. He was out for Jesus’s blood. He didn’t just want him to be taught a lesson, he wanted him dead. Money, prestige, power. All things that would inspire the anger needed to plot death to a known innocent man. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| The End is Near? | Matthew 24 & 25 | 22 May 2024 | 00:19:28 | |
Ya’ll this is end times stuff. When you read what Jesus said and the conditions surrounding his return, it’s like check, check, check. Then look out your window to see if you see him. H says no one knows the hour or even the day. But it feels soon, right? It’s going to get worse? Yikes. The Old Testament prophets are all up in this: Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel Isaiah, Zechariah. Jesus quotes them. There are also parallels to Revelation. I have clearly read this passage a lot over the years. I know because I have made lots of notes in the margins. But I must not have paid real close attention to it. Or at least it didn’t stick in my brain. Reading it all together, Matthew twenty-four and twenty-five as one piece…I’m shocked. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Desperate Man | Matthew Part 3 | 15 May 2024 | 00:23:29 | |
As Jesus’s public ministry/life on earth was drawing to a close there seems to be desperation…or a sense of urgency in Jesus. He had made a dent in meeting people and getting his message out there. But there were so many more souls to reach. Jesus never wavered. He remained steadfast. He never went off brand despite being constantly questioned by the religious leaders who were set on catching him in a lie or at least getting him to answer them in a way that could be misconstrued or taken out of context. Continue reading the show notes on our website Nothin' But Fine. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Give it Up | Matthew 19 Part 2 | 08 May 2024 | 00:25:57 | |
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” Which ones?” the man inquired. Matthew 19:16-18Why didn’t Jesus say obey all the commandments when the guy asked which ones? Doesn’t that seem like a dumb question with an obvious answer? But Jesus doesn’t list all the commandments. He leaves out: no other gods before me, no idols, do not misuse the name of the Lord, and remember the sabbath and keep it holy. What do these have in common? God. This guy was keeping all the commandments concerning people, man to man (murder, steal, covet, false testimony, respect). He was being a good person. Doing what was right. Jesus sums up these four by saying to him that all he needed to do now was to sell all his stuff and follow Me. Meaning if you love me, prove it. Verse 22 shows us how the young man felt about this. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (emphasis mine). This guy had been feeling really good about himself. Oh, I keep all those commandments. He just knew Jesus was going to congratulate him on a job well done. That he had met all the requirements. I mean he was a great guy. But his heart wasn’t right. Read the rest of our show notes on our website Nothin' But Fine. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| NT Broads | Episode 12 | 20 Nov 2024 | 00:26:31 | |
Women are found all throughout the Bible. Not only are they present, but they have purpose. Even in this day and age it’s hard for women to feel valued and appreciated and understood. Sure, we have made great strides as humanity, but there is still work to do. The great thing about looking at the women of the gospels, is that it takes all kinds. God did not just use a certain type... --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Who Gets the Dog? | Matthew 19 | 01 May 2024 | 00:22:08 | |
I am a product of divorce. I don’t think it created that many issues in my life. I had a fantastic, happy childhood. Sure, the older I get I become aware of emotional scars, but we all have them. I was the only one in my elementary classes whose parents were divorced and a mother that had a career that required travel and long hours. Brentwood, TN in the 80s was pretty conservative. However, the divorce was warranted. The reason was the only one the Bible flat out says is allowed…adultery. Mama put up with so much. Let’s just say I won’t be doing a 23 & Me test. No telling how many siblings I might have out there. (I think I know of four, but Mama and I think it could be 7. Yikes.) Divorce has always been a touchy subject for me when it comes up in church settings. I always felt so attacked by the “God hates divorce” reference of Malachi 2:16. That was the statement made in a Bible study I was a part of in my early thirties. I was the youngest attendee by about twenty years. Mama was also a member. Half of the women in it were divorced. I was so upset that they referred to mama’s situation as being something God did not approve of. I argued with them. I was in tears. They were unrelenting as I made my case that Mama’s decision was made with God’s permission and that it had been redeemed in all the good and blessings that had come since. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| No, I'm the Best! | Matthew 18 | 24 Apr 2024 | 00:23:38 | |
Someone always has to be the favorite. Right? Why do we do this to ourselves? My children ask me all the time who my favorite is. Like I would tell them. I’m kidding. I really don’t have a favorite because they all take turns being the golden child. I know my brother is the favorite of my parents. It’s fine. It’s not like there is a prize. You would think that this is a concept that the twelve disciples would have grasped. Yet, they argued about it. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Matthew 18:1 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “what were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Mark 9:33-34 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Luke 9:46-47 The thing is, Jesus loved them all the same. He loves us all the same. There is no greatest. There is not favorite. This is so hard to understand. How could God not have favorites? I mean Peter and John were clearly the leaders of the group. I mean Jesus said that Peter would be the rock on which the church would be built. Or Moses? God talked to him face to face. Abraham? He was chosen to be the father of nations. David? A man after God’s own heart. Mary? The angel actually says she is highly favored. I mean she bore and birthed the Messiah. God chose her for that. Or the martyrs? Or Billy Graham? Bill Gaither? How could God love me as much as these folks…to just name a few. But he does. God loves you. So much so that he sent a part of himself to die on a cross so that you could spend eternity with him. How much more proof do you need? We are all his favorite. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Jesus as JESUS | Matthew 17 Part 2 | 17 Apr 2024 | 00:16:42 | |
Oh to be on the mountain as Jesus becomes JESUS! Peter, James and John get this opportunity. He changed before their eyes. He became his full self. What a moment. I mean. We know Jesus as fully divine. This is the opposite of what we know about Jesus. We know he was God in a bod. We know that he came to earth to live a perfect life, to be the unblemished lamb sacrificed for our sin. Yet, we didn’t get to see him in the flesh. To Peter, James, and John he was the teacher they were following. Yes, they saw his power in the miraculous things he did and heard the authority with which he spoke. They believed he was the Son of God, but they had no idea what that looked like. So we know JESUS and not necessarily Jesus. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Destroying the Drapery | Matthew 17 | 10 Apr 2024 | 00:28:28 | |
Do you know what transfiguration is? Now, if you are a fan of Harry Potter (I am, don’t argue with me about it.) you will think of changing things into other things. Like beetles into buttons. This is not what Jesus does on the mountain with Peter, James, and John. I mean I knew that, but I decided to look at what the Greek word used in Matthew 17:2 to clarify exactly what happened. Transfigure: Metamorphoó – changing form in keeping with inner reality; Christ was resplendent with a divine brightness That word looks familiar, doesn’t it? And knowing that metamorphosis is the word that is used made all the difference to me. I have seen this passage in an entirely new way. Jesus didn’t change into something new. Jesus simply became ALL he was. He changed into his true self. The caterpillar is a butterfly all along, but it has to be a caterpillar first. This got me thinking. In order for Jesus to come to earth he had to dim who he was. He turned down the divine. Otherwise humans would not have been able to look at him. Let’s take a little journey to the Old Testament. In Exodus 19, 24, 33, and 34 we see how God appeared to the Israelites. He was a column of fire by night and pillar of smoke by day. A cloud would cover the mountain when he spoke to Moses and the Israelites couldn’t even touch the mountain or they would die. However, he appeared to Moses face to face (The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Exodus 33:11). This resulted in Moses shining so brightly that it scared the people to look at him. So Moses wore a veil when he was before them.
Exodus 35-40 is all about setting up the tabernacle. God gave very specific instructions how to build it. The materials to be used and the exact measurements. Moses begins to set it up in chapter 40. The first thing he does is the Ark (chapter 37 gives specifications). The Ark goes in the Holy of Holies. The Ark is the presence of God amongst the Israelites. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Who Am I? | Matthew 16 | 03 Apr 2024 | 00:20:52 | |
Jesus was pestered by the Pharisees over and over again to prove who he was. Were they completely missing what all he had done? Clearly, they had. Every miraculous thing he did they just weren’t satisfied by. They often said it was evil, blasphemous. They were a distraction and Jesus warned his disciples about their teaching. He likened it to yeast. Yeast spread in the b read, eating up the sweet and grows. It’s obvious when it works…the bread rises, and it only takes a little to get the job done. It's interesting that Matthew tells of this next interaction after this warning. They had made their way near Caesarea-Philippi (in the territory ruled by Philip, Herod Antipas’s brother, nice but decidedly not Jewish letting the pagan temples abound in this city). The temple of Pan was located here. I’ve seen the remnants. It is impressive and quite beautiful. It sits at the base of Mt. Hermon and hosts the largest spring that feeds he Jordan River. Perhaps that is why Jesus asked his disciples who people were saying he was. They answered John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus asks who they say he is. Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Crumbs | Matthew 15 | 27 Mar 2024 | 00:26:35 | |
There is a woman in the Bible that you probably don’t know. I know that I had never heard of, or at least never paid attention to her story until a few years ago. Do you know the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew 15? (If any of you say absolutely, I’m going to feel a little dumb.).
Jesus and the disciples have travelled out of the Jewish area, probably seeking peace and quiet. They come to the region of Tyre and Sidon thinking that no one would know Jesus here. This would be in current day Lebanon, one of the oldest continually inhabited areas in the world. The woman that approaches them is of Canaanite descent, a native of Phoenician seaboard. She spoke Greek. Most likely a pagan woman who had grown up worshipping many gods. She has no connection to Jewish heritage. But she has heard about Jesus and she needs a miracle. in --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Can You Walk on Water? | Matthew 14:22-36 | 20 Mar 2024 | 00:23:21 | |
Imagine you are on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. You know that this body of water is prone to storms popping up without warning, you’ve lived and worked around it all your life. It’s the middle of the night and the wind has picked up. Soon it is howling and there are waves crashing into the sides of the boat. You are not afraid, but you are wary and certainly not able to sleep or relax. As you watch the water you think your eyes must be playing tricks on you because there appears to be a man walking towards the boat. This can’t be possible. You are miles from shore. One of your friends shouts that it’s a ghost. The “ghost” answers, “It’s Me. Don’t be afraid.” So, if you were on that boat, how would you have responded? I often agree with Peter in biblical stories. I can see a lot of myself in him. However, I am pretty sure I would never have said, “oh yeah? Call me out to you.” Listen, I do not like being in or even on water. I prefer to be water adjacent. I love to look at it, but that’s about it unless I need to cool off. When we visited Israel in February of 2019, I was nervous about getting on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. It was a calm day and I tried to picture what it would have been like to look out and see Jesus standing there. It is a very moving experience. It is heavy with significance. But I still wouldn’t have climbed over the side of the boat. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| How Will We Eat? Jesus Feeds The 5000 | Matthew 14:13-21 | 13 Mar 2024 | 00:24:53 | |
It’s a Bible story we know so well. We’ve all heard it numerous times. Jesus feeds 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish. This miracle is in all four gospels. Honestly, you can’t help but be amazed by it. It’s pretty dramatic. Jesus takes a loaf, holds it up, asks the Lord to bless it and begins to break it. Voila. Everyone is fed. Everyone is satisfied. There are twelve baskets left over. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Off With His Head! | Matthew 14:1-12 | 06 Mar 2024 | 00:27:58 | |
John the Baptist has been imprisoned by Herod Antipas. We don’t know when exactly this happened, but it is mentioned in Matthew 11. We do know why he was imprisoned. You see John the Baptist had a problem with the “Jewish” ruler being married to Herodias because she was first the wife of his brother, Philip. Now that sounds bad enough on its own, but it gets worse if you dig a little deeper. I was curious so of course I did. Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great. We know him because he was king when Jesus was born. He’s the one that talked with the Magi back in Matthew 2. Although he was crazy and sometimes brutal, he is a fascinating character. An Edomite by birth. That means not Jewish. But who were the Edomites? I’m glad you asked. Edom is from the line of Esau. Remember him? Esau was the twin brother of Jacob…Jacob became Israel. Father Isaac, Grandfather Abraham. (Genesis 25:19-34) However, Herod’s father converted to Judaism. His father was also granted Roman citizenship by Julius Caesar. So that makes Herod half Jewish and a Roman citizen. He started his political career as governor of Galilee and then a tetrarch of Galilee and finally became King of Judea. He ruled for 32 years. He did some great things while king. He rebuilt the Temple and endowed his territory with fortresses and palaces and new cities. Herod the Great had at least 10 wives and 14 children. He divorced his first wife (Doris) and banished her and his son from court. He did this because he fell in love with Mariamne, a Hasmonean princess. It is believed that he truly did love her even though he kept taking more wives. But then he got jealous and suspicious and had her murdered along with her two sons, her brother, her father, and her mother. This left some orphans and instead of just kicking them out, Herod espoused them to another member of his family. Keep this in mind. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Just Mary's Son | Matthew 13:45-58 | 28 Feb 2024 | 00:18:18 | |
The last verse of Matthew 13 does not mean that Jesus’s power has anything to do with us. It wasn’t that Jesus couldn’t act in Nazareth. He does not need us at all to be who he is or do what he can do. It’s not like in the movie Elf when Santa’s sleigh can’t fly because there aren’t enough people that believe in him. The belief is what makes the sleigh’s magic. The people of Nazareth didn’t see miracles because they weren’t seeking them. I’m saying that again. They did not get the miracles because they weren’t seeking them. They let what they thought they knew about who Jesus was keep them from experiencing who he actually was. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Mary Mag | Episode 11 | 13 Nov 2024 | 00:29:52 | |
Mary Magdalene is one of those people that is a lot is said about, but not necessarily a lot is known about. That’s part of the problem of studying things of ancient history. They did not write everything down. Mary and the female followers of Jesus did not have blogs or social media accounts to take us with them. (Wouldn’t that have been great if they had? I would be a subscriber to all their offerings if I could.) Therefore, there is a lot of room for details to be made up... --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Among Us | Matthew 13:24-43 | 21 Feb 2024 | 00:16:11 | |
Is there anything worse than having to practice what you preach? Of course, there is, but when you have been encouraging folks to just trust God and his timing, to keep the faith, pray about it then you actually have to follow your own advice? Man that is tough. Periodically I have to remind myself of what God has promised. And that his definitions are not necessarily the same as mine. When I fuss at him that he said it would be fine, he usually answers, “It is fine.” He’s right of course. It is. I just want it to be better and he didn’t promise that. He also did not give me a timeline or a due date. So, I have to practice what I preach. I have to have faith and wait for God to do what he is going to do. Matthew 13 has a parable about the tares and the wheat. The story goes that a man sowed good seed in his field, but his enemy came in at night and sowed some tares amongst the wheat. As it grew it looked just like the wheat until the wheat sprouted and bore grain. At this point it was obvious that there had been some bad seed sown. The man knew his seed was good. He knew that an enemy must have come behind him and sown the bad. This late in the growing season there was nothing that could be done. If he had attempted to pull up the tares he would run the risk of also pulling up the wheat. The only option was to leave it and hope for the best. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||
| Seeds and Soil | Matthew 13 | 14 Feb 2024 | 00:21:01 | |
Confession: I used to hate the parables. Well, maybe not hate. I would skip over them with an eye roll. I mean they are kind of hard to understand. I could never figure out how they pertained to my life. Jesus was so much smarter than I am and wasn’t the point of reading his words to learn? Why did he have to make it so difficult? Even the disciples struggled with them. They even asked him why he taught in parables. (Matthew 13:10) Jesus answers by saying, in a nutshell, and I am paraphrasing here, that some people just don’t get it. They have ears, yet they do not hear and eyes and do not see. He goes on to quote Isaiah 6:9-10. That’s not an uplifting passage, by the way. God was taking the Israelites to task, unhearing ears and unseeing eyes etc. I think Deuteronomy 29:1-6 gives a more direct explanation. These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He had make with them at Horeb. And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, not ears to hear. I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot. You have not eaten bread, not have you drunk wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the LORD your God. --- Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter! | |||