Why would Jesus, who warns against the sword in Matthew 26 threaten to use one in Matthew 10? Why would Jesus set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother, when in the Torah God commands that parents are to be honored? In Luke, the gospel heralds the coming of Jesus with…
Category: Matthew
The Empire Strikes Back
Often and wrongly promoted as a biblical precept, unconditional love works against the purpose of Jesus in the New Testament. Nowhere is this point more clearly expressed than in the parable of the wicked vinedressers in Matthew 21. What does Matthew’s parable reveal about biblical grace and the problem of entitlement? Why does God allow…
The Problem of the Justified
A culture’s moral platitudes expose the sins for which its adherents hope to atone. This tension is present in popular critiques of the biblical commandment, “an eye for an eye.” But what happens when our assumed high ground amplifies the sins we want to erase? Worse, what if the people harmed by our platitudes respond…
Because You Have Rejected Knowledge
Fundamentalists are quick to apply biblical texts to current events, making fantastic claims about world leaders, foreign countries, and, as Matthew says, about “wars and rumors of war.” (Matthew 24:6) Aside from having no real or legitimate connection to the Bible (or reality) such claims always deflect God’s wrath, leveling judgment at other groups and…
The Marketplace
How should the Bible’s addressees understand the parable of the wise and foolish virgins at the outset of Matthew 25? In what way does the metaphor of lamp oil relate to the story of the foolish stewards? How does the marketplace, first mentioned in chapter 20, frame our understanding of the final judgment and the…
Who’s Your Daddy?
When people think of meaningful passages in the Bible, the many lengthy genealogies found in Genesis and elsewhere rarely if ever, come to mind. Yet, it is exactly one such passage–the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew–that holds significant meaning for the Christmas season. Who are the people listed in the opening verses of Matthew’s…
Whose wife or whose son?
A parable, like a short story, has a beginning, a plot, a set of characters, a complete thought, and an ending. With such a clear, simple structure, its tempting to take these stories on their own, outside the context of the broader story. To help illustrate this point, in this week’s podcast, Richard and Fr….
Happily Ever After?
In this week’s episode, Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on the parable of the wedding feast in the gospel of Matthew. When the host’s invitations are rejected by his would be guests–some of whom went so far as to mistreat and then murder his servants–it seems obvious why some are chosen and others are cast…
Are You Rich?
This week, Fr. Marc and Richard reflect on the story of the rich young man in Matthew 19. Why was it wrong for the young man to call Jesus “good?” Beyond the obvious problem of greed, what does the young man’s wealth reveal about the aims of false religion? Why wasn’t Jesus pleased to hear…
No Place to Lay Your Head
In this week’s episode, Fr. Marc and Richard discuss the function of circumcision in Galatians and it’s implications for human identity. What is the purpose of circumcision in the Older Testament? How does it relate to Baptism in the New Testament? Fr. Marc begins the program by reviewing the social context in Palestine during late…