All Episodes
Victory March
In the triumphant entry into Jerusalem portrayed in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is adorned with the standard symbols of a Roman procession: the crowds, evoking bread and c...
Through the Nostrils
This week, Fr. Paul notes that the phrase "spiritual life" is nowhere to be found in the Bible, which speaks instead of life bestowed by the Spirit. (Episode 136)
A Plan in Motion
In battle, the US Marine Corps trains their soldiers to “adapt, improvise, and overcome” in carrying out the mission. Leading up to Matthew 21, Jesus has been making ...
ḥorbah, ḥarabah, yabbašah
In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains that in Scripture, the same item or reality can be either life-giving or disastrous, according to the will of God. (Episode 135)
What Do You Will?
In Matthew, the question of faith or “trust” in the Lord is not a matter of confession, but action. In chapter 9, two blind men proclaimed their trust in Jesus only to...
The Sea Animals
This week, Fr. Paul explains that in Genesis, with respect to their behavior, human beings must follow the lead of the sea animals. (Episode 134)
To Serve as a Slave
Unlike human philosophy, which re-imagines the world in its image, imposing the ruthless and violent ego of liberal and conservative idealism, Scripture takes the worl...
Instruments of God’s Will
This week, Fr. Paul explains that in Genesis, the sun and the moon are emasculated by the author and the heavens—looked upon as the realm of the of the gods—are brough...
Not Mine to Give
The difficulty for Christians who aspire to positions of influence and power, is that the top person within the framework they inhabit became the lowest person in the ...
The Dry One
This week, Fr. Paul explains that, according to the text, the heavenly waters and the earthly waters are one element that had to be separated into two functional entit...
The Anti-Imperial Throne
As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way he said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and ...
The Day is Defined by God
In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul refers to 1 Thessalonians 5 to help illustrate the reality of Genesis 1, in which darkness and the waters function negatively. (Episod...
The Marketplace of Humanity
As contemporary society struggles with questions of equity and power, all of us would do well to consider the radical proposition of Scripture, which demotes everyone ...
The Big Deal with Hibdil
This week, Fr. Paul explains how the verb hibdil in Genesis holds one day, day two, and day four together, defining the functionality of the heavens in conjunction wit...
The First Will Be Last
When Peter approaches Jesus to ask, “what then will there be for us,” (Matthew 19:27) his question betrays two sins: first, his belief that he has done the right thing...
Darkness and Waters
In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains the “organic and not emotionally poetic oneness of the heavens and the earth” noting that the second creation narrative begins ag...
No Good Thing
Among the disastrous consequences of the Synoptic thesis of the gospels is the erasure of each individual author’s intent. Is there a generalized parable of the Rich M...
The Heavens and the Earth
This week, Fr. Paul highlights the function of the heavens’ priority within the purview of the author, reminding us that the pairing of the heavens and the earth signi...
Mic Drop
Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; ...
Part of the Whole
In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains that Genesis, like all other books of the Bible, is part of a whole, and cannot be understood until all the pieces are brought to...
Mission Priority
Nothing irritates a person of responsibility more than someone or something that distracts from the issue at hand. Faced with distraction, a wise manager acts quickly ...
Is That for Real?
This week, Fr. Paul conintues his discussion of functionality and the meaning of words revisiting the biblical verb bara. (Episode 126)
Certificate of Divorce?
When children argue, they lobby their parents to choose a side. An unwise parent intervenes to solve the conflict, deciding who is right and who is wrong. This parent...
New Podcast on ESN: The Way
Fr. Dustin explores how scripture frees us from the Pharoah's of our day so that we can walk The Way in obedience to the scriptural God. (Episode 1) Subscribe: htt...
Out of the Rubble
Cautioning against the preconceived meaning of words, Fr. Paul explains that our understanding of a term’s meaning must conform to that term’s usage in the text, in co...
The Sword of Damocles
The meaning of Scripture is plain and straightforward. It is intricate and detailed, yes. It takes time and effort to digest, yes. It presents arguments that demand in...
Reshith
Walking us through the author’s use of the Hebrew word reshith in Genesis, Fr. Paul exposes the deficiency of biblical translations. (Episode 124)
On the Hook
People love rules for two reasons. First, they want clear guidelines on what they need to do to be in good standing, and therefore, off the hook. Second, as rule foll...