All Episodes
Ideological Entrapment
All ideology is self-referential: it begins with a desire for self-preservation and achieves fulfillment by exercising power. Whether we wield this power ourselves or...
Unless the Lord Builds the House
Entitlement is the most destructive force on earth and no person, group or ideology is exempt from its barbaric cruelty. Students demand the “right” not to be offended...
Preaching With Authority
When we criticize others on the basis of personal experience or opinion, this criticism exposes our blindness to the truth of our own sins. In Mark, whether they reali...
Read the Signs
Everybody sees signs. I'm not talking about street signs. I mean the things we see in life. We look at a withering tree, a flock of birds, or we experience something—p...
Nothing But Leaves
Imagine the following. A teacher walks into class to announce the final exam: “If you do well on the test,” she explains, “it is not because of you. You are clueless. ...
The Boss of Me
No one likes being told what to do. We dislike it so much that we have come to idolize rebellion as a moral good. We long for a world without authority, criticism or t...
Blind Trust
In all aspects of life, human beings would rather exercise control than risk placing trust. We treat relationships like business deals, as though marriage, family, com...
Wisdom Bears Repeating
Whether by instinct or experience, our minds construct a subjective model of the world around us in order to ensure our survival. In terms of risk mitigation, this sys...
True Wisdom is Painful
Let me share a few quotes with you: "Nothing is more fallacious than wealth. It is a hostile comrade, a domestic enemy." "Our money belongs to God, no matter how we ...
God is the Possessor
In popular culture, when someone says, “don’t judge” or “who are you to judge,” what they mean is, “how dare you criticize me?” This common adulteration undermines the...
Suffer the Kingdom
The disciples in Mark's gospel struggle to understand the Bible because they refuse to surrender their ideas to it. They approach Jesus with preconceived notions—of Go...
What Does the Law Say?
Much of what passes for religious debate is driven by a desire to be pure or to be right. A lawyer approaches Jesus to make sure he knows how to follow the Law, so tha...
Context, Context, Context!
What is going on when Jesus talks to his disciples about cutting off a hand or a foot or, worse, of plucking out an eye? Too often, readers stumble over these words, i...
Selective Hearing
“Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.” Insofar as Paulo Coelho's quote reflects the truth of human behavior, it also refle...
Jesus, Give Us a Word!
If you want to understand someone, you need only examine their motivations. What does a person want? Why do the crowds in Mark approach Jesus? Most often, they approac...
It's All About Priorities
People like to complain. They complain that they don't have enough time; that it's too difficult to understand; that it's impossible to do; or that something else gets...
Listen to Him
In the Gospel of Mark, the teaching of the Old Testament is the teaching of Jesus. In obedience to his Father, when the Markan Jesus speaks, his words never go beyond...
Who is the King of Glory?
In our culture, great emphasis is placed on the opinion of the individual. We are told that our opinion counts; that our vote matters; and that our personal preference...
Who is Testing Whom?
When students are challenged in the classroom, their first impulse is to avoid being tested by attempting to test the teacher. Is the assignment difficult? There must ...
The Bread of Life
When people use the word “truth” they usually mean a worldview framed by personal experience or established by philosophy. For these ideological systems—whether person...
This People Honors Me With Their Lips
All through Mark's gospel, Jesus instructs those around him not to tell anyone about his miracles. Most dismiss this pattern as the “Messianic Secret,” an attempt by J...
She Has Ears to Hear
People make assumptions about each other based on appearance, personal affiliation or both. A well-dressed person is assumed the better candidate; good taste is mistak...
Do Not Follow Your Heart
A wise person, no matter his or her beliefs, understands that human motivations and desires are naturally selfish. We humans think and act from the shallow perspective...
Call No Man Unclean
Human communities fixate on self-preservation, naturally forming traditions and customs that protect them from outside threats. The problem of protectionism is amplifi...
Neither Snow, Nor Rain, Nor Heat, Nor Gloom of Night
According to the website of the US Postal Service, their motto, “chiseled in gray granite over the entrance to the New York City Post Office on 8th Avenue,” comes from...
The Voice of the Shepherd
When studying biblical literature, it's easy to fall into the trap of attempting to lock down the meaning of the Bible's characters and symbols. For example, students ...
It's Your Move, Herod
“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” These...
It's Not About the Teacher
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus repeatedly emphasizes the will of his Father in Deuteronomy, that any prophet or worker of miracles who seduces people from “the way (ὁδός...