No Experts Allowed

Mark 10:46-52

A blind beggar named Bartimaeus yells loudly to get Jesus' attention. Jesus stops to heal his eyesight, causing the man to follow Jesus. The crowd, however, was less welcoming to Bartimaeus, telling him to "shush." Jonathan and Seth talk about who they connect with in the text. They also discuss how society ordinarily treats beggars at a roadside. They talk about the connections between this text and last week's (which immediately precedes it in Mark), but listening to last week's episode is not required.

This episode debuts a slightly revised format; please let us know your thoughts and leave us a review.

Mark 10:35-45

James and John want to sit at Jesus' right and left hands. After they ask Jesus for this privilege, he radically redefines greatness. The disciples are asking the wrong question at the wrong time. They're, however, not alone. Jonathan and Seth discuss how questions create the opportunity to re-examine what we believe and rebuild. Rethinking happens for Jesus' disciples; it can happens for Jesus-followers two millennia later. They also talk about some resources that significantly shaped their theologies and the importance of "deconstructing" with others.

Jonathan mentions the book When Momma Speaks: The Bible and Motherhood from a Womanist Perspective, which is available here.

Hebrews 4:12-16

The writer of Hebrews makes many connections and allusions to the Jewish Scriptures and sees Jesus as the culmination of Israel's high priests. If Jesus is the high priest, mediator, and Word of God, where does that leave the Bible? Jonathan and Seth tackle this question head-on. Seth talks about Luther; Jonathan about the topic at hand. They also discuss how to interpret the Bible and how their thinking shapes this very podcast.

They give a shout-out to The Inverse Podcast hosted by Jarrod McKenna and Drew Hart, who recently interviewed Dr. Wilda Gafney about a similar topic. You can find that episode here.

Job 1:1; 2:1-10

A modern proverb claims that college students can either sleep, receive good grades, or have a social life but can only pick two. In Job, one can either believe in a retributive God, Job's righteousness, or Job's suffering, but can only pick two. This episode roughly outlines Job, as does the Revised Common Lectionary over the next 4 weeks. Jonathan and Seth discuss the role of the Adversary, Job's wife, and pain's complexities. They end equally as confused as Job, a biblically supported place to be.

Esther 7:1-10

In Esther, the king signs an edict so that on the 13th day of Adar, Jews throughout Persia would be killed. Esther's bravery prevents this from happening, the Jews are allowed to fight back, and the orchestrator of the massacre dies instead. Thus, the book presents the origin of the Jewish festival of Purim. Jonathan and Seth cover the story in more detail since this is the podcast's first dive into Esther. They also discuss how people commemorate anxiety-inducing experiences (or worse) and how they later reshape that story.

Mark 9:30-37

Of the Gospels, Mark casts the disciples in the poorest light. In this week's passage, for instance, they argue about who is the greatest. When Jesus asks them what they're talking about, "they kept quiet" (9:34). This silence allows Jesus to speak about what accounts for greatness, welcoming little children, and the inclusive character of the kin-dom. Jonathan and Seth discuss first-century views on children compared to today and how welcoming a child would have been radically countercultural in a world that necessitated productivity to ensure survival.

James 3:1-12

Using a series of analogies, James notes the relatively small tongue has oversized power. One's tongue can utter evil one moment and seemingly praise God in the next (3:9-10). Like the tongue, however, the good and the bad are entangled when people speak truth that is difficult to hear. Jonathan and Seth consider how uncomfortable truths can be difficult to receive and may also be liberating. Some uncomfortable truths even illuminate what one has been worshiping and reorient one to God. Despite the tongue's power, God's relentless love can overcome the harshest human speech.

Mark 7:24-29

Perhaps more than any other gospel story, Jesus' encounter in Mark with the Syrophoenician woman paints Jesus in a poor light. In a surface-level reading, Jesus appears to compare the woman and Gentiles to dogs. Her sassy retort that "even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs" (7:28) appears to change Jesus' opinion of her so that he heals her daughter. Scholars have debated this text, and Jonathan and Seth discuss some of the proposed interpretation options.  One option sees the woman as a theologian who understands who Jesus is and what Jesus can do, which leads to a conversation about who does theology and who is excluded as if they were a Gentile of Syrophoenician origin.

James 1:17-27

Martin Luther's distaste for James neither prevents the lectionary from including it nor Jonathan and Seth from discussing the book. James has historically received little attention or been disparaged because of its apparent differences with Paul's work. Jonathan and Seth, however, discuss what it looks like to read biblical texts and look for narrative and counter-narratives. The stories are not linear and do not contain one single arc, but evidence various viewpoints that may be compatible and sometimes not. This episode is as much about the art of reading sacred stories as it is about James.

Ephesians 6:10-20

The armor of God may have given strength to latent Jesus-followers. As a ragtag, small, minoritized group, protection would have sounded helpful. The author, however, states that battles fought with God’s armor are not physical ones; conflicts are against unseen enemies. Jonathan and Seth discuss how this can help Christians consider institutions and systems and prevent demonizing individuals.
 
They reference Bibleman, a video series that ran from 1995 through 2010. One may view the humorous armor of God sequence here.