No Experts Allowed

Matthew 25:31-45

Jesus' story of the sheep and the goats continues Matthew's theme of Emmanuel, God-with-us. Jesus is with us in the hungry, thirsty, outcast, naked, sick, and imprisoned. Jonathan and Seth explore how the disarming simplicity of providing food or a drink to someone can complement reforming entire systems.

Psalm 123

Psalms 120-134 are Songs of Ascent, which were sung as pilgrims went up to Jerusalem, which sat on a hill. These Psalms combine praise with poetic descriptions of Israel's past; they describe where the people of Israel are going and where they've been. With Psalm 123 as a guide, Jonathan and Seth discuss the state of the Church and where it needs reform.

Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus’ parable of the 10 bridesmaids cautions us to stay awake and be prepared because “you do not know the day or the hour” (25:13). Jonathan and Seth try to read against the grain while wrestling with the parable in light of God’s love.

Micah 3:5-12

Micah rails against Israel's injustice as the Assyrian army encroaches. He blames the oppression by influential rulers, priests, and prophets for Israel's situation. We discuss the failure of those in power to listen to the needs of people "who [can] put nothing into their mouths" (3:5).

Matthew 22:34-48

When asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus answers with two of them: love God and love your neighbor. Jonathan and Seth discuss how these two commandments are intertwined. They also disagree about which gospel is the greatest.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

In what might be the oldest book in the New Testament, Paul praises the Thessalonians for being models to others in their region. Jonathan and Seth discuss what being a model might look like and how the early, persecuted Jesus-followers differ from the contemporary Church.

Philippians 4:1-9

Paul writes to the Philippians from prison; the letter-carrier, Epaphroditus, almost dies during his journey (Phil. 2:25-30). Yet Paul's letter is characterized by joy. Jonathan and Seth discuss what rejoicing in the Lord looks like and how admonitions to "Rejoice!" land differently depending on the position of the sender and recipient.

Exodus 23:10-13

Jonathan and Seth welcome their longtime friend, Jared Lorraine, to the podcast. We discuss how the Sabbath disconnects what people produce from their value and how rest relates to equity and justice.

Our discussion briefly comments on the book Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now by Walter Brueggemann, which is available from an independent bookseller here: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780664263294

Numbers 27:12-14

Just after this short section, Joshua is appointed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land instead of Moses. Jonathan and Seth talk about preparing for one's successors and having bifocal-like vision that sees both immediate and long-term goals.

Matthew 19:23-30

When we hear Jesus say, "it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom," we may be stunned like his disciples. Many interpreters try to make this message more palatable, but it is clear that the disciples have given up everything to follow him. Jonathan and Seth discuss what it looks like to take Jesus' admonition to heart today and how difficult that is.