No Experts Allowed

When you look around the world, what do you see? There is so much to see, after all: stunning landscapes, the smiling faces of strangers, friends achieving long-hoped-for goals. There are also painful situations to see: war, community violence, and hunger. What does it look like to really see what's going on in the world, including the pain? What do we do when we want to look away? In John's Gospel, Jesus heals a man born blind (9:6-9:8), but the Pharisees, the religious leaders, are still confused about Jesus' identity; they spend the majority of the passage asking questions about Jesus and the blind man. Jonathan and Seth discuss the way we can be distracted, too, from what we can readily see right in front of us, in our communities, and on the news.

We're glad you're with us! What are you seeing in the news that gives you life right now? It can be difficult to find, but we hope you can see it if you look.

Leaving Egypt, the wandering people cry out to Moses, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" (Exodus 17:3). What does this teach us about leaping from legitimate worries to thinking of the worst possible scenario? And how can Psalm 95 help us return to the problem at hand and also God's presence in our lives despite our worries? What does it look like to have worries and faith? Lent embraces worry while equally embracing stories about what God has done. In this way, it can prepare us for an uncertain future.

We're glad you're with us! We're marching steadily toward the Great Three Days, which encompasses the evening of Maundy Thursday through Easter morning. Have you given anything up for Lent? If so, what and what's your experience been like? We're love to hear about it.

What is a nation? What is the nation of Israel in "Bible Times"™? How is it portrayed in the biblical texts? How is the modern, nation state of Israel connected or not connected to that historical group? This podcast aims to be less than half an hour, so these are obviously large questions to tackle in the time, however, Jonathan and Seth set out to do just that. They look at Genesis 12:2-3:

I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

We hope this episode helps to think more critically about modern day Israel and whether its uncritical support is justified by the the biblical text.

We're glad you're with us! This episode, perhaps more than most, has the best chance to "ruffle some feathers" or upset people. Rather than jumping to conclusions, we hope you'll both listen to the end to hear our entire argument and respond in love, even if you disagree. Stay safe and warm!

Jesus is tested in the wilderness by the devil. Frankly, it strikes me (Seth) as an odd story. The devil rarely appears in the New Testament, especially not in an anthropomorphized way where he speaks and takes someone places. Instead, the New Testament authors often speak of the forces of evil or "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). What are these strange temptations by the devil, then? Jonathan and Seth discuss them as quick fixes to deep-seated problems. That's not only an ancient problem, but one especially relevant in the age of fast shipping, 5G, and streaming services. What does Jesus' refusal to take the quick fix teach us, and how can it help us this Lent?

We're glad you're with us! This episode is released late because I (Seth, again) thought I set it to upload, but did not. I apologize! If you're digging out from the snow, we hope you'll give it a listen. Stay safe and warm!

Jesus, along with Peter, James, and his brother John, is on a mountain. While there, Jesus's clothes become "bright as light," and his face shines with a radiance like the sun's. This text and its setting are often used to talk about "mountain top experiences." Jonathan and Seth discuss how they've heard that term used, their own significant experiences of seemingly being in the divine presence, what it looks like to carry these experiences with us, and why we might be tempted to try to stay on the mountain.

We're glad you're with us. These mountain-top experiences may seem to be opposed to the coming season of Lent; however, their transformation and the call to carry on the practices or put this new knowledge to use are fitting for this Sunday that leads into Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season.

What is the point of fasting? Jonathan and Seth discuss their experiences with fasting, different types of fasts, the potential challenges of fasting, and what "true fasting" looks like according to Isaiah 58:1-9a. In Isaiah's vision, fasting has a social component; it changes how people live, and it also alters the structure of entire societies. It involves liberation, sharing one's resources, and the deep humility that requires personal transformation. It is less about abstaining from food but rather about abstaining from injustice. This seems like a pressing word for today.

We're glad you're with us! If you've listened to our episodes, we hope you know where we stand on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). To be clear, however, we unequivocally oppose ICE, its goal, the murders it's caused, and the terror it strikes in our neighbors. We hope you'll join us in condemning it.

What would a world radically shaped by God's vision look like? How would people behave? What would they prioritize? While the lectionary texts are designed to go together, this Sunday's readings seem particularly linked. This week, Jonathan and Seth read all of them, including the Beatitudes and Micah 6:8, and discuss how they connect. They talk about how they offer a different vision than what we see in the wider world, especially in politics right now. In a reversal of Michelle Obama's statement about going high when they go low, we might think of this episode about living as God's people as: "When they aim for high positions of power, we aim for lowly positions of service, humility, and love."

We're glad you're with us! Jonathan and Seth are snowed in as this episode goes live. If you are, too, we hope you're safe and warm. If your weather is nicer than ours, then we're jealous!

So much of the Bible is poetry. Obviously, the Psalms, but also the vast majority of Job, and the prophets. There are songs like those Moses and Miriam sing in Exodus 15. Paul quotes what might be early Christian hymns in his letters. Is there something peculiar to poetry that makes it the preferred medium for expressing suffering? Is it made for emotion? What can poetry, and writing poetry ourselves, help us to discover about the biblical texts? Jonathan and Seth discuss poetry in this episode. We hope it inspires you to write some of your own, too.

We're glad you're with us! This book did not come up in our conversation, but Robert Alter wrote a well-known book in biblical studies called The Art of Biblical Poetry. I (Seth) would recommend it if this episode really resonates with you. And feel free to email us poems that have stuck with you. We would love to read them.

What's in a name? How did you get your name? And what's in a name like Israel? And what baggage do we bring from our Bible reading to the modern nation-state of Israel? When we see the word Israel, do we conflate the two? Jonathan and Seth discuss how to separate these two identities. This separation (or its conflation) has real repercussions for how we view Israel today.

We're glad you're with us! While this episode talks about one specific name, Israel. We'd love to hear how you got your name or how you named your pet(s). Email us with the story. W'd love to hear from our listeners.

Have you ever had an epiphany? Suddenly, you've realized something that was not obvious before. This is one use of the word "epiphany," but the Church has historically used it more technically: to describe the revelation of Jesus Christ into the world when the magi arrive to see Jesus. They talk a little about the "wise men." But mostly Jonathan and Seth discuss these different uses of the word, why, and how epiphany differs from Christmas, and why it matters.

Epiphany is January 6th, 12 days after Christmas. We transferred it to the following Sunday, however, as some churches do. We're glad you're with us! Feel free to reach out and tell us your epiphanies, whether they're religious or not.