After Jesus' birth, Torah required that his family take him to the Temple in Jerusalem. They get more than they bargained for, as they suddenly find themselves connecting deeply with Israel's prophetic past. How does Jesus fit within those ancient traditions? Tune in to find out.

Now we get to Jesus' birth, but there is more going on than meets the eye. Jesus is born in an insignificant part of the Roman Empire under the rule of Caesar Augustus, and as its turns out, Luke commits treason by writing about Jesus' birth. Listen in to see how Jesus is the reality of which Caesar Augustus is the parody.…

Since the announcements of the births of John and Jesus are told in parallel, it makes sense that their birth narratives would do the same. We also get two songs, one from Mary and one from Zechariah, both foreshadowing things to come. At the end of this episode the stage is set for Jesus' birth, where all hell breaks loose. Except, it's the exact opposite: Heaven reinvades Earth.…

In this episode, we explore the parallels between the announcements of Jesus' and John's births while also noticing the polarities. Mary is young, wise, and humble, while Elizabeth is old and Zechariah doubts. Between the two children-to-be, we begin to move toward the big event: the birth of the Savior. However, things are never quite as they seem.…

Digging in to the Gospel of Luke. Who is Theophilus?

Jesus tells us a parable about workers in a vineyard. Simple enough. But it turns out that we find almost the exact same parable told by a Rabbi…with the exact opposite meaning. What is Jesus doing here?

We occasionally talk about the “Mark of the Beast” as some kind of impending destruction for Christians today. The reality is that the mark meant some of the earliest Christians had some impossibly tough choices to make about who they were and how they were going to interact in a hostile environment. With that in mind, it is important to ask: Where do we fit into this complicated issue?…

On the surface, this story seems to follow the typical “Jesus beats Satan” plot. But Mark gives us a very important detail which tells us that the story isn’t entirely about the story. Listen in to find out what that detail is, and what it meant for the early Christians.

On the surface, this story seems to follow the typical “Jesus beats Satan” plot. But Mark gives us a very important detail which tells us that the story isn’t entirely about the story. Listen in to find out what that detail is, and what it meant for the early Christians.

The people from Jesus’ home town miss out on so much because they couldn’t see past the ordinary. What do we miss for the same reason?

Jesus going into the city: it involves donkeys, cloaks, and a whole lot of history. This time, both the Old Testament and Roman propaganda collide, and we get to see Jesus as King and as one whose heart is broken…

Lepers and Samaritans – When Jesus encounters these types of people, the stories explode with meaning. Listen in to see how Luke weaves these together…

A disciple wants to follow Jesus, so he comes up to him and says, “First, let me go bury my father.” Jesus’ response has always bugged me: “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” Frankly, it sounds like Jesus is being rude. What could that possibly mean? As it turns out, Jesus could be making a snarky remark about burial practices, and a whole lot more. Tune in to Relevant Jesus to find out how deep this rabbit hole goes……

The temptations of Jesus takes us back through the history of the God’s people, where Jesus demonstrates his deep, intimate connection with the narrative of the Old Testament. When Jesus and Satan quote the Torah against each other, they are doing more than quoting rules - there are stories behind these rules that dramatically shape what Jesus is doing, leading up to the realization that he is, in fact, the Messiah. That, and I tell a few bad jokes during the show. Really. They’re terrible.…

Luke and his peculiar list of countries in the second chapter of Acts…. Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, weaves through his writing some ideas and themes that are easy for us to miss in the 21st century. The funny thing is that they seem innocent, making the Christian movement appear like a harmless group of people wanting to love everyone. I say this is “funny” because they aren’t innocent; they’re dangerous. Not violently, of course, nor are they revolutionary in that obnoxious “take back the country/empire for Jesus” mentality. Instead, Luke sets up an ideological war with an Empire that announced “tidings of great joy” because they saw themselves as the ones to establish peace on Earth. And that’s just the beginning……

This belongs to that.

What did Jesus really mean when he said to "turn the other cheek"?

The parable of the Good Samaritan is discussed.

The story of Jesus and Zacchaeus.