Podcasts about Pharisees

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-e36c33ac2dcab907939eb5a05a8d3503{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-e36c33ac2dcab907939eb5a05a8d3503 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-e36c33ac2dcab907939eb5a05a8d3503 .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 03 – February 18Luke 7:18-35 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – February 18 Luke 7:18-35 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0218db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Luke 7 John the Baptist and Christ 18 John's disciples told him about all these things. 19 Calling two of his disciples to him, he sent them to Jesus [1] to ask, “Are you the one who was to come or should we look for someone else?” 20 When the men had arrived, they said to Jesus, “John the Baptist sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the one who was to come or should we look for someone else?'” 21 At that time Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits. And he gave many blind people the ability to see. 22 Jesus answered them, “Go, tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 23 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me.” 24 After John's messengers had left, Jesus began to talk to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 No. Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Yet those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' [2] 28 “Yes, I tell you, [3] among those born of women there is no prophet [4] greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 When all the people (including the tax collectors) heard this, they declared that God was just, since they were baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and the legal experts rejected God's purpose for themselves by not being baptized by him. 31 “To what then will I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not weep.' 33 For John the Baptist has come without eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 Yet wisdom is declared right by all her children.” Footnotes Luke 7:19 Some witnesses to the text read the Lord. Luke 7:27 Malachi 3:1 Luke 7:28 Some witnesses to the text read I tell you the truth. Luke 7:28 Some witnesses to the text read no one. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

Cory Morgan (Pastor of Modern Worship & Young Adults), "At All Costs", Modern Worship Praise Team (11:15Service).       17.  On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.  18.  And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus,  19.  but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.  20.  And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”  21.  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  22.  When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23.  Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, ‘Rise and walk'?   24.  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”  25.  And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.  26.  And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”       (Luke 6:17-26 ESV)To view the video version of the Modern Worship Service please click on the following link:   https://youtu.be/lHmBTWCKvRQ(The audio version of the Modern Worship Service will most likely have to be stopped from playing or else it will be heard as well as the audio track of the video version.)

"The Unpardonable Sin" (Matthew 12:22-32) In this episode of the McGregor Podcast, Omar unpacks the "unpardonable sin" from Matthew 12:22-32, focusing on Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees and their rejection of the Holy Spirit's work. He clarifies that blasphemy against the Spirit is a willful, enduring, and unrepentant denial of God's grace, not just a momentary doubt or mistake. Omar encourages listeners that true repentance always leads to forgiveness in Christ, bringing reassurance to believers. He also challenges parents to actively teach their children to love Jesus and reject spiritual neutrality. The episode ends with an invitation for anyone far from God to embrace His grace while the opportunity remains. Sermon Notes February 15, 2026 Omar Edwards • Elder   Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026 Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com

Friends of the Rosary,Today, the Church honors the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order in an Optional Memorial. There were seven noble Florentines in Italy who, in the thirteenth century (1240), banded together to found the Order of Servites of the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially dedicated to penance and the preaching of the seven sorrows of our Lady in the passion of our Savior.Our Lord Jesus warned his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. Christ wants all the baptized to be the transforming leaven in the secular world by carrying their holiness.The faithful have all received the universal call to holiness. It means to give rise to a new way of ordering things.  A new way born of love for God and love for neighbor.But this never happens overnight. It starts in small ways, when people begin living according to the Lord's teachings. “And then, in God's time, this new community begins to have a leavening effect on the wider society,” says Bishop Barron.Today is also the day before Ash Wednesday, called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, and it is a traditional feast honoring the Holy Face of Jesus.Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• February 17, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

What is the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you notice that the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod has, in some aspect, made its way into your soul? How would Jesus respond to those in your own circumstances? Could it happen that over-focusing on something you feel at fault about could make you miss other important lessons that Jesus wants to convey to you?

When you're tempted to panic, stop looking at the waves and start counting your "baskets" of past provision, because the God who was faithful then will be faithful again.#FULLTANKwithBroBo​ #FULLTANKwithBroBo2026​ #BoSanchez​ #TrustInTheStorm​ #CountYourBaskets​ #FaithInAction​ #Mark8​ #GodsProvision​ #SpiritualMaturity​ #TrulyRichMindset​ #Miracles​ #DontGiveUp​--- PS. Are You A Parent? Are you thinking about Homeschooling for your kids? My wife and I have homeschooled our two boys. Looking back, it's one of the BEST decisions we've ever made. It gave us the space to pass on our values. It also gave them space to explore their passions and interests. If you want to know more about homeschooling and to find out if it is for your kids, check out this link: www.facebook.com/CFAHomeschool or cfa.edu.phSupport this podcast. Help me reach others by supporting this podcast.To support my mission work, click this link now! http://BuyMeACoffee.com/brotherbosanchez

Series - The Parables of Jesus: Stories That Shape the Kingdom Heart - Pastor Russ Atter

Cory Morgan (Pastor of Modern Worship & Young Adults), "At All Costs", Orchestra, Choir, Blended Worship Praise Team (8:45 Service).   17.  On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.  18.  And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus,  19.  but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.  20.  And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”  21.  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  22.  When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23.  Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, ‘Rise and walk'?   24.  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”  25.  And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.  26.  And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”       (Luke 6:17-26 ESV)To view a video version of the Blended Worship Service please click on the following link:    https://youtu.be/rnAcI8KT-oU(The audio version of the Blended Worship Service will most likely have to be stopped from playing or else it will be heard as well as the audio track of the video version.)

Read OnlineThe disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Mark 8:14–15Jesus and the disciples frequently traveled by boat, visiting many towns and villages along the Sea of Galilee. After a fruitful visit to the Gentile territory of the Decapolis, Jesus and His disciples crossed to Dalmanutha. Upon disembarking, some Pharisees, who had likely heard of His miraculous feeding of the 4,000, demanded a sign from Him. Jesus, deeply grieved by their lack of faith, sighed from the depths of His spirit, refused their request, and departed again by boat. It was during this boat ride that today's Gospel took place.Jesus' holy sorrow over the Pharisees' hardness of heart deeply affected Him. His grief was not one of self-pity over their rejection of Him but stemmed from His divine compassion. He felt the weight of their lack of faith and their refusal to embrace the truth of God's love. It was this profound sorrow that prompted Jesus to caution His disciples, saying, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”“Leaven,” in this context, symbolizes a hidden yet pervasive influence that governed both the Pharisees and Herod. Just as a small amount of yeast permeates an entire batch of dough, causing it to rise, so too the destructive influence of the Pharisees and Herod spread through their actions and teachings, corrupting others. With His sorrowful encounter with the Pharisees fresh in mind, Jesus used the moment to warn His disciples not to allow such corrupting influences to take root in their own hearts.The Pharisees' hidden, pervasive, and destructive quality lay in their excessive focus on external observances of the Law and the traditions derived from it. Their rigid legalism blinded them to the true meaning of God's Law—mercy and the inner disposition of the heart—leading to their own spiritual ruin and to the misleading of others.Herod's “leaven” likely refers to a worldly mindset characterized by a relentless pursuit of power, wealth, and pleasure. Herod chose the fleeting allure of worldly things over God's eternal truths. Herod's pride and destructive behavior epitomize this mindset, which ultimately led him to have John the Baptist executed for courageously speaking the truth about Herod's adulterous relationship with his brother's wife, Herodias.Jesus' admonition to His disciples on the boat is not only a condemnation of the Pharisees' and Herod's sins but a warning about the influence such pervasive sins can have on them. Likewise, just as Jesus cautioned His disciples, so too does He caution us today: “Watch out” and “guard against” the influences that do not arise from God's saving Truth. In our world, it is essential to recognize how pervasive societal ideologies and moralities can subtly shape our thoughts and actions. By remaining vigilant and rooted in Christ, we must discern and reject the leaven of worldliness, hypocrisy, and pride, allowing God's divine light to guide our lives.Reflect today on the influences that shape your life. Do you spend countless hours on social media, browsing the Internet, or watching television? If so, take a moment to consider the hidden yet pervasive effects of the content you consume and discern if it is subtly leading you astray. The only true remedy against such worldly influences is found in prayer and the Word of God. The Gospel must permeate our minds and hearts, acting as leaven to transform us from within. This divine leaven is nourished through prayer, the Sacraments, and an ongoing commitment to the Gospel. Heed Jesus' warning, spoken to His disciples but intended for every generation: Remain vigilant. Guard your heart and mind, ensuring they are firmly rooted in God's saving grace. My grieving Lord, Your heart was filled with holy sorrow over the sins of the Pharisees and Herod, especially as You witnessed the harmful influence they had on others. Please grant me the gift of spiritual insight, so that I may recognize the influences that shape my thoughts and actions. May Your Word and Your Truth alone guide me, and may I become a witness to that Truth, serving as a holy influence for others. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

https://rumble.com/embed/v73nuoq/?pub=84ufd Today’s Topics: Father Robert Elias joins Terry 1) Gospel – Mark 8:11-13 – The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from Him a sign from heaven to test Him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then He left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore. Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2, 3, 4) Terry and Father Robert discuss the Blessed Mother’s role in the economy of salvation

In a theological landscape that often softens sin into "brokenness," Episode 480 re-establishes the biblical category of sin as debt. Jesse Schwamb takes us into the house of Simon the Pharisee to analyze the Parable of the Two Debtors. The central argument is forensic: sin creates an objective liability against God's justice that no amount of human currency—tears, works, or religious heritage—can satisfy. We explore the critical distinction between the cause of justification (God's free grace) and the evidence of justification (love and repentance). This episode dismantles the self-righteous math of the Pharisee and points us to the only currency God accepts: the finished work of Christ. Key Takeaways Sin is Objective Debt: Sin is not merely a relational slight; it is a quantifiable liability on God's ledger that demands clearing. Universal Insolvency: Whether you owe 50 denarii (the moralist) or 500 denarii (the open sinner), the result is the same: total inability to pay. God Names the Claim: The debtor does not get to negotiate the terms of repayment; only the Creditor determines the acceptable currency. Love is Fruit, Not Root: The sinful woman's love was the evidence that she had been forgiven, not the payment to purchase forgiveness. The Danger of Horizontal Math: Simon's error was comparing his debt to the woman's, rather than comparing his assets to God's standard. Justification by Grace: Forgiveness is a free cancellation of the debt, based entirely on the benevolence of the Moneylender (God). Key Concepts The Definition of Money and Grace To understand Luke 7, we must understand money. Money is a system of credit accounts and their clearing. When we apply this to theology, we realize that "religious effort" is a currency that God does not accept. We are like travelers trying to pay a US debt with Zimbabwean dollars. The Gospel is the news that Christ has entered the market with the only currency that satisfies the Father—His own righteousness—and has cleared the accounts of those who are spiritually bankrupt. The Pharisee's Calculation Error Simon the Pharisee wasn't condemned because he wasn't a sinner; he was condemned because he thought his debt was manageable. He believed he had "surplus righteousness." This is the deadly error of legalism. By assuming he owed little, he loved little. He treated Jesus as a guest to be evaluated rather than a Savior to be worshipped. A low view of our own sin inevitably leads to a low view of Christ's glory. Evangelical Obedience The woman in the passage demonstrates what Reformed theologians call "evangelical obedience"—obedience that flows from faith and gratitude, not from a desire to earn merit. Her tears did not wash away her sins; the blood of Christ did that. Her tears were the overflow of a heart that realized the mortgage had been burned. We must never confuse the fruit of salvation with the root of salvation. Quotes Tears don't cancel the ledger. Christ does that. Tears are what debtors do when Mercy lands. Grace received produces love expressed. A creditor doesn't need to be convinced you did harm. The ledger already stands. Transcript [00:01:10] Welcome to The Reformed Brotherhood + Teasing the Parable [00:01:10] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 480 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse, and this is the podcast for those with ears to hear. Hey, brothers and sisters, how great is it that we have these incredible teachings of Jesus? Can we talk about that for a second? Tony and I have loved hanging out in these parables with you all, and Tony will be back next week. Don't you worry. But in the meantime, I've got another parable for us to consider, and I figured we would just get. Straight to the points, but I have to let you in in a little secret first, and that is not even Tony knows until he hears this, which parable I've selected for us to chat about. And I knew that there might come a time where I would be able to sneak in with this parable because I love. This parable, and I love it because it's so beautiful in communicating the full breadth and scope of the gospel of God's grace and his mercy for all of his children. And it just makes sense to me, and part of the reason why it makes so much sense to me is. The topic which is embedded in this is something that more or less I've kind of built my career around, and so it just resonates with me. It makes complete sense. I understand it inside and out. I feel a connection to what Jesus is saying here very predominantly because the topic at hand means so much to me, and I've seen it play out in the world over and over and over again. So if that wasn't enough buildup and you're not ready, I have no idea what will get you prepared, but we're going to go hang out in Luke chapter seven, and before I even give you a hint as to what this amazing, the really brief parable is, it does take a little bit of setup, but rather than me doing the setup. What do you say if we just go to the scriptures? Let's just let God's word set up the environment in which this parable is gonna unfold. And like a good movie or a good narrative, even as you hear this, you might be pulled in the direction of the topic that you know is coming. And so I say to you, wait for it. Wait for it is coming.  [00:03:20] Luke 7 Setup: Simon's Dinner & the "Sinful Woman" Arrives [00:03:20] Jesse Schwamb: So this is Luke's book, his gospel chapter seven, beginning in verse 36. Now one of the Pharisees was asking Jesus to eat with him, and Jesus entered the Pharisees house and reclined at the table. And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner, and when she learned that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisees house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. And standing behind him at his feet crying. She began to wet his feet with her tears, and she kept wiping them with her hair over her head and kissing his feet and anointing them with perfume. Now, in the Pharisee, who had invited him, saw this, he said to himself saying, if this man were, he would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching him, that she is a sinner. Let's stop there for a second. So this incredible dinner party that Jesus attends and here is this woman. Well, all we're told is that she's a woman who's identified as a sinner. Clearly moved by the presence of Jesus clearly wanting to worship him in a very particular way. By the way, loved ones. Can we address the fact that this goes back to something Tony and I have been talking about, I dunno, for like seven episodes now, which is coming outta Luke chapter 15. This idea that sinners, the marginalized, the outcasts, the down and out, they were drawn to Jesus. Something about him, his presence, the power of his teaching drew them in, but in a way that invited vulnerability, this kind of overwhelming response to who he was. And what his mission was. And so here maybe is like any other occurrence that happened in Jesus' day, maybe like a million other accounts that are not recorded in the scriptures. But here's one for us to appreciate that. Here's this woman coming, and her response is to weep before him, and then with these tears, to use them to wash his feet and to anoint him with this precious perfume. Now, there's a lot of people at this dinner party. At least we're led to believe. There's many, and there's one Pharisee in particular whose home this was. It was Simon. And so out of this particular little vignette, there's so much we could probably talk about. But of course what we see here is that the Pharisee who invited him, Simon, he sees this going on. He does not address it verbally, but he has his own opinions, he's got thoughts and he's thinking them. And so out of all of that, then there's a pause. And I, I would imagine that if we were to find ourselves in that situation, maybe we'd be feeling the tension of this. It would be awkward, I think. And so here we have Jesus coming in and giving them this account, this parable, and I wanna read the parable in its entirety. It's very, very short, but it gives us a full sense of both. Like what's happening here? It's both what's happening, what's not happening, what's being. Presented plain for us to see what's below the surface that Jesus is going to reveal, which is both a reflection on Simon and a reflection on us as well. [00:06:18] The Two Debtors Parable (Read in Full) [00:06:18] Jesse Schwamb: So picking up in, in verse 40, and Jesus answered and said to him, Simon, I owe something to say to you. And he replied, say it, teacher a money lender had two debtors, one owned 500 in RI and the other 50. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more? Simon answered and said, I suppose the one who he graciously forgave more, and he said to him, you have judged correctly and turning toward the woman. He said to Simon, do you see this woman? I entered your house? You gave me no water from my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume. For this reason, I say to you her sins, which are many have been forgiven for. She loved much, but he who is forgiven, little loves little. Then he said to her, your sins have been forgiven, and those were reclining at the table. With him began to say to themselves, who is this man who even forgives sins? And he said to the woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.  [00:07:42] What This Scene Teaches: Sin, Forgiveness, Love as Fruit [00:07:42] Jesse Schwamb: What a beautiful, tiny, deep, amazing instruction from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So in this just short 10 verses here, it's we're sitting inside. This dinner at Simon, the Pharisees house, and a woman known publicly only as a sinner, has shown some striking love toward Jesus, and Jesus explains her actions. Then through this mini parable of debt, two debtors, one creditor, neither can pay. Both are freely forgiven. Love flows. Then from that forgiveness. And so there's a lot within the reform theological spectrum here that helps us to really understand. I think the essential principles of what's going on here, and I just wanna hit on some of those and chat with you about those and hopefully encourage you in those as I'm trying to encourage myself. First, we get some sense about what sin really is like. We get a sense of the inability to cope with sin. We get the free forgiveness that's grounded in Christ, in Christ alone, and we get this idea of love and repentance as the fruit or the evidence, not the cause of justification. Now to set this whole thing up. [00:08:50] Why Talk About Money? Defining Money as Credit & Clearing [00:08:50] Jesse Schwamb: I do think it's so important for us to talk about money for a second, not money, like we're gonna have a budget talk, not what you spend on groceries or your vacation, not even what you do in terms of planning for your retirement or what you give to the church in way of tithe than offering none of that. I'm actually more interested to talk to you about money itself. One of the things I love to ask people. Especially when I was teaching students in money and finance is the question, what is money? And I bet you if you and I were hanging out across the kitchen table and I asked you, what is money? I'm guessing you would go in one or two directions. Either you would gimme examples of money, types of money. You might talk about the US dollar or the Zimbabwean dollar, or the Euro or the Yuan. That would be correct in a way, but really that's just symptomatic of money because that's just an example or a type of some money that you might use. And of course those definitions are not ubiquitous because if I take my US dollars and I go travel to see our Scott brothers and sisters, more than likely that money. That currency, those dollars will not be accepted in kind. There'd have to be some kind of translation because they're not acceptable in that parts of the world. That's true of most types of money. Or you might go to talking about precious metals and the price of gold or silver and how somehow these seem to be above and beyond the different types of currency or paper, currency in our communities and around our world. And of course, you'd be right as an example of a type of money, but. Gold itself, if you press on it, is not just money, it's describing as some kind of definition of what money is. The second direction you might take is you might describe for me all the things that money is like its attributes. Well, it must be accepted generally as a form of currency. It might must be used to discharge debt or to pay taxes, or it must have a store of value and be able to be used as a medium of exchange. And you would be correct about all of those things as well because. Probably, whether you know it or not, you're an expert in money because you have to use it in some way to transact in this lifetime. But even those are again, just attributes. It's not what money is in its essential first principle. So this is not like an economics lecture, I promise, but I think it is something that Jesus is actually truly drawing us to, and that is the best definition of money I can give, is money is a system of credit accounts and their clearing. It's a whole system of credit accounts and their clearing. So think of it like this, every time you need something from somebody else. Anytime you wanna buy something or you wanna sell something, what's happening there is somebody is creating a claim. So let's say that I go to the grocery store and I fill up the cart with all kinds of fruits and vegetables and meats, and I'm at the counter to check out. What I've just done is said that I have all of these things I would like to take from the grocery store, and now the grocery store has some kind of claim because they're handing them over to me and I need a way to settle that claim. And the way that I settle that claim is using money. It is the method that allows us to settle those transactions. And in my particular instance, it's going to be the US dollar, or maybe it's just ones and zeros electronically, of course representing US dollars. But in this case, the way I settle it is with money and a particular type of money. But, and I want you to keep this in mind 'cause we're gonna come back to it. This is my whole setup for this whole thing. The reason why this is important is because you have to have the type of money. That will settle the debt or settle the creditor. You have to have the thing itself that the creditor demands so that you can be a hundred percent released from the claim that they have on you. If you do not have exactly a. The type of money that they desire, then the debt will not be released. The creditor will not be satisfied. You will not go free, and that it's so critically important.  [00:12:52] Sin as Objective Debt: God Names the Claim [00:12:52] Jesse Schwamb: I think it's just like this really plain backdrop to what's happening here When Jesus addresses Simon with this whole parable. So he starts this whole idea by saying to Simon that he is something to say to him, which I think in a way is profound anyway, because Simon invites him to speak. But Jesus here is taking the initiative. Simon is the host. He socially, as it were, above this sinful woman. But Jesus becomes the true examiner of the heart in this parable. What we have is. Christ's word interrupts self-justifying narratives, and clearly there was a self-justifying narrative going on in Simon's head. We know this because we're privy to his thoughts in the text here. The gospel does not wait here for the Pharisee to figure it out, the gospel lovingly correct. Always goes in, always initiates, always intervenes as Christ intercedes. And here, before any accounting happens, Jesus sets the terms. God is the one who names the debt, not the debtor. And this really is probably the beating hearts, the center of gravity of this whole exchange. I love that Jesus goes to this parable. Of a money lender, a money lender who had two debtors, one owned, 500, one owned 50. Now of course, I would argue that really, you can put this in any currency, you can translate into modern terms, you can adjust it for inflation. It doesn't really matter. What we have here is one relatively small debt, another debt 10 times the size. So one small, one large, and that's the juxtaposition. That's the whole setup here. And I would submit to you something super important that Jesus does here, which flies in the face of a lot of kind of just general wishy-washy evangelicalism that teaches us somehow that sin is just not doing it quite right, or is just a little brokenness, or is just in some way just slightly suboptimal or missing the mark. It is those things, but it is not the entirety of those things because what's clear here is that Jesus frames sin as debt. In other words, it's an objective liability. A liability is just simply something of value that you owe to somebody else. And I am going to presume that almost everybody within an earshot of my voice here all over the world has at some point incurred debt. And I think there's, there's lots of great and productive reasons to incur debt. Debt itself is not pejorative. That would be a whole nother podcast. We could talk about. Maybe Tony and I sometime, but. What is true is that debt is an objective liability. The amounts differ, but both are genuinely in the red here. And what's critical about this is that because debt is this objective reality, whenever you enter into an arrangement of debt, let's say that you borrow some money to purchase a car or home or simply to make some kind of purchase in your life, that's unsecured debt. In all of those cases, the. The one lending you the money, the creditor now has a claim on you. What's important to understand here is that this kind of thing changes it. It provides way more color and contrast to really the effects of what sin is and what sin does in its natural accountability. And so in this way we have this nuance that there are differences in outward sin and its social consequences. That is for sure that's how life works, but all sin is ultimately against God and makes us debtors to divine justice. That is now God has a claim against us. And this shouldn't make sense because unless we are able to satisfy that claim, all have that claim against them all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And as a result of this, it's not just that we somehow have lived a way that is just slightly off the mark and suboptimal, but instead that we've heaped up or accumulated for ourselves an objective liability, which is truly. Owed to God and because it is truly owed him, he's the one who can only truly satisfy it. This is why the scripture speak of God as being both just and justifier. That is a just creditor ensures that the debt is paid before it is released, and the one who is justifier is the one who pays that debt to ensure it will be released. God does both of these things through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Praise be to his name. So here we have a really true understanding. Of what sin is. There's no mincing of words here. There's a ubiquity in all of our worlds about money lending and borrowing, and Christ leans into that heavily. We know for a fact that the ancient Mesopotamians learned how to calculate interests before they figured out to put wheels on car. And so this idea of lending and borrowing and indebtedness, this whole concept has an ancient pedigree, and Jesus leans into this. And so we have this really lovely and timeless example of drawing in the spiritual state into the very physical or financial state to help us understand truly what it means when we incur sin. Sin is not easily discharged, and just like debt, it stands over us, has a claim on us, and we need somebody to satisfy that claim on our behalf. By the way, this gets me back to this reoccurring theme of we need the right currency, we need the right money, as it were to satisfy this debt only that which is acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Our Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit is what will be acceptable in payment in full for this kind of debt. And so that's again, this whole setup, it's the spiritual realm being immediately kind of dragged into this corporal reality of the balance sheet, assets and liabilities, things of value that we owe to someone else. [00:18:50] Unable to Repay: Free Cancellation, Justification by Grace [00:18:50] Jesse Schwamb: Notice in Luke verse 42, that the reason why it's important to understand the full ferocity, the ferocious of sin and the weight of the debt that it incurs upon us, is that it cannot be repaid no matter what. So look at both of these borrowers. Neither could repay. Neither could repay. So think about that for a second. It doesn't even matter how much they owed. Both were way beyond their ability. It's not merely they didn't want to, but they didn't have the resources in the spiritual state. In other words, there was no surplus righteousness to pay God back and the creditor's action here is free cancellation grace, not a negotiated settlement, but free cancellation. So whether it was 50 or 500, it was irrelevant to the fact that these borrowers just like you and I, have nothing within our means, our wherewithal to actually satisfy the this cosmic debt that we have rightfully incurred against God. And so you should be hearing this align so closely with justification By Grace, God doesn't forgive because we eventually scraped together payment. He forgives because he's gracious and in the full biblical picture because Christ pays and bears that penalty. So this isn't, we have somehow, as you've heard, sometimes in kinda very again, wishy-washy, evangelical ways that we've somehow come forward at the right time. To receive from God some kind of gift or that we've somehow elevated ourself to the place of the deserving poor, or that we come with our own extended arms, empty, but outstretched so that we might receive something from God, in part because we make ourselves present before him, not loved ones. It's far better than that. It's not being able to pay and Christ saying, come and buy. Not being able to put food on the table and him saying, come and eat. It's him saying, you who are thirsty, come and drink from the fountain of life freely and unreservedly. Not because you have some way deserved it, because in fact you desperately do not. And because God has made a way in Christ a way that we could not make for ourselves, he's paid a debt that we just could not repay. It doesn't matter what it is that you think is outstanding against you. The fact of the matter is you cannot repay it. And so of course, that's why Paul writes in Ephesians, it's by grace through faith and not by works that you've been set free in the love of the Kingdom of Christ, that all of these things have been given to you by God because he loves you and because he's made a way for you. You may remember that when Tony and I spent some time in the Lord's Prayer. That we really settled, we sunk down into what we thought was the best translation of that portion where we come to forgiving debts and forgiving debtors, and we settled on that one because we feel it's the most accurate representation of the actual language there in the text. But two, because that language also comports with all this other teaching of Jesus, this teaching that. Emphasizes the debt nature of sin, and that when we think about the fact that we in fact have a giant loan or a lease or an outstanding obligation, something that has been that our souls ourselves in a way have been mortgaged. And we need a freedom that breaks that mortgage, that wants to take that paper and to satisfy the payment and then to throw it into the fire so that it's gone and no more upon us. That because of all of that, it's appropriate for us to pray that we be forgiven our debts, and that, that we, when we understand that there's been a great debt upon us, that we are willing to look at others and forgive our debtors as well. And so you'll see that in, I'd say it looks like verse 43 here, Simon answers. Jesus question appropriately. Jesus basically pegs him with this very simple, straightforward, and probably really only one answer question, which is, which one do you think loved the creditor more? Which of these borrowers was more ecstatic, which appreciated what had been done more? And of course he says, well, the one with the larger debt, that that seems absolutely obvious. And Jesus essentially here gets Simon to pronounce judgment and then turns that judgment into a mirror. This is brilliantly what Jesus often does with these parables, and to be honest, loved ones. I think he still is doing that today with us. Even those of us who are familiar with these parables, they're always being turned into a mirror so that when we look into the, the text we see ourselves, but like maybe whatever the opposite of like the picture of the Dorian Gray is like, well, maybe it's the same as the picture. You know, this idea that we're seeing the ugliness of ourselves in the beauty of Christ as he's presenting the gospel in this passage. And the issue of course here is not whether you and I or Simon can do math. It's whether Simon will accept the implication and you and I as well, that we are a debtor who cannot repay. That. That's just the reality of the situation.  [00:23:44] The Mirror Turns: Simon's Little Love vs Her Overflowing Gratitude [00:23:44] Jesse Schwamb: And so Jesus turns then, and this is remarkable, he turns toward the woman and he compares her actions with Simon's lack of hospitality, speaking to Simon while he stares intently at the woman. I mean, the drama unfolding in this quick small little passage is exceptional. It's extraordinary. And unlike some of the. Other teachings that we've already looked at here, there is something where Jesus is teaching and acting at the same time. That is the scripture is giving us some direct indication of his movements, of his direction, of his attentional focus. And here there's an attentional focus on the woman while he speaks to Simon the Pharisee. And first what we find is Jesus dignifies the woman by addressing Simon about her while looking at her. He makes the sinner central and the respectable man answerable. That's wild. And there's an angle here that still leads us back to debt, which is Simon behaves like someone who thinks that he is little debt. So he offers little love and the woman behaves like someone who knows she's been rescued from insolvency, and so she pours out gratitude. And then there's a whole host, a little list here, a litany of things that Jesus essentially accuses Simon of directly and pulls them back into this proper understanding of the outpouring of affection. That is a fruit of justification exemplified in the woman's behavior. For instance, Simon gave no kiss, and yet here's this woman. She has not stopped kissing Jesus' feet and then wiping her feet, washing his feet with her tears.  [00:25:19] Grace Received, Love Expressed (Not Earned) [00:25:19] Jesse Schwamb: Of course, in that culture, Simon withheld this ordinary honor and the woman lavish is extraordinary affection. You know, we would often call this an reformed theology, evangelical obedience. It's the kind that flows from faith and gratitude, not a plan to earn acceptance. And this is tough for us, loved ones because we want to conflate these two. It's easy to conflate these two, and we're well-meaning sometimes when we do that. But we have to be careful in understanding that there is an appropriate response of loving worship to one who has set you free. While at the same time understanding that that loving worship never should spill over and, and into any kind of self-proclaimed pride or meritorious earning. And this woman apparently does this so exceptionally well that Jesus calls it out, that all of this is flowing from her faith and her gratitude. Jesus says, Simon didn't anoint his head with oil and she anoints his feet with perfume again. Notice some really interesting juxtaposition in terms of the top and the bottom of the body here. Here's this woman's costly act, underscoring a pattern, grace received, produces love expressed. I love thinking of it that way. Grace, perceived, excuse me, grace received produces love expressed.  [00:26:39] Sin as Crushing Debt: Why It Must Be Paid [00:26:39] Jesse Schwamb: That is the point that Jesus is driving to here, that if we understand the gospel and the gospel tells us that there is a law. That we have transgressed and that this law has accumulated in all of this debt that we cannot pay. And so the weight of this means not just that, oh, it's, it's so hard to have debt in our lives. Oh, it's so annoying and inconvenient. No, instead it's oppressive. This debt itself, this grand burden is over our heads, pushing down on our necks, weighting us down in every way, and especially in the spiritual realm. And because of this, we would be without hope, unless there was one who could come and release us from this debt. And the releasing of this debt has to be, again, an A currency acceptable to the debtor, and it has to actually be paid. There's no wiping away. There's no just amnesty for the sake of absolve. Instead, it must be satisfied. And the woman here has received this kind of extraordinary grace has acknowledged, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, through opened eyes and unstopped ears and a clean heart, has been able to understand the severity of the situation. And then this produces in her love expressed, which again is not the means of her justification, but certainly is one of the fruit of it. And Jesus explains then the reason for her response.  [00:27:58] Forgiveness First: Clearing Up Luke 7's Logic [00:27:58] Jesse Schwamb: The reason why Grace received produces love expressed is because she and her many sins have been forgiven. Hence, her love is great, love the one forgiven, little forgives little. I think sometimes that verse is often misunderstood as if. Her love caused her forgiveness. But again, we want to hear clearly from Jesus on this. The logic he gives is forgiveness, leading to love. Love is evidence or fruits. And so her love is the sign that forgiveness has already been granted and is truly possessed, not the purchase price. And Simon's Lovelessness exposes a heart still clinging to self-righteousness, acting like a small debtor who doesn't even need mercy, like one who doesn't understand that they will never, ever be able to repay the thing that is over them. You know, I love that John Val is often quoted along the lines of something like this. Those forgiven much will love much. And in his writing to me, he captures so much of this moral psychology of grace and I think there is a psychology of grace here. There is a reasonable response. That moves us by the power of the Holy Spirit, from deep within this renewal of the man, such that we express our love to God in all kinds of ways. I think especially in our age, on the Lord's day, in acts of singing through worship and meditation, through worship, and listening through worship and application, through worship, all of these means in particular as our expression of what it means to have been received, having received grace, producing a loving response. [00:29:36] "Your Sins Are Forgiven": Jesus' Divine Authority [00:29:36] Jesse Schwamb: I love that all of this ends as it draws to a close. Jesus speaks these incredible words. He tells her that her sins are forgiven. You know, notice here that Christ speaks an authoritative verdict. This is justifying speech. It's God's court declaration. It's not some like mere the therapeutic. Like reassurance here. It's not like whistling in the dark. It's Jesus himself saying This woman has been forgiven. Blessed is the one whose sins are forgiven. And of course, like so many other times in Jesus' ministry, and I have to imagine by the way, loved ones that this question got asked all the time, and not just on the occasion in which it was a court of us in scripture, but the other guests ask the right question and that question is. Who is this? Who even forgives sins, and that is the right question. Only God can forgive sins against God. Jesus is implicitly claiming divine authority. Now, we finally arrived. This is God's currency. This is the currency or the money, so to speak, that is desperately needed, the only one acceptable to discharge the debt, the cosmic treason that has been done against God himself. So because of that, here's Jesus making the claim that the way that you are led out, the way that you are set free is through me. So even here in the course of just this confronting Simon speaking about sin, he's also providing the way he's saying, I am this way, I am this truth. I am this life. Come through me. [00:31:14] Jesus the Greater Moses: The Gospel as Exodus [00:31:14] Jesse Schwamb: What I find amazing about this is in the beginning. With Adam and Eve, they transgress God's law. And from that day in all days forth, we have been building this massive sin, debt that we cannot repay. And part of the, the repercussions of that debt were for Adam and Eve to be driven to be Exodus as it were, out of the garden. And ever since then, the grand narrative of the redemptive history of God's people has been an exodus instead. Not out of what is idyllic, not out of perfection, but instead. Out of sin, out of bondage, out of sin and death and the devil and the deaths that we have incurred. And so here we have Jesus representing. He is the, the new and better Moses, he is the exodus, so to speak, who comes and grabs us by the hand almost as in the same way that the angelic representations in the story of la. And Sonor grabbed his hand to pull him, maybe even kicking him, screaming. Out of that sinful place, into the glorious light, into safety and security out from underneath this grand debt that we cannot repay. I think of Jesus's acal meeting with Moses and Elijah on the mounts of transfiguration. That's also in Luke, right? And Luke tells us that they spoke of his deceased, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. And the word deceased there literally means Exodus. In Jesus, God would affect an infinitely greater deliverance than he had under Moses. And then interestingly, we see that even in all the way back in Psalm 23, you know David, he's writing as a rescue sinner who has been brought out. Brought to the Heavenly Shepherd, into the security and freedom of a sheep hold in love ones I submit to you. That is what Jesus is after here. He's after it in your life and he's after in mind that there is death, and he wants to take us out from underneath that debt by paying it off that he is the rescuer, the one who is just and justifier that he's the greater Moses, and that he leads us into Exodus. So we are transferred into the kingdom of a light. And that kingdom of light is also a kingdom of lightness in the sense that what was once a burden on our back, like it was for Pilgrim, has now been taken off. And so we are free. In that freedom, in that financial freedom, in that spiritual freedom as it were, to use both of the sides of this metaphor. What we find is our response is appropriately one of worship, that we weep and we cry for who we were, that we rejoice for who God is, and that we come proudly into His kingdom because of what he has done. And this changes us. It messes us up. You know, I think we've said before that. The joy of the Christian life of Christian lives is that the transformation process that God undertakes in each of us is very different, and some honestly are more dramatic than others. But what I think is always dramatic is one, the scripture tells us that it is a miracle. That even one would be saved. So hardhearted are we, and again, so great this debt against us that when God intervenes all get what they deserve. But some get mercy. And if we have been the ones who have received mercy, how joyful ought we to be toward the one who has granted it to us? And so here we have Christ, the the one who delivers, the one who leads out, the one who pays off, the one who pays it all.  [00:34:45] Behold the Cross: What Sin Costs, What Love Pays [00:34:45] Jesse Schwamb: I think what's clear is that the cross gives us this sense when we look upon it of just how deep and dark and heavy sin is, and that there is no easy way out of it. That what we find is that sin constantly wants to drag us down. It constantly wants to take us farther than we wanted to go, and it certainly costs us way more than we were willing to pay. So I think if we come and we behold the wood, if we behold the nails, if we look on this crown pressed into the brow that knew no guilt or disobedience, if we, not in our mind's eye, but by faith, behold, the hands that open, the blind eyes now being opened by iron. If we see the feet. Walked toward the hurting, now fixed in place for the healing of the world. If we look at the thirst of the one who is living water and the hunger of the one who is the bread of life, we ought to see the one who here, even in this passage, is just and justifier, and he invites us to say with him, come witness the death of death in the death of Jesus Christ. That is the glorious mission, right? As as, um, Horatio Spafford said, my sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Oh my soul of ones. This is the beauty of, I think of what Jesus is, is teaching here. It's the lamb. It's the one promise on the mountain provided in place of Isaac. It's the Passover marked with Crimson death passing over doors that were covered. Here's the suffering. Servant despised and rejected a man of sorrows. Who here is one who is truly well acquainted with grief? When we see Jesus lifted up, lifted up on the cross, lifted up between heaven and earth. Here the instrument of exalted torment but also unexpected triumph, the perfect God man, lifted up between earth and heaven, lifted up in shame so that we might be lifted up in grace, lifted up in cursing. We might be lifted up in blessing lifted up in Forsakenness so that we might be lifted up in divine communion with God the father lifted up to be stared at as he presents himself here, so that we could finally see what sin costs and what love pays. That is everything that he's teaching us in this passage, and I hope that you are as encouraged about this as I am because. When I think about the gospel framed in this way with the full severity of its repercussions, thinking about sin as debt objectively as a liability, that must be satisfied. My heart is instantly warmed, and I think the warming of that is not because this manufactured some kind of sentimentality around this, but there is something about this that's so resonant to me that in my professional career, in my business, I'm intimately familiar with, with debt and understanding how to manage it, but also the dangers of it. And what a liability it truly is. And so when I hear that sin not just is like this, but is this way, it makes complete sense to me and I see that this is really the, the true way that we ought to understand, I think the gospel message.  [00:38:18] Key Takeaways: Debt, Currency, and Canceling the Ledger [00:38:18] Jesse Schwamb: So here's what we should remember. Debt highlights objective guilt. I think I've said that a bunch of times and I just feel like it's, it bears repeating one last time. Sin is not only damage, it is consequences, but it's also a liability. A creditor doesn't need to be convinced you did harm. The ledger already stands and the ledger against us is not on our side. Loved ones. We are deeply in the red, and it really doesn't matter what the balance is because we just cannot repay. So it's really about our lack of ability, our inability, the no, we have no capability to pay this, and so it doesn't matter. We find ourselves in a place of hopelessness no matter what, and this debt highlights that inability none of these particular borrowers could repay. It's devastating to moral pride. We lean on this in our reform theological perspective. Even our best works can't erase guilt or generate merit sufficient to square the accounts. It's impossible. It's impossible with two ways, and this is some, I think really like the beautiful nuance of what Jesus after here in the one way that we are enabled to do this. Is because we just actually cannot earn enough. So in other words, the debt is too big. So think of the biggest number in your head that you could possibly think of, and that's at least minimally the outstanding debt. But then think about this. You don't even have the right currency. So you might find that you spend your entire lifetime working to the bone. It's like finding out that you have a million dollar loan or lien against you, and you work hard all your life, 50, 60, 70 years. And finally, on your deathbed, you've assembled enough cash with all of your savings to put toward and finally satisfy. So you might die in peace with this $1 million free and clear from your account, and you turn over the money and the creditor says, what is this currency? I won't accept this. I can't accept this. How debilitating. So it's not even the size of the debt. It's also that we don't have, we cannot earn the right currency. Only. God. God. I think this debt also highlights grace as cancellation. Forgiveness is not God pretending the debt doesn't exist. It is God releasing the debtor. This is him in triumph, being the greater Moses who walks us out through the waters outside of the city into the glorious light and the broader New Testament explains how God can do that justly. The charge is dealt with through Christ. You can go check out Colossians two. Read the whole thing of Love it. It's fantastic. I think lastly, this debt explains love, as shall we say, like a downstream effect. People love a little when they imagine that they have little needs and people love much when they were spiritually bankrupt and then freely pardoned freely in that it didn't cost you and I anything, but of course it cost our Lord and Savior everything, and so. In this way, our hopes to frame the fact that our love should be an outpouring of gratitude, uh, for the grace that God has given us through Jesus Christ.  [00:41:28] Putting It Into Practice: Don't Compare Debts, Watch for "Simon Symptoms" [00:41:28] Jesse Schwamb: Here's some things I would say that we should all walk away with to help us then both process what we've talked about here, and also put some of this into action. First thing would be, don't measure your need by comparing debts horizontally. That's a fool's errand, whether 50 or 500. The point is we cannot pay. And this levels the Pharisee and the prostitute alike. That is like Tony talked about elsewhere in the previous Luke 15, where we're talking about the PR prodigal of the father, the prodigal of the two lost sons. How there's like a great insult against the Pharisee there. And here's the insult, it's also a little bit cutting to us, and again, that the Pharisee and the prostitute are alike. Can't repay. It Doesn't matter what debt you think you have in the corporal sense, or again in this horizontal means, but you cannot repay it. And so therefore, guess what? We're all like, we need to let forgiveness lead and we need to let love follow. If you reverse that order like I'll love so I can be forgiven. You crush assurance and you turn the gospel into wages and that's again exactly I think what Jesus is against in this. He's making that very clear. The, the beauty of the gospel is this receiving that Christ has done all these things that we, uh, find ourselves by his arresting, by again, his intervening by his coming forward. He does all this on our behalf. You've heard me say before, I always like take that old phrase, what would Jesus do? That question that was on everybody's bracelets and everybody's minds and what, two decades ago? And turn that answer into what would Jesus do? Everything And it's already done. We need to watch for Simon symptoms. That's my clever way of saying this, like low love, high judgment. A chilly heart toward Christ often signals a warm heart towards self justification. And so we wanna be about the kind of people that are closely king, clinging to Jesus Christ as all of our hope and stay that the strength for today and hope for tomorrow comes from what Christ has already accomplished on our behalf. And therefore, there is a dutiful and meaningful and appropriate response for us. But that response again, is not obedience for merit. It is obedience out of warm heartedness for our savior. And for a sincere repentance because a sincere repentance is not payment. It's agreement with God about the debt. Tears, don't cancel the ledger. Christ does that. Tears are what debtors do when Mercy lands, and I think in some way the challenge here is that have we really meditated on the life of this woman and then more personally on our own experiences on what it means to be saved? Well, I'm not asking you to get yourself worked up into an emotional state, but what I am asking all of us to do is. Have we spent enough time recently meditating on what it means that Christ has set us free, that we are incredible debtors, and that Christ in our own ledger in this way hasn't just wiped out the debt, but he's filled up the account with righteousness. And so we can exchange these horrible soiled garments for garments of praise. Now, have we thought about that recently? The call here is to be reminded. That sincere repentance is an agreement with God about the debt, and in that agreement we're sensing that weight. There should be a response.  [00:44:42] Final Charge + Community & Support (Telegram / Patreon) [00:44:42] Jesse Schwamb: So I leave it to you loved ones, you've heard it here, or at least you've heard me talk for a little while about this parable. And maybe one day, maybe there'll be an episode one day about Tony's perspective on this, which I can't imagine will be too much different. But again, I saw my opportunity, loved ones. I said, oh, I'm gonna sneak in hard on this one because this one is particularly meaningful and special to me, and I hope that even though it involved a little bit of economics and maybe a lot of finance, that it didn't lose its resonance with you. I think this is the great weight of the way in which Jesus teaches that he's not just using practical means. But he's using these things to give greater weight and flesh, as it were, to these concepts of a spiritual nature that sometimes feel ephemeral. Instead, he wants them to sink in heaviness upon us. And I wanna be clear that. This whole parable is both law and gospel. It is the weightiness and the sharp edge knife of the law which cuts against us. And Jesus throwing his weight around literally at this dinner party and in this parable, and you and I should feel that weight. It should knock us around a little bit. And then. And then comes the reminder that there is good news and that good news, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ, is that he has made a way that the debt that was incurred against us, that we ourselves added to, that we continue to want to try to borrow against, that Jesus has, in fact paid that debt in full and that he's done so in the currency of his own flesh and blood and his own passive and active obedience so that it may be paid in full. It's true what the hymn says. Jesus paid it all, all to him. I owe. So I hope loved ones that you'll be encouraged with that message that it is both law and gospel, but it ends in this high and elevated state, which is we have been made together alive with Christ for his own sake, for his glory, and for our good. So now that you know that go out into the world and live that way, meditate on that, enjoy that. Talk about it with a family member or a brother and sister, or you can talk about it with us. You didn't think that we'd get this far without me even a plug for telegram, did you? So if you. Haven't listened to us before, or if this is your 480th time, I say welcome and also come hang, hang out with us online. You can do that by going to your browser and putting in there. T me slash reformed brotherhood. T. Dummy slash reformed brotherhood, and that will take you to a little app called Telegram, which is just a messaging app. And we have a closed community in there, which you can preview and then become a part of. And there's lots of lovely brothers, sisters from all over the world interacting, talking about the conversations we're having here, sharing prayer requests, sharing memes, talking about life tasting foods on video. It's really. Absolutely delightful, and I know you want to be a part of it, so come hang out. It's one other thing you can do. If at any point you felt like this podcast, the conversations have been a blessing to you, may I ask a favor, something at least for you to consider, and that is there are all kinds of expenses to make sure that this thing keeps going on. Keeps going strong. And there are brothers and sisters who after they've satisfied their financial obligations, have said, I want to give a little bit to that. So if you've been blessed, I'm what I can I boldly ask that you might consider that it's so many people giving so many tiny little gifts because all of these things compound for God's glory in the kingdom. And if you're interested in giving to us one time or reoccurring, here's a website for you to check out. It's patreon.com. Reform Brotherhood, P-A-T-R-E-O n.com, reform slash reform brotherhood. Go check that out. Alright, that's it. Loved ones, you know what to do. Until next time, honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. 

February 15, 2026. Fr. Tyler's homily for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Enjoy! Gospel Matthew 5:17-37 Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. "You have heard that it was said,  You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. "It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful -  causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. "Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."

Friends of the Rosary,Our modern society, ideologies, and man-made religions try to convince us that all of life is all about us, our interests, views, and personal agendas. The vast majority of people believe that.But that's a lie promoted by the Master of Lies. The reality is that each and every one of us is part of God's great design. Your life is not about you, and you are not in control.Our problem is that our faith is very insufficient. We trust the Creator with limitation.In today's reading (Mark 8:11–13), the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven. They test the Lord because they have no faith or trust in him.“Faith is openness to what God will reveal, do, and invite. It should be obvious that in dealing with the infinite, all-powerful God, we are never in control. This is why we say that faith goes beyond reason,” writes Bishop Barron.By definition, we are not dealing with a person.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠February 16, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

In this message from Matthew 12:1-8, we explore one of the most controversial moments in Jesus' ministry: when He declared Himself "Lord of the Sabbath." The Pharisees had turned God's gift of rest into a crushing burden, and when Jesus' disciples plucked grain on the Sabbath, the religious leaders were outraged. But Jesus responds with brilliant theological precision, showing that he is greater than the Sabbath. His claim wasn't just about religious freedom—it was a declaration of His divinity, and it's what turned the Pharisees from opponents into murderers. But this passage isn't just ancient history; it exposes a trap we all fall into: turning good things into idols. Whether it's the Law, money, success, ministry, or even our kids' achievements, anything we cling to with frantic energy, anger, anxiety, and jealousy has likely become an idol. Learn how to spot idols in your life, pray the dangerous prayer to have them removed, and find true rest in Jesus—the One who is greater than the Sabbath, greater than the Temple, and worthy of our ultimate worship.

Why did Jesus refuse to argue or provide a sign to this group? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you find any areas of your soul that may adopt the attitude of the Pharisees? What is the step of faith and obedience Jesus is inviting you to take?

Monday, 16 February 2026   and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Matthew 17:2   “And He metamorphosed before them, and it radiated, His face, like the sun, and His garments, it became whites, as the light” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus took Peter, James, and John off alone up on a high mountain. Now, the narrative continues, saying, “And He metamorphosed before them.”   It is a new word, metamorphoó, to transform, change, transfigure, etc. It is from meta, a preposition denoting accompaniment, usually translated as “with,” and morpho, to fashion or form, a word found only in Galatians 4:19. Thus, this word signifies “changing form in keeping with inner reality” (HELPS Word Studies).   It is the word used twice by Paul concerning our transformation in Christ, in Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18. Jesus changed His appearance and yet maintained His inner reality. Thus, this is a revelation of who He is that exists in accord with His being. The effect of this change was, “and it radiated, His face.”   The word signifies to radiate brilliancy or beam with light. The word is used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:6 –   “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone [lampó] in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”   Along with this, it says, “like the sun.”   If His face shone like the sun, then the brilliancy of Christ's divine nature is that of a light so strong it cannot be focused on directly without harming the eyes of the one beholding it. His glory can only be beheld in a glance that would be stunning and impossible to maintain a constant view of. And more, it next says, “and His garments, it became whites, as the light.”   The reason for changing the singular “white” to the plural “whites” is to abstract the concept, changing the intent from merely a color to the idea of purity and divinity. It is incorrect to say that the inner light shone outward and caused the clothes to become bright and shining.   Rather, an object lesson was given in the clothes themselves. The garments are a visible metaphor of Jesus' perfect purity and righteousness. What is seen here is a representation of His divine nature being presented to these apostles, but which has been thus far clothed within His human nature. It is the fulfillment of what He had just said to them as Chapter 16 ended –   “Amen! I say to you that they are some of those having stood here who not they should taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:28   This is not a stretch, as if, “But His kingdom hadn't yet come.” Rather, remember what He Himself said previously –   “And if in God's Spirit I, I eject the demons, then it preceded upon you, the ‘God's kingdom'” Matthew 12:28 (CG).   Likewise, in Luke 17, He says –   “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, “See here!” or “See there!” For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.'” Luke 17:20, 21   Jesus was not telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of God was within them, meaning inside of them. He was telling them that it was in their midst. Jesus' deity is the kingdom of God. The transfiguration of Christ was given as a witness to these three men concerning this fact.   Life application: In the Old Testament, the Lord God (Yehovah Elohim) tabernacled with Israel in the wilderness. Everything about that prefigured Jesus Christ. In John 1:14, it says that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. John was connecting the event in the wilderness of Sinai to Jesus in His humanity.   The deity of Christ is not a negotiable or debatable concept in Scripture. Rather, it is the fundamental truth found in Scripture. God entered into His creation to redeem us from sin. To deny the deity of Jesus Christ is to deny the only gospel that can save the human soul.    Be sure to get Jesus right. To fail to do so is an eternal error that will never be remedied once your final breath has been taken.   Lord God Almighty, we may not fully understand all the Bible reveals about Jesus, but we do understand what the Bible is telling us about Him. You have come in the Person of Jesus. We take it on faith that this is true. Thank You that You have done what You have done for us, O God. Amen.  

Pastor Chris continues our sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew, preaching from Matthew 12:22–37. In this message, he explores the powerful response to Jesus' miracles and the sharp division they caused—showing that there is no neutral ground with Christ. As Jesus confronts the Pharisees and reveals that our words and actions flow from the heart, we are challenged to examine our response and choose to follow Him in faith. Learn more about Maple Plain Community Church at mapleplaincc.org.

Almost everyone knows someone whose reason for leaving God was “those Christians are hypocrites.” While this will not stand up as a sufficient excuse on Judgment Day, Paul acknowledges that the hypocrisy of God's people is both real and tragic: “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Paul does not let anyone off the hook. After critiquing the sinfulness of all people (1:18 - 2:1-16), he now focuses on the most committed of his own people, the Jews. Both Jesus and Paul, who were Jewish, critiqued their own tribe. Paul did this from the perspective of someone who used to be a hypocrite himself. He was “a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee…as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Yet, he still coveted (Rom. 7:7-8).The beauty of the gospel is that we no longer need to hide. Christ calls us to come into the light, which is the greatest “hypocrisy disinfectant.” We can confess when we don't live up to God's perfect law and receive grace and mercy. Through faith in Christ, we now live a life of transparent obedience to God's law. The gospel reconciles our private and public lives through God's grace, leading Christians to be “an open book, easily read.”Take-Home Message: Hypocrisy leads to blasphemy.Does my character match my credentials? (17-20)Building IntegrityPursue private formation over public performance.Do I practice what I preach? (21-23)Building IntegrityExamine yourself before correcting others.The Result of Hypocrisy (24)

February 15, 2026 The disciples of Jesus must have a greater righteousness than the teachers of the law and Pharisees. Our Lord applies the commandments regarding murder, adultery, and oath taking to a deeper level than most people understood. Scripture: Matthew 5:21-37 Illustrations:

God doesn't just want to fix your habits, he wants to heal your heart. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.” ‭‭Acts ‭7‬:‭51‬-‭52‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Cory Morgan (Pastor of Modern Worship & Young Adults), "At All Costs".       17.  On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.  18.  And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus,  19.  but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.  20.  And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”  21.  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  22.  When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23.  Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, ‘Rise and walk'?   24.  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”  25.  And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.  26.  And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”       (Luke 6:17-26 ESV)To view a video version of the Sermon please click on the following link:    https://youtu.be/aY9yZU9Ht0Y(The audio version of the Sermon will most likely have to be stopped from playing or else it will be heard as well as the audio track of the video version.)

This recording is a condensed version of the sermon preached at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mankato, Minnesota on February 15, 2026. You can watch the full recording on our YouTube Channel.   Sermon Text: John 11:47-57 (NKJV) Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48  “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” 49  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51  Now this he did not say on his own [authority]; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52  and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. 53  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. 54  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. 55  And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?” 57  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him. Theme: One Man Would Die for the People 

Ever wonder why Jesus suddenly started speaking in riddles? The day the Pharisees accused Him of using evil power, Jesus began casting forth truth through parables. This wasn't coincidence—it was prophecy fulfilled. What secrets of the kingdom are hidden in plain sight that we might be missing? Are you stretching your ear toward God's mouth, or just casually listening?

This sermon explores how Jesus, as the Bridegroom and Lord of the Sabbath, redefines traditional religious practices by inviting His followers into joy and freedom rather than legalistic observance. Using the Gospel narrative from Mark 2:18–28, the Pastor Roydon Frost contrasts the Pharisees' rigid fasting and Sabbath rules with Jesus' teaching that His presence brings celebration, rest, and true spiritual renewal. Frost emphasises that Jesus fulfils God's law with love and mercy, showing that Sabbath rest and fasting both have their place within a life shaped by relationship with Christ. Ultimately, the talk challenges all of us to reflect on how their behaviour reveals their understanding of God's nature and to live with joyful obedience as they journey toward the eternal feast.

Speaker: Pastor NickSynopsis: This morning we continue our new series: "Questions in Red" where our teaching is based off of one or more questions that were asked by Jesus. Question asking was a common method of Rabbinic teaching and today we dive into Mark 8 where Jesus asks, "Why does this generation ask for a sign?" Simultaneously, Jesus warns his disciples not to get caught up in in the "yeast" of the Pharisee and Herod. These two things are both connected AND relevant to today! Want to learn more? Stay tuned!Intro Music:     Inspire And Motivate by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com           Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comOutro Music:     Inspiring Beat by Alex Menco | https://alexmenco.net           Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com           Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported         https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

Read OnlineThe Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Mark 8:11–12The Pharisees struggled with skepticism, resistance, and trickery, reflecting the tragic reality of hearts closed to grace. They should have been the first to rejoice in the coming of the Messiah but became Jesus' staunchest critics and persecutors. Their rejection shows how pride and hardness of heart can blind even those who are most familiar with the law and the prophets. As religious leaders, their privileged role heightened their responsibility to recognize and guide others toward the Messiah, making their rejection all the more tragic.Instead of manifesting hearts open to grace, they demanded another sign, despite the countless signs Jesus had already performed: healings, exorcisms, authoritative teachings, and the miraculous feeding of the multitudes. These works were displays of divine power and fulfilled Messianic prophecies, revealing Jesus as the promised Savior.Jesus' authoritative teaching resonated deeply within those with faith. His words and works illuminated their hearts and confirmed His divine identity. The Pharisees' demand for another sign was not an act of faith but a manifestation of their obstinate resistance to the truth standing before them.How did Jesus respond to the Pharisees? “He sighed from the depth of his spirit…” This is a holy response. His deep sigh was not driven by anger or pride but by love. To “sigh” is to express holy sorrow: “Blessed are those who mourn…” (Matthew 5:4 RSVCE). Though we must have holy sorrow in the face of every sin—both our own and those of others—the sin that should evoke the deepest sorrow is that which is committed in obstinacy. Obstinacy blinds us to our sins, leading to rationalizations or excuses that prevent us from recognizing our need for repentance. When the sin committed in obstinacy is grave, this leaves a soul in the most pitiable state.By modeling holy sorrow, Jesus teaches us how we are to react to others who manifest a similar hardness of heart. We should not take it personally. Instead, we must feel the pain of their sin with empathy. Doing so is the most loving response we can make because our holy sorrow becomes a mirror of their souls, inviting them to recognize their spiritual need and turn to God for mercy.In addition to feeling and expressing holy sorrow, Jesus declares that “no sign will be given to this generation.” Jesus is not being stubborn or refusing to provide the necessary revelation that the Pharisees need in order to convert and believe in Him. He is doing the opposite. The Pharisees have already been given everything they need to come to faith in Jesus. By refusing further signs, Jesus was confronting their hardened hearts and inviting them to believe based on the ministry He had already given them. True faith arises from hearts that are receptive to grace.The fact that Jesus “left them” (Mark 8:13) is another act of mercy. By leaving them, Jesus mirrored the spiritual reality of their souls: God was absent from them due to their hardness of heart. His departure also provided an opportunity for the Pharisees to reflect on their rejection, perhaps planting seeds for future repentance. In leaving them, Jesus respected their freedom to reject Him, even as it grieved His merciful heart. Even in judgment, God's mercy is always at work, inviting sinners to return to Him.Reflect today on Jesus' merciful heart. God's mercy manifests itself in various ways, depending on our needs. Sometimes, mercy is tender and encouraging, especially when hearts are contrite and humble. At other times, mercy is sorrowful and empathetic, mourning over ours and others' sins. Seek God's mercy in your life and then resolve to become an instrument of that mercy to others, in the way that they need it, calling them to repentance and faith.Most merciful Heart of Jesus, Your compassion is profound and Your empathy deep. Please pour out Your mercy on me, in the way I need it, and use me as an instrument of Your mercy for others. May all people see their sins and, with pure hearts, repent and come to faith in You. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Jacob Jordaens, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Jesus made it back to Jerusalem!. After years of traveling and teaching, Jesus finally enters the familiar streets for the last week of his life on earth. It's a monumental moment: crowds ran out to meet him and to accompany him back into the city. It's a provocative moment, too, for the crowds are waving palm branches, rejoicing, shouting and saying “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” The words are from Psalm 118 and would announce the Messiah! Do the crowds know that? The Pharisees did, and tried to stop it but they couldn't. So did the Sadducees. But they couldn't either. Come find out why.

Who will eat at the table with God? This is actually a question the Biblical story wants us to ask. And it is answered by Jesus while dining with the Pharisees and Bible scholars of his day. His answer very much surprised them. And it will also surprise you.

Subscribe and Follow. Thanks! - NOTES AVAILABLE AT: https://www.gracereach.org/luke - In PART TWO of this teaching, Brad continues to explain how the message of John the Baptist was a warning of judgment to the people of first- century, old covenant Israel that was connected to their violations of the Law of Moses. This judgment was the dreadful and terrible day of the Lord spoken of by Malachi and Jesus (the great tribulation), and was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Roman Armies destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. In this teaching, Brad explains that the Pharisees and Sadducees were the offspring of Satan, the brood of vipers. This teaching and other teachings are available on the Gracereach website: https://www.gracereach.org/luke - For more of Brad's resources, see below.Brad's books are all available on Amazon in Paperback.Revelation Volume 1: Judgment On First-Century Israelhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7GBG42CRevelation Volume 2: War On The Saintshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN3XR59L490 Years Determined: The Seventy Years of Daniel Explainedhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPX7VZY5Nebuchadnezzar's Dream and the Kingdom of Grace -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9YFCXC8/Toxic Discipleship: Restoring the Gospel - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNN8PB7LAddicted To Grace: A New Life Awaits - https://www.amazon.com/Addicted-Grace-New-Life-Awaits/dp/0578407760Forgiven and Cleansed: 1 John 1:9 In Context - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N3NBPPRReturn to Grace: A Commentary on Galatians - https://www.amazon.com/Return-Grace-Commentary-Brad-Robertson/dp/B08HV8HRTCStrategic Church: Reaching The World With Grace - https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Church-Strategy-Reach-World/dp/B08733MRWWThe Story of Grace: Your Life Will Never Be The Same - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692084940Website: https://www.gracereach.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bradr1966YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClip-czxRgZbxtWg-w2YL7APodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gracereach-podcast-with-brad-robertson/id1503583444 (You may listen to Brad's podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and most all podcast platforms.)If you would like to donate to Brad's ministry, Gracereach, to help reach more and more people with the good news of God's grace. click here:https://www.gracereach.org/donatetogracereachThank you!

What is the gospel — and why does it still matter? In this week's message, Pastor Lawrence opens a powerful new series through the book of Romans, beginning in Romans 1:1-17. From Paul's dramatic transformation to the unifying power of the gospel, this message lays the foundation for an awakening in your life and community.In This EpisodeWhat the gospel actually is (and why it's different from religion)Paul's dramatic transformation from Saul the Pharisee to Paul the servantWhy the gospel is the most inclusive message in historyHow the gospel breaks down "us vs. them" thinkingWhy Paul says he is "not ashamed of the gospel" — and why you shouldn't be eitherKey ScripturesRomans 1:1-17 (ESV) | 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NIV) | John 3:16-18 (ESV) | 2 Peter 3:14-16 (NIV)Key Quote"The gospel covers your past, alleviates your fears, and empowers you with courage to do something bold for God."Next StepsRead Romans 1:1-17 this week and note what stands out to you.Reflect: Is your faith driven by religious performance or by the gospel? What would it look like to shift that?Consider joining a Gospel 101 group to go deeper with others.Share this episode with someone who needs to hear the gospel today.Connect with Grand Point Church

Mark 7:1-13: The Pharisees Challenge Jesus...Jesus Challenges the Pharisees...this should Challenge us!

Matthew Week 125   Romans 13:1 ESV   Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.       1 Peter 2:13-15 NASB   13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.15 For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people.       Matthew 22:23-24 ESV   23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.'       John 11:47-48 NASB   47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council meeting, and they were saying, "What are we doing in regard to the fact that this Man is performing many signs? 48 If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take over both our place and our nation."       Deuteronomy 25:5-6 ESV   5 "If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.       Deuteronomy 25:9-10 ESV   9 then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, 'So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.' 10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, 'The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.'       Matthew 22:25-28 ESV   25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh.27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her."       1 Corinthians 15:13-19 NASB   13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. 15 Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.       "What we know today as the great Watergate cover-up lasted only three weeks. Some of the most powerful politicians in the world–and we couldn't keep a lie for more than three weeks…Can anyone believe that for fifty years that Jesus' disciples were willing to be ostracized, beaten, persecuted, and all but one of them suffer a martyr's death–without ever renouncing their conviction that they had seen Jesus bodily resurrected? Does anyone really think the disciples could have maintained a lie all that time under that kind of pressure?" https://breakpoint.org/watergate-and-the-resurrection/       Matthew 22:29-33 ESV   29 But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.       Luke 20:34-36 NASB   34 Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and the women are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 for they cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.       Luke 20:37-38 ESV   37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him."       2 Timothy 1:9-14 NASB   9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to protect what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 13 Hold on to the example of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Protect, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.                    

John 3:1-21 A Religious man “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” John 3:1-2 NASB A Religious Problem “Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb a second time and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus responded and said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you people do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” John 3:3-12 NASB A Real Solution “No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.” John 3:13-21 NASB

Guest preacher Dale Edwards shares a powerful message, taken from Luke 7, of the desperate but committed and faithful actions of a woman (some think it was Mary Magdalene) in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Her recognition of Jesus echoes the Hebrew tradition of the "kinsman redeemer" as seen in the Old Testament book of Ruth. Ruth and her kinsman redeemer Boaz were grandparents of King David and thus on the line to the woman's, and our, kinsman redeemer, Jesus.

What do we see when we encounter suffering, brokenness, or Jesus himself? One of our beloved mission partners in Edinburgh, Scotland, Caleb Shocklie, takes us on an exploration of John 9 invites us into the transformative moment when Jesus heals a man born blind—but it's about so much more than physical sight. We're challenged to examine four distinct perspectives: the blind man who must choose faith over familiarity, the disciples who seek someone to blame, the Pharisees who miss God's work because it doesn't match their expectations, and Jesus who sees opportunities for restoration everywhere. The blind man's journey from darkness to light mirrors our own spiritual awakening—he had to trust Jesus' strange instructions, go to the pool of Siloam, and wash away more than just mud. When we encounter Christ, everything changes: our priorities shift, our worldview transforms, and suddenly the comfortable life we knew feels like blindness compared to the abundant life He offers. The man lost everything when religious leaders cast him out, yet he gained infinitely more in knowing Jesus. This passage confronts us with an uncomfortable truth: we often live spiritually blind, settling for temporary satisfaction from money, power, or relationships, failing to see that only Christ offers lasting hope. The question echoes through our lives today—will we wipe away the mud and stay in comfortable darkness, or will we trust Jesus enough to step into the light, even when it costs us everything we thought we needed?

Pastor Gerrit teaches verse by verse through Luke 6:1–11, where Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees over the Sabbath and reveals Himself as the Lord of the Sabbath. In this Bible teaching, we see two scenes, Jesus' disciples gathering grain and the healing of a man with a withered hand, that highlight the difference between human legalism and God's heart of mercy and compassion. Pastor Gerrit explains the true purpose of the Sabbath as a gift meant for rest and restoration in God, not a burden of man-made rules, and warns how a performance-based mindset can lead to judgment and a lack of grace toward others. He also emphasizes that Jesus prioritizes meeting human need and that what God commands, He also enables as we respond in faith. This verse-by-verse teaching in the Gospel of Luke points believers back to the grace of Christ, calling us to live in His mercy, rest securely in His finished work, and reflect His compassion to those around us.

“The Lord of the Sabbath” Matthew 12:1-14 February 15, 2026 Pastor Tony Felich  Sermon Application [file]   ----more---- Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. [2] But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” [3] He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: [4] how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? [5] Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? [6] I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. [7] And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not  sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. [8] For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” [9] He went on from there and entered their synagogue. [10] And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”- so that they might accuse him. [11] He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? [12] Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” [13] Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. [14] But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.   The Sabbath was never about restriction but restoration (In Christ).           • The purpose of the Sabbath is physical/spiritual rest (1-8)           • How legalism wrecks the Sabbath (9-14)           • Our Sabbath is found in Christ (8)

In this powerful episode, Brother Jim continues the series exploring the Pharisees and challenges facing the modern church. Preaching from Matthew 23:1–14, he digs deep into Jesus' warning against religious hypocrisy, legalism, and ego-driven faith—reminding us that correct words mean nothing without a Christlike life behind them. With humor, honesty, and conviction, Brother Jim unpacks what it truly means to serve God with humility. He warns against the dangers of self-righteousness, spiritual pride, and placing heavy burdens on others while lifting none ourselves. From “religion as performance” to the traps of titles, social media validation, and rule-based righteousness, this message invites every listener to look in the mirror and ask: Am I walking the walk—or just talking the talk? This episode calls believers back to the heart of the Gospel: Grace over legalism. Compassion over control. Servant leadership over status. Jesus exalts the humble and humbles the self-exalting—and Brother Jim challenges us to ensure our faith matches our actions. If you're ready for a convicting, uplifting, and eye-opening message that speaks directly to the state of today's church, this episode will bless you, stretch you, and point you back to Christ.

Here on the weekends, we're traveling through Mark's gospel one verse at a time. As we return to chapters two and three the Pharisees are claiming Jesus was breaking the Sabbath law! But what they failed to realize is the spirit of the law. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1459/29?v=20251111

Saturday, 14 February 2026   Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:28   “Amen! I say to you that they are some of those having stood here who not they should taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told His disciples that the Son of Man is about to come in His kingdom, and then He will give each according to his practice. He next says, “Amen! I say to you that they are some of those having stood here.”   The Greek verb is a perfect participle. As can be seen, the NKJV fails to properly elucidate this, saying, “some standing here.” In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a translation that accurately translates the verb. Instead, they rely on a present tense or present participle rendering. But Jesus' words indicate a completed action, the results of which are still present or relevant, “having stood here.” The same perfect participle is found in the same context in Mark 9:1. Combined with the words, “some...here,” this limits the scope of what is said to those present. Of those referred to, Jesus next says they are those “who not they should taste death.”   A new word is seen, geuomai, to taste. It is used figuratively here to indicate experiencing. It is aorist subjunctive, viewing the whole as a single completed event. In other words, these will not experience death, “until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”   The meaning of this is widely debated. Is this referring to the transfiguration? Does this speak of the resurrection? Is it the beginning of the church at Pentecost? Is it the destruction of the temple in AD70? Is it referring to the millennial kingdom? And so on. Each of these has its supporters. For example, some believe that Jesus' words in John 21:22 mean that John is still alive and he will be one of the two witnesses. One of several problems with that is that the two witnesses will be killed before the Son of Man returns. Further, Jesus' words in Matthew 16:28 are plural, indicating more than one person. One of many problems with the destruction of the temple view is that Jesus didn't return in AD70. If He did, other words of Jesus would be a complete failure, such as Matthew 24:27.   There is no record of such an event, something that would not be lacking. That is an unbiblical attempt by preterists to dismiss any future prophecy, including the restoration of national Israel as a literal, historical event.   The problem with the Pentecost view is that it was the Holy Spirit, not Jesus, who came upon the people in Acts 2. To conflate the meaning of one with the other is stretching the text like a rubber band, which will eventually snap. As for the resurrection view, as Jesus was not in a glorified state at the resurrection, that also seems to be a stretch of the intent.   The account that is noted next at the beginning of Matthew 17 follows in the same manner in all three synoptic gospels, which is a strong hint that tells us that the transfiguration is what Jesus is referring to. It is a kingdom foretaste for the benefit of the disciples. As it is recorded in the word, it is thus provided as a benefit for all.   This glorified state was then viewed by John when he received the book of Revelation, including Jesus' return in Revelation 19. For a fuller and more complete explanation of the details of Matthew 16, please continue reading the life application section of this commentary.   Life application: Chapter 16 of Matthew is a passage that petitions the Jews of the end times to consider who Jesus is based on their own history, comparing it to how He is portrayed in Scripture.   In verse 1, Jesus was approached by the Pharisees and Sadducees, who asked for a sign from heaven. As in Chapter 15, these types of men represent the same thinking and paradigm as the rabbis of Israel today. Jesus told them that they could read the signs in the sky, but they could not discern the signs of the times.   With the coming of the end times, the Jews of Israel would naturally be expected to understand the situation they are in, but they will be clueless about the matter. In verse 4, Jesus said that the generation was wicked and adulterous, something akin to what Peter calls the Jews who rejected Jesus in Acts 2:40. Jesus continued that no sign would be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.   As explained, the sign of the prophet Jonah is the destruction of the temple, it being a year for a day based on Jonah's proclamation, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”   In the end times, the Jews will have to look to their Scriptures, understand that their temple was destroyed and they were exiled for rejecting Jesus, internalize this truth, and then have faith in Him based on that.   As an explanation of the doctrine of faith in the Messiah, in verse 5, the disciples went across the Sea of Galilee. As such, they crossed the Jordan because the Jordan runs through the sea. Being on the other (east) side signifies those who have not come through Christ to be saved. Jesus told them in verse 6 to take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. They thought He was talking about bread. But He corrected them by recapping the miracles of feeding the five thousand and the four thousand.   These miracles, anticipating the salvation of Jews and Gentiles, testify to His being the Messiah. What He was warning them about was the doctrine of those false teachers, not about bread. Their doctrine is to be equated with the false doctrine of the rabbis and other law teachers of the end times who have returned to law observance, temple worship, etc. It is a warning that the end times Jews are not to follow those Satan-led examples. Faith in Jesus, as represented by the feeding of the masses, is what brings restoration with God.   In verse 13, it is noted that Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea is derived from Caesar. The idea of being a Caesar is the deification of the individual. He is attributed a god-like status. Philippi is from Philip, a lover of horses. But in Scripture, a horse is metaphorically used as a source of military pride –   “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7   Abarim rightly defines Philippi with the lengthy paraphrase, They Who Lean On Their Military Complex. It is exactly the source of pride that Israel of today is heading towards. Their military superiority is their source of pride and is exalted to god-like status. This will only increase after the battle of Gogd/Magog.   It is in this prefigured end-times state that Jesus asks them who He is. The various answers are answers you could expect from Jews. Jesus was a prophet (or false prophet) or whatever. However, Simon Peter proclaims Him the Christ. What was Jesus' response? “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah.”   The same name that was acknowledged as the sign in verse 4 is now noted by Jesus. He is Simon (Hearer) Son of Jonah. In other words, he represents the Jews who have understood (heard) the sign of Jonah. To be a son signifies identity. The end times Jews who acknowledge Jesus as the Christ are “sons of Jonah,” because they have made the connection by understanding the sign. In essence, “We missed Him when He came, but we know now who He is.”   It is on this proclamation that Jesus will build His out-calling of those in the end times. They will receive the keys to the kingdom of the heavens, entering into the millennial reign of Christ. In verse 21, Jesus spoke of His destiny to suffer and die. Peter's words of admonishment stirred Jesus to turn His back on him, call him Satan, and tell him he was not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.   It is a warning to the end times Jews that they are to accept a crucified Savior as the role of the Messiah. Israel looked, and still looks, for a conquering Messiah, but His role as the crucified Messiah is what God highlights in Him more than all else.   From there, Jesus told the disciples the words about denying themselves and losing their souls in order to save their souls. The thought is "losing their souls (meaning their lives) in order to save their souls."  It is exactly what is seen in Revelation –   “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” Revelation 14:9, 10  &   “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.” Revelation 15:2   In verse 27, it said, “For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory with His messengers.” This is exactingly described in Revelation 19:11 –   “And I saw the heaven having been opened. And you behold! Horse, white! And the ‘sitting upon it' being called ‘Faithful and True,' and in righteousness He judges, and He battles” (CG).   Jesus is coming in His Father's glory. In Matthew 24, it notes that in the end times, He will send out His angels (Greek: messengers) to gather His elect.   The final verse of the chapter then said, “Amen! I say to you, that they are some of those having stood here who not they will taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Again, this is exactly what occurs in Revelation. Some of the end times Jews will make it through the entire tribulation, not seeing death until they behold Jesus coming in His kingdom.   These things are gleaned from Matthew 16, forming a picture of what is coming in the future for Israel.   Lord God, how precious it is to know that You will not reject Israel, even when the whole world is imploding, You will be with them and carry them as a people through the tribulation and into the time promised to them so long ago. Thank You for Your covenant faithfulness, even to those of us who fail You constantly. Amen. Matthew 16   16 And having approached, the Pharisees and Sadducees, testing, they queried Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2And answering, He said to them, “Evening having come, you say, ‘Good weather!', for the heaven, it is red, 3and early, ‘This day... inclemency!', for glowering, the heaven, it reddens. Hypocrites! Indeed, you know to discern the face of the heaven, and the seasons' signs, not you can. 4Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign, and a sign – not it will be given it – if not the sign of Jonah the prophet.” And having left them, He departed.   5And His disciples, having come to the beyond, they overlooked to take bread. 6And Jesus, He said to them, “You behold, and you caution from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”   7And they deliberated in themselves, saying, “Because not we took bread!” 8And Jesus, having known, said to them, “Why – you deliberate in yourselves, little-faithed? Because you took no bread? 9You grasp, not yet, nor you recollect the five loaves – the five thousand, and how many handbaskets you took? 10Nor the seven loaves – the four thousand, and how many hampers you took? 11How not you recollect that I spoke not concerning bread to you! Caution from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they comprehended that not He said to caution from the leaven – the bread, but from the teaching – the Pharisees and Sadducees.   13And Jesus, having come to the allotments – Caesarea, the Phillipi, He entreated His disciples, saying, “Whom they say, the men, Me to be, the Son of Man?”   14And they said, “These, indeed, John the Immerser, and others Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”   15He says to them, “And you, whom you say Me to be?”   16And answering, Simon Peter, he said, “You, You are the Christ, the Son of God, the living.”   17And Jesus, answering, He said to him, “Blessed you are, Simon, Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood not it revealed to you, but My Father, the ‘in the heavens'.” 18And I also, I say to you that you, you are Peter, and upon this – the Rock – I will build My out-calling, and Hades' gates, not they will overpower her. 19And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. And whatever, if you may bind upon the earth, it will be ‘having been bound' in the heavens. And whatever, if you may loosen upon the earth, it will be ‘having been loosed' in the heavens.” 20Then He enjoined His disciples that they should say to none that He, He is Jesus the Christ.   21From then He began, Jesus, to show His disciples that it necessitates Him to depart to Jerusalem and to suffer many from the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be roused.   22And Peter, having clutched Him, he began to admonish Him, saying, “Propitious, to You, Lord! No, not it will be, this to You!”   23And, having turned, He said to Peter, “You withdraw behind Me, Satan! Snare, you are, to Me. For you think not these of God but these of men.”   24The Jesus, He said to His disciples, “If any, he desires to come after Me, let him disown himself, and he took his cross, and he follows Me. 25For whoever, if he may desire to save his soul, he will lose it. And whoever, if he may lose his soul because of Me, he will find it. 26For what it benefits a man if he may gain the whole world and he may lose his soul? Or what will he give, man, equivalent his soul? 27For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory with His messengers. And then He will give each according to his practice. 28Amen! I say to you, that they are some of those having stood here who not they will taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Exploring the Connection Between Matthew 16 and Nehemiah For BibleInTen.com - By DH, 14th February 2026 Welcome back to Bible in Ten! Today, we have another bonus episode as our daily commentary from CG at the Superior Word rounds off Matthew Chapter 16. Matthew's Gospel contains 28 chapters, and remarkably, it mirrors the first 28 books of the Old Testament as arranged in the Christian Bible. So in this episode, having considered Matthew 16, we'll now look at its fascinating counterpart: Book 16 of the Old Testament-Nehemiah. Nehemiah (נְחֶמְיָה / Nechemyah) means “Yah comforts.” That is appropriate because the whole book is comfort through restoration after judgment. Nehemiah functions as a historical “control text,” showing an established covenant pattern that Matthew 16 then re-presents prophetically (while still being literal history in Jesus' life, confirmed by the other Gospel writers).  Isn't the Word of God Amazing?! Let us now take a look at 12 connections which which support the summary of the chapter as detailed in the previous episode.     Unlike pairings between Matthew 14 with 2 Chronicles—where the correspondence spans a wider sweep of history across multiple dispensational stages—the Matthew 16 / Nehemiah pairing is compressed into a narrower prophetic frame (the tribulation-period restoration conflict) and does not proceed step by step.  The lack of a perfectly locked step-by-step sequence is itself instructive.   In Matthew 14 the picture maps a long, ordered panorama where chronology matters as it spans events across Israel's history from the dispensation of law to and prophetic future carries a clearer, more sequential structure. .. But in the Matthew 16 / Nehemiah pairing—focused on the tribulation—Scripture is not chiefly giving a detailed internal timetable; it is giving the shape of the period.   So lets turn to that shape now with these 12 steps. A Demand for a Sign and the First Opposition Matthew 16 opens with the Pharisees and Sadducees coming together to test Jesus, demanding a “sign from heaven.” It is leadership pressure-religious power trying to control the terms. Nehemiah opens with the same kind of pressure appearing as soon as restoration is announced. When Nehemiah arrives with authorization to rebuild, opposition rises immediately: Sanballat and Tobiah are “grieved” that someone came to seek Israel's good (Nehemiah 2:10). They then laugh and scorn: “What is this thing that ye do?” (2:19) The pattern is consistent: when God moves to restore, the entrenched powers demand proof, challenge legitimacy, and attempt to intimidate the work before it begins. “You Can Read the Sky… But Not the Times” Jesus says they can interpret the sky, but they cannot discern “the signs of the times.” The irony is that the very men claiming insight are the ones blind to what God is doing. Nehemiah carries that same irony in restoration form. The enemies act as if they understand the situation and control the outcome—mocking, threatening, and plotting as though the work will collapse on their schedule. But they do not know what's really happening. Their blindness shows in this: they only learn after the fact that their plan has been uncovered. In Nehemiah —“when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought…” (Nehemiah 4:15). They thought they were the ones reading the moment, but they were misreading it completely. The builders knew; the enemies did not. And once the plot was exposed, the intimidation lost its power and the work continued. The Sign of Judgment Remembered With the coming of the end times, the leaders of Israel would be expected to understand the situation they are in—but in Matthew 16 they are shown as unable to read it. Jesus calls them “wicked and adulterous” and says no sign will be given except “the sign of the prophet Jonah.” In the previous episode we learned that, Jonah's “Yet forty days” becomes a prophetic template—forty as judgment time—fulfilled in the temple's destruction about forty years after Christ, and then the long exile that followed. The end-times petition is therefore not, “wait for a new sign,” but: look back, read your history through Scripture, and believe. Nehemiah begins with that same mechanism already in place. The “sign” is not in the sky; it is in the city. Jerusalem stands as a covenant witness—broken, burned, and shamed: “the wall of Jerusalem… broken down, and the gates… burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). And crucially, Nehemiah interprets that ruin as meaning—he does not treat it as mere geopolitics. He confesses, “We have dealt very corruptly… and have not kept the commandments” (1:7), and he appeals to what God had already spoken in the Scriptures about scattering for unfaithfulness and gathering upon repentance (1:8-9). Matthew 16 points Israel to a coming historical sign—temple judgment—meant to force a right reading of Scripture and history. Nehemiah opens with an earlier historical sign—Jerusalem in ruins—meant to do the same. In both cases, the issue is not that God failed to leave evidence. The issue is whether the people will stop being “clueless,” read the sign correctly, internalize what it says about their covenant state, and then return to the Lord in true faith. Crossing Over: From Exile-Space to Covenant-Space The movement across the sea of Galilee (and thus the Jordan-line running through it) pictured a spiritual boundary-those “on the other side” needing to come through Christ. Nehemiah is structured around a grand “crossing” of its own: movement from Persia and the regions “beyond the river” into the land where God's name was set. The restoration work begins when Nehemiah leaves the place of worldly security and goes to the place of covenant accountability. Beware the Leaven: Corrupt Influence Inside the People In Matthew 16, Jesus warns of the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees—doctrine and influence that works invisibly, spreading through the whole lump until everything is affected. The disciples first think He is speaking about bread, but Jesus corrects them: the danger is not what you eat, but what you absorb. Nehemiah gives a historical picture of that same leaven-principle. The enemy does not remain at the gate. He aims for infiltration—to become familiar, acceptable, even respected within the restored community. During the rebuilding, Nehemiah notes that the nobles were already entangled: “For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.” (Nehemiah 6:18). The leaven isn't merely threat from outside; it is sympathy and alliance forming inside—compromise that feels normal because it comes through “our own people.” And when that leaven is left unchecked, it advances from relationships to residence. In Nehemiah 13, Tobiah is not simply corresponding with leaders—he is granted an actual chamber in the temple precincts (Nehemiah 13:4-9). The unclean influence in its mature form, so that what begins as tolerated association ends as sanctioned presence. This is exactly the warning Matthew 16 carries forward. Don't misread the matter as “bread,” as though the issue were external details. The real danger is the teaching, the partnerships, the slow drift—leavened thinking that spreads through the body while everyone tells themselves nothing serious is happening, until the holy space itself is compromised. Power, Pride, and the Military Temptation Caesarea Philippi was highlighted as a picture-space: Caesar as deified man; Philippi as leaning on the “horse” principle-military pride. Nehemiah's rebuilding occurs under constant threat. The people must be armed while they build.  They work with one hand and hold a weapon with the other (Nehemiah 4:17-18). But Nehemiah carefully frames this: the sword is not their salvation. Their security is God, and vigilance is obedience. Necessary defense exists, but pride in defense is a snare. The people are restored, yet always at risk of trusting the wall more than the Lord. “Who Do You Say That I Am?” and the Community's Confession In Matthew 16, we have the God assisted confession: “You are the Christ.” Nehemiah contains an extended sequence where Israel is restored not merely by masonry but by identity-confession through God's Word: “So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.” (Nehemiah 8:8). This leads into confession of sin and confession of God's faithfulness (Nehemiah 9). In the Matthew framework: end-times Jews become true “hearers”- not merely readers of signs, but confessors of what the signs meant. 8. Kingdom-Order, and Covenant Enrollment In Matthew 16, everything turns on identity and confession. Israel can offer many assessments of Jesus—prophet, teacher, threat—but the end-times remnant is identified as those who follow Peter's confession: “You are the Christ.” After this, Jesus blesses Peter with a name that ties back to the only sign granted—Bar-Jonah, “son of Jonah.” In other words, Peter typifies the Jews who have heard the sign of Jonah, interpreted their own history rightly, and therefore confess the Messiah they once missed. That confession marks them out as the out-called, and it is on that proclamation that Christ speaks of kingdom entry—the granting of the keys. Nehemiah provides an Old Covenant “control text” for that same movement: a remnant comes to understanding, confession, and then formalized belonging. After the Scriptures are read and the national confession is made (Nehemiah 8-9), the people do not remain in mere emotion or general agreement. They move into enrollment—a defined act of covenant identity: “And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it” (Nehemiah 9:38; detailed in chapter 10). Names are written. Allegiance is publicly owned. Commitments and boundaries are stated. And the Hebrew meaning of these written names themselves bear connection to tribulation period events described in Revelation. In typology terms, Nehemiah shows a keys-of-the-kingdom counterpart in historical form, a concrete act of authorized inclusion into a defined covenant community. As Bar-Jonah represents those who finally hear and identify the true Messiah, the sealed covenant in Nehemiah represents those who finally own and enter the restored order. 9. A Messiah Who Must Suffer: The Offense of God's Way In Matthew 16, Peter stumbles over the suffering plan. The moment Jesus speaks openly about rejection, suffering, and death, Peter tries to correct Him—and Jesus rebukes him sharply. The warning is against demanding a triumphant, expectation-shaped messiah while rejecting the true Messiah as God presents Him—first crucified, then glorified. Nehemiah provides the historical control picture of that same offense. Restoration there advances through obedience under scorn. The workers are mocked (Nehemiah 4:1-3), threatened (4:7-8), and worn down by discouragement (4:10). Yet the work moves forward because they refuse the “easy” path of retreat, silence, or compromise. That is the typological connection: Peter's impulse—“this shall not happen to You”—is the human instinct to reject a deliverance that comes through suffering. Nehemiah's remnant models the opposite posture: they accept that God often brings vindication after humiliation.   10. Deny Yourself: The Cost of Faithfulness Under Pressure In Matthew 16, Jesus' call to deny yourself is not abstract spirituality—it is a demand for costly allegiance. In the end-times picture drawn, it means refusing the survival-instinct that compromises truth, and choosing fidelity to Christ even when it carries temporary loss. Nehemiah provides a clear historical control of that same principle. He refuses the governor's allowance—he will not enrich himself at the people's expense: “I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor” (Nehemiah 5:14-19).  In both cases the work of God is advanced by those willing to serve faithfully even when they could have claimed their rights. Vindication: God's Work Revealed Before Enemies Matthew 16 ends with the thought of the Son of Man coming in glory with His messengers-a public unveiling of reality. Nehemiah contains a miniature version of that unveiling: The wall is finished, and the enemies “perceived that this work was wrought of our God” (Nehemiah 6:15-16). The point is the pattern: endurance, completion, public recognition that God did it, not man. What is done in faith is later shown to have been of God. A Remnant Standing at the End Some will make it through the tribulation without tasting death when they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. In Nehemiah, the “standing remnant” idea is stated in the narrative milestones that mark survival through the entire pressure campaign to the realized outcome. They survive to completion: “So the wall was finished…” (Nehemiah 6:15). They survive the intimidation campaign and remain in place: after the plot is exposed and collapses, the work continues and the enemies are put to shame (Nehemiah 6:16). They transition from building under threat to ordered life in the city: once the wall is finished, “the doors were set up,” gatekeepers and Levites are appointed, and watch is established (Nehemiah 7:1-3). They are still there as a gathered people at the end of the building phase: “all Israel dwelt in their cities… and all the people gathered themselves together as one man” (Nehemiah 7:73-8:1). They move from completion to public dedication: “at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem…” (Nehemiah 12:27), culminating in corporate worship and rejoicing (Nehemiah 12:43). Nehemiah doesn't just end with “a wall.” It ends with a preserved community—still present, still assembled, moving from survival under pressure (6:15-16) into established order (7:1-3), unified gathering (7:73-8:1), and dedication/worship (12:27, 43). So the narrative picture of a remnant standing is explicit: some make it through, and they stand in what God established. CONCLUSION: Why This is Controlled Typology In Nehemiah, the question is: Will the returned people truly become God's people again-by truth, separation, and covenant fidelity-rather than by mere structure? In Matthew 16, the question becomes sharper and final: Will Israel discern what their own history meant, reject leavened leadership, confess the true Messiah, accept the suffering plan, and endure to the kingdom? Nehemiah gives the Old Covenant restoration pattern in history. Matthew 16 gives the New Covenant restoration petition in prophecy-picture-centered entirely on Jesus: who He is, what He must do, and what His people must endure in the tribulation period. Nehemiah rebuilds a wall around a city.  Matthew 16 reveals the confession upon which Christ builds His out-calling. Lord God, we thank You for Your word-holy, faithful, and true. Give us discernment for the times we live in. Guard us from leaven-quiet compromise, false teaching, and fear-driven counsel that sounds spiritual but serves another master.  Strengthen us to bear reproach, to deny ourselves, and to endure faithfully until Your purposes are complete.  And may all our confidence rest not in walls, not in strength, not in man-but in the name of the Lord our God. Amen.

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-fa741a2076cd5c612dc1e5ded6825b97{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-fa741a2076cd5c612dc1e5ded6825b97 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-fa741a2076cd5c612dc1e5ded6825b97 .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 03 – February 14Luke 5:27 – 6:11 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – February 14 Luke 5:27 – 6:11 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0214db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Luke 5 The Calling of Levi (Matthew) 27 After these things, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at the tax collector's booth. He said to him, “Follow me.” 28 Levi left everything, got up, and followed Jesus. 29 Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house. There was a large crowd of tax collectors and others dining with them. 30 The Pharisees and experts in the law grumbled against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “The healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” A Question About Fasting 33 They said to him, “Why do John's disciples fast and pray often, and so do the Pharisees' disciples, but yours go on eating and drinking?” 34 Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then, in those days, they will fast.” 36 He told them a parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new garment, and the patch from the new garment will not match the old one. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine must be put into fresh wineskins so both are preserved. 39 And no one wants new wine while drinking old wine, because he says, ‘The old is fine.'” Lord of the Sabbath Luke 6 1 When Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath day, his disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered them, “Haven't you read what David did when he was hungry (he and his companions)? 4 He went into the house of God, took and ate the Bread of the Presence, which is lawful only for the priests to eat. He also gave some to his companions.” 5 Jesus also said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus Heals a Man With a Withered Hand 6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and taught. A man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 The experts in the law and the Pharisees were watching him closely, to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. They wanted to find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he always knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up and step forward.” [1] He got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you something. Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 He looked around at all of them and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand was restored. 11 They were filled with rage and began discussing with one another what they could do to Jesus. Footnotes Luke 6:8 Or Get up and stand in the center #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

Before moving into Chapter 1 of the book, we return to the introduction to examine a major theological claim: that Luke 15 presents three forms of slavery — a sinful flesh that wants to wander, a troubled conscience that fears it cannot return, and a "little Pharisee" living in our hearts — and that Jesus desires to set us free from each. But does Luke 15 actually teach this?

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260213dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Jesus said] “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 Do You Measure Up? “You must be this tall to go on this ride.” Those were terrible and frustrating words for a young boy to read, especially if his friends and/or cousins were tall enough to get on the roller coaster. It generally did not matter how tall I was. I can remember one summer being just an inch shy of the line, and the ride operator would not make an exception. I would have to wait until I measured up. Getting into heaven is like that. In fact, it is even worse. Jesus himself said that to enter heaven, we would have to be more righteous than the Pharisees of his day. To help understand his point, realize that the Pharisees had added hundreds of their own commands to be obeyed on top of the commands that God gave, and they shunned anyone who couldn't measure up to their rules. It is disheartening, then, to hear Jesus say that not even those self-righteous Pharisees could measure up. Truthfully, no one can. God demands perfection as the entrance requirement for heaven, and nobody can measure up to that. Jesus doesn’t say this because he wants to keep you out of heaven. Rather, he wants you to realize that there is only one way to gain entrance into heaven, and it isn’t through our own efforts. He wants us to see that the only way to heaven is through him. Jesus is the only one who measured up to God’s standard of perfection. He lived a perfect life in our place and achieved righteousness on our behalf. He died in our place on the cross to earn salvation for us. Through faith in Jesus, the standard has been met. He now gives us the ticket to heaven. We don’t need to worry about whether we measure up, because he measured up for us. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for meeting the standard of perfection for me. Grant me confidence that heaven is open to me because of all you did for me. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Read OnlineJesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. Mark 7:31–32Throughout Jesus' public ministry, His actions, while purely charitable, were often deliberate and provocative. His words and deeds testified to the true meaning of the Mosaic Law by exposing the damaging legalism of many Pharisees, whose misinterpretations deeply influenced God's Chosen People. For example, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (cf. Mark 3:1–6) and cured a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years (cf. John 5:1–18). In both cases, Jesus was accused of violating the Sabbath rest as interpreted by the Pharisaic traditions. By challenging these restrictive and erroneous interpretations, Jesus demonstrated that the Sabbath is a day for mercy, healing, and honoring God, not a burdensome observance of human traditions. Jesus boldly lived the Mosaic Law as it was intended, while challenging the erroneous practices and beliefs He encountered. Another act of deliberate and charitable provocation was Jesus' ministry among the Gentiles. At that time, observant Jews often avoided direct interactions with Gentiles, considering them ritually unclean and outside the covenant community of Israel. Yet Jesus traveled into Gentile regions such as Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis. In today's Gospel, Jesus traveled from Tyre to Sidon and then to the Decapolis, where He healed a deaf and mute man. Being predominantly Gentile regions, they were marked by pagan worship, Hellenistic culture, and lifestyles often incompatible with Jewish religious practices. It is likely that Jesus' companions—the Twelve—were surprised and uneasy during these visits, but that was precisely the point. Their journey to these territories was itself a lesson Jesus intended to teach. By engaging with Gentiles, Jesus revealed that God's salvation is not limited to Israel but extends to all nations, fulfilling the promise made to Abraham: “All the families of the earth will find blessing in you” (Genesis 12:3). In doing so, Jesus began preparing His disciples to shed nationalistic biases and embrace the universal scope of God's covenant of salvation.The healing of the deaf and mute man carries profound significance. First, by performing the miracle in predominantly Gentile territory, Jesus directed its meaning beyond the Jews to all peoples of every nation. The message is clear: By healing the man's deafness, Jesus teaches that all must hear the saving message of the Gospel. By healing his speech impediment, Jesus further teaches that all who hear the Gospel are called to proclaim it.Though the manner of this healing—putting “his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue”—is rich with symbolism, it also reveals Jesus' personal and compassionate approach. For a deaf and mute man, spoken words alone would not have conveyed what Jesus was about to do. By using touch and visible gestures, Jesus communicated with the man in a way he could understand, engaging him personally and tenderly. This reflects the boundless compassion of Jesus, Who meets each of us where we are.Reflect today on the lesson the Twelve learned as they traveled with Jesus through Gentile and pagan regions. As followers of Christ, we must learn not only from His words but also from His actions. The Creed, the Sacraments, and the moral teachings of the Church are not meant for Catholics alone but for all people. At times, sharing the Gospel might require charitable provocation within the social circles in which we live and work. We must strive to do so in ways that people can understand, setting aside artificial or inconsequential traditions that obstruct the message. True compassion leads us to every person, making us instruments of their salvation, knowing that the message we bring is for all, so that “all the families of the earth” may find blessing in God through you.My compassionate and provocative Lord, You confidently and lovingly challenged the burdensome and restrictive traditions that had overshadowed the true spirit of the Mosaic Law, pointing Your disciples—and us—to the universal scope of Your saving mission. Grant me the courage and wisdom to be an instrument of Your Gospel to everyone I meet. Help me to love them where they are, with the tenderness and compassion You show, so that they, too, may be drawn into the joy of Your eternal Kingdom. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: unknown, (Markusmaler und Gehilfe), Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

https://rumble.com/embed/v73hr3w/?pub=84ufd Today’s Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Gospel – Mark 7:1-13 – Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Him, they observed that some of His disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles [and beds].) So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Him, “Why do Your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me; In vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.' You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,' and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.' Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban”' (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” Bishop Sheen quote of the day

Today Allie discusses the theological debate on whether the Jews killed Jesus, emphasizing the importance of understanding biblical context. She highlights the role of the Pharisees and Jewish leaders in Jesus's crucifixion, citing passages from the Old and New Testaments. Allie clarifies that while the Romans played a role, the Jewish people were also culpable. She addresses accusations of spreading anti-Semitic propaganda and blood libel, stressing the need for accurate biblical interpretation. Additionally, Allie also answers other questions from her audience, such as the role of women in church and the book of Enoch, along with several other queries. Share the Arrows 2026 is on October 10 in Dallas, Texas! Tickets go on sale February 11 at: ⁠⁠⁠https://sharethearrows.com⁠⁠⁠ Buy Allie's book "Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion": ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.toxicempathy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Timecodes: (00:00) Intro (04:50) Did the Jews Kill Jesus? (09:30) Blood Libel (12:10) Evidence in Scripture (22:30) The Gospel Is for Everyone (29:45) Can Women Be Pastors? (34:15) What Is the Book of Enoch? (39:10) How to Deal with Unanswered Prayers (45:00) Are Our Spirits Gendered? (48:05) What Is Exegesis? --- Today's Sponsors: Patriot Mobile | Go to ⁠PatriotMobile.com/ALLIE⁠ or call 972-PATRIOT and use promo code ALLIE for a free month of service! Good Ranchers | Go to ⁠GoodRanchers.com⁠ and subscribe to any box of 100% American meat, and you'll save up to $500 a year! Plus, if you use code ALLIE, you'll get an additional $25 off your first order. EveryLife | Visit ⁠EveryLife.com⁠ and use promo code ALLIE10 to get 10% off your first order today! Alliance Defending Freedom | Visit ⁠JoinADF.com/Allie⁠ or text ALLIE to 83848 to sign the statement of support for Moody Bible Institute.  Olive App | Download Olive now and instantly see what's hiding in your groceries! Voice of the Martyrs | Visit ⁠VOM.org/Allie⁠  to get your free copy of "Hearts of Fire 2" today! --- Episodes you might like:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ep 1291 | Warning to Churches: Here's What's Coming Your Way ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000746104225⁠ Ep 1271 | A Catholic & Protestant on the Death Penalty, Immigration & Women's Roles | Trent Horn ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000738174696 Ep 1254 | Jubilee Reaction: How to Debate 20 Liberal Christians ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000732041086⁠ Ep 1213 | Infant Baptism vs. Believers' Baptism: What's Biblical? ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-1213-infant-baptism-vs-believers-baptism-whats-biblical/id1359249098?i=1000715472766⁠ --- Buy Allie's book "You're Not Enough (and That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love": ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.alliebethstuckey.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Relatable merchandise: Use promo code ALLIE10 for a discount: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices