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Frank and Jonathan catch up after a busy con season and dig into the biggest geek stories they've missed. We react to the Mandalorian & Grogu trailer and its old-school adventure vibe, talk through why a Game of Thrones one-two punch in 2026 could work (and where House of the Dragon still needs to land), and break down the first real look at the Wolverine game from Insomniac. We also map out what the Peaky Blinders movie and sequel series might cover, debate the point of The Simpsons Movie 2, and line up a sharp October watchlist. Plus: Jordan Peele's Him hits digital with bonus content, and we're giving away copies today. Timestamps & Topics 00:00–02:24 • Catch-up and con season recap (Crocker Con, LA Comic Con, highlight video) 02:24–11:08 • Mandalorian & Grogu poster + trailer reactions, practical effects, scale, IMAX plans 11:08–19:12 • Game of Thrones 2026: House of the Dragon S3 expectations, big battles, “movie-episode” idea; A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tone and Dorne 19:12–23:21 • The Simpsons Movie 2: why now, scope, and what would make it worth theaters 23:21–29:19 • Wolverine (Insomniac) gameplay: combat feel, Omega Red stakes, Mystique story tricks, scent-tracking 29:19–39:51 • Peaky Blinders: WWII film setup, Tommy vs. fascism, the 1953 sequel series and what shifts after the war 39:51–40:23 • What we're rewatching: Invincible 40:23–40:51 • Ad: Jordan Peele's Him now on digital + bonus content 40:49–40:51 • Giveaway: Free copies of Him dropping on our socials today 40:51–48:14 • October Watchlist: Solar Opposites, Hazbin Hotel, Star Wars: Visions, It: Welcome to Derry, The Witcher's final season 48:14–52:18 • Horror picks, Tron rewatch plans, final recs (Reading Rainbow with Mychol the Librarian) Key Takeaways Mandalorian & Grogu looks like classic adventure cinema with modern polish, and the scale finally feels “Star Wars movie” again. House of the Dragon S3 needs payoff right away; A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms works best if it stays grounded and character-driven. Wolverine aims for weighty, tactile combat; villains like Omega Red can raise stakes by limiting healing. Peaky Blinders is set up for a strong WWII film handoff to a 1953 sequel series that explores post-war power shifts. The Simpsons Movie 2 needs a big, timely hook to justify the leap back to theaters. October TV is stacked, and It: Welcome to Derry has room to dig into the town-wide effects of Pennywise. Memorable Quotes “There's something about a Star Wars movie where the budget is just whatever they wanted to do.” “Make the season climb, then drop a theater-only battle movie the very next weekend.” “Star Wars tech feels bolted together in the best way. You can almost hear the click of every panel.” “He operates perfectly in the gray area where politics can't see.” “The best horror makes you think about it long after the scare.” Call to Action If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe, rate us 5 stars, and share the show with a friend. Drop a review and tag your post with #GeekFreaks so we can shout you out next week. Links & Resources GeekFreaksPodcast.com — the source of all news discussed on our podcast Follow Us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegeekfreakspodcast Threads: https://www.threads.net/@geekfreakspodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/geekfreakspod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geekfreakspodcast/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GeekFreakspodcast Listener Questions What did you think of the Mandalorian & Grogu trailer? Which October show are you most excited for? Send questions and topic requests for future episodes, and we'll feature them on the show. Apple Podcast tags: Geek Freaks, Geek Freaks Podcast, Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Simpsons Movie 2, Wolverine game, Insomniac Games, Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby, Invincible, It Welcome to Derry, Solar Opposites, Hazbin Hotel, Star Wars Visions, The Witcher, Tron Legacy, Reading Rainbow, Jordan Peele Him, October watchlist
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Jena Brown, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about anxiety, Reading Rainbow, and the publishing industry's gambling problem. Then, stick around for a chat with Ariel Sullivan!Ariel Sullivan is the author of Conform. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two sons, and their two French bulldogs. Growing up a military brat, Ariel moved every two years. As a perpetual new kid, Ariel often observed from the outskirts, where a deep love of reading was born. When she isn't writing, Ariel loves to read everything from poetry to psychology, bake with her sons, listen to live music, and travel.
Jeff and Rebecca talk about the opening of the portal to submit claims against the $1.5 Billion Anthropic settlement, Reading Rainbow's relaunch, One Battle After Another, and more of the week's book news. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Apply to write for Book Riot Authors can find out if they're eligible for a settlement from Anthropic Reading Rainbow is coming back with a new host Publishing has a gambling problem Florida district judge rejects first amendment argument in book banning base Kamala Harris's 107 Days on track to be best-selling memoir of the year 107 Days by Kamala Harris Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung Replaceable You by Mary Roach Enshittification by Cory Doctorow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The JBP kicks off its new episode discussing the ongoing beef from Cardi B and Nicki Minaj (21:05) before turning to the two diss records from JT aimed at Cardi (39:45). Joe asks the room if they believe in music bullying (1:19:35), Bryson Tiller releases Disc 1 of ‘Solace & The Vices' (2:06:53), and Leon Thomas has new music leading the cast to debate what other R&B artists he's making it tough for (2:14:25). Also, a debate on funeral attendance (2:31:05), Reading Rainbow is making a return (2:43:50), the MLB Playoffs (2:54:33), Diddy's sentencing (3:05:45), Part of the Show (3:21:10), and much more. Become a Patron of The Joe Budden Podcast for additional bonus episodes and visual content for all things JBP! Join our Patreon here: www.patreon.com/joebudden
Topics Include: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Zootopia 2, In Your Dreams, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, The Astronaut, IT: Welcome To Derry, The Bride, The Carpenter's Son, and the return of Reading Rainbow.
Pop Culture Junk Drawer (One Take Edition)We emptied the drawer and hit record: one continuous, gloriously unedited (well...mostly unedited, lol) rummage through pop culture. Lionel Richie spills on Michael Jackson's… laundry. Bad Bunny nabs the Super Bowl halftime show and the internet predictably loses its mind (or pretends to). Reading Rainbow returns to raise a new generation of book nerds. An AI “actress” named Tilly shows up to take jobs and haunt our dreams. Plus quick hits on Peacemaker S2, neon-soaked TRON: Ares, It: Welcome to Derry, and a rom-com that actually argues back. Cody promises a “golden thread.” Dave promises to keep the Taco Bell packets. Somehow… both come true.Why hit play:Real talk on outrage algorithms vs. real life (Bad Bunny discourse decoded)Cozy nostalgia with actual stakes (Reading Rainbow's modern pivot)A smart, funny sanity check on AI hype (Tilly Norwood, explained)Rapid-fire watchlist you can use tonightIf your brain craves news, nostalgia, and nonsense in equal measure, this is your episode. Open the drawer. We dare you.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod
We'll talk about the return of Reading Rainbow and the new movies out for this weekend! Get it in the #MikeJonesMinuteCon.
We'll talk about the return of Reading Rainbow and the new movies out for this weekend! Get it in the #MikeJonesMinuteCon.
Elon's worth drops, a little… Meta using Chatbot info for ads… Amazon launching it's own food brand... Walmart to remove synthetic dyes in it's brands… Automakers claim EV sales are up… Government freezes money earmarked for NYC… Who Died Today: Jane Goodall 91… Hunter S Thompson death being case reviewed... Email: ChewingTheFat@theblaze.com www.blazetv.com/jeffy $20 off annual plan right now ( limited time )... New movie / We Bury The Dead… Terminal List 2 wrapped filming… Football means series slow watching & family time… Reading Rainbow coming back on Saturday… Brian Boone joins the program / Uncle Johns Know It All Bathroom Reader… Uncle John's Know It All Bathroom Reader: Superior Trivia! Amazing Facts and Figures! (Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Annual): Bathroom Readers' Institute: 9781667208480: Amazon.com: Books Bank Heist in 1878… Mars Family History… Joke of The Day… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on Two Queens, Two Crowns, we get into Cardi B's big album debut and the messy back-and-forth with Nicki Minaj that lit up social media. We also celebrate Selena Gomez tying the knot with Benny Blanco (and unpack the side-eye from Justin Bieber's posts). Plus, we ponder the trending question: why do the pop charts feel so boring right now, even with big names dropping music? And for Black News, Erica brings us joy with the return of Reading Rainbow—with a new Black host carrying the torch.Subscribe for monthly bonus episodes:https://patreon.com/2Queens2CrownsJoin the conversation:TikTok -@2queens2crowns,@iam_kjmiller, @leta_bitchknowYouTube -2 Queens 2 CrownsIG:@kjmiller, @letabknow References:Cardi's #1 album:https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/cardi-b-am-i-the-drama-numer-one-billboard-200-chart-1236077406/Cardi vs. Nicki:https://pagesix.com/2025/09/30/entertainment/cardi-b-nicki-minaj-trade-barbs-in-another-explosive-social-media-war-missed-me/Selena's Wedding:https://pagesix.com/2025/09/28/celebrity-news/benny-blanco-shares-behind-the-scenes-photos-of-lavish-wedding-to-disney-princess-selena-gomez/Selena's mom responds to rumors:https://www.eonline.com/news/1423103/selena-gomez-benny-blanco-married-mom-mandy-teefey-reactsSelena's Wedding Planners:https://pagesix.com/2025/09/28/celebrity-news/selena-gomez-and-benny-blanco-hire-same-wedding-planners-as-justin-and-hailey-bieber/Justin's carousel:https://pagesix.com/2025/09/28/celebrity-news/fans-troll-justin-bieber-over-cryptic-post-about-marriage-as-ex-selena-gomez-weds-benny-blanco/Sam Murphy's TikTok on pop music today:https://www.tiktok.com/@popsamcam/video/7555567238368087327?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7517361012459193886Reading Rainbow's return:https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/reading-rainbow-new-host-mychal-the-librarian-rcna234638
ICYMI: Hour Two of ‘Later, with Mo'Kelly' Presents – A hilarious conversation revolving around food preferences at various fast food restaurants…PLUS – A look at the triumphant return of beloved TV series “Reading Rainbow” AND plans for iconic toy retailer Toys “R” Us to return to brick-and-mortar stores - on KFI AM 640…Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app & YouTube @MrMoKelly
Reggie breaks down the Texans' defense and blitz numbers — but do they really mean anything? Figgy's Mixtape goes TBT with kids outsmarting school phone bans, the Reading Rainbow reboot, and more trending stories.
Texans face a mounting Ravens injury report — is this the true get-right game, and should Houston fear Derrick Henry? Woody Marks takes Rookie of the Week, TNF, and league injuries stack up, and former Texan N.D. Kalu joins the show. DeMeco and Stroud speak, ITL reacts with Lunch-Time Confessions and OG's Buy/Sell, plus Reggie's Texans blitz breakdown, Figgy's Mixtape TBT, phone ban hacks, the Reading Rainbow reboot, and more.
Dean Richards, entertainment reporter for WGN, joins Bob Sirott to provide the latest news in entertainment. Bob and Dean share details about an “Everybody Loves Raymond” reunion, talk of a possible *NSYNC reunion, and the return of “Reading Rainbow.” They also talk about Bad Bunny hosting SNL, the reunion of Paris and Janet Jackson, and […]
Topics discussed on today's show: National Hair Day, Coming Up in October, Stagecoach Performers, Birthdays, History Quiz, KFC's Recipe, Taliban Internet, Trump Tariffs, Selecting Kumari, Studio Session with Christian James Hand, Reading Rainbow, Calling in Sick, Stagecoach, Acting Sick, Sports News, Animal Carvers, Coming up in October, and Apologies.
AI actors spark a union backlash, Rick Moranis dusts off the helmet for Spaceballs 2, and Superman soars on Max while Kimmel breaks records despite affiliate drama. Plus, Reading Rainbow returns, Tubi gets Thanksgiving football, and Amazon shows off shiny new Fire TVs.This week on The FULL Experience: Yellowstone (509 - "Desire Is All You Need")Next week: Yellowstone (514 - "Life Is A Promise")Subscribe, get expanded show notes, and past episodes at http://Cordkillers.comSupport Cordkillers at http://Patreon.com/CordkillersYouTube: https://youtu.be/BCEslkXaMYU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
AI actors spark a union backlash, Rick Moranis dusts off the helmet for Spaceballs 2, and Superman soars on Max while Kimmel breaks records despite affiliate drama. Plus, Reading Rainbow returns, Tubi gets Thanksgiving football, and Amazon shows off shiny new Fire TVs.This week on The FULL Experience: Yellowstone (509 - "Desire Is All You Need")Next week: Yellowstone (514 - "Life Is A Promise")Subscribe, get expanded show notes, and past episodes at http://Cordkillers.comSupport Cordkillers at http://Patreon.com/CordkillersYouTube: https://youtu.be/BCEslkXaMYU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Best Of 2GG: Reading Rainbow by Two Girls and a Guy
AI actors spark a union backlash, Rick Moranis dusts off the helmet for Spaceballs 2, and Superman soars on Max while Kimmel breaks records despite affiliate drama. Plus, Reading Rainbow returns, Tubi gets Thanksgiving football, and Amazon shows off shiny new Fire TVs.This week on The FULL Experience: Yellowstone (509 - "Desire Is All You Need")Next week: Yellowstone (514 - "Life Is A Promise")Subscribe, get expanded show notes, and past episodes at http://Cordkillers.comSupport Cordkillers at http://Patreon.com/CordkillersYouTube: https://youtu.be/BCEslkXaMYU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Please Subscribe + Rate & Review Philip Teresi on KMJ wherever you listen! --- KMJ’s Philip Teresi is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever else you listen. --- Philip Teresi, Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific News/Talk 580 & 105.9 KMJ DriveKMJ.com | Podcast | Facebook | X | Instagram --- Everything KMJ: kmjnow.com | Streaming | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Please Subscribe + Rate & Review Philip Teresi on KMJ wherever you listen! --- KMJ’s Philip Teresi is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever else you listen. --- Philip Teresi, Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific News/Talk 580 & 105.9 KMJ DriveKMJ.com | Podcast | Facebook | X | Instagram --- Everything KMJ: kmjnow.com | Streaming | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On the show: -Do men lack the worry gene -Reading Rainbow is baaaack -Amazon Prime Squatters…Your squatting days have come to an end -Weird way to show love -Best part of my job is... -Jerk or Justified? My wife keeps an argument journal -Love or hate Tilly Norwood? -Hot or Not? Men sipping water from their HUGE water jug -Match Game for Haunted Hayride tickets
Betty’s headache, a fitness influencer’s drama, Reading Rainbow is coming back, and which board game we’d like to live in for a year. You can join our Wally Show Poddies Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/WallyShowPoddies
A PBS classic is making its way back to the airwaves (e-waves?) as a YouTube show for a new generation.Read more about the new show and its host here ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Topics discussed on today's show: Chewing Gum, Smelling Farts, Thumb Sucking, Brands of Gum, Wood in Batter, Reading Rainbow, Protesting Sex Traffickers, Birthdays, History Quiz, Movie Tariffs, AI BF's and Parental Control, Maxwell and Supreme Court, McD's Monopoly, KFC Herbs & Spices, Famous Relatives, Fish Butts, and Apologies.
Reading Rainbow is coming back and it had the gang wondering about other shows we'd revive, people are doing more in their cars than just commuting, and sadly Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban filed for divorce so we talked to a divorce expert to find out just how long this might take. Catch up on everything you missed from today's show on The Morning Mix Podcast!Listen to The Morning Mix weekdays from 5:30am – 10:00am on 101.9fm The Mix in Chicago or with the free Mix App available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.Follow The Mix: The MixstagramGet the Free MIX App: Stream The MixSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Good Morning and E News: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban split after 19 years, Celebrity marriages that your forgot about, "Reading Rainbow" is back, and Is there a new sport Karen? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Pete Davidson is predicting fans will turn on Walton Goggins, Reading Rainbow is coming back after 20 years and McDonalds is bringing back Monopoly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
58 millions pounds of corn dogs are being recalled after people are finding little pieces of wood in their sausage. An AI actress is close to getting a representation from a talent agency. McDonald's monopoly is back! Reading Rainbow is making a come back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fred wants to know how you open a banana. Plus Fred and Kaelin get nostalgic when they find out the show Reading Rainbow is being rebooted!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Changing things up a bit this week with the Oktoberfest races at the Speedway this weekend. Normally, we'd have Grant Bilse join us just after 8am on Tuesday…but Doc is in studio this morning to talk about the 'Fest races and give away some free tickets. So Grant will join us tomorrow! On the show today, we talked about what's on TV & what's new on New Release Tuesday. We talked about the return of Monopoly at McDonald's & your odds of actually winning something…plus, the return of "Reading Rainbow"! Checked in our Week 4 Pigskin Picks, and had a new "Karen of the Day"! Fall officially started about a week ago, and even though it's still in the 80's this week…we ran down a list of safety checks that homeowners should complete with the cooler weather ahead. In sports, we recapped the Broncos/Bengals game and the Dolphins/Jets game, including the Tyreek Hill injury. Speaking of injuries, Malik Nabers is officially out for the rest of the season. Elsewhere in sports, the MLB playoffs begin today and a bunch of managers are getting fired. Also…there was ZERO no-hitters in Major League Baseball this season. Interesting stat. Cool story about a cook at a restaurant in #Florida who saved a regular customer's life when the guy hadn't been in the restaurant for awhile. And the dude from the Blinking Guy meme is an actual person…and he's apparently really cool! Had another memorabilia-stealing "Karen of the Day"! And in today's edition of "Bad News with Happy Music", we had stories about a drug-sniffing police horse, a guy who claims he's got the KFC secret recipe, a guy who OVER-celebrated his unborn child's gender-reveal party, and a shortage of male porn stars!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Book Club meets tonight! Winner! Showering during the workday. B/CS Chamber of Commerce update. Chicken eaters. Entertainment news. Reading Rainbow is back! Mistakes that people make in their 20s. Food news. Mistakes people in their 20s make.
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Reading Rainbow is officially coming back with librarian and TikTok favorite Mychal Threets as host. We cover what is confirmed so far, where the new episodes will live, the early guest lineup, and why this revival matters for families and teachers. I also share a quick personal update and what is coming next on the feed.00:00 Welcome back and episode setup00:03 Reading Rainbow is returning with Mychal the Librarian as host00:16 Premiere rollout details and where to watch00:16 Celebrity guests for the season including Ebon Moss Bachrach, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Gabrielle Union, Adam DeVine, and Jamie Chung00:34 Quick personal update and what to expect next on the channelReading Rainbow returns with a host who brings real library energy and a strong online connection with kids and parents.Expect the spirit of the original with a modern, digital first release plan.A recognizable guest list should help pull in families and casual viewers.The revival hits at a time when extra reading support at home can make a difference.“Reading Rainbow is returning, and this time with a new host, Mychal the Librarian.”“It is rolling out online so families can watch together on their own time.”“Guests like Ebon Moss Bachrach and John Legend will get a lot of attention from parents and kids.”If you enjoyed this update, subscribe to Geek Freaks Headlines, leave a quick review, and share the episode with a friend who loves Reading Rainbow. Use the hashtag #GeekFreaksHeadlines so we can find your posts.All news discussed comes from GeekFreaksPodcast.com.Instagram: @geekfreakspodcastTwitter: @geekfreakspodThreads: @geekfreakspodcastFacebook: Geek Freaks PodcastPatreon: patreon.com/GeekFreakspodcastSend your questions or topics you want covered next. Drop us a DM on Instagram or Twitter, or email Info@GFPods.com.Apple Podcasts tags: Reading Rainbow, Mychal Threets, LeVar Burton, Kids TV, Literacy, Ebon Moss Bachrach, John Legend, Gabrielle Union, Adam DeVine, Jamie ChungTimestamps and TopicsKey TakeawaysMemorable QuotesCall to ActionLinks and ResourcesFollow UsListener Questions
Ant-infused cheese. Nicole and Keith call it quits. Time to declutter. Monopoly is coming back to McDonald's. Holding the phone. Don't knock it until you try it. Crazy stadium foods. Book Club meets tonight! Winner! Showering during the workday. Reading Rainbow is back!
(ORIGINAL AIRDATE: July 31, 2020) If you love to read, chances are that you saw this titan of children's television as a child and Will & Lucas are here to determine if Reading Rainbow holds up! The guys discuss the revered past and the uncertain future of the show before getting into their own reading habits, Star Trek: The Next Generation, the immortal theme song, and even manage to uncover another Arthur secret!
Host Jason Blitman talks to Eliana Ramage about her debut novel, TO THE MOON AND BACK, this month's Reese's Book Club pick. Highlights include:
Reformed Brotherhood | Sound Doctrine, Systematic Theology, and Brotherly Love
In this introductory episode to their new series on the Parables of Jesus, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb explore the profound theological significance of Christ's parables. Far from being mere teaching tools to simplify complex ideas, parables serve a dual purpose in God's redemptive plan: revealing spiritual truth to those with "ears to hear" while concealing these same truths from those without spiritual illumination. This episode lays the groundwork for understanding how parables function as divine teaching devices that embody core Reformed doctrines like election and illumination. As the hosts prepare to journey through all the parables in the Gospels, they invite listeners to consider the blessing of being granted spiritual understanding and the privilege of receiving the "secrets of the kingdom" through Christ's distinctive teaching method. Key Takeaways Parables are more than illustrations—they are comparisons that reveal kingdom truths to those with spiritual ears to hear while concealing truth from those without spiritual illumination. Jesus intentionally taught in parables not to simplify his teaching but partly to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy about those who hear but do not understand, confirming the spiritual condition of his hearers. The ability to understand parables is itself evidence of God's sovereign grace and election, as Jesus states in Matthew 13:16: "Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." Parables vary in form and function—some are clearly allegorical while others make a single point, requiring each to be approached on its own terms. Proper interpretation requires context—understanding both the original audience and the question or situation that prompted Jesus to use a particular parable. Parables function like Nathan's confrontation of David—they draw hearers in through narrative before revealing uncomfortable truths about themselves. Studying parables requires spiritual humility—recognizing that our understanding comes not from intellectual capacity but from the Spirit's illumination. Understanding Parables as Revelation, Not Just Illustration The hosts emphasize that parables are fundamentally different from mere illustrations or fables. While modern readers often assume Jesus used parables to simplify complex spiritual truths, the opposite is frequently true. As Tony explains, "A parable fundamentally is a comparison between two things... The word parable comes from the Greek of casting alongside." This distinction is crucial because it changes how we approach interpretation. Rather than breaking down each element as an allegorical component, we should first understand what reality Jesus is comparing the parable to. The parables function as a form of divine revelation—showing us kingdom realities through narrative comparison, but only those with spiritual insight can truly grasp their meaning. This is why Jesus quotes Isaiah and explains that he speaks in parables partly because "seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear nor do they understand" (Matthew 13:13). The Doctrine of Election Embedded in Parabolic Teaching Perhaps the most profound insight from this episode is how the very form of Jesus' teaching—not just its content—embodies the doctrine of election. Jesse notes that "every parable then implicitly teaches a doctrine of election," because they reveal spiritual truth to some while concealing it from others. This isn't arbitrary but reflects spiritual realities. The hosts connect this to Jesus' words in Matthew 13:16: "Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." This blessing comes not from intellectual capacity or moral superiority but from God's sovereign grace. Tony describes this as "the blessing in our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation." The parables thus become a "microcosm" of Reformed doctrines like election, regeneration, and illumination. When believers understand Jesus' parables, they're experiencing the practical outworking of these doctrines in real time. Memorable Quotes "The parables are not just to illustrate a point, they're to reveal a spiritual point or spiritual points to those who have ears to hear, to those who've been illuminated by the spirit." - Tony Arsenal "Jesus is giving this message essentially to all who will listen to him... And so this is like, I love the way that he uses that quote in a slightly different way, but still to express the same root cause, which is some of you here because of your depravity will not be able to hear what I'm saying. But for those to whom it has been granted to come in who are ushered into the kingdom, this kingdom language will make sense." - Jesse Schwamb "But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. There's a blessing in our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation." - Tony Arsenal About the Hosts Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb are the regular hosts of The Reformed Brotherhood podcast, where they explore Reformed theology and its application to Christian living. With a conversational style that balances depth and accessibility, they seek to make complex theological concepts understandable without sacrificing nuance or biblical fidelity. Transcript [00:00:45] Introduction and New Series Announcement [00:00:45] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 460 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:54] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:00:59] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. New series Time, new series. Time for the next seven years that, that's probably correct. It's gonna be a long one. New beginnings are so great, aren't they? And it is. [00:01:10] Jesse Schwamb: We've been hopefully this, well, it's definitely gonna live up to all the hype that we've been presenting about this. It's gonna be good. Everybody's gonna love it. And like I said, it's a topic we haven't done before. It's certainly not in this format. [00:01:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know what, just, um, as a side note, if you are a listener, which you must be, if you're hearing this, uh, this is a great time to introduce someone to the podcast. [00:01:33] Tony Arsenal: True. Uh, one, because this series is gonna be lit as the kids say, and, uh, it's a new series, so you don't have to have any background. You don't have to have any previous knowledge of the show or of who these two weird guys are to jump in and we're gonna. [00:01:53] Tony Arsenal: Talk about the Bible, which is amazing and awesome. And who doesn't love to talk about the Bible. [00:01:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's correct. That's what makes these so good. That's how I know, and I could say confidently that this is gonna be all the hype and more. All right, so before we get to affirmations and denials, all the good ProGo, that's part and parcel of our normal episode content. [00:02:12] Jesse Schwamb: Do you want to tell everybody what we're gonna be talking about? [00:02:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I'm excited. [00:02:17] Introducing the Parables Series [00:02:17] Tony Arsenal: So we are gonna work our way through, and this is why I say it's gonna take seven years. We are gonna work our way through all of the parables. Parables, [00:02:25] Jesse Schwamb: the [00:02:25] Tony Arsenal: gospels and just so, um, the Gospel of John doesn't feel left out. [00:02:30] Tony Arsenal: We're gonna talk through some of the I am statements and some of that stuff when we get to John. 'cause John doesn't have a lot of parables. Uh, so we're gonna spend time in the synoptic gospels. We're gonna just walk through the parables one by one. We're taking an episode, sometimes maybe two, sometimes 10, depending on how long the parable is and how deep we get into it. [00:02:47] Tony Arsenal: We're just gonna work our way through. We're gonna take our time. We're gonna enjoy it. So again, this is a great time to start. It's kinda the ground floor on this and you thing. This could really be its own podcast all by itself, right? Uh, so invite a friend, invite some whole bunch of friends. Start a Sunday school class listening to this. [00:03:04] Tony Arsenal: No, don't do that. But people have done that before. But, uh, grab your bibles, get a decent commentary to help prep for the next episode, and, uh, let's, let's do it. I'm super excited. [00:03:14] Jesse Schwamb: When I say para, you say Abel Para, is that how it works? Para? Yeah. I don't know. You can't really divide it. Pairable. If you jam it together, yes. [00:03:24] Jesse Schwamb: You get some of that. You can say, when I say pair, you say Abel p [00:03:27] Tony Arsenal: Abel. [00:03:31] Jesse Schwamb: And you can expect a lot more of that in this series. But before we get into all this good juicy stuff about parables, and by the way, this is like an introductory episode, that doesn't mean that you can just skip it, doesn't mean it's not gonna be good. We gotta set some things up. We wanna talk about parables general generally, but before we have that good general conversation, let's get into our own tradition, which is either affirming with something or denying against something. [00:03:54] Affirmations and Denials [00:03:54] Jesse Schwamb: And so, Tony, what do you got for all of us? [00:03:58] Tony Arsenal: Mine is kind of a, an ecclesial, ecclesiastical denial. Mm-hmm. Um, this is sort of niche, but I feel like our audience may have heard about it. And there's this dust up that I, I noticed online, uh, really just this last week. Um, it's kind of a specific thing. There is a church, uh, I'm not sure where the church is. [00:04:18] Tony Arsenal: It's a PCA church, I believe it's called Mosaic. The pastor of the church, the teaching elder, one of the teaching elders just announced that he was, uh, leaving his ministry to, uh, join the Roman Catholic Church, which, yes, there's its own denial built into that. We are good old Protestant reformed folks, and I personally would, would stick with the original Westminster on the, the Pope being antichrist. [00:04:45] Tony Arsenal: But, um, that's not the denial. The denial is that in this particular church. For some unknown reason. Uh, the pastor who has now since a announced that he was leaving to, uh, to convert to Roman Catholicism, continued to preach the sermon and then administered the Lord's supper, even though he in the eyes, I think of most. [00:05:08] Tony Arsenal: Reformed folk and certainly historically in the eyes of the reformed position was basically apostate, uh, right in front of the congregation's eyes. Now, I don't know that I would necessarily put it that strongly. I think there are plenty of genuine born again Christians who find themselves in, in the Roman Catholic, uh, church. [00:05:27] Tony Arsenal: Uh, but to allow someone who is one resigning the ministry right in front of your eyes. Um, and then resigning to basically leave for another tradition that, that the PCA would not recognize, would not share ecclesiastical, uh, credentials with or accept their ordination or any of those things. Um, to then just allow him to admit, you know, to administer the Lord's Supper, I think is just a drastic miscarriage of, uh, ecclesiastical justice. [00:05:54] Tony Arsenal: I dunno if that's the right word. So I'm just denying this like. It shows that on a couple things like this, this. Church this session, who obviously knew this was coming. Um, this session does either, does not take seriously the differences between Roman Catholic theology and Protestant theology, particularly reformed theology, or they don't take seriously the, the gravity of the Lord's supper and who should and shouldn't be administering it. [00:06:22] Tony Arsenal: They can't take both of those things seriously and have a fully or biblical position on it. So there's a good opportunity for us to think through our ecclesiology, to think through our sacrament and how this applies. It just really doesn't sit well and it's not sitting well with a lot of people online, obviously. [00:06:37] Tony Arsenal: Um, and I'm sure there'll be all sorts of, like letters of concern sent to presbytery and, and all that stuff, and, and it'll all shake out in the wash eventually, but just, it just wasn't good. Just doesn't sit right. [00:06:48] Jesse Schwamb: You know, it strikes me of all the denominations. I'm not saying this pejoratively. I just think it is kind of interesting and funny to me that the Presbyterians love a letter writing campaign. [00:06:56] Jesse Schwamb: Like that's kind of the jam, the love, a good letter writing campaign. [00:07:00] Tony Arsenal: It's true, although it's, it's actually functional in Presbyterianism because That's right. That's how you voice your concern. It's not a, not a, a rage letter into the void. It actually goes somewhere and gets recorded and has to be addressed at presbytery if you have standing. [00:07:17] Tony Arsenal: So there's, there's a good reason to do that, and I'm sure that that will be done. I'm sure there are many. Probably ministers in the PCA who are aware of this, who are either actually considering filing charges or um, or writing such letters of complaints. And there's all sorts of mechanisms in the PCA to, to adjudicate and resolve and to investigate these kinds of things. [00:07:37] Jesse Schwamb: And I'd like to, if you're, if you're a true Presbyterian and, and in this instance, I'm not making light of this instance, but this instance are others, you. Feel compelled by a strong conviction to write such a letter that really you should do it with a quill, an ink. Like that's the ultimate way. I think handwritten with like a nice fountain pen. [00:07:54] Jesse Schwamb: There's not, yeah. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like that's, that is a weighty letter right there. Like it's cut to Paul being like, I write this postscript in my own hand with these big letters. Yeah, it's like, you know, some original Presbyterian letter writing right there. [00:08:07] Tony Arsenal: And then you gotta seal it with wax with your signe ring. [00:08:10] Tony Arsenal: So, and send it by a carrier, by a messenger series of me messengers. [00:08:14] Jesse Schwamb: Think if you receive any letter in the mail, handwritten to you. Like for real, somebody painstakingly going through in script like spencerian script, you know, if you're using English characters writing up and then sealing that bad boy with wax, you're gonna be like, this is important. [00:08:30] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, this, even if it's just like, Hey, what's up? Yeah, you're gonna be like, look at this incredible, weighty document I've received. [00:08:36] Tony Arsenal: It's true. It's very true. I love it. Well, that's all I have to say about that to channel a little Forrest Gump there. Uh, Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight? [00:08:44] Jesse Schwamb: I'm also going to deny against, so this denial is like classic. [00:08:49] Jesse Schwamb: It's routine, but I got a different spin on it this time, so I'm denying against. The full corruption of sin, how it appears everywhere, how even unbelievers speak of it, almost unwittingly, but very commonly with great acceptance. And the particularity of this denial comes in the form of allergies, which you and I are talking about a lot of times. [00:09:09] Jesse Schwamb: But I was just thinking about this week because I had to do some allergy testing, which is a, a super fun experience. But it just got me think again, like very plainly about what allergies are. And how an allergy occurs when your immune system, like the part of your body responsible for protecting your body that God has made when your immune system mistakes like a non-harmful substance like pollen or a food or some kind of animal dander for a threat, and then reacts by producing these antibodies like primarily the immunoglobulin E. [00:09:36] Jesse Schwamb: So here's what strikes me as so funny about this in a, in a way that we must laugh. Because of our, our parents, our first parents who made a horrible decision and we like them, would make the same decision every day and twice in the Lord's day. And that is that this seems like, of course, such a clear sign of the corruption of sin impounded in our created order because it seems a really distasteful and suboptimal for human beings to have this kind of response to pollen. [00:10:03] Jesse Schwamb: When they were intended to work and care in a garden. So obviously I think we can say, Hey, like the fact that allergies exist and that it's your body making a mistake. [00:10:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:10:13] Jesse Schwamb: It's like the ultimate, like cellular level of the ubiquity of sin. And so as I was speaking with my doctor and going through the, the testing, it's just so funny how like we all talk about this. [00:10:25] Jesse Schwamb: It's like, yeah, it's, it's a really over-indexed reaction. It doesn't make any sense. It's not the way the world is supposed to be, but nobody's saying how is the world supposed to be? Do you know what I mean? Like, but we just take it for granted that that kind of inflammation that comes from like your dog or like these particles in the air of plants, just trying to do a plant stew and reproduce and pollinate that, that could cause like really dramatic and debilitating. [00:10:49] Jesse Schwamb: Responses is just exceptional to me, and I think it's exceptional and exceptional to all of us because at some deep level we recognize that, as Paul says, like the earth, the entire world is groaning. It's groaning for that eschatological release and redemption that can only come from Christ. And our runny noses in our hay fever all prove that to some degree. [00:11:09] Jesse Schwamb: So denying against allergies, but denying against as well that ubiquity of corruption and sin in our world. [00:11:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I just have this image in my head of Adam and Eve, you know, they're expelled outta the garden and they, they're working the ground. And then Adam sneezes. Yes. And Eve is like, did your head just explode? [00:11:28] Tony Arsenal: And he's like, I don't know. That would've been a, probably a pretty terrifying experience actually. [00:11:33] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's that's true. So imagine like you and I have talked about this before, because you have young children, adorable. Young children, and we've talked about like the first of everything, like when you're a child, you get sick for the first time, or you get the flu or you vomit for the first time. [00:11:45] Jesse Schwamb: Like you have no idea what's going on in your body, but imagine that. But being an adult. [00:11:49] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, where you can process what's going on, but don't have a framework for it. [00:11:52] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, exactly. So like [00:11:54] Tony Arsenal: that's like, that's like my worst nightmare I think. [00:11:55] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. It's like, to your point, 'cause there, there are a lot of experiences you have as an adults, even health wise that are still super strange and weird. [00:12:01] Jesse Schwamb: But [00:12:02] Tony Arsenal: yeah, [00:12:02] Jesse Schwamb: you have some rubric for them, but that's kind of exactly what I was thinking. What if this toiling over your labor is partly because it's horrible now because you have itchy, watery eyes or you get hives. Yeah. And before you were like, I could just lay in the grass and be totally fine. And now I can't even walk by ragweed without getting a headache or having some kind of weird fatigue. [00:12:23] Jesse Schwamb: Like I have to believe that that was, that part of this transition was all of these things. Like, now your body's gonna overreact to stuff where I, I, God put us in a place where that wouldn't be the case at all. [00:12:35] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Sometimes I think about like the first. Time that Adam was like sore or like hurt himself. [00:12:42] Tony Arsenal: True. Like the, just the, just the terror and fear that must have come with it. And sin is serious stuff. Like it's serious effects and sad, sad, sad stuff. But yeah, allergies are the worst. I, uh, I suffered really badly with, uh, seasonal allergies. When I was a a kid I had to do allergy shots and everything and it's makes no sense. [00:13:03] Tony Arsenal: There's no rhyme or reason to it, and your allergies change. So like you could be going your whole life, being able to eat strawberries and then all of a sudden you can't. Right? And it's, and you don't know until it happens. So [00:13:14] Jesse Schwamb: what's up with that? [00:13:15] Tony Arsenal: No good. [00:13:16] Jesse Schwamb: What's up with that? So again, imagine that little experience is a microcosmic example of what happens to Adam and Eve. [00:13:24] Jesse Schwamb: You know, like all these things change. Like you're, you're right. Suddenly your body isn't the same. It's not just because you're growing older, but because guess what? Sins everywhere. And guess what, where sin is, even in the midst of who you are as physically constructed and the environment in which you live, all, all totally change. [00:13:40] Jesse Schwamb: So that, that's enough of my rants on allergies. I know the, I know the loved ones out there hear me. It's also remarkable to me that almost everybody has an allergy of some kind. It's very, it's very rare if you don't have any allergies whatsoever. And probably those times when you think you're sick and you don't have allergies could be that you actually have them. [00:13:57] Jesse Schwamb: So it's just wild. Wild. [00:14:02] Tony Arsenal: Agreed. Agreed. [00:14:03] Theological Discussion on Parables [00:14:03] Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, without further ado, I'm not, I, maybe we should have further ado, but let's get into it. Let's talk about some parable stuff. [00:14:13] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, let's do it again. When I say pair, you say able pair. [00:14:17] Tony Arsenal: Able. [00:14:20] Jesse Schwamb: When I say [00:14:21] Tony Arsenal: para you say bowl. [00:14:24] Jesse Schwamb: That's what I was trying to go with before. [00:14:26] Jesse Schwamb: It's a little bit more, yeah, but you gotta like cross over like we both gotta say like that middle syllable kind of. Otherwise it's, it sounds like I'm just saying bowl. And [00:14:34] Tony Arsenal: yeah, there's no good way to chant that. Yeah, we're work. This is why Jesse and I are not cheerleaders. [00:14:39] Jesse Schwamb: We're, we're work shopping everybody. [00:14:40] Jesse Schwamb: But I agree with you. Enough of us talking about affirmations, the denials in this case, the double double denial. Let's talk about parables. So the beauty of this whole series is there's gonna be so much great stuff to talk about, and I think this is a decent topic for us to cover because. Really, if you think about it, the parables of Jesus have captivated people for the entirety of the scriptures. [00:15:06] Jesse Schwamb: As long, as long as they were recorded and have been read and processed and studied together. And, uh, you know, there's stuff I'm sure that we will just gloss over. We don't need to get into in terms of like, is it pure allegory? Is it always allegory? Is it, there's lots of interpretation here. I think this is gonna be our way of processing together and moving through some of these and speaking them out and trying to learn principally. [00:15:28] Jesse Schwamb: Predominantly what they're teaching us. But I say all that because characters like the prodigal son, like Good Samaritan, Pharisees, and tax collector, those actually have become well known even outside the church. [00:15:40] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:15:40] Jesse Schwamb: then sometimes inside the church there's over familiarity with all of these, and that leads to its own kind of misunderstanding. [00:15:46] Jesse Schwamb: So, and I think as well. I'm hoping that myself, you and our listeners will be able to hear them in a new way, and maybe if we can try to do this without again, being parabolic, is that we can kind of recreate some of the trauma. In these stories. 'cause Jesus is, is pressing upon very certain things and there's certainly a lot of trauma that his original audiences would've taken away from what he was saying here. [00:16:13] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Even just starting with what is a parable and why is Jesus telling them? So I presume that's actually the best place for us to begin is what's the deal with the parables and why is this? Is this Jesus preferred way of teaching about the kingdom of God. [00:16:30] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think, you know, it bears saying too that like not all the parables are alike. [00:16:35] Tony Arsenal: Like true. We can't, this is why I'm excited about this series. You know, it's always good to talk through the bible and, and or to talk through systematic theology, but what really excites me is when we do a series like this, kind of like the Scott's Confession series, like it gives us a reason. To think through a lot of different disciplines and flex like exercise and stretch and flex a lot of different kinds of intellectual muscles. [00:17:00] Tony Arsenal: So there's gonna be some exegetical work we have to do. There's gonna be some hermeneutical work we're gonna have to do, probably have to do some historical work about how the parables have been interpreted in different ways. Yes, and and I think, so, I think it's important to say like, not every parable is exactly the same. [00:17:14] Tony Arsenal: And this is where I think like when you read, sometimes you read books about the, the parables of Christ. Like you, you'll hear one guy say. Well, a parable is not an allegory. Then you'll hear another guy say like, well, parables might have allegorical elements to it. Right. Now if one guy say like, well, a parable has one main point, and you'll have another guy say like, well, no, actually, like parables can have multiple points and multiple shades of meaning. [00:17:37] Tony Arsenal: And I think the answer to why you have this variance in the commentaries is 'cause sometimes the parables are alleg. [00:17:44] Jesse Schwamb: Right. And [00:17:44] Tony Arsenal: sometimes they're not allegorical. Sometimes they have one main point. Sometimes there's multiple points. So I think it's important for us to just acknowledge like we're gonna have to come to each parable, um, on its own and on its own terms. [00:17:57] Tony Arsenal: But there are some general principles that I think we can talk about what parables are. So parables in general are. Figurative stories or figurative accounts that are used to illustrate, I think primarily used to illustrate a single main point. And there may be some subpoints, but they, they're generally intended to, uh, to illustrate something by way of a, of a narrative, a fictional narrative that, uh, helps the reader. [00:18:27] Tony Arsenal: Uh, or the hearer is just, it's also important that these were primarily heard, these are heard parables, so there are even times where the phrasing of the language is important in the parable. Um, they're helping the, the hearer to understand spiritual truth. And this is where I think it's it's key, is that this is not just. [00:18:48] Tony Arsenal: When we're talking about the parables of Christ, right? There's people tell parables, there's all sorts of different teachers that have used parables. Um, I, I do parables on the show from time to time where I'll tell like a little made up story about a, you know, a situation. I'll say like, pretend, you know, let's imagine you have this guy and he's doing this thing that's a form of a parable when I'm using. [00:19:08] Tony Arsenal: I'm not, it's not like a makeup made up story. It's not asaps fables. We're not talking about like talking foxes and hens and stuff, but it's illustrating a point. But the parables of Christ are not just to illustrate a point, they're to reveal a spiritual point or spiritual points to those who have ears to hear, to those who've been illuminated by the spirit. [00:19:29] Tony Arsenal: And I just wanna read this. Uh, this is just God's providence, um, in action. I, um, I've fallen behind on my reading in The Daily Dad, which is a Ryan Holiday book. This was the reading that came up today, even though it's not the correct reading for the day. Uh, it's, it's for September 2nd. We're recording this on September, uh, sixth. [00:19:48] Tony Arsenal: Uh, and the title is, this is How You Teach Them. And the first line says, if the Bible has any indication, Jesus rarely seemed to come out and say what he meant. He preferred instead to employ parables and stories and little anecdotes that make you think. He tells stories of the servants and the talents. [00:20:03] Tony Arsenal: He tells stories of the prodigal son and the Good Samaritan. Turns out it's pretty effective to get a point across and make it stick. What what we're gonna learn. Actually that Jesus tells these stories in parables, in part to teach those who have spiritual ears to hear, but in part to mask the truth That's right. [00:20:24] Tony Arsenal: From those who don't have spiritual ears to hear, oh, online [00:20:26] Jesse Schwamb: holiday. [00:20:27] Tony Arsenal: So it's not as simple as like Jesus, using illustration to help make something complicated, clearer, right? Yes. But also, no. So I'm super excited to kind of get into this stuff and talk through it and to, to really dig into the parables themselves. [00:20:42] Tony Arsenal: It's just gonna be a really good exercise at sort of sitting at the feet of our master in his really, his preferred mode of teaching. Um, you know, other than the sermon on the Mount. There's not a lot of like long form, straightforward, didactic teaching like that most of Christ's teaching as recorded in the gospels, comes in the form of these parables in one way or another. [00:21:03] Tony Arsenal: Right. And that's pretty exciting to me. [00:21:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right. And there's so many more parables I think, than we often understand there to be, or at least then that we see in like the headings are Bible, which of course have been put there by our own construction. So anytime you get that. Nice short, metaphorical narrative is really Jesus speaking in a kind of parable form, and I think you're right on. [00:21:25] Jesse Schwamb: For me, it's always highlighting some kind of aspect of the kingdom of God. And I'd say there is generally a hierarchy. There doesn't have to be like a single point, like you said. There could be other points around that. But if you get into this place where like everything has some kind of allegory representation, then the parable seems to die of the death of like a million paper cuts, right? [00:21:40] Jesse Schwamb: Because you're trying to figure out all the things and if you have to represent something, everything he says with some kind of. Heavy spiritual principle gets kind of weird very quickly. But in each of these, as you said, what's common in my understanding is it's presenting like a series of events involving like a small number of characters. [00:21:57] Jesse Schwamb: It is bite-sized and sometimes those are people or plants or even like inanimate objects. So like the, yeah, like you said, the breadth and scope of how Jesus uses the metaphor is brilliant teaching, and it's even more brilliant when you get to that level, like you're saying, where it's meant both to illuminate. [00:22:13] Jesse Schwamb: To obfuscate. That is like, to me, the parable is a manifestation of election because it's clear that Jesus is using this. Those who have the ears to hear are the ones whom the Holy Spirit has unstopped, has opened the eyes, has illuminated the hearts and the mind to such a degree that can receive these, and that now these words are resonant. [00:22:32] Jesse Schwamb: So like what a blessing that we can understand them, that God has essentially. Use this parabolic teaching in such a way to bring forward his concept of election in the minds and the hearts of those who are his children. And it's kind of a way, this is kind of like the secret Christian handshake. It's the speakeasy of salvation. [00:22:52] Jesse Schwamb: It's, it's coming into the fold because God has invited you in and given you. The knowledge and ability of which to really understand these things. And so most of these little characters seemed realistic and resonant in Jesus' world, and that's why sometimes we do need a little bit of studying and understanding the proper context for all those things. [00:23:12] Jesse Schwamb: I would say as well, like at least one element in those parables is a push. It's in, it's kind of taking it and hyping it up. It's pushing the boundaries of what's plausible, and so you'll find that all of this is made again to illuminate some principle of the kingdom of God. And we should probably go to the thing that you intimated, because when you read that quote from, from Ryan Holiday, I was like, yes, my man. [00:23:34] Jesse Schwamb: Like he's on the right track. Right? There's something about what he's saying that is partially correct, but like you said, a lot of times people mistake the fact that, well, Jesus. Is using this language and these metaphors, these similes, he speaks in parables because they were the best way to get like these uneducated people to understand him. [00:23:57] Jesse Schwamb: Right? But it's actually the exact opposite. And we know this because of perhaps the most famous dialogue and expression and explanation of parables, which comes to us in Matthew 13, 10 through 17, where Jesus explains to his disciples exactly why he uses this mode of teaching. And what he says is. This is why I speak to them of parables because seeing they do not see and hearing, they do not hear they nor do they understand. [00:24:24] Jesse Schwamb: So, so that's perplexing. We should probably camp there for just a second and talk about that. Right, and, and like really unpack like, what is Jesus after here? Then if, like, before we get into like, what do all these things mean, it's almost like saying. We need to understand why they're even set before us and why these in some ways are like a kind of a small stumbling block to others, but then this great stone of appreciation and one to stand on for for others. [00:24:47] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think you know, before we, before we cover that, which I think is a good next spot. A parable is not just an illustration. Like I think that's where a lot of people go a little bit sideways, is they think that this is effectively, like it's a fable. It's like a made up story primarily to like illustrate a point right. [00:25:09] Tony Arsenal: Or an allegory where you know, you're taking individual components and they represent something else. A parable fundamentally is a, is a, a comparison between two things, right? The word parable comes from the Greek of casting alongside, and so the idea is like you're, you're taking. The reality that you're trying to articulate and you're setting up this parable next to it and you're comparing them to it. [00:25:33] Tony Arsenal: And so I like to use the word simile, like that's why Christ says like the kingdom of God is like this. Yes. It's not like I'm gonna explain the kingdom of God to you by using this made up story. Right on. It's I'm gonna compare the kingdom of God to this thing or this story that I'm having, and so we should be. [00:25:49] Tony Arsenal: Rather than trying to like find the principles of the parable, we should be looking at it and going, how does this parable reflect? Or how is this a, um, how is this an explanation? Not in the, like, I, I'm struggling to even explain this here. It's not that the cer, the parable is just illustrating a principle. [00:26:10] Tony Arsenal: It's that the kingdom of God is one thing and the parable reveals that same one thing by way of comparison. Yes. So like. Uh, we'll get into the specifics, obviously, but when the, when the, um, lawyer says, who is my neighbor? Well, it's not just like, well, let's look at the Good Samaritan. And the Good Samaritan represents this, and the Levite represents this, and the priest represents this. [00:26:32] Tony Arsenal: It's a good neighbor, is this thing. It's this story. Compared to whatever you have in your mind of what a good neighbor is. And we're gonna bounce those things up against each other, and that's gonna somehow show us what the, what the reality is. And that's why I think to get back to where we were, that's why I think sometimes the parables actually obscure the truth. [00:26:53] Tony Arsenal: Because if we're not comparing the parable to the reality of something, then we're gonna get the parable wrong. So if we think that, um, the Good Samaritan. Is a parable about social justice and we're, we're looking at it to try to understand how do we treat, you know, the, the poor people in Africa who don't have food or the war torn refugees, you know, coming out of Ukraine. [00:27:19] Tony Arsenal: If we're looking at it primarily as like, I need to learn to be a good neighbor to those who are destitute. Uh, we're not comparing it against what Jesus was comparing it against, right? So, so we have to understand, we have to start in a lot of cases with the question that the parable is a response to, which oftentimes the parable is a response to a question or it's a, it's a principle that's being, um, compare it against if we get that first step wrong, uh, or if we start with our own presuppositions, which is why. [00:27:50] Tony Arsenal: Partially why I think Christ is saying like, the only those who have ears to hear. Like if you don't have a spiritual presupposition, I, I mean that, that might not be the right word, but like if you're not starting from the place of spiritual illumination, not in the weird gnostic sense, but in the, the. [00:28:07] Tony Arsenal: Genuinely Christian illumination of the Holy Spirit and inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. If you're not starting from that perspective, you almost can't get the parables right. So that's why we see like the opponents of Christ in the Bible, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, constantly. They're constantly confused and they're getting it wrong. [00:28:26] Tony Arsenal: And, and even sometimes the disciples, they have to go and ask sometimes too, what is this parable? Wow, that's right. What is, what does this mean? So it's never as simple as, as what's directly on the surface, but it's also not usually as complicated as we would make it be if we were trying to over-interpret the parable, which I think is another risk. [00:28:44] Jesse Schwamb: That's the genius, isn't it? Is that I I like what you're saying. It's that spiritual predisposition that allows us to receive the word and, and when we receive that word, it is a simple word. It's not as if like, we have to elevate ourselves in place of this high learning or education or philosophizing, and that's the beauty of it. [00:29:03] Jesse Schwamb: So it is, again, God's setting apart for himself A, a people a teaching. So. But I think this is, it is a little bit perplexing at first, like that statement from Jesus because it's a bit like somebody coming to you, like your place of work or anywhere else in your family life and asking you explicitly for instruction and, and then you saying something like, listen, I, I'm gonna show you, but you're not gonna be able to see it. [00:29:22] Jesse Schwamb: And you're gonna, I'm gonna tell you, but you're not gonna be able to hear it, and I'm gonna explain it to you, but you're not gonna be able to understand. And you're like, okay. So yeah, what's the point of you talking to me then? So it's clear, like you said that Jesus. Is teaching that the secrets, and that's really, really what these are. [00:29:37] The Secrets of the Kingdom of God [00:29:37] Jesse Schwamb: It's brilliant and beautiful that Jesus would, that the, the son of God and God himself would tell us the secrets of his kingdom. But that again, first of all by saying it's a secret, means it's, it's for somebody to guard and to hold knowledge closely and that it is protected. So he says, teaching like the secrets of the kingdom of God are unknowable through mere human reasoning and intuition. [00:29:56] Jesse Schwamb: Interestingly here though, Jesus is also saying that. He's, it's not like he's saying no one can ever understand the parables, right, or that he intends to hide their truth from all people. [00:30:07] Understanding Parables and God's Sovereign Grace [00:30:07] Jesse Schwamb: Instead, he just explains that in order to highlight God's sovereign grace, God in his mercy has enlightened some to whom it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. [00:30:17] Jesse Schwamb: That's verse 11. So. All of us as his children who have been illuminated can understand the truth of God's kingdom. That is wild and and that is amazing. So that this knowledge goes out and just like we talk about the scripture going out and never returning void, here's a prime example of that very thing that there is a condemnation and not being able to understand. [00:30:37] Jesse Schwamb: That condemnation comes not because you're not intelligent enough, but because as you said, you do not have that predisposition. You do not have that changed heart into the ability to understand these things. [00:30:47] Doctrine of Election and Spiritual Insight [00:30:47] Jesse Schwamb: This is what leads me here to say like every parable then implicitly teaches a doctrine of election. [00:30:53] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, because all people are outside the kingdom until they enter the Lord's teaching. How do we enter the Lord's teaching by being given ears to hear. How are we understanding that? We have been given ears to hear when these parables speak to us in the spiritual reality as well as in just like you said, like this general kind of like in the way that I presume Ryan Holiday means it. [00:31:12] Jesse Schwamb: The, this is like, he might be exemplifying the fact that these stories. Are a really great form of the ability to communicate complex information or to make you think. [00:31:21] The Power and Purpose of Parables [00:31:21] Jesse Schwamb: So when Jesus says something like The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, wow, we, you and I will probably spend like two episodes just unpacking that, or we could spend a lot more, that's beautiful that that's how his teaching takes place. [00:31:34] Jesse Schwamb: But of course it's, it's so much. More than that, that those in whom the teaching is effective on a salvation somehow understand it, and their understanding of it becomes first because Christ is implanted within them. Salvation. [00:31:46] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. [00:31:48] Parables as More Than Simple Teaching Tools [00:31:48] Tony Arsenal: I think people, and this is what I think like Ryan Holiday's statement reflects, is people think of the parables as a simple teaching tool to break down a complicated subject. [00:32:00] Tony Arsenal: Yes. And so, like if I was trying to explain podcasting to a, like a five-year-old, I would say something like, well, you know. You know how your teacher teaches you during class while a podcast is like if your teacher lived on the internet and you could access your teacher anytime. Like, that might be a weird explanation, but like that's taking a very complicated thing about recording and and RSS feeds and you know, all of these different elements that go into what podcasting is and breaking it down to a simple sub that is not what a parable is. [00:32:30] Tony Arsenal: Right? Right. A parable is not. Just breaking a simple subject down and illustrating it by way of like a, a clever comparison. Um, you know, it's not like someone trying to explain the doctrine of, of the Trinity by using clever analogies or something like that. Even if that were reasonable and impossible. [00:32:50] Tony Arsenal: It's, it's not like that a parable. I like what you're saying about it being kind of like a mini doctrine of election. It's also a mini doctrine of the Bible. Yes. Right. It, it's right on. [00:33:00] The Doctrine of Illumination [00:33:00] Tony Arsenal: It's, it's the doctrine of revelation. In. Preached form in the Ministry of Christ, right? As Christians, we have this text and we affirm that at the same time, uh, what can be known of it and what is necessary for salvation can be known. [00:33:19] Tony Arsenal: By ordinary means like Bart Iman, an avowed atheist who I, I think like all atheists, whether they recognize it or not, hates God. He can read the Bible and understand that what it means is that if you trust Jesus, you'll be saved. You don't need special spiritual insight to understand that that is what the Bible teaches, where the special spiritual. [00:33:42] Tony Arsenal: Insight might not be the right word, but the special spiritual appropriation is that the spirit enables you to receive that unto your salvation. Right? To put your trust in. The reality of that, and we call that doctrine, the doctrine of illumination. And so in, in the sense of parables in Christ's ministry, and this is, this is if you, you know, like what do I always say is just read a little bit more, um, the portion Jesse read it leads way into this prophecy or in this comment, Christ. [00:34:10] Tony Arsenal: Saying he teaches in parable in order to fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah. Basically that like those who are, uh, ate and are apart from God and are resistant to God, these parables there are there in order to confirm that they are. And then it says in verse 16, and this is, this is. [00:34:27] The Blessing of Spiritual Understanding [00:34:27] Tony Arsenal: It always seems like the series that we do ends up with like a theme verse, and this is probably the one verse 16 here, Matthew 1316 says, but blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. [00:34:40] Tony Arsenal: And so like there's a blessing. In our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and re receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation. That is the doctrine of of election. It's also the doctrine of regeneration, the doctrine of sanctification, the doctrine. [00:35:03] Tony Arsenal: I mean, there's all of these different classic reformed doctrines that the parables really are these mic this microcosm of that. Almost like applied in the Ministry of Christ. Right. Which I, I, you know, I've, I've never really thought of it in depth in that way before, but it's absolutely true and it's super exciting to be able to sort of embark on this, uh, on this series journey with, with this group. [00:35:28] Tony Arsenal: I think it's gonna be so good to just dig into these and really, really hear the gospel preached to ourselves through these parables. That's what I'm looking forward to. [00:35:38] Jesse Schwamb: And we're used to being very. Close with the idea that like the message contains the doctrine, the message contains the power. Here we're saying, I think it's both. [00:35:47] Jesse Schwamb: And the mode of that message also contains, the doctrine also contains the power. And I like where you're going with this because I think what we should be reminding ourselves. Is what a blessing it is to have this kind of information conferred to us. [00:36:01] The Role of Parables in Revealing and Concealing Truth [00:36:01] Jesse Schwamb: That again, God has taken, what is the secrets that is his to disclose and his to keep and his to hold, and he's made it available to his children. [00:36:08] Jesse Schwamb: And part of that is for, as you said, like the strengthening of our own faith. It's also for condemnation. So notice that. The hiding of the kingdom through parables is not a consequence of the teaching itself. Again, this goes back to like the mode being as equally important here as the message itself that Christ's teaching is not too difficult to comprehend as an intellectual matter. [00:36:27] Jesse Schwamb: The thing is, like even today, many unbelievers read the gospels and they technically understand what Jesus means in his teaching, especially these parables. The problem is. I would say like moral hardness. It's that lack of spiritual predilection or predisposition. They know what Jesus teaches, but they do not believe. [00:36:47] Jesse Schwamb: And so the challenge before us is as all scripture reading, that we would go before the Holy Spirit and say, holy Spirit, help me to believe. Help me to understand what to believe. And it so doing, do the work of God, which is to believe in him and to believe in His son Jesus Christ and what he's accomplished. [00:37:02] Jesse Schwamb: So the parables are not like creating. Fresh unbelief and sinners instead, like they're confirming the opposition that's already present and apart from Grace, unregenerate perversely use our Lord's teaching to increase their resistance. That's how it's set up. That's how it works. That's why to be on the inside, as it were, not again, because like we've done the right handshake or met all the right standards, but because of the blood of Christ means that the disciples, the first disciples and all the disciples who will follow after them on the other hand. [00:37:33] The Complexity and Nuances of Parables [00:37:33] Jesse Schwamb: We've been granted these eyes to see, and ears to hear Jesus. And then we've been given the secrets of the kingdom. I mean, that's literally what we've been given. And God's mercy has been extended to the disciples who like many in the crowds, once ignorantly and stubbornly rejected God and us just like them as well in both accounts. [00:37:49] Jesse Schwamb: So this is, I think we need to settle on that. You're right, throughout this series, what a blessing. It's not meant to be a great labor or an effort for the child of God. Instead, it's meant to be a way of exploring these fe. Fantastic truths of who God is and what he's done in such a way that draw us in. [00:38:07] Jesse Schwamb: So that whether we're analyzing again, like the the lost coin or the lost sheep, or. Any number of these amazing parables, you'll notice that they draw us in because they don't give us answers in the explicit sense that we're used to. Like didactically instead. Yeah. They cause us to consider, as you've already said, Tony, like what does it mean to be lost? [00:38:26] Jesse Schwamb: What does it mean that the father comes running for this prodigal son? What does it mean that the older brother has a beef with the whole situation? What does it mean when Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed? How much do we know about mustard seeds? And why would he say that? Again, this is a kind of interesting teaching, but that illumination in the midst of it being, I don't wanna say ambiguous, but open-ended to a degree means that the Holy Spirit must come in and give us that kind of grand knowledge. [00:38:55] Jesse Schwamb: But more than that, believe upon what Jesus is saying. I think that's the critical thing, is somebody will say, well, aren't the teaching simple and therefore easy to understand. In a sense, yes. Like factually yes, but in a much greater sense. Absolutely not. And that's why I think it's so beautiful that he quotes Isaiah there because in that original context, you the, you know, you have God delivering a message through Isaiah. [00:39:17] Jesse Schwamb: Uh. The people are very clear. Like, we just don't believe you're a prophet of God. And like what you're saying is ridiculous, right? And we just don't wanna hear you. This is very different than that. This is, Jesus is giving this message essentially to all who will listen to him, not necessarily hear, but all, all who are hear Him, I guess rather, but not necessarily all who are listening with those spiritual ears. [00:39:33] Jesse Schwamb: And so this is like, I love the way that he, he uses that quote in a slightly different way, but still to express the same root cause, which is some of you here. Because of your depravity will not be able to hear what I'm saying. But for those to whom it has been granted to come in who are ushered into the kingdom, this kingdom language will make sense. [00:39:54] Jesse Schwamb: It's like, I'm going to be speaking to you in code and half of you have the key for all the code because the Holy Spirit is your cipher and half of you don't. And you're gonna, you're gonna listen to the same thing, but you will hear very different things. [00:40:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, the other thing I think is, is interesting to ponder on this, um. [00:40:12] The Importance of Context in Interpreting Parables [00:40:12] Tony Arsenal: God always accommodates his revelation to his people. And the parables are, are, are like the. Accommodated accommodation. Yeah. Like God accommodates himself to those he chooses to reveal himself to. And in some ways this is, this is, um, the human ministry of Christ is him accommodating himself to those. [00:40:38] Tony Arsenal: What I mean is in the human ministry of the Son, the parables are a way of the son accommodating himself to those he chooses to reveal himself to. So there, there are instances. Where the parable is said, and it is, uh, it's seems to be more or less understood by everybody. Nobody asks the question about like, what does this mean? [00:40:57] Tony Arsenal: Right? And then there are instances where the parable is said, and even the apostles are, or the disciples are like, what does this parable mean? And then there's some interesting ones where like. Christ's enemies understand the parable and, and can understand that the parable is told against them. About them. [00:41:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So there, there's all these different nuances to why Christ used these parables, how simple they were, how complicated they were. Yes. And again, I think that underscores what I said at the top of the show here. It's like you can't treat every parable exactly the same. And that's where you run into trouble. [00:41:28] Tony Arsenal: Like if you're, if you're coming at them, like they're all just simple allegory. Again, like some of them have allegorical elements. I think it's fair to look at the, the prodigal son or the, the prodigal father, however you want to title that. And remember, the titles are not, generally, the titles are not, um, baked into the text itself. [00:41:46] Tony Arsenal: I think it's fair to come to that and look at and go, okay, well, who's the father in this? Who's the son? You know, what does it mean that the older son is this? Is, is there relevance to the fact that there's a party and that the, you know, the older, older, uh, son is not a part of it? There's, there's some legitimacy to that. [00:42:02] Tony Arsenal: And when we look at Christ's own explanation of some of his parables, he uses those kinds, right? The, the good seed is this, the, the seed that fell on the, the side of the road is this, right? The seed that got choked out by the, the, um, thorns is this, but then there are others where it doesn't make sense to pull it apart, element by element. [00:42:21] Tony Arsenal: Mm-hmm. Um, and, and the other thing is there are some things that we're gonna look at that are, um. We're gonna treat as parables that the text doesn't call a parable. And then there are some that you might even look at that sometimes the text calls a parable that we might not even think of as a normal parable, right? [00:42:38] Tony Arsenal: So there's lots of elements. This is gonna be really fun to just dig stuff in and, and sort of pick it, like pull it apart and look at its component parts and constituent parts. Um, so I really do mean it if you, if you're the kind of person who has never picked up a Bible commentary. This would be a good time to, to start because these can get difficult. [00:42:59] Tony Arsenal: They can get complicated. You want to have a trusted guide, and Jesse and I are gonna do our, our work and our research on this. Um, but you want someone who's more of a trusted guide than us. This is gonna be the one time that I might actually say Calvin's commentaries are not the most helpful. And the reason for that is not because Calvin's not clear on this stuff. [00:43:17] Tony Arsenal: Calvin Calvin's commentaries on the gospel is, is a harmony of the gospels, right? So sometimes it's tricky when you're reading it to try to find like a specific, uh, passage in Matthew because you're, you, everything's interwoven. So something like Matthew Henry, um, or something like, um, Matthew Poole. Uh, might be helpful if you're willing to spend a little bit of money. [00:43:38] Tony Arsenal: The ESV expository commentary that I've referenced before is a good option. Um, but try to find something that's approachable and usable that is reasonable for you to work through the commentary alongside of us, because you are gonna want to spend time reading these on your own, and you're gonna want to, like I said, you're gonna want to have a trust guide with you. [00:43:55] Tony Arsenal: Even just a good study bible, something like. The Reformation Study Bible or something along those lines would help you work your way through these parables, and I think it's valuable to do that. [00:44:06] Jesse Schwamb: Something you just said sparked this idea in me that the power, or one of the powers maybe of good fiction is that it grabs your attention. [00:44:15] The Impact of Parables on Listeners [00:44:15] Jesse Schwamb: It like brings you into the plot maybe even more than just what I said before about it being resonant, that it actually pulls you into the storyline and it makes you think that it's about other people until it's too late. Yeah. And Jesus has a way of doing this that really only maybe the parable can allow. [00:44:30] Jesse Schwamb: So like in other words, by the time you realize. A parable is like metaphorical, or even in a limited case, it's allegorical form you've already identified with one or more of the characters and you're caught in the trap. So what comes to my mind there is like the one Old Testament narrative, virtually identical, informed to those Jesus told is Nathan's parable of the You lamb. [00:44:52] Jesse Schwamb: So that's in like second Samuel 12, and I was just looking this up as you were, as you were speaking. So in this potentially life and death move for the prophet Nathan confronts King David. Over his adultery with, or depending on how you see it, rape of Bathsheba, and then his subsequent murder of her husband Uriah, by sending him to the front lines of battle. [00:45:10] Jesse Schwamb: So he's killed. And so in this parable that Nathan tells Uriah is like the poor man. Bathsheba is like the Yu a and the rich man obviously represents David. If you, you know what I'm talking about, go back and look at second Samuel 12. And so what's interesting is once David is hooked into that story, he cannot deny that his behavior was unjust as that of the rich man in the story who takes this UAM for himself and he, which he openly. [00:45:38] Jesse Schwamb: Then David openly condemns of course, like the amazing climax of this. And as the reader who has. Of course, like omniscient knowledge in the story, you know, the plot of things, right? You're, you're already crying out, like you're throwing something, you know, across the room saying like, how can you not see this about you? [00:45:53] Jesse Schwamb: And of course the climax comes in when Nathan points the finger at David and declares, you are the man. And that's kind of what. The parables due to us. Yes. They're not always like the same in accusatory toward us, but they do call us out. This is where, again, when we talk about like the scripture reading us, the parable is particularly good at that because sometimes we tend to identify, you know, again, with like one of the particular characters whom we probably shouldn't identify with, or like you said, the parable, the sower. [00:46:22] Jesse Schwamb: Isn't the Christian always quick to be like, I am the virtual grounds? Yeah. You still have to ask like, you know, there is not like a Paul washer way of doing this, but there is like a way of saying like, checking yourself before you wreck yourself there. And so when Jesus's parables have lost some of that shock value in today's world, we maybe need to contemporize them a little bit. [00:46:43] Jesse Schwamb: I, and I think we'll talk about that as we go through it. We're not rewriting them for any reason that that would be completely inappropriate. Think about this though. Like the Jew robbed and left for dead. And you know the story of the Grace Samaritan may need to become like the white evangelical man who is helped by like the black Muslim woman after the senior pastor and the worship leader from the local reformed church passed by like that. [00:47:05] Jesse Schwamb: That might be the frame, which we should put it to try to understand it whenever we face a hostile audience that this indirect rhetoric of compelling stories may help at least some people hear God's world more favorably, and I think that's why you get both like a soft. And a sharp edge with these stories. [00:47:20] Jesse Schwamb: But it's the ability to, to kind of come in on the sneak attack. It's to make you feel welcomed in and to identify with somebody. And then sometimes to find that you're identifying entirely with a character whom Jesus is gonna say, listen, don't be this way, or This is what the kingdom of God is, is not like this. [00:47:35] Jesse Schwamb: Or again, to give you shock value, not for the sake of telling like a good tale that somehow has a twist where it's like everybody was actually. All Dead at the end. Another movie, by the way, I have not seen, but I just know that that's like, I'll never see that movie because, can we say it that the spoiler is, is out on that, right? [00:47:54] Tony Arsenal: Are we, what are we talking about? What movie are we talking about? [00:47:56] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I don't, I don't wanna say it. I didn't [00:47:57] Tony Arsenal: even get it from your description. Oh. [00:47:59] Jesse Schwamb: Like that, that movie where like, he was dead the whole time. [00:48:02] Tony Arsenal: Oh, this, that, that, that movie came out like 30 years ago, Jesse. Oh, seriously? [00:48:06] Jesse Schwamb: Okay. All right. [00:48:06] Tony Arsenal: So Six Sense. [00:48:07] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. That movie came out a long time ago. [00:48:10] Jesse Schwamb: So it's not like the parables are the sixth sense, and it's like, let me get you like a really cool twist. Right. Or like hook at the end. I, and I think in part it is to disarm you and to draw you in in such a way that we might honestly consider what's happening there. [00:48:22] Jesse Schwamb: And that's how it reads us. [00:48:24] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I think that's a good point. And, and. It bears saying there are all sorts of parables all throughout the Bible. It's not just Jesus that teaches these, and they do have this similar effect that they, they draw you in. Um, oftentimes you identify it preliminarily, you identify with the wrong person, and it's not until you. [00:48:45] Tony Arsenal: Or you don't identify with anyone when you should. Right. Right. And it's not until the sort of punchline or I think that account with Nathan is so spot on because it's the same kind of thing. David did not have ears to hear. [00:48:58] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Until he had That's good point. Ears [00:49:00] Tony Arsenal: to hear. [00:49:00] Jesse Schwamb: Good point. [00:49:01] Tony Arsenal: And he heard the point of the parable. [00:49:03] Tony Arsenal: He understood the point of the parable and he didn't understand that the parable was about him, right? It's like the ultimate, I don't know why you're clapping David, I'm talking about you moment. Um, I'm just have this picture of Paul washer in like a biblical era robe. Um, so I think that's a enough progam to the series. [00:49:20] Preparing for the Series on Parables [00:49:20] Tony Arsenal: We're super excited we're, we'll cover some of these principles again, because again, different parables have to be interpreted different ways, and some of these principles apply to one and don't to others, and so we'll, we'll tease that out when we get there next week. We're gonna just jump right in. [00:49:34] Tony Arsenal: We're gonna get started with, I think, um, I actually think, you know, in the, the providence of, of the Holy Spirit and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and then obviously the providence of God in Christ's ministry, the, the parable that kind of like frames all of the other parables,
We talked with Cali Navarro on this episode and what a delight! Cali is an up-and-coming singer songwriter who talked about her love of pop music, how she feels free on stage, and her love of the audience! Calista Navarro, also known as Cali, is a singer-songwriter, actress, and storyteller from Elsa, Texas. Cali grew up with music all around her, from the classic rock, country, and pop played in the car on family road trips, to the soundtracks she heard while watching Mexican soapoperas on TV. It is no surprise that she developed a love of performance early on and was singing and dancing on stage in school assemblies by the time she was three years old. Two years later, Cali began taking voice lessons, marking the start of her formal education in music that continues to this day. Since embarking on her musical journey, she has learned to play the ukulele and acoustic guitar, and compose original songs inspired by artists she loves, suchas Taylor Swift, Janis Joplin, and Etta James. In 2022, Cali was invited to the PBS broadcast of Reading Rainbow, where her original song “Reading is Magical” was featured during the live premiere event. Other notable performances include singing the national anthem at sporting events and appearing in showcases for music schools across Texas and in New York City. In the summer of 2023, she had theopportunity to open for KidzBop during their Never Stop Live Tour at major venues such as Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Toyota Music Factory in Irving, and ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin. Be sure to check Cali out here: Website: calinavarro.com YouTube: Cali Navarro TikTok: cali_navarro
Join us as we revisit Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, and the other iconic educational kids shows brought to us by PBS Kids and Viewers Like You!
In honor of Tomi Ungerer and the current Three Robbers exhibit at The Rabbit Hole going on right now (to say nothing of their upcoming symposium celebrating The Three Robbers and Tomi's legacy and featuring presenters from around the world on November 14 and 15, 2025), I thought it prudent to revisit Mr. Ungerer once more. And what better way to do so than to look at what may be one of his few books that has remained in print from Day One. A Reading Rainbow book and not something you'd hand to some someone with herpetophobia, we discuss some of Crictor's inherent similarities to Lyle the Crocodile and Babar the Elephant. We also talk about O-shaped packages full o' snake. You have been warned. For the full Show Notes just go here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/08/11/fuse-8-n-kate-crictor-by-tomi-ungerer/↗
LeVar Burton has three roles he'll forever be known for: Kunta Kinte on the TV series Roots, Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation and host of Reading Rainbow. Those roles have had profound impacts on people and he now understands, as he puts it, "my job is to be LeVar Burton." He talks to Rachel about the tension of that job, his changing definitions of success and learning to embrace the chaos. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
One more point about Carlitos Way. Who really is the GOAT of acting and the two on two acting battle debate. AMC vs Regal. Why people aren't seeing movies and how that probably won't change. F1 review, with not any spoilers (Credere is yet to see it). Reading Rainbow theme. Brandon's recycling past and present. LL sports: nfl Vegas over and under team wins, just a teaser before our kickoff show. Women are getting “gains” now more than ever, we find out why. When did the term wife beater start being used when referring to an A shirt/tanktop.
American Idol alum and queer icon David Archuleta joins us on the show today! Not only does he bless us with his heavenly voice, but he also opens up about his Idol journey, coming out, and his appreciation for Latin men. Delta spills the tea on why the Very Delta set has officially ditched water bottles for glassware… let's just say a certain Real Housewife inspired the switch. The two also dive into some delightfully gay fan mail all about rainbows. And yes… David does sing the “Reading Rainbow” theme song. You're welcome. Plus, Delta needs Subway to know: she does NOT want her sandwich toasted! Listen to Very Delta Ad-Free AND One Day Early on MOM Plus Send us an e-mail at readmedelta@gmail.com FOLLOW DELTA @deltawork VERY DELTA IS A FOREVER DOG AND MOGULS OF MEDIA (M.O.M.) PODCAST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
American Idol alum and queer icon David Archuleta joins us on the show today! Not only does he bless us with his heavenly voice, but he also opens up about his Idol journey, coming out, and his appreciation for Latin men. Delta spills the tea on why the Very Delta set has officially ditched water bottles for glassware… let's just say a certain Real Housewife inspired the switch. The two also dive into some delightfully gay fan mail all about rainbows. And yes… David does sing the “Reading Rainbow” theme song. You're welcome. Plus, Delta needs Subway to know: she does NOT want her sandwich toasted! Listen to Very Delta Ad-Free AND One Day Early on MOM Plus Send us an e-mail at readmedelta@gmail.com FOLLOW DELTA @deltawork VERY DELTA IS A FOREVER DOG AND MOGULS OF MEDIA (M.O.M.) PODCAST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, we're chatting with em dickson, author of Beyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary and Gender-Diverse People You Should Know, illustrated by Cameron Mukwa. Turns out em went to college with our Podcast's cohost Mary Grahame, over at Simmons University in Boston; you'll get a lot of their charming history together, including Mary Grahame's path to becoming a Youth Librarian and em's journey to become a published Children's Author! em dickson (e/em/eir/she) holds an MA in Children's Lit, along with an MFA, both earned from her time at Simmons; along with er recently published book, e is a school librarian, authenticity reader, competitive sailor, and sea shanty enthusiast. Like Peter Pan, e has a strong emotional attachment to eir shadow, a fluffy black muppet of a dog called Luna. When not reading or writing, e can be found harmonizing to random sounds, collecting trinkets in eir pockets like a dragon, or promoting the color teal. E feels most at home by the sea, which is convenient, since e spends most of eir time in coastal Massachusetts. You can find em on Instagram @mlereads Along with some overdue catching up, em and Mary Grahame mention another excellent book that em contributed to, Athlete is Agender. We also discuss a lot of other noteworthy authors, including ND Stevenson, Esme Symes-Smith, Maia Kobabe, and more! We also give some shout-outs to our librarian programming, including our Reading Rainbow social-hour/book club, and our Rainbow Club at Ferndale Middle School! Tune In!
We double dip with two special guests, Niraj and Chris from TLG Media! The comedy flash duo discuss their secret origins and runaway success with A NEW BUNNY and the ancient sins of READING RAINBOW... and the more recent sins of its creator? Video links in the show notes. Support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/flashinthepan
This week, we're throwing it all the way back! We're counting down the Top 5 video games of 1996—a year that blessed us with pixelated perfection. Then we step into the ring and talk about a time when boxing your friends for fun wasn't just normal… it was a rite of passage.We revisit the goosebump-inducing Reading Rainbow intro, flip through the wildest Weekly World News headlines that made grocery store checkouts a full-blown adventure, and even take a deep inhale of that hot vinyl car interior smell that screamed summer's here, buckle up.Plus, we unpack that magical moment when the school year ended, and freedom hit like a sugar rush, and we dig into some epic mailbags full of love, nostalgia, and a few surprises from our awesome listeners.Today's episode was brought to you by Salty Water. Hydrate Your Inner Warrior! Support our sponsors:IG: https://www.instagram.com/drinksaltywater/Buy: https://tinyurl.com/4c4kz9ceWebsite: https://drinksaltywater.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/wBnrDZ47Master list on our NES collection: https://superretropod.com/nes-game-list-super-retro/Join our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMP4yO-dFGayGUkT_MVYrhQ/join Discord: https://discord.gg/wBnrDZ47 Email: SuperRetroPod@gmail.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/superretropodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@superretropodAll things Super Retro: https://linktr.ee/superretroVideo episodes available at YouTube!
Now presenting one of our favorite episodes from the archives. Amanda and Chris step through a crack in the space-time continuum with LeVar Burton, who is simultaneously Kunta Kinte, Geordi La Forge, and the host of Reading Rainbow. https://www.patreon.com/knoxrobinson https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Temu Alps. Then you shall have no laughter, no smile and no LT YAR. Patrick Warburton's Reading Rainbow. No Show Monday with Peace and Love. Faux Hawk Couple. Soft On Ice Cream Hard On Pizza. Gonorrhea Training. What doeas ALF stand for cuz I like really wanted to know? I don't like Franchiseeeeeeees. From Yoda's Heart I Stab at Thee. Sega Genesis Comedy Couple. Clare and a study group. Dunaway's bush points. You Can't Hide Your Briani. LEGO Apologist, Stephen Shleiker and more on this episode of The Morning Stream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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