Podcasts about Zealots

Show Notes Lemuel: I am Lemuel Gonzalez, repentant sinner, and along with Amity Armstrong, your heavenly host, I invite you to find a place in the pew for today's painless Sunday School lesson. Without Works. Amity:  Joshua Mhlakela, South African preacher and false prophet  made a prediction during an interview in June: He claimed a vision of Christ on the throne announcing his return during Rosh Hashanah, the first of the Jewish high holy days. Mhlakela declared that on September 24-25, of 2025, the  Lord Jesus Christ, would return in power and glory, taking away all the faithful. He would appear in the Eastern sky, creating a manifestation visible to everyone, everywhere in the world. A trumpet, or the sound of a trumpet, would announce his appearance.  This was his third prediction of the rapture this year. Like the previous two, this prediction did not come to pass.  Lemuel: This was the most recent in hundreds, or possibly thousands, of predicted returns, the earliest of them dating to 500 AD. None of them have been accurate.  It may be best, at this point, to clarify what the rapture, and the second coming of Christ are. They are two separate things both inspired by interpretations of New Testament prophecy.  “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, and with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” I Thessalonians 4:16-17 This seems to support the claims of dispensationalists who see a coming rapture of the faithful, followed by a final judgment. These are the words  of Jesus himself, describing what has been called his Second Coming: “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24: 3o-31 Jesus says these things after visiting the Temple at Jerusalem, when his disciples ask him about his comment that one day the temple will be in ruins.  “When will these things happen?” they ask.  The answer was forty years. The destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. Jesus implies that this end of the world he is talking about is the end of the world in his hearers ears. Their world. He describes conditions, “wars and rumors of wars,” that are constants in the world, then and now. Conflicts and famine. He warns of false prophets. He speaks of persecution. He warns people to flee to the mountains. Amity: It is hard to conceive of how awful the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem was. Having staged a rebellion against the occupying Roman forces the Zealots fought hard to preserve their way of life, and their faith. It was ultimately fruitless. After a five month siege, one that made rivals out of former allies in the resistance, and led to starvation in the city.  The Temple was the final thing ruined by the 48,000 Roman troops led by Titus Caesar Vespanius. Seven thousand men, women and children were killed trying to defend the temple.  Its violation and destruction meant the end of traditional Jewish worship. The Temple was never rebuilt.  So is it possible that Jesus' prediction of the end of the world, and his triumphant return, was something that has been misinterpreted, and continues to be misinterpreted.  Some of the early Church fathers saw this as an allegory and this point of view is taken by much of the High Church. Newsweek Wikipedia Bible Gateway

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Luke 6:12-16 - Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, He called His disciples to Himself, and from them He chose Twelve, whom He also named Apostles: Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles Saints Simon and Jude, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2, 3, 4) Father Stephen Lesniewski joins Terry to discuss, Servant of God, Father John Hardon, S.J.

Gospel  Luke 6:12-16 Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Reflection There's an interesting way in which we need to understand the distinction between a disciple and an apostle. Disciple is a word that means a learner, someone who's constantly growing and changing. And an apostle is one who has been especially empowered and then sent forth to do a task. What is interesting about the two is that they really are one. We are always learners. We are always open to new insights and new ways of seeing the mystery of who you are in us. And then we also know that you empower us. You send us forth to do things. Nothing is more important than we embrace both these roles as we continue to grow and establish your Kingdom. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with the awareness of we never, ever are finished in our work with you. We are always open to new insights, changes. And then we're also so blessed to have your power, strength flowing through us as the Holy Spirit engages us in ways to establish the Kingdom. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friends of the Rosary,Today, October 28, we celebrate the feast day of two great apostles: St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon the ZealotSt. Jude Thaddeus, brother of St. James the Lesser, preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Libya. He suffered martyrdom in Armenia, which was then under Persian rule.He is the author of an epistle (letter) to the Churches of the East, in particular the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics.St. Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection.He is invoked as the patron of desperate, forgotten, and lost situations and causes because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them.Every image of him depicts him wearing a medallion with a profile of Jesus.Saint Jude Thaddeus is not the same person as Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Our Lord and despaired because of his great sin and lack of trust in God's mercy.St. Simon, who had been called a Zealot, is thought to have preached in Egypt and then to have joined St. Jude in Persia. Here, he was supposedly martyred by being cut in half with a saw, a tool he is often depicted with.Today, we also celebrate the Fourth Anniversary of the departure for the glory of heaven of Maria Blanca, co-founder of the Rosary Network, along with Mikel A. Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• October 28, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,and he spent the night in prayer to God.When day came, he called his disciples to himself,and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,Simon who was called a Zealot,and Judas the son of James,and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.Haec mando vobis : ut diligatis invicem. 18 If the world hate you, know ye, that it hath hated me before you.Si mundus vos odit, scitote quia me priorem vobis odio habuit. 19 If you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.Si de mundo fuissetis, mundus quod suum erat diligeret : quia vero de mundo non estis, sed ego elegi vos de mundo, propterea odit vos mundus. 20 Remember my word that I said to you: The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you: if they have kept my word, they will keep yours also.Mementote sermonis mei, quem ego dixi vobis : non est servus major domino suo. Si me persecuti sunt, et vos persequentur; si sermonem meum servaverunt, et vestrum servabunt. 21 But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake: because they know not him who sent me.Sed haec omnia facient vobis propter nomen meum : quia nesciunt eum qui misit me. 22 If I had not come, and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.Si non venissem, et locutus fuissem eis, peccatum non haberent : nunc autem excusationem non habent de peccato suo. 23 He that hateth me, hateth my Father also.Qui me odit, et Patrem meum odit. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no other man hath done, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.Si opera non fecissem in eis quae nemo alius fecit, peccatum non haberent : nunc autem et viderunt, et oderunt et me, et Patrem meum. 25 But that the word may be fulfilled which is written in their law: They hated me without cause.Sed ut adimpleatur sermo, qui in lege eorum scriptus est : Quia odio habuerunt me gratis.The holy Apostles Simon, a Cananean, called Zelotes (the Zealot) and Jude Thaddeus, a brother of St James the Less, a cousin to Jesus, called Lebbeus (the Courageous), preached the Gospel, the first in Egypt, the second in Mesopotamia. They both suffered martyrdom in Persia in the fist century. St Jude wrote a short Epistle in which he exhorts the faithful to beware heretics.

St. Jude offers us an example of how we are to become dwelling places of the Lord Jesus. When we follow his commands, Jesus resides in us and our love overflows and we must share his love with those who do not yet know him, like St. Jude. This blogcast explores “A Dwelling Place" from the Ad Infinitum blog, written by Victor David and read by Sarah Scalfaro.I have always had a special admiration for St. Jude. Growing up, my home parish was the Church of St. Jude. I can still remember my mom telling me to pray to the saint whenever I felt that I was facing an impossible task. Legend says that since his name was so close to that of Judas, many people did not pray to him, for fear of confusing the two. To show his thanks to people who did remember him, St. Jude was willing to be extra fervent in bringing the faithful's requests to the Lord. In John's Gospel, towards the end of the Last Supper, Christ observes that soon he will no longer be with his disciples, but that he will soon reveal himself. Jude asks Jesus, “Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” (John 14:22) Our Lord responded, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23). He is telling his disciple, and us, that whoever holds God's teachings in his or her heart and acts accordingly is filled with the Spirit of the Lord.The Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude remind us all to be God's dwelling place. While we do not know much about the lives of either saint, tradition tells us that Simon was called the Zealot in the gospels and Acts (Lk 6:15; Acts 1:13). There is some debate to whether this means he was an ardent disciple of Jesus or that he was a former member of the Zealot sect that advocated for the violent overthrow of the Roman occupation. If the latter is to be believed, then Simon truly demonstrates that no one is beyond becoming a dwelling place of the Lord. The Zealots were known to use violence to advocate noncompliance with the Roman authorities. Nevertheless, tradition and legend hold that Simon helped to spread the Good News, peacefully, through much of the Middle East. It was that conversion of heart that truly made Simon a dwelling place of the Lord.Legend tells us that both saints suffered martyrdom while spreading the faith in Syria. Tradition holds that Simon was either crucified or sawed in half while Jude was clubbed to death or beheaded by an axe. Yet, in the face of adversity and hostility, they continued to profess the faith that had been revealed to them until the very end. So, the question remains: How do we become God's dwelling place? The answer is simple – follow what Jesus told St. Jude at the Last Supper: love the Lord and keep His Word. When we accept and follow the Word of God, He truly and fully enters into our lives. By keeping His word on our minds and in our hearts, we make ourselves His dwelling place. Sts. Simon and Jude truly became dwelling places of God. What happens when God resides with someone? He or she becomes so full of God's love that it must be spread. That is what happened to Sts. Simon and Jude and that is what is possible for all of us. By following their example, we, too, can be an outpouring of God's love to others and help build up His kingdom. *This post was originally posted October 27, 2015*--The St. Jude Shrine is located in the heart of Baltimore, Maryland, and has been operated and staffed by the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers for over 80 years. The Archbishop of Baltimore entrusted the Shrine to the Pallottines in 1917. Regular Novena Services were established around the outset of World War II, when devotion to St. Jude  reached remarkable proportions. Today, St. Jude Shrine is the Nationwide Center of St. Jude Devotions. Like the St. Jude Shrine on Facebook. The St. Jude Shrine is a ministry of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate - Immaculate Conception Province. Learn more by visiting http://www.sacapostles.org/our-ministries.html. Author:Victor David is a collaborator with the Catholic Apostolate Center and a staff member at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Resources:Listen to On Mission podcast The 12 ApostlesRead the Ad Infinitum blog Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

October 28, 2025Today's Reading: John 15:(12-16) 17-21Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 30:1-20; Matthew 19:1-15“I chose you out of the world.” (John 15:19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As we remember the Apostles of our Lord throughout the year, we might feel sorry for a few of them. Poor Simon “the Zealot” and Jude (a.k.a. Judas, or Thaddeus). They are some of the more obscure of Jesus' disciples. They definitely don't get the attention of Peter, James, and John. They don't even get the word count for Saint Andrew or Saint Nathanael Bartholomew. We don't know a single word that Simon actually spoke, and only one question from St. Jude is recorded. We practically know nothing except their names. In the Gospels, Jude is almost always mentioned by the name Judas, but every instance of that includes “NOT ISCARIOT.” Imagine your greatest claim to fame being that you were NOT the guy with the same name who betrayed Jesus. And then poor Simon, he might as well always have the moniker “NOT PETER.”Yet there is one thing certain, that we can celebrate; Jesus chose them to be His apostles. They were not picked because they were the most quoteworthy, eloquent speakers. They were not selected because they had the right experience, or talents, or pedigree. Simon was not chosen because of his zealot politics, nor Jude for being “not Iscariot.” Saints Simon and Jude were chosen, by the grace of God, in His mercy, to be the simple, often-forgotten human hands, feet, and voices of Christ.That love of Christ encouraged them as they carried His Gospel as His disciples, missionaries, pastors, and apostles. They preached the Word of the Lord and baptized. They forgave sins and fed the Church Christ's Eucharist. And so we end up with two contrasts: the love of Jesus and the hatred of the world.Saints Simon (not Peter) and Jude (not Iscariot) were prepared by Jesus for the hatred of the world. The world hated Him first, and would hate them. Eventually, they suffered death at the hands of those who hated them and Jesus. These faithful Apostles are said to have been martyred at the same time, Simon (not Peter) sawn in half, while many say that Jude (not Iscariot) was beaten to death with a club.Even through the violent end to their time on earth, Jesus's love sustained them through the world's hatred. Our dear Lord knows these saints infinitely more than just their names: Simon, “Not Peter,” and Jude, “Not Iscariot.” He preserved them in the one, true faith at their martyrdom and welcomed them into His presence, where they now await the resurrection with the Risen Savior who chose them and loves them completely.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Praise, Lord, for Your apostles, Saint Simon and Saint Jude. One love, one hope impelled them To tread the way renewed. May we with zeal as earnest The faith of Christ maintain, Be bound in love together, And life eternal gain. (LSB 518:28)Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Harrison Goodman is the Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, ApostlesLuke 6:12-16Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,and he spent the night in prayer to God.When day came, he called his disciples to himself,and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,Simon who was called a Zealot,and Judas the son of James,and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

+ Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 6: 12 – 19 In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.The Gospel of the Lord.

Delivered by Nia from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Ephesians 2: 19-22; Rs psalm 19: 2-3.4-5; Luke 6: 12-19.WAR AGAINST TERROR Our meditation todayis entitled: War Against Terror. Our world today and all mankind know andunderstand about terrorism. Particularly in Indonesia, the threat of terrorismis insistent and evident, and it happens almost every year. One person or groupof terror can be overcome by the government and law enforcers, but anotherperson or group comes in. The threat is so serious that the government and allthe citizens have to work together to fight it. Our Church has obligationto fight against terrorism today with much greater spiritual power, done by allher members. The Church does this with Jesus. He had done it in His publicservice in the world. On one special occasion he chose Simon the Zealot andJudas, along with ten other apostles to form an elite community of strong andfaithful men to be his “army”. Today the whole Church celebrates the feast ofthe apostles Simon and Judas who are from this community. The word"Zealot" means terrorist. This Simon came from a rebel group whofought against the Roman colonials. They were known by the name Zealots, in theGreek language named Kana'im, that means the jealousy of God. They did not wanttheir God to be disturbed by other groups. Jesus must choose strong and trustedpeople to be with Him in the war against all forms of evil in this world. Those12 apostles are the strong pillars for the foundation of the Church. Before meeting Jesus,Saint Paul often acted like a terrorist. According to the Acts of the Apostles,he pursued, arrested and sent to prison men and women who followed Christ. Heeven said this: I really acted wildly burning with anger towards Christians,whom I chased even to cities in foreign lands (Acts 26,11). The group thatspreads terror, nowadays known as the radicals, brings fear all over the world.Are we sure that Jesus has the power to change the hardest hearts of theterrorists? Jesus changed Saint Simon and Saint Paul, and to this day Heremains the same God who can change the hearts of terrorists. They not onlychanged their hearts and direction of life, but they also are made so useful asthe foundation for the building up of the Church, the house and community ofGod's people where every and all believers included. Saints Simon, Judas andPaul are now “generals” in the kingdom of God, to protect and care for ourChurch. Jesus overcomesterrorists with love. We all use the same love to overcome the terrors of eviland darkness in our community of faith. But we must be with Christ. Withouthim, we do nothing. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Lord Jesus, our good and wise teacher, make us Your soldiers to fight andsacrifice ourselves to defeat the evils that threaten Your Church. Glory to theFather and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Lk 6:12-16Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,and he spent the night in prayer to God.When day came, he called his disciples to himself,and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,Simon who was called a Zealot,and Judas the son of James,and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Episode Description:What happened between the Old and New Testaments? Discover the dramatic 400-year period that transformed the biblical world from Persian rule to Roman occupation, from a modest temple to Herod's architectural wonder, and from religious unity to competing Jewish sects.Join Professor Rachel Chen and Harvard-trained church historian Bishop Andy Lewter as they trace the epic story from Alexander the Great's Hellenistic revolution through the Maccabean Revolt, the rise and corruption of the Hasmonean Dynasty, and Herod the Great's ruthless climb to power. Learn how Antiochus IV's persecution sparked a guerrilla war led by the priest Mattathias and his sons, establishing Jewish independence celebrated today as Hanukkah.Explore why synagogues, rabbis, the Sanhedrin, and major Jewish sects like the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots—all absent from the Old Testament—dominate the New Testament landscape. Understand how Roman roads, Greek language, and diaspora communities became divine instruments for spreading the gospel.This episode reveals why those "silent" centuries weren't silent at all, but rather God's orchestration of world history to prepare for the perfect moment when "the fullness of time had come."Perfect for: Bible students, history enthusiasts, church leaders, seminary students, and anyone seeking deeper understanding of the New Testament's historical context.Key Topics: Inter-Testamental Period, Alexander the Great, Hellenism, Maccabean Revolt, Hanukkah, Hasmonean Dynasty, Herod the Great, Jewish sects, Roman occupation

Mark 3:7-35,Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”[Full manuscript forthcoming.]

The King's Messengers Matthew 10:1-15    October 19, 2025 Pastor Tony Felich----more---- Matthew 9:37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; [38] therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” 10:1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. [2] The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; [3] Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; [4] Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. [5] These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, [6] but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [7] And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' [8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. [9] Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, [10] no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. [11] And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. [12] As you enter the house, greet it. [13] And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. [14] And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. [15] Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Jesus inaugurates the apostolic ministry as the foundation and forerunner of His Church's mission. The disciples become Apostles Who were the Apostles? What was the first Apostolic mission? In what ways does the first Apostolic mission shape and inform the Church's mission today?

Hello friends! Zealot Leon, Zealot Eldred, and Zealot Mizell from Austin's premier art-rock/funk band and 2025 Austin Music Award winners for "Best New Act" and "Best Jazz", Grandmaster are my guests for episode 1519! The 9 to 13 person band under the guidance of intergalactic traveler, The Grandmaster have just released a new single, "Open The Sun", available everywhere. You can see them play live at Been There 4 Fest on November 8th at Radio East. Find them on Spotify, Instagram and anywhere you find music. The Zealots and I have a great conversation about The Grandmaster's Ball, Earth Wind and Fire, Berklee College of Music, The Grandmaster's musical prowess and musical guidance, and much more. Plus, Lenny Barszap from Been There, a great nonprofit that raises money for the homeless population in Austin, TX, checks in about Been There 4 Fest taking place on Saturday, November 8th at Radio East here in Austin and features performances from Mix Master Mike (Beastie Boys), Ben Kweller, Deadeye, today's guests, Grandmaster and many more. Go to Beenthere.org for tickets, Been There info and more. Great conversations! Let's get down! Check out my conversation with Lenny Barszap from Been There and Adrian Quesada from Black Pumas about their film "Home Free" and the accompanying soundtrack from episode 1456 (1/31/2025) HERE! Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you pod. Send someone the gift of Johnny with Cameo.   If you feel so inclined. Venmo: venmo.com/John-Goudie-1  Paypal: paypal.me/johnnygoudie

A Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 3:13-21 & St. Luke 7:11-17 by William Klock “The next day,” says St. Luke in our Gospel lesson, “Jesus went to a town called Nain.”  No doubt to preach the good news that, in him, the God of Israel had finally come to his people to fulfil his promises to them.  No doubt to heal the sick or the blind or the deaf or whoever else came to him to be healed.  No doubt to cast our demons.  Not just to tell them that God's kingdom was breaking into darkness of the world, but to show them.  To make the sad things untrue, as Sam Gamgee put it so eloquently.  But I expect that Jesus was frustrated.  Sure, crowds were following him wherever he went, but they didn't get it.  They wanted their own personal miracle worker and, like the people in Nazareth, they got angry with him when he wouldn't stay.  They knew—because it was impossible to miss—that in Jesus light had come into the darkness.  They knew hope for the first time.  But their vision of God's light and life was just so, so, so small.  And then there were people like the scribes and Pharisees who were angry because, if he was the Messiah, he was doing it all wrong.  They couldn't see past their rules and boundaries.  They had no grasp of the great height and width and length and depth of the love of God.  They were thrilled to have Jesus wipe away their tears and make the sad things of their lives untrue, but they were still committed to, still doing the very things that made the sadness in the first place. Luke says here, in 7:11, that this happened on the “next day”.  It was the day before that Jesus had been met by the friends of a Roman centurion with a sick slave.  He got word that Jesus was on his way to his house to heal his slave and sent words to say, “No, don't come to my house.”  He knew that as a gentile he wasn't part of Jesus' mission.  “No, Jesus, just say the word and my slave will be healed.  I know you've got authority to do it.”  And Jesus stopped and marvelled.  He healed the centurion's slave, but he also turned and rebuked the crowd that was following him: “How is it that I've found more faith in this gentile than in you lot, in God's own people?” And now, it's the next day, and he's on his way to Nain and the crowd has followed him from Capernaum.  It's about five miles.  And all the way he's been teaching his disciples and anyone else within earshot who will listen.  I expect Jesus was trying to broaden their vision of the kingdom and what it all meant.  And then they arrived at the city gate.  Luke writes, “As he got near the gate of the city, a young man was being carried out dead.  He was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.  There was a substantial crowd of townspeople with her.” From a distance Jesus noticed that the town gate was unusually quiet and now he sees why.  Or maybe he heard it before he could see it, because as they got to Nain they met a burial procession coming through the gate.  There was the stretcher being carried by pallbearers and on it was the body of a young man.  Following behind was his mother, crying her eyes out and wailing loudly.  I wonder if Jesus knew them.  Nain wasn't far from Capernaum or from Nazareth, so it's entirely possible that Jesus knew these people or, at least, knew who they were.  Luke knew enough about them to report that the woman was a widow and that the young man was her only son.  Her husband was dead and now so was her only son and that meant that she was destitute.  That meant that she was without hope. The whole town was gathered and they wept and they wailed loudly so that she could weep without embarrassment.  They were on their way to the burial plot outside town.  There would have been a little cave.  Sort of a family plot, with the bones of her husband's ancestors.  Some time before she'd made this trip with her son by her side as the mourners carried her husband to that little cave and laid him to rest.  Eventually, she had gone and put his bare bones in a box, leaving the burial shelf empty.  And today she would put her son there.  And then what?  Come harvest time, she'd have to join the poor, gleaning in the fields and the vineyards, collecting whatever was left behind by the harvesters.  And she prayed no one would come to seize her house and turn her out into the street. And seeing her, Jesus knew her grief.  He knew her hopelessness.  And I wonder what went through his head.  Did he recognise an opportunity here to make a point about the bigger, deeper, wider meaning of the kingdom for the crowd following him?  I suspect it occurred to him.  But I think, more than anything, Jesus saw in this woman the pain and the sorrow and the tears of this fallen and broken world and he was overcome with love—because that's who he was.  The widow and the orphan have always had a special place in God's heart.  How they were treated was always—and still is—emblematic of whether or not the people had the heart of God themselves.  And so I think it was simply the most natural thing in the world for the heart of Jesus to be overwhelmed with love and pity for this woman and he simply did what came naturally to him. Luke writes, “And when the Lord saw her, he was very sorry for her.  ‘Don't cry,' he said to her.  Then he went up and touched the stretcher and the people carrying it stood still.” That would have been bad form for anyone else, but not for Jesus.  I still expect people were shocked.  You didn't get in the way of a funeral procession then any more than you do now.  But to touch the stretcher—that would render him unclean.  So the crowd watched in surprise or shock as Jesus stopped the procession.  And they heard him say to the woman, “Don't cry.”  And I can only imagine what they were thinking when he then went to the dead boy and said, “Young man, I say to you, ‘Get up!'”  They'd seen Jesus do some amazing things.  They'd seen him heal the sick and the blind and the lame, but could he actually raise the dead?  That was kind of over the top, even for Jesus.  And yet…there were stories from the old days.  Could the things in those old stories happen again? These people were deeply steeped in the scriptures and some of them must have recognised that what Jesus was doing had echoes of the stories they knew so well.  I say that because Luke recognised the parallels and makes a point of reporting this story very deliberately so that it echoes the stories of the prophets Elijah and Elisha—particularly Elijah in 1 Kings 17. Nine hundred years before, King Ahab had ruled Israel.  He was the latest in a line of wicked kings who did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.  Ahab built an altar to the Canaanite fertility god Baal in the Lord's temple and he led the people into idolatry and all sorts of unspeakable evils.  First Kings says that Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.  And so the Lord visited his people with a drought and the drought brought with it a famine.  And the Lord announced that drought and famine through the Prophet Elijah, whom he sent to the king.  Of course, that made Elijah rather unpopular with the king, so the Lord first led him to a hiding place in the wilderness, where he sent ravens to bring him bread and meat each morning and evening and where he could drink from a creek.  But when the creek dried up, the Lord sent him to the home of a widow and her only son. The widow had nothing left but enough flour and oil to make a small loaf of bread.  When Elijah met her, she was planning to bake the bread for herself and for her son as a last meal.  Then they would die.  But the Prophet told her to bake the bread for him in faith.  If she did that, he said, the Lord would keep her jars of flour and oil full as long as the famine lasted.  And so, in faith, she did as he told her and, in response, the Lord provided.  All through the famine the Lord took care of her.  Neither the flour nor the oil ran out. And then one day that poor widow's son became ill and died.  And she forgot all that the Lord had done through Elijah to keep her and her son alive and she berated the Prophet for bringing this on her.  And so Elijah took the boy and laid him on his bed, and stretching himself over the boy three times, he pleaded with the Lord to restore his life.  And the Lord heard and the boy rose up and Elijah took him to his mother.  When she saw her boy alive, she declared, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” That, of course, wasn't the end of the story.  This was all to spare Elijah from the wrath of King Ahab and eventually the Lord would send the Prophet back to the King to announce an end to the drought.  But it wasn't quite that simple.  The Lord told Elijah to challenge Ahab's pagan priests to a showdown.  Elijah would give them a chance to build and alter, offer a sacrifice, and to pray to Baal to end the drought, before building his own altar, offering a sacrifice, and praying to the Lord.  On the mountain, Baal's priests proved their god's impotence, while the Lord visited his people: sending down fire to consume Elijah's offering and then causing it finally to rain, while his priests slaughtered the priests of Baal who had led the people of Israel into idolatry. The story of Elijah and the widow of Zeraphath, situated in that bigger story of the God of Israel and the defeat of Ahab and his false god, it was a story about the Lord's love.  About the Lord's love for his people—a love so great that he would not let an evil king lead them off forever into idolatry and evil.  It was about the Lord's love for the poor and destitute.  And it was a story of hope.  The Lord will not let his people languish forever in sin and darkness and hopelessness.  When the time is right, he will visit his people, he will deal with sin and death, he will wipe away the tears, and he will set the world to rights. And it was that vision of the love of God that the people around Jesus—most of them, at any rate—it was that great vision of the love of God and the restoration of all things that they lacked.  When the Messiah came, they struggled to see him as anything more than their personal miracle-worker.  When it came to setting things to rights, they had trouble seeing any further than their desire for the Messiah to rain down fire and brimstone on the Romans and their pagan allies.  There were all these interest groups in Israel, from the Pharisees to the Sadducees, from the Essenes to the Zealots (well, the Zealots would come a few decades later, but their spiritual fathers were there in Jesus' day).  And they all had their own vision of what the Messiah would be and what he would do and what it would look like when the Lord finally came to visit his people.  And their visions of all of that were just so incredibly small and self-centred and lacking in grace and with no real grasp of how truly deep and wide the love of God is.  The crude idolatry that Israel had known in Elijah's day was long gone from Israel, but a more subtle idolatry had taken its place and it blinded people to who Jesus really was and what God was doing through him. But this day the God of those old “fairy tales” was going to burst into the present—like King Arthur returned to rescue Britain in its darkest hour.  That day at the gate of Nain, Jesus—like Elijah and like Elisha (that's another story Luke echoes, but we don't have time for this morning)—Jesus stopped the pallbearers, put his hands on the stretcher, and said to the dead boy, “Get up!”.  And instead of uncleanness passing from the dead boy to Jesus, the life of the living God passed from Jesus to the dead boy and, Luke tells us, “The dead boy sat up and began to speak, and he gave him to his mother.”  And her tears of sorrow turned in tears of joy.  Jesus not only raised her son, but he also gave the womam back her own life.  But the bigger thing, at least for Luke, was the response of the crowd.  “Fear”—or maybe better great awe—“came over all of them.  They praised God.  ‘A great prophet has risen amongst us!' they said.  ‘God has visited his people!'  And this report went out about him in the whole of Judaea and the surrounding countryside.” Many wondered if the God of those old stories was real.  They hadn't heard a prophet speak in centuries.  The same went for the raising of the dead.  And the glory cloud, God's presence in the temple, had been gone for five hundred years—if it had ever been there at all.  But now they knew.  The God of Israel was real and alive and he was working through Jesus.  But did they really get it now?  Yes and no, I think.  Even the disciples wouldn't really and fully get it until after they'd encountered Jesus risen from death.  And even then, they wouldn't really, really get it until Pentecost and the sending of the Spirit.  But Luke does seem to be saying that the people “got it” more than they had before.  They stood in awe because they knew they were somehow and in some way either in the presence of the God of Israel or in the presence of this representative and one who had his power and authority.  They knew they had seen God at work and so they praised him.  And when they proclaimed that a great prophet had risen up amongst them and that God has visited his people, they were exuberantly proclaiming that they now knew that God had once again come into the darkness to set things to rights like he had done back in the days of Elijah, because only the living God has such power over death.  And so they cheered even if they didn't understand or even if they still had messed up ideas about what it all meant or how it would play out.  They knew that in Jesus God had come to fulfil his promises: to right the wrongs, to wipe away the tears, and I think with this latest miracle, the hope dawned in some—maybe even many—that Jesus had come to defeat even death itself. It's important that in telling the story, Luke doesn't just look backward to Elijah.  The story echoes back into Israel's past, but it also looks forward.  Because Luke also deliberate tells this story in a way that anticipates the story we know so well, the story to which all of this is leading.  We meet Jesus at the cross, where sin and death did their worst, where Mary wept as he died.  And then, three days later as Jesus burst from the tomb alive again, having conquered both sin and death; as he wipes away the tears of another Mary, who mistook him for the groundskeeper because he was there tending the garden, like Adam restored to Eden. Brothers and Sisters, it's the final story, the climax of the Gospels, the story to which all these others lead us, it's there that we're confronted once and for all by the love of God made manifest in Jesus.  God gives his son to die in order to set the world to rights, in order to defeat sin and death, and he does it for the very people who broke his creation and brought sin and death into it when they rebelled against him.  That's love—and grace and mercy and patience and so much more—but above all it's love.  And Brothers and Sisters, it's love that overwhelms absolutely everything it encounters.  It's the love that finally opened the eyes of Jesus' disciples to understand that the Messiah wasn't their personal miracle worker or that he belonged to Israel alone—to set them on the top of the heap while raining down fire and brimstone on the gentiles.  No, the love of God made manifest in the crucified and risen Jesus is the love that reveals a plan to redeem not only Israel, but the nations and even creation itself.  And a love that will spare nothing to do so.  It was that love, encountered in the risen Jesus, that opened the eyes of Paul and turned him from being a persecutor of Jesus' people to being an evangelist, an apostle, a gospeller of the gospel—proclaiming the good news of this love made manifest in the death and resurrection of Jesus to the nations. Paul knew that this love that is already in the process of setting the world to rights, is the same love that will—if we can only begin to grasp its depths—this love will set us to rights.  This love will realign our affections and purge us of our idolatries and our sins.  This love will reveal the values and systems and plans and things of this old evil age to be the worthless garbage they are and will set our hearts and minds on God and on his kingdom.  But for that to happen we have to truly encounter God's love in Jesus.  This is why Paul, in our Epistle today from Ephesians, wrote to struggling Christians to say, “This is my prayer: that [God] will lay out all the riches of his glory to give you strength and power, through his Spirit, in your inner being; that the Messiah may make his home in your hearts, through faith; that love may be your root, your firm foundation; and that you may be strong enough (with all God's saints) to grasp the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the Messiah's love—though actually it's so deep that nobody can really know it!  So may God will you with all his fullness.” Brothers and Sisters, if we are still invested in sin, if we are still invested in ourselves, if we are still invested in the things of this age, if we are still looking for philosophy or science or politics or economics to set this broken world to rights, we need instead to focus all the more on Jesus and the cross and to plumb the depths of God's love revealed there until our hearts are aligned with him and with his new creation. We need to steep ourselves in the love of God that we might know the riches of his glory—riches so great, a vision of new creation so glorious, of all the sad things of this world made untrue—that we fall in love with it and let go all our idols.  A pearl of great price so beautiful that we give up everything to have it.  But Brother and Sisters, instead we too often lose sight of that vision as we're overcome by the sadness and the pain and the darkness around us.  Our faith stumbles and we stop being the on-earth-as-in-heaven people that Jesus and the Spirit have made us.  We let the idols creep back in, and we start looking to them—to the things of this fallen world—as the way out and as our hope.  And we align ourselves with the very things that have corrupted God's creation, with the very things that hurt our relationships, and that keep us and the people around us from flourishing in God's goodness.  In the face of greater evils, we accept the lesser and we do it over and over and over until we've embraced idolatry, lost our vision of God's new creation, and forgotten the true power of the good news of God's love in Jesus. The solution, Brothers and Sisters, as St. Paul says so often, is to keep our eyes on Jesus and on his kingdom.  To daily plumb the depths of the love of God made manifest in Jesus, crucified and risen.  If you struggle with sin, if you struggle with selfishness, if you struggle with idolatry, if you struggle to keep God's new creation at the centre of your vision, if your hope is not in Jesus and Jesus alone, hear Paul's words today: let the love of God in Jesus be your root and your firm foundation. Let's pray: O Lord, let your continual pity cleanse and defend your church; and because it cannot continue in safety without your aid, protect it by your help and goodness for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Title: Love One Another Text: Acts 28:11-16 FCF: We often struggle remaining self-focused even with our Christian brothers and sisters. Prop: Because hospitality and brotherly love in the church is needed by all in abundance, we must love one another like Christ loved us. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 28. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 11 from the New English Translation. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Since chapter 27, Luke has been telling us the maritime adventure story of Paul on his way to Rome. The greater story of Paul going to Rome actually began all the way back in Acts chapter 19 when Paul decides to go to Jerusalem on the leading of the Holy Spirit. So, we have been in this final narrative of the book of Acts for quite some time now. Although it has only been 7 months for us to learn about Paul's journey to Rome, it has already taken Paul about 3 years having arrived in Jerusalem around AD 57 and now having wintered in Malta, arriving in Rome in AD 60. Today we will see the completion of this adventure and see the providence of God to use His church to bring Paul safely to Rome. Please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Our Father in heaven. Your name is of more value than any name that has ever been or ever will be. May Your Kingdom permeate this world so that Your will reigns in the hearts of all people. We ask as Your children that Your Spirit might feed us today on Your Holy Word and help us to love one another as Your Son has loved us. Father do not allow us to be overtaken with the temptation to love ourselves or to be self-focused. But deliver us from the deceptions of the Evil One who walks about like a roaring lion waiting to feast on us. Instead, let us take up Your armor to extinguish his fiery darts. We seek all these things from You, because to You belongs the Kingdom, the power, the glory, forever and ever. We pray in Jesus' name – Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] The Puritan Richard Sibbes once said, “No man can love a saint as a saint but a saint.” In other words, the only way it is possible for a Christian to be loved as a Christian ought to be loved, is if he or she is loved by another Christian. The English Evangelist of the Great Awakening George Whitefield said, “As soon as the love of God was shed abroad in my soul, I loved all, of whatsoever denomination, who loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity of heart.” Truly being a follower of Christ requires and naturally produces unconditional and self-sacrificing love for others who are followers of Christ. This… is what we will see today. Let's start in verse 11. I.) Hospitality and brotherly love should abound in the church, so we must love one another as Christ loved us. (11-14) a. [Slide 3] 11 - After three months we put out to sea in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” as its figurehead. i. And so, the final leg of the journey to Rome begins. ii. After wintering on Malta for 3 months the passengers of the Alexandrian grain vessel which was no more, no doubt split up between various ships on Malta to go to various destinations. iii. But Paul, his companions, the soldiers, Julius the centurion, and the rest of the prisoners all board another Alexandrian ship headed for Rome. iv. This ship had wintered in Malta, arriving well before the storm no doubt. v. But then Luke includes a final detail about the ship, and for a casual 21st century western reader of the text, it would very easily slip past unnoticed. vi. Luke records that the ship had on the bow a figurehead. Now this could be carved wooden images or perhaps an engraved or painted image. We are not exactly sure. But regardless, Luke dutifully records that on the bow were “The Heavenly Twins.” vii. Which should lead us to ask two basic questions. viii. First, who are the Heavenly twins? And second, what is the significance of Luke mentioning this? 1. [Slide 4] So, who are the Heavenly twins? a. In Greek mythology the Heavenly twins, or The Sons of Zeus, are two heroes named Castor and Pollux. b. The story goes that their mother Leda was seduced by Zeus who posed as a swan. On the night she conceived her children her husband was with her too. c. She produced 2 children hatched from an egg. d. Castor was the son of the human father and Pollux was the son of Zeus. Yet they were identical twins. e. Both sons were renowned for their prowess in battle. They were patron deities of navigation and protection of travelers and are represented in the constellation Gemini. f. This answers the question as to why they would be included on a sea faring vessel. g. The way the story goes… The twin brothers abducted two sisters, and because of this two of the women's cousins came after Castor and Pollux. Pollux killed his pursuer but Castor was not so lucky. h. Zeus killed the man who killed Castor and then gave Pollux a choice. i. Pollux was his son and asked if he would rather stay with him on Olympus forever or share his immortality with his brother. j. Pollux chose to share his immortality and he and Castor alternated days being either immortal or bound in the realm of the dead. 2. [Slide 5] So, why does Luke mention this? What is the significance of this figurehead? a. Is Luke simply recording details to reinforce the reliability of his information? i. Adding this detail would mean that a person could go and look up this ship in the future to confirm the story was true. ii. In fact, some older commentators suggest that this was actually the name of the ship or even the owner of the ship. But that is not a very common interpretation. iii. Assuming it isn't the name of the ship or the owner of the ship, mentioning this figurehead would not have been a great way to increase reliability, since so many ships which sailed the Mediterranean would have a figurehead of the Castor and Pollux. iv. Furthermore, not many people would question the believability that Paul and his companions sailed safely to Italy from Malta. v. It would have been the fact that they all survived a Nor'easter that would have been the far-fetched maritime tale. vi. No. I don't think this is an instance where Luke is detail dropping to increase the believability of his story. b. Is Luke praising Castor and Pollux? i. Another possibility is Luke recognizing some kind of authority of these gods to actually impact the world around them. ii. We know that Paul and his companions arrive safely in Rome and even, as we'll see, experience a favorable south wind to make their travel swift. iii. If Luke is praising these gods for getting Paul to Rome, then we probably need to dismiss the entire book of Acts and Luke from our cannon of scripture or we need to radically change our monotheistic view to recognize that other gods should be looked to for various things and not Yahweh alone. iv. So no, I do not think that Luke is saying that the success of their trip was due to Castor and Pollux blessing them. v. If anything, Luke might be making a somewhat comical comparison to these impotent gods of paganism and how they are really only able to save these sailors when the weather is good and only Yahweh can save His people through bad weather and storms. c. [Slide 6] Is Luke including this detail to further contrast the state of unbelieving Gentiles and unbelieving Jews? i. Theophilus is the recipient of Luke's two scroll tome. ii. Luke begins his gospel expressing that the things he writes are to reinforce what Theophilus has come to believe. iii. Theophilus is probably not the true name of the person Luke is writing to. More than likely Theophilus is a gentile who probably knew quite well who the Heavenly Twins were. He also was probably relatively high up in the Roman government, and has come to know Christ as Savior and Lord. iv. As such, Luke has tried to emphasize a few themes in the book of Acts. v. One of these themes is that Christianity is not a direct threat to the Roman Empire. 1. Over and over again, although Christianity is at the center of unrest throughout the empire, Luke has shown that it is actually the unbelieving Jews who are stirring up trouble because they will not accept their Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. 2. Unlike the zealots and the Jews in Judea at the time of his writing this book, Christians are not actively opposing Roman rule. 3. In fact, the Christians are generally peaceful and submissive toward the Roman government. 4. Christian beliefs and ideology stand opposed to the paganism of Rome in many ways… but not in every way. vi. Pagan gentiles share some common practices with Christians that unbelieving Jews seem to lack. 1. The story of Castor and Pollux emphasizes the brotherly love and hospitality valued in Roman culture. 2. Values that are directly associated with paganism. 3. Luke connects the Maltese brotherly love to this figurehead which stands for the same thing. 4. And soon he'll be talking about Christians who show similar love and hospitality. 5. But by the end of the book of Acts, the unbelieving Jews do not afford the gentiles a similar love. 6. In fact, they are absolutely appalled at the thought that the Jewish Messiah would be offered to Gentiles. 7. Which leads us to another reason Luke would include this detail. vii. Paul has not allowed his Jewish sensibilities to prevent him from giving the gospel to the Maltese or from getting to Rome to give the gospel to Emperor Nero. 1. Throughout the three months on Malta, Paul certainly ate with gentiles. 2. And more than likely, he ate whatever was set in front of him. 3. Meaning that Paul did not follow the Jewish dietary laws while on Malta. 4. Now he boards a ship with obvious idols at the bow. 5. These practices would have been repudiated by every good Jew. Indeed, to even eat with gentiles (even if the food was kosher) would have been culturally taboo and somewhat illegal, especially in Judea. 6. Remember, Paul is headed to Rome because of the Jews' hatred of gentiles being welcomed into the Nazarene sect of Judaism known now as The Way or Christianity. 7. Paul forgoes these sensibilities to do what the Lord Jesus had commanded him to do. 3. So, to take a long answer and make it very short, Luke includes this detail to continue his comparison between three groups of people. 4. Unbelieving Jews, unbelieving gentiles, and Christians. 5. And his point is clear. 6. In many ways, unbelieving gentiles are more receptive to the truth of the gospel, and closer to the teachings of Jesus, than unbelieving Jews are. 7. This seems to conform to Paul's point that he has already made in his letter to the Romans that the Gentiles coming to Christ in droves are part of God's plan to make the Jews jealous. 8. We are praying, even still today, that there would be an awakening among the Jews to the one whom they have pierced. 9. So, what's next on the trip? b. [Slide 7] 12 - We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. - 13 - From there we cast off and arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli. i. Largely we merely see itinerary here. ii. [Slide 8] The band of travelers make their way through the Strait of Messina. They land first in Syracuse on Sicily. Then on to Rhegium in Italy. iii. After staying there a day, a south wind favored their travel and they made it to Puteoli the next day. A trip which would have probably taken a little longer. c. [Slide 9] 14 - There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. i. And so here we have the comparison and contrast between Christians and the Maltese people. ii. How are they similar? Both groups welcome Paul and his companions and the soldiers and the other prisoners to stay with them. iii. They were shown hospitality as strangers. iv. Publius entertained them for 3 days and the Maltese villagers took them in after they were shipwrecked. v. Here we see a subtle difference. vi. Publius was a leading man. A man who probably had a good deal of wealth. vii. Luke doesn't mention anything about the station of these individuals. He only says that they were brothers. They were believers. viii. And they hosted Paul, his companions, Julius, the soldiers and the other prisoners, for an entire week. ix. Julius would have had the right and responsibility to requisition a room and provisions from the cities they went to, but this would have no doubt been a tedious task and the rooms they got would have no doubt been quite unpleasant. x. Discovering people who willingly desired to host them, without force, for an entire week, would have been a perplexing but welcome surprise. xi. Lengthy stays like this among pagans would have been generally discouraged. Two or three days was the typical threshold for social etiquette. xii. Indeed, to commit to an entire week's stay would have been very rare and reserved only for family or very close friends. xiii. But we get the impression that these Christians are not following some social convention or cultural requirement – but rather this is the heart of Christians welcoming and caring for other Christians. xiv. As though they are very close friends or family. xv. So, we can see and understand that the pagan sense of hospitality is rooted in social norms and moral examples of their somewhat morally ambiguous gods. But the Christian form was rooted in mutual love as we are one in Christ and follow His perfect example to love others. xvi. And now after a long maritime adventure, Luke rather modestly reports how Paul arrives in Rome. Luke isn't saying this as though Paul had already arrived. Rather he is saying this as a way to close out the sea travel and indicate that they approach Rome by land on the Appian Way, the main road leading to the great city of Rome. d. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: In a world where culture seemed to value hospitality and brotherly love, we might wonder what Jesus might mean by His statement to His disciples that the world will know that they are His disciples by their love for one another. Certainly, if our love for one another merely parallels the love that pagans show each other, then the world would not see us as any different. But by way of direct comparison to the Maltese unbelievers' hospitality and care, we see the brothers in Puteoli taking in and caring for Paul and his companions for an entire week. This shatters the social convention and proves that something is indeed different about the way Christians exercise hospitality and brotherly love toward one another. Indeed, hospitality and brotherly love in the church should be in abundant supply. And as our culture devalues these traits or limits them to family and friends, it becomes even easier for God's people to separate themselves from the culture and love one another abundantly. For this is what we must do. We must love one another. How? As Christ has loved us. Transition: [Slide 11 (blank)] So we see that loving one another is a normative practice in Christ's church that should be so abundant that the world recognizes it as peculiar and different than what they can find anywhere else. It is a love based on connection in Christ which transcends and goes deeper than all the normal things that usually bind people together. But is this something that only weak Christians need? Do only weak Christians need to be loved and cared for abundantly? Let's take a look at the last couple verses of Paul's journey to Rome. II.) Hospitality and brotherly love is needed by all in the church, so we must love one another as Christ loved us. (15-16) a. [Slide 12] 15 - The brothers from there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When he saw them, Paul thanked God and took courage. i. So, the brothers here are referring to brothers from Rome. Rome was referenced in the last verse. ii. [Slide 13] We see on the map behind us that in reference to Rome and Puteoli the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns are roughly ¾ of the way to Rome. iii. The Forum of Appius is about 43 miles from Rome while the Three Taverns was about 33 miles away. iv. No doubt these brothers were either two separate groups of believers or 1 large group that went to meet Paul. v. The first group stopped at Three Taverns knowing that Paul would certainly travel through there on the Appian Way to Rome. vi. The second group went on to meet him at the Forum of Appius. vii. But what are these places? viii. They are two famous way stations along the Appian way as one traveled to and from Rome. ix. The Forum of Appius is really not a Forum at all. It is actually a market town where people rested during their travels. x. The Three Taverns is another rest stop along the Appian Way which included shops, booths, and inns. Tavern for us indicates a bar – but that was not the meaning at this time. xi. [Slide 14] When Paul saw these Christian brothers, he thanked the Lord that he was being received to Rome with such love and care. xii. He also took courage for the time he would remain here knowing that he would certainly be provided for and have the ability to connect with the church in Rome. Something he had desired to do for quite some time. xiii. Notice that Paul the apostle who this entire trip has trusted God to get him to Rome… thanks God and takes courage at the sight of Christian brothers. xiv. Even Paul, though he had the promise of God, took comfort in the fact that there were people he could see, hear, touch, and speak with that would care for him and see him to Rome. b. [Slide 15] 16 - When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. i. And so, Paul's journey to Rome officially comes to a close. ii. He arrives in the city and is permitted to rent a house for himself. iii. He would be kept under guard of a single soldier. But he would enjoy a significant amount of freedom in the city of Rome while he awaited his meeting with Caesar Nero. iv. We'll see a bit of that freedom next time in the book of Acts. c. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: So once again we see highlighted for us the brotherly love of these fellow Christians who traveled 43 miles to meet with and escort Paul safely back another 43 miles to Rome. But unique in these last couple verses is the need Paul had for Christian brothers to surround him and see him safely to Rome. Paul trusted God without question. During the storm, he may have been one of the few who kept on believing God's Word. But now, on his last leg of 120 miles from Puteoli to Rome, Paul finds great comfort and courage in Christian brothers surrounding him and caring for him. If PAUL needs this kind of hospitality and brotherly love, it seems like no one in the church would be without this need. So, since the weakest to the strongest of us need love from one another… we must love one another as Christ loves us. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today that informs or corrects our beliefs and guides and shapes our lifestyles. Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] In chapter 28 Luke has shown us the general hospitality and care that unbelieving pagans were capable of. But since beginning the church on Malta, Luke has transitioned to showing us the necessary and abundant hospitality and brotherly love of the body of Christ. First with the Maltese sending Paul away with wealth and provisions. Then with the brothers in Puteoli putting Paul and his companions and even Roman soldiers and other prisoners up for a week. Then with these brothers who traveled over 40 miles to ensure that Paul and his companions arrived safely in Rome. So, we see how necessary abundant hospitality and brotherly love is to the church. We also see that every member of the church needs this necessary and abundant love from time to time. In seasons of doubt, lack, and hardship – this love is especially necessary – even by those who we would say are spiritually… strong. Strength does not mean invulnerability. The obvious application for both of these truths today, is that we as believers must love one another as Christ has loved us. This implies not only that it is necessary that we love one another but that we must love one another abundantly. But let me apply these teachings and applications a little more specifically this morning. 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that abundant brotherly love is required in the body of Christ. a. Jesus told His disciples that He gave them a new commandment. That they should love one another. b. Now that in and of itself is not a new commandment at all. c. In fact, that is a command given in the Old Testament Mosaic Law. d. Jesus affirmed that law during his ministry when the Pharisees were trying to set him up for failure by asking what is the greatest Old Testament law. e. He said to love God with all your heart, mind, and strength and the second is like it (or similar in importance and value) which is to love your neighbor as you already love yourself. f. Then He said that on these two laws hang all the law and the prophets. g. So why did Jesus call His command new? h. His command no longer required for His disciples to love one another as they already loved themselves. His command required His disciples to love one another as He loved them. i. To be plain, Jesus said to love other disciples of Christ unconditionally and self-sacrificially. j. Then Jesus goes on to say that if we love each other this way – the world will know we are His followers. k. Real, abundant, unconditional, self-sacrificing love is absolutely required of all the members of the body of Christ. l. So much so that if you are not loving your brother, the apostle John points out that you cannot love God. For how can you love God whom you haven't seen if you can't love your brother whom you have seen? 2.) [Slide 19] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that strong Christians do not need abundant brotherly love from other Christians. a. Another way we might say this is that our real, abundant, unconditional, and self-sacrificing love for other believes is not selectively applied to any category of person. b. All Christ followers need this love. Who among us does not need the love of Christ? Any hands? c. If we are to love one another like Christ loved us – does Christ truly love His bride? Is there any of His sheep that He has despised? d. The goats He will turn away to be sure. But will any of the sheep His Father has given to Him be lost? e. My friends, this pastor needs Christians loving him. f. Your Elders need Christians loving them. g. Our missionaries need Christians loving them. h. Paul, an apostle, thanked God and took courage from the hospitality and brotherly love given to him by the believers in Rome. i. God should have been enough for him. God should be enough for all of us. j. But Paul needed assurances. God gave him the love of other believers. k. We all need the love of Christ to flow through us. l. These truths give us one application and one warning. m. First, by application… 3.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must love one another as Christ loved us. a. If you are actually a Christian, you should love other Christians the way Christ loved you. Without question. Without excuse. Without pause. Without complaint. b. That is why you are here. c. You aren't here to have your career. d. You aren't here to be parents. e. You can have these goals but it isn't your primary purpose here. f. You are here to build the Kingdom and lay up treasures in that kingdom that cannot be destroyed. g. Think of it this way, you will spend the rest of your eternal life with these people. h. You might as well start loving them now! i. And now is when we get to practice loving them the way Christ loved us. In the New Kingdom there will be no sin, which means that to love unconditionally will actually be quite easy. j. It is very difficult to love other believers when they are selfish. When they are immature. When they hurt you. When they are acting sinfully. When they don't deserve it or don't think they need it. When they love you conditionally, it is very hard to love them unconditionally. k. But we get to be refined in fire in this life. We get to love when it is hard now. l. And this is how people will know that we are Christians. Because in spite of all our differences and in spite of whether someone has earned it – we still love them. m. That is weird. REALLY weird. n. Our culture tells us to write people out of our lives who treat us this way. o. Jesus says to love them. p. Our culture calls them toxic. q. Jesus says to love them. r. Our culture says you have to protect yourself. s. Jesus says to love them selflessly and sacrificially. t. Now part of love is rebuke. As Christians they don't get a free pass to live this way forever… and that is the warning… 4.) [Slide 21] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not become self-focused or self-serving in our love for one another. a. Because abundant, unconditional, self-sacrificing love is required by all believers, we must not allow our love to become self-serving or self-focused. b. Imagine we have two cables attached to posts stretching out in a V shape. c. Unconditional, self-sacrificing love is when two people stand on either of these cables and lean on each other to walk toward the end. d. But when one of us becomes self-focused or self-serving, when one of us stops giving love and only seeks to take love… what happens? e. It is like if one person stopped leaning in and began to shift their weight back to protect themselves from falling face first. f. What does that produce? What hurts does that cause? g. I will suggest to you two hurts come from this. i. First, the Christian who has become self-serving and self-focused will feel as though others are not loving them the way they had before. 1. When you lean in on someone else, you feel all their weight against you. But when you pull back it seems like they aren't leaning in the way they should. 2. The more self-seeking and self-focused we become in the church, the less we will appreciate the love others offer to us. 3. In an effort to care for ourselves and protect ourselves, we actually end up ensuring that we won't feel loved or cared for. 4. And that might lead to bitterness and resentment. ii. Second, the Christian who is loving unconditionally will be hurt in one of two ways. 1. Either we will also become self-focused or self-serving in our love… since this Christian has stopped loving us unconditionally, we will stop loving them unconditionally. 2. OR, we will fall flat on our faces and wonder what happened. We will become gun shy about loving someone unconditionally in the future because we know the hurt that can be caused when that relationship is not characterized by mutual unconditional love. h. Can you imagine what we would do if Jesus loved us like this? i. We must love one another. We must do so unconditionally and in a self-sacrificing way. j. Because the moment we make it about what we get rather than what we give… we will hurt ourselves and others. 5.) [Slide 22] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God has provided Spirit indwelled human ministers to encourage and care for us. This is the necessity of the local church. a. We ought only to need the Lord. b. But we are weak. c. And God knows our weakness. He knows that although He is enough, that we would need Spirit indwelled flesh and blood to come alongside us and love us. d. That is why He built His church. e. When it works the way God designed it… we have a perfect relationship where we lean in on one another and we can walk this life all the way to its end… together. f. And God's grace can give us the strength to love each other in this way. g. And this is the greatest argument for the local church. h. As believers in Christ, we are all part of the universal church. i. But the universal church which is spread throughout the world and throughout time, doesn't know my hurts and failings. The universal church doesn't see me in my weakness. The universal church can't tell that my countenance has fallen. j. And I can't meet the needs of the universal church. Those needs are too great for me. k. But here… as a local assembly… we can know each other… well. l. And without derision and without judgment we can cling to one another for help when we are at our weakest. m. People who insist that it is normal to do church from their couch. People leaning heavily into their immediate family rather at the expense of gathering with their local church. n. You need to hear me. Your couch will burn up. And your family relationships won't exist any longer in the New Kingdom. o. You know what will? p. The church. q. The late Voddie Baucham said, “Church membership is the most important aspect of lifestyle evaluation. Let that statement sink in for a minute. I'm arguing that the most important thing for a family shepherd to do—when he's evaluating how he's leading his family—is to ensure they're healthy members of a healthy church. This is more important than his assessment of their financial status, their use of time, where and how they live, what they drive, where and how their children are educated, or any other lifestyle issue. None of those things is as significant as church membership." r. The local church is a gift to us and we cannot survive without it. s. Which brings me to the nature of the church and its reflection of the gospel… 6.) [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The church is completely different than any other organization or group because we love one another deeply, many times in spite of our differences. a. Any human made organization can engineer connections and friendships around common interests. b. In fact, many churches do this on purpose thinking that they are helping people in the church to form lasting relationships which will make sure they stay at the church. c. But all they do is segregate the body of Christ into likeminded interest groups that are essentially separate churches operating within a larger church. d. The body of Christ is different than any other human organization in that we may be completely different people. e. We may have different interests, different hobbies, different social statues, different ethnicities, different cultures, different upbringings. f. We might be in different places in life, either a kid, a young adult, a young married couple, a young married couple with kids, a middle aged married couple with older kids, a middle aged couple with grown kids, an older couple with adult children, an older couple with grand children, widows, widowers, single and never married, and the list goes on… g. And in spite of all these differences… we are still here together… worshipping God. h. Why? i. Because of Jesus. j. He connects us more deeply and more fully than any other common interest we may share. k. And indeed the intergenerational nature and diversity of the church is essential. We don't need to be divided into what earthly circumstance we have in common. Instead, we must be united based on what we all have in common. l. That is Christ has saved us from our sins! m. If we are united with others around our common interests we may as well be a club. A VFW. A fraternal order. Why? n. Because that is what everyone does. o. But to intentionally disregard common interests and unite together under the commonality of Christ… is to truly grasp what it means to be the church. p. To have such deep unconditional and self-sacrificing love for someone who isn't your age, who doesn't like the things you do, who isn't in the same place in life that you are, who isn't your family… THAT… is WEIRD! q. And that is what Jesus meant when He said they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another. r. The 12 disciples were made up of i. Fishermen ii. Tax collectors iii. Zealots iv. Some were family, being brothers v. Some were from Galilee, others from other places vi. Some of them were fiery vii. Some were skeptical viii. Some were warm and winsome ix. Some were given an elevated status x. Some were wealthy when they were called to follow Jesus xi. Most were poor s. They were a diverse crowd to be sure… t. But you know what… u. All but one of them were tortured and killed for preaching Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and coming again. v. And all of them suffered for the name of Jesus. w. What does that mean? x. It means that this entity known as the church… is no man-made thing. Because it shouldn't work. We don't have enough in common to love each other this way. y. Yet… we do. z. If you desire to know this gospel that binds us all together in love – Speak to an Elder today. [Slide 24 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the church father John Chrysostom. Lord, help us never to distance ourselves from you. Instead, let us hold tightly to the care of our souls, and to love each other. Let us not injure other members of our own body, as that would be insane. But let us be kind to others even more as we see them feeling poorly. Though we often see many persons physically suffering from difficult or incurable illness, we never stop offering possible remedies. What is worse than painful arthritis in the foot or hand? Would we just cut off the limbs? Not at all! We do everything possible to relieve the pain, even if we cannot cure the disease. Let us do the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if they have an incurable disease, help us to still tend to them, and let us bear one another's burdens. That way, we fulfill the law of Christ, and obtain the promised good things, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Benediction: May He Who has revealed to every nation His everlasting righteousness, Who sits enthroned in ageless splendor, Rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace. Until we meet again – go in peace and in love for one another.

In this solo episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Jesse Schwamb explores the profound depths of Jesus' Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13. While this parable might seem unassuming compared to others, Jesse reveals how it serves as the "granddaddy" of all parables—offering a God's-eye view of salvation through the ordinary imagery of farming. The episode examines why different people respond differently to the same gospel message, and challenges listeners to consider what kind of soil their own hearts represent. Through historical context and theological reflection, Jesse unpacks how this parable prepares believers for the mixed responses they'll encounter when sharing the gospel and reminds us that the efficacy of salvation depends not on the sower's skill, but on God's sovereign work in preparing hearts to receive His Word. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Sower provides a framework for understanding the various responses to the gospel message, serving as preparation for disciples who would face both acceptance and rejection. Jesus' parables, particularly the Sower, demonstrate how God uses ordinary, mundane things to express profound spiritual truths about His kingdom. The efficacy of salvation doesn't depend on the skill of the sower but on God's sovereign work in preparing the soil of human hearts. God's Word never returns void but always comes back "full" of either acceptance or rejection—it accomplishes exactly what God intends. Historical context matters: Jesus' audience had high expectations for a Messiah who would establish an earthly kingdom, but Jesus was revealing a different kind of kingdom. The Parable of the Sower shows that the kingdom of God isn't received equally by all—some receive it with joy while others reject it outright. Having "ears to hear" is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit, not merely intellectual understanding but spiritual receptivity. The Word That Never Returns Void The power of God's Word stands at the center of the Parable of the Sower. Jesse highlights Isaiah 55, where God declares that His word "shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose." Unlike human words that often fall flat, God's Word always achieves its intended effect. This doesn't mean universal salvation, but rather that God's purposes are never thwarted. When the gospel is proclaimed, it always returns to God "full" of something—either acceptance or rejection. The parable illustrates this reality by showing the various responses to the same seed. This should encourage believers in evangelism: we are simply called to faithfully sow the seed, while God determines the harvest according to His sovereign purposes. Our success is not measured by conversions but by faithfulness in proclamation. Kingdom Expectations vs. Kingdom Reality The historical context of Jesus' ministry reveals a profound disconnect between what people expected from the Messiah and what Jesus actually delivered. Jesse explains how the Jewish people anticipated a conquering king who would overthrow Roman oppression and establish a visible earthly kingdom. Instead, Jesus announced a kingdom that begins in the heart, dividing even families according to their response to Him. The Parable of the Sower anticipates this mixed response, preparing disciples for both acceptance and rejection. This teaches modern believers an important lesson: the gospel will not be universally embraced, even when perfectly presented. Some hearts are like paths, others rocky ground, others thorny soil. Yet we continue sowing because God has appointed some to be good soil—hearts prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive the Word and bear fruit. This reality should both humble us and embolden our witness. Quotes "The power of this message is in the message itself, but the medium by which it is delivered... it does pierce the heart. It does pierce through bone and marrow. It does divide because it always returns full of either acceptance or full of rebellion and denial." - Jesse Schwamb "We find ourselves humbled. We find ourselves rushing in, coming into the kingdom, fighting to come into it because God has impassioned us with that same zeal that has accomplished this very thing. He implants it in our hearts, in our minds, in our guts, so that we would come before him and worship him." - Jesse Schwamb "Consider what it means that this good news... that God's word is his deed. This is why... it's such a blessing to live in this period of time where we have such easy access for most of us to the word of God, and that we ought to be zealous about getting that word out to all people because behind it and within it and around it is the full power of the Holy Spirit." - Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript Welcome to episode 463 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse, and this is the podcast for those with ears to hear. Hey, brothers and sisters, so I am just one half. Of the Reform Brotherhood squad. Tony, of course, wanted to join us on this episode, but it sometimes happens in life. Our schedules were a little bit crazy this week, and God gave us responsibilities that put us in opposite directions for part of the time. And so that means that today on this episode, I thought. You and I, we could just hang out and Tony will be back to join us in the next episode. [00:01:20] Solo Episode and Parable Series Overview But for now, this is one of those solo or formed brotherhood episodes. And if you have been tracking with us, we just started this great and amazing journey on going through all the parables that our Lord and Savior gives to us in teaching us about the kingdom of God and its power. And we just started by talking about the parable of the sower, in fact. In the last episode, we just covered basically the first two soils, the first half of that amazing little story, and I thought it would be really, really great to camp out in that for just a little bit more because even though Tony's not here, the podcast goes on and we, Tony and I never really. Thinking about these things and when we start a series in particular, we always find that we just gotta keep going back on it in our minds ruminating on what we said and what God was teaching us and the conversations like all good conversations that draw your mind back to the things that you talked about, which I should say maybe before I begin in earnest, that is also my denial, which is saying things like, let's camp out in this text now to be. Sure. There's no wrong reason why, or there's no bad reason to say words like that. It's just when I hear myself say them, I think about all the things that Christians say, like saying like, we should camp out in this text, or Let's sit in it for a while. And I think maybe it's because I'm just not into camping or maybe because I think most of the time when you use the phrase like, sit in, it's not. A happy or blessed or joyful thing that you're describing. So I always find that funny, and yet here I am saying it because I just couldn't think of anything better to say except, you know what? We should pause and maybe ruminate a little bit more. On all of this good stuff that's in Matthew chapter 13, where Jesus gives us the parable of the sower, so you can join me in sharing which little Christian phrases maybe you think you hear, we say too much or just become rote or part and parcel what it means to talk. The best way for you to do that is do me a. Go to your favorite internet device and in the browser, type T me slash reform brotherhood, that will just take you that little link to a part of the internet using an app called Telegram where a bunch of brothers and sisters who listen to the podcast are chatting about the podcast, their live sharing prayer requests, and there's even a place for you to share, Hey, what are the things that Christians say that you think. Why do we say that? Why are we always talking about hedges of protection? Why are we always talking about camping out in a text? So that's a place that you can come hang out. So go to t.me/reform brotherhood. [00:03:56] Deep Dive into the Parable of the Sower But enough of that, let's talk a little bit more about this incredible parable that our Lord and Savior gives us in Matthew chapter 13. It's so, so short in fact that I figured. The best parts of any conversation about the Bible is just hearing from God in his word. So let me read just those couple of verses. It's just eight verses beginning in Matthew chapter 13, the parable of the sower. That same day, Jesus went out from the house and sat beside the sea and great crowds gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat down and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables saying a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no roots, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seed fell on good soil and produced grain. Some a hundred fold, some 60, some 30. He who has ears let him hear. [00:05:09] Personal Reflections on the Parable I have to say that of all the parables, and we mentioned in the previous episode that this one is kind of the granddaddy of them all. It's a god's eye view on salvation told in this lovely kind of encased way about horticulture and farming and growing plants. But to be totally transparent, I never really got into this parable. It was never really my favorite one. Like of all the things that Jesus says, of all the creative and wonderful terms of phrase, this one for me always just seemed to be lacking That stuff. You know, it doesn't have really strong characters. It's about a sower, seed and soil, and compared to some other things that seems kind of unassuming and. Not very exciting, quite honestly, to me, and it's not as exciting, I think, as stories about, I don't know, losing something of value and then suddenly finding it and rejoicing and having the characters, feeling yourself in those characters as they go about experiencing all the emotions. That Jesus expresses and keyed in these lovely little riddles called parables. And so for this one, it's always been a little bit kind of like a, okay. It's interesting and the point seems fairly straightforward and it just doesn't captivate me as the others. And I've been thinking about about that, how even in this, it just seems like a really normal, mundane, kind of pedestrian expression of a life in that time. And it's all wrapped up in gardening. And throwing seeds into the ground, not even having control of their outcome. And then in this way, though, expressing and explaining this grand narrative and arc of salvation from God's perspective. So it is, again, another lesson in God using ordinary, normal, almost seemingly mundane things to express his power, to express our lack of control and to show so that he does. Did I just say so to, so that he does all things and certainly we get so much of that in this parable, and so it made me think this week after Tony and I talked about it a little bit. Just how it raises a question in this really normative, kind of unassuming, almost boring, if I can say way, this really profound question, which is, will we be this fruitful, fertile soil? Will we be fruitful followers? Of Jesus Christ. And it doesn't just raise this question, I suppose it also gives us some hope, but it also does so with a warning. It is a maybe a little bit of law and gospel even embedded in these simple means of, again, talking about what it means to plant something and to entrust the planting, the acy of the growth there to the soil and the seed, and there's hope. There's warning and there's so much of that that's in this context of the parable, and that's what's led me to wanna talk to you all a little bit about that as we kinda process together more of what this means. [00:08:00] Historical Context and Expectations of the Messiah I was thinking that when Jesus began his ministry, when he's coming forward, he's really announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God. And it's helpful, I think, to meditate as a second on how profound that is, that he comes again, not just as the message, but the messenger and the medium of that message. I was just kinda ruminating on the fact that. Everybody had high expectations. There was no one, I think, with kind of a low opinion of what was about to happen or of what the Messiah was going to bring or what he was going to do. And here you have like explicitly Jesus' hearers, their ancestors would've been taken into exile and captivity because they had broken the covenant with God. And the prophets had made this case for God's punishment because of their idolatry and their injustice. But that message, and you get this especially in in books like Isaiah. Where there's this mixture that's bittersweet. There is not only an exclusive message of woe for the people, but there is at the same time up against sick, almost running parallel. This promise of a day when God, by his own effort in Zeal, would bring about a restoration where he'd set up visibly an earthly reign through his anointed Wanda Messiah. And so I can only imagine if I could. Even partially put myself in the place of these people who are hearing this particular parable, that there is all this sense that we have strayed from God, that we're covenant breakers, but that he has promised to make a way and that his own zeal will very much accomplish this, but it will be visible and earthly, not just spiritual in the sense that we believe these things and we internalize them in the sense for our being, and therefore we speak about them in these kind of grandiose and ephemeral terms. But more than that, that God was going to come and set up an earthly reign, purely manifested in the world in which we live and breathe and have our being. And so two things would happen. Israel's oppressors would be defeated. And God would institute a pure worship and a reestablished pure worship. And so I can't help but think maybe there was some of this expectation. They're, they're seeing this Messiah, this Jesus, the one who speaks with a different kind of authority, come into their midst. And there I think all these things are somewhere in their minds as their processing. Maybe they should be in ours as well. And so there's this portrait that's being painted here of the prophet saying there's gonna be. Restoration and this image of a seed being sown. And then of course you have these metaphors that Jesus is employing in his own time. Very reminiscent of passages like in Isaiah 55, where you find the prophet saying, for as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and I shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. What an amazing, glorious promise of God that there is no suboptimal nature. In his expression of who he is and what he's accomplished, that the very thing that he intends to do, he always does, and this word comes back. I think what really strikes me about this passage in particular is the fact that it does not return to God empty. I mean, think about what that means. It's strange in a way. That. In other words, it's full of something. And here I think it's full of response. It's full of anticipation. It's full of this. Like what? What has gone out is now received by the individual and then returns with either acceptance or denial, very much in the same way that we're about to receive it in this parable before us. And in fact, even our ability to understand the parable. This if you have ears, he has ears. Let him hear that itself is an expression. So in other words. The power of this message is again, in the message itself, but the medium by which it is delivered, it does pierce the heart. It does pierce through bone and marrow. It does divide because it always returns full of either acceptance or full of rebellion and denial. And so when we think about the people of Israel. They exactly in that way. They return from exile under Ezra Nehemiah. But even those returns, even those improvements or some of that remediation seems to me like to come short of expectations. You know, Ezra rebuilt the temple, but it paled in comparison to Solomon's original, in fact. If we go to Ezra chapter three, there's like so much honesty as the people are seeing this rebuilt temple. Their response is, is like tragic in a way. So this is Ezra chapter three, beginning verse 12. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers houses, old men. Who had seen the first house as the temple of God wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy so that the people cannot distinguish the sound of the joyful from the sound of people's weeping for the people shouted with a great shout and the sound was heard far away, even in just the setting up the foundation, the base layer. There are those saying this is. This is not like it used to be. Even this is just far piles in comparison and falls very far short of the original. And of course you have Nehemiah's rebuilt wall around Jerusalem. Couldn't even ensure the holiness of God's people. And so everything up to that point. All of it was still just a shadow. It was like a big, giant disappointment, a blemish as it were, on God's people. Even as there was an attempt to restore, there was still this longing from the inside to have the real McCoy to everything made right to have the true Messiah come, not the one that was the type. Not the thing that was the shadow, not the the poor replacement or the analog, but the real thing. And so you have in response to this, you know, some of God's people move into the wilderness and pursue holy living. Some accommodated to Roman occupation like the Sadducees, some retreated into kind of individual individualistic piety or rule keeping like the Pharisees. And then there's all kinds of accounts of God's people in rebellion. Like Simon, the Zealots. There were some who even located themselves under the legitimate, yet Roman endorsed leadership of Herod, you know the Herodians. So you have all of these people you can imagine literally in the same audience. Jesus pushes back and he begins to teach them. And he starts by talking about horticulture. He starts by saying, A sower goes out and he throws all this kind of seed. And it's not difficult to imagine that all of the seed, all the soil, everything is represented in what he's saying right there. And then it's not a story as if like, well, you take this away and try to process it in such a way that you might come to terms with it later on. It's happening in the here and now. Even what he's saying. Even the message that he's communicating is being man made manifest right there in their midst, and it's not returning a void to him. The one who wrote it to begin with is the one who's speaking it, and it's having its desired effect, even as we read it now, and it reads us today. [00:15:13] Jesus' Ministry and the Kingdom of God And so it's amazing that it's on this stage that Jesus steps out and he stands, especially in the synagogue when he reads from the Isaiah scroll. And he announces that the true jubilee has now arrived and it's arrived in him. You know, by the way, what's interesting there is we have, we have no real reason to think that Israel ever really practiced Jubilee as it was outlined in the scriptures. So we have this beautiful instruction for a reset, a pure reset, and one that is liberty and freedom in so many ways, but especially demonstrated in this economic reality. And Jesus commences his public ministry proclaiming the good new. News that the kingdom of God has arrived. I feel like we have to go there, right? Because this is just so good. So in MOOC chapter four, Jesus stands up. He asks for the scroll, and this is what he reads. Loved ones. These are fantastic words. I mean, hear them from the mouth of our Savior. Again, Jesus reads this, the spirits of the Lord is upon me. Because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. It's such incredibly strong and powerful news. We're getting this sense that there are those who are poor that need. To hear that something will be different. That they are her, that they're seen that all of the straining in life and all of their labor is not in vain, but here is one who's come to rescue them and that those who have been set in prison, those who are chained and under duress and find themselves locked up. That here he has come to proclaim liberty to the captives, and then for those that cannot see, that have lost their way entirely, that are groping in the dark, here is one that's coming to recover the sight. Hear that word, not to give it brand new, but to restore that which was originally present to begin with. Imagine the horror of having your sights and then having it taken away that. Knowing that there was something there that was beautiful in your midst, something that was precious to you, and now to have that restored, in fact, like Blind by de MEUs the Greek, there is more when God says, or Jesus rather, says, what do you want me to do for you? The Greek is very clear, just says, sight again, sight again. And I think we like our ancestors and Israel here before us. We ought to be always clamoring and crying. Then I tell God like, son of David sight again. Would you help me to see truly not as the world appears to be, but we spiritual eyes, to know the truth, to understand how much you love me, and would you gimme the strength to love you? Me back love you back by way of giving, yes, this sight. And then for all those who are downtrodden. Where, wherever, and whatever that means, physically, emotionally, spiritually, that here's the one who has come to, again, set you at liberty and then to say, do you know what this time is? This is the time of the Lord's favor. Why? Because the son of man is here and where the son of man is. There is freedom and restoration. There is a new king over all things. There's one who super intends over all of the earth. Who has been given control over all things and has come to win literally the day for those who are rebellious before God, for those who have sinned, who are covenant breakers, who are gospel abusers, while we were at yet enmity with God at the right time, Jesus and his son for us. And so we find that it's like the pretext, it's the context for all of this, and especially this parable. And of course, rather than. Everybody listening to what Jesus has to say here and just being one over being filled with some kind of winsome logic of what's being said here, of being thoroughly convinced. We know that of course it's not just a matter of evidence, but unless the Holy Spirit comes the same spirit, which is upon Jesus, the sin of God, to change us, to open our ears, that we do not hear these things, we don't hear them as we ought to. We do not give them heed. We do not internalize them, and we cannot understand them. And so because of that, rather than of course meeting with universal acceptance, Jesus, of course, he encounters a host of reactions. Some opposed him. The crowds sometimes were way more motivated, like people in our day by novelty or curiosity or by presume rewards or blessings. You can imagine this is what makes, of course, something like the Blat and grab, its kind of gospel, the prosperity of some of our modern evangelical expression, so incredibly dangerous. Because of course people will say, well, if I can get that blessing, of course I want Jesus. Or if I'm gonna be made, well, yes, I'll, I'll find, I'll take Jesus. If I'm gonna get wealth and riches and a 401k, that's gonna suit my every need. Well sure I'll take Jesus. And of course, the blessing, the reward of getting Jesus is getting the son of God, getting the one who restores us first and predominantly. With God the father himself, that all of those blessings are already ours in the spiritual realm because of Jesus. In fact, we've, we've already been placed with him in the heavenly realms. That is the reward. And so sometimes the gods were a little bit more motivated by, this guy's given us bread before. Let's see if there's gonna be another buffet, rather than he says We ought to eat and drink his flesh. That in that is eternal life, and so we get distracted. And so sometimes novelty and curiosity just win the day. And then of course, on the other hand. Some of the most unlikely unseemly, most sinful were responding with incredible joy and embracing Jesus and his announcement. Tenaciously like voraciously, the ones who were humble, who knew that they needed a savior, they needed a reconciliation that was alien and outside of themselves. Something powerful that could defeat even the sin that was within them and bring about a pure and unbridled atonement, unreserved in its ability to clean. These were the ones who were saying, come, Lord Jesus, these were the ones crying out, saying, have mercy on me, son of David. And we like them. Ought to follow that example. And so throughout Matthew's Gospel and Luke's gospel. There's a mixed response throughout the entire ministry of Jesus. And again, what's unique about this parable, I think, is that Jesus comes setting the stage for that unique response. All of those different kind of options and how people will perceive him, how they respond to him, what they will say to him. And so whether as you go through the narratives in the gospels, you look to. The Samaritan Leopard or the blind beggar, or the Chief tax Collector, or the impoverished widow, all of these were those who were forcing their way into the kingdom in response during the good news. There's really something I think that's beautiful about that, that God allows for us to force our way as it were. When we are convicted of this kingdom, that he is the kingdom and that he brings it to us. That we come headlong, rushing in, falling over ourselves to get into that kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. And that's why I think, why, why Luke writes in chapter 16 of his gospel. The law in the prophets were until John. Since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone forces his way into it. What a amazing and lovely thing that God allows us. Which is the truth, to force our way into that. So these were the ones who proved to be the fertile soil for the word of the kingdom, not the ones who chose the places of honor or the privilege, or we saw Jesus one of many important priorities to be managed. What we have here is the ones who forced their way in. These were the ones who proved to be the fertile soil, and I'm not gonna steal. Any of our thunder, because Tony and I are gonna talk about that in the next episode. But I bring that up merely to say there's so much that's rich here. When we think about are we as Christians fruitful and fertile? In our following, after the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's Matthew's great theme of reversal, like beginning in the birth narratives of Jesus and continuing through the very end of his gospel count. Even like in his final parable, Jesus forced the confrontation with his opponents by declaring that God would give the kingdom to those who had produce a harvest for God in honor. His son. That's the truth. And so he was more than simply this messenger in these cleverly created stories announcing the arrival of God's reign. He was the one who brought the kingdom. And actually, in fact, Jesus embodies the kingdom because he was the king, not only of Israel, but the royal son of God who would rule the nations. And because of that. He did represent a threat to overthrow to some just as much as he was meant as a salvation and a blessing to others. He is divisive. In fact, what's interesting is if you track Jesus standing up in the temple. And he comes forward and reads from Isaiah. It's interesting where he stops reading. This is really before kind of the, all the language about the second coming back, him really coming not to bring just salvation, but to bring retribution, to bring justice and punishment for those who are God's enemies. And so really this first coming. Jesus is all about this. It's it's all about having the message of God go out in that return void. It's returning full of the response of God's people, full of the response of God's enemies and therefore. This parable, an ex explanation to his inner circle would be understood as an accounting for the surprising range of responses. And even more than I think like an ex explanation, like explicitly it would be this kind of preparation. This kind of, again, setting a table or opening up a pathway for this hard road that lay ahead for those who would remain true to Jesus. These would be the ones who would serve the ultimate purpose of God's great act of sowing in his son to produce a great harvest. And of course. That is partly what lies the hope for us. I mean, I think I said last time we spoke about this, what I appreciate about this teaching is not only that it doesn't pull any punches, but it's just so. Real, it's so resonant because Jesus already gives us some of the breadth and scope or the continuum of the responses so that when we go out and we should so unreservedly that that is by proclaiming Jesus as the king who has come as the kingdom already ushered in as here, but not yet. When we do this, we can expect already that there'll be various responses. So one for us, it takes away the surprise. The second is it does prepare us. That these things might in fact happen. And three, it gives us a sense that, again, the efficacy of salvation. And we're getting, by the way, this view of salvation from, from God isn't again dependent on the skillset of the sower. Instead, it is God's prerogative. It's always God's prerogative. And here as loved ones, you've heard me say again, I must invoke the phrase, we have God doing all the verbs, right? He's the one walking in the field. He's the one reaching in into the seed bag, as it were. He's the one casting it liberally across the ground. He's the one making it grow. All of this is what God is doing. The preparation of the soil, the casting of the seed, the being present in. Farmland. All of this is what God is doing now. We emulate that by design. So now the call is to do what Jesus has done here in Mala for us, and that is that we also go out into the world and we proclaim this good news because what is unequivocally true is that the good news of Jesus Christ. Is for all people. Now, this does not mean that all people will accept it. That is abundantly clear in the message that Jesus gives to us. It does not prevent though us or him from casting it out to all people. We see that really, really. Vividly. Some will be given ears to hear. We ought to pray that our neighbors, our children, those in our churches and our communities, our politicians, we ought to be praying that all would be given ears to hear, and the seed of God's word will accomplish exactly what God intends and Jesus' word, a proclamation announcing the good news of the kingdom of God. We see vividly the point that God's word is. Deed that this word that he spoke speaks is his action. It's not simply that God says what he will do, but that his very act of speaking is the means by which he does that very thing. When we hear God speak to us, it is proof that we are alive. Not only do like dead men tell no tales, I think I've just inadvertently like quoted from Disney's. Um. Pirates movie, but they hear no tells as well. You know, you have been born again, not a perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God. Incredible. Isn't it? Loved ones like it's incredible this story that to me on the beginning seems like so kind of. Boring and not particularly catchy and maybe not as interesting as some of the others contained within. This is literally all the words of life in the seed that we've seen thrown and in. It is like the continuum we find, not that it emulates the Old Testament, or that it somehow compliments New Testament, but within all within this parable is all of the scriptures and all of the full plan of God and all of his great love for us. That again, while we were at his enemies, he came and on this path, as he walks among the field, he casts the seed. To all, and he, by his power, gives to some these ears to hear. We find ourselves humbled. We find ourselves rushing in coming into the kingdom, fighting to come into it because God has impassioned us with that same zeal that has accomplished this very thing. He implants it in our hearts, in our minds, in our guts, so that we would come before him and worship him, fall down and find. The one who is our savior, who ushers in the visible kingdom of God, the one that is not built merely on political theories, on good rules. The kind of gospel that didn't come to make bad people good, but came to make dead people alive again. And I think that that is the absolute. Untouchable, unfathomable, almost completely un understandable, if you will, truth of this particular parable. I think this is why the Westminster confession describes the word of God, and particularly the preaching of the word as a means of grace. The word is powerful in itself by the spirits of God. I had to quote the Westminster, of course, at least in honor of Tony, so. [00:30:02] Call to Action and Final Thoughts That's my little challenge to you on this short little episode. It's just you and me and I'm saying to you loved ones. Consider this parable again. Consider how palpable this parable is. Consider what God has for us in it. Consider this soils. And then think about what it means that this good news, we see this within it, this vivid point again, that God's word is his deed. And so this is why though we do not create any kind of legalistic, conscription, or prescription around something like daily Bible study. Why? It's such a blessing to live in this period of time where we have such easy access for most of us to the word of God, and that we ought to be zealous about getting that word out to all people because, because behind it and within it and around it is the full power of the Holy Spirit that is always going out into the world and returning full with response and that when God. Speaks his word. He's always accomplishing his act in that very deed. And so it should be a blessing. We should be compelled to find ourselves in it as much as often as we can because what we're finding there is the power of God for us, in us speaking, administering to us to produce in us a great harvest. That's the promise it's coming, and we're gonna get there in the next. Episode, but what I'll leave you with is just those first two soils thinking about if you have ears to hear, if you have been made alive together with Christ, then consider that there was a time when you are one of the other soils and God who's being rich in mercy has rescued you. Not because of work done in righteousness, not because you've come forward and. Elevate your place to the, to elevate your state to the place of deserving poor. Not because like you came forward with, with empty hands and somehow convinced God that you are worthy enough, or sorry enough or contrite enough. But because of his great mercy, and it's that mercy, I think that compels us to say things to Jesus like Son of David Sight again. Son of David, have mercy on me, son of David. You are the real arrival of the Kingdom of God and your word bears testimony and your Holy Spirit has in a great work in my life. And to that end, I want to follow you and I want to ensure that this word that you've given to me is given to all people. So there's work to do, loved ones. And there's a lot there to process. I hope that you will take some time. Think about this in your own way, and as you are processing this as God is speaking to you, as you are joining together with loved ones from literally all over the world who are hanging out and listening to Tony and I chat about this stuff, that again, you would share your own voice, the best way to do that. Why do you make me beg you? Come join the Telegram chat. You'll have a great time. It's super fun. T me slash Reform Brotherhood. I would also be remiss if I didn't on behalf of myself and Tony, thank everyone who does hang out there, everyone who sent us the email, everyone who shares prayer requests or has prayed for us, and as well everyone who makes sure that this podcast. Is free of charge. It comes with its own expenses. It's not free to produce. And so we're so thankful that those who've said, listen, I've been blessed by the podcast, or It's just been important or special to me. God has done something in it. Or God has renewed a different kind of desire and passion to talk about the things of God or to encourage me in my life. I'm so happy if other things have happened. By the way, it's not because of Tony or me. It's because God is good to us. I mean, can I get an amen? I see that hand. In the back, God is good to Tony and me and we're just so thankful that we get to do this. And so if you'd like to join in supporting financially. Every little gift helps. You can go to patreon.com/reform brotherhood patreon.com, reform Brotherhood, and there you can find a way to give one time or reoccurring all of those gifts together. Make sure that there's no payrolls on this bad boy that you're not gonna get any super weird ads in the middle of it. You're just gonna get us talking. We want to em, I would say be emblematic of what we've talked about here, which is. Freely we've received freely want to give. And for those who join and say, I wanna make that possible so that no one has to be compelled to pay for this kind of thing, I love that we are here for that every day of the week and twice on the Lord's day. So next episode, Tony and I are gonna continue in this parable. We're probably, you know, gonna get together. We'll set up our tents, we'll just camp out here for a little bit. So until we get the tents out, we get the s'mores. And we start camping. Honor everyone love the brotherhood.

Mark 3:13-35 13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” 23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” 31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.” Lesson Notes Outline of Mark 3:13-35 13-19 - Jesus appoints the 12 20-21 - Jesus' family notified 22-30 - Conflict with teachers of the law 31-35 - Jesus' family arrives The teachers of the law have a new strategy to deal with Jesus. They don't question his actions. Instead they accuse him of being on the wrong team. The key question of this text is "what team is Jesus on?" NT Wright on the "unforgiveable sin" of 28-29: “Once you label what is in fact the work of the Holy Spirit as the work of the devil, there's no way back […] It isn't that God gets specially angry with one sin in particular. It's rather that if you decide firmly that the doctor who is offering to perform a life-saving operation on you is in fact a sadistic murderer, you will never give your consent to the operation.” Family was the key to identity in the first century. Jesus' refusal to acknowledge his family indicate that he has a "new team". Mark highlights moments of this narrative to demonstrate how Jesus identifies his allegiance not to the demons (as the teachers of the law accuse him of) nor his family, as society expects, but instead is creating something new to belong to. - He begins (13-19) and ends (33-35) this section by showing who his new team is. Ephesians 6:12 - Paul writes in a time of great Christian persecution that our enemies are not "flesh and blood" but rather spiritual force. People are not our enemy. Jesus invites us to a new team - one that doesn't see people as enemies, but rather people who just haven't joined up yet. - We are invited to see people how Jesus sees them, rather than boiling them down to a political idea or unlikable label. - We can love those we would never otherwise love because Jesus has given us his undeserved love first.

Before choosing His disciples or launching His public ministry, Jesus began with prayer. If we want to join Him in His mission, we must first tune our hearts to His. This week, we explore how prayer shapes our awareness of others, opens our eyes to opportunity, and anchors our mission in the peace of Christ. Prayer is not passive—it's the first step in loving our neighbors well. Luke 6:12–16 (ESV)In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.Philippians 4:4–7 (ESV)Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What drains the soul and what restores it?In this episode of Two Pastors and a Mic, Cory and Channock unpack Chapters 8 & 9 of Enough Already - What Brings A Soul Back To Life? and I Can't Do This Alone. Together, they dive into the impact of social media, division, and image management on the soul, and why honesty, grace, and connection are the real nutrients we all need.You'll hear:

Registration linkTo be presented Sept 30 at 5 pm ET by Tracy O'Rourke.Do you have a painful process, but people don't seem to want to embrace change to improve it? Does it seem that people are comfortable with the status quo? One of the most powerful Change Management tools you have is…Gemba Walks!  Tracy O'RourkeCo-Author "The Problem-Solver's Toolkit" Co-Founder of the Just-in-Time Café Co-Host of the Just-in-Time Café podcast Master Black Belt UC San Diego Instructor Parody Music Video CreatorA process improvement ZEALOT! we'll explore the psychology behind Gemba Walks specificallyrelated to some of the concepts shared in “Switch” by Chip & Dan Heath andwhy Gemba Walks are a MUST when you need difficult change to be easier

Today on the show, I share my review of "The Chosen" Season 4, Episode 1, titled "Promises." I explore the stark contrast between the impending death of John the Baptist and his birth. Additionally, I discuss subplots involving Thomas and Ramah, Zebedee's oil business, and the crucial conversation between Judas Iscariot and Simon the Zealot about how to serve Jesus best. Also, I discuss the emotional struggle of John the Baptist's loved ones, including Jesus, as they confront his actual death.

Acts 1:1-14In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Canada "Stifled By Red Tape": Worse Than The Trump TariffsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/radio-baloney-the-richie-baloney-show--4036781/support.

Show #2493 Show Notes: The Blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Church: https://burlesonchurchofchrist.com/acts-7-the-blood-of-the-martyrs-is-the-seed-of-the-church/ Revival at OSU: https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/an-invitation-to-jesus-event-celebrates-2nd-year-of-baptism-after-viral-turnout-in-2024-columbus-ohio-osu-baptisms-caleb-downs-sonny-styles-courageous-athlete-players-ohio-state-football Romans 8: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208&version=KJV Rise Up O Men Of God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZLlX2_VKFg&list=RD-ZLlX2_VKFg&start_radio=1 ‘Zealot’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/zealot Russ Dizdar – The Black Awakening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24YDQ29KGZk Jezebel website paid Etsy witches to curse Charlie Kirk: https://www.jezebel.com/we-paid-some-etsy-witches-to-curse-charlie-kirk?s=04&sfnsn=mo Meghan Kelly on Charlie Kirk: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1223642702864838 Romans 9:30-33: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%209%3A30-33&version=KJV Charlie Kirk article: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/10/nx-s1-5537068/charlie-kirk-shot-utah-university-campus

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Luke 6:12-19 - Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, He called His disciples to Himself, and from them He chose Twelve, whom He also named Apostles: Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And He came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of His disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch Him because power came forth from Him and healed them all. Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest Saint Peter, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2, 3, 4)  Joshua Charles from Eternal Christendom interview

Gospel  Luke 6:12-19 Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all. Reflection Jesus had many, many disciples, men and women who were his students, who were listening to him and learning from him. But then he took 12 of them and named them apostles, which was a kind of graduation from being a learner, a disciple, to being one who has authority to teach and to preach as an apostle. What I love about this story is he no sooner named them, and then he stood on the same ground as everyone else. Almost to say, this is my humanity and say, you humans, you my apostles, will be able to do the same work you just saw me do. You will be given the power of the Holy Spirit to heal, to transform, and to free people from everything that would rob them of the Kingdom of God. Closing Prayer Father, there's a way in which we always continue to be learners. And by the very way we act toward each other, we say a great deal about what we believe about the dignity of human beings, about the presence of God. Bless us with wisdom. Bless us with the inheritance you promised us so that we truly can be the apostles you need us to be. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,and he spent the night in prayer to God.When day came, he called his disciples to himself,and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,Simon who was called a Zealot,and Judas the son of James,and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the peoplefrom all Judea and Jerusalemand the coastal region of Tyre and Sidoncame to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.Everyone in the crowd sought to touch himbecause power came forth from him and healed them all.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'  Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and illness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.  (Matthew 9.35-38, 10.1-4, NIV)

Topics: Brant and Sherri talk about the difference between Sadducees, Pharisees, and Zealots…and who was responsible for killing Jesus.   Quotes: “Just stay pumped.” “God likes wrestling; when we're wrestling to serve Him.” “God wants intimacy with us.” In this week's episode, we traveled all the way back to August of 2021. Whether you've heard this before or are tuning in for the first time, we hope you enjoyed this deeper look into the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Zealots. Stay pumped!

3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. A Great Crowd Follows Jesus7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. The Twelve Apostles13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. 28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Jesus' Mother and Brothers31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 3:1–35.

Sunday Aug 17th 6am (pst) / 9am (est) What was Jesus writing in the sand with HIS finger that made the pack of religious ZEALOTS drop their stones and "walk away"? Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/HisGeneration Watch Video here: https://www.youtube.com/live/BEwcefUiQr0?si=-d2TWqgrH11qIZPt

"Berlin, 1921. Democracy teeters. Zealots battle in the streets as the Bechsteins, Europe's famed piano makers, host an elegant soiree. A surprise guest arrives – a combat veteran – unknown and seemingly unremarkable. He unveils powers of seduction, manipulation and demagogy that will soon change the course of history." This week history takes the Sonic stage thanks to writer and director James Isaiah Gabbe (pronounced as GABE)! Part 2 next week continues! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We see in Simon the Zealot's story that Jesus calls us into one family.  As we become citizens of the Kingdom of God, we purge our false saviors and walk into a new identity in Christ. churchofthelakes.org

Visit the Deep End website: https://deependtv.com/

"The greatest tragedy in life is when we stop talking to God."But what's the second greatest tragedy?In this episode, Brad Bright explores the deep connection between the Great Commandment and the Great Commission—highlighting how failing to talk to our neighbor shuts the door on gospel transformation. From Jesus' radical choice of disciples like Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector, to hot-button cultural debates on sexuality, politics, and truth, this episode challenges you to engage in real conversations with love, without compromising truth.“Never compromise LOVE. Never compromise TRUTH.”https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/PLdQhfIGtd0bqu71-RysD8rKhsMbUohp8R/editBrightmedia.orgtwitter.com/GodIsTheIssueGOD, Who Are You Anyway?  by Bill Bright, with Brad Bright brightmedia.org/resources#GodIsTheIssue #BradBright #ChristianLeadership #FaithRevival #Evangelism #CruStaff #JesusFirst #SpiritEmpoweredLiving #ChristianPodcast #MinistryFocus #BackToTheMission#FirstLove #GospelCentered #ChristianFaith

If you'd seen the front lawn of our office, you wouldn't have been able to tell that there had been a change inside. The only evidence of that was that there was an uncustomary pile of shattered sheetrock in this big lump in the yard. The changes were on the second floor immediately above that pile where two small offices had just become one large office. A man from our staff went in, and went after that temporary wall that divided the people in that room, and ripped it out in no time. I'll tell you, it felt pretty different in there with that wall gone! Wish they were all that easy to tear down. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Great Wall Destroyer." Let's go to another upstairs room with a lot of walls in it. This room is an upper room in Acts 2, where we find our word for today from the Word of God. In a sense, there were a lot of walls there. It tells us when the disciples arrived they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. And then it lists some of the people who were there. It mentions Peter. Of course, Peter was very different from somebody else listed there, like Thomas. Peter was sort of a walking gland; he's like all emotions. Thomas - not his type. Thomas - cerebral, the thinker - always got an intellectual question. And then it talks about Matthew. Well, he had worked for the government as a tax collector. And then it mentions Simon the Zealot. He'd been a revolutionary, trying to overthrow the very same government that Matthew worked for. In fact, only a few weeks before, all of these guys who were in this upper room together, had been arguing over who was going to be the greatest. They were, each one, trying to win "king of the hill" against each other. Listen to what happens. "They all joined constantly in prayer." Chapter 2, verse 1: "On the Day of Pentecost they were all together in one place." Chapter 2, verse 42 says, "The new Christians had devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." That word fellowship is koinonia; it means intimate closeness. Verse 44: "After they prayed together, all the believers were together and had everything in common." The book of Acts goes on talking about times when the people will pray together and it literally brings them together. Listen, if you want to tear down a wall between rooms, use a crowbar. If you want to tear down walls between people, you use prayer. You can't get really, really close until you really, really pray together. Oh, sure, sometimes prayer can be a time when people still keep their masks on, keep it superficial, stick to the general praying kind of stuff. But real prayer is where people come together and express how they really need the Lord. You know, worship Him with specific thanks for specific things He's done recently. You fight together on your knees for the lives of people you care about. You come against Satan. You come against the stronghold of darkness that you both know is there. You admit your struggle, you passionately seek His strength, His answers, and walls start coming down. Every married couple needs to pray together daily. It is the ultimate glue between people: Christian coworkers, parents and their children, Christian friends, even if it starts out feeling awkward. Go to your Father together. In fact, the person you're having the most difficulty with is probably the one you most need to be praying with. When we go into the Father's presence sort of distant from each other, we almost always come out of His presence closer. Prayer softens hearts; prayer helps us see people and situations through God's eyes. And prayer is the great wall destroyer.

The Greatest Leadership Myth in the world today: INDIVIDUALSaccomplish great things.Nothing of SIGNIFICANCE has ever been achieved by an INDIVIDUALacting alone.Below the surface, what seem like SOLO ACTS, are always TEAMEFFORTS.MYTH: INDIVIDUALS accomplish great things.TRUTH: TEAMS accomplish great things.“It takes 10 hands to score a basket.”—John WoodenYou can't accomplish anything of SIGNIFICANCE without a TEAM.Luke 6:12-13 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, andspent the night praying to God.   When morning came, he called his disciples tohim and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:3 Leadership Lessons From Jesus On Teamwork1. Very few things are as IMPORTANT as the TEAM you SURROUNDYOURSELF with.Vision Caster, Theologian, Teacher/Communicator, Manager, Teambuilder,Creative, Writer, Recruiter, Conflict Arbitrator, Musician, Counselor, FinancialExpert, Construction, Real Estate, Audio/Visual, Graphic Design, (knoweverything about) Kids, Students, College, Adults, Special Needs, Seniors, FoodService, Funerals, Weddings, Social Media, Marketing, Crisis Management,Human Resources, Legal, Web Design, Development, SecurityGod's DREAM for you will be determined by the STRENGTH of the TEAMaround you.2. When choosing a team, prioritize TEAMWORK over TALENT every time.Luke 6:14-16 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John,Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who wascalled the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.Acts 4:13   When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that theywere unschooled, ordinary men…“Talent wins games, teamwork wins championships.”—Michael JordanActs 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they wereunschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these menhad been with Jesus.3. Jesus prioritized INVESTING IN and EMPOWERING His team.Matthew 10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authorityto cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.AUTHORITY—the power or right to make decisions.If you want things done RIGHT, you have to do it YOURSELF“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets thecredit.”—Harry TrumanYou can't accomplish anything of significance without a TEAM.Do you have the RIGHT TEAM around you?

Political violence in America is on the rise. As the Nation has grown more diverse through immigration, militant violence has grown. Attacks have targeted religious and ethnic minorities, law enforcement and have been perpetrated by anti government extremists, religious extremists and lone wolf shooters.

The JTS Commentary for Pinehas by Rabbi Eliezer Diamond, PhD, Rabbi Judah Nadich Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTSThis commentary was originally broadcast in 2022.Music provided by JJReinhold / Pond

Tony Schuh's message from Wednesday, July 18th 2025

In this wide-ranging episode, CannCon and Ghost tackle a mix of geopolitical intrigue, domestic policy battles, and cultural absurdities. They open with an in-depth exploration of Donald Trump's approach to leadership, comparing his tactics on The Apprentice to the current Middle East power struggle. Ghost outlines how Netanyahu's fragile hold on power relies on ultra-orthodox zealots willing to risk regional war, while Trump maneuvers to accelerate inevitable conflicts and force resolution. On the domestic front, the hosts dig into the DOJ's record-breaking $14 billion healthcare fraud bust, describing it as a milestone in accountability for grifters and cartels feeding off Medicare. They cover the One Big Beautiful Bill's Medicaid provisions, GOP infighting, and Elon Musk's fiery calls for an America Party to challenge the Republican establishment. Other highlights include a deep dive into an ICE-avoidance app, viral clips of Trump discussing “Alligator Alcatraz,” and the Idaho shooter's bizarre subculture ties. The show closes on why moral decay fuels societal collapse, and why Americans must rediscover first principles before real reform can take hold.

Jonah Goldberg is Rocky Mountain High and ready to lambaste the electric vehicle industry, the burden of networking, lessons from military interventions past, and Zohran Mamdani's mayoral primary victory in New York City. Show Notes:—Last Wednesday's G-File—Nate Cohn for the New York Times: “If Everyone Had Voted, Harris Still Would Have Lost”—America at 250 Project: The American Enterprise Institute The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch's offerings—including Jonah's G-File newsletter, regular livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judy Howard Peterson is with us for a part two discussion of last weeks message. This week she looks at Matthew 26:47-56, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?". There are so many biblical interpretations of this passage leading to every different aspects of theology. How do we hold the reality that Judas was one of the twelve that Jesus specifically invited? 

Saint Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles, a Galilean; the Gospel accounts say little more about him. It is said that, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he traveled in the service of the Gospel to Arabia and Persia, and brought to India a translation of the Gospel according to Matthew. Eusebius writes that one hundred years later Pantaenus, an illustrious Alexandrian scholar, found this gospel when he traveled in India. By most accounts Bartholomew ended his life in Armenia, where he met his martyrdom by crucifixion. According to many, he and Nathaniel are the same person: the Gospel accounts that speak of Bartholomew do not mention Nathaniel; and St John's Gospel,which mentions Nathanael as one of the Twelve, does not mention Bartholomew. But according to the Greek Synaxarion, Bartholomew and Simon the Zealot are one and the same.   Saint Barnabas was one of the Seventy, from Cyprus, a Levite and at one time a fellow-student with St Paul under Gamaliel. After Christ's Ascension, he led the Seventy until the Apostle Paul's conversion. He is mentioned often in the Acts of the Apostles, which describes some of his travels as a companion of St Paul. By all accounts, he was the first to preach the Gospel of Christ in Rome and in Milan. His wonder-working relics were discovered on the island of Cyprus in the time of the Emperor Zeno; on this basis the Church of Cyprus was established as an independent Church, since it had an apostolic foundation.

Top 4... C-Mo's Golden Spikes snub is an all-timer Bat flips and bean balls Ravaging The List