Red Letter Episodes

I'm a big picture guy. I build a puzzle by looking at the picture on the box. But inevitably, if you look at the picture on the box and you try to build that set shelves that Amazon sent you in a box, inevitably, you get one piece (at least) in backwards! As we walk into the fourth beatitude, we already have the big picture, right? It's Christ! So, we let him give us the instructions, step by step, to walk in righteousness. That's what this podcast reveals with a very clear framework on not just...

The Mighty Meek When we hear meek , we often think weak . But in Scripture, meekness is not weakness—it is strength under control, power surrendered to God. Jesus said: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5), echoing Psalm 37:11. The meek are not pushovers but those who wait on the Lord instead of grasping for power. The greatest example is Christ Himself—gentle and lowly (Matt. 11:29), yet mighty enough to submit to the cross. By meekness, He gained the inheritance...

The second beatitude is easy to pass over: "Blessed are those who mourn". We can get tied up in the english translation and blow right past it. The Amplified Bible translation really helps here and it presents a good example of why we should be considering other translations when something doesn't seem to make sense. Amplified Version: “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted]. Not...

When you are kingdom focused, the entire prospect of what you own, your money, your wealth, the things you have diminish in comparison. Jesus' 1st beatitude helps us frame our lives around the concept of "Blessed are the poor". This podcast might hit close to home for many... we hope so. Definitely grab the notes - there is some very practical advice worth printing and practicing. Notes to Stewardship - Blessed Are the Poor https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/stewardship-blessed-are-the-poor/

In our Red-Letter Bible Study, we almost missed this. Matthew 12:15-21 begins Jesus' 2nd year in ministry. John the Baptist has just been beheaded. Jesus retreats into the wilderness (presumably to mourn and to pray). As Jesus emerges into His 2nd year, He comes with a quiet power that nobody missed... "and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all". Verse four then echoes the words of the Father (from Isaiah 42:1-4). In my very humble opinion, these should have been bid, bold, capit...

We've all seen the example that Jesus gave for how to pray. In our red-letter bible study, we encounter a disciple who asks Jesus to teach them how to pray. Luke 11:1-4. Rather than just go through the prayer itself, we decided to take a different approach. First, why did the Jews see what Jesus was doing to be so noticeable? How did they normally pray? It's helpful to contrast what their prayer routine was so we can see what was so unique about how Jesus prayed. Rather than let Jesus tell us, u...

Ok, this one got away from me, but for good reason. This podcast is more than an hour long but so worth it! We debated putting the podcast here and decided that for those who endure, you'll remember this, you'll see how the red-letter Bible study unfolds into a rich, progressive narrative and you'll be able to make much more sense of it as you follow along. While I think this is beneficial for all believers, I retitled the podcast to appeal to Jews wondering about Christ. "Blind" takes the reade...

Jesus is in a synagogue, on the sabbath and there encounters a man with a withered hand. The pharisees are there, of course, to make sure Jesus does not heal on the Sabbath. Jesus sets a trap that the pharisees didn't expect. The response is dark. Notes to The Dark Side Emerges https://rabbitholes.faith/e/the-dark-side-emerges/

I've often wondered about this: “It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” Israel was chosen to be a light to the Gentiles. This is perhaps a good place to pause on our Red-Letter journey and reflect on something that might have puzzled many. As we walk with Jesus in his journey, we're not exactly enc...

As we continue in our Red-Letter Bible Study, we could be shadowing the Pharisees... they seem to know where Jesus is at every moment! We encounter Jesus and a band of his disciples moving to whatever their next destination is through a corn field and eating some of the grans of corn along the way. The pharisees confront them and accuse them of breaking the Sabbath law. By now, on the Red-Letter journey, we've come to expect that the pharisees are never the object of Jesus' teaching. You can alm...

Today's podcast is a little different. The conversation with our A.I. bot went off in a couple of different directions (my fault : ). We started with the very innocent parables of New Wine in Old Wine Skin and patching clothes with new unshrunk cloth. These parables point to the hardened hearts of the Jews and before you think this was only a problem 2000 years ago, it happened that we found in our YouTube Feed (we don't know how), a testimonial of a Jewish family and the conversion to Christian...

Imagine you're out on a date, having dinner, laughing, completely immersed in the moment. Your mom walks in, looks at you and says: "Hey! What are you doing! This isn't a time for fun. You should be ashamed of yourself. You should be fasting!" That's exactly the moment we wander into here. The Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist don't see the reason for the feasting and the celebration. Notes for the Courtship Has Begun https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/the-courtship-has-begun/

We're in Capernaum in our Red-Letter bible study and Jesus walks up to this tax collector and just says "Follow Me". Let's dig in here to understand the back-story of why this is so significant. This event sets the vector of Matthews entire gospel. Notes for "From Tax Collector to Saint" https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/from-tax-collector-to-saint/

Imagine the scene, Jesus is in Capernaum. The house his is in is absolutely mobbed. Four men, carrying their paralytic friend on a stretcher are desperate to get this man in front of Jesus to be healed. What happens becomes undeniable proof of Jesus' divinity. Notes for Undeniable Proof https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/undeniable-proof/

This is such an easy passage to gloss over. On the surface it is super simple. And since we’re following Jesus’ words chronologically, there is a nuance in the context that we could miss if we don’t step off the Red-Letter trail a little bit. We intend to do that here to get a better understanding of the full context. It’s the reason we love these Rabbit Holes anyway. The Red-Letter Bible Study is just an anchor, but the line hooked to the boat is quite long! Jesus was just recently in Jerusalem...

As we continue our Red-Letter Bible journey (chronologically), we come upon a lawyer (one who is well versed in biblical Law) and he attempts to trap Jesus. (Luke 10:25-37). If you've simply read your Bible, this is an easy to understand passage. On it's face, it is pretty straight forward. But, unpack the deeper layers and this parable is the Gospel message. You'll love it more once you get what Jesus just said to the lawyer. The lawyer, of course, doesn't get it. But you will and you will trea...

Imagine the court room. Jesus is the prosecutor. The Jewish Religious Elite, who started this as the accusers, become the defendants as Jesus turns the table. This is just an amazing scene that I had to read and re-read. Honestly, I'm still not sure I get it all. You'll see as you listen, there are some deep detours that you can take as you listen to Jesus presenting his case. Notes for The Trial https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/the-trial/

In our Red-Letter Bible study we have encountered Jesus healing a man at the pool of Bethesda. Just to quickly recap, Jesus comes into the sheep gate, the northern court of the temple. Don't miss this. Jesus, the Lamb of God, arrives in Jerusalem through the "House of Mercy". He gets the man who has been visiting this place for 38 years to confess his need for healing and to reveal that this system doesn't work (drawing on a much bigger metaphor). Jesus heals the man instantly and tells him to g...

You've read that story at least a few times. There is a man at the Pool of Bethesda; he's been going to that pool for 38 years trying to get healed but never makes it to the pool when it bubbles up. Only the first person reaching the pool can be healed. What is John trying to tell you? This is not just a story about a person who can't heal himself. You are (or at least at one point, were) the man at the pool! Notes for "You Are the Man at the Pool" https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/you-are-the-man...

We launch this episode off of the last one, so if you haven't heard that episode, it might be worth listening to. https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/spoiled-little-brats-jesus-rebukes-the-religious-elite-of-his-day/ As I sat on this, I kept thinking to myself, would it be any different if Jesus showed up today? He might not be preaching in the Synagogues but instead, at the local churches, maybe even your church. Here is a copy of the parable that we re-read and comment on. I wrote this to help bri...

Jesus rebukes the spiritual immaturity and stubborn unbelief of His generation by comparing them to children who refuse to respond—whether the message comes in mourning or rejoicing. They rejected John the Baptist for his austerity and Jesus for His mercy, proving that their issue was not with style, but with truth itself. In the face of their slander, Jesus declares that God’s wisdom is vindicated by its fruit—transformed lives. This passage confronts the pride that resists both repentance and ...

John the Baptist, now in prison sends his messengers out to ask Jesus a very curious question (especially coming from John). Notes for Johns Curious Question https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/johns-curious-question

We are about to see why our Podcast is called "Rabbit Holes and Meditations". This one document and corresponding podcast was arrived at via the simple asking of questions prompted by what I read in the short section in Luke about the resurrection of the widows' son (Luke 7:11-18). I pray that this curiosity is partly what Jesus meant about becoming like little children. We all need to have that sense of wonder and beyond the text we read on the page, we have to ponder the why? and the what if? ...

We have some major advantages over the Jews during Jesus' mission. We have the benefit of hindsight and a better picture of what Jesus was on earth to accomplish. It doesn't hurt to have these fundamentals buried in the back of your mind as you walk with Jesus on his journey through the Gospels. Every step in Jesus' journey is intentional. It is always worth asking not just the "how" but the "why". Jesus conquered sin and death and Satan. We take a 30000 ft view of what Jesus did in his mission ...