Red Letter Episodes

How many times have you blown over the passage. Yeah, you marveled that Peter heard the rooster crow, which recalls what Jesus told Peter would happen when they were in the upper room. But let's really dig into this. There is so much we can learn from Peter in this moment and the subsequent restoration. Notes for Lovest Thou Me Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/lovest-thou-me-the-restoration-of-peter/

As you listen to this podcast today, reflect on how little has changed. As I was reading the accounts of the interrogation of Jesus, it struck me how much we could learn just by going back to our roots for justice, for accusation, for testimony. Think about this. We often drag people (via subpoena) to "testify under oath" in the hopes of setting up a perjury trap. Smear campaigns are more than normal; they are part of the system. Leak something to the media - it doesn't have to be true; it just...

We leave Gethsemane almost with determination. There is no hesitation following the priestly prayer, no trying to seek a hiding place, no planning for what is to happen next. It is a foregone conclusion, approached with resolve. There is no parable, no guessing, no wrestling with the text. We created a 4 gospel harmony of this scene to get a three-dimensional picture of what is going on. Notes for Jesus Arrested Episode link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/jesus-arrested/

I think today's podcast is a helpful example of how we study. I spend a good part of my day in a variety of different resources. This is daily and habitual. In between all of that, I actually retreat to work, which has nothing to do with my biblical studies. My commercial breaks during the day usually return me to my Christian studies. I usually open with a section of the Bible I want to read in the morning. But my brain is saying, " Hey, that's cool - remember this from yesterday or a few days ...

It's been a tough night and it's only just begun. Jesus knows that his disciples are going to go through a lot. What's fascinating here is Jesus is more concerned with his disciples than with Himself. He knows exactly what is to transpire within the next few hours and His concern is for them. Notes and Commentary for Jesus Prays for the Eleven Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/jesus-prays-for-the-eleven/

Sometimes we tend to think of the cross as the finish line. But Jesus chooses to look past it. I was tempted to call it a speed bump, but it's way more than that. I know we've already discussed Gethsemane so this podcast and the next two occurs out of sequence. It is likely that the prayer in John 17 is before they reach Gethsemane. John Chapter 17 stands alone and while it probably occurs before Jesus retreats to the deeper recesses of Gethsemane, the context reaches beyond Gethsemane, indeed b...

The disciples finally leave the upper room, but this is the proverbial out of the frying pan into the fire. They retreat to Gethsemane, and this is where we pick up in today's podcast. Specifically, we are looking at Matthew 26:36-45, Mark 14:32-41, and Luke 22:39-46. Notes and Commentary: The Cost and the Cup Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-cost-and-the-cup/

The closer we get to the Cross in our Red-Letter journey, the deeper it gets. The disciples are in a confused emotional state. They are hearing a lot but not completely understanding. The beauty of this in scripture is that, through their confusion, we hear Jesus' responses and explanations, which help clear up our own confusion. You could easily spend a week on John 16:12-33. We will do what we can to cover this in a single podcast. You may have noticed that the content of the most recent podca...

We hear Jesus last words to the eleven before the cross, and Jesus answers the question the disciples are too distraught to ask. For many Christians, even today, the Cross is a mystery that it doesn't need to be. Jesus spells it out. It is proven and acted upon. Today, we go deep into John 16:1-11, asking the questions that Jesus knew were on the disciples' minds, even if they could not see clearly through their tears. Notes for Why Jesus Had To Go Episode Link:

Sometimes when we say: "The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit", the Holy Spirit rolls off the tongue as an afterthought. We don't know what to do with Him. I know analogies aren't perfect, but it helps to think this way. Father is like the coach who designed the entire plan, Jesus is the quarterback who runs the decisive play and throws the ball that makes the score possible, the Holy Spirit is the guide and blocker who shows the receiver the route, clears the path, and points attention back t...

You walk onto the lot and I show you the car. “Let me be straight with you,” I say. “This isn’t the most popular car on the road. In fact, some people actively avoid it. Others will tell you it’s too restrictive, that it limits where you can go or how you can drive.” “But here’s the thing.” I tap the hood. “This car was designed by the One who built the entire road system. He knows every turn, every dead end, every cliff people drive off without realizing it. This car is built to navigate all of...

If you have been traveling with us and followed the words of Jesus chronologically through the Gospels, then you have been the proverbial fly on the wall. Do not lose the immediate context when you read this - it is so easy to do because the theology is so rich. We are in the upper room for pages of scripture, and Judas has left the room. What Jesus has to say is not for Judas. But it is for you! Without stating exactly what will happen in the next few hours, Jesus addresses the tension in the r...

I know some of these later podcasts are long. They are heavy. They are worth listening to multiple times. It's worth reading the notes, reading and rereading the scriptures they are bound to. Matthew 14 answers some profound questions. The question I came with was: Why Why must Jesus leave in order to send "the helper". The Holy Spirit. Why can't we just do it? The answer goes all the way back to why Moses couldn't look at the face of God. Matthew 14 will open your entire understanding of the Ho...

If you can read John 14:4-14 and are not waiting for the same answer to the question that Thomas asks, then I want to talk to you some more! I think we are all taught the theology, but do we grasp the how? Thomas is not weak in his faith. He has spent the last three and a half years and has witnessed the miracles that transform faith to proof bound experiential belief. Thomas is the kind of guy who says I saw it with my own eyes, I know it. He doesn't just believe it, he knows it! I think we are...

There is a scene where Indiana Jones walks out into the street. It's hot, the dust is kicking up. He's sweaty and he's had a tough day. At the other end of the street, he's confronted with a samurai type guy, swinging his sword, ready to get Indiana Jones' head off. Very casually, Indiana Jones reaches down, pulls up his gun and shoots the guy. Moral: you don't bring a knife to a gun fight! Now we land on Luke 22:35-38. There is a very curious exchange with the disciples. We're still in the uppe...

Have you even sat in a business conference or meeting and totally missed the point? You look at the speaker and go "Wait........ What?" Like you thought you understood it until you just realized what he was saying is not what you were thinking. We've walked through the red-letters all the way to this point and never have the disciples let go of the idea that Jesus is the conquering king. They have been told at least three times that He would be killed. They've been told that He will return. They...

I was reluctant to name this podcast the Denial of Peter because it is misleading. But that's how we have come to recognize that happened at this moment in scripture. I think at some level, we all identify with Peter. We are still at the last supper in our red-letter journey and I think every Christian knows about Peter's denial. But what is not so obvious in the text is that Peter is speaking for all of the disciples there (remember, Judas has left the room). In this podcast, we'll rescue Peter...

While the synoptic gospels picked up the core elements of the Last Supper, it seems that John captured more of the conversation. We want to spend some time here. We stop to ask questions. We are at John 13:31-35. Judas has left the room. The conversation gets deep. We are going to slow down and make sure we understand what this all means. Today we get practical with the very things Jesus is commanding. For example, it's one thing to say do it for the glory of God, but how often do we consider wh...

This is one short passage in each of the three synoptic Gospels; however, I would be remiss if I jumped over it. Let's remember that Jesus has made the disciples well aware of what was about to transpire this week. They can connect with his death, but I doubt they understand His resurrection. So, with such a shadow hanging over the forthcoming week, Jesus raises a cup and basically says: "Until we meet again". They are probably thinking that future time will be within their lifetime. They're not...

Did you ever sit with the Lord's Supper and just think, I really don't get it. I know something big is happening here, but did anybody ever walk you through what "This is the NEW COVENANT in my blood means? When you read that, you should immediately think - OK, I need to go back and understand the OLD COVENANT. And more, I need to understand why we need a new covenant. Today, in our Red Letter Journey, we listened to Jesus pick up and offer the bread and the cup and we asked what it all means. N...

Jesus is eating the last supper with the 12 disciples. That means Judas is in the room and even after Jesus indicates that one of them would betray him, Judas manages to remain anonymous in a room of people wondering who the traitor among them is. This scene had me bewildered and asking too: "is it me Lord?". I think a key take away for this podcast is that we should not read it righteously indignant. There is a subtle warning in the undercurrent. ALL of the disciples question their ultimate all...

It takes some harmonization of the four gospels to see this picture just before the Last Supper; but when you see it playing out, you can't unsee it. The disciples have all filtered into the room for the last supper and the seating has been established by a subtle acknowledgement of who gets to sit closest to the host. They all settle in and then realize, there is no servant. That starts the banter. Someone has to be the person to wash the feet of the others. That's part of Jewish custom. That l...

If somebody tells you something that will happen 10 years from now, you're likely to forget it. If somebody tells you something that will happen 10 minutes from now AND it happens exactly the way they said it would, you're likely to never forget it. If that same person has told you stuff about the future, now you're actually looking for it. Notes for Something Happened on the Way to Supper Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/something-happened-on-the-way-to-supper/

We've read the Parable of the 10 virgins over and over. We cite it. We talk about readiness! We've just spent days in the valley between the destruction of the old temple and the final return. And what are we doing in the valley? I read the Parable of 10 virgins this morning, and, well it left me wondering. I know that when the Bridegroom arrives, 5 are ready and 5 are not. The five that are ready cannot share the oil in their lamp. They end up going off with the bridegroom while the 5 others ar...