Character in Context

Episode 69: Gospel of Mark Part 14--The Fifth Controversy--The Withered Hand

What's lawful on the Sabbath? To restore a man to the community and to service or to plot a political assassination?

And I want to say a word about looters and rioters vs peaceful protesters and activists and what they have in common with people who adopt fake Hebrew names on social media. 

Episode 68: Gospel of Mark Part 13--The Fourth Controversy--Lord of the Sabbath

Well, the Pharisees finally decide to get in Yeshua's face for realsies--no more beating around the bush. The debate is over whether it is more important for a poor man to legalistically keep the Sabbath, which fasting for lack of food, or to avail himself of the provision in Torah to eat his fill and celebrate the Sabbath. On one hand, the Pharisees say not to work, on the other hand, they say no fasting is allowed. What will Yeshua do with this catch-22 and how will He begin to set Himself apart as the Greater David, and the Pharisees who oppose Him as the modern-day equivalents of Saul and Doeg the evil shepherd?

Episode 67: Gospel of Mark 12--The Third Controversy--The Wedding, the Wineskin, and the Torn Cloak

The third controversy dialogue! This time, the question is, "why aren't your disciples fasting like the disciples of John and the Pharisees?" Yeshua/Jesus, however, doesn't bother to answer that question. Instead, He asks a better question and answers that one instead--in a very confusing way. This can be a troublesome passage of Scripture because the mini-parable of the wineskin and the torn cloak can be a bit confusing but hopefully, you will come out of this much clearer on the concept that Yeshua was striving to communicate. 

Episode 66: Gospel of Mark 11--The Second Controversy--Contagious Holiness and the Sinner's Dinner

What happens when Yeshua/Jesus has the audacity to eat with a Roman collaborator and his sinner friends? The controversies are heating up and, this time, the scribes of the Pharisees are the ones with a beef against the Messiah's choice of eating companions. 

The book I mentioned this week is Craig L Blomberg's Contagious Holiness, highly recommended