On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we find ourselves in the Gospel of John listening to Our Lord declare Himself the Good Shepherd. Following the healing of the man blind from birth, Jesus engages in a discussion of what it means to know Him. To answer the question, He employs the image of sheep who are masters in the discernment of voice. Whereas others come to pillage and plunder, Jesus comes as protector. Exploring both ancient and modern shepherding practices we’ll unpack the rich implications of Jesus’ assertions and see a picture with two portraits: one of God and one of Satan.

In this episode discover:

- The Jewish liturgical setting of our Gospel (Hannukah) which provides a nod to a previous period of priestly corruption

- Our Gospel’s parallels with Joshua and the Book of Numbers

- The Jewish legal distinction between thieves and robbers and why it’s relevant to our text

- A Greek word in our Gospel which provides a link between the sheepfold and the courtyard of the High Priest

- What ancient Judean sheepfolds looked like and why Jesus calls Himself the door for the sheep

- What the “rod” in Psalm 24 refers to and its protective purpose

Our Gospel is the famous story of the road to Emmaus. Two of Jesus’ followers are returning home after the tumultuous events of Holy Week only to encounter the Risen Lord Himself. We’ll look to an early Church historian to uncover the identity of the two disciples. Comparing our story to the Feeding of the Five Thousand we’ll note several parallels between the two and we’ll also spend some time exploring the objectively vulnerable nature of faith in Christ. Lastly, we’ll compare the Emmaus encounter with Adam and Eve’s sin in Genesis 3 and we’ll note key differences between the outcomes of the two stories.

In this episode discover:

- Who Eusebius, an early Church historian, identifies as the two disciples in our narrative (spoiler: they may have been relatives of Jesus)

- A detail in our Gospel that would have fulfilled the Jewish requirement for credibility of legal witnesses

- An interesting observation one Biblical scholar makes about Luke’s chronology and how it relates to the keeping of our modern-day liturgical calendar

- Whether Jesus purposely prevented the disciples from recognizing Him or if something else was at play

- How Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, describes Jesus and the similarities that description has with Cleopas’

- How the story of the road to Emmaus mirrors the twofold pattern of every Mass

Our episode today traces a broad overview of salvation history in order to better appreciate the work of God in the Paschal mystery. Tracing the theme of covenant throughout Scripture, we see this concept as the key to understanding God's plan for us. Culminating in Jesus' passion and resurrection, we unpack the institution of the new and final covenant which is a foretaste of Heaven. Finally, we'll contextualize Jesus' passion in its First Century setting and we'll link the resurrection as recorded in John 20 to both the first pages of Genesis and the Song of Songs.

In this episode discover:

- The root of the Hebrew word "seven" and what that tells us about the days of creation

- The significance of Jesus beginning his suffering in a garden

- The true age of Isaac when he was nearly sacrificed on Mt. Moriah and the cascade of implications this detail provokes

- What other figure in Scripture wore a crown of thorns

- The manner in which the priests sacrificed the passover lambs in the Temple and how it parallels Jesus' own self-sacrifice on the cross

- Jewish wedding practice and how this informs Our Lord's interactions with Mary Magdalene after His resurrection

Freedom in Christ Conference: bit.ly/ficsfa

Matthew’s account of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem unleashes a cascade of parallels with the Old Testament. First and foremost, we see Jesus associating Himself with Solomon who rode a mule triumphantly into Jerusalem. The beginning location of our Gospel’s royal parade, the Mt. of Olives, echoes battle imagery when seen against its Old Testament backdrop. The use of palm branches has a rich history in Scripture that we’ll explore. And, finally, Jesus’ actions also align Him with another Old Testament figure, that of Melchizedek who was once himself the King of Jerusalem.

In this episode discover:

- The Biblical significance of palm branches and their frequent use in royal ceremonies

- How our Gospel is a clear parallel with the Old Testament story of Solomon's accession to the throne

- The geographic starting point for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and how its location fulfills an Old Testament prophecy about God's kingship

- Another Biblical occasion when men spread their cloaks on the ground before another

- The way in which Jesus' actions subtly link Him to the Old Testament figure of Melchizedek

“Lazarus, come out!” These are the words with which Our Lord raises Lazarus from the dead but they are also the words that in many ways seal his own fate. Following the undeniable miracle of raising a man from the dead, the Pharisees and chief priests no longer stand by but decide to put Our Lord to death. But if Jesus is not conquered by death and neither is Lazarus, then our readings today offer each of us the same hope for the Resurrection.

In this episode discover:

- The location of the raising of Lazarus and how it reveals the familiarity and friendship that Jesus and Lazarus possessed

- How our Gospel provides an answer to the ever-present "problem" of evil

- The Jewish view of death that explains why Jesus waits several days before going to Lazarus

- What the preternatural gifts are and how they explain the intrinsically disturbing nature of death

- The Old Testament prophecy from the Book of Ezekiel that our New Testament miracle fulfills

Register for the Freedom in Christ Conference with Dr. Matthew Breuninger at St. Francis of Assisi in West Des Moines: www.bit.ly/ficsfa

Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles when He encounters a man who has been blind from birth. Forming clay from the ground to anoint the man’s eyes, Jesus then sends him to wash in the ritual pool of Siloam. Rich with meaning we’ll expound on the liturgical practices of the Feast of Tabernacles in order to elucidate Our Lord’s work and we’ll unpack the sacramental theme of John’s Gospel to show its connections to Baptism. Finally, we’ll look at the purpose of sight from a philosophical perspective in order to contrast the responses of the two parties.

In this episode discover:

- The Jewish feast that was being observed in Jerusalem at the time when Jesus heals the blind man

- The two liturgies which would have been celebrated in the Temple during Jesus’ visit and the way in which they shed light on Our Lord’s actions

- The religious purpose of the Pool of Siloam that makes it a fitting place for the blind man’s healing

- The seven point outline of John’s Gospel and how it connects our story to the sacrament of Baptism

- Why Jesus chose to heal the blind man with dirt from the ground and how it connects his healing to the creation of Adam

Jesus is in Samaria at a well when he asks a woman for a drink. What seems on the surface like a simple request for hospitality unfolds into a veritable proposal of love. Surveying the Old Testament instances of a man and a woman at a well uncovers the nuptial overtones of our Gospel and a look at the story of Jacob and Rachel’s first meeting displays a manly strength that Jesus Himself will show upon the cross. Finally, we’ll employ our first reading for a telling connection with the Eucharist, one which reminds us of the intense love of God and the intense longing with which He desires that we love Him back.

In this episode discover:

- The three patriarchs whose wives were found at wells

- The significance of the woman’s midday visit to the well and the probable reason for it

- The five peoples that intermarried with the Samaritans and the parallels they hold with the woman’s five husbands

- The practice of Jewish divorce in the 1st Century and why it likely means that the woman was left (vs. doing the leaving)

- The Eucharistic allusions present in our readings and their nuptial overtones

Katie needs to make this episode brief but still wants to give you something special. So, here is the talk she gave on the top of Mt. Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration just two months ago while on pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Yes, it’s short but it still covers all the highlights!

In this episode discover:

- The brief phrase that clearly but subtly links the Transfiguration to Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi

- The obvious parallel between the three men that Jesus brings up the Mount of Transfiguration and the three men that Moses brings up Mt. Sinai

- How the Transfiguration is a foreshadowing of and preparation for Calvary

- The Biblical and extrabiblical texts that shed light on the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus (hint: it has to do with the resurrection)

- How the Jewish feast of Tabernacles helps explain Peter’s often ridiculed exclamation

Our Gospel today is the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. There in the wilderness he submits to a threefold enticement corresponding to that from the Garden of Eden, one which also mirrors the threefold concupiscence in 1 John 2:16. We’ll discuss the nature of Satan’s temptations and the means by which their promises sought to entice Christ. Finally, we’ll compare Our Lord’s ordeal to the fall of Israel in the desert and the fall of Solomon upon the throne. When seen through the lens of Old Testament texts, we find Christ as the New Adam, the New Israel, and the New Son of David.

In this episode we’ll look at:

- The three Old Testament texts that Jesus quotes in his response to Satan’s temptations

- The Psalm that Satan quotes in his second temptation of Jesus

- The philosophical concept of telos and how it informs a Biblical view of morality

- The exact location of the pinnacle of the Temple (where Satan took Jesus)

- How Jesus’ response to temptation foreshadows his coming in the Eucharist

Our Gospel picks up with the last two antitheses in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus addresses the prescription of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” as well as the ancient command to love your neighbor but hate your enemy. This Gospel is chock-full of ancient context that we’ll bring to light by exploring the cultural background of the sayings. We’ll also take at look at what one 21st century Jewish scholar named Jacob Neusner has to say about Jesus’ sermon and we’ll see how the ramifications of Our Lord’s prescriptions may have caused some disciples to abandon Him.

In this episode we’ll look at:

- Why, according to an ancient Jewish text called the Midrash, striking someone on the right cheek was worse than striking them on the left

- The value of a tunic versus a cloak according to the Old Testament - a detail which helps us appreciate Jesus’ sayings regarding the two

- The prevailing law in first century Palestine that allowed Roman soldiers to press Jews into service for up to one mile

- The original Greek of our text which reveals Jesus using a telling grammatical construction called the “emphatic I”

- What it meant when Matthew says that Jesus taught “as one who had authority”