In this episode, Peter correctly answers Jesus's question "Who do you say I am?" and in reply, Jesus gives St. Peter a role of shocking prominence in his Church. How can such supreme authority be given to Peter? And how could it apply to so many weak popes that followed? And does it really apply also to Pope Francis?

Today we will hear Jesus promise to give one sign to his detractors: The sign of Jonah. Then he goes on to make references to another Old Testament figure: The Queen of Sheba. This language may be mystifying for us but it wasn’t for the Jewish leaders of his time. In fact, these verses show Jesus taking the gloves off in a new way – a new way that will lead directly to his downfall… and it’s also a clear lesson to us.

We often treat Jesus like a loyal dog at our heels. In truth, we are the dogs at the master's table. In this gospel passage, a Canaanite woman begs Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus' response is not only a test of her faith, but a promise of what faith and humility delivers.

We often run into the trap of loving Jesus, but hating religion. In this Gospel passage, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees, the religious orthodoxy of His day, and shows us exactly how to critique religion without destroying it altogether.

A follow up to last week's episode, where Jesus proclaimed that He was the Bread of Life. This week, Tom Hoopes reflects on Christ's revelation from John 6:63. "It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words I have spoken to you are spirit and life."

Jesus has performed miracles. He has conquered demons, challenged civic and religious authority, and called His apostle, Peter, out into the storm. This week, on The Extraordinary Story, Jesus utters perhaps the most controversial and transformative statement in the Gospels.

What do you do when the wind is raging? When you're caught in a storm, and suddenly you see Christ walking on the water? What do you do when He calls out to you? Do you hunker down and go where the wind takes you? Do you grit your teeth and wait for the end? Or do you step out onto the waves and stride into the storm? That's the question we face this week on the Extraordinary Story.

Today we're going to talk about the multiplication of the loaves, a story that is told in all four gospels because it made such a huge impression on the apostles. The story has enormous ramifications for the faith in general and for us in particular, in the drama of the gospel story. It's this watershed moment where the question of who Jesus is becomes even more urgent.

After a last visit home to Nazareth Jesus sends his apostles out two by two with very specific instructions those very specific instructions can help each of us break out of our own self obsession.

A woman with a hemorrhage has faith that if she only touches Jesus' garment, she will be healed. We must grasp for the same level of faith.