The Fourth Cup

There was a tradition at Passover in Jesus' time that speaks volumes as to what Jesus was communicating at the Last Supper. Scholars have done their best to reconstruct these traditions and in the light of them, everything from the Last Supper to the Garden of Gethsemane to the cross (to the end times?) comes into deeper understanding. We begin to see the things that the Jews of Jesus' time would have recognized in the Gospels and we realize that there's a lot to the story we've been missing due to 2,000 years of cultural separation. 

Drawing from Brant Pitre's book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, Jamin looks at the four cups Jesus would have drank at the Passover and why they are important to understanding our place in the story of God today.

The Delayed Return of Jesus

C.S. Lewis once remarked that Jesus saying he'd return within a generation was, "certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible." While Lewis' words are a bit brash, at least he was honest about his feelings. It's clear in reading the New Testament that the early church literally thought Jesus meant one generation. Even 2 Peter has to face the question: "What's taking so long?"

So if the early church had to wonder 90-95 years after Jesus, perhaps we too can wonder what's taking so long some 2,000 years later. I believe that the authors of, When the Son of Man Didn't Come: A Constructive Proposal on the Delay of the Parousia (which was beautifully written by an interdenominational group of believers), have a solution for the world. Their answer is not to interpret "generation" in some weird apocalyptic or symbolic light, but to simply understand how prophecy works. And it ends up that the Bible is quite clear: God can decide to change prophetic words depending on how his people interact with him.

In borrowing (almost entirely) from this book, my message today proposes that God changed his mind about when Jesus would return—and I don't think that's anywhere near as jarring as it sounds. Checkout the podcast to see how I get there.

Jesus' Birth Date

There are a lot of investigations into Scripture that I often think are pointless, like trying to figure out an exact date that Jesus was born on. I struggle to understand why that would truly matter to my spiritual life. 

But then scholars like Michael Heiser prove me wrong in his book, Reversing Hermon (or see his podcast episode, What Day Was Jesus Born?). If Jesus was born on a day that already held important symbolic meaning for the Jews, then his actual birthdate would matter—and that’s exactly the case Heiser makes. 

Today’s podcast is more or less a less detailed version of Heiser’s research, which I taught for Christmas Eve this morning. I always hope to uncover something a little deeper about the Christmas story each year because it’s a story Christians know too well and one of the only stories C&E Christians know. Today’s approach is about as wild as I’ve ever gone on a holiday. Hope you find it interesting as we dive into Revelation of all places!

Scribes & Widows

Jesus said death was ahead of him at Jerusalem and now it almost seems like he's calling it out to come fight him. First he flips tables full of money at the temple; then he calls the Pharisees out on their hypocrisy; then he tells the Saducees that they're, "Quite wrong"; and now he calls the Scribes out on their oppression and pride.

In doing so, he leaves us with a comparison between the adored Scribe who thinks he's something and the oppressed widow who thinks she's nothing. But as is typical when seen through the eyes of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus shows us that the two are actually reversed.

Resurrection

For the modern day Christian, resurrection is a basic principle of belief, but in Jesus' time it was a hot topic, intensely debated between the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Believe it or not, there is almost no reference to the idea of resurrection in the Old Testament. It seems the Jews just thought people died and that their spirit entered the afterlife existence of Sheol. The Sadducees didn't even believe that. They believed your spirit died with your body and that was the end of the conversation. With this in mind, our ears become wide open as Jesus engages in the topic.

Jesus & Taxes

Jesus' famous line to "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" is jam-packed with all kinds of implications. To truly see what Jesus is saying we must unpack his lesson like a parable in order to find the prophetic meaning and conviction that is in his statement. We must also understand the culture of the time so that we can comprehend just how prevalent this hot topic was to Jesus' society.

The Religious Industry

Almost immediately after entering Jerusalem, Jesus walks up to God's temple and starts flipping tables. Jamin draws from his experience in pursuit of the Music Industry to explain why this might have been.

Walking Boldly to the Cross

We often talk about God wanting to bless us, which causes us to rarely talk about how Jesus called us into persecution with him. But then again, maybe blessing and persecution are the same thing, seeing as how Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Today Jamin takes a look at three short verses in Mark 10 where Jesus prophesies about his upcoming flogging and death while walking to the place where it will all happen. Those following him are left both amazed and afraid.

From Riches to Rags

As we continue our journey through Mark, Jamin preaches a message that no one wants to hear. Jesus' words on selling everything we own and giving the proceeds to the poor are hard to take in. But it's supposed to be hard to hear—that's the point. And therefore, Jamin suggests that rather than try to water down Jesus' words, we should learn to live in the burden of them.

Imagers of God

People give all kinds of explanations as to what it means to be made "in the image of God"—often saying the image is our intelligence. But that's not what the original language of the Bible is trying to say to us. Being made in the image of God is not just an adjective, in fact, it may be better understood as verb. Jamin explains more at a youth retreat and relates to how Jesus is the clearest example of the image of God we've ever been given.

Dwelling in Worship Music

Not only is Psalm 117 the shortest Psalm in the Bible, but it’s also the shortest chapter in the Bible. The Psalmist here wrote four lines and then stopped. Apparently he had no need to go on because he thought the song was done.  

Continue reading here.

The Children of the Kingdom

We all know what it's like to feel or indignant or to have someone feel indignant at us. Even Jesus was indignant! But it may not have been for reasons that you thought.

The Extreme Metaphor

We focus so much on not sinning that we often forget the command to protect ourselves from leading others into sin. Jamin jumps into some of Jesus' most extreme metaphors to get this point across.

Lowliness

Jesus calls us to live a life of humility and lowliness and to be a servant to all. Jamin uncovers this theme over the course of several passages presented in Mark.

Mount Hermon & the Transfiguration

Things get weird when Jesus takes his disciples up a mountain to pray—like... beyond words weird. What's going on in the story of the transfiguration? Jamin offers a few ideas.

Mount Hermon & the Christ

If we thought like the Jews at Jesus' time did, we'd recognize the incredible significance of the location in which Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ.

Short Term Faith

Throughout Mark the disciples have managed to supernaturally feed 9,000 people and yet somehow they're afraid they don't have enough bread to feed the 12 of them and Jesus.

The Syrophoenician Woman

Something completely unexpected and amazing happens when the Syrophoenician woman approaches Jesus while he's on break from ministry.

The Traditions of Men

The Pharisees had a way of elevating their own traditions to have the same authority as Scripture. What happens when Jesus comes in contact with their rules? The longest conflict speech in the Gospel of Mark.

Shake Off the Dust

Jamin pauses in Mark 6 to address a statement Jesus makes that at first glance seems a bit uncharacteristic of him. But upon further inspection, it actually lines up with much else he says. The key is his context.