Jesus’ Surprising Warning About Religious Pra...

Spirit of God E15 — Some New Testament passages present the Spirit as a distinct agent, or entity, who teaches, reminds, and even dwells within Jesus' followers. But more often, the Bible describes the Spirit as God's power, presence, or energy. So what led early Christians to co ...  Show more

Spirit of God E14 — The Gospel of John portrays the Spirit’s coming as a significant turning point, as if God’s Spirit hadn’t yet been present in the world. Jesus breathes on his followers just as God once breathed life into humanity. And Jesus promises his disciples that the Spi ...  Show more

What do we do the Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount? Jesus ends his manifesto of life in the kingdom of the heavens, not with a pep talk or feel-good story, but with a warning about what happens when we don’t put his teachings into practice. John Mark argues that, in th ...  Show more

In this episode of Bible Reading and Coffee Drinking, we walk through Matthew 23, where Jesus speaks directly—and boldly—to the religious leaders of His day. He calls out their hypocrisy, pride, and obsession with appearances while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Thi ...  Show more

Most people think of the Beatitudes as virtues, but what if that's not at all what Jesus was saying? John Mark looks at some of the ancient context around Jesus's opening of the Sermon on the Mount and argues that Jesus is not telling us virtues to aim for, but offering b ...  Show more