Claim OwnershipThe Teaching Series (with Brad Gray and Brad Nelson)
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© Walking The Text
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With your Hosts and Bible Teachers, Brad Gray and Brad Nelson, The Teaching Series helps you engage the Bible with clarity and confidence through a deeper understanding of its original context. This is the audio version of our highly visual video series at walkingthetext.com.
190 Episodes
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During Holy Week, people all over the world remember Jesus’s words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Did God really abandon Jesus on the cross? Or was Jesus quoting these specific words at this specific moment for a specific reason? In this final episode of “Out of Context,” we unpack Jesus’s use of a rabbinic technique called “remez” to make a bold claim about his supreme confidence in God’s faithfulness. Once you understand the context of these powerful words, you’ll be inspired by the knowledge that even in our darkest moments, God doesn’t leave us or abandon us!
“Do not judge or you too will be judged.” These well-known words are quoted by Christians and non-Christians alike, often as a shield to prevent others from speaking into their lives in ways that feel critical. “If you’re a hypocrite, you don’t get to point out my flaws! And since we’re all hypocrites, no one gets to point out anybody’s flaws!” But is that what Jesus really intended with these words? Not even close. By the end of this episode, you’ll discover how confronting our own hypocrisy and condemnation of others empowers us to speak more effectively in each other’s lives!
At Christian gatherings, you’ll often hear a leader say, “Jesus is present because he promised that ‘whenever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.’” Now, there’s nothing wrong with reminding people of Jesus’s presence.
Communion … out of context … REALLY? That’s not what usually comes to mind when we think about Scripture’s instructions on the Lord’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul commands believers to “examine themselves” before taking communion so they don’t “eat in an unworthy manner.” Pulled from their context, these words are generally used in worship services to invite personal reflection. But Paul was addressing something far more specific and challenging in the life of the Corinthian church that we cannot afford to miss. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a new appreciation for the power of meals to bring healing in a divided world!
Jeremiah 29:11 is a crowd favorite! “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Who wouldn’t want these plans? Prosperity, comfort (no harm), a hopeful future – sign us up! And then the bottom falls out, and our faith gets upended because we held God to a promise He never made. Jeremiah 29:11 is not about prosperity and protection. It’s about perseverance in the midst of hardship. Stripped of its context, this passage is catastrophic to our faith journey. But understood properly, it gives us the hope and perspective we need to navigate life’s challenges well.
Understanding the original context of a passage unleashes the power of Scripture to transform our lives. “Out of Context” is a new series designed to help us train our minds to ask better questions when we read the Bible by exploring famous passages that are frequently taken out of context. By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why Philippians 4:13 isn’t about God empowering us to do whatever we set our minds to, but rather unlocking the secret of contentment in any situation!
The final song of Christmas included in Luke’s gospel comes forty days after the birth of Jesus on the lips of an elderly man named Simeon. As Simeon holds Jesus in his arms, he begins praising God by joyfully proclaiming, “Lord, now you are dismissing your servant in peace.” Set in its original context, these are some of the most moving and inspiring words for us to consider as we launch into a new year. As we’ll see in this final episode in our series “Proclamations of Christmas,” in a world of transactional relationships and half-hearted commitments, Simeon’s devotion to God will challenge us to ask, “Am I fully devoted to the king, or am I simply going through the motions of a complacent Christianity that has lost the cosmic plot of God’s redemption for all people?”
During the Christmas season, we join the angels in singing “peace on earth.” But earth doesn’t always feel peaceful. In fact, it often feels really chaotic. From personal challenges to family heartaches to friends who are suffering to wars around the world, the idea of “peace” can be confusing and elusive. Which is why we need to understand more fully what the angels were proclaiming, and how to obtain peace and stability when everything is swirling around us. As you’d expect, it has everything to do with one we celebrate in this season – the Prince of Peace. So as we unpack the angels’ song, may we join them in proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among people!”
Zechariah’s song (the “Benedictus” in Latin) is a potent reminder that God sees us, cares about us, and faithfully show up to us in our lives. It’s a powerful song, but as you’ll see, powerful songs come from powerful stories – usually painful ones. Despite experiencing the disgrace and disappointment of being barren, Zechariah and Elizabeth remained faithful to God and resolute in their humility. Together, this created a powerful opportunity for God to show up and bring forth new possibility. By the end of this episode, you’ll possess a deeper understanding of how our practice of humility can do the same!
Christmas songs are powerful! From hymns and carols to drumlines and choirs, few things capture the essence of Christmas like its music. Which is why in this new series, we examine the prophetic songs surrounding the first Christmas recorded in Luke’s Gospel. Beginning with Mary’s song (the “Magnificat” in Latin), we see that she demonstrates a fiery confidence in God’s faithfulness despite centuries of foreign oppression. She believes the world will change and is blessed because of her belief. But Mary’s unflinching belief didn’t just happen. It was the natural byproduct of a life immersed in the Scriptures and animated by hope. May we experience the same this Advent season!
In this final episode of our Flora & Faith series, we meet two biblical characters who come to the end of themselves in the same wilderness south of Beersheba. “Wilderness” is more than just a place on a map. It’s also a territory of the soul where all our safety nets get removed, and our only hope is to depend on God. It’s here that God uses a small desert shrub to deliver a potent message of hope. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a new appreciation for the way small graces become huge gifts when we come to the end of ourselves.
In the book of Judges, we meet an obscure tree that serves as a powerful illustration of what a life of faithfulness looks like. In Judges 9, Gideon’s son, Abimelech, convinces the people of Shechem to appoint him as king and then murders all his brothers, except one: Jotham. Having escaped, Jotham tells a fable about several trees that culminates with the atad. The atad looks strong and vibrant on the surface, but its splendor masks a sinister secret beneath the surface. By the end of this episode, you’ll be challenged to identify and uproot the ways in which your aspirations may be hindering those around you.
Arguably the most recognizable tree in the land of Israel, the olive tree is known for its legendary longevity and fruitfulness. As such, it’s referenced repeatedly in the Scriptures. Most notably, the Apostle Paul uses it in Romans 11 to navigate a delicate situation between Jewish and Gentile believers in the church in Rome, and to communicate an authoritative point that has lasting implications. By the end of this episode, you’ll discover why the olive tree is a powerful illustration on how to sustain a fruitful life by making room for others.
Waiting on God is one of the most difficult things to do in life. In some seasons, we’re forced to wait so long it’s hard to see any redemptive purpose in it. But, in the Scriptures, the blossoming of the almond tree is a hopeful sign of better things to come. It’s also a symbol that God is watching and working in the waiting. By the end of this episode, you’ll discover how the almond tree teaches us to ask the most powerful, perspective-shifting question while we wait on God to fulfill His purposes.
We’ve all read stories in the Bible that leave us wondering, “Wait! What in the world does that mean?” Jesus’s cursing the fig tree is a prime example. As one of the signature features of the landscape of the Bible, the fig tree developed deep symbolic meaning for the people of Israel. Understanding how a fig tree produces fruit clarifies exactly what’s happening when Jesus curses the fig tree. By the end of this episode, you’ll discover not only how God responds to fraudulent faith but also how fruitfulness starts.
Some of the most powerful lessons on faithfulness in Scripture come from flora illustrations. When we understand the flora behind the illustrations, we grasp the lessons at a deeper and more impactful level. As we launch into this new series, we begin in John 15 with Jesus’s famous words about the “vine and the branches.” As we’ll see, placing Jesus’s words in their viticulture context provides a vivid picture of what Jesus wants from his disciples, and what must be done to live a fruitful life!
Jesus lived and ministered in a world of competing agendas, ideologies, and theologies. Nowhere was this more apparent than around the Sea of Galilee. Jesus trained his disciples here because it was a microcosm of the world! By modeling how to engage with Herodians, Zealots, Religious Jews, Gospel Patrons, and Decapolis Pagans, Jesus equipped his disciples for a life of faithfulness after his death. By the end of this final episode in “Jesus in Galilee,” you’ll appreciate why it’s so important for us to be intentional about how we’re leading others to think critically and live faithfully in a complex world.
Before, during, and after the life of Jesus, the land of Israel was a hotbed of Jewish resistance against Rome. Located just northeast of the Sea of Galilee, the city of Gamla was a stronghold for a group called the Zealots. These were religious extremists who believed the kingdom of God came by force, and who were willing to kill Romans, Jewish collaborators, and themselves if needed. Despite their brutality, the Zealots were often admired as heroes who preserved the Hebrew tradition of zeal for God, but they totally missed the heart of God. By the end of this episode, you’ll learn two specific ways Jesus put an end to the cycle of violence in an angry, polarized world.
As an itinerant rabbi with disciples, Jesus was dependent on the hospitality and generosity of others. So, who funded Jesus’s ministry? The answer will make you chuckle and marvel at who God uses to advance His purposes in the world. But in order to find out who funded Jesus, we need to learn about the wealthy city of Magdala. By the end of this episode, you’ll be inspired to be more intentional about using the gifts and resources God has given you to advance His purposes here on earth.
Jesus interacted with all kinds of people. And when he crossed the Sea of the Galilee to “the other side,” it was to be with the pagans of the Decapolis. This league of Hellenistic cities was created to showcase Greco-Roman thought and culture in the region. But the cultural crusading of the Decapolis masked a spiritual starvation for something more. Like Jesus, we’re called to be salt and light in the cultures we inhabit, but influence is always a two-way street. By the end of this episode, you’ll be challenged to think deeply about “Who’s influencing who?” as you encounter the alluring cultures Jesus has sent you to influence.
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