The Bible is Beautiful

The book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that never mentions God. It is also (like Jonah) among a handful of comedies in the Bible. Those two features make Esther one of the most fascinating portions of Scripture. This episode originated as a written article for The Biblical Mind online magazine, entitled, “The Story of Esther as Redemptive Humor in the Bible: When God Lets Us in on the Joke of Empire.” You can find the text version of the article at the following link. https://hebraicthought.org/esther-redemptive-humor-in-the-bible/

This series explore the entire book of Psalms in just two episodes. Psalm 1 introduces the entire book. And Psalm 150 sums it all up. By exploring the pictures, the sounds, and the beauty of these two psalms, the usefulness and power of the entire book is opened before us. This episode examines Psalm 150, and the joyful parade it introduces.

This series explore the entire book of Psalms in just two episodes. Psalm 1 introduces the entire book. And Psalm 150 sums it all up. By exploring the pictures, the sounds, and the beauty of these two psalms, the usefulness and power of the entire book is opened before us. This episode examines Psalm 1, and the happy person it introduces.

Did you know that the book of Jonah is actually a comedy? Through a series of role reversals and ironies that make us laugh, the book opens our heart with humor to its serious lesson: God’s call to love our enemies. In this six part series on the book of Jonah, we explore the humor and conviction of this ancient piece of comedy. The sixth episode completes the series with reflections on the Song of Jonah (Jonah 2:2-9), the literary and theological heart of the book.

Did you know that the book of Jonah is actually a comedy? Through a series of role reversals and ironies that make us laugh, the book opens our heart with humor to its serious lesson: God’s call to love our enemies. In this six part series on the book of Jonah, we explore the humor and conviction of this ancient piece of comedy. The fifth episode examines Jonah’s encounter with a worm, and his final lesson on God’s love (Jonah 4:1-11).

Did you know that the book of Jonah is actually a comedy? Through a series of role reversals and ironies that make us laugh, the book opens our heart with humor to its serious lesson: God’s call to love our enemies. In this six part series on the book of Jonah, we explore the humor and conviction of this ancient piece of comedy. The fourth episode follows Jonah’s journey to Nineveh in the desert (Jonah 3:1-10).

Did you know that the book of Jonah is actually a comedy? Through a series of role reversals and ironies that make us laugh, the book opens our heart with humor to its serious lesson: God’s call to love our enemies. In this six part series on the book of Jonah, we explore the humor and conviction of this ancient piece of comedy. The third episode examines Jonah’s encounter with the great fish (Jonah 1:17-2:10).

Did you know that the book of Jonah is actually a comedy? Through a series of role reversals and ironies that make us laugh, the book opens our heart with humor to its serious lesson: God’s call to love our enemies. In this six part series on the book of Jonah, we explore the humor and conviction of this ancient piece of comedy. The second episode follows Jonah’s flight to Tarshish by sea (Jonah 1:1-16).

Did you know that the book of Jonah is actually a comedy? Through a series of role reversals and ironies that make us laugh, the book opens our heart with humor to its serious lesson: God’s call to love our enemies. In this six part series on the book of Jonah, we explore the humor and conviction of this ancient piece of comedy. The first episode provides an introduction and overview. (Note: in this episode, I make reference to a set of ancient carvings held at the British Museum called “The Siege of Lachish Reliefs.” Searching online for that title will bring up images you can examine.)

Jesus' beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) are among the most beloved of his sayings. But they are also among the most misunderstood. In this three part series, I want to look at the beauty of Jesus' beatitudes. Part 3 completes this study with Christ's call to measure happiness by ones growth in his goodness—even when that requires hardship.

Jesus' beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) are among the most beloved of his sayings. But they are also among the most misunderstood. In this three part series, I want to look at the beauty of Jesus' beatitudes. Part 2 explores the paradoxical connections that Jesus draws between the experience of hardships and joy.

Jesus' beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) are among the most beloved of his sayings. But they are also among the most misunderstood. In this three part series, I want to look at the beauty of Jesus' beatitudes. Part 1 poses the question, "What is a beatitude?"

My name is Michael LeFebvre, and I think the Bible is beautiful. This podcast is somewhere between art appreciation and devotional meditation, as I explore both the literary and the theological beauty of various passages in the Bible.