The Bible as Literature

Latest Episodes:

The Bringer of the Law Dec 28, 2017

Show notes

In the discipline of Jiu Jitsu, when an opponent strikes you, his aggression is understood as an opportunity to use his power against him. A similar principle is found in the Bible, with a slight twist: throughout the Old Testament, the Lord uses the aggression of Israel’s enemies as an opportunity to use the enemies’ power against Israel for the sake of Israel’s instruction, so that through the application of this instruction, both Israel and the enemy can be saved. This template is applied forcefully in Mark 15. Even as Jesus is besieged by violence and corruption from all sides, Mark demonstrates how Israel, represented by Simon of Cyrene (the one who “hears” the Torah) is only able to walk according to its instruction when forced to do so by the Romans. Put another way, in Mark, Israel needs the Nations in order to fulfill the commandment of the Law. Sound familiar? If not, please take note, and reread all of St. Paul’s letters...several times.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:16-21.

Episode 206 Mark 15:16-21; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “I Can Feel it Coming” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Neither Nor Dec 21, 2017

Show notes

Too often, the Bible is coopted by people who seek to advance a personal agenda. Whether laying claim to a piece of land, as in the case of Manifest Destiny, or justifying slavery in the Civil War era, we Americans have a long history of mixing apples and oranges. We hear the Lord’s promise of a homeland and assume that he is talking about Native American (or Palestinian) real-estate; we are confronted with St. Paul’s teaching—that we are slaves in God’s Roman household—and instead of bowing our heads, we twist and distort his words to justify the tyranny of our plantation system. This happens over and over again, because human beings assume that if option A is wrong, option B must be right; if God is saying submit to authority, the authority must be right; or, conversely, if God is saying that the king is an antichrist, the people must be right. We neglect the most important point about the Lord’s judgement: that it is functional. It’s not that one side is justified over another, it’s that you yourself are wrong because God happens to be looking at you. That’s why, to our face, Caesar, the biblical antichrist, is also also Caesar, the governing authority, who serves at the pleasure of God. As Paul explains in Romans:

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus defies taxation by neither opposing nor endorsing it; likewise, in chapter 15, he defies Ceasar by neither rejecting nor supporting the authority of Pilate. He merely submits. Why? Because for him, neither the Scribes and the Pharisees, nor the people, nor the evil spirits, nor Pilate, nor Caesar hold any power. The only power that Jesus recognizes in Mark is the authority of his Father, vested in the content of Scripture. As such, the Markan Jesus owes “nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:6-15.

Episode 205 Mark 15:6-15; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “SONG” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Stockholm Syndrome Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

To the extent that the Old Testament repeatedly hammers the worship of idols, it's understandable why so many are quick to dismiss its relevance. These days, most people understand that the many statues of the ancient gods are just statues, hunks of stone fashioned and shaped to reflect the human imagination. In Paul's own words, “We all know that there is no such thing as an idol.” (1 Corinthians 8:4) But if we all know that this is true, Paul continues, why do the Corinthians persist in the worship of idols?

In the Bible, idolatry pertains not just to power, but to the power we give ourselves through our loyalties. We choose to follow people and ideas that we believe will benefit us. When someone looks at the person or object they choose to follow, they see their needs and wants fulfilled. Likewise, when someone looks at an idol, in the absence of a written text, all they can hear is the faint echo of their own ego. For the biblical writers, to gaze affectionately at a statue is to join Narcissus by the pool, staring into the abyss of our own reflection.

So powerful and attractive is this hoax, that we eagerly give authority to people and things that are ultimately harmful. We look to a strongman and feel strong, because we trust that he will smash our enemies. We look to our captor and feel safe, because we decide that following him is our safest bet. We even delude ourselves that such a person is our friend. That's why, in the Old Testament, the people of Israel repeatedly chase after other kings and other gods. It's also why, when confronted with Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, “the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council,” look not to Scripture, but to Caesar for justice.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:1-5.

Episode 204 Mark 15:1-5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Immersed” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Peter and Judas Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

When confronted with the failure of the Lord's disciples in Mark, it's tempting for hearers of the gospel to weigh and measure betrayal as a matter of degree. Why? Because while we may be willing to admit that we sometimes betray, even the best of us are reluctant to identify with the sin of Judas. As a consequence, we desperately want to believe that the sin of Peter's denial is somehow less scandalous; we excuse Peter because we want to excuse ourselves. But “All of us,” Isaiah exclaims, “like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon him.” (Isaiah 53:6)

And again, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

And yet again, “Our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: Transgressing and denying the Lord, and turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.” (Isaiah 59:12-14)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:66-72.

Episode 203 Mark 14:66-72; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Vanishing” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How Do You Catch a Cloud? Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

When we take any action—especially in rebellion—the emotional satisfaction of doing what we want whenever we want creates the illusion of freedom. But what does it mean to be free? To the extent that Scripture knows exactly how we are going to behave when we disobey its instruction, can we honestly claim that we are in control of our lives? Moreover, to what lengths will we go to maintain this illusion of control?

As if to amplify the warning of the Gerasene's bondage, in Mark 14, everyone surrounding Jesus is confronted with a choice: obey Scripture or obey your chains; submit to the Lord's teaching or commit violence against it; accept the Lord's control, which is life-giving, or embrace your chains, bound to your own destruction. How, chief priests, do you solve a problem like Jesus? You may think that you're preserving your temple by attacking him, but how can you sack a temple without walls? You desperately want to believe that you've arrested him, but how can you catch a cloud and pin it down?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:53-65.

Episode 202 Mark 14:53-65; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hard Boiled” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

All Have Turned Aside Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

“What then,” Paul exclaimed to the church in Rome, “Are we better than they?”

Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written:

“There is no one who is righteous, not even one; There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is no one who does good, not even one.

“Their throat is an open grave; With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9-19)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:43-52.

Episode 201 Mark 14:43-52; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Corruption” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Seeing With Your Ears Nov 16, 2017

Show notes

In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus commands his disciples to keep watch, the biblical writer is drawing upon a broader system of terminology in Scripture that stresses vigilance at all hours--even at midnight, when most are people are sleeping--through the study of Scripture:

When I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches, for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life to destroy it will go into the depths of the earth. They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; they will be a prey for foxes. (Psalm 63:6-10)

The imagery in Psalm 63, and by extension, in Mark 14, plays on the idea of keeping watch as a defense against danger, but the manner of defense is not that of a soldier standing guard at midnight, but of a studious disciple meditating upon the Lord's instruction at all times, so as to remain steadfast in the moment of truth.

And he said to Peter: “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?” (14:37)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:32-42.

Episode 200 Mark 14:32-42; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Mesmerize” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Table Fellowship Nov 09, 2017

Show notes

All of us know something about the worst of ourselves but all of us struggle to hide from it. Arguably, a direct correlation exists between mental illness and our inability to be honest with ourselves about ourselves. Driven by fear, we deflect criticism by criticising our own sins in other people. With very little information or context, we rush to condemn each other. Perhaps that’s why we all assume that Jesus is talking about Judas when he says, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” We know that Judas cut a deal with the priests, so we assume that Jesus is talking about him and we happily join in the disciples’ the chorus, “Surely, not I?” But as you now should come to expect, in the Gospel of Mark, when anyone is sitting at table doing business with Jesus, nothing is ever as it seems. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:22-31.

Episode 199 Mark 14:22-31; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hidden Past” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We Are Judas Nov 02, 2017

Show notes

When Scripture deals with any sin, our natural reaction as human beings is to look around and single out others for committing that sin. Once this happens, it’s not long before we accuse or abuse others in the name of righteousness, or worse, as in the case of World War II, accuse and shame people of a specific religious or ethic group, committing unspeakable horrors against them in the name of the Bible. This behavior continues today against many peoples and many religions, and is exactly the behavior that Mark condemns in his account of Judas’ treason.

In the Bible, it’s not about who you are or what you believe; it’s about how you choose to behave once you have been chosen to hear the Good News of God’s teaching.

Once we have received the Gospel of Mark, we have been called. If we are called and subsequently turn our back on God by mistreating others, then, truly, we are Judas and we have betrayed Jesus Christ. Given the magnitude of Judas’ mistake, this should give all of us pause; God willing, such a long pause that we would think twice before our next action. Do we welcome immigrants and foreigners with open arms? Do we zealously pursue peace in the face of violence? Do we show mercy toward those who have been accused? Most importantly, do we recognize our own sins before looking to anyone else?

A life committed to the teaching of Jesus Christ is a fruitful life well worth living, because it is given in service to mercy, charity, hospitality and compassion toward others for the sake of the common good.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:17-21

This week’s episode is followed by a special interview with Fr. Paul Nadim Tarazi about his new book, The Rise of Scripture.

Episode 198 Mark 14:17-21; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Thunderbird” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

A Scathing Self-Critique Oct 26, 2017

Show notes

When any community—religious or otherwise—attempts to promote its agenda, the discussion always begins with an accounting of what makes their group special, or, alternatively, of what is wrong with all the other groups. Both approaches, whether self-praising or neighbor-bashing, represent the same lie: the deeply held human conviction that God shows partiality. In Mark, no one is good except God. In this light, the fact that Judas betrays Jesus should not come as a surprise. What is surprising, however, is who Judas represents in the story. While everyone else is running around trying to convince everyone else that they are right and everyone else should listen to them, in Mark, as in all of Scripture, the biblical writer evangelizes, not by promoting himself or his religious community, but—pointedly—by proclaiming the sin and hypocrisy of himself and his people. You might ask, “is this approach practical?” Here’s your answer: you are listening to a podcast about the self-critique the biblical writers proposed over two thousand years ago and trying to figure out how this applies to your life. Do you think their approach worked?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:10-16.

Episode 197 Mark 14:10-16; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Android Sock Hop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected