Scripture First

We're discussing the opening verses of the Gospel of Mark, starting with, "1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Sarah Stenson explains how this verse shows how the entir…

It's the most wonderful time of the year, but when you show up to church this week you're going to hear this passage about imminent destruction and the impending end times. It's a common reaction to …

In one of Jesus' last parables before being crucified, He mentions terms Christians hear all the time: Son of Man, blessed by the father, sheep and goats. Kiri, Max, and Mason slow down and ask Sarah…

This week, we're discussing the Parable of the Talents where Jesus describes a man giving three of his slaves extremely valuable property: approximately worth $2 million or 16 years worth of earnings…

We dive into the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids with Sarah Stenson this week. Five wise bridesmaids were prepared for the bridegroom by bringing oil for their lamps. Compare that to the five foolish …

For All Saints Sunday, we're welcoming Lars Olson to break down the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount: the Beatitudes. As you'll hear Lars teach us, people who have diseases, demons, and are dy…

It's Reformation Sunday and Sarah Stenson and Lars Olson join the podcast to break down the bedrock of biblical Reformation theology and Martin Luther's law-gospel distinction by answering Kiri and M…

The Pharisees plot to entrap Jesus in an impossible to answer question. If Jesus answers one way, He breaks Jewish law by breaking the First Commandment. If He answers the other way, the Roman author…

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet—when Jesus tells a parable, He's talking about election. In this week's lectionary text, Jesus tells the Pharisees a parable about a king gave a wedding banquet for…

In this week's lectionary text, Jesus continues to address the Pharisees who questioned His authority last week. He tells them a different kind of parable—not a parable of election, but a parable add…

“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” The religious power players confront Jesus about His teaching and preaching with authority. Jesus flips the question o…

In this week's episode, Jesus is explaining what the kingdom of heaven is like by comparing it to a generous landowner who hires laborers to work in his vineyard at all times of the day, promising to…

In Adam's farewell episode, we're discussing Peter's natural question after Jesus tells him the definition of the church is to use the office of the keys to bind and loose sin. How often do I have to…

The only time in the entire Bible Jesus says the word, "church," is in this week's lectionary text. It's the only place Jesus defines what His church means, we better pay attention! Kiri and Mason as…

For the first time, Jesus tells His disciples He's going to be killed and be raised from the dead. Understandably, Peter objects, "This must never happen to you," causing Jesus to say to him, "Get be…

Jesus opens this week's text by asking His disciples a general question, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" As you'll hear Lars Olson teach Kiri and Mason, the disciples answer: John the Bap…

After dealing with the Pharisees and their cleanliness and righteousness in the law, Jesus enters pagan cities and encounters a Canaanite woman whose daughter is tormented by a demon. Adam and Mason …

The miracle of Jesus walking on the water—Kiri and Mason welcome Dr. Chris Croghan back to the podcast to discuss this well-known text and call out the subtle details between the action that preaches…

Feeding the 5000, a miracle story found in all four gospels—Kiri and Mason welcome Sarah Stenson back to Scripture First to break down this famous passage. Sarah teaches us how this story is not a st…

Jesus says He purposely makes parables difficult to understand so we turn to Him for the explanation. This week, we have four parables in the same lectionary text: the parables of the mustard seed, t…