Sermon on the Mount E8 – Why does Jesus call his followers salt and light? In the Hebrew Bible, salt is a metaphor for God’s long-lasting covenant with Israel, connected to priestly sacrifices, ritual purity, and social bonds. And the Hebrew word for light, or , shares a wordplay with torah , meaning God’s wise instruction. God’s wisdom given in the Torah is a light for Israel that they are called to share with the nations. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss the meanings of salt and light, showing how Jesus applies these covenant words to his new community of followers. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Chapter 1: The Meaning of Salt and Light in the Bible (0:00-9:29) Chapter 2: A Key Hebrew Wordplay Between “Light” and “Instruction” (9:29-11:49) Chapter 3: Light and God’s Torah in the Book of Isaiah (11:49-29:21) Chapter 4: Salt and Light as Metaphors for the Covenant (29:21-46:29) Referenced Resources Matthew 1-7: Volume 1 (International Critical C
Sermon on the Mount E7 – What will it cost us to live like Jesus in our world? In the third and final triad of the Beatitudes, Jesus declares that the good life belongs to the peacemakers. But making peace Jesus-style will mean conflict, pain, difficulty, and even persecution. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and others explore the cultural tensions surrounding Jesus, his audience, and the four ancient groups who tried to make peace and how Jesus’ teachings created conflict with all of these groups. View more resources on our website → Timestamps Chapter 1: The Meaning of Peacemaking (0:00-7:18) Chapter 2: The Four Kinds of People in Jesus’ Audience (7:18-18:14) Chapter 3: Jesus Makes Peace Differently (18:14-21:12) Chapter 4: Why Peacemaking Leads to Persecution (21:12-24:27) Chapter 5: Investing in the New Creation (24:27-37:52) Chapter 6: A Musical Summary of the Beatitudes (37:52-44:10) Referenced Resources Check out Tim’s library here. You can experience our entire library of
My friend (and doctoral student) Kat Armstrong has a brand new podcast with Christianity Today, called Holy Curiosity. This podcast highlights the genius