A Light to the Nations

Feb 28 2025 52 ep. 16 mins 10

A Light to the Nations Podcast artwork

A Light to the Nations is a bi-weekly podcast examining all parts of the biblical story from a functional perspective. Instead of asking what words means, we consider instead their function, i. e., how they are used in other parts of the Bible. In each episode will discuss the functionality of words and how that allows us hear the teaching.

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From A To Z.

Feb 28 2025 15 mins

From A To Z.When we hear Scripture, we are always beyond the grace. This is point A. And we always have the peace - point Z - ahead of us. All of the epistles of Paul start with “grace and peace,” and they all end with “grace.” He gives you the starting point and the end point at the outset, but then after teaching for the duration of his letter, he leaves you a reminder of

Nothing But The Text.

Feb 14 2025 17 mins

In Galatians, Paul maintains that God’s promise to Abraham was implemented in Christ; and that this “freedom from the curse” was accomplished specifically through his going to the cross, essentially becoming a curse for us. The basis for his conclusion is neither philosophical or mystical, but is the same as in all his letters: Scriptural, that is, according to that which is

I Am Not Ashamed.

Jan 31 2025 20 mins

What’s Your Problem?Hearers of the gospel often put too much emphasis on Jesus’ death as death. In Scripture, death itself is not an issue since all are dust to dust. What carries more weight is the shameful way he was put to death - by crucifixion. While some deaths can be seen as noble and dignified, even heroic and glorious, crucifixion was abject and shameful. When Jesus sa

Against Hope In Hope.

Jan 24 2025 16 mins

When we insist on historicizing the biblical text, we diminish its value as a teaching. “Did that really happen?” we often ask and then look for verification. It is likewise a calamity when we hear Scripture as a philosophy, in Greek, the “love of wisdom.” The Bible was written against human wisdom, and its teaching is that true wisdom is to found in the words of instructio

Ode To The Torah.

Nov 29 2024 20 mins

Scripture In Four Parts.In the Torah, when the Lord delivers Israel out of Egypt, he gives commandments and statutes which they are required to keep; this Law is understood to be the expression of his will, instructions on how to live if the Lord is indeed your God. (and since it is he who delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh and is bringing them into a land of promise to serve

Naked Deception, part 2.

Nov 15 2024 13 mins

Naked Deception! part 2: Nothing New Under The Sun.Recently my son, who is 10, was asking about God - does he love us and does he punish us? I said yes, both of those are true. I reminded him of the story of Noah and the flood. Then he asked, how could God love us if he wanted to wipe us out from the face of the earth? But son, I asked, don’t you see? You and I are still here. Di

Naked Deception, part 1.

Nov 01 2024 12 mins

Naked Deception, Part 1:Smooth Criminal.You don’t need a theological degree to understand the Bible. If you have ears to hear what the text is saying, the message can be quite clear. That’s why, in the Gospels, Jesus teaches in parables - to make the message so straightforward that the only excuse people could have for not getting it is their own unwillingness to hear and to su

Son Of Man.

Oct 18 2024 13 mins

You know what he said. So what are you doing here? In the Gospel of Luke, the women go to the tomb and do not find Jesus; they meet two men who remind them what Jesus said; they remember what he said; and they go and report all to the eleven and all the rest. The “all” here refers to everything Jesus said while he was still with them. The phrase “he is not here; he is risen�

A Common Table.

Oct 04 2024 14 mins

Episode 43 - A Common Table.In the culture of the ancient Near East, to sit at a table and share a meal with someone means you are at one with that person. It is with this understanding, which is still prevalent in middle eastern culture today, that we hear the Pharisee’s complaints against Jesus in the Gospel: why would he accept “unclean” tax collectors and sinners at his t

Jesus Is Lord?

Sep 25 2024 5 mins

“The Lordship of Jesus is on you if you trust in the word of the gospel and you become doulos xristou.” This is an extract from an audio commentary on the Gospel of Mark by the Rev. Fr. Paul Nadim Tarazi. In his reading of Mark 3:11-12, Fr. Paul makes an aside about what the titles “Son of God,” “Christ” and “Lord” mean and why, in the narrative, Jesus systematicall