Growing Deeper: Recent Episodes
Garrett and Melissa
Over the last few years, we have fallen in love with the Scriptures, how through them God has made himself known to us, and his ultimate desire to dwell among us.
We want to invite you to join us on this journey as God reveals himself to us through his Word.
We also want to be real about our lives, our struggles and our joys.
GrowingDeeperPodcast@gmail.com
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
After Jesus healing so many, he looks on the crowds and his heart goes out to them. They have been longing to be cared for but their leaders have left them feeling tired and thrown away. So Jesus looks on them with compassion, which doesn't mean he just feels for them but that he does something about it.
Matthew has demonstrated Jesus' authority over various things; illnesses, demons, nature, and sins. But as the old adage goes "two things are always certain. Death and taxes." Is there anything that more certainly has a hold over us than death? So what happens when Jesus' authority is put up against death itself?
Continuing the theme of authority, Jesus claims the authority to forgive sins. But, of course, there's no way to know if he's telling the truth right? Further, there is only one being that can forgive sins and that is Yahweh alone!
The cost of following Jesus is high. Every potential follower of Jesus should know that. It is precisely because the disciples follow Jesus that they find themselves in the middle of a massive storm. But with a word Jesus rebukes the sea and it becomes calm. Who is this that the winds and the sea obey him!?
After completing the Discourse on Discipleship, Matthew highlights interactions that Jesus has with various people. What is notable about the first three is that they would be considered outsiders among Matthew's primary audience. Why would Matthew bring these to the forefront and what do these healings say about what Jesus is like and who he is?
In the last section of the Discourse on Discipleship, Jesus puts before us four different choices. Just like in Deuteronomy, he has laid before us life and death and calls us to choose life by following him.
Matthew 7:1-12 contains three well-known teachings of Jesus. Unfortunately they are also heavily misused and misunderstood teachings of Jesus.
Continuing Jesus' discourse on discipleship, we discuss what it means to store up treasures "in heaven". We also how Jesus calls us to remember God is first and foremost or Father and how that affects an anxious heart to know the creator of the universe cares for his people.
We continue through Jesus 'Discourse on Discipleship' and discuss what the true heart of the disciple should be when we give, pray, and fast.
Jesus continues his discourse on discipleship explaining that he did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. What does this mean exactly? Well, thankfully he gave us at least six examples after that to show us what he meant. He is saying that he has come to show what the law always pointed to and how it was provided to reveal our hard hearts and to show us the true heart of God. Therefore, if we are to seek God, we should not throw away the law but pursue the heart of God which it reveals.
After Jesus has passed the test in the wilderness, he begins to proclaim the kingdom of heaven is here and starts collecting disciples. In this chapter, Jesus begins his kingly manifesto to which he calls all of his disciples to. Jesus begins by proclaiming blessings but it is upon people who would be considered losers in their society. But Jesus is emphatic that it is to and through these types of people (the meek, the poor in spirit, etc.) that the kingdom is coming. Dive in with us and see if you can see the Sermon on the Mount with fresh eyes.
After coming out of Egypt and passing through the waters, Jesus is taken into the wilderness to be tested just like Israel before him. As Israel's representative, the question that hangs on the scene is: "Will he fail the test the way every other human before him did, or will he pass the test as the true Israelite?" After fasting for forty days, Jesus enters into a battle of sorts with the slanderer. However, Jesus does not use force to combat the slanderer but the word of God. By being obedient to God's word, Jesus emerges victorious and begins his ministry proclaiming the same thing John was saying "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here!"
Matthew enters a new character onto the scene of John the Baptist. He shows John as preparing the way for God, Yahweh himself, to come and reign as king. The character who enters onto the scene as an answer to this, is Jesus. In other words, Jesus is not only the Messiah but Yahweh in the flesh. But there are others who stand by watching. They believe they are the chosen ones of God and put their hope in their heritage. But John tells them that the true children of Abraham aren't necessarily genealogically descended from Abraham but those who "bear fruit in keeping with repentance."
Matthew quotes all kinds of OT texts and says that they are fulfilled in Jesus’ story. But what if those texts were never Messianic in nature? Is Matthew just picking random texts out of context and forcing them to fit his story or is there more to is?
After 600 years of darkness, the Jewish people have been ruled over by one oppressor after the next. We thought Yahweh was the God of the Exodus. How long will Yahweh let this go on? Matthew writes his gospel into that darkness and proclaims the faithfulness of God. He is doing an act of new creation and fulfilling his covenant promises to David and Abraham through Jesus the Anointed One! Light has broken through the darkness and God has come to dwell with us again!
Yahweh is going to set things right. He must or he is not good. But for those who find their hope in him, he is a refuge and to them he will restore the blessings of Eden.
What happens when God’s people repent? Does he just cease being mad at them? Does he just stop allowing calamity? No, God desires to pour out blessing upon his people but he won’t stand for them to continue in their sinful way.
When the locust swarm comes and takes away everything, what opportunity does that give us? Yahweh doesn’t just take things away for the sake of taking them away. Joel sees it as an opportunity for us to look towards God and put out hope and trust in him.
In the face of Babylon, Habakkuk remembers what God has done in the past to trust in who he will be in the future. Faith isn’t blind. It’s seeing how God has already been faithful and trustworthy in the past and then trusting he will be the same in the future despite the present circumstances.
In this episode we talk about the most memorable prayers God has answered for us. Then we get into God’s answer to Habakkuk. What is God doing about evil? Will he let it go on forever? What answer does Yahweh have for Babylon and any subsequent nation that acts like Babylon?
If Yahweh is good, why does he allow the evil to prosper? Have you ever asked this before? Well so does Habakkuk. This book is a lament of a prophet trying to find an answer to this question.
The resolution of the whole Exodus story is here! Moses sets up the tabernacle and Yahweh dwells among his people. But is this where the Exodus theme ends? How do the New Testament writers see this theme finding its fulfillment in the works and person of Jesus?
Moses’ intercession is effective and Yahweh’s forgives Israel for the adulterous act of the golden calf. So what now? The Israelites’ response is tremendous. Having been forgiven much, they love much. They are willing to do anything and give up anything for the God who desires to live among them.
This is the climax of the book of Exodus. Everything in the story has led to this point. When Yahweh describes himself what does he say and how should this shape how we respond to him?
Yahweh tells Moses that he will give the Israelites the promised land, but he also informs them that he will not go with them. You would think that would fulfill all of Moses’ desires considering just last chapter, he was interceding for God not to destroy Israel. But this is not what Moses desires, not even close. What is it that Moses desires for the people above even the land of Canaan?
As we finally get back to the narrative of Exodus, we are excited to see Israel start doing their thing living as God’s people. But they can’t even make it 40 days before breaking the first command of God! It’s a huge disappointment. But there is one who could intercede for them. Will he? And if so, how will he?
After describing all the aspects of the tabernacle God chooses agents through which he will create his dwelling on earth. He also requires that his people rest. He is not like Pharoah, driving his subjects into the dirt. Instead, he is a king who desires rest for his people.
Smells have a way of taking us back to a place and time. Honeysuckles remind us of childhood summers or cinnamon rolls bring back feelings of Christmas morning. What effect then would the spices of the anointing oil and incense have? What would they make the Israelites think of?
In Exodus 29, Aaron and his sons are consecrated to God. First off, what does ‘consecrated’ even mean? It’s a very churchy word. Further, why all the blood of bulls and burnt offerings? Does blood of bulls actually do anything or is it God doing something?
In this episode we talk about the Ascension Altar and the courtyard. What was the purpose of a “korban” (offering)? Is it primarily to deal with sins or is that a sub-function of the ultimate goal?
Yahweh wants to dwell in and among his people. But in order to do so, he must have a dwelling that allows for his presence to be among them without destroying them. This is a difficult section of the Bible to read, but I hope we can help you see its significance.
After a whirlwind of events in the last two weeks, we are back at it. This episode we start discussing God’s dwelling place among his people. These texts are hard to read sometimes, but the creator of the universe is setting up his house to live with his people!
In this episode Mel and discuss difficult life decisions and how we deal (or don’t deal) with them. We also get into the beautiful picture of communion with God that is displayed in Exodus 24. Oh to behold the feet of Yahweh!
In this episode, we go into some of Garrett’s anxiety issues. Things aren’t always the way they seem on the outside but being open and honest about our struggles and fears will help us cope. We also get deep into the rest of the Book of the Covenant, which is actually quite surprising. I thought “love your enemies” was a New Testament thing!? But, it turns out, God has always desired for us to look for ways to bless our enemies and those who persecute us.
In this episode we continue reading the Book of the Covenant. We can glean from this section that God cares about how we deal with stolen goods and that he deeply cares about how we treat the stranger among us, the widow, and the orphan.
In this episode we start reading what’s commonly known as the Book of the Covenant. These “laws” seem really ancient to us because they ARE ancient. They are not commands for all people of all time. They are to a particular people at a particular time set in a specific narrative. If we don’t consider its context and its genre, we have very little chance of understanding its purpose in the Bible.
Now at Sinai Yahweh gives his people a gift. He enters into covenant relationship with them and starts revealing his will through his commands. How should we read these commands? Are they to be used the way we use statutory law? We usually think about law as protecting my rights but the ten words in Exodus 20 are about protecting others rights.
This week we cover one of the most under appreciated chapters in the Hebrew Scriptures. This chapter, awesome by itself, helps fill out so many other parts of the scriptures. Yahweh is descending to meet his people and it’s not to be taken lightly.
In this episode we talk about our favorite Thanksgiving dishes and Caleb’s revelation of what a popular Christmas song is saying. Then in Exodus 18 we discuss Moses’ interaction with his father-in-law at the foot of Sinai and what it may be saying about what the Israelites are becoming.
In this episode Garrett tells his most embarrassing story and then we get into more of Israel’s complaints to God and how he’s still compassionate, teaching, and guiding them in the desert.
In this episode Melissa tells one of her embarrassing stories and we get into God’s provision in the desert. Why does God test the Israelites? Is he tempting them to try to get them to fail or is it something deeper and more loving than that?
In this episode you get to hear a ghost story from Garrett then we dive deep into what is most likely the oldest part of the Bible. The Israelites both celebrate God’s deliverance but quickly forget his power once they get into the desert.
This is the scene everybody knows when they think of Exodus. For good reason too. It’s absolutely awesome!
In this episode we really dig in to what yeast symbolizes in the scriptures and how it gets used throughout. We also talk about why the firstborn need to be consecrated and how God will not depart from his people.
In this episode, we get further into the Passover and its significance not just for the Israelites at the time but for the generations to come. We also get a glimpse into how familiar Jesus and the NT writers were with this text and how they use it.
In this episode we cover the first section of the Passover. After 61 chapters of the Torah, we finally reach our first liturgical instructions. It makes you wonder if the Torah is made to do what we’ve commonly thought (give laws) or something else (tell a story about God’s relationship with humanity). Also, this story may be the most key piece to understanding the Last Supper had with his disciples. If you don’t know this story, you’ll never know the fullness of what Jesus is doing at the meal he holds.
In this episode we do our best to wrestle with a really difficult chapter in scripture. Things don’t always make sense to us. Most likely, it’s because of the culture and time we are in. When things are difficult for us to grapple with in scripture, maybe that’s a flag that we need to look inward and come to grips with why it bothers us so much.
Melissa and I talk more in-depth about the Hebrew words behind the “hardened” heart of Pharaoh. Also, we discuss the de-creative aspects of the narrative and how Yahweh is returning Egypt into the Genesis 1:2 state even undoing his statement of “let there be light”.
Melissa and I go through plagues 5-7 and the patterns that have reoccurred throughout the narrative. Why do biblical authors do this? Is it just boring because they weren’t smart enough to write different things? Or is there purpose and meaning behind it?
In this episode we hear from Spenser his favorite scripture. In this chapter we get to see Moses start to come into his role just like Yahweh knew he could.
This week we hear from Brianna on her favorite scripture! We also cover the first throw down between Yahweh and Pharaoh. One way or another, Pharaoh will come to know Yahweh, and he will be revealed for who he truly is.
When Moses has become frustrated and can’t understand why God has not done anything, Yahweh reminds Moses who he is and what he is committed to doing to remember his covenant.
In this episode we hear from Sarah on her favorite scripture. We also get into Exodus 5 and Pharaoh’s response to Yahweh’s order to let his people go. Surely Moses stands up and defends Yahweh after he mocks him right?
In this episode, we get to hear Amy’s favorite scripture. In Exodus 4 we get to hear some more honest feelings from Moses and learn how it’s not our abilities that matter. What matters is that Yahweh is patient with us and goes with us into Egypt.
In this episode, we respond to a question from Holli and get to hear Josh’s scripture which has made an impact on him. In this chapter, Moses comes into contact with this holy God in the mountain and is invited into partnership with him. He is given the personal name of Yahweh and let’s Moses know, he sees his people’s suffering and is coming to do something about it.
In this episode we answer a question from Josh and hear from Holli on a scripture that’s impactful to her right now. Exodus 2 introduces this character Moses and he’s supposed to be righteous right? He’s Moses. But the first thing we see him do is murder another person and cover up the body. What does this mean? How can God’s leader start out this way?
In this episode, we kick off the study of the Exodus. This is the foundational story of the Hebrew Bible and will help us understand the rest of the Bible. We also get to hear from Kait on her favorite scripture right now!
In this episode, Melissa goes into depth on who her zombie apocalypse team would be. We also discuss the steadfast love of Yahweh that he pours out through his human representatives. He has always worked through imperfect humans and that’s no different now than it was then.
In this chapter, we continue to explore the ‘hesed’ of Ruth and Boaz. What would the world look like if we continually considered other people more important than ourselves? I think this is emulated through all three of the major characters in this story. Join us as we dive in!
Ruth 2 introduces Boaz as a new character. He’s identified as a rich man in Elimelech’s family. So the question seems to be, will he be like the men we find in Judges, or will he be different? Will Boaz take advantage of his status?
Ruth is a beautiful story of faithfulness and dedication. We open this book and learn what it means for Yahweh to be full of steadfast love and how often that is demonstrated by the most unlikely characters.
These two chapters are among the most vivid sections of poetry in the whole Hebrew Bible. You likely have never heard them spoken from any pulpit. Nineveh is utterly ruined and exposed for their true self. These are difficult passages but we have to try to break down our cultural biases to help appreciate these aspects of Yahweh and also be humbled by it.
Many people don’t even know this book exists in the Bible. It’s a difficult book to read and understand. Although this book revolves around the destruction of Nineveh, it’s primarily good news to those oppressed by Nineveh. Yahweh wants to have compassion on Nineveh as we discussed in Jonah. But, Yahweh will not continuously put up with nations who oppress others and are full of violence and Nineveh is the example which is given in this short book. It seems the underlying message is that there will be a new Exodus and those who trust in him will be liberated from the slavery of the powers of darkness.
As the prophet of Yahweh, Micah becomes the representative of his people. Although Yahweh will send them into exile, he will deal with their sins and restore them. He “will cast their sins into the depths of the sea” and he will keep his promises. That’s who Yahweh is and will always be.
This chapter contains one of the most well known verses in the Hebrew Scriptures. What does it mean to “do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God” and have we ever really considered its context? If we do, does it change what our response to who Yahweh is?
Micah 5 is full of hope for a group of people who have lost their nation, their king, and their families. One day, a king will come and he will lead them out of exile! Matthew very much sees the ministry of Jesus in these words of Micah.
God’s wrath is always encapsulated in his love. He disciplines his children so that something good might grow out of it. This is Micah’s hope in the exile. Right now, they do not uphold the mishpat of God, so they are going to go into Babylon. But that won’t be the end of the story.
In this episode we step into the book of Micah. These are uncomfortable chapters but I think it’s best that we just meet them head-on and stop avoiding them. Yahweh is not going to put up with his people taking advantage of the less fortunate. We are supposed to be a kingdom of priests and this book challenges us on how serious that is to Yahweh.
In this episode finish up the book of Jonah and how Nineveh is “overturned” in a way Jonah did not intend. Right here in the middle of Hebrew Bible we experience a God who is abounding in love and compassion for his world.
Melissa and I kick off the awesome story of Jonah. It’s not the story you learned in Sunday school.
We conclude the book of Esther and how God has had his hand in this the whole time. It’s built into God’s character to take the evil of man and turn it for good.
In this episode, Melissa and I talk through the turning point of the book of Esther and how it echos the whole of scripture and especially the crucifixion and great commission narratives.
Esther goes before the king and asks......for a banquet to ask for a banquet. Wait, what? Also Haman gets to exalt the one who the king favors! yay
In this episode Melissa and I tackle two awesome but very different chapters. Some dude named Haman is given the throne and decides to kill all the Jews. To deal with this, Esther is willing to give her life for her people.
In this episode we track through Esther chapter two and how strangely familiar it is to a popular reality tv show...
In this episode we go through Esther chapter 1 and tease out the beginning this awesome book!