John 3:16 and Nicodemus

In today's episode, we wrestle with St Paul's description of the Mosaic Law in Romans, which he indicates is both good, yet a cause of us stumbling. We conclude by pointing out how Paul resolves this inherent conflict with the Law. 

In John 12, Jesus begins the final week of His earthly ministry, with "Greeks" (Gentiles) coming to hear Him. We discuss what this signifies and how it connects to Jesus statement that when He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Himself. We also discuss the notion of Jesus comparing His death to a grain of wheat. 

We discuss the events that led to one of the first deacons, Philip, baptizing many of the Samaritans, and why Peter and John later came to lay hands on them for the reception of the Holy Spirit. We contemplated the devastation and confusion of the disciples following Jesus' crucifixion, and concluded with an explanation of how this distinction between baptism and the laying on of hands applies to the Church today. 

We discuss why John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus, questioning if Jesus was the Messiah. Through that exchange, we come to realize how John can be called "the greatest born of women," yet least in the kingdom of heaven. We conclude by discussing why Jesus is talking about taking the kingdom by violence. 

In today’s episode, we discussed teachings from the Gospel of Luke, focusing on the significance of where one places their treasure and the importance of being prepared for judgment. Fr Aaron shared an example from his personal experience that helped drive home the poignance of Jesus’ teaching: “For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” 

We discuss Jesus' appearance to Mary Magdalene, in which she recognized Him only when He called her by name. What does that mean and why did she call Him "Rabboni?" Why did Jesus tell her not to hold on to Him? 

Today's discussion centered around why Paul made such a big deal about the issue of circumcision among Gentile Christians. Ultimately, Paul's concern was with interpreting Scripture/the Old Testament correctly. We concluded by talking about practical implications from Paul's argument in this day and age. 

We discuss the nature of spiritual warfare and Paul's metaphor of putting on the whole armor of God, with an emphasis on how the spiritual warfare is fought not so much between dueling forces of good and evil per se, but against our own innate biological impulses. 

To provide context for the famous verse John 3:16, we discussed the complex person of Nicodemus, one who accepted Jesus, yet was still initially ashamed to publicly proclaim Jesus' teaching. We also learn why Nicodemus was ashamed of Jesus' teaching of being born again, and what that teaching means. 

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul focuses on the resurrection of Christ. We discuss why Paul focuses on the resurrection and why it is so important to Paul to recognize Jesus as the "firstfruits" of the resurrection.