In this episode, Ronn and Mike complete the 11th chapter of John (verses 45-57). Their main point of discussion is Caiaphas' description of the meaning of the death of Jesus in vs.52: "he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad." Ronn recommended that this "gathering" of Abraham's family was understood by later NT writers as accomplished through Jesus' symbolic ritual cleansing of Gentiles. He noted how most discussions of Jesus' death in the NT are associated with ideas of entering sacred space ("clean," "heal," "enter," "sanctify," etc.) as opposed to ideas that describe salvation ("righteous/ness," "save/d," "salvation," etc.).

In this episode, Ronn and Mike enjoy the story of Lazarus' resuscitation in John 11:1-44. For several reasons found within this narrative, Ronn recommended that original readers would have been tempted to regard Lazarus as the "disciple that Jesus loved" referred to in later stories of John. A key element in this story, of course, was Martha's belief that Lazarus would "rise again in the resurrection" (11:24), offering a chance to talk about death and resurrection beliefs within 2nd Temple Judaism. Did the crowd expect Jesus to literally "be the resurrection and the life"? Apparentliy not—until Lazarus heard his name attached to the invitation to come out of the tomb! The conversation closes with personal application of this story to our understanding and hopes for eternal life.

A raw, global conversation on applying theology to real life—addressing spiritual abuse, prison ministry, and a growing hunger for biblical understanding in Brazil. Sandra Alex and the hosts explore why translation, community, humility, and lived faith matter more than knowledge alone.