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I was challenged about a past episode over whether I’d properly done my homework in my research of binding and loosing.

This was in regard to episode 52, simply called Prayers of Binding and Loosing.

In that episode from last fall, my conclusion was that Matthew 16:19 was about spiritual warfare, and I covered this in the midst of a series of episodes on spiritual warfare. I spoke about binding demons, loosing people and setting them free, things like that.

Someone listened to that episode and challenged me on my interpretation, saying I hadn’t given a fair hearing to another way that those verses are often taken, which is about church discipline.

In fact, Jesus speaks of prayers of binding and loosing in only two places: there in Matthew 16, and Matthew 18, where it says:

In verse 18

18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

And undoubtedly, that verse is in a church discipline context.

I did not cover that in last fall’s episode, and I have to admit, it was a pretty big oversight. Maybe not as big as saying that Jesus wasn’t really crucified with literal nails, so at least I didn’t have the biggest blunder of this week, but if I’m perfectly honest, Matthew 18 deserves to be covered in the binding and loosing conversation.

So did I get it wrong? Is binding and loosing actually about church discipline? And if it’s not, why is it talked about right here in a church discipline passage?

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible.

And if you listen all the way to the end today, I have a huge announcement about something I’ve been working on behind the scenes for the past few months.

Turn to Matthew 18, and let’s get weird.

0:00 - Introduction

2:00 - My View in Review

4:30 - The Church Discipline View

10:20 - A Case Study in Corinth

15:00 - Holy Ground in the Church

21:00 - A Major Announcement of What’s Coming

23:45 - Repentance is the Goal

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Night of the Living Dead. World War Z. Resident Evil. The Walking Dead. And… Matthew chapter 27.

What do all of these have in common? They all contain zombies.

Now, if you don’t believe me that the Bible has some zombies in it, then explain this verse to me. Matthew 27 is about the crucifixion. Now, don’t worry, I’m not about to claim that Jesus was a zombie when He rose from the dead.

Jesus had a resurrection body. He was a special situation.

But something else happened when Jesus died on the cross; something you’ve probably read several times before but just never looked at too deeply:

Matthew 27:52-53

52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

What was that again? When Jesus died on the cross, several other random people walked out of their graves and…and then they’re never heard from again?

We’ll read this in-context in just a moment, but the context doesn’t help a whole lot. This is very random, raises some big questions, and is interested in answering none of them. It just moves right along in the passage and never mentions these zombies again.

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible.

Turn to Matthew 27, and let’s get weird.

0:00 - Introduction

1:40 - Setting the Scene

5:00 - The Details

10:15 - Asking the Experts

21:45 - The Gospel through Zombies

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com

Hosted by Luke Taylor

Back in January, I received this interesting question from a listener:

“So how is Jesus Jewish but Jewish people do not believe he is the messiah?? This is something I’ve been trying to wrap my head around… Nyssa from Houston Texas”

That’s a good question. Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. He had all of these prophecies about Himself throughout the OT, which He then fulfilled. He worked all kinds of miracles. He even died and rose again, and some of them still didn’t get it. So, that’s kind of weird, right?

Well I think it’s weird. And I’d like to explore why it worked out that way in the Bible.

Turn with me to John 6 and let’s get weird.

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Why Jesus Was Rejected? (Nyssa)

11:35 - Was Balaam’s Oracle Messianic? (Greg)

15:00 - Why Was Elihu not Pardoned? (Beau)

16:55 - The Dominion of Man (Walter)

20:40 - Be a Weird Christian

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!