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Bite Size Beatitudes

Bite Size Beatitudes

Hello, everyone! We missed you all on our off week and we are excited to get back after it! If you need to catch back up on a previous series or episode you may have missed, check out our library here!

For the first time in a while, we don’t really have any big announcements for the future of the podcast as of today. That could definitely change by next week though so stay tuned! To recap, we had a recent logo change (#RIPthePear), John and I started a Tennessee Titans podcast (to be released on iTunes soon), and we took a week off.

Starting this week, we will begin our newest series: The Beatitudes. There is so much to mine from the wisdom and truth found in the opening stanza of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. We are excited to go on this journey with you all over the next couple of weeks!

If God has somehow used this podcast to help you grow in your walk with Christ and He has laid it on your heart the desire to support us financially, visit our Patreon page here. We have quite a bit planned for our Patrons so, if you want to find out more, go check it out! Now let’s get on with our preview of the next two weeks of Bite Size Theology!

Week 1 (9/9-9/13):

Monday 9/9: Introduction to Beatitudes

By Aaron Lively
Today we will be starting a new series on the Beatitudes, which are eight statements Jesus makes to his disciples before delivering the Sermon on the Mount. So what is the Sermon on the Mount, and what is the point of the Beatitudes?

Well, in Matthew 5 we find Jesus having begun his ministry, having called his first disciples, and having healed people through all of Galilee. Needless to say, word about him started spreading to other regions, and people were traveling huge distances to see him, bringing him their sick so that he could heal them. It’s in this context that we see Jesus climb up a mountain in front of this crowd to deliver what many people refer to today as the Sermon on the Mount…

Tuesday 9/10: Beatitudes (Pt. 1) – The Poor in Spirit

By Aaron Lively

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

In the last episode, we talked about the context of the Beatitudes – Jesus is telling his disciples these ideas before he delivers a sermon to a huge crowd about the futility of humanity trying to earn its own righteousness, and the impossibility of meeting the standard set by the Old Testament law. And when you frame this Beatitude about the poor in spirit in that context, it makes a lot of sense.

What is Jesus talking about when he uses the phrase “poor in spirit?” If we look at the Sermon on the Mount that follows in Matthew 5-7, Jesus indicates that no amount of obedience to the law can overcome the root brokenness in every human heart. The Pharisees thought that they were righteous because they’ve never cheated on their spouse or killed anyone. But Jesus says even a person’s thoughts and intentions condemn them, which means that the Pharisees are just as guilty as the people they condemn. The problem of sin is more than “bad behavior.” It’s an infection that has spread to everything in our world and rooted itself deeply in our own hearts. There isn’t “poor in spirit” and “rich in spirit.” Because of sin, everyone is impoverished. The question is, do you know you are?…

Wednesday 9/11: Beatitudes (Pt. 2) -Those Who Mourn

By Sage Blalock

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” In Matthew 5:4, Jesus gives us a reminder of one of the countless beautiful things about our faith: hope. Our world can often be a scary place. Violence, callousness, and isolation are constant realities for billions of people around the globe. Life and the structures of power that we live under push people to the breaking points of poverty, homelessness, and addiction each and every day.

Due to the disease of sin, people are born, grow up, and then die, oftentimes too early. Loved ones are lost either to the grave or the loss of the spark that once held them together. Things big and small, good and bad, exciting and monotonous happen day in and day out. And yet the world keeps on spinning just the same. Sometimes it feels like the circumstances and hardships of your life only matter to you. The opening poem of Ecclesiastes captures this perfectly:

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless”…

Thursday 9/12: Beatitudes (Pt. 3) – The Meek

By Sage Blalock

The concept of meekness is among the most misunderstood ideas in the all of Christianity. Many have critiqued Christian meekness and Jesus’ call for us to exhibit the virtue as an exhortation to weakness. 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was arguably the most famous of these figures.

Nietzsche argued that Christian morality was “slave morality” because it elevated characteristics like humility, kindness, and, of course, meekness. Nietzsche believed that the best life for a person is one in which they exercise the power of their will over the world. On his view, your life is only valuable insofar as you assert your dominance over others. His highly individualized moral system looked on the communal concerns of Christianity as a type of “herd morality” that focused on the good of the many over the interests of the few. This, he said, inspired weakness that left Christians open to being manipulated and pushed around…

Friday 9/13: Extended Edition #14: Idolatry

Week 2 (9/16-9/20):

Monday 9/16: Beatitudes (Pt. 4) – Those Who Hunger

By Aaron Lively

Tuesday 9/17: Beatitudes (Pt. 5) – The Merciful

By John McCord     

Wednesday 9/18: Beatitudes (Pt. 6) – The Pure in Heart

By Sage Blalock

Thursday 9/19: Beatitudes (Pt. 7) – The Peacemakers

By Sage Blalock

Friday 9/20:  Beatitudes (Pt. 8) – The Persecuted

By Aaron Lively

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Sage Blalock

Follower of Christ. Proud husband to Jamie. Nihilistic Tennessee Volunteers fan. BA in Philosophy w/ concentration in Religious Studies, ETSU '16. Classical Studies Minor ETSU '16. Wake Divinity '19. Interests: Game of Thrones, The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, and food. Big fan of food.

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