Do Jesus’ Teachings Conflict With Old Testament Violence?

Episode Chapters

1. Intro
   0:00 - 1:21
2. What Do You Have to Do to Enter God’s Kingdom?
   1:22 - 1:46
3. "Steven from Idaho In the Sermon on the Mount and throughout Matthew and the other gospels, Jesus says to enter the Kingdom of Heaven or of God, you must do or not do such and such. Paul says something similar in 1 Corinthians 6 when he lists behaviors that will keep you from inheriting the Kingdom of God. I grew up hearing or being taught that this was about “getting past the pearly gates,” but it seems like this is something deeper or entirely different. So what does Jesus actually mean here?"
   1:47 - 10:06
4. Can the Kingdom of the Skies Be Obtained in Today's World?
   10:07 - 10:15
5. "Janine from Arizona A portion of the Lord’s Prayer that I used to overlook has become my focus: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.” I am intrigued that Jesus’ teachings are for here and now, as well as for eternity. Can that play out with blessings that seem only to take shape in eternity and way into the future? Can the meek have any hope of inheriting the Earth here in their life now? Is there some kind of Kingdom of God for the poor in spirit, attainable in their lifetimes? My notion is that there is, but I don’t know how to explain it."
   10:16 - 18:26
6. Are Jesus' Teachings of Nonviolence Viable in the Present World?
   18:27 - 18:40
7. "Sam from Myanmar Our country is in a civil war against a brutal regime, and I’m leading a movement promoting the nonviolent way of Jesus. Many Christian leaders in Myanmar reject Jesus’ teachings about loving enemies and turning the other cheek because of Old Testament passages that approve of “just violence” against enemies. After teaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus would certainly have been dismissed with this argument as well. Does the New Testament or other early texts give clues about how Jesus and his disciples responded to these counterarguments? Thanks! Your podcast is influencing a war 7,000 miles away."
   18:41 - 27:46
8. How Should Jesus’ Disciples Advance God’s Kingdom?
   27:47 - 28:07
9. "Ashley from Texas In the Sermon on the Mount, we learn that Jesus calls his followers to advance his kingdom, not with warfare and power, but with radical acts of love––peaceful resistance to the unjust ways of the world. What I’m having trouble with, though, is reconciling that with the way God established and advanced his kingdom in the Old Testament, where the kingdom of God’s people was created and expanded through violent warfare. If we know, through Jesus, that God’s desire is to see his kingdom come through deeds of love and mercy, why do we see him using warfare so often with his ancient people?"
   28:08 - 29:05
10. "Eric from North Carolina In response to Jesus' command to “love your enemies,” how do we reconcile this with God's command to destroy the Canaanites and other peoples that were in the promised land? Is one response how we should act as individuals and the other how a nation might respond? Thanks for all that you and your team does!"
    29:06 - 40:45
11. Can We Actually Be Perfect As Jesus Commands Us To Be?
    40:46 - 41:04
12. "Ali from Tennessee Why does Jesus tell his followers to be perfect when he's the only perfect human?"
    41:05 - 41:18
13. "Walker from Tennessee In Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” I feel like the Bible might be contradicting itself, as numerous verses say that nobody is perfect. Please help me understand what Jesus means by this."
    41:19 - 51:05
14. Show Credits
    51:06 - 53:33