The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

We begin our week-long journey to Golgotha by examining its Old Testament foundations in the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus form the bedrock of Christianity, but understanding their significance requires exploring biblical history that points to this ultimate sacrifice.

• Abram's journey begins in Genesis 12 when God promises to make him a great nation
• Abrah...

John 5 challenges us to examine whether we rejoice in God's miracles or criticize them like the Pharisees did when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. The passage reveals how religious leaders missed the miracle by focusing on rule-breaking rather than celebrating a life transformed after 38 years of disability.

• Jesus heals a man who had been disabled for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda
• The religious leaders critici...

Jesus encounters a man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been paralyzed for 38 years, asking him a simple yet profound question: "Do you want to be healed?" The man responds with excuses rather than a direct answer, revealing our human tendency to blame circumstances rather than take responsibility.

• Making excuses versus making things happen in our Christian life
• The paralyzed man's excuse-making respo...

Jesus asks a seemingly obvious question at the Pool of Bethesda: "Do you want to be healed?" This profound inquiry reveals that many people don't actually want healing because they've built their identity around their wounds.

• Many resist healing because wounds have become their identity
• Some cling to injuries as excuses for destructive behaviors
• Others avoid healing because it requires dif...

Jesus visits the pool of Bethesda by Jerusalem's Sheep Gate, where society's "invalids" gathered, and demonstrates how our true identity comes not from worldly labels but from Christ's validation.

• Sheep Gate was the easternmost gate on Jerusalem's northern wall where sacrificial animals entered
• The location was symbolic—people treated like animals gathered at pools near the sheep washi...

Jesus reveals the true nature of miracles by performing signs that point to God's greater redemptive story, not just displays of raw power. His healing of a man at the Pool of Bethesda demonstrates how miracles often require a step of faith or obedience from those receiving them.

• Miracles in John's gospel are always called "signs" because they point to something greater than themselves
• The heali...

God reveals seven key attributes of Himself in Exodus 34:6-7, providing a comprehensive self-description that balances divine mercy with perfect justice. We explore the final attribute—God's justice—and how it works together with His compassion, grace, patience, loving-kindness, faithfulness, and forgiveness to form His complete character.

• God's justice requires that sin must be punished
• Biblical examples...

We explore God's attributes in Exodus 34:6-7, focusing on His faithfulness and forgiveness as revealed directly by God to Moses. These divine qualities provide a foundation for understanding God's character and how we should respond to others.

• God is faithful, meaning He overflows with truth and always fulfills His promises
• God's faithfulness demonstrated through promises to Abraham, Israel's ex...

God reveals seven attributes of His character in Exodus 34:6-7, providing a powerful description of divine nature through His own words to Moses. We explore four of these attributes: God's compassion, graciousness, patience (slowness to anger), and His unfailing loving kindness (chesed).

• God describes Himself as "slow to anger" – demonstrating incredible patience with humanity
• The Hebrew word "c...

God describes seven distinct attributes of himself in Exodus 34:6-7, revealing his true nature and character to Moses after the Israelites' rebellion with the golden calf.

• Compassion is the first attribute God reveals, sharing its root with the Hebrew word for "womb," showing the depth of God's protective care
• The word gracious means "to bend or stoop down," illustrating how God active...

God provides a list of His attributes in Exodus 34:6-7, offering a unique opportunity to understand how He describes Himself. Before revealing His attributes, God established four protective barriers for Moses, demonstrating that while He desires to reveal Himself, our finite nature requires protection from His full glory.

• Understanding God's attributes can be challenging without His direct revelation
• The cont...

We examine one of Christianity's most misunderstood teachings: Jesus' command to "turn the other cheek," revealing why this verse doesn't prohibit self-defense as commonly believed.

• Part of our "Yeah, That's Not What That Means" series covering misapplied scriptures
• Matthew 5:38-39 refers to verbal slights, not physical assaults requiring self-defense
• The "right ch...

The second episode in our "Yeah, That's Not What That Means" series tackles two commonly misinterpreted Bible verses: Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11, revealing how prosperity preachers have twisted these passages to falsely promise believers guaranteed success and material prosperity.

• Clarifying that Jeremiah 29:11 was specifically addressed to Jewish exiles in Babylon, promising their restoration after 70...

We're exploring commonly misunderstood scriptures in our series "Yeah, That's Not What That Means," tackling Philippians 4:13 and revealing its true context as a teaching about contentment rather than personal achievement.

• Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me") is frequently misused as motivation for personal success
• The verse appears on merchandise ...

We dive into another commonly misunderstood scripture, Luke 17:1-2, where Jesus uses the terrifying image of drowning with a millstone to warn against causing spiritual stumbling.

• Exploring the fifth installment in our series "Yeah, That's Not What That Means"
• Clarifying that "little ones" refers to people young in their faith, not just children
• Explaining how the Greek word "ska...

The most misapplied verse in Scripture might be Jesus' words on judging others, as Christians and non-Christians alike quote "Do not judge" without understanding its true context. When properly understood, Jesus wasn't prohibiting all judgment but was warning specifically against hypocritical judgment that ignores our own failings while criticizing others.

• Introduction to "The Daily Blade" p...

The Gospel of John records Jesus' first miracle at a wedding in Cana not simply as a display of power, but as a sign pointing to his redemptive purpose of transforming lives completely.

• Jesus turned ordinary water for Jewish purification into extraordinary wine
• This miracle is called a "sign" because it points to something greater than itself
• The dirty water represents our lives before Christ

We explore how miracles often occur on the other side of obedience, using Jesus's first miracle of turning water into wine as a powerful example of faith in action.

• Mary's instruction to the servants: "Do whatever Jesus tells you to do"
• The critical question: What is Jesus telling you to do right now?
• Jesus asked servants to do things that made no logical sense
• Miracles often happen ...

Mary's advice to the servants at the wedding in Cana—"do whatever he tells you"—may be the best guidance in the entire Bible for followers of Jesus. This simple instruction defines discipleship and guarantees we'll always do the right thing, though not necessarily the easiest.

• The GOSPEL framework helps discern what Jesus is telling us to do
• G - Gospel alignment: God's direction always adva...