The Bible in a Year from Luther Seminary

Afleveringen

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  The Gospel of Mark: Mystery, Humor, and the Secret Jesus Kept 19.08.2026 28min

  The Gospel of Mark takes center stage in this episode of The Bible in a Year. Dr. Kristofer Phan Coffman, Assistant Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, joins the hosts to unpack why Mark is the shortest and most mysterious gospel. He explains the messianic secret, Mark's surprising humor, and its deep connections to the writings of Paul. Listeners will hear about the Gerasene demoniac, the demon named Legion, and the cosmic battle between Jesus and demonic powers that drives Mark's narrative forward.Dr. Coffman also addresses the puzzling multiple endings of Mark 16 and why the earliest manuscripts leave the women fleeing the tomb in fear. The conversation explores why the Gospel of Mark has often been overlooked next to Matthew and Luke, and why modern scholars believe Mark served as a source for both later gospels. The episode closes with Dr. Coffman's take on Mark's central message: Jesus' power over Satan revealed through his self giving love on the cross. Visit enterthebible.org for more on the Gospel of Mark and every book of Scripture.
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  32. Unpacking the Gospel of Matthew: How is Jesus like Moses? 12.08.2026 28min

  In this episode of The Bible in a Year, hosts Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Rev. Katie Langston turn to the Gospel of Matthew. They're joined by Dr. Kristofer Phan Coffman, Assistant Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, who guides listeners through the book's genre, likely authorship, and original audience. The conversation covers Matthew's signature elements: the Sermon on the Mount, the Torah, Matthew's own story as a tax collector, and the Great Commission. Dr. Coffman also unpacks the visit of the Magi, explaining why this familiar Christmas story sets up a much bigger claim about who Jesus is.The discussion moves through several of Matthew's distinctive parables, including the sheep and the goats, the wedding feast, and the workers in the vineyard, and considers why Matthew is remembered as a teaching gospel. Dr. Coffman describes Jesus in Matthew as "like Moses, but better," modeled on Moses yet working on a far grander scale. The episode also touches on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship as an example of the Sermon on the Mount's ongoing influence. It's a rich, accessible entry point into the Gospel of Matthew for anyone reading along with The Bible in a Year.
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  31. What Does It Really Mean to Be "Restored"? Zechariah and Malachi Close Out the Old Testament 05.08.2026 36min

  What does it mean to be restored, according to the Bible? This episode closes out the Old Testament with Zechariah and Malachi, two short books written after the people returned from exile in Babylon. Dr. Cory Driver, Director of Research at the Center for Life at Miami University of Ohio, joins hosts Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Dr. Kristofer Phan Coffman to explore what restoration actually looks like. It turns out to be about more than rebuilt walls and a rebuilt temple. It's about a people learning what it means to follow God again, for the first time.Dr. Driver walks through Zechariah's eight strange and beautiful night visions, the promise of a humble shepherd king, and the two anointed leaders who point forward to something greater. Then the conversation turns to Malachi's raw, honest argument between God and the people, including the hard passages on divorce and the promise that Elijah will return before the day of the Lord. Along the way, listeners will hear how both books shape the story of Jesus in the New Testament, setting up a hopeful and fitting close to the Hebrew Bible.
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  30. The Two Shortest Books You've Probably Never Read (And Why They Matter) 29.07.2026 24min

  What does the Day of the Lord mean, and why does it look so different in two short prophetic books? In this episode, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jennie Wojciechowski welcome guest Kristin Wendland, associate professor of religion at Wartburg College, to explore Zephaniah and Haggai. Zephaniah confronts idolatry head-on, warning that the Day of the Lord brings judgment on unfaithfulness. But that judgment isn't the end of the story. Kristin shows how the book turns toward hope, restoration, and a faithful God who transforms rather than abandons.Haggai takes us to a different moment entirely, after the Babylonian exile, when the returning people of Judah are called to rebuild the temple. Kristin unpacks why the timing mattered, what King Josiah's earlier reforms have to do with Zephaniah, and how both books point to a God who remains present through judgment and renewal. Though these two books are short and easy to skip, this conversation shows why they still matter for faith today.
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  29. Habakkuk - What Do You Praise God For When You've Got Nothing Left? (feat. Rolf Jacobson) 22.07.2026 29min

  What is the life of faith good for when there is nothing left to praise God for? In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Rev. Katie Langston welcome Dr. Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty and Old Testament professor at Luther Seminary, to discuss the book of Habakkuk. This short three-chapter book begins with Habakkuk's lament over injustice in Judah and God's surprising answer. Together they explore the famous verse "the righteous shall live by faith," the meaning of the Hebrew word mishpat, and how God works through even unjust powers to bring about a greater purpose.The conversation also traces Habakkuk's influence on Paul's letter to the Romans and Martin Luther's Reformation theology. Rolf offers a moving reading of the book's final praise, offered even when the fields are empty and the flocks are gone. Listeners will come away with a richer understanding of what the life of faith truly asks of us, especially in seasons of hardship. This episode is part of The Bible in a Year podcast, a resource from Enter the Bible.Hosts: Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker, Rev. Katie LangstonGuest: Dr. Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Old Testament, Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry at Luther SeminarySeven-Word Summary: Habakkuk laments, then praises in the emptiness.Key Themes:Habakkuk's argument with God over injustice in JudahThe rise of Babylon (the Chaldeans) as God's instrument of judgmentThe meaning and threefold use of the Hebrew word mishpat (law, justice, judgment)The famous verse "the righteous shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4) and its use by Paul in RomansHabakkuk's influence on Martin Luther and the ReformationThe book's terrifying vision in chapter 3 and its closing hymn of praise amid total lossGod's providence and the "long view" of faithScripture References:Habakkuk 1:1–4 (lament over injustice)Habakkuk 1:5–11 (God's answer, the rise of the Chaldeans)Habakkuk 2:1 ("I will stand at my watch post")Habakkuk 2:4 ("the righteous shall live by faith")Habakkuk 3 (the vision and closing praise, "though the fig tree does not blossom...")Romans 1:17 (Apostle Paul's quotation of Habakkuk 2:4)Isaiah's love song/judgment oracle and Assyria parallel (referenced for comparison)Amos's funeral dirge and intercession for Israel (referenced for comparison)Psalm 46 (referenced in connection with Habakkuk's terrifying vision)Bible Bingo Words: Lament, Mishpat, Vision, Faith, PraisePeople Mentioned:Walter Brueggemann, The Psalms and the Life of Faith (edited by Patrick D. Miller): referenced for Brueggemann's definition of lament as protest to GodKarl N. Jacobson (Rolf's late brother), who held an alternate view that Habakkuk's lament was play actingRolf's Great-Grandfather Roe, whose Depression-era story of loss and continued generosity is shared as an illustration of praising God amid hardship
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  28. Nahum, Jonah, and the God Who Won't Give Up on Nineveh 15.07.2026 23min

  Most people know Jonah as the guy who got swallowed by a whale, but this book of Jonah summary reveals a much stranger and funnier story than that. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, hosts Katie Langston and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty at Luther Seminary, to explore the books of Jonah and Nahum. Rolf walks through Jonah's reluctant call to preach against Nineveh, his flight in the opposite direction, the storm, the big fish, and the five word sermon that somehow converts an entire city from the king down to the animals. He also unpacks the book of Nahum, which pronounces God's judgment on Assyria for its brutality against Israel and sets the stage for everything Jonah wrestles with.At the heart of the conversation is the Hebrew word hesed, God's steadfast loving mercy, and the uncomfortable question Jonah leaves us with. If you want mercy for yourself, can you also want it for the people who hurt you or the people you hate? Along the way, Rolf and the hosts play a round of Bible Bingo covering Nineveh, providence, nature, and obedience, and dig into some strange details in the Hebrew text that even seasoned scholars find surprising. Whether you are new to the minor prophets or have read Jonah a dozen times, this conversation offers a fresh way into a small book with a lot to say.
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  27. The Book of Micah: Justice, Mercy, and God's Emotions with Dr. Cory Driver 08.07.2026 25min

  In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Kristofer Phan Coffman welcome back Old Testament scholar Dr. Cory Driver to dig into the Book of Micah. This short but powerful minor prophet speaks into the eighth century BCE, addressing both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms as Assyria threatens on the horizon. Dr. Driver explains why prophecy isn't primarily about predicting the future but about communicating how God feels, and he shows how Micah brings that message home with striking specificity, naming small towns and villages to make clear that everyone, not just the powerful, is caught up in the story.The conversation moves through the "Bible Bingo" terms of nations, place, injustice, hope, and repetition, then lands on the courtroom scene of Micah 6, where God calls creation itself as a witness against the people's injustice. That scene sets up the well-known words of Micah 6:8, to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, which Dr. Driver unpacks in its full context. He also shares a personal story about how Micah 7:5-6 unsettled and ultimately shaped his own faith, offering listeners a moving picture of how this ancient text still speaks to real life today.
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  26. The Verse on Dr. King's Wall, and the Book Most People Never Read 01.07.2026 20min

  In this book of Amos overview, hosts Kristofer Phan Coffman and Jennifer Wojciechowski welcome back Cory Driver, Director of Research at the Center for Life at Miami University and author of God, Gender and Family Trauma, to explore one of the Old Testament's most pointed minor prophets. Cory explains how Amos draws Israel in with a "tour of sinfulness" against their neighbors, building confidence and comfort, before turning that same judgment back on Israel itself. The conversation digs into prophecy as a window into God's emotional life: God's love, disappointment, and frustration, expressed through a farmer turned reluctant messenger.Cory and the hosts also explore the agricultural language that runs through Amos, Jeroboam II's prosperous but unjust reign, and the famous Amos 5:24, the verse Dr. King made iconic on the walls of his memorial. They draw a surprising connection between Amos and the prophet Jonah, two prophets sent to people who weren't their own, with very different responses.
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  25. The Day of the Lord: What Joel and Obadiah Teach About Judgment and Hope 24.06.2026 31min

  The Day of the Lord connects two of the Bible's shortest and least familiar prophetic books. In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston welcome Dr. Tyler Mayfield to explore Joel and Obadiah. Joel reads a catastrophic locust plague as a sign from God, calling the people to lament and repent before delivering a tender promise of restoration and a vision of a far-off day of divine judgment. It is the same passage about God pouring out the Spirit on all flesh that the book of Acts would later draw upon.Obadiah turns its gaze toward Edom, the sibling nation whose story reaches back to Jacob and Esau and whose betrayal after the fall of Jerusalem turned the people's lament into righteous anger. Dr. Mayfield helps us see how both books wrestle with judgment, hope, and the very human desire for vengeance, and why the Day of the Lord ultimately points toward God's longing to set things right.Father Abraham’s Many Children
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  24. What the Book of Hosea Reveals About the Heart of God 17.06.2026 34min

  What is the Book of Hosea really about? In this episode, Old Testament scholar Dr. Brad Kelle joins hosts Katie Langston and Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker to get the book of Hosea explained from the ground up. Dr. Kelle walks listeners through the book's three major sections, the famous and often misread story of Hosea and Gomer, and why the rich web of metaphors at the heart of this prophetic book points to something far bigger than one man's unusual marriage. Set against the backdrop of rising Assyrian imperialism and communal trauma in the eighth-century northern kingdom of Israel, Hosea's message is ultimately about identity, faithfulness, and what it means to be the people of God under pressure.The conversation moves through Hosea's Bible Bingo words, including metaphor, marriage and family, the Exodus tradition, politics, and divine love, before landing on the book's breathtaking arc from human unfaithfulness to the transforming love of God. Dr. Kelle highlights key passages including Hosea 6:6, the stunning parent-child portrait of God in chapter 11, and the promise of healing and new future in chapter 14. Whether you are reading Hosea for the first time or returning to it with fresh eyes, this episode offers three guiding questions that will open the book in a whole new way.The Bible and Moral Injury: Reading Scripture Alongside War's Unseen Wounds by Brad KelleTelling the Old Testament Story: God's Mission and God's People by Brad KelleEzekiel: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (New Beacon Bible Commentary) by Brad Kelle
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  23. Monsters, Empires, and Gallows Humor: The Book of Daniel You Never Knew 10.06.2026 24min

  The Book of Daniel is one of the strangest, funniest, and most hope-filled books in the Old Testament, and in this episode, Dr. Michael Chan helps us see why. Joining hosts Katie Langston and Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker, Dr. Chan walks us through Daniel's two distinct halves: court tales of Jewish exiles navigating life under foreign kings in Babylon, and apocalyptic visions that pull back the curtain on the cosmic forces shaping human history. Along the way, he unpacks surprising details about Daniel and his friends, including the very real possibility that they were eunuchs, the significance of Daniel's Babylonian name Belteshazzar, and what it meant to live a dual identity under an empire that was not your own.Dr. Chan also explores the Daniel Old Testament themes that make this book so theologically rich: the earliest clear expression of resurrection theology in scripture, the connection between Antiochus Epiphanes' persecution and the Maccabean revolt, and why apocalyptic literature uses monsters and cosmic imagery to critique empire. Most of all, this conversation surfaces the two themes Dr. Chan sees at the heart of Daniel: hope and humor, traveling together as a kind of Trojan horse for people living under cruelty and disempowerment. If Daniel has always seemed like a Sunday school book to you, this episode will change your mind.
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  22. The Bible Book So Intense, Rabbis Said You Had to Be 40 to Read It 03.06.2026 30min

  The Old Testament book, Ezekiel, is one of the strangest, most visionary, and most hope-filled books in all of scripture, and in this episode of Bible in a Year, we get a scholar's guide to its depths. Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jenny Wojciechowski are joined by Professor Stephen Cook, the Katherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Virginia Theological Seminary, for a rich conversation about wheels within wheels, the glory of the Lord, and what it means that God showed up in Babylon of all places.From the Valley of Dry Bones to the temple's stream of living water, Professor Cook traces the thread of hope running through a book that is often dismissed as dark or difficult. Ezekiel's vision of a new heart, a new spirit, and a God who is mobile enough to meet us anywhere offers a powerful word for anyone who has ever felt like the world is crumbling underfoot. Tune in and discover why holiness is stronger than exile, chaos, and death.
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  21. The Most Honest Book in the Bible Nobody Talks About 27.05.2026 19min

  The Book of Lamentations is one of the lesser-known books of the Hebrew Bible, but it may be one of the most honest. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, Dr. Cameron Howard, Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, joins hosts Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Kristofer Phan Coffman to explore this Lamentations Bible book — a collection of five lament poems set against the devastation of Jerusalem's siege and destruction by Babylon in 586 BCE. Dr. Howard unpacks the book's striking acrostic structure, its shifting voices, and the way its poetry reaches for language to describe suffering that almost defies description.More than a historical document, Lamentations raises questions that still resonate today: Is God present in suffering? Has God abandoned us? Dr. Howard explores the theological significance of a book that gives voice to grief, anger, and doubt — and explains why a tradition that includes shaking a fist at God is actually powerful evidence of a God who is not a tyrant. Whether you are new to the Lamentations Bible book or returning to it with fresh eyes, this conversation offers a thoughtful and moving guide to one of Scripture's most profound and underappreciated voices.
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  Jeremiah: The Prophet Who Accused God and Kept Going 20.05.2026 35min

  What made Jeremiah the most radical prophet in the Hebrew Bible? In this episode of Bible in a Year, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jennie Wojciechowski welcome Dr. Marvin A. Sweeney, professor of Hebrew Bible at the Claremont School of Theology, for a Jeremiah Bible commentary that spans the full depth of this extraordinary book. Dr. Sweeney unpacks Jeremiah's identity as a prophet in the tradition of Moses, his priestly outsider status, the themes of exile and return, and the striking fact that two major versions of the Book of Jeremiah exist in the Christian canon with meaningfully different views of the Davidic covenant.Dr. Sweeney also brings Jeremiah's raw, unfiltered laments to life, including the famous passage where Jeremiah accuses God of betrayal while still refusing to abandon his faith. It's a portrait of a prophet who faced national disaster, persecution, and profound suffering and kept speaking anyway. Whether you're a first-time reader or a seasoned student of scripture, this conversation offers fresh insight into why the Book of Jeremiah remains one of the most urgent and human books in the entire Bible.
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  19. Why Some Scholars Call Isaiah the "Fifth Gospel" 13.05.2026 25min

  The Book of Isaiah is one of the most sweeping, complex, and consequential books in the entire Old Testament, and in this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston sit down with Old Testament scholar Dr. Michael Chan for a summary of the Book of Isaiah that brings it to life. Dr. Chan explains how Isaiah grew over centuries across three major historical horizons: the Assyrian period, the Babylonian exile, and the Persian period, shaped by generations of scribes writing in Isaiah's name. From the famous "voice crying in the wilderness" in chapter 40 to the haunting Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 52-53, this conversation covers the key themes, people, and moments that make Isaiah so remarkable.Dr. Chan also makes the case that you simply cannot understand Christian theology, or Jesus' own self-understanding, without reading the Book of Isaiah. Called by some "the fifth gospel," Isaiah's fingerprints are all over the New Testament, from Advent texts to Handel's Messiah. Whether you're a first-time reader or a seasoned Bible student, this episode will help you approach Isaiah's dense Hebrew poetry with patience, curiosity, and a capable guide alongside you.
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  18. Why the Song of Songs Is the Weirdest Book in the Bible 06.05.2026 29min

  The Song of Songs is one of the strangest and most beautiful books in the Bible, and for centuries readers have struggled to know what to do with it. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, Katie Langston and Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Dr. Elaine James, professor of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and author of Landscapes of the Song of Songs, for a rich conversation about this extraordinary book of biblical love poetry. Together they explore the Song's history of interpretation, from allegorical readings in Jewish and Christian traditions to its remarkable outpouring of medieval mystical commentary, and consider what it means to read it as both human love poetry and a window into divine love.Dr. James brings her expertise in biblical poetry and ecology to illuminate what makes the Song of Songs so distinctive: its celebration of erotic desire, its lush pastoral landscape, its foregrounding of a woman's voice, and its call to embrace the beauty of everyday life. Whether you've always been curious about this book or have never quite known how to approach it, this conversation offers a generous and compelling invitation to pry open the pages and read the Song of Songs with fresh eyes.An Invitation to Biblical Poetry by Elaine James (Oxford University Press, 2021)Landscapes of the Song of Songs: Poetry and Place by Elaine James (Oxford University Press, 2017)
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  17: The Book of Ecclesiastes: Wisdom for When Life Feels Pointless 29.04.2026 24min

  The book of Ecclesiastes is one of the Bible's most honest and surprisingly modern books, asking the questions many of us quietly wonder: What is the point of all our work? Why do good people suffer? And what does any of it matter in the face of death? In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jennifer Wojciechowski welcome Dr. Cameron Howard, Old Testament scholar at Luther Seminary and author of The Old Testament for a Complex World, for a rich conversation about this ancient wisdom book that refuses to offer easy answers.Dr. Howard walks listeners through the key themes of Ecclesiastes, including vanity, toil, time, money, and death, and explains why this "emo" book of the Bible belongs alongside Proverbs and Job in the wisdom literature tradition. She also points toward Kohelet's unexpected resolution: that in the face of life's uncertainties, enjoying simple pleasures, sharing life with others, and trusting that God knows more than we do may be the wisest path forward.
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  16: The Book of Proverbs Has a Secret About Jesus That Most Protestants Miss 22.04.2026 23min

  The Book of Proverbs is more complex than most people expect. In this episode of Bible in a Year, host Katie Langston and Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker welcome Dr. Diane Jacobson, Professor Emerita of Old Testament at Luther Seminary and the first woman to teach Bible in an ELCA seminary, to explore one of Scripture's most underappreciated books. Together they unpack the book's structure, its vision of "the good life," the poetic nature of wisdom, and why truth and goodness can never be separated in the proverbial worldview.Dr. Jacobson also dives into the captivating figure of Woman Wisdom, tracing a remarkable through line from Proverbs to the Gospel of John's portrait of Jesus as incarnate wisdom, and from the Proverbs 31 woman to Hannah's song to the Magnificat. Whether you are new to Proverbs or have read it many times, this conversation will invite you to slow down, savor, and enter the text in a whole new way.
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  15: The Book of Psalms: A Timeless Conversation with God 15.04.2026 31min

  "Psalms move from lament to praise."Explore the profound significance of the Book of Psalms in faith, worship, and personal prayer, highlighting its themes of lament, praise, creation, and community. Discover how Psalms serve as a timeless tool for honest communication with God and a foundation for worship across centuries.Dive deeper into the Book of Psalms with Enter the BibleEnter the Bible podcast: "My Favorite Bible Passage: Psalm 30"Enter the Bible podcast: "Why Do Christians Need to Read the Old Testament?"
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  14: The Book of Job Asked This Question 3,000 Years Ago. We're Still Sitting With It. 08.04.2026 40min

  The Book of Job is one of the longest, most complex, and most misunderstood books in the entire Bible. In this episode, hosts Rev. Katie Langston and Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker sit down with Dr. Diane Jacobson to explore what this ancient book of wisdom actually has to say about suffering, righteousness, and the God who meets us in the whirlwind. From Job's shattering laments to the silence of his so-called friends, from the mysterious figure of the Satan to the stunning poetry of the creation speeches, this conversation opens up the book of Job in ways that are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.Along the way, Kathryn, Katie, and Diane tackle the big questions the book raises: Why do good people suffer? What does it mean to speak honestly to God? And what do you do when God shows up but doesn't give you the answers you were hoping for? Their answer, rooted in the lament tradition and the theology of the cross, is both challenging and surprisingly freeing: in the book of Job, you don't get answers. You get a relationship. And the question the book leaves with every reader is the same one God poses from the whirlwind: can you love what you do not control?Job as a Theologian of the Cross by Diane Jacobosn