The Faith Filled Mom Podcast

Spiritual Reminders for Seasons of Transition

Transitions are apart of life. Knowing that doesn’t make navigating them any easier. This episode is filled with a few spiritual reminders for a season of transition.
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Tips on Praying While Having ADHD

This episode is based off a commonly asked question I get on praying when you have ADHD. These are helpful tips that have helped me, an autistic individual who has ADHD, while I’m praying.
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Four Common Mistakes We Make During Our Bible Study Time

This episode talks about four common mistakes we can make during our Bible study time. Also, as we’re getting ready for summer break episodes will be published biweekly instead of weekly. To stay updated with episode information you can also follow me on social media. On IG, TikTok, and Threads I’m @deneamarable. At the end of this month, there will be a new resource! Understanding the Parables for Autistic Individuals and Literal Thinkers will be ready at the end of this month. You can sign up here to be notified when this resource is ready: https://subscribepage.io/autisticandadhdfriendlybiblicalresources
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Which Bible Translation Should You Use?

This week's episode is about Bible translations. Is there one you should use? How do you pick the right translation for you? The resources and app that I mention are below the transcript. I'd love to know, which Bible Translation do you use when you study the Bible? DM me on Instagram @deneamarable and let me know.
Transcript:
Hello. Hello. It's Denea, your host of the Faith Filled Mom Podcast. I hope that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope today you make it a mission to pause. Just pause.
Pause before you do the next task. Pause maybe while you were doing a task. And I think, especially as moms, when we hear this, we're like, okay. When am I supposed to have time to to pause? And I think here's the beautiful thing about a pause.
A pause can be ten seconds. A pause can be a minute. It can be ten minutes if you have it, but it's just a way for us to be able to just slow down, just just for a second, just for thirty seconds, just for a minute, however long you have, what this looks like for me. And know that your pause does not have to look like mine. This is just to kinda get the wheels turning for you in terms of some examples.
But what it looks like for me sometimes is I will be about to wash my face, and I'll just but before I I, you know, I get what I need, I'll just stop. Or, um, sometimes when I'm in the car, because, you know, the car sometimes is like a second office. Like like your office. Like an office, I should say. And, uh, sometimes I'll just be sitting there.
And before I'm about to go pick up or drop off or run-in the store or do whatever, I'll just sit there just just for a second. Sometimes I take a deep breath and a slow exhale. Sometimes I will say something really kind to myself. Um, sometimes I'll I'll acknowledge God and ask him, like, God, I really need you to help me, uh, be productive. Focus.
Please help me regulate my emotions and my nervous system while I run-in the store. Give me your wisdom and discernment to be able to go in here and get what I need and come out. Um, sometimes I'll the pause looks like before I'm about to say something, and I'll be like, oh, let me let let me reset real quick. Um, sometimes I'll pause and I'll just listen to, like, how the birds sound. The pause can can look like it can be whatever you need for that what however long you have that time frame.
But I think it's just good for us sometimes to just pause so that we're not always rushing to do something. So I really hope and pray that you you find a way to do that because you do deserve that. Today's episode can I say this again? I'm so excited for it. I feel like I say that every episode, but, yeah, I I really, really do get excited.
Like, when I when I plan these episodes and then when I hit record, like, I don't know. I just get giddy. I'm so excited to talk about it today, y'all. We are talking about the different types of bible translations. Is there one that you should use?
Is there one that you shouldn't use? Um, are all translations the same? Maybe you were like me at one point and had no idea that there was even a difference. We're gonna talk about it today. Let me pray a second.
God, thank you for your word. Thank you for the work of Bible translators that are translating your word into different languages so that Your Word can be known throughout this world. We thank You for those Bible translators, and we pray for them, that You would give them the wisdom and discernment to do what you've called them to do. Give them the endurance, God. We thank you for your word, that it is for us to know you, to know Jesus, uh, to know ourselves, the identity that you have given us, to know how you want us to live.
Help us, God, as we are trying to grow and studying your word for comprehension, with context in mind, with the original language in mind. Please help us as we do this. Holy Spirit, we acknowledge you. And, yes, while we are learning about different Bible translations, we do ask, Holy Spirit that you would come into this conversation and reveal things to us about God and Jesus. In Jesus' name, amen.
Okay. So like I said, at one point, I did not even know there was a difference between Bible translations, y'all. And then I found out that there were different types, and I was like, woah. Does everybody else know about this? Like, is this like?
I don't know. I felt like this was something that needed to be talked about. And then, um, this semester, we were talking about just the different translations. And I was like, okay. Like, I more people have to know about this.
Like, this cannot just be like a you know, you go to seminary and you know it. Like, this needs to be news. This this needs to be widespread. And so that is what today's episode is about. Now there are different groups of translations.
In general, they fall into three main categories. That would be literal, or sometimes you'll see this, um, called word for word, dynamic equivalence, or sometimes you will see this as thought for thought, or paraphrased. And you know I'm gonna give you examples of the different types of translations. So that literal or word for word. Oh, and I forgot to say this is one thing this is one reason too why I'm so excited.
It is because y'all we are going to look and, I mean, I know this is audio, but we are going to do this together. We're gonna look at, uh, at one Bible verse in different translations to kind of drive home the point that it actually does matter which translation you use. Okay. So back to what I was saying. Literal.
Word for word. What's gonna fall into your category, uh, this category, would be your, um, ASV, your American, uh, standard version, your, uh, new American standard version, the new King James version. And I say and there are more too. I'm just giving you a few examples. Um, and I said the new King James version over King James version because those are actually two different, uh, translations.
There has been a lot of, uh, hubbub controversy over over the King James version. Some translation decisions were made that it doesn't exactly translate direct because that's that's kind of the thing with these literal word for word translations. They have a reputation for being the closest, like, English trans translation to the original language. And a couple years ago, it was found out that that's not exactly true with the King James version throughout that bible, um, and that's why they have the new King James version. So and I guess maybe I should I should back up.
So the bible, it was written, um, not in English in in different in different languages. And so in order to spread God's word, there are Bible translators who, I mean, do do the work. And I and, like, go through interpretation and and hermeneutics and all through that process to get the Bible to match up in a certain language as best as they can. And so with these are the ones that we have in English. So that literal word for word, um, some pros of these, if you will.
I told you, I'm like, when I was prepping for this episode, maybe it's just I don't know. The thought of doing research. I don't know. But I was I was really excited. I was like, oh, I'm gonna make a pros and cons list, and we're gonna go through it together.
Okay. So the pros list for literal word for word, These have a reputation, like I said, for being, like, the closest English in the English language, um, the closest that we can get in our language in English to what was originally written. And remember, that is the goal with our with Bible study. God gave his message to human authors. We know that the Bible is God breathed.
These authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is God's message. He gave it to human authors. So we wanna get as close to the original language that they were using when they wrote it so that we can understand and comprehend god's word as he intended for us to comprehend it and so that we can apply it as god intended for us to originally apply his word. So that is the that's the goal, right, when we're studying the Bible.
So we have to keep that in mind when we're trying to figure out which translation is gonna be best for our study. So these, literal word for word, they happen to be the closest. Now, a con is that they are typically, honestly, truly, very hard to read. Because because the fact that they it kinda sounds like old English. Um, and so that can be distracting.
Like, the readability level on these, I think, is pretty low. Um, it can be distracting, and it's it's just hard to get into it. Like, if you have ever, like, if you have ever read one of these, you know that they use vow and yay and thus and, um, what is abideth and words like that. And so sometimes when you are trying to study, it don't it almost gets distracting because you're like, what? Wait a minute.
Now say what now? Like, what what's happening? Who is talking? What language is this in? And so we have to keep that in mind.
Right? But, again, it is really close to that original language, which is our goal. The next category would be dynamic equivalence or thought for thought. These would be your, um, these are also sometimes called, like, uh, mediating mediating, uh, translations. Uh, your NLT, NIV, CSB.
These are kind of they fall somewhere in the middle. They're some they're able to capture the meaning and intention behind what was originally written. Um, so they're able to do that. They are another pro is that they are more readable. They're more more readable.
They are, yeah, they are more readable, um, than the literal. Now a con is that these are a little bit further away from the original language. Therefore, some of the meaning is lost. And that is something that we have to be aware of. Because, again, you know what our original goal is.
We're trying to we're trying to get as close as we can to that original language. And then the last group that paraphrased, this would be the message or the good news translations. These tend to be, um, very readable. They also tend to another pro, I think, is that they tend to include, um, a lot of language that is culturally relevant. Like, you most likely will not see yay, thus, abideth.
You most likely will not see that in in the message or the good news translation. Uh, con is that these are the furthest away from the original language. And because they are paraphrased, there is a lot of the meaning that is lost. Say, for example, if I say to you, oh, man. I am so hungry, and I have to go to the store, and then I have to do laundry when I get back home.
The message or the good news translation would probably say something like, Danae, is very hungry and very busy today. Now is that wrong? No. I mean, that is that is accurate. However, you see that some of the specifics get lost.
And when we're talking about, like, my earthly errands, no. Like, it it's it's not a big deal. Right? But when we're talking about God's word that he gave us, when we lose some of that meaning, it does become a big deal. And we're we're gonna go over an example of how how that gets lost.
So just to recap real quick, we've got our literal, uh, new American standard bible, uh, uh, American Standard Version, um, the New King James Version, that we have our I'm pretty sure it's mediating mediating dynamic equivalence, thought for thought. That would be your CSB, NLT, um, new international version. Then you're paraphrased, which which tends to be, uh, incredibly easy to read, culturally relevant as far as language goes, but it loses a lot of the original meaning. And that would be, like, your message or your good news translations. So what then because I still haven't said, like, what what is the best is there a best translation?
Is there one that we shouldn't use? Please know that what I'm about to say is commentary. It is not in the Bible. So I I want to I want to make that distinction right here. When you are thinking trying to figure out which translation to use, please go to God in prayer.
My words, honestly, this this is just commentary. I personally think that it depends on the type of study that you want. Paraphrased, the message, uh, the good news translation, I personally think it's a good practice to maybe stay away from those because of the fact that you do lose so much of what was originally written, the intention there. I understand that they're a lot easier to read, but, again, when we're studying for context, like, I just feel like so much of that gets lost. And there are other things, which we're gonna talk about, like, some tools that we can use to kinda help us, like, get to that original language because I keep saying that.
What exactly what does that mean? How do we do that? We're gonna talk about that too in this episode. But I just feel like it's so much harder to do that when you when you're dealing with these paraphrasing translations. Again, I I am thankful for all Bible translators.
I wanna say that because it gets people to read the Bible, you know, in in their language. And I think that's beautiful. I think when you have an awareness of, okay, I need to really start reading the Bible for context here. I think there are a lot of changes that we have to make with that. And I think picking a translation, a Bible translation is one of those changes.
I personally I have said this, find the ASV, uh, New King James version. I find them very hard to read. So what what I do is I tend to read, um, New Living Translation or the CSB, and I like to compare what they say against what the ASV or the King James version says. I like to compare them. Is that more time consuming?
It is. But those versions are just they're just easier for me to read because I do want to I wanna get the context behind it. So that is that's just that's just my personal commentary. Um, if you can if the literal translations are readable for you, you better go ahead, girl. Like, please please please read those.
I'm not discouraging you from doing that at all. If you're listening to this and you're like, Danae, right about now, like, paraphrasing pair the paraphrase translations, that's all I can that's where I am right now. Then girl, you better do what you need to do to read the Bible. And when you're ready, maybe pick another translation or do one of these tips that we're going to talk about at the end that can kind of help you get closer to that original language. Okay.
So now that we know there are different types of translations, Let's look at an example. Let's look at an example of one verse. Now I have said this before. Whenever you are trying out, um, uh, interpretation or hermeneutic uh, method or, uh, looking into a different translation, I always think it is a really good practice to do that with a group of scripture that you are already familiar with. So it's not like that big of a stretch.
Big of a stretch for you. To me, that feels a lot easier. When I am looking at something, when I'm trying to learn how to do something in a new way, I need to have some something that I'm familiar with to help me in that process. So that's what we're doing here. So we are going to look at we're not gonna look at the whole Psalm for time's sake, but we're going to look at Psalm 23 verse one.
Y'all know I've talked about this before. Y'all know that's my favorite. This is my favorite group of scripture in every season. It is it is just so comforting and refreshing that our God is the Good Shepherd and how he intimately takes care of us and tends to us. I just think that it is it is just a beautiful illustration.
Um, and so that's the one that we're gonna look at, Psalm twenty three one. So I am going to go to an app that is called the Blue Letter Bible app. I've talked about this app before as well. Um, it is I think it's a great digital accessory to have in your bible study. It also gives you access to looking at what that scripture says in the original language.
So we're gonna do that too while we're here. Again, it's called Blue Letter Bible App. So when you first open it, when you first download it, you're gonna see a lot of you're gonna see scripture and then you're gonna see a lot of icons and you're you might feel like me. And when I opened this, I was like, I feel I immediately felt overwhelmed. So I'm going to hopefully decrease some of that overwhelm.
What you are going to do, what you're looking at on my phone, that first icon in the top left corner, if you click on that, you will be able to select two different, uh, translations that you want to compare, which I think is is pretty cool. So I have selected the new King James version and, um, new living translation. And then when you click on the scripture, you can either do old testament, new testament. You'll see the names there. We are going to go to Psalm twenty three one.
And then I also have open, um, Psalm twenty three one in the message, uh, in my in my, um, Bible app. Okay. So we're gonna read it first in the New King James version. Psalm 20 three:one. The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want. And I'm sorry, we're actually we're actually going to read Psalm 23, uh, verse three. I'm sorry. Um, and New King James version, it says, he restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake.
Psalm 23 verse three in New Living translation says, he renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Not much of a variance, but you can you know that there are some some differences. You just heard it. And then we're going to look at Psalm 23 and, uh, verse three in the message.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Okay. Let's talk about it. Starting with the message, is that false that God is true to his word and he he does let us catch our breath and he wants to send us in the right direction? Is that false?
No. However, that is not what David wrote. And so I think the thing here is that we we miss the fact that we miss the for for his name's sake. And then and I'll read it again in the new in, uh, New King James version, And then I'm gonna read it again in the original language, how it's written. He restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. This is what it looks like in the in Hebrew. My soul, he restoreth. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, forsake his names. Now that last part for his namesake, I feel like that is so important, that context, because David, he was a shepherd, so he knows that a shepherd is really can only call themselves good if that's what their reputation is.
Right? And their reputation is based on how they care for their sheep, how they tend to their sheep, the appearance of their sheep, how they care for their sheep. And so, I feel like it is so important for us to know that, of course, God is love. You know, he's he's just, um, he's he's a lot of things and he does care for us and he is kind but God is also faithful. And I feel like what what verse three is saying in this last part of the of this, um, of this verse who leads me in the paths of righteousness righteousness for his name's sake.
God leads us in out in the paths of righteousness and the right ways to be with him, um, for his name's sake because it's his reputation because he's faithful, if that makes sense. So if I do something that's for my name's sake, I'm gonna do it, um, because I want it to align with who I am as a person. And I feel like we kinda miss that in the message translation, which should just it says true to your word. You let me catch my breath and you send me in the right direction. Again, it's not false, but we just miss the details, the fact that God is intentional about being faithful with us.
He's faithful because he said he is going to be faithful. Right? That is his reputation. And I feel like that is missed in the message. So that's one example of why we have to be mindful that these translations sometimes can lose a little bit of meaning.
Now one thing that the King or I'm sorry. One thing that the Blue Letter Bible app will allow you to do is to look at it, the scripture, and it's an original language. So we're we're gonna walk through how to do that. I'm also going to tell you, um, about other resources that allow you to do that too just in case you're like, oh, I do not need another app on my phone, which I totally get it. Um, Blue Letter Bible app.
When you click on a verse, you will see a lot of options that open that you have open up. Under that first category, it says study. You will see interlinear slash concordance con cordinance. No. Con cordance.
Why did I have trouble saying that? Um, concordance. And when you scroll down, it shows you, hey. This is what this scripture says, um, in Hebrew. And you can kind of see what the author was originally trying to say.
And I do think that is important again because because that's that's what we wanna know. We wanna know what God what that message was that he gave that author, and this kind of helps us see that. Now sometimes, this is not going to make sense in in English. Right? Language changes, and I think that's fine.
I think it's fine even when you have the original language, and you're like, okay. Say what now? Like, this doesn't even make sense. Like, I I don't grasp what they were trying to say. I think it's fine when we have that reaction because we're human, and we're living on this side of when this was written.
Right? We're living on the on the other side of when this was originally written. I think this is when we can actually do things, like find out who wrote the Psalm because that does give us context for what they were trying to say. I think we can look at individual words. That's another thing you can do on this app.
You can click on any of these words, um, and it will give you the context. It'll also tell you, um, when it was maybe mentioned in another scripture so you can get gain more of an understanding. Is it time consuming to do it this way? Yes. And I think that's one of the main differences between reading the Bible and studying the Bible.
Studying the Bible is going to require a lot more of our time. It it just is. I think it's harder. It is more time consuming. It is going to require more energy, um, from us.
But I think that it is worth it when we're trying to study god's word with because we wanna know what he was trying to say through those authors and how we're supposed to live this out and walk it out. So that is one way, the Blue Letter Bible app. Now like I said, if you are like, yeah, Danae, I'm not I that's great, but getting another app on my phone? Nope. Um, so there are websites.
There are books that you can, um, that you can get. Now, of course, you can you can Google, um, some or whatever message, uh, whatever scripture you are reading, you can just Google, like, what is it in its original language.
Resources Mentioned:
Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary: https://a.co/d/a5j87GU
The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: https://a.co/d/fa9aOAH
Strong's Concise Concordance and Vine's Concise Dictionary: https://a.co/d/g5aTAh4
Blue Letter Bible Website and App:
https://www.blueletterbible.org/ 
Contact Me:
Website: https://www.deneamarable.com/
Email: deneamarable@gmail.com

Abiding in Jesus During Times of Civil Unrest

During times of civil unrest, it can be easy to be swayed into doing what the world says is okay. However, you and I are called to abide in Jesus’s words and teachings. This episode gives you a few ways we can abide in Jesus during times of civil unrest.
Scripture mentioned: John 15:1-10 and Galatians 5:22-23.
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Navigating Emotions, Talking to God, and Contemplative Practices with Rachel Ann

This podcast episode includes my conversation with Rachel Ann, a holistic life coach and speaker. With two Master’s Degrees, years of experience in the mental health sector and a faith based approach, Rachel Ann guides Christian women of color as they navigate the journey of uncovering their authentic selves-helping them heal the past, ground the present, and enrich the future.
We talk about emotions, listening to God’s voice, loss of identities for minorities and so much more.
Rachel Ann’s Information:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realwithrachelann/
Website: https://www.rachelanncoaching.com/
Use the promo code FFMPOD at check out to get one free month of the Journal Club Membership: https://www.rachelanncoaching.com/journalclub
Get free journal prompts when you sign up for my newsletter: https://www.rachelanncoaching.com/newslettersignup

My Autism Journey

This episode tells of my autism journey. If you know someone who is autistic, are autistic or want to learn more about autism this is a great episode for you. I go over how autism is teaching me what it means to be patient in during challenging autistic moments, commonly asked questions and lessons I've learned so far in my autism journey. 
 
New Digital Resource for Autistic Individuals and individuals who have ADHD is coming soon on Understanding the Parables. Be notified when it's ready by signing up here: https://subscribepage.io/autisticandadhdfriendlybiblicalresources
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Website: https://www.deneamarable.com/
Email: deneamarable@gmail.com
 

Understanding the Parables

Denea (00:01)Hello, hello, it's Denea, your host of the Faith Filled Mom podcast. I hope today, wherever you are, that you just take a deep breath. I had a kickboxing instructor who always used to say, as you were going about what you are doing, don't forget to breathe. And that stuck with me. That has been, that was like back in Tennessee. So it's been a little minute since I've heard that.
But just that, as you are going about whatever you're doing, as you are going about your day, as you are going about laundry, as you are going about working, as you are going about doing pickup and drop off and all of the many things that you do, don't forget to breathe. Deep inhale, slow exhale. Our bodies need that, our spirits need that.
And I think it's good for our mental health too. Don't forget to breathe. Today's episode is going to be about the parables, understanding the parables. We're going to be going through five steps that can help us understand, get some understanding in what they mean. I'm going to pray a sin real quick. Father, thank You for Your word. Thank you that it is alive and active and relevant today, yesterday, and it will be tomorrow. Thank you that Your word will never pass. It is a sure foundation that we can read. It is a sure foundation that we can go back to when we need to be reminded of who we are. It leads us and it helps us understand who you are. We have a desire, God, to understand You and Jesus, and we want to understand Your Word. Holy Spirit, we invite You into this Bible studying session. Point us back to who God and Jesus are and help us with understanding with the text to saying, we love you God in Jesus' name, amen.
Okay, so I believe that it is because I am autistic that I tend to be, I'm very literal. Maybe you are not on the spectrum. Maybe you're just like, you know, I'm, have always just been like a straight talker, like very good to the point. I went in understanding people. You're like, yes, I tend to be a very literal person. Maybe you are on the spectrum and you can relate. Maybe you're a neurodivergent and you can relate. Regardless, I think these five steps can help us all in understanding the parables and really figurative language in the Bible in general.
Understanding the Parables
Now for today, we are going to be talking about specifically, we're going to use an example from the gospel. So it's going to be Jesus using this parable. The first question of the first, I guess the first step is asking ourselves, who is Jesus talking to? Now this is important because Jesus tailored his parables according to his audience. He made them relevant to according to who he was talking to right? He wanted them to understand the parable therefore he  made it make sense to them. He used things that were relevant to them and from their world and I think that is such an amazing. I mean, I think I know that Jesus is Messiah and I know that he's God. But I just wonder, you know, like what it would have been like just to see him like teach and talk. You know, he was such a great communicator that way. And I think that's one of the reasons why understanding who his audience is, because it gives us insight. It can help us lead or go to the meaning of the actual parable.
The First Step in Understanding the Parables
And that first step, I think, is understanding who he's talking to, because the parable is relevant to that person. It's going to be from their world. It was a way for Jesus to connect with his audience.
The Second Step in Understanding the Parables
Second step, we're going to reflect on who or what is being used to make a point in the text. So and don't try to like come to any conclusions or like any connections here. We're just going to observe and we're just going to look. You can write it down if you'd like. So who is he talking to? And then who or what is he making a point within the text in the parable? Is he talking about the particle sun? Is he talking about sheep and a shepherd? Is he talking about oil and lamps? Is he talking about a wedding and a guest? Like what exactly is being used here? just reflecting.
The Third Step in Understanding the Parables
The third step is to get any historical or cultural context, facts about the audience, the main characters or objects. So basically, we're just doing deep dives on the people that we observe in steps one and two. And we talked about on a previous episode, I think it was the one before this actually, about ways, number one, why historical and cultural context is so important and what are some ways that you and I can get them.
It's the episode right before this. Some of the answers were getting that historical survey. You can also use like a Bible dictionary. You can Google, but remember if we Google, we're going to do what we can to make sure that we're looking at a reputable website. What are some ways to see if the website is reputable? Well, I always like to see the last time the website was updated or the article was updated. Like how relevant is this? For me, anyway, the more recent something was written, the more I'm like, okay, maybe I can trust that something hasn't been updated or if it's from like decades ago, then I'm like, it still could be true. But I'm definitely a little suspicious. Another thing that I like to do is I like to do my own little deep dive, mini deep dive on whoever wrote the article or the website themselves. So I go to social media and look for this person or this publication or this website. And I like to see the type of things that they are posting. I feel like this gives me a little peek into who this person is. And the reason why I think that's important is because I think sometimes history has a way of being reported or told at like an angle versus just like giving people facts. And I think that is very important. So I want to see what else this publication is talking about. What else this person is posting. Those are just some of the ways I think that you can check to see if a website is legitimate. You probably have other ways. Definitely make sure that it's legit.
So we're going to gain the historical context, any cultural context, facts that we can about the audience and about what he's using or who he's talking about to make a point. And again, the whole reason, one of the reasons why we want to do this is because all of this is going to be relevant to the audience, which means it's going to be relevant to the point of the parable.
The Fourth Step in Understanding the Parables
The fourth step. Now we're going to use all that we have gathered. We're going to try to put it together and see what the main point of the text is. This is when you put it together. I do not like to do, I don't like to, I mean sometimes it happens right but I don't like to mix the third and fourth stuff. Like I don't like to get the historical context and then try and make a point. Like I, I try to make those two separate texts because I don't want to jump to any conclusions just yet. Like I want it...I want it to be its own separate step. So this is when we're going to put everything together to see, like, I think I know what the main point is. Step five is we're going to pray and ask for understanding in how we can apply it to our everyday lives. And I definitely think that step is important because, I mean, the Bible is, yes, it helps us understand God and who He is. And it also helps us understand how we are supposed to live. I think, I mean, all throughout the Bible, but I love just, I don't know, thinking about how Jesus lived and then comparing that to how I live. And of course, I have a long way to go. Thankfully, that's why we have the Holy Spirit that is doing this work within us until we go to heaven. But that's what this is for, right? It's to under, like, we don't want to just know the scripture and understand it. Like, we also need to apply it to our lives. And so that's to pray and ask for that understanding and how we can apply it. All right, let's get to the example. We are going to be talking about the parable of the lost sheep.
This is in Matthew and again, this will be in the show notes. So don't don't don't worry You don't need to jump to grab anything Relax listen Take it in. I've got you. It's in the show notes the parable of the lost sheep Matthew chapter 18 verses 10 through 14 and I am going to
I'm going to read those verses for you and then we'll talk about it. So this is Jesus talking. See to it that you don't despise one of these little ones because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of, I'm sorry, view the face of my father in heaven. What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, won't he leave the 99 on the hillside and go and search for the stray. And if he finds it, truly, I tell you, he rejoices over the sheep more than over the 99 that did not go astray. In the same way, it is not the will of your father in heaven that one of these little ones perish. And so, okay, we're going to use this framework, right? We're doing this together. Number one, who is the speaker? Jesus. Who is he talking to?
So he's actually, he's talking to his disciples. And the reason that we know this is from the text that's right before it. So this is also a really, this is a great way, whenever you are trying to figure out who the speaker is talking to or who Jesus is talking to and like, just figure it to language outside of the gospel, or if you're talking about the parable specifically.
When you're trying to figure out who the audience is, see if you can find out by the surrounding text, by the text that comes right before it or the text that comes after it. And if you can't, of course, Google it. But remember, we talked about those steps, right, and making sure that we have a legit website. But this answer
Who's the audience, who's he talking to? Actually comes from Matthew chapter 18 verse one. And it says, at that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, so they're talking to him. They asked him who's the greatest of the kingdom of heaven. And Jesus calls a small child to him. And that's when he says, and I will read some of this, truly I tell you, he said, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, themselves. Therefore, whoever humbles themselves like this child, this one is the greatest kingdom, greatest in the kingdom of heaven. So that actually gives us our answer. Looking at that connecting text. So who is he talking to? He's talking to his disciples.
And I want to point out to his disciples, could be, you know, the 12 disciples, they could also be other people who were following him too. So that's who his audience was. The second question is reflect on who or what is being made, being used to make the main point in the text or in the parable. So what was Jesus talking about in that parable?
He was talking about a shepherd and he was talking about the sheep, right? Now I do think that it is helpful to make a note that before the parable, although it's not used in the parable, before the parable Jesus is talking about children. He's talking about children. I remember they just asked him like, "who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom". 
Recap
So I think that is also really just a good point to when you're trying to figure out who he's talking to, the speaker is talking to and what is being used to make a point. I think it's just a good practice to see if you can read a few verses before and after the figurative language. Step three, get all of the historical or not all.
Get any historical or cultural context about the audience, main characters, objects that you can. So in step three, we're talking about his disciples. And the thing that I found really, really interesting was that shepherding, and this is throughout the Bible too, but just in that time, shepherding was a very, popular job. It was well known. He was most likely talking to working class people, right? He most likely was not talking about people in who were living in the earthly kingdom there. He was talking to working class people and being a shepherd was one of the most popular jobs at that time. So being that he was talking to working class people, they were probably very familiar with shepherds and shepherding in some capacity, whether that would be trading wool or whether that would be providing food for the shepherd to give to the sheep, or maybe they were like a hired on help to help the shepherd. They were probably very familiar with shepherding in some capacity. So that's why those are a few of the historical facts about like the working class people of that time. Maybe they weren't, it's possible. Maybe they weren't shepherds themselves, but again, they probably had some type of, in that time, people had a lot of connections to shepherds in some type of capacity.
The fourth step, using all that you have gathered, piece together what the main point of the text is. I put together that God values all of his children, and I am so glad about that. God values all of his children, no matter what our earthly position is. He values us all. So we should not look down on others because God values us all. His valuing system, and we've known this, right? For example, when you read the Beatitudes, there seems to be, and we know this to be true, there is a different ordering system and there's a different way that certain virtues are valued to God.
And the truth is that earthly possessions really don't make a difference. What we value here on earth, it's not that those things are important, but in terms of heavenly things, if we want to keep our eyes, our minds on things above, there seems to be a different valuing system. And so being that there's a different valuing system, it's important for us to know that God values all of us. Now, children, especially during this time, children and women were seen as less than. This was whether they were in working class or whether they were rich. They were seen as less than. And so Jesus is also making that point, right? He, again, there's that connection. Like, he knows that. He knows his audience. He knows what's going around, what's going on around him and how marginalized people are being treated. And he says, hey, like I know that things are different here, but in heaven, like in heavenly things, the way that God operates, we are not to look down on anyone. And so how can we apply this to our lives, our everyday lives?
How Do We Apply What We've Learned?
I think one of the ways that we can apply this is to one, understand that God absolutely cares for the marginalized. And I think that that is...for me anyway, because I am a member of a marginalized community. I'm an African American woman who has a disability. I'm autistic, ADHD and OCD. Hearing that is, it's a relief. And it also makes me sad, I think, because of the reason of why it's a relief. It brings up the realization that that's not always the case on earth. And that is, I think, what makes me feel sad about that.
But I am encouraged and I am excited and I'm thankful that the way that God views us and how he loves us, it's different than how this world does. And I'm so glad about that because God is eternal. This world is not. And so if anything were to be eternal, I am glad that it is how God loves and views all of his children.
I think another thing, another way that we can apply this to our lives is realizing that God pursues us. You know, in that parable, he's saying that a sheep has gone astray and sheep are defenseless. This is another, I don't know, I don't really know if this is an historical fact or a cultural fact, but this is just a fact about sheep.
They're pretty defenseless. They have no, I think their kind of defense, I guess, mechanism is to be still, lock their knees, and then what typically happens is they, don't quote me on this, but I think it's they're overturned. They go on their back and their legs are up in the air. They can't defend themselves. And so the sheep,
I mean, they need a shepherd in general because they need guidance. They need to be cared for. But they also need a shepherd because the shepherd is the one who looks after them and keeps them, you know, tries to keep them away from the prey and tries to keep them from being, like when a sheep is on its back, the shepherd is the one who turns it on its feet. And so, I mean, this picture here of, of our beautiful shepherd of God, that's who the shepherd is meant to be, is going after the sheep, right? Going after us because he values us all. He pursues us. And when we talk about going astray, I mean, that's all of us, right? We have all done that. We've all gone astray. This is...before we were saved and this is after we were saved, we all have gone and will go astray because of our humanity, because we are sinful creatures in our nature. That's who we are. Of course, this is not a license to just go and do whatever you want to do and be like, well, that's my humanity. No, no, no, no, because God knows our heart. But this is comforting in that
when we go astray, that God is not done with us. You know, it does not say, then the shepherd goes astray, or when the sheep goes astray, the shepherd just writes them off. No, that doesn't happen. The shepherd leaves the 99 to pursue the one that is astray. And I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that sometimes people write you off, right? But our God, he doesn't.
When we stray, he pursues us and he wants us back. This is why I think shame is so dangerous. This lie that the enemy plants that says, hey, when you do something, you need to hide it and you need to go away from God. You need to hide yourself and go away from God because what you did is wrong, you were wrong. God would never want to be associated with you after you've done that? Are you kidding me? Like that lie of shame from the enemy, I think that's why it's so dangerous because it encourages us to hide not just the sin from God, but it encourages us to hide ourselves from God. And this parable, this truth right here tells us that it is God's heart to pursue you and I when we go astray. It is not his heart to turn his back from us, it is his heart to pursue us, and then he rejoices, amen. That is so beautiful. And I think the way to apply this to our lives is to know that we've messed up. I get to go back to my father. I can go back to God and say, I messed up, I am sorry.
Please help me repent. I want to turn my back on sin and I want to come to you. Can you help me? God loves to help us get ourselves together. He delights in doing that with us. He doesn't expect for us to do it all on our own because he knows that we can't and I think that it's beautiful that this here it says that he rejoices over that sheep and that is for you and I to know that God is happy.
that when we go back to Him, God is not like, my gosh, here she comes again. No, God rejoices. God is so happy when we come back to Him. He says, yes, my daughter, I am so happy. Yes, my child, I am so happy. Let's try again. Let's do this again. Let me help you. And I think another thing for us to, to of course keep in mind, and how we can apply this to our lives is how are we treating the marginalized? It could be children, yes, like that is specifically who Jesus is talking to or talking about, excuse me. And I think it's just a, it's a challenge for us, right? Like how do I value people in my lives, the marginalized? In my interactions. Like how am I actually valuing them? Am I valuing them based off of what they can do for me? Am I valuing them because they have a lot of money? Am I valuing them because they can offer me opportunity? And of course, right, like we have different levels of connection in our lives, right? Our family, that inner, you know, friends, that's that like the second ring, the third ring might be like associates. Like it's, you know, there are levels to our connection, but I think that this is just kind of some reflection for us to think about. Like truly, if I had to reflect, how am I actually treating the marginalized? Because the way that we treat the marginalized as Christians,
It should align with how what's in the Bible. Right? Like not what we think is right. That no, it should how we're treating the marginalized. It should align with what is in the Bible. I'm going to pray us out real quick.
"Father, thank you. that you pursue us. Thank you that you are our shepherd and you pursue us and you rejoice when we come back to You.
We are so glad that this is your character. Father, please help us. As we are trying to work out and understand how we can apply this to our lives, please help us do that. Make us sensitive to the people and the opportunities and the situations that can help us live this out, that can help us walk this out. And father, give us, help us to be brave and in obedience to respond to these people and situations and opportunities in the way that is Christ-like. That is our desire, God. We want to be more like Jesus. We love you in Jesus' name, amen."
 
I will put all of this in the show notes and I will highlight or...make the points in bold. That's what I've been doing. I hope that's been helpful. I would love to hear from you. Message me on Instagram. I'm at Danai Marable. I will put that in the show notes as well for you. But I would love to know how the outline is. I always do the outline like in the show notes. There's a transcription too that goes with each episode. But I do the outline of the of a transcription separately and then I put the points in bold.
to kind of help because I think it might be helpful to follow, but that's just me. I want to know if it's helpful for you. So I would love to hear from you. Message me, Danae Marable. I'll put it in the show notes on Instagram. I love you. Thank you so much for listening. I do not take it lightly that you chose to listen to this podcast. I appreciate your time and I just pray, that what we've learned and what we continue to learn together.
that it plants a good seed in you and produces fruit in you and your kids and the people who are around you. Thank you so much for listening. I love you and I'll talk to you next time.
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The Difference Between Grace and Mercy

Today's episode is about the difference between grace and mercy. Although they are commonly interchanged, they have difference meanings. I'll go over the definitions and an example for each in scripture. You'll find both the teaching points (in bold) and transcription below. 
Denea (00:01)Hello, hello, it's Denea, your host of the Faith Filled Mom podcast. I hope that wherever you are today, you know that you're loved, you know that you're needed. The kingdom of God loves you, you. People around you love you, needs you. You're loved and needed absolutely in this world. The light that you have, the light that you carry, the smile that you can give someone, the friendship that you have to offer to people.
Your kindness is absolutely needed in this world. Today we are talking about the difference between grace and mercy. And I wanted to talk about this because I know previously I have interchanged these, mixed them up. I have heard other people do it. It's very common. I know the difference now, but especially when I was the years of being, I guess, a newer Christian.
Yeah, I mix these up all the time. And I think other people do too. And I think it happens because we don't know the difference between them. So that's what today's episode is about. I'm gonna pray a sin real quick. Father, thank you that you offer us both grace and mercy. Thank you that we get to live in those and we get to experience them. We have a desire, God, to know more about you and Jesus. We also have a desire.
to understand grace and mercy and how can we also extend them to other people. Holy Spirit, please be with us during this Bible study time. We invite you in. Point us back, help us to understand God and Jesus. Help us to gain comprehension with what we are learning. We love you God, in Jesus' name, amen.
So like I said, I...mixed these up for years. And then I, you know, did my own, I guess, deep dive research and understanding what they are. And so if you do know the difference, I think that's great. This will be just a little recap for you. We are also going to be looking at them in scripture. If you don't know the difference, then absolutely that's great too. Everything will be in the show notes.
So sit back, relax, listen. If you're listening while you're on your run, I had somebody message me, I thought that was so cool. Said that she listens to me while she runs. Sit back, relax, I've got you. If you are prepared with your Bible and notebook in hand, that is great. If you are not, that is great too. Maybe you're washing dishes or maybe you are doing work right now. Maybe you're one of those people. I'm not.
I am not one of those people who can listen to music or listen to a podcast while I work. I don't know if that's because I do have ADHD, but I am not. But if that's you, then that's great. Come back when you're able to write stuff down. Everything, whenever that is, it'll be in the show notes. So for now, feel free to listen, sit back. You can do your work. You can do your laundry. You can do your run.
Or you can study if you have that stuff available either one all of it will be in the show notes for you If you need to come back and study if you need to just just listen right now.
That is so okay today like I said the difference between grace and mercy because I've heard them be interchanged like use and I know that I have in the past.
The Definition of Mercy
So that's what we're referring to grace, or excuse me, mercy is not receiving the punishment we deserve. As human beings, it is so important for us to know this and acknowledge it. We all have a sinful nature. Every single one of us, none of us, not one of us is righteous on our own. Judgment day, it is going to come, it's going to come, it's going to happen to everybody. And on our own, none of us can actually live lives that are worthy to getting us into heaven on our own. We have to know that. That's why Jesus had to come, right? Like we couldn't do it. We couldn't do it on our own. And so Jesus came, we needed a savior. God in his great mercy sent Jesus to save us. Jesus made a way for us to be saved and he makes it possible for us to get into heaven. I did a little deep dive, I guess, on a...
on the word mercy, some research. And in Greek, and I am probably gonna mispronounce this, eleos, this is the noun version. So in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, they often have different words depending on how a meaning, the meaning of a word. For example, love, like there are different types of like agape, phila, like there, or is it phila, always get that mixed up. But there are different words depending on the definition of how it's being used. And it's kind of the same for like nouns, adjectives. And so, in this script or in this text, excuse me, in this scripture is going to be used as a noun. means outward manifestation of pity. Now, an under, I'm sorry...for somebody in order, that's what I was trying to say, in order for somebody to have pity and to be able to offer mercy, they have to be able to be in a position to be able to help the person in need, if that makes sense, right? Like I, order for me to extend or be an outward manifestation of pity, and extend mercy. have to be in a position where I'm able to actually help someone.
An Example of Mercy in Scripture and Scripture Study - Ephesians 2:4
Ephesians chapter two verse four, I'm gonna read it to you. And again, if you're just listening, sit back, relax and listen. If you're ready to study, let's go. Either way is fine. It's gonna be in the show notes because I've got you. Ephesians 2:4," but God, who was so rich in mercy because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ. Even though," this is verse five, "even though we were dead in our trespasses, you were saved by grace." So who is talking? Paul. And this is all going to help us understand mercy. Who's talking? Paul. He's talking to the Ephesians. Who are a group of non-Jewish Christians? They are adopted sons and daughters. This is important because Paul is reminding them that, so it's important to know that they are adopted sons and daughters. And it's important to know that because this, book of Ephesians, it's broken up in chapters one through three. It is Paul reminding them about the gospel. He's reminding them about Jesus as Messiah. He's reminding them of God's love for them. The rest of the letter, Paul is teaching them how to walk in Jesus's ways and how to apply the gospel to their lives.
Now it's important, I think, to know that they are adopted sons and daughters because Paul is basically saying, hey, so the whole, like he didn't just open up the letter and say, in order to walk in Jesus' ways, you need to do X, Y, Z. He opened up the letter and he's kind of like pumping them up. Like, hey, do you remember, like Jesus, he came for you, a God, had great mercy for you.
And you, because of his mercy, you experience his grace and you experience salvation and you are empowered. Like he's pumping them up. Like this is their pep talk, right? And he's basically saying, because of God's mercy for you, because of that outward manifestation of pity that God took on you, you are empowered because Jesus, he died, he rose again, and he empowered you to walk in his ways.
What Paul's telling them to do is going to be tough, right? Like we know that we can admit that walking in Jesus's ways is actually really tough. It is, it is, it is, it is. It is actually a tough thing to be a Christian and like live it out and walk it out because we have to deny, sometimes we have to deny like what we've been taught depending on how you grew up and what people were, like, did you grow up in a Christian household? Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. Sometimes you have to deny that, and that's tough. Walking in Jesus' ways is tough in general because we're humans. Remember, we have a sinful nature. It's going to cause us to deny our flesh. And sometimes, like, our flesh...it doesn't want to do things that's wrong, although I think if we're all honest, like, yes, that actually does happen. Sometimes, like, we just want to, for example, I'll give you an example. So I was trying to figure out, or, well, I'm not still trying to figure out because I'm going to obey. But I was trying, I have an hour today of, dare I say free time?
It's not really free time. I'm trying to figure out how to spend this hour, right? And I was like, well, no brainer. I could just study for seminary, like done. But I kind of felt this prompting, like I felt God being like, you know what, Denae, I actually want you to do something like recreational that you enjoy. Whether that's, know, plant chores that could be like listening to a favorite podcast or like, want you to do something that you, that you enjoy. And I was like, "nah, like I actually, I want to be productive and like, I, you know, I want to be doing something on my to-do list." And like, I've really felt God being like, I want you to do something that, that you, that not that seminary doesn't bring me joy, but like, that is not work. And so.
Sometimes our flesh just wants to do things, like be productive and take care of that to-do list, right? But being Christ-like means for us, for you and me, because we're humans, laying down that sinful nature. And so Paul is saying, hey, these things are actually, pretty tough to do. But again, before he even gets to that, he's pumping them up, reminding them that they have received God's.
mercy and all of the gifts that they have received because of God's mercy. These are the adopted sons and daughters. So I have to imagine that it would be really easy for them to be like, like if he just would have opened up the letter and be like, hey, you need to walk in Jesus's ways X, Y, and Z. I feel like it would have been an easy out for them to be like, "we're not actually like. you know, Jewish, like at our origins. like, can we actually do this?" You know, like I could see them or maybe it's just me, but I could see them starting to second guess. Like, I don't really know if this is for me. And I think that's maybe one of the reasons why Paul opened up with, hey, like God had mercy for you too. Like remember, that's why, that's why like a lot of people, especially Jewish individuals at their origin were so, upset with Jesus because they thought that salvation was just for them. And when Jesus came, he was like, no, it's actually open and available to everyone. And so Paul is reminding them that because of that, God's mercy, because of salvation, right? What happened, what Jesus did, we experience his grace and we experience his power. We are empowered to walk in his ways.
Mercy is the Gift That Keeps on Giving
And I think that is just a beautiful reminder for you and I in that gift of mercy. It's like the gift that keeps on giving, you know, because there are other gifts attached to it because God took that pity on us. We have the gift of salvation. We have the gift of we are no longer lost. We are found. You and I, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit: God is with us.
That gift of mercy that God took pity on us. It just keeps going and going. One of the gifts that we receive because of God's mercy is His grace. That was one of the things that I, I think I knew this, but I don't know if I ever actually like articulated it, that there's a relationship between mercy and grace. It is because of God's mercy that we receive His grace.
The Definition of Grace
Grace means receiving unearned favor or blessings. Again, I think that it is amazing to, I don't know, maybe like I said, I think maybe I knew that, but I don't think that I ever actually articulated the fact that there is a relationship between those two. So for this, for Grace, I guess for my word study.
An Example of Grace in Scripture and Scripture Study - Hebrews 4:14
If you will I went to Hebrew and again Sit back relax It's gonna be in the show notes for you. I went to the book of Hebrews chapter 4 verses 14 and 16 and I will read them to you Hebrews chapter 4: 14 through 16 And I don't think I said it before I'm actually reading out of the CSB translation. So it reads, sorry I lost my place for a second, it reads, "Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast to our confession for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but one who has been tempted in every way as we are yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in the time of need."
Who's the author? I looked that up. The author is kind of unknown. Some people do think that it's Paul. Some people think it's Barnabas. Some people also think that it's...one of their disciples, but we do know that this is a teacher, right? We do know that this is whoever is writing this, are a teacher of God's word and his ways.
Who are they talking to? Who's the audience? Jewish Christians. And this is important, I think just to have some context. So Jewish Christians at this time were facing a lot of persecution and internal struggles. They were, at the time, there were people who were saying that, they needed to just abandon Christianity or this aspect of following Jesus and believing Jesus as Messiah. Then there were people who were saying you need to just go back to the Jewish rituals and walking in those traditions. You need to come back to that. Some people were saying that they needed to just abandon it all together and abandon the Greek.
Tradition so they were facing a lot of persecutions for following Christ for being Jewish Christians And then they had a lot of internal struggle. "Do I go back to rituals and Believe in that that can make me holier Do I or do I just abandon it and do this whole Greek thing?" Like I don't know they were they were going through a lot. So the writer is reminding the. That they don't have to work for salvation because of what Jesus did. And this is one of the reasons why I think knowing that they're Jewish Christians is relevant. It's because the writer is pleading to them, like, hey, you don't actually have to go back to the rituals and the Jewish traditions and trying to make you holier. You don't have to do all that because of what Jesus did for you already. You've already been given it. And I think it's also important to know that they were having internal struggles because again, the writer is saying like, hey, what you were thinking about that you could possibly gain by giving this up, you actually already have this freedom. Like you don't have to go to, you know, do this whole Greek thing so that you can be free and you're free now. And I think that is one of the reasons again, why some type of context is helpful. It's just helpful to know that this writer, that's why this writer is making this plea and it's relevant to us too, right? Like if we really get real about that, we have, we face persecutions as Christians, right? Walking in God's ways and holding certain values that the world doesn't agree with. And we face that internal struggle. "Like, I mean, I don't know. Do I give it up? Like, do I give it up for, to be free with what the world says that I can be free?" Even though we have freedom, right? It's kind of the same thing. The Bible, like I kind of sat back and I was like, "man, I'm so thankful. This is such a great reminder that the Bible really is relevant." So he's reminding them, hey, you don't have to go back. You don't have to give this these ways up because of what Jesus did for you. And a couple of things that I do want to point out.
So there are a few times that there's kind of like a, and I definitely have forgotten the English term for this, but there are like interjections that the author makes. And I'm going to point out three of them. One, therefore.
Whenever you see therefore, I heard Priscilla Shirer say this, "whenever you see therefore in the Bible, look and see what it is there for". Look to see what that author, what they're talking about before the therefore. And so this actually does, in doing this, it gives us some context because right in the beginning of chapter four, the writer is talking about entering into the promised rest of God.
And he's telling them that they can rest from works. Like that's in the verses before this, is exactly what he is talking about. So that gives us that extra context of the fact that they are maybe considering going back to working for that whole idea that they can work to be holy, that their rituals can make them holy.
Interjection again, I know there's a term for these things but but I just I don't remember what it is currently Depending on the translation that you have there might be a comma mine has like a hyphen a dash It could be something else depending on the translation that you have it says it's right in verse 14 therefore Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens
There's a hyphen, Jesus, the son of God, hyphen, let us hold fast to our confession. So whenever we see that, it's kind of, I guess, acting as like a prepositional phrase, Jesus, the son of God. So the writer is saying, like, since we have such a high priest, who is Jesus, the son of God, by the way, let us hold fast to our confession. I think that's important because he's giving context to why this high priest is so important to us, right? This is not just any priest that he's talking about. He is talking about Jesus, the son of God. He's talking about Jesus who was God. He's talking about Jesus who, excuse me, is God. He's talking about Jesus who is the Messiah. Like he's letting them know, like, hey, just in case you forgot who the high priest was,
its Jesus, by the way, he was the son of God. The third thing, the third interjection that I want to point out is in 16, verse 16, he says, therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Okay, so why can we approach this throne of grace with boldness? Like, why? Well,
We're able to do that because of who our high priest is. We're able to do that because our high priest, in verse 15 it says, our high priest, right, is not somebody who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way and yet didn't sin. We're able to approach the throne of grace because
The one who stood in our place was Jesus, the Son of God. That is why you and I have the privilege of approaching the throne of grace with boldness because Jesus kind of interceded for us, right? He acted on our behalf. That is why you and I have that privilege. So whenever you see therefore, whenever you see, I'm gonna call it the interjection again. Those interjections like whatever you see a dash or a comma that prepositional phrase look and see like what that context around it because all of that is going to help you understand the whole point of what the scripture that you are studying. So he's pleading to them that you and I, hey, we can approach the throne of grace in our time of need, which he's saying like, I know that being a Christian and walking in God's ways, is tough.
I get that. But you and I, have the privilege of approaching the throne of grace because of who our high priest is. That throne of grace. Remember that definition. It's receiving unearned favor and blessing. So he's saying you and I have that privilege to approach the throne that gives us that unearned favor with boldness because of who our high priest was, is, excuse me. And when we approach that, there's even more, there's more good news. When we approach the throne of grace, we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in that time of need. See, there's that relationship between grace and mercy. It is because of God's mercy that we can find grace and receive grace in our time of need and when we are in need and following this walk, right? And trying to walk in God's ways and try, and we need some grace, right? We need some unearned favor. You and I didn't earn it on our own. It is because of what Jesus did, because of God's mercy that we can receive that grace and helps us in our time of need. I think that is just this, I don't know, beautiful tapestry of mercy and grace and how they interact and how they intersect and how we receive them. It is because of God's great mercy that you and I can know that we are loved, that we are empowered to walk in his ways and receive his grace in our time of mercy when it gets tough, obeying, when it gets tough denying our flesh. We can receive that unearned favor, that blessing from God because of His mercy. And it just goes on and on and on. And I just think that is so beautiful. And I am so appreciative and so thankful that the God that you and I serve is this. This is His character. His character, He is the God of mercy. He is the God of grace. And it is because of His mercy that we can even approach this throne and receive this grace.
Father,
Thank you. This is who you are. This is in your character. We are so appreciative of these blessings, Father, because on our own, we don't deserve them. You created universes. Father, scientists don't even know how deep the ocean is, but you do because you created it.
You know how many pieces of sand there are on the beach and yet you want to give us mercy. And yet you are concerned. You want to give us your grace, Father. How thankful are we that you are mindful of us. Help us to walk this out. Help us to give other people mercy.
Help us to give other people grace, Father, that is so hard to do.
Help us, empower us, remind us that we are empowered, that the same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives on the inside of us. With that power, Holy Spirit, help us to be open and get out of the way when you are doing this transformative work within us to give other people mercy and grace, just as God did to us, just as Jesus did to us. Help us to do it to other people. Help us to walk this out. Help us to receive it. Help us to give it.
We love you God, in Jesus name, amen. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. you could, wherever, however you were listening to this, if you could review it, give me a rating. And this just basically pushes it out into the podcast platforms, spheres. so, y'all.
Okay, so in full transparency, when I podcast, I normally have, I gave up coffee. I think I said that on this podcast, but I do have like a cup of matcha each day. I didn't have that today and I think it's very apparent. What that does is it helps push the podcast out so that other people can hear it too. I appreciate your time. Remember everything is in the show notes for you.
There's a separate transcription, but I also put the transcription in the show notes and I highlight the points in bold to kind of help you like follow along as you're studying if you need to come back. Thank you so much. I love you and I will talk to you next time. Bye.
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How Getting Historical and Cultural Context Can Help During Your Bible Study Time

This episode explains why getting historical and cultural context when we're studying the Bible can be helpful. There are detailed examples of each in this episode. The scriptures referenced in this episode are John 4:5 and John 4:30. Here's the transcript for this episode with the main points in bold:
 
Denea (00:00)Hello, hello, it's Denea, your host of the Faith-Filled Mom podcast. Thank you so much for listening. I hope that wherever you are today, number one, I hope you know that I really do appreciate you listening. Two, I hope and I pray that you are giving yourself some grace for the transition that you are going through right now or that you have just gone through.
It at the time of this recording, daylight savings time just passed. And let me tell y'all, it threw me. It threw me. It's been on my calendar, right? Like on your phone, you know, the time now it resets automatically. But like, I don't know if it's just because as an autistic individual who also has ADHD, changing.
Any type of change to my schedule or my routine, it typically takes me a little bit to get the hang of it, right? I feel like sometimes it's like I'm or I'm jumping to like double touch. I'm trying to, you know, I'm trying to get the hang of it. I'm trying to wait for my turn to really, you know, get in and get the rhythm of it. But it just takes me a little bit sometimes.
But it threw me. And so I am trying today. told myself, I felt this yesterday and I told myself today, it was like, Denea, this is a transition for you and you need to be extra patient with yourself. You need to be open to any type of changes or shifts you need to make in your schedule. And that is so hard.
for me to do, to be open to changing, not just because it's change, but I think also there's something in me that, like I have to remind myself that it is okay if I readjust the expectations that I had for myself. Like it doesn't mean that I can't do it, it just means that I need to go about doing it a different way. And so whether you are neurotypical or whether you were.
a neurodivergent, I hope that whatever transition you are going through, and remember a transition, like you get to define what a transition, a major change, a major transition, you get to define what that is. So before you start thinking, well, I don't really know if that's a big enough thing. I don't really know if that's a big enough change. Maybe I just need to get over it. No, no, no, no, no, no. We're not doing that. We're not diminishing. We're not dismissing. You define whatever
A transition is for you. Think of it and then think of ways that you can be just a little bit more patient with yourself. What are some ways that you can give yourself just a little bit more grace? Allow yourself to move at a different speed than what you had initially planned while you're going through this transition or while you're just recovering from a transition. Today's episode is all about how historical
and cultural context can help us get more context when we are reading the Bible. I'm gonna pray a sin really quickly, real quick. God, thank you so much for your word. Yes, it was relevant back then and God, we are so happy that your word, it is still alive, it is still relevant, it is still active now.
We invite you in Holy Spirit into this Bible studying time, make us sensitive to the promptings that you want to give us now. And even after this Bible study time ends, whatever promptings you want to give us to help us understand more of who God and Jesus are, help us to be sensitive to that. Help us to be sensitive to understanding this text. Let it plant a root.
in us a seed that has strong healthy roots that produces fruit not just in us but in those around us and our families and our friends and the people that we walk past every day let it produce fruit in them too. God we love you in Jesus name amen. All right so when we're talking about interpretation which these past couple episodes that's really what we've been focusing on right.
I think I initially started that because it was like the new year and it's gonna be like a new goal and then I was like I really love actually Bible teaching and I got I got a lot of messages and Just comments and people were like, this is this is awesome. Like this is exactly what I need and so We're kind of in this groove the faith of mom podcast will always be some sort of Bible teaching podcast, it will always be centered around faith. It'll always be centered around how us, especially as moms, can have a fruitful Bible studying time. And I guess that's redundant because anytime we study the Bible, it's gonna be fruitful, right? But I think sometimes, or at least what I was feeling when I would study the Bible, I would be like, I have no idea what I'm doing. I have no idea what I am doing, I don't know where to start, I don't know how to do this. And so that is what these episodes have been about. The goal. Whenever we are talking about biblical interpretation, the goal is for us to get as close of an understanding to what the author of the text was originally trying to say. That's what the goal is, right? The goal is not to read the text and make it fit what we want it to say. The goal is to understand with the author who originally wrote it, who was illuminated, the Holy Spirit gave the word to with that person, what they were trying to say. And so that's what these interpretation methods.
That's what they're going to help us do.
How Historical and Cultural Context Can Help Us When We're Studying Scripture
So historical context gaining historical context and cultural context are keys in getting more of a closer understanding to what the original author was saying. So how or what kind of is historical context any type of historical event that took place around the time that the author was writing? It could also be social or - we're going talk about that too. Any type of economic thing that that event that happened around that time. Any any type of event that can help us understand the foundation of why this person is saying what they're saying. It can also help us understand who the author is writing to. It can help us understand the circumstances, and why they are actually writing.
Where Do We Get Historical and Cultural Context?
Where can we get historical cultural context? Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm going to give you a few places that I tend to go. And these are pretty broad, by the way. If you have other ways or places that you get your context, whether it be historical, cultural, just in general, let me know. Please, please, please message me on Instagram. I'm at Denea Marable. I'll put the handle in the show notes, but I'm always open to gaining more access to anything that can help me understand, interpret the Bible. So I love any type of historical or cultural surveys because they really, they tend to break down the historical events. They break them down - historically and culturally in a way that I don't know, it just makes me feel like I was there. And I think also it's because I was the type of person when I was younger and it's still me now, who rejoiced when I was given a book report. anything that called for like research and I absolutely love that.
Well, historical and cultural surveys, they kind of lay out the information that is kind of in a, I guess, time sensitive, time friendly manner, which is extremely important for us moms because, you know, mom life. And so I highly encourage you, you can get those at your local library, at your Christian bookstore. You can try your local bookstore, of course, and Amazon.
Bible dictionary is also really good for it can help you. It doesn't give you I feel like as much Information as a historical or cultural survey might but it is definitely helpful Especially when you were trying to interpret the Google good old Google just make sure that the site you are Getting this information from is a reputable website
I always like to, I think it's a good practice when you have the time, whenever that is, to when you're on a website, I like to check out their social media because that kind of gives me a little bit of inside information on who is writing this. Like if I am not already familiar with the website, because I don't want, and you do not want a historical...background that is slanted, you know, because that that's not true. Like history should not be slanted. History, it should be giving us a straight back. And so I always like to go, if I'm going to a new website, I always, before I take the information in, I always like to go to their social media and see who is this company? Who are these people? What other things are they writing? What other things are they posting? Because I think that can really be helpful. A Bible Atlas map, that can be helpful whenever you are, whenever you see rivers like the Jordan River or wherever you see any type of geographical reference in the Bible. It's just good because it gives you an understanding of like, wow, know, this person, really, they really had to walk far or "wow, they had to go around Samaria", which is very common and we'll get into why they had to or why in the gospel especially during that time, why it was very common for people not to go through Samaria but around Samaria. So those are just some resources that you can try out. So this is an example of how historical context can help us get a good, a better understanding to what the original author meant. So in reading the gospels, I think, I mean, historical context, of course, is helpful throughout the Bible. I think I'm still stuck on the gospel because my class, my class last semester was all about the gospel and the book of Acts.
Historical Context Example
And I just found the historical information, some of that absolutely fascinating. So I'm going to share some of that and then some other stuff that I've kind of come upon too. So in reading the gospels, some historical context that we're going to talk about specifically is like Rome and how it impacted the tension when Jesus kind of came on the scene. Why especially traditionally Jewish individuals were so upset with Jesus. And this is something that I had not known before, but it definitely opened my eyes to, it opened my eyes to a lot. So Roman law, what happened was when Rome kind of, I guess took over Jerusalem, Roman law was being imposed on the Jewish people. Now again, you we have to remember these, these are God's chosen people. And so they've had prophecy after prophecy of being saved and being delivered. And also we have to remember too, that this was kind of on the tail end of the silent years and scholars are they go back and forth between how many silent years. But it was something like three or four hundred silent years. So there was not a prophet. There was not a word from God about the Messiah. It was silent. so Rome has overtaken Jerusalem and the Roman law is now being imposed on them. This means that the language was also changing. Historically, the Jewish people, most of them spoke Hebrew (please refer to the beginning of the episode for correction). And so now it was starting to change to Greek. Also, traditions, a lot of culture was changing and it was also being imposed on them. It was calling for them to either have to practice some of their cultural traditions in private or have to get rid of them altogether.
So this is one reason why the Jewish people had such a tough time believing that Jesus was the Messiah. And it's one of the reasons why they were so angry with him because they were looking for Jesus to come and start. They wanted him to start a revolution.
And like overtake Roman government and they wanted him to be their new king. But the thing is Jesus did not come to start a revolution with the Roman government. He came to offer salvation to all people, not just Jewish individuals, but Gentiles too.
And this is one, and this is another reason why they got so frustrated with him because they were like, look, we've seen you do signs and wonders. We know that you are clearly doing things that nobody else has ever done before. It could be so easy for you to just strike them out and you yourself get on the throne. Like why aren't you doing this for us? But Jesus, if it's one thing that he kept, he kept saying many things over and over again.
But one thing he kept repeating was, I have to be about my father's business. I think one of the reasons why Jesus didn't want to be as violent, of course, as they want to be, well, he's not violent. But also I think he wanted there to be a lot of validity to what he was bringing. Like he didn't want people to think that he was just some dangerous man who was coming and threatening people with violence. Like he came to changes from the inside out. He came to usher in the kingdom of God. He came to bring us salvation. And that was his focus. Not overpowering Roman government so that Jewish individuals could be happy. Right? He came for a lot more than that.
And I think just knowing that this is really helpful because it helps us understand why there was consistently so much tension between Jesus and Jewish individuals. And it's why to this day that some of them still do not believe that he is Messiah.
Cultural Background Example
Cultural background, specifically, there's a lot, but I wanted to focus on the woman at the well - the Samaritan woman. We meet her in John chapter four. She is a Samaritan woman. She is from Samaria. Samaria, to me it sounds like some area, like you know like some area over there. And I feel like that's kind of the attitude that they had back then culturally. Like in order to pass through Samaria, to get to a town that was near it, people often chose to go days out of the journey, out of the way to pass over or around Samaria rather than go through it. Samaritan people were often seen as dirty or unclean or beneath others. And so that is one of the reasons why Jesus even talking to this woman, it is so counter cultural. And I don't know about you, but y'all, I am so happy that we get to serve a Lord, that our Messiah is somebody who is some, he's counter cultural. Jesus, he said it many times, he came to be about his father's business. He did not come to appease social, cultural standards. He came for so much more than that. And I feel like his interaction with the Samaritan woman is just proof of that. love their exchange because even it reveals a lot and even how it's set up tells you a lot about how shamed this woman feels, how shamed other people have treated her, how poorly other people have treated her.
In chapter four, at verse six, and I guess I should start actually at verse five. This is Jesus. So he came to a town of Samaria near the property of Jacob, where Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there and Jesus, worn out from his journey, set out the well. It was about noon or some scholars say it was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to drink water. And I mean, it goes on and it details their exchange, but just the fact that she came at noon or the sixth hour, that was typically the hottest time of day. was hot. And if you kind of notice, so the well, the source of water, you would think it would be very, very crowded, right? Like there were certain times of day where the well would be crowded because it was where they got their clean water from. And so the fact that Jesus, that she and Jesus are able to have this conversation, to me, it says that there's nobody else around. Why? Because it's the heat of the day. And she is so accustomed to avoiding people. She is so accustomed to...probably people looking down at her or talking very poorly to her, treating her poorly, that she wants to avoid crowds and she is willing to come to the well at the heat of the day. Samaritans were not treated kindly at all. And so this is Jesus. This is our Jesus being counter-cultural, talking to somebody, who is a marginalized member of society and pushing that aside to reveal himself to her as the Messiah. It's not just that she's a Samaritan, it's also that she is a woman.
Culturally, culturally in this day, women just in general, it didn't matter if you were Samaritan, it doesn't matter if you were a Jewish individual,  you were seen as less, you were seen as lower than everyone else. And so she's a Samaritan, she is a woman, and then we find out that on top of that, she has had many husbands and the woman and the man that she's living with now is not her husband, which in this day, culturally was...kind of like, know, a woman who's unwed, like, my goodness, like grab your pearls. Like it was, it was seen as like, well what's wrong with her? Like that's how they looked at it back then culturally. Now today, I would like to think that's changed a little bit, right? Like there are, there are many, like there are many reasons why someone may not be married and that's fine.
Right, like that person should not be treated poorly or as an outcast as a society. Like Jesus did not, he didn't stand for it then clearly because he reveals himself to her as the Messiah. And I can tell you, he doesn't stand for that now. I love the conversation, exchange that goes on between them because it's just proof that our Messiah. He doesn't care about cultural expectations. He is more interested in saving souls and offering salvation to all people, male, female. It doesn't matter what your ethnicity is. Maybe you're a marginalized member of society. Maybe you're not. Jesus wants you to know back then and now that salvation is available to you.
They go on and they have this exchange. And he of course knows all of this about her. He knows that the man that she's living with now is not her husband. And he knows that she's had several husbands. And he still says like, you know, I am the Messiah. And this woman goes on y'all to evangelize. Like she goes on and she tells other people like, hey, I like come see a man in verse still chapter four. This is after they've had their exchange chapter 28 or excuse me, verse 28 chapter four. Then the woman left her water jar went into town and told the people come see a man who told me everything I did. Could this be the Messiah? And I love verse 30. It says they left the town.
and made their way to him. And I love that because it's like they were like, what? I gotta go see this for myself because of her evangelizing, right? Like that is what she did. She went and she spread the good news. Could this be the Messiah? And they were like, I've got to see. I don't know. I've got to see.
And so this is just, these are just some exchanges, some examples of how when we gain historical context, when we gain cultural context, it can help us understand what the author was trying to say. This conversation that happens in chapter four, like it's not just a regular conversation, right? Like when we put the cultural background to it, we can see like, my goodness.
Jesus was talking to a woman back in that day and he did not care. my goodness. Jesus, number one, was in a place and at a time, the hottest, hottest time of day, just to talk to her. He did not care about cultural expectations. Like it, it just opens up my eyes and I hope that it opens up your eyes and we can kind of see some of God's character when it comes to how marginalized members of society can be treated. And so I hope that the next time you go to study the Bible, the next time you have time, because remember we've talked about this, I give you tips, I give you certain methods, and maybe you go and you know what, the second that you sit down, you hear, like, you know we've all.
We've all had that. You know, that's okay. You can always have a part two to your Bible study, or you can have a part two, three, four, and five if you need. know, like you can have, study this however you study it. Apply it however it serves you. But I hope the next time that you were able to apply Googling, getting a book at your local library, local bookstore.
Amazon, wherever, historical context survey, biblical cultural survey, Bible Atlas, a map. The next time you can Google it, just try it and see how it helps to give you a little bit more understanding, like in depth of what the author, the point that the author was trying to make. We learned today that number one, from the historical context, I feel like
the author was trying to, and this is something that you kind of see throughout the gospels. And I think honestly, even in some of Paul's letters too, the context kind of helps us understand that Jesus didn't, he didn't come to appease people. And that's good news. He came to be about his father's business. He came to be, he was on a mission to usher in the kingdom of God. He was on a mission to offer salvation to all. The cultural context that we studied, it helped us understand more of the character of Jesus and more of the character of God and how he feels about marginalized members of society. I'm gonna pray us out. God, thank you for your word.
Thank you that we're not just reading stories, God. These things actually happened. And these things were relevant for the people who firsthand got to read them and they're relevant to us now. Help us understand how we can apply what we've learned today in our Bible-studying time and how we can apply it whenever we come across marginalized members of society.
Help us to understand Father that there are some times that when we are about your business, so to speak, we might not appease people. Help us to live that out. Help us to walk that out. Give us the strength to obey in that. Help us to be brave and courageous as we're trying to walk that out. Holy Spirit, we want to acknowledge you and we want to thank you for everything that you just did.
in us and everything that you're going to do after this Bible study time as we continue to use what we've learned today. We love you, Father, in Jesus' name, amen. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I would love it if, yeah, if you use this, if you use these tools, these techniques, historical context, cultural context, message me on Instagram and let me know what did you learn?
Or if you have another way, I listed some ways that you can gain historical and cultural context. So if you have some other tools, resources, let me know those too. I love you. Thank you so much for listening and I will talk to you next time. Bye.
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