BibleProject Podcast

After the letter’s opening appeal, Jude (or Judah) begins warning corrupt members of a Jewish messianic church community who cast off restraint and live openly immoral lives. He does so with an ancient rhetorical technique found in both the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Jude shares three stories of rebellion in the Hebrew Bible: the spies fearful of the promised land in Numbers 13-14, the “sons of God” in Genesis 6, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. Then he draws comparisons to the corrupt church members, promising they’ll receive the same judgment. Why does Jude write this way about the moral crisis in a church? What is he trying to communicate? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore verses 5-8, unpacking the dense biblical references and what they would have meant to Jude and his audience.

In the introduction to his letter, Jude (or Judah) shares that he had hoped to write about the community’s “shared rescue” of salvation in Jesus. But urgent problems in the church forced him to send a warning instead. He calls his readers to “contend for the faith once for all handed down,” describing this faith as made up of trust in the story of Jesus and loyalty to Jesus’ way of life. But what is the threat Jude wants them to guard against, and how does he describe it? In this episode, Jon and Tim break down the introduction to the letter of Jude, revealing a multitude of Hebrew Bible hyperlinks and a method of reading Scripture as unified meditation literature.

Jude is one of the shortest writings in the New Testament. It comes from one of Jesus’ own brothers (or cousins, or stepbrothers, depending on the tradition). Written in the early years of the Jesus movement, the letter addresses a Jewish community in Jerusalem or Galilee, made up of disciples who likely grew up with Jesus and knew his family. Jude (or Judah in Hebrew or Judas in Greek) is deeply rooted in the Hebrew Bible. His writing shows these roots through consistent biblical language and tons of hyperlinks. But who was Jude, and what do we know about his family and ancestors? In this episode, Jon and Tim introduce the background of this short letter and the larger world surrounding its author.

As we wrap up 2025, we’re celebrating two big milestones: 10 years and 500 episodes of exploring the Bible together! To mark the occasion, we’re strolling down memory lane to see how it all began. How does a side project recorded in a closet turn into a decade-long global conversation? In this episode, producer Lindsey Ponder interviews Jon, Tim, and other team members about how the show came to be, its growth over time, and how it continues to shape us, even as it helps hundreds of thousands of listeners experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus.

In our next-to-last episode of 2025, Tim, Jon, and BibleProject CEO, Steve Atkinson, review all the resources we released this year, while reflecting on the bigger worldwide movement of people reading the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus. The guys then share about some of what’s coming up next for BibleProject in 2026.

We’re ending our short Advent series with a reflection on love. In the Hebrew Bible, the word “ahavah” involves faithfulness to God and living by his wisdom, but it also means showing practical care to others—especially the vulnerable. Jesus views this love for God and neighbor as the greatest command, and he expands it to be indiscriminate, radical kindness and generosity even toward our enemies. The New Testament authors were so blown away by this kind of love that they adopted an obscure Greek word for love, “agape,” and redefined it to be a self-giving, sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrates in his life, teaching, death, and resurrection. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the main biblical words for love, showing how the story of Advent characterizes agape as God’s own essence and our calling.

In the third week of Advent, we’re reflecting on joy. Joy’s not only a feeling based on circumstances but a rich biblical theme expressed in song, celebration, and even shouts of delight in all seasons of life. In the Hebrew Bible, words for joy appear most often in Psalms and describe communal feasts, temple offerings, and weddings. In these moments, joy is about remembering God’s goodness in the past and anticipating his future rescue. The New Testament continues this story, with Luke and Acts in particular overflowing with joy at the arrival of the Messiah, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection of Jesus. In this episode, Jon and Tim find the theme of joy everywhere in Scripture, even before God’s work is ultimately finished.

In the second week of Advent, we’re reflecting on peace. The word most often translated as “peace” in the Hebrew Bible is shalom, but its meaning goes far beyond the absence of conflict. Shalom is about wholeness, completeness, and everything being as it should be. It describes uncut stones at an altar, honest weights in the marketplace, integrity of the heart, flourishing relationships, and life lived in harmony with God’s purposes. In this episode, Jon and Tim trace the deep biblical meaning of peace and show how Advent points to the arrival of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who reconciles divided people and makes them one.

Over the next four weeks, we’ll be exploring the four key words associated with the Advent season: hope, peace, joy, and love, starting with hope. The Hebrew words often translated as “hope,” yakhal and qavah, are rooted in images of waiting and being stretched, like a cord pulled tight. From Noah waiting for the flood waters to recede, to Israel longing for God’s loyal love, to Jesus followers ultimate hope in the new creation, the Bible presents hope as an active trust in God’s character. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore how the biblical story reframes hope as active waiting, a practice that keeps us moving toward God’s promises.

Is Adam being formed outside of Eden a prototype of the wilderness pattern? Are the biblical authors linking David and Nabal to Jacob and Laban? And does Jesus experience a wilderness testing moment in the garden of Gethsemane? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from our series on the wilderness. Thank you to our audience for your thoughtful contributions to this episode!