Devotions in the Deep End Cam Buchanan

This short episode appears in the Olivet Discourse so it's being briefly covered, with the acknowledgement that some of this came up in earlier episodes. One part of the teaching has not thus far, so this serves as a chance to look at that particular section.

This is the 4th instalment of the Olivet Discourse - the part where Jesus speaks specifically about the end of the age.

This is the third episode in our exploration of the Olivet Discourse. In this one, we're looking at a key phrase (which the title implies) that appears first in the book of Daniel. Jesus offers a small piece of insight into what is considered one of the hardest texts in the Old Testament to interpret, and this episode will interact with some of the history that came about after Daniel's vision, and how it can be applied through the lens of Jesus's words. I've kept this short in order to not overwhelm! I hope it helps understand a tough scriptural idea.

This is the second episode in my exploration of the Olivet Discourse. This focuses on the journey of gospel proclamation that disciples participate in, as well as the persecution that will come with it.

We are going to take a handful of episodes to explore what is known as the Olivet Discourse. This is the introductory part of that journey!

This episode explores a pretty powerful and fitting end to the way Jesus has interacted with the religious leaders around him, offering a very big exclamation mark on all that has been recently covered.
I have sought to offer a balance of thought and hope you're able to see this here. Some modern writers seek to point out the face value story of a widow's faith in a way that appears to ignore the surrounding context. I do think there is value in considering the faith of this lady, and the example she becomes because of the way Jesus points her out.
But doing this ends up reducing the point to the subject of far too many modern offering talks!
There are others who point out the culture of hypocrisy all around her, and that context certainly matters. The leaders around her most certainly 'devoured widow's houses.' This episode gives considerable attention to this idea also.
But this view can highlight the apparent victim status of the widow - she is seen as being coerced into giving in order to religiously fit in.
While I agree she should be more a recipient of the temple treasury than a contributor to it, there is also a clear element of faith and pure devotion in play that cannot be ignored.
So, I've kept all that in mind while making this episode, and I hope I do the passage justice!