Transcript
Speaker: This is the Truth For The Matters Podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan, and this is episode 197. Let's begin by recognizing and appreciating all of our new and consistent listeners.
Speaker: We thank you all in advance for continuing to press play at your own convenience. And I pray that this podcast, regardless of the episode that you find yourself pressing play on, can and will be a blessing to you.
Speaker: Thank you so much for tuning in. Obviously, it's been about three months, November 8th, since the last time I posted an episode. And now we are in February 8th.
Speaker: Right, we're in Black History Month, we are in Women's History Month. It's been exactly three months and a lot has transpired. What do want to tell you is things have gotten better.
Speaker: Last time I spoke with you, had an issue with the car which got flooded and was working on repairs. And that since then, three months, things have gotten better in the department.
Speaker: I hope at some point I will be driving again. With that being said, have not put my Bible down within those three months. I actually have something to share with you today that I think will be a blessing to you because it definitely was a blessing to me.
Speaker: It was something that I came across that I could easily missed. And who knows, I might share it with you and you might have caught in this. You might have recognized this. And then again, you might have not.
Speaker: I pray that what I share with you is truly a blessing and that you see it moving forward as you continue to read scripture. Sometimes when we read scripture, we take things for granted and we miss important aspects and transitional periods of what's going on.
Speaker: And what I want to emphasize is how Jesus, when he spoke, he spoke in a way that if you follow, it was very strategic. It wasn't sporadic, but very strategic. And I'm going to show you exactly what I'm talking about.
Speaker: Obviously, I'm still doing ministry with the seniors every Saturday from 11 to 2. 864 Gates Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. To those who are interested and want to join, you're more than welcome.
Speaker: You can also reach me on a couple of areas. My email, speed, S-P-E-E-D, E-D at the end of it. So it's speedit83gmail.com you wish to send me an email.
Speaker: I'm a Believer Facebook group. You can also reach me there. tick tock ig you can reach me the truth of tmis so is the truth of tmis all together you can reach me in those places so again i thank you so much be mindful that the podcast in a way in which it was created is for me to share with you things that i believe god has revealed to me in my study
Speaker: and unique and creative ways to see the scriptures and reveal knowledge and insight and wisdom to apply your own personal life. And so I welcome those who come across something that has blessed them to share it, even have you on a podcast that's always open and opportunity driven for that.
Speaker: And so this podcast, my dream has always been since I created it six years ago. was to reach a thousand episodes. Obviously i am three episodes. This will be 197. I'm three episodes, 200. I will have to do 800 more episodes to reach that goal.
Speaker: I believe that it's possible it can be done. So I will be working towards making sure that the content that is put together here, whether I'm with a guest or by myself, it will be accessible here.
Speaker: This podcast is not designed for a weekly reflection of what's going on unless I'm reflecting on my personal life, which I also encourage you to reflect upon to see how God has been in your life throughout the week.
Speaker: But these episodes and podcasts are designed to help you and help encourage you to go back to scripture and see what God is saying.
Speaker: So on that note, I thank you all who have continued to press play. I thank you all who have gone back and listened to previous episodes that were recorded. And I pray that you continue to listen as I would do my best to then post more a episodes frequently in 2026.
Speaker: And so on that note, I want to pray us to start first and foremost, we believe in that. And then I hope what I have to share with you today is a blessing. Heavenly Father, Lord, in Jesus' name, I want to thank you so much for who you are and what you're doing.
Speaker: I pray as of today, it's super cold in New York tri-state area. I pray for the safety and warmth of those who are at home or those who are outside chic and shelter.
Speaker: I pray that they get in a place that has heat and that they will feel safe. Lord, I pray that you open up about our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our hearts to receive, and our minds to understand.
Speaker: Lord, I thank you for another Black History Month year, another Women's History Month year. I pray and I ask that each and everyone who's listening today will be blessed by what I share based upon the time that I spend with you and what I believe you reveal to me that I don't want to keep to myself, but that I want to share with everyone who decides to press play.
Speaker: Thank you so much for the Truth For The Matters podcast audience for continuing to press play. And Lord, we thank you. We honor you. We glorify you. We lift you up and we say these things in Jesus name we pray.
Speaker: Amen and amen. So.
Speaker: One of the things, although it may be subtle, that I started to discover when reading scripture is who Jesus was speaking to. Obviously, we've been in the Gospels, right? We've done 1 John.
Speaker: We've done the Gospel of Luke. We are currently in the Gospel of Matthew. We will return to the Gospel of Matthew series at some point. But what I have to share with you today will be rooted in both the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John.
Speaker: At times, I will go back and make sure that I share new things that I discovered over three months that's rooted back in the Gospel of Luke, which means I will be expanding the series that I started, Startling Discoveries in Luke, and it will be transferred over to share with you more that I've discovered in my long time with the Lord.
Speaker: And on that note, I want to talk about God's relational nature reflected in both genders today. Again, God's relational nature reflected in both genders. Those two genders that I'm speaking about is male and female.
Speaker: As you know, based on the biblical narrative, humanity was created in God's image. And where we get this is from Genesis 127. So God created mankind in his own image, male and female. He created them.
Speaker: Male and female were created in God's image. Right. And from the beginning, God's image has always been reflected collectively in both male and females.
Speaker: I believe this is true because this establishes that no single gender fully represents God on its own. Rather, instead, God's relational capacity is revealed through both male and female genders.
Speaker: Remember. What Jesus said in the Gospel of John, chapter the four, verse twenty four, God is spirit.
Speaker: OK, again, God. Is spirit. Now, what we get in Hebrews chapter the one, verse three and Colossians two nine adds context to a very important thing in understanding who God is.
Speaker: and how we read it and understand it. Right. This is something not to be misunderstood, but this is something to add context and understanding.
Speaker: So we know based on scripture.
Speaker: In Hebrews chapter the one, verse three, it says he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. He opposed the universe by the word of his power.
Speaker: And so Jesus is the exact reputation of God's being, which means he perfects and reveals God's character, glory and essence.
Speaker: Right. What this emphasizes is that the role of Christ is for one, he's one of. the three in the Trinity, God, the father, God, the son, God, the Holy Spirit, and his role as God, the son is to make visible God's love,
Speaker: power and truth in the human experience. And so when Jesus mingled and had relationship and communication among his disciples, he was giving them an exact behavior representation of who God is and flush.
Speaker: Right. When we read Colossians chapter two, verse nine, it says for Christ, for in Christ, all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form. And so God's fullness lived in the body of Jesus Christ. Obviously, this is always going to be speculative in terms what that means.
Speaker: However, I think we can go on to remember a couple of things. Jesus bore the identical likeness and character of God's very being.
Speaker: We can recognize what perfect revelation is when God revealed himself through the prophets. And we know that Jesus provides a clue complete, perfect unveiling of God's nature by showing people on earth what it means to love, what it means to have mercy, what it means to be holy, set apart, what it means to heal, what it means to provide. Right.
Speaker: Jesus just isn't being seen in likeness of God, but it's God's nature fully being expressed that I would think would bridge the gap between what God might do to what God will do for humanity.
Speaker: The might is what's speculative, right? the The real is what Jesus actually did. And so i always encourage people,
Speaker: That when you read the Gospels, read and understand what Jesus did.
Speaker: We know that Jesus words were God's words, and you find that in the Gospel of John chapter 14, verse 10. We know that based upon his actions, he performed miracles and acts of compassion, demonstrating what it means to be God and to will the power of God and to have mercy.
Speaker: Right. We understand these things. And so. When we read passages like the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse 18, we know that no one's ever seen God, the only God who is the father.
Speaker: Right. And we know that Jesus is God. And so Jesus made God known. And that's one of the reasons why he came here.
Speaker: He came. Right. and We learned this particular thing in first John. believe it's chapter five. And so the son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is who is true by being in his son, Jesus Christ.
Speaker: He is the true God and eternal life. And so constantly what we have is the constant mentioning of who God is.
Speaker: And the mentioning of Jesus Christ and how Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. And so why do i mention this and why am I talking about this? Because as you read through scripture.
Speaker: You're going to see masculine and feminine imagery in scripture. And what's going to happen is is that's going to complement. Both consistently scripture uses both masculine and feminine metaphors to describe God's nature.
Speaker: Now, when we think about masculine imagery, right, the emphasis is you see a fatherhood. We see strength. We see leadership. We see so steadiness, protection.
Speaker: We read that Jesus and the stories he told. about being a shepherd, right? A father, a king.
Speaker: That's the masculine imagery that we see constantly through scripture, especially within the four gospels. Now, when we get to feminine imagery, what's emphasized is nurturing, beauty, care.
Speaker: Of course, responsiveness and intimacy, right?
Speaker: Together, these images show God's multifaceted nature, encompassing the full range of the human experiences of love and care, faithfulness and compassion.
Speaker: And so Jesus, while he taught, used gender pairs in his parables. Jesus frequently taught using male and female counterpart parables to reinforce that God's work in grace is applied universally to male and female.
Speaker: And so you might be saying, OK, Jonathan, what are some examples? And so I'm going to give you some examples. Today is more about providing you the proof of what I'm sharing and allowing scripture to do the talking.
Speaker: It's not necessarily about me unpacking it, but it's just me visibly showing you where the passages are and allowing you to do the homework.
Speaker: So let's talk about the lost sheep. It's a parable told in a story. And I'm going to show you this in Matthew, chapter 18, verses 12 through 14. And I'm going read this in the NLT. It says, if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wonders away.
Speaker: What will he do? Well, he leave the 99 others on the hill and go out to search for the one that is lost. And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over the one. And then over the 90 mind that didn't wander away in the same way.
Speaker: It is not my heavenly father.
Speaker: That way even one of these little ones should perish. Now, that's mentioned in the Gospel Matthew, chapter 18, verse 12 to 14.
Speaker: Where I want to show you how they're both mentioned simultaneously, side by side, is in Luke. So you're going to see this in Matthew. You're going see this in Luke.
Speaker: In Luke chapter 15 verses 3 through 7, you have the story, the lost sheep. But guess what happens? If you go to Luke chapter 15, but you read verses 8 through 10, you have something called a lost coin parable.
Speaker: Now look at what it says. The key word is or here either or. So I gave you what was said in Matthew 18 12 to 14. I'm telling you the same exact story is told to you Luke 15 3 through 7.
Speaker: But when you get from verses 8 to 10, the key word in verse 8 is or. And the word or there gives you an option. So first, I believe he's talking to males from verses 3 to 7.
Speaker: Then he uses a female example in verses 8 10.
Speaker: Notice in Matthew 18, 12 to 14, it says if a man who's a shepherd, right, has a hundred sheep and then the story continues. When we get to verse.
Speaker: Eight to 10 in Luke 15, it says. Or suppose a woman. See that or suppose a woman. So let's read the story.
Speaker: Or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me.
Speaker: I have found my coin in the same way I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. So that's the first example you see.
Speaker: I showed you that the lost sheep story is told in Matthew 18, but it's also told in Luke 15 and a complete story is told in Luke 15 from three to ten.
Speaker: And what you see there is that there are a pair of parables that are being told. One to a male, one to a female. Let's continue.
Speaker: Well, we get to the story of the mustard seed. Right. It's usually for gardener or farmer. We get to Matthew Chapter 13 verses 31 to 33.
Speaker: do thirty three The great thing here is that, again, you're going to see a gender pair of parables being told. OK.
Speaker: Now, here's the good thing. The mustard seed story is combined with the story of the baker with the yeast and it's mixed in there.
Speaker: So let's go and read it. Matthew chapter 13, 31 to 33. He told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seeds as this talking to men, which a man took and planted in the fields.
Speaker: Though the smallest of all the seeds yet when it grows, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds come and perch in his branches. He told them still another parable.
Speaker: So here's the second parable. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about six pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.
Speaker: So what do you have here? You have one story being told.
Speaker: That's redress addressing a man. And you have another story being told that's addressing a female. Now we see this identically again Luke 13 verses 18 to 21.
Speaker: verses eighteen or twenty
Speaker: luke chapter 13 verses 18 through 21 and i'll read it then jesus asked what is the kingdom of god like what shall i compare it it's like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in the in the garden and it grew and became a tree and the birds perched in its branches Again he asks, what shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
Speaker: It's like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about six pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough. So what do you get?
Speaker: Two parables.
Speaker: that are gendered male and female that gave Jesus an opportunity to speak to the males in the audience and the females in the audience. So Jesus is mentioning a story that will be applicable to men and a story that will be applicable to women.
Speaker: I'm going to give you one more story that came to mind. And I'm sure there are many others. Right. But I just want to hit the nail on the coffin that God's relational nature reflects in both genders. And when Jesus spoke as a rabbi, a teacher, he made sure to point these things out.
Speaker: How about.
Speaker: The persistent neighbor. Or the persistent widow. What you'll see here is that these two stories are told in the gospel of Luke.
Speaker: One is told in Luke 11, one is told in Luke 18. But it's about persistence. One, the persistent friend or neighbor, one, a persistent widow.
Speaker: I'll read Luke 11, chapter five, and I read it all the way to 13. Luke 11, verses five to 13.
Speaker: Then Jesus said to them, suppose you have a friend and you go to him at midnight and say, friend, let me three loaves of bread. A friend of mine on a journey has come to you, has come to me and I have no food to offer him.
Speaker: And suppose the one inside answers, don't bother me. The door is already locked and my children are are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.
Speaker: I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity, he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
Speaker: Now, we see a similar statement that's going to be mentioned with the persistent widow. But you see the drastic need to emphasize and stress the shift in the language.
Speaker: Right. Jesus says, I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you to breast the bread because of your friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity, he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. So I say to you, act and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.
Speaker: For everyone who acts receives and the one who seeks finds and the one who knocks the door will be opened. Which of you? Fathers, if your son asks for a fish, we'll give him a snake.
Speaker: Or if he asks for an egg, we'll give him a scorpion. If you, then though you're evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?
Speaker: Now check this out. Luke 11, chapter 18, verses 1-8.
Speaker: Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they shall always pray and not give up. This is a narrative about persistence. This is where you get the persistent neighbor, the persistent widow.
Speaker: Verse two, he said in a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, grant me justice against my adversary.
Speaker: For some time he refused, but finally he said to him, but even though I don't fear God or care what people think yet, because it's what it keeps bothering me. I will see that she gets justice. So we see in the story.
Speaker: about what Jesus says in Luke 11, 5, 13. It says, I tell you, even though you will not get up and give the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless or dashed, he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
Speaker: It's pretty much very similar to what the ruler says here. Right. For some time he refused. But finally, he said to himself, verse four, even though I don't fear God, no care what people think.
Speaker: Yet, because his widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so that she won't eventually come and attack me. And then the the Lord said, listen to what the unjust judge says.
Speaker: And will not God bring justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep pulling them off? I tell you, he will see that and they get justice.
Speaker: And quickly, however, when the son of man comes, he will find faith on the earth.
Speaker: And so those are the three stories that I want to bring up to you that point out clearly a genderpaired a gender agenda agenda parable pairs.
Speaker: Sometimes is right after the next, which is why I mentioned sometimes you read it, but you miss it. But he's obviously if he's in an audience preaching to people, there's two genders in the audience, this males and this females.
Speaker: One parables for the males, one parables for the females. From a cultural context point of view, farming was typically done by men.
Speaker: Baking bread was primary a woman's responsibility. Jesus intentionally placed God's kingdom truth in both public and domestic spheres, making his teaching accessible and of course, inclusive.
Speaker: And of course, is becomes no brainer. That women were active participants in God's ministry. For those kind of texts of those who were interested, i encourage you to read Romans 16, which further highlights women who labored alongside Paul in his ministry and leadership and service. And of course, there's a beautiful passage here that can be found in the book Luke.
Speaker: Right. Luke chapter eight. And I love this passage
Speaker: because sometimes we overlook these things. But if you go to Luke chapter eight,
Speaker: And we read verses to three. says after this jesus traveled about from one town and village to another proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of god the twelve with him and also some women who have been cured of evil spirits and diseases mary called magdalene from whom seven demons had come out jonah the wife of suaii the manager of harris household susan and many other these women were helping to support them out of their own meansans
Speaker: And so it's clear that men majority followed Christ, the soul of disciples, but then women were also a part of it. Some of them funding the ministry.
Speaker: And we see that again in Romans 16, helping Paul and his ministry. And so things that I do want to mention as well. Is that the imagery expressed other places should also be mentioned as well.
Speaker: So Jesus compared himself, not just as a shepherd, but as a mother hen. If you want to know where that passage is, I believe it's in the Gospel Matthew, chapter 23.
Speaker: And I believe it's verse 37. So Matthew 23. Verse 37.
Speaker: And it says. Jerusalem, Jerusalem. You who kill the prophets and stone those who sent you who sent to you.
Speaker: How often have I longed to gather your children together as hens gather her chicks under her wing. And you were not willing.
Speaker: And if you understand the nature of a mother's hen, you understand the imagery that Jesus is utilizing. The mother hen is being used to depict that god's God is protective.
Speaker: He's nurturing. He's loving. He's like a mother sheltering her young.
Speaker: Beautifully said.
Speaker: Another mention that came across to me is in that same book of the Gospels. You go to Matthew 25 and you read verses 1 through 13 and read about the 10 versions. What's being po promoted there is readiness, faithfulness that illustrates women who are waiting for their bridegroom.
Speaker: And so this is what I've been mentioning. Sometimes we gloss over it and we miss these important factors when it comes to God's intention and what God is attempting to reveal to us that we should take away.
Speaker: So
Speaker: I think it's important to mention that God's grace extends beyond nationality and social statuses.
Speaker: That God is a God of faith, not gender, not ethnicity or position, but determines that all participants, male or female, will be in God's kingdom.
Speaker: And of course, these stories can directly challenge religious exclusiveness. But It's to emphasize that God had a message and that message was to both the male and female.
Speaker: Obviously, there are roles that biblically aligns on what men and women ought to do based on protection and based upon how God created them and structured them.
Speaker: But I want to emphasize that Jesus draws from everyday experiences familiar to both males and females, farming, parenting, providing food to teach, to trust in God.
Speaker: Right? Right.
Speaker: And so what is the overall point here?
Speaker: God spirit. He's not biologically gendered. Scripture uses masculine and feminine lamens to reveal God's character.
Speaker: Jesus intentionally taught through gendered balance imagery.
Speaker: Women are consistently shown as faithful, persistent, and centered to God's redemptive work. And together, masculine and feminine imagery reflects the full image of God, a God who leads, nurtures, protects and has relentless love for his followers. As a matter of fact, he has relentless love for his own creation.
Speaker: And so my suggestion is, as you continue to read scripture, please be thorough. Please check and look at the subtle things.
Speaker: Understand why it's there.
Speaker: Sometimes it's not about reading a lot. You can read a little and still gain a whirlpool of knowledge that can help you in your daily life. Thank you so much for tuning in and listening to what I have to say today.
Speaker: Although I may be short, I still believe it's powerful and is important to mention This is one of the few things that I discovered, although it was subtle, over the last three months during my time of studying scripture and catching things that I don't hear get spoken about often.
Speaker: Of course, here on the Truth of the Matter is podcast, we close out in prayer. So I would love to do that with you. Heavenly Father, Lord, in Jesus' name, thank you so much for this platform, this opportunity to share your word.
Speaker: I pray and I ask that all who listen to this find it to be a blessing to assist them in how they read your word. I pray that when they read your word, they continue to grow in faith in you and continue to see the reason why they should place their faith in you.
Speaker: Thank you so much for being God and God alone. Thank you so much for caring for us, for loving, for for looking out for us, for seeing that we grow and mature in you.
Speaker: I pray for the forgiveness of sins, those that I'm aware of, those I'm unaware of, those that I've done intentionally or unintentionally. We thank you, we honor you, we glorify you, we lift you up, we acknowledge you.
Speaker: as a God who sees us and wants us best for us. Lord, we say these things, Lord, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. And until next time, we ask that you remain faithful, that your eyes don't depart from the word, but that it remains in it to help govern, keep a steady hand, and for you to remember that God is your anchor, and that as long as you stay attached to him,
Speaker: You stay attached to what he asks for you, what he wants for you, and what he intends for you moving forward in your life. God bless, and I will talk to you next time.
Speaker: Have good one. Bye.
