The Bible Recap Deep Dive: Week 1 (Day 274-280)
Podcast: The Bible Recap
Host: Tara-Leigh Cobble, with Kirsten McCloskey & Emma
Date: October 7, 2025
Overview
This episode of The Bible Recap Deep Dive takes a closer look at Week 1 of the New Testament (Days 274-280 of the reading plan). Tara-Leigh Cobble and co-hosts Kirsten McCloskey and Emma select thoughtful listener questions from the Bible Recap Recaptains Facebook group and dig into the Trinity, the Pharisees, spiritual testing, salvation before Jesus, and the dynamics between Jews and Romans in Jesus’s time. The conversation is rich, honest, and peppered with memorable quotes and practical application, offering listeners both theological depth and everyday relevance.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Is Jesus Less Than the Father? (Day 274, John 1:14)
Main Topic: The relationship of Jesus to the Father and understanding the Trinity.
- Q: "Does Jesus being called the only Son from the Father mean he's less than the Father?"
- Emma: No—Jesus is not lesser. He’s co-eternal with the Father and has always been divine, not a created being. (01:13)
- Kirsten: The wording “Father” and "Son" can be confusing and make it seem like one predated the other, but all three persons of the Trinity are equal. (01:54)
- Emma: Seminary taught the Trinity is summarized by unity, equality, and distinction:
- Unity: “The Lord our God is one.”
- Equality: All are equally God.
- Distinction: Each has unique roles (e.g., only the Son died on the cross). (02:03)
- Tara-Leigh: “Without the Trinity, you don’t have Christianity.” (03:52)
- Emma: If Jesus weren’t fully God, he couldn't have borne the infinite weight of God’s wrath. The Gospel depends on Christ’s full divinity. (05:06)
- Tara-Leigh: Jesus shows up throughout the Old Testament, not just in the manger—he is present before his earthly birth. (05:55)
- Summary: The Trinity is a mystery but is essential, not only for doctrine but for the lived Christian faith. Tara-Leigh references her book/study (“He’s Where the Joy Is” and “The Joy of the Trinity”) as resources. (07:27)
Notable Quote:
"He who tries to understand the Trinity will lose his mind. He who fails to understand the Trinity loses his soul." — Tara-Leigh Cobble (08:13)
2. Who Were the Pharisees and Why Are They the 'Bad Guys'? (Day 277, Matthew 3)
Main Topic: Understanding the historical and spiritual context of the Pharisees.
- Kirsten: Pharisees were the most influential Jewish group in the NT, “separated ones” for study or purity, controlling synagogues and highly influential.
- Tara-Leigh: “Jesus calls them whitewashed tombs” and gives them some of the harshest rebukes in the NT. (10:07)
- Emma: Their main failure: “They don’t practice what they preach.” Though well-versed in law, they missed its heart. (10:29)
- Tara-Leigh: Pharisees added man-made laws (“building a fence around the law”), oppressing people beyond what God required. (10:50)
- Emma: They strove for righteousness by works, rejecting Christ’s sufficiency even when confronted with him directly. This attitude remains tempting in the church today—trying to “maintain” salvation by religious effort. (11:38, 11:58)
- Kirsten: It's easy to think "I'd never be a Pharisee," but we all have legalistic or licentious (overly permissive) tendencies. (15:04)
- Tara-Leigh: “There is hope for the Pharisees”—Paul was one, and no one is beyond God’s reach. Every believer is prone to either legalism or license; we must be self-aware. (16:12)
Notable Quote:
“Without the Trinity, you don’t have Christianity.” — Tara-Leigh Cobble (03:52)
“If you try to add anything to [the gospel], you sever yourself from it.” — Tara-Leigh Cobble (12:11)
3. Am I Testing God or Seeking His Wisdom? (Day 278, Matthew 4:5-7)
Main Topic: The difference between demanding signs from God and sincerely seeking his guidance.
- Kirsten reads the context: Satan tempting Jesus to “prove” God’s faithfulness.
- Emma: Testing God is demanding proof; seeking is trusting without requiring proof. Jesus refuses to “prove” God in prideful ways. (18:20)
- Kirsten: Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6:16, referencing Israel’s wilderness testing (“is God among us or not?”), which showed a forgetfulness of God’s past faithfulness. (19:16)
- Tara-Leigh: Satan can know the truth and still not surrender to it. Testing God is not the same as a believer genuinely seeking wisdom in faith. (20:31)
- Emma: James 1:5-6 encourages asking God for wisdom “in faith”; genuine questions are welcomed, but true seeking is open to any answer God gives, not just miraculous proof. (22:18)
- Tara-Leigh: Don’t demand a specific “sign”; wisdom seeking should be humble and open-handed. (23:56)
Notable Quote:
“Testing God often comes with spiritual amnesia.” — Emma (20:10)
4. What Happened to People Who Died Before Jesus? (Day 279, John 3:12-13)
Main Topic: Salvation in the Old Testament and Jesus’s authority.
- Kirsten: The listener’s question takes John 3:13 out of context—the passage is about Jesus’s authority, not a treatise on afterlife timelines. (25:31)
- Emma: The real issue: “No one has ascended into heaven except the Son” means only Jesus has divine authority to reveal heavenly things. (27:11)
- Salvation before Jesus: Old Testament believers were saved by faith, not by law or works.
- “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (Gen. 15:6)
- “By faith” is the refrain of Hebrews 11—OT saints trusted God’s promises looking forward; we look back. (29:26, 30:07–30:48)
- Tara-Leigh: Jesus existed before his earthly birth, as seen in tying together Genesis 1, John 1, Colossians 1. (05:55, 27:55)
- Kirsten encourages keeping a notebook of questions; not all are answered in one text, but asking is worthwhile. (31:05)
- Resource Plug: gotquestions.org is a valuable site for biblical answers. (32:00)
Notable Quote:
“Everything points to Jesus in the center. There’s just a forward-looking faith...Ours is a backwards-looking faith.” — Tara-Leigh Cobble (30:48)
5. Jewish–Roman Dynamics in Jesus’s Time (Day 280)
Main Topic: Life under Roman occupation and how it shaped Jesus’s ministry.
- Emma: Rome conquered Israel in 63 BC. Jews lived under Roman occupation (“Rome ruled over Israel with power and force, not necessarily peace”), taxed heavily, had limited legal rights, and constant threat of revolt. (32:43)
- Kirsten: Jews had no king; their land did not feel their own. (34:01)
- Emma: Roman officials (e.g., tax collectors like Levi) were seen as traitors; Zealots wanted to overthrow Rome. (34:24)
- Tara-Leigh: Among Jesus’s disciples were both a tax collector (Matthew/Levi) and a zealot (Simon)—people from opposite sides of this spectrum. (35:24)
- Point: Jesus’s kingdom was not about defeating Rome but conquering sin, inviting people from all backgrounds. (35:52, 36:00)
Notable Quote:
“Jesus came to conquer sin. He didn’t come to conquer Rome.” — Emma (35:52)
Memorable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)
- “Jesus is not lesser. He’s always been divine...co-eternal with the Father.” — Emma (01:13–01:47)
- “Without the Trinity, you don’t have Christianity.” — Tara-Leigh Cobble (03:52)
- “He who tries to understand the Trinity will lose his mind. He who fails to understand the Trinity loses his soul.” — Tara-Leigh Cobble (08:13)
- “Testing God often comes with spiritual amnesia...” — Emma (20:10)
- “You can know the truth and not be moved by it. You can know the truth and not surrender to it.” — Tara-Leigh Cobble (21:04)
- “If you try to add anything to [the gospel], you sever yourself from it.” — Tara-Leigh Cobble (12:11)
- “Everything points to Jesus in the center. There’s just a forward-looking faith...Ours is a backwards-looking faith.” — Tara-Leigh Cobble (30:48)
- “Jesus came to conquer sin... He didn’t come to conquer Rome.” — Emma (35:52)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:45 – Q1: Is Jesus less than the Father? (John 1:14, Trinity)
- 08:46 – Q2: Who were the Pharisees? (Matthew 3)
- 17:27 – Q3: Testing God vs. seeking wisdom (Matthew 4:5-7)
- 24:49 – Q4: Old Testament salvation (John 3:12-13)
- 32:19 – Q5: Rome & Jewish dynamics
Conclusion
This Deep Dive delivers clear, encouraging, and theologically grounded answers to complex questions from the first week of the New Testament. The hosts handle each topic with care, humility, and practicality, encouraging ongoing study and community. Listeners are empowered to deepen their understanding of God, scripture, and history—reminded that God’s character is unchanging, the Gospel is rooted in grace, and that real unity flourishes amid diversity.
For Deeper Study:
- Tara-Leigh Cobble’s books: He’s Where the Joy Is and The Joy of the Trinity
- gotquestions.org for biblical FAQs
Key Takeaway:
Jesus is fully God, the Trinity is essential, we’re all prone to the failings found in the Pharisees, honest questions are invited, and the Bible’s story is always Christ-centered—unfolding in history, theology, and personal transformation.