Ep 1242 | Jase Makes a Brutal Mistake That Almost Cost Him a VERY Important Body Part

Summary

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Unashamed with the Robertson Family

Ep 1242 | Jase Makes a Brutal Mistake That Almost Cost Him a VERY Important Body Part
January 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively and candid episode, the Robertson family returns from a holiday break to share both hilarious and meaningful stories from their lives, united by their Christian faith. Jase recounts a misadventure involving a near-catastrophic coffee burn, sparking jokes, life lessons, and even a biblical metaphor. The conversation gracefully shifts to reflections on fellowship, the nature of Christ, and an introduction to their new Bible study series: 1 John. Throughout, the crew ties personal experience to scriptural insights, offering warmth, wit, and wisdom.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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Family Catch-Up & Al’s Birthday Reflections

[00:00–03:54]

• Al marks his 61st birthday and reflects on being healthier now than last year, tying it to his ongoing PhD journey.
• The crew reminisces about duck hunting birthday traditions and the shifting focus from hunting to enjoying camaraderie.
• Light teasing about birthdays, memory, and the quirks in what details family members remember.

"I told Lisa, she. First thing she said was, happy birthday. This morning I said, babe, I don't feel one bit different than I did yesterday." — Al ([00:26])

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Jase’s Coffee Cup Disaster: “Almost Circumcised by Fire”

[03:55–12:31]

• Jase provides an animated account of burning his groin with hot coffee during an early morning duck hunt. The story escalates from confusion about pain, to the discovery of a serious burn, to a nurse’s long-distance diagnosis.
• The incident is met with much humor by all, with biblical references and jokes about narrowly avoiding more serious injury.

"I was almost circumcised by fire." — Jase ([07:35])

• Practical reflection: Jase contrasts the feeling of hot coffee “on” vs. “in” the body, using it as a humorous metaphor for the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.
• He notes the incident made him think differently about passages like Proverbs 6 (“can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?”), seeing new depth in its warnings.

Notable Quotes:

• "You almost became a eunuch, is what you're telling us." — Zach ([07:32])
• "Some men are burned by coffee." — Al ([07:43])
• "Basically there's a process of you getting your skin back, but basically I have the. About the size of a quarter where it just burned a hole down to the meat and started frying that." — Jase ([09:39])

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Burns, Bible Metaphors, and Wisdom from Suffering

[12:32–18:23]

• The group discusses the prevalence and danger of burns, both physical (coffee, tea) and metaphorical (Proverbs 6:27-29, warning against adultery).
• Stories of injury lead to biblical lessons about not testing fire, and draw analogies between literal and spiritual peril.

"Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?" — Jase quoting Proverbs 6 ([15:56])

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Hunting Tales & Connecting Faith, Family, and Fellowship

[18:24–26:52]

• Jase shares about two remarkable recent duck hunts, one with close friends and the other a “bucket list” hunt that finally changed his mind about Arkansas “green timber” hunting.
• Both stories are used to highlight the joy of fellowship and Jesus conversations that saturate their travels, not just the success of the hunt.

"We shot every duck and it was mostly mallards at about 10 yards. ...that was epic. ...we filmed that. So that's coming to a...Duck Commander facility near you." — Jase ([19:15])

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Launching Into 1 John: Why Study This Letter?

[26:53–39:49]

• Al shares an “epiphany” regarding the timing of their study. January 6th (Epiphany in the Christian calendar) marks the manifestation of Christ, paralleling 1 John’s opening verses.
• They offer background on 1 John, its context decades after Christ’s resurrection, and its focus on affirming the reality of Jesus’ incarnation (countering early heresies).
• Connection made to similar themes in the Gospel of John and Genesis, highlighting the motifs of life, light, and love as essential to understanding the Christian faith.

"People were not acknowledging the fact that Jesus was in a body. ...He appeared in a body and there's a little letter there because it says or in the flesh." — Jase ([30:42])

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Deep Dive: The Themes of Life, Light, and Love in 1 John

[39:50–53:08]

• Zach explains how John anchors 1 John not in philosophy, but in the experience of Christ made manifest—the substance, not shadow, of life.
• Discussion over the triune nature of God, John's eyewitness account, and the paradoxes embodied in Christ.
• The word “fellowship” (Greek: koinonia) is explored not as mere socializing, but as deep participation and partnership in the life of God.

"To know God is to be in God. And that is the very definition of what life is. It's not some separate existence outside of him. It's deeply and intrinsically connected to him." — Zach ([41:33])

• Jase and Al map the book’s structure, showing how it’s organized around overlapping cycles of life, light, and love, each treated as both fact and command.
• They cite 1 John 5:13 as John’s purpose: to make believers confident that they have eternal life.

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." — Jase quoting 1 John 5:13 ([53:08])

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Memorable Moments & Closing Reflections

[53:09–54:57]

• The crew remark on the style differences between Paul and John, appreciating the authenticity of John’s eyewitness testimony and his grounded, sensory description of Christ.
• All agree: immersing in these themes, even amid life’s struggles and blunders, gives them renewed confidence and joy.

"It is a super high rate of infection. So he's right. I mean, it could be very [serious]." — Al on the dangers of burns ([13:27])

"For me personally, I would take confidence that it gives you when you understand how great this life is." — Al ([54:57])

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “I was almost circumcised by fire.” — Jase ([07:35])
• "Some men are burned by coffee." — Al ([07:43])
• "What we should have done is pulled over and...put the cold water on it. I was just frying bacon here and..." — Jase ([10:00])
• "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?" — Jase quoting Proverbs 6 ([15:56])
• "To know God is to be in God. And that is the very definition of what life is." — Zach ([41:33])
• "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." — Jase ([53:08])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & Birthday Reflections: [00:00–03:54]
• Jase’s Coffee Burn Story: [03:55–12:31]
• Burn Metaphors & Proverbs Tie-In: [12:32–18:23]
• Duck Hunting Tales: [18:24–26:52]
• Epiphany & 1 John Introduction: [26:53–39:49]
• Themes of Life, Light, Love in 1 John: [39:50–53:08]
• Closing Reflections: [53:09–54:57]

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Tone & Style

Folksy, warm, humorous, and candid; deep biblical insights are balanced by levity and down-to-earth storytelling. The discussion is both inviting for newcomers and edifying for long-time listeners.

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Final Thoughts

This episode blends classic Robertson family storytelling, humor (even about personal pain), and Bible teaching in a way that’s accessible and memorable. The guys roll personal trials and joyful moments into spiritual lessons, setting the stage for a thoughtful study of 1 John—and a reminder that even painful misadventures can yield wisdom (and a really good laugh).

Transcript

[Jason]

I am unashamed. What about you?

[Al]

Welcome back to the Unashamed podcast. To you, our. Our awesome, loving audience. It seemed like we were just here. To us, we've taken a little break through the holidays. Jace, Zach, welcome back. Good to see you again.

[Jason]

And happy birthday, Al. At the time of this.

[Al]

Thank you very much. Actually, your birthday, my 61st year on planet Ear. I told Lisa, she. First thing she said was, happy birthday. This morning I said, babe, I don't feel one bit different than I did yesterday.

[Zach]

So you're 61 years old.

[Al]

61 years old. It also marks one solid year of my PhD journey, which you guys have been a part of last year. And so I'm much healthier. I'm much healthier at 61 than I was at 60. Quite a bit, actually.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Oh, I saw the picture you put on Facebook. I was like, whoa.

[Al]

Yeah, you like that Little before and after.

[Zach]

It actually is shocking. It is very.

[Al]

You know what Lisa said? Yeah. Lisa said. She said, babe, I didn't remember you looking like that.

[Jason]

I mean, it is, it's like me.

[Al]

I said, you're the only one that wouldn't say it out the quiet part out loud.

[Jason]

What's weird is she, we were talking.

[Al]

About coming on here. We have thick skin. So for those of you that are cringing now, don't worry because I, I can laugh at myself.

[Jason]

She actually sent me a text telling me it was your birthday today. And what she doesn't realize, you're one of the very few people that always remember your birthday just because it said that season. And there's a history there.

[Al]

That's right. And I had a 10 year run where we killed a green wing teal on my birthday every year. And sometimes we had to work hard to get that. That teal thing done. But then the streak broke and that was it, so.

[Zach]

And you gave up you lot. Did you lose the. You don't have the. The lust anymore for the. I mean, you're not angry at. The ducks are.

[Al]

Oh, I, I've lost it. I've gotten soft. But I will say this. We went opening day with the brothers and it, it was very enjoyable. It made me. It made me miss being out there because it was just. It wasn't much of a hunt. I mean, we did kill four or five ducks, but it was just the camaraderie of it. I miss now.

[Jason]

We shot eight. And I did kill a band. Al. I was there.

[Al]

That's right.

[Jason]

I remember things like these. It drives my wife crazy. I can't Remember anybody's birthday, you know, names, dates, places. But you ask me about a hunt, I'll break it down for you. Which is. I don't know why that is, but. Because they're adventures. These are adventures where God is sharing his beautiful gifts and no one's angry, Zach. We're all happy, happy, happy, as my dad would say. So I went on a trip and I was getting sick the day before I left.

[Al]

I can hear it in your voice today.

[Jason]

You will hear it. And I just want to tell everyone in the unashamed nation, this will be difficult. There will be coughs. And I just got my voice back. I lost it for two days, which Missy said two of the greatest days of her life. She did not say that, but she thought it. I know she thought it. So. So I've been, I went on a six day trip and then I've been on a, on a three day Sabbath rest.

[Zach]

There you go.

[Jason]

Because I actually got worse when I got home and I don't know why. You know, I didn't get any better on that trip. I had very little sleep. We had numerous Bible studies and Jesus conversations along the way. Met some very interesting people.

[Al]

And what were the temperatures up there? You were up in Kansas, right?

[Jason]

Well, when I got to south Kansas, it was 75 degrees in South Kansas. The next day it was 14 with a 40 mile an hour wind.

[Al]

I don't know why you got sick. That. How could it possibly happen? A 60 degree drop in one day.

[Jason]

And I was running around with a maniac named Barrett, who's one of my best friends in the world, who just, he's just, he has that, Who's a man is that owl that my dad had. He, he never graduated from that. So it's like, no, we don't need fire.

[Al]

We, we're men.

[Jason]

And so he broke me. And between that and the sickness, but I also, I'm a little bit nervous about sharing this. So about three days before this journey, I was going on a duck hunt with one J Stone to the. One of the hottest holes in Louisiana. And it's so close to Arkansas. It's not even technically in Louisiana. It is, but it's just right on the border. And we're driving at 3:30 in the morning and I feel this pain in my left hip and I'm not sure what's causing this. And I'm like, man, I'm hurting. And he's like, what's wrong? I was like, I don't know. I feel like I'm on fire. It's. It's. What I didn't realize is my coffee cup. And I use these yeti canisters, which I love. Well, I was sipping coffee, thought I was putting it in the cup holder, and I had put it beside me, and I didn't twist the top to close it. And we're going through back roads and fog, so there's some jostling going on. What I didn't know is that coffee cup has leaked over into my lap, and I have multiple layers on because it's cold where I'm, you know, I'm fix to be out in the woods, and we're actually going to be waiting in timber. So I thought I had pulled a muscle and, like, there was a fire coming from that, but actually it was the coffee burning a hole in a very sensitive area in my groin. And so I'm a man when I realized that, because I was like, why am I wet? And why do I smell like coffee? And Jay's like, smells like something's burning. So this sounds funny, but it is funny. I, you know, I then put on some waders, but it's still just a burning sensation. And of course, then the waiters are kind of tight because I have all these clothes on. And so now I'm agitating whatever happened there. And so the first. Yeah. Oh, I was burned. And so the first time I had to relieve myself, I had to look. And when I looked, I thought, we need to call 91 1. Because I was shocked at what this looked like, because I thought. But never even made contact with the skin, really. It went through layers of my clothing. And I realized that I had burned myself because the skin had just peeled off in multiple layers. But I realized how close I truly was. You know, I know this is a family show to having to call 91 1. I was down here where you don't want to get burned, but I was.

[Zach]

You almost became a eunuch, is what you're telling us.

[Jason]

I was almost circumcised by fire.

[Zach]

What's the Bible say?

[Jason]

Some men do.

[Zach]

Some men are born that way.

[Jason]

Some are made that way.

[Al]

Some men are burned by coffee.

[Jason]

And I almost added a category. Some are made that way by themselves before daylight.

[Al]

Somehow I know what this episode is going to be called right now. I've already. I'm not even the writer for the show, but I get. I know what this is going to be called.

[Zach]

Jace became a eunuch.

[Al]

So then Jason came a.

[Jason]

So then I'm like, I think I need to go to the hospital. I came back to where we were standing in line in the trees. And I told Jay, I said, I think I need to go to the hospital. And he was like, what? I was like, you know that burning sensation? I griped about for a couple minutes. I was like, I had burned the inward part of my left thigh to a degree.

[Al]

The Bible would call that the loins. As you burn the loins now, look.

[Jason]

It'S all funny games until you have to deal with, look, I am still getting over this. We, it was quite the, quite the burn. And so I finally figured out a way to take a picture because we have a nurse man, part of our team area. He's like, you're going to have to take a picture. And he said, leave everything else out. And I thought, this is getting funny. We're like, this is like the opposite of sexting. It's like he's trying to subtly say, I need a picture of this, but I don't want to see. Blur out, yeah, anything in the shot that I don't need to see. And so he actually said his first. I mean, this guy's a medical professional and he's like, wow, you have second degree burns. So call me immediately when you get out of the woods because you're going to have to take care of this and it'll be a while. And he was right. I mean, I'm a couple weeks into it and looks rougher now than it did then because it just. Basically there's a process of you getting your skin back, but basically I have the. About the size of a quarter where it just burned a hole down to the meat and started frying that. And I was like, how does this happen?

[Al]

How hot was that coffee? How hot was that?

[Jason]

You know what? I thought I was thankful the whole time because one could have been worse. We, we've discussed that. It could have been way worse. And number two, I, I then realized that there is a difference with something being on you and in you. Because I'm, I'm right now drinking this coffee, it's going inside of me and, and I'm happy. But if you get it on you and you don't really do anything about, just let it, let it burn. Because what I should have done is pulled over and I thought about, I had, I just bought, bought a cold water at a convenience store. I should have just, you know, like put it on and that would at least helped in the healing process. I was just frying bacon here and.

[Al]

And you were the bacon.

[Zach]

So Al. Jase, you know I've got five kids, which means things cost a fortune, particularly healthcare.

[Jason]

Well, I know that you made five a two syllable word there. And so they can be expensive.

[Zach]

That's how expensive it is, I'm telling you. So when Christian Healthcare Ministries came along, I was like, sign me up, because these guys are amazing. For our family switching to chm, it was really easy. It wasn't just about saving money, though, although it did come in at half the cost, which is awesome. But it also aligns with what we believe and it feels more like a community and not a bureaucracy. So what we do is we submit our medical bill when we have them, when we incur them, and then believers from all across the country, they'll pitch in and they also lift up your family in prayer, which we absolutely love. We have more flexibility because I can go to any doctor that I want without having to worry about some middleman. And CHM members have already shared it for more than $12 billion in medical bills together. So honestly, I should have done this years ago so that I could stop feeding money into a broken system that just doesn't work.

[Al]

Zach. Health cost sharing was a huge blessing when Lisa and I went through her breast cancer. I mean, it would have been very. Had we not had other people helping us get through such a rough time. And the beautiful thing is praying for us through the process as well.

[Zach]

So if you're like me and you've looked on the exchange this year and you've seen the massive increase in premiums for health insurance, ditch that traditional health insurance and join CHM today by visiting chministries.orgunashamed. that's chministries.orgunashamEd. chministries.orgunashamMed.

[Jason]

But it made me think about the Holy Spirit when people were like, well, what's the difference in the Holy Spirit being on you and in you? I thought, I have now the greatest illustration. There's a big difference.

[Al]

You're going to tell this story when.

[Zach]

You'Re not the greatest illustration, but it is an illustration nonetheless.

[Jason]

No, it is. There is a difference. Now, whatever that difference is, that's a rabbit hole coming to you at a time.

[Zach]

I mean, how do you feel? Do you feel emasculated, though?

[Al]

Do you feel.

[Zach]

I mean, it never.

[Jason]

I never got in that arena, Zach. It was really close though, is what I'm saying.

[Al]

Yeah. Too close for comfort.

[Jason]

And I've had to send my medical professional a series of pictures because we were right on the line of this becoming infected and like the Red that's around it. He's like, monitor that if it goes any further, you're going to have to go to the hospital. I mean, it's been quite the thing.

[Al]

To get, you know, burns, because you're. The human skin, is actually the largest organ of your body. And so it's the most prone to infection. And when you burn it, I mean, it is a super high rate of infection. So he's right. I mean, it could be very.

[Jason]

Well. He said this is one of the top three things that he sees just being an emergency professional is burns from coffee. He named off, like five things Ramen noodles. He's like, this happens a lot.

[Zach]

And, well, probably about 10 years ago. I remember it was 2014, so it had been 12 years ago because I was running for Congress and I know.

[Al]

The story you're going to tell. I thought this.

[Zach]

So one of the things you do when you run for Congress is you ask for money. The first people you ask for money is your family. Thank you, guys, y'.

[Jason]

All.

[Zach]

Everybody gave, everybody contributed. But then I needed more money. So I go back to. Guess who I call? I call Willie. And Willie's like, well, I got a buddy of mine. We'll go out, but you got to go hunt. Like, if you want, you got to go hang out. So we went. We were going to go out to Olla, see one of a friend of Willie's, and we were going to talk. Talk about, you know, doing some fundraising. And so he said, come over to my house and we'll, you know, we'll ride out there together. Well, he was making, you know, Willie, his. His thing is he makes tea all the time. So he's always got like, a pot of tea that he's making. And he poured. Boy boils the water. Then I think he bruised the tea in a. Like a big jar or whatever big glass. So he poured. He's. He's. Right before we leave, he's got this on the. On the counter. And he pours that boiling water into a big old glass vase. And that thing busts and the boiling water goes all over his leg. And when I tell you it was. I mean, it was. I bet it was blisters that were probably.

[Al]

Yeah, it was more like third degree burns.

[Zach]

Yeah, I mean, it was like blisters that were probably 4 inches, 5 inches high off his skin and probably about 8 inches in diameter on his leg. And he. But he still went. He drove out there with me and. Excruciating pain. But I think that took him a while. To get over it, you gotta be careful. The burns.

[Al]

That's why he's so bitter about your congressional run. Now I realize what it was.

[Zach]

Well, I think he's mad because he gave all that money and I lost. And he's like, you wasted all my money.

[Jason]

If you think this is a waste of time, this. This story. It also made me think about that verse in Proverbs 6, which I had never taken seriously enough as far as the metaphor here, but I had taken. Taken it seriously enough just from a spiritual viewpoint. But there's an odd metaphor here in Proverbs chapter 6 about warning about staying away from the adulterous wife. And it uses this phrase now. It. The context. And this is Proverbs 6. Get my glasses on. Verse 26, a prostitute can be had. He's talking about for a loaf of bread, another man's wife prays, on your very life. And then it says, can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? So then it goes on to say, like, 29. Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? Which people have been trying to prove that for years because it's in the Bible. So is he who sleeps with another man's wife. No one who touches her will go unpunished. But I see why that metaphor got thrown in there, because this has been agony to get over. So good. Because it's what the medical professional told me. It's a very sensitive area, and that's why there's so much pain and it's so hard to get better. Your skin is not real tough on the inside of your legs because it's never exposed, you know, And.

[Al]

And I would be willing to bet that that that old proverb, I never thought about it because I did not recall that verse. Jace was probably a little, you know, thousands of years ago nod to the. What happens when people are sexually immoral. That there is some fire in the lap that becomes a result of that. So I'm sure there was some little talks.

[Zach]

Phil talked about that at CPAC that year.

[Al]

And all these little Republicans with their bow ties.

[Zach]

Microp boys, microbes boys.

[Jason]

So I got sidetracked on my story. But I had two of the great on this trip. Two of the greatest hunts that I've ever been on. They two, not just one. One of them was with Barrett. Third day of our trip there. We got ducks. It wasn't like we saw a lot of ducks. Wasn't like it was. I don't even think we actually technically Killed our full limit. But we shot every duck and it was mostly mallards at about 10 yards. Backpedaling on a sunny day in a place where they could have let you know, they could have gone anywhere. This hole was pretty big somehow. Whatever the magic was, we just kept pulling it off. And in fact, the first 20 Mallard Drakes that we saw. That we saw came within 10 yards and did the same thing. They were just fluttering kind of one, two, three at a time. So, yeah, that was epic. And we filmed that. So that's coming to a. I'm sure a duck commander facility near you somewhere, but. And then I went to visit an old buddy, which I did not hunt with him, but he's making a duck hole. Adam LaRoche. He invited me to come up. And it was 10 degrees that day, and we had scheduled to go somewhere else in Arkansas for the last leg of the journey. So that turned into one long Bible study, which is probably why I lost my voice.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Al]

With just the talking.

[Jason]

No, I mean, look, they. Oh, it's. It's lovely when you meet. Meet up with people. And I could tell their faith has really grown. Just their whole family. Their whole family was there. They just had questions.

[Al]

And, you know, Larosh is a quality human being. He's.

[Jason]

Yeah, it was just godly one conversations. And then we woke up and they continued while we went and scouted out all the holes. So that was. That was awesome. So then I started feeling quite poorly and so I was going to come home and Jay was like, look, we've. We've lined up this guy, Guy who owns a boat company in. Somewhere in Arkansas. And we're. I think he lives here in our hometown now, but he hunts in Arkansas. And they were basically telling me, look, if we'll go up hunt and take a few pictures, they're going to give us a boat to try out and use this hunting season. Which I was like, well, we don't have any water. Yeah. But at some point this season, maybe we'll get enough water that'll float a boat. But I'm not too sure about that. So I was kind of like, well, I don't know. But anyway, somewhere in there, a guy called, because Jay, I've realized people are calling him about every five minutes because I'm riding with Jay, you know, from Kansas to Arkansas. And so he knew this guy. And I was like, what about this guy that owns a boat company? And he said, well, he loves Jesus, but. So I don't remember what he said after that. Besides, the fact that he said, and his wife really loves Jesus. Because then when he hung up, I said, yep, let's go on down there. Because that was the right answer for me. Because I thought, forget the boat and all this, I don't feel good. And I was like. But it may be it's another Jesus conversation or encounter, which we had many on these on this trip.

[Zach]

So, Jase, you've been traveling more than most of us and probably not staying in the best or the most comfortable bed. So you, more than most of us right now, probably know the importance of having a good sleeping mattress.

[Jason]

I actually on this trip slept on a couch for five nights and on the floor the other night. And you know what happened? Lower back is sending me a message saying, hang on, wait a minute. So I will admit, when I got back home and crawled up into my Helix, it was, it was quite the experience.

[Zach]

It's a game changer. I'm telling you, the way you sleep, it affects a lot of things in your life. We actually took the super simple Helix sleep quiz and we were matched with a mattress called the Midnight Luxe Mattress. It's not too firm, not too soft. It's perfect for Jill and I because we are both side sleepers. We've had our Helix mattress a couple years now and it really has been the best sleep we've ever had. And we got to try it risk free for 120 days, but there's no way that we were going to send it back. And you're going to be the same way if you try it out.

[Al]

Yeah, Zach, for us it was the moonlight edition and you know, it makes us all part of the big Helix family.

[Zach]

So go to helixsleep.com unashamed. You guys can be a Helix family as well. For 27 off site wide exclusive for our listeners at unashamed. That's helixsleep.com understand for 27 off site wide. Make sure you enter our show name in the post purchase survey so they know that we sent you. That's helixsleep.com unashamed.

[Jason]

Sure enough, he was right.

[Al]

Great.

[Jason]

We had a good just conversation about Jesus that night. Well, then we go hunting. And one of his acquaintances had given us permission to hunt a hole that had not been hunted in days. It was really hard to get to. This guy had bought this place, they had hunted it a couple times and didn't do much. But this guy, the guy that owns a boat company and his name was Zach, by the way. Zach, which I should have taken that strong name. He had seen ducks going in over there, you know, and just asked if we could go in there. We're like, sure. So we go in there. Nobody's been there except the. The guy who owns it sent his son, I guess, as chaperone. And these people were very skilled duck hunters. And we go out into these woods and. And they call it green timber hunting. I've gone and tried this five or six times around the Stuttgart area and it's been an epic fail. Every time I've ever gone. We kill no ducks. And they all call, you know, the whole time, it's. They call it Arkansas style. I've called it for years, stupidity. But I now want to repent because.

[Al]

I did see this work.

[Jason]

Because we went into these woods and these ducks rained in in our face. And we actually killed an eight man limit of mallards. Wow. Which is 32 mallards. Surgically impressive in 45 minutes. I mean. Ow. I don't know if I've ever. Maybe one other time in Washington. So that became epic. And they were doing all this, you know, the arc they're trying. Well, they finally explained the concept to me, so I'm going to quit making fun of them. But they're trying to sound like a bunch of ducks, right? I can't even do what they're doing. It actually made my head. You know, I kept taking my earphones. You know, I'm like, I need my earphones. Not for just the shooting, but for hearing all this. But to their credit, they would back off a little bit because at first they realized it wasn't. It was too much wrecking. And I would occasionally throw in a. What I thought what an actual hen sounds like, because I thought, these ducks. I want us to let them know there's actually a real one here. So they kind of didn't laugh at that. But that was my joke. But they just. They came right in the decal. We never shot a duck that.

[Al]

Did y' all film it?

[Jason]

The boat people filmed it. So I'm sure, okay, it's coming to a Internet portal near you somewhere out there. Just look up Jason, Zach. I guess that'll work.

[Al]

You'll get up podcast.

[Jason]

And then me and a guy who owns a boat company whackers some mallards. But I will give them props. They were some of the greatest shooters that I've ever been around. It was just. It was like these ducks were just coming into a shredder, you know, that not everything we shot at died. I don't recall any misses. Just. It was Very efficient and well done.

[Al]

I will say, just to tie off the. Your hunting exploits that I'm glad for you, Jason, because you have endured and the crew down there a pretty, pretty bad hunting year on the old Robertson property because of weather, because of lack of water and other things. I'm glad you got a couple of good experiences during our time away that we weren't recording. So. So we're starting a new series. It's always exciting. Preachers love new series. And I, I think I mentioned this when we did a wrap up of the Book of John last time, that it was exactly a year to, to this day that we did the John study. And I didn't even know that till I look back at our notes. And we had been promising you guys that we're going to go to first John. And so I want to tell something that happened this morning, which I'm taking as a sign that we are headed in the right direction in terms of what we need to be studying. I had an epiphany because I was sitting here, I had some computer issues today. So I'm online with Josh, like 45 minutes before you guys came on. We're trying to get my computer working, which he did. Thank you, Josh. And so while we're doing that, I'm looking over notes and I look at my calendar and. Because today is my birthday, as we said, so Tomorrow is, is January 6th, as we're recording this, and in my calendar it says epiphany. And I looked at it and I thought, why would it say epiphany? It doesn't say Epiphany day, it just says epiphany. And I know what an epiphany is. I mean, to have like a, you know, a moment of clarity and understanding. I've had a few in my life, but I thought, what. What is this about? I have no idea. So of course I look it up. Zach, you probably know, because you're our religious expert on here, that there is a day. And the Catholics are the main folks that, that recognize this day. And it's 12 days after Christmas. And so it's January 6th. And of course this day, you know, now has a whole nother significance to some people in there. But no, and I thought so too, Jace, because I thought, what is this an epiphany about January 6th? Well, it's a day that, here's what it says, marks the events of Jesus's manifesting on earth as God in flesh. And it highlights his virgin birth, his king's visit by the magi, his baptism, his miracles, everything we just studied. And this word manifestation, which is the word for the Greek word for appearing, which we're going to get right here in our first few verses of First John, which is a fascinating word about the flesh. And once we dig into it, you'll understand. And so I thought, man, this is a great idea. This is an epiphany for me, because I had no idea the Catholics had this day. I love this day. I love what they're doing with the representation of it. And it took me to just a couple of texts. One was First Timothy 3:16, which is a great little text where Paul says he manifested. So what this day is representing, he appeared in the flesh, he was vindicated by the Spirit, he was seen by angels, he was preached among the nations, he was believed on in the world, and he was taken up into glory. And so there's that word again, the idea of his coming here and then some of the reasons why we, you know, celebrate why he came. And so I didn't know there was this little after, after party from Christmas called epiphany. So I took it as an epiphany that we're heading in the right direction.

[Jason]

Yeah, I'm glad you. Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because that first Timothy 3:16 kind of goes along with one of the themes for why John wrote this, because people were not acknowledging the fact that Jesus was in a body. You know, it's interesting phrase there in 3:16 of Timothy, because he's. He appeared in a body and there's a little letter there because it says or in the flesh.

[Al]

So, yes. So dice. So that's maybe that's a good way to start. Anytime you start a book, you try to give a little bit of the background. And in this case it's really interesting because we just got through studying the Gospel of John, which we're convinced it was John the Apostle, who was described himself as the one Jesus loved throughout this process and who ended it by basically saying, the reason I wrote it is so that people will believe in Jesus and who he is. And that's how he kind of concluded his book. Now you fast forward many decades. Most people think John wrote this later in his life because he, he obviously lived. He was the only one that wasn't martyred. He lived a nice old life. Most people had him dying at about in 98 and right at the end of the first century. And so all the other apostles had been martyred. And many of the early disciples of Course, John had had a lot of bad things happen to him, but he had survived both to write first, second, third John, which most people think it was around AD 90, and then also Revelation, which was probably right after that before he died. And so it's fascinating that all these years have gone by. And so one of the things that I thought was that as we get into the text later, he kind of starts the same way he did his other letter. But you can obviously tell, as you've already alluded to, that a lot happens over the course of six decades. Even in the first century, a lot had happened in the church, which starts out just this exciting, dynamic, persecuted group of people who are just spreading the flame of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel all across the world, known world at that time. Now it's had time to be someplace for a minute and guess what? People start splitting and splintering and, you know, seceding from the main group and having these different thoughts and, you know, did Jesus really. In the flesh, which became the main thing that first, second, third John is kind of the theme is him defending this. And so I, I just thought, you know, we talk a lot on the podcast about what's happened over 2000 years since this started and all the splintering that has gone on and fighting over doctrinal issues and all these other things, but you even see it the first 60 years that John's having to write letters to deal with some of this stuff, even in that short period of time, you think after 60 years, you still stay pretty close to the original thought. But even here it's, you know, you see that there's already a lot of problems, you know, in belief in what had happened. And only 60 years had gone by since Jesus had left the planet.

[Zach]

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[Al]

She does. We do a lot of travel back and forth, especially from Southern Laird to here. So gas is a big thing with us. And then we feed a lot of people, so groceries as well. So we use it for both of those. So Lisa and I are earning a lot of cash back.

[Zach]

Yeah, there's over 100,000 gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, all on the Upside app. So cashback is right around the corner for you, literally. And yes, it truly is Cash Back. There's not these confusing reward points or credits. It's actual money that can transfer right into your bank account. You can earn three times more cash back with Upside than any other loyalty programs and credit card rewards alone. $1 million cash back is being earned by users each week. Upside is giving back $1 billion to its users. To find out how much you could earn, download the free Upside app and use promo code Unashamed to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. That's an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas, using promo code Unashamed. What's interesting, the way he starts the text in 1 John is he doesn't start with a lot of philosophy or lofty ideas or he really just goes to the core of the very nature of the being of God. And I really love that because I think it's before he even moves into any of his discussion, he's just reestablishing the truth of who God is, and he's anchoring it into that Genesis 1. You can see it's such a parallel in 1 John 1:1 to Genesis 1 and also to John 1. It's almost like he's just ripping it right off the pages when he says that which was from the beginning. So whatever he's going to say next, he's saying this is a reality that has always been this way. This isn't a new invention. This isn't like a new thing. This is how it's always been. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked up upon, which we looked upon, and which we have touched with our hands concerning the word of life. The life was made manifest, and we have seen it and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us. That which we have seen and heard, we proclaim also to you so that you too may have fellowship with us. And indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. And I think that's interesting how he anchors this entire letter. You know, we had a question on the podcast. I don't think it was a question. I think it was more of a direct kind of like accusation towards us. And we get these quite a bit more than I'd like to get them of people who don't have an understanding of that God is triune or they might disagree with that. And one of the guys was like, no, Jesus, he was saying this in the last podcast episode. Jesus is the same as the Father. But you read a text like this and you. You don't come away with that at all. You see the Father and the Son, you see that Christ is with the Father, but you don't see them as separate beings. So what John is doing here is he's actually laying out proper Christology in that he is showing us the eternal nature of God, and then he's anchoring Christ, who is Christ in that relationship, who is Christian Christ inside the relationship of Father, Son, and ultimately Spirit.

[Al]

Also, I love that you referenced the. I did the same thing, Zach, when I was preparing for these first four verses, I made that same leap that you did to see the similarities of the opening of John. You know, in the beginning was the Word, The Word was with God, the Word was God. The Word became flesh down in verse 14. And then we parallel. When we were there studying John, we parallel back to Genesis 1. So it's really easy to see sort of this idea of these three eras of man. You know, you see the beginning where humans start, and we spend a lot of time talking about the garden and the sort of the garden motif that you see forward. And then you see John 1, which was the coming of God in flesh. You know, Jesus and his. His birth and. And what that meant to mankind. And now we fast forward another. And the Temple, if the writing time is true, which most scholars think it is, the Temple has been destroyed. He's about to get the revelation that we spent quite a bit of time talking about in the book of Revelation, where now you see the third era, and you say, well, I thought the third era started like in Acts 2. Well, it began there. But remember, a lot has happened, like, you know, the. The Temple was destroyed, Judaism and the way it had always been. Most people now realize that it could never be the same. And so John once again is perched in this position when he's writing these later letters. And then it gets the revelation on the Isle of Patmos that he's presenting a picture that the kingdom now is going forward. It's here. This is an era. And the only thing left. The only thing left is the final resurrection.

[Zach]

And one of the ways he's doing that, or maybe the primary way he's doing that, is if you think about the temple motif as an example, the issue that they had with the Temple was that the Hebrew writer goes on to talk about this quite a bit that the problem with those who are putting their hope in the temple, the Hebrew writer, is like, these are shadows of the reality, however it's found in Christ. So the problem with temple worship is that you're looking at something that's a shadow of the substance, which is the real thing. And you're focusing on the shadow and you're not looking at the substance. And so that's why he starts this whole letter with the substance of the very nature of God. And think about. We do this with the word life. When you think about eternal life as an example, typically what we think is that's existence that we are rewarded with, that goes on perpetually forever and ever and ever. We don't think of eternal life or life itself as God. Like God is life. It's not something that God allows us to live autonomously on our own forever. Because think about it before God creates anything. And life is God, God is life. So I love that he. The way he personifies the word life in this. When he says concerning the word of life, the life was made manifest. What's he even talking about? Life made manifestations. What he's saying is life has a name. Life is a person or persons. Life is something that incarnated. And then he goes on to talk about this, that this is what we're testifying to, is to proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father. He's saying, Jesus is like, this is Jesus. Jesus is the center of the whole thing. To know God is to be in God. And that is the very definition of what life is. It's not some separate existence outside of him. It's deeply and intrinsically connected to him.

[Jason]

Yeah, I wanted to say, you know, this book is actually anonymous. And we're just. When you read it a couple times, you're like, well, this just sounds like John. I mean. Cause it's, you know, to prove your point, when you read that first John 1:1:4, and when you think about that verse in John where he says, I write these things to you so that you may believe and have life in his name. Well, he does a similar thing in this letter. He's very clear about why he's writing. In verse four of chapter one, he says, we write this. Of course he's saying we because he's looking at this collective, the word translated in English here, fellowship, which. That's a rabbit hole coming to a podcast near you.

[Al]

It's coming.

[Jason]

Koinia is the word. But I think we tend to think fellowship or I was raised, you know, in my early church days, I thought of fellowship is just, you go hang out and eat some grub, you know, pat each other on the back, then go do whatever you want to. But that word is the idea of participation, partnership. These are the words that come up. Communion, collective. You're a part of something. And when you say, well, you're, you're a part of what. To Zach's part point earlier, he's depicting life here. This is the life of life. This is not just a life. This is the life that brings all life in a.

[Al]

In James, to prove your point, to prove your point. In First Corinthians, I think it's 1:9, Paul compares the Koine. You're talking about that fellowship of depth as the same as the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit have with one another. I mean, he went so far as to say that, yeah, well, we're going.

[Jason]

To end up back in that prayer in John 17 where Jesus is praying that human beings would be a part of this fellowship, this relationship. It's a hard word to just sum up in the same aspect of the love that he shared with his Father before the beginning of the creation of the world. And so he's going to explore that. But he also. So that's one thing he says about he's writing this for. To make our joy complete. He then says in chapter two, he's telling you why he's writing this. Write this so that you will not sin.

[Zach]

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[Jason]

Full transparency. I own shares of Shopify in my portfolio and have for years.

[Al]

Yeah, so right here at Duck Commander they use Shopify and so obviously it works great for us.

[Zach]

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[Jason]

And then he gets into, you know how, which is a is a question that is alive and well today. Well, how are we in Christ and without sin, even though we sin? And I think the answer to that, I think we're going to solve that riddle as we study this letter is this participation that you are sharing. And the way we look at it, I think is the problem in wrapping our heads around it. And we'll get into that. But he also says I write these things. He does a whole bit about this, like in verse seven where it says, I'm not writing you a new command, but an old one which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I'm writing a new command. His truth is seen in him and you because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. And so if I just stop right here because I just wanted to introduce this, there's multiple times he'll make a statement, I'm writing this to you. And then he'll say something. A couple other examples that I should have read. I don't have these noted, but I just thought I would remember there's a couple in chapter two where it said I'm writing oh, in verse like 26, 2 26. I'm writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. And you're going to sense that because some people in their number were starting to question this idea where you started al about you're really saying that Jesus is God in a body. And they're questioning that which he called that an anti Jesus, not acknowledging Christ's coming in the flesh. But what I noticed is and to get back to where I started here, the reason this reminds you of John because when you read the book of John, there's three Ls that come up as like the DNA of God, which is life we've already talked about, which is the point of this whole paragraph. But then the other two, you remember what they are. You have life in the book of John. How many times do you say I am the Word, the truth, the life.

[Al]

So many.

[Jason]

What were the other two Ls that were like the love, love, love. And the other one we mentioned, light. So it seems like he starts off talking about this word of life, wrapping your head around this is not just. We're not talking about life or death. He is the life of life, which get that in your head. And then it's like he has two. It's almost like a sermon. And each bookend their book ended by when he says, this is the message. So one of them is in verse 5, this is the message we have heard from him and declare to you, God is light. So it's like the foundation is his life. And then he starts the first point with let's talk about what this light, what that means, him being light, this life being light. Then the second one happens in chapter three in verse 11. Look, same type of literary work. This is the message you heard from the beginning. And then he starts talking about love. And so I think if you wrap your head around, that's the way he organized it. Because there's a lot of deep stuff in here. It's hard to wrap your head around. Which I think is useful because this applies to us so much. Because it's basically written. If you take two John and three John collectively, it's written basically it's a sermon to a house church who have people coming in there saying, I don't know about this Jesus. And it's so rich in understanding the fellowship that we and the participation and partnership that we have with the Creator of the universe through Jesus and His Spirit and the Father being our Father. To point out Zach's point about this triune God working. I mean, think of this verse where it says in 1 John 3:24, kind of in the love section, it says, those who obey his commands live in him. And you remember the commands that he zeroed in on in John 13 through 17 about you love each other. It says, and he and them. So here we got this back to this participation. Those who obey his commands live in him and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us. This is kind of going back to that prayer, John 17, right there at the end. We know it by the Spirit, Spirit he gives us. So you see all aspects working together in the fellowship. And he explains that.

[Al]

Well, that's a great way to describe the layout of it because it is a circular way that John writes this to keep coming back to his main themes. And that's a great way of pointing it Out Jason. That's what he continues to do throughout the book. That's confusing sometimes for some people, because Paul, he didn't really write like that. He just kind of had a narrative that started and he built a case. But he's quite a bit different writer than John. What I love about the prologue, which is what Zach read, the first, you know, four verses, is that again, when you think about the timing of this, some things have happened, some people have lost their ways, some people are leading other people away from what John knows to be truth. So here is the guy who actually walked around with Jesus. And so those first, you know, four or five verses, he's basically saying, look, I have. I have a credibility because I was there. And I like the authenticity. It's what I saw, it's what I heard, it's what I touched. The sense he brings all the senses into the idea of who Jesus is. Because remember, the. One of the underlying themes is that he really was here. He really was a man, he really was one of us. And so he's fighting that, but at the same time, he's also showing that man. This, this whole idea of giving your life and crossing over to Christ is about authentic realism. I mean, it's about. It's life changing, it's destiny changing, it's eternal changing of who you are. And so that makes it to me, it. It sings just to echo what you're saying.

[Jason]

One of the times he says, I write these things to you that I shouldn't have mentioned, you just said, and I wanted to get that on this one, which is first John 5:13, which. This is a doozy, which I say, kind of like we did with the questions of Jesus in John. I think every time he says, I write this to you, that should be a moment. You're going to be amazed at how many times it's in here. I'm guessing about a dozen. But this one in 1 John 5:13 says, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. It's kind of like you get it bookended by explaining the life that is all life. And then you see how his light truth works in your life and your participation in the life. And then you see how love creates that dynamic also. And then he gets to the end. It's like you can know that you have eternal life through faith. When you think about through faith, you're like, well, that seems impossible. There's a lot of things in First John that seem impossible. It says, like, if you walk in Jesus, or he who's in Jesus will not sin. You're like, well, that's impossible. Well, then you read this. Well, how is it possible for me to know that I have eternal life, not think, hope, know. And so I think the way we look at this will be very refreshing and make your joy complete when we get through the end of it.

[Al]

Well, I don't know about, I don't know about y', all, but the last three weeks of immersing myself into these texts, that's the one word I would take out of that. For me personally, I would take confidence that it gives you when you understand how great this life is. So we're off and running. We'll we'll pick it up next time on Unashamed. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcast. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube. And be sure to click the little bell and choose all notifications to watch every episode.