The Gospel of Mark Unfolded: A Pastor and Therapist explore the life of Yeshua

In this episode, David and Sophie close out nearly 40 weeks of Mark together. They reflect on what surprised them, what stuck, and where the journey goes from here. David returns to the compassion of Yeshua as the thread that gripped him most, while Sophie traces the arc from her first encounter with Mark as a brand-new believer in college to the fresh view of Yeshua she found again through close reading, the Greek, and sustained dialog. She lingers on the Syrophoenician woman, the brilliance of a man who could shred the Pharisees and tenderly touch a leper, and the gut-punch of his silence before Pilate. They talk about what midrash actually is, why the word matters even when nobody knows what it means, and how the group grew into a rhythm of real engagement with the text. Looking ahead, they announce the Gospel of John as next and tease the question of the Beloved Disciple. They sign off with gratitude for the partnership, the group, and their ten faithful listeners.

In this episode, David and Sophie take on the Longer Ending of Mark (16:9-20), the passage that most scholars agree was added later by a different hand. They explore why it doesn't sound like Mark: no "immediately," no spare prose, new language like "the Lord Jesus" that never appears in the rest of the gospel. Sophie argues that the addition serves to institutionalize what Mark intentionally left open, introducing a commission, signs of authority, and a binary saved-or-condemned framework that feels foreign to the riddle and puzzle Mark spent fifteen chapters building. She is particularly sharp on what the Longer Ending does to Mary Magdalene, pulling in the "seven demons" detail from Luke to pathologize her and then having the disciples dismiss her testimony, undoing the dignity Mark's original ending gave her as lead witness. David offers a generous historical reading, suggesting the early church may have felt Mark needed these additions once it became clear Jesus was not returning immediately. The conversation opens into larger questions about scripture, trustworthiness, the Jesus Seminar, and what it means to take the text seriously without demanding inerrancy, closing with Sophie's reflection from the Gospel of Mary: "Do not lay any rules beyond what I have given you."

In this episode, David and Sophie reach Mark's original ending, covering the burial and the empty tomb in Mark 15:42-16:8. They begin with Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the very council that condemned Jesus, who takes courage to ask Pilate for the body. Sophie reads him as a person of integrity inside a rotten system. They trace the women's unbroken witness chain from the cross through the burial to the tomb, noting that Mary Magdalene and the others are essentially following Joseph to see where Jesus is laid, still not giving up when every male disciple has disappeared. David surfaces a striking detail in the angel's message: "go tell his disciples and Peter," reading the singling out of Peter as both an acknowledgment that Peter may have separated himself from the group after his denial and a radical hint of redemption. The episode closes with Mark's scandalous final line, ending on a conjunction, with the women trembling in fear and astonishment, and Sophie and David sit with what it means that the earliest manuscript simply stops there, leaving the rest to the reader.

In this episode, David and Sophie enter the crucifixion and death of Jesus in Mark 15:21-41, material they both recognize as the heart of the Good Friday story. They trace the ironies Mark builds into the scene: Simon of Cyrene, a stranger compelled to carry the cross, literally does what the disciples were called to do and fled from. They sit with Mark's characteristic restraint, noting that the actual crucifixion gets barely half a verse while the mocking and the garment-dividing get far more space. The conversation deepens around Psalm 22 and the cry of dereliction, the schizō bookend connecting the tearing of the heavens at Jesus's baptism to the tearing of the temple curtain at his death, and what it means that a Roman centurion, a total outsider standing face to face with Jesus, is the one who finally declares him Son of God. Sophie opens up her work on Mary Magdalene, arguing that the women named at the cross represent an unbroken witness chain at the moment every male disciple has exited the story, and that Mary Magdalene's near-invisibility in Mark is itself evidence of how threatening her importance was to the structures that followed. The episode closes with a rich exchange about the torn curtain as both destruction and invitation, connecting the crucifixion to Genesis, to the recovery of women's voices in the tradition, and to what Christianity looks like when you actually follow the thread all the way through.

In this episode, David and Sophie follow Jesus from the Sanhedrin's judgment seat to the Roman governor's courtyard, tracing how the charge against him shifts from blasphemy to sedition as the religious leaders hand him over to Pilate. They explore Pilate's surprising recognition that envy, not justice, is driving the chief priests, connecting this back to Jesus's earlier teaching that it's what comes from within the heart that defiles a person. The conversation digs into the crowd's role in choosing Barabbas, how institutional power manufactures consent, and what it means that the people who shouted Hosanna days ago may not be the same crowd now shouting "Crucify him."Sophie and David also sit with Jesus's strange silence before Pilate, his refusal to defend himself even as accusations pile up, and what that reveals about the difference between knowing who you are and needing others to validate it. The episode closes with the Roman soldiers' mockery: the purple robe, the crown of thorns, the kneeling, and the devastating irony that every element of their cruelty accidentally enacts the very enthronement they're ridiculing. As Mark's passion narrative unfolds, the people who think they're in control keep inadvertently telling the truth about the one they're destroying.

In this episode, David and Sophie pick up the story as Jesus is seized in the garden and the disciples scatter. They discuss the irony of Jesus being treated “as a robber,” the misrepresentation of his words about the temple, and the layered scriptural references in his declaration before the high priest: “I am… and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power.” Together, they unpack why this claim was understood as blasphemy and what it meant for the religious leaders whose authority was being quietly overturned.As the narrative moves between Jesus’ silent endurance under humiliation and Peter’s mounting denials in the courtyard below, David and Sophie reflect on the cost of association, the sting of public shame, and the heartbreak of watching someone you love suffer. They consider why Peter invokes a curse upon himself and what it reveals about fear, loyalty, and human limitation. The episode closes with Peter’s bitter weeping, a moment of painful recognition that leaves listeners sitting with both failure and the possibility of redemption.

In this episode, David and Sophie continue their slow walk through Mark’s Passion narrative, beginning with Jesus’ sobering words: “You will all fall away, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.” Together, they explore the tension between the disciples’ bold declarations of loyalty and the quiet unraveling that follows in Gethsemane. They reflect on what it means that Jesus predicts not only betrayal but abandonment, and how deeply human the disciples’ sleep and fear feel in the face of his anguish.David and Sophie also examine the raw emotional language Mark uses to describe Jesus’ distress in the garden, asking what it reveals about his humanity and his loneliness. As the episode moves toward Judas’ arrival, they wrestle with the haunting symbolism of the kiss, why betrayal would come wrapped in intimacy, and how Jesus walks into it without resistance. The conversation lingers in the space between devotion and failure, asking what it costs to remain present when love becomes dangerous.

In this episode, David and Sophie explore the section of Mark where Judas decides to betray Jesus and the final Passover meal is prepared and shared. They reflect on how Mark places this moment directly after the woman’s extravagant anointing, highlighting a contrast between wholehearted devotion and growing disillusionment. As Jesus names betrayal and impending failure at the table, David and Sophie notice how he does so openly but without accusation, inviting each disciple into self-examination. Together they consider how Jesus redefines Passover, not as a moment of political overthrow, but as a kingdom that comes through suffering, self-giving love, and a meal that remains unfinished, pointing toward God’s future fulfillment.

In this episode, David and Sophie turn to the haunting scene of Jesus’ anointing in Mark 14, set between plots of violence and betrayal. Together, they explore how an unnamed woman offers the most faithful, perceptive response to Jesus in the entire Passion narrative while the male authorities conspire, the disciples scold, and Judas prepares to betray. They reflect on why Mark exalts her act yet withholds her name, what it means that Jesus promises her remembrance “wherever the gospel is preached,” and how this passage exposes both the profound faithfulness of women and the limits of how their stories are carried forward.

In this episode, David and Sophie turn their attention to one of the most challenging and often misunderstood passages in the Gospel of Mark: Jesus’ teaching as he leaves the temple in Mark 13. Together they explore why Jesus says these things now, how this passage is rooted in the imagery of Daniel 7, and what it means to read apocalyptic language not as a timetable for the end of the world, but as pastoral wisdom for living through the collapse of familiar religious and social structures. Along the way, they discuss the destruction of the temple, the “abomination of desolation,” false messiahs, and the call to endurance and discernment. Rather than decoding signs, this episode invites listeners to consider how Jesus forms his disciples to remain faithful, awake, and grounded when everything they once trusted begins to fall apart.

In this episode, David and Sophie slow down in the temple with Jesus at a pivotal moment near the end of Mark’s Gospel. After fielding questions from every major religious group, Jesus turns the tables and asks one of his own: How can the Messiah be David’s son if David himself calls him “Lord”? From there, Jesus offers a sharp critique of the scribes - those who cloak themselves in piety while exploiting the vulnerable - and then quietly observes a widow who gives everything she has to the temple treasury. Rather than praising religious performance or heroic generosity, Jesus exposes a system that devours the very people it should protect. Together, these scenes challenge our assumptions about power, holiness, and what kind of Messiah Jesus actually is.

In this episode, David and Sophie sit with Jesus in the Temple during two revealing encounters that uncover the heart of God’s kingdom. First, Jesus is challenged by the Sadducees about resurrection, exposing how systems of marriage, inheritance, and power treated women as property — and how resurrection points instead toward a restored humanity “like the angels,” rooted in dignity, mutuality, and life beyond domination. Then, a sincere scribe asks Jesus what truly matters most, leading to a quiet but profound moment when Jesus says, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” — because the King himself is standing right there. Together, these scenes invite us to see how Jesus fulfills Scripture by restoring the mutual, life-giving vision of Genesis 2 in the midst of a broken world.

In this episode, David and Sophie continue their slow unfolding of the Gospel of Mark by entering the heart of Jesus’ confrontation with the religious authorities in Jerusalem. As Jesus is challenged about his authority in the temple, the conversation explores what authority actually is—moving beyond titles and institutions into the deeper biblical meaning of exousia, authority that flows “out of being.” Together, they reflect on Jesus as the Beloved Son whose authority emerges from identity rather than position, and how this collision exposes the corruption and fear embedded in the temple system.The discussion then turns to Jesus’ parable of the vineyard, the question about paying taxes to Caesar, and the powerful theme of image and iconography. David and Sophie explore how the image on the coin becomes a doorway into a much larger conversation about allegiance, identity, and what it means to bear God’s image. They reflect on images as windows into deeper realities—revealing how Jesus reframes power, authority, and worship by calling us to return not just a coin, but ourselves, to the One whose image we carry.

This week David and Sophie discuss Mark’s fig-tree and Temple “sandwich,” diving into how the withered fig tree illuminates Jesus’ prophetic action in the Temple and reveals a deeper question about spiritual fruitfulness. They unpack Jesus’ surprising shift into teaching about prayer, wrestling with what it means to “believe you have received” and why this passage often feels challenging or confusing. Their conversation moves between symbolic meaning and everyday experience, exploring how these texts invite us into a more trusting, open-hearted approach to prayer.

In this episode, David and Sophie explore the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, beginning with Blind Bartimaeus, whose restored sight becomes the final preparation for Jesus’ royal entrance. They discuss how Bartimaeus “sees” Jesus’ true identity before receiving physical vision and how this moment sets the stage for the crowd’s own, though partial, recognition of Jesus as king. David and Sophie examine the rich symbolism drawn from Zechariah 9 and Psalm 118 with the colt, and the spreading of cloaks. They discuss the temple as the meeting place between heaven and earth, the significance of Jesus as the bearer of God’s presence, and how the crowd’s cries of “Hosanna” both recognize and misunderstand his messianic identity.

In this episode, David and Sophie discuss the section of Mark where Jesus makes his final turn toward Jerusalem. After predicting his suffering and death, James and John’s make a request to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand. In so doing, they expose the shadow side of leadership and being chosen. David and Sophie unpack the Greek words for “lord it over” and “authority” to reveal how Jesus subverts the world’s patterns of domination and once again redefines greatness as embracing servanthood.

In this episode, David and Sophie talk about the encounter between Jesus and the rich man who asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” They explore how this story connects to Jesus’ teaching about receiving the kingdom like a child and how it reveals that the kingdom of God is deeply relational - not about following a set of do's and don'ts but about loving God, loving neighbor, and being with Jesus.They go on to discuss how Jesus always appeals to our deepest desires, offering not a list of rules to keep but a treasure to be found: the privilege of being with him. Together, they reflect on the contrast between the rich man’s possessions and the surpassing worth of following Jesus. We cannot outgive God and the promise of the kingdom is a hundredfold return on anything that we have left behind.

In this episode, David and Sophie explore the tightly linked passages in Mark 10 where Jesus is tested by the Pharisees about divorce and then immediately welcomes children into his arms. They reflect on how Jesus refuses to be trapped in a legal debate and instead redirects the conversation toward the condition of the heart. Jesus takes us back to Genesis 2 and the original vision of mutual partnership before patriarchy and the fall distorted human relationships in Genesis 3. They consider how Jesus' reference to "hardness of heart" isn't a condemnation but a recognition of the need for both healing and growth. This shapes our understanding of divorce, what the process of softening the heart may look like and what this means for remarriage. Next they encounter a living parable of softness: children who embody the openness, trust, humility, and attunement that define the kingdom of God. Together, these stories challenge us to consider what it means to live with softened hearts and receive the kingdom like a child.

In this episode, David and Sophie explore Jesus’ mysterious words about salt and fire. What does it mean to be “salted with fire”? Together they trace how Jesus’ imagery of salt, yeast, and fire all point to the same inner reality — the places in us that can rot from within and the grace that makes us whole again.The “rot” he names isn’t moral failure so much as the slow decay of trust: the way ego, rivalry, and the hunger to prove ourselves can swell and corrupt the heart. Together, David and Sophie explore how the fire of God’s love doesn’t come to destroy but to refine, how salt preserves what’s real and alive, and how the security of a child who knows they belong points the way to wholeness. This is a conversation about becoming truly alive and letting the refining fire burn away everything false so that what remains is love that endures.

In this episode, David and Sophie explore the disciples’ growing rivalry as they argue among themselves about which of them is the greatest. Jesus responds not with rebuke but with redefinition and shows that true greatness comes through humility and service. He places a child among them as his living example, inviting his followers to take on the openness, vulnerability, and curiosity of a child.David and Sophie reflect on what it means to be like a child, to receive a child, and to resist the pull of competition within the life of faith. The conversation moves from the disciples’ arguments with each other to John’s attempt to stop someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus continually points them away from rivalry and toward celebrating the wider work of God in the world.

In this episode David and Sophie journey down the mountain of Transfiguration and join Jesus and the disciples as they encounter a desperate father whose son is tormented by a spirit. We explore the clash between the scribes and the disciples, the father’s haunting plea “I believe, help my unbelief,” and the dramatic healing that follows. We unpack the symbolic meaning of fire and water and explore what it means that some healing happens in the context of prayer.

In this episode, David and Sophie linger on the mountain of Transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John glimpse Jesus unveiled in radiant glory. They reflect on what it must have been like to see him shining brighter than anything on earth, standing alongside Moses and Elijah, and how this vision confirmed yet also confused the disciples about his true identity. The conversation explores Peter’s instinct to build tents, the Father’s voice declaring Jesus as the Beloved Son, and the command to “listen to him” in light of their struggles to understand a suffering Messiah. They also wrestle with the disciples’ question about Elijah, how John the Baptist fulfilled that role, and how the vision revealed Jesus as greater than both the Law and the Prophets, pointing to the mystery of glory through suffering.

In this episode, David and Sophie reach the pivotal moment in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus asks the central question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “Messiah,” but he does not yet understand what that title truly means. When Jesus begins to speak openly about his path of suffering, rejection, and death, the tension between Peter’s expectations for Messiah and Jesus’ unveiling of himself comes to a head. Peter embodies the role of “Satan.” We revisit Jesus’ earlier encounter with “The Satan” in the wilderness who, like Peter now, tempted him with the possibility of being a Messiah without suffering, rejection, or death.We then reflect on Jesus’ haunting words about being ashamed of him and his words in “this adulterous and sinful generation.” What might it mean to be ashamed of Jesus today, in a world that often uses his name for political or cultural gain? What does it cost to follow the real Jesus, the Messiah revealed in his story, rather than the idol of Jesus as a means to gain power? We consider how we might experience the cross in our own lives when we choose to follow Jesus words and surrender power, reputation, or safety in order to be faithful to him.

David and Sophie have decided to take the rest of the summer off from the Book of Mark study. We'll regroup in the Fall and pick up where we left off with the powerful question Jesus asks in the next section: Who do you say that I am?During the break, we invite you to keep engaging with the Book of Mark. Take time to review, reread, and reflect on what we've covered so far, and let it sink in.Thank you, and we look forward to continuing the journey together in the Fall!!

In this episode, David and Sophie unpack the feeding of the 4,000 in Mark’s Gospel and how it echoes and complicates the earlier feeding of the 5,000. Why do the disciples still not get it? Why are they stuck thinking literally when Jesus is inviting them to think symbolically?We explore what the numbers might mean (5 loaves, 7 baskets), the layers of meaning that never fully exhaust themselves, and Jesus’ pointed warning about the “leaven of the Pharisees and Herod.” What is it about yeast - the tiny agent of transformation or corruption - that makes it such a powerful symbol of spiritual danger?Join us as we ask: what does it mean to let the symbol speak? And what might we be missing when we stay in surface-level thinking?

In this episode, we explore one of the most striking and boundary-breaking sections of Mark’s Gospel. First, Jesus travels into Gentile territory and meets the Syrophoenician woman - an outsider by every cultural and religious measure. Their conversation, which begins with a challenging metaphor about "dogs" unfolds into a powerful moment of faith, courage, and inclusion, as this remarkable woman claims her place in God’s story.From there, Jesus moves on to the Decapolis, where he encounters a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. In a profoundly compassionate act, Jesus physically engages the man, breaking purity taboos and using his own spit to heal him - another dramatic sign that God’s kingdom is for those considered unclean or excluded.Together, these stories show Jesus deconstructing the purity culture of his day and revealing a kingdom where faith, not ritual status, defines belonging. We’ll dive into the cultural background, the Greek wordplay, and how these encounters might speak to those today who feel like outsiders themselves.

In this week's episode of Mark Unfolded, David and Sophie take a reflective pause to look back on the first 14 weeks of their deep dive into the Gospel of Mark. Each shares five key themes that have stood out to them - threads that have emerged through the stories, questions, and conversations so far. This episode offers both a meaningful review for regular listeners and an accessible on-ramp for anyone looking for a quick way to catch up. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or you're just tuning in, this is a great moment to step back, reflect, and see where the journey has taken us so far.

In this episode, pastor David Profitt and therapist Sophie Murphy explore one of Yeshua’s most radical teachings in the Gospel of Mark: what defiles a person. As the Pharisees confront Yeshua over tradition and ritual handwashing, we dig into the deeper tension between external religion and internal transformation. Why does Yeshua call out the Corban tradition? What does it mean to be a hypocrite? And what can we learn from the striking list of inner corruptions he names? Join us as we reflect on Yeshua’s call to focus on the inner life.

In this episode, pastor David Profitt and therapist Sophie Murphy dive into one of the most iconic moments in Mark’s Gospel - the feeding of the 5,000 and the mysterious scene of Yeshua walking on the water. We’ll explore the rich symbolism of the wilderness, where Yeshua draws the crowds like a shepherd calling his sheep, echoing the ancient promises of Hosea. We focus on Yeshua's deep compassion and what that says to us today. We'll also reflect on the haunting end of the encounter when Mark declares, “they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”What does it mean to misunderstand the loaves? Why does Mark frame this as a critical moment in the disciples’ journey of faith? And how might this parable of the loaves challenge our own understanding of divine abundance, spiritual sight, and the nature of the Messiah? Join us as we unpack the layers of this miraculous scene.

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore the confrontation between John the Baptist and Herod Antipas. We revisit John’s identity as a prophet in the wilderness tradition - a man of deep conviction and ascetic discipline, living out his calling with courage and clarity. In contrast, we examine Herod’s inner turmoil: a man who hears truth gladly but, like rocky soil, withers when trials come. We explore how themes of fear, false kingship, and prophetic faithfulness reveal the deeper spiritual struggle beneath the surface. Along the way, we connect this story to the parables Yeshua has taught and see how his teaching is played out in the lives of all who encounter him.

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore two deeply connected movements in Mark’s Gospel: Yeshua’s rejection in his hometown and the sending of the Twelve into the villages of Galilee. We reflect on why familiarity leads to offense, what it means to dishonor a prophet, and how hardened hearts block the work of the kingdom. Next we turn to Yeshua’s radical act of sending his 12 apostles out two by two, with nothing but authority and dependence on hospitality. Along the way, we consider what it means to "rethink how we think", how to handle the emotional challenge of rejection, and the invitation to work with another person in partnership.

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore the powerful, intertwined stories of Jairus and the woman with the flow of blood. These two “daughters” come from opposite ends of the social spectrum - one the child of a synagogue leader, the other an unnamed, ritually unclean woman — but both are drawn into healing and restoration through bold, vulnerable faith. This episode continues the central theme we’ve been tracing throughout Mark: what it means to come to Jesus with faith, to move toward him even in fear, and to be among those on the “inside” who receive the secret of the kingdom of God. We reflect on how proximity to Jesus - and what you do with your story, your questions and your fears - is what determines who understands the kingdom and who remains on the outside.

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore two of the most dramatic moments in the Gospel of Mark — the calming of the storm and the healing of the man with the legion of unclean spirits. What do these back-to-back stories reveal about Yeshua's identity, his authority over chaos, and the nature of true faith? We dig into the powerful symbolism of sea and tomb, exploring how Yeshua confronts forces of chaos both outside and within — from the raging storm to the tormented man among the tombs. We reflect on the meaning of lived parables, where teaching becomes experience, and how the presence of God often shows up where we least expect it. Through all of this, we wrestle with what it means to move from fear to faith, and how restoration calls us not just to follow, but sometimes to stay and testify. Join us as we ask: What does it mean to trust God when he seems asleep? And how does healing change not just one life, but an entire community?

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy dive into the parable of the sower, the lamp under the basket, the scattered seed, and the mustard seed. We explore the "secret" of the kingdom of God and what it means to deepen into the mystery of following Yeshua. We slow down and give time to each parable, asking the same question on everyone's mind who followed him - why does Yeshua speak this way? Why do some walk away unchanged while others find everything? What does it mean to be good soil — and how does that actually play out in real life? Join us as we puzzle together why God sometimes seems quiet, why growth feels slow, or if the small things you're doing even matter.

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy dive into one of the most intense and revealing sections of Mark’s Gospel. We’ll see Yeshua’s growing fame bring massive crowds as his family tries to rein him in. We’ll also see the religious leaders coming down from Jerusalem to escalate their opposition - going so far as to accuse him of working with Satan.  We’ll unpack Yeshua’s first parable as he uses logic and scripture to refute the scribe’s faulty accusation. We’ll investigate the idea of the unforgivable sin - what it is, what it isn’t, and why it’s so important to understand. We’ll also explore why Yeshua chooses the Twelve and how he models differentiation in some very difficult circumstances.  Join us as we break down the escalating conflict around Yeshua, his identity, his mission and what that reveals about God’s kingdom. Links: https://www.fumcah.com/https://www.alchemicalpsychotherapy.com/

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore some of Yeshua’s most powerful and disruptive metaphors - the unshrunk cloth, the new wineskins, and his bold claim to be the long awaited Bridegroom. What was Yeshua saying when he declared himself ‘Lord of the Sabbath’? Why did the Pharisees react so strongly to his teaching? And what does it mean for us today to be a new wineskin, flexible enough to see and join what God is doing? Join us as we unpack these rich images and challenge ourselves to see Yeshua not just as a teacher, but as the one bringing something entirely new.Links: https://www.fumcah.com/https://www.alchemicalpsychotherapy.com/

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore two powerful encounters that challenge expectations of who this Messiah is. Four friends refuse to let anything stand between their paralyzed friend and Jesus - not crowds, not cultural norms, not even a roof. Then, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, showing that his mission is to seek out sinners rather than the righteous. But what does it truly mean to be a “sinner?” And what are the implication of Jesus presenting himself as the great physician with a prescription for our health who can heal our deepest need?  Join us as we unpack these compelling moments of healing, calling, and grace.  Links: https://www.fumcah.com/https://www.alchemicalpsychotherapy.com/

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore one of Jesus’ most striking healings - the cleansing of a leper. While society isolates this man, fearing contamination and hardening their hearts against him, Jesus does the unthinkable: he reaches out and touches him. With deep compassion, he restores not only the man’s body but his belonging within the community. What does this act reveal about the heart of Jesus? And how does the leper’s response change the course of Jesus’ ministry? Join us as we dive into this powerful story of healing and restoration.Links: https://www.fumcah.com/https://www.alchemicalpsychotherapy.com/

In this bonus episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy step back to discuss the guiding norms for their study of the Gospel of Mark. This podcast is an extension of their church’s midrash group, a space for wrestling with Scripture in a deep and engaged way. But how do we ensure that we’re not only engaging in a close reading of the text, but also allowing the text read us? As the group refocuses on a close reading of Scripture, they work through a preamble that will shape their discussions moving forward. Join us for this behind-the-scenes conversation on how we approach the text and why it matters.Links: https://www.fumcah.com/https://www.alchemicalpsychotherapy.com/

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore Jesus’ arrival in Capernaum, where his teaching and his encounters with unclean spirits and the sick reveal an astonishing authority. But what kind of authority is this? The Greek word points to something flowing from his very being - his identity as the Beloved Son. Join us as we examine how Jesus’ words and works declare who he truly is.Links: https://www.fumcah.com/https://www.alchemicalpsychotherapy.com/

In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy continue their close study of the Gospel of Mark. Jesus emerges from obscurity to be baptized by John, and in a stunning moment, the heavens open and he is named the Beloved Son in whom the Father delights. But immediately, the Spirit drives him into the wilderness, where this identity is tested through struggle and isolation. Jesus emerges from the wilderness with authority, He proclaims that the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, calling people to metanoia and belief in this very good news. With just a few words, he compels fishermen to leave everything and follow him. What is it about Jesus that makes people drop everything to walk in his footsteps? Join us as we explore these pivotal moments.Links: https://www.fumcah.com/https://www.alchemicalpsychotherapy.com/

In this first episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy begin their close study of the Gospel of Mark. We meet John the Baptist, a wild prophet in the wilderness, calling people to metanoia and preparing the way for someone far greater than himself - one whose sandals he is unworthy to untie. What does this opening reveal about Jesus, and why does Mark begin his Gospel this way? Join us as we explore the significance of these first verses and what they tell us about the story to come.Links: https://www.fumcah.com/https://www.alchemicalpsychotherapy.com/