Can Jesus Forgive Sin?

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Want to learn how you can make smarter decisions with your money? Well, I've got the podcast for you. I'm Sean Piles, and I host Nerd Wallet's Smart Money podcast. Our show features our team of nerds, personal finance experts in credit cards, banking, investing and more. And they'll help you make the most of your money while cutting through the clutter and misinformation in today's world of personal finance. You'll get clarity on strategies to help you build your wealth, invest wisely, shop for financial products, and plan for major life events.

Listen to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Dan Beecher (0:35)

His first impulse isn't just like, hey, I'll heal you. His first impulse is like, we'll do this other thing.

I'll use the healing as the proof that I have the authority to do that.

Dan McClellan (0:45)

Yes, it's almost as if the story was carefully crafted to tag these rhetorical bases. You didn't hear it from me.

Hey, everybody, I'm Dan McClellan.

Dan Beecher (1:00)

I'm Dan Beecher.

Dan McClellan (1:01)

You are listening to the Data Over Dogma podcast, where we increase public access to the academic study of the Bible and religion and combat the spread of misinformation about the same. How are things today, Dan?

Dan Beecher (1:14)

Going well, man. I don't have a headache like you do, so that's great.

I mean, I'm one up on you anyway, so that's great.

And I'm looking forward to today's show. We got some fun stuff. We're gonna do a Bible versus Bible and find some interesting contradictions. And then we're gonna look at the concept of sin forgiveness via a big hole in the ceiling. So that's gonna be fun. Everyone should stay tuned for that. But first, let's do Bible versus Bible.

Dan McClellan (1:56)

All right. So what are we talking about today?

Dan Beecher (1:58)

Well, since it was your idea, I think you already know, but Ahaziah is the name of a guy that I had never heard of. But he pops up in both Second Kings and Second Chronicles or just First Chronicles?

Dan McClellan (2:15)

Second Chronicles.

Dan Beecher (2:16)

Second Chronicles. So yeah, he's in both of these places.

It's always a bad idea for the Bible to retread the same ground because every time it does that.

Dan McClellan (2:30)

It's tricky. It's tricky, yeah.

Dan Beecher (2:32)

It's a different retelling and they have some different things. So why don't you walk us through the story? Do you want, who is Ahaziah?

Dan McClellan (2:44)

So we actually have a couple Ahaziahs in this history, but Ahaziah is a king of Judah.

So in this period, traditionally, we think of the United Kingdom that was founded by Saul and David and Solomon, and then we had the divided kingdom. The reality is that there was probably never a United Kingdom, that these are two kingdoms that developed separately and were never.

Dan Beecher (3:11)

You mean Judah and Israel?

Dan McClellan (3:12)

Correct. So Judah in the south with Jerusalem as home base, and then Israel in the north with Samaria as home base. And the northern kingdom of Israel was the larger kingdom, the more successful kingdom. And in the eighth century, there was a lot more economic growth going on. There was a lot more cities popping up. There was a lot more money flowing in. And Jerusalem, to the degree that it was able to engage in like international trade and things like that, it was probably through the northern kingdom of Israel.

And Jerusalem doesn't become prominent until the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel, because they kind of take over the identity of the northern kingdom of Israel, and we get the creation of this history where there's a united kingdom. But Ahaziah is a king in Judah, and we have Joram as a king in Israel. So that's in the northern kingdom. And then Jehu is given Joram a hard time.

And-

Dan Beecher (4:22)

Jehu is some sort of antagonist, but a powerful dude.

Dan McClellan (4:29)

Yes, and Jehu is actually going to, Jehu is one of the earliest figures from the Hebrew Bible for which we actually have direct archeological evidence.

Dan Beecher (4:41)

Oh, cool.

Dan McClellan (4:41)

In fact, even a pictorial representation of Jehu, bowing down before an Assyrian emperor, Shalmaneser III, but still one of the first ones that we have represented anywhere in the late ninth century. But we have the story of Ahaziah's death because Ahaziah is considered a wicked king. And so Jehu is on the war, well, Jehu is coming after Ahaziah. And let me see where we got the Jehu.