This is the Bible story that would eventually lead Megan Phelps-Roper to leave everything she knew behind.
Jesus is tested. A woman is accused and sentenced to die. And a now-famous phrase enters the lexicon — one Megan had an answer for, ready to go, every time a stranger threw it at her on the picket line.
But this story — one she’d known her whole life, one she could recite without thinking — would eventually turn into a mirror. And reflect back an image she didn't recognize.
The season finale of Book Keeper.
After listening, please share your own stories as well as your questions and comments below.
Discussion (2)
This is such a beautiful look at this story, and I love how it is woven into Megan's religious history. It's one of the most beloved stories of Jesus, which is interesting because it is likely not a part of the original text. The earliest manuscripts of the gospel of John do not include the story. Scholars note that the language is different from the rest of the gospel. It's beloved for a reason. It's so in tune with Jesus' message of grace. I imagine some ancient scribes inserting the story into the text because they know it needed a place in the Bible.
Thank you again for doing this series Megan, and I've enjoyed this first season. It reminds me a bit, ironically, of the podcast series Harry Potter And The Sacred Text, trying to find deeper meaning in a text, but in this case with the Bible, which of course countless people over the millennial have done but mostly from a very religious and dogmatic position, as you did in the past, whereas now you're doing it from a much less religious and non dogmatic position, which in my opinion more interesting and meaningful. I've thought about, if I'm ever feeling brave enough, someday taking another crack at the Bible, but with more of a critical eye and at a remove, seeing it as a collection of writings from the past by humans, for better or worse, and not as some inerrant and infallible work of God, to see what I might get out of it. Your series is making me think about that more, as it may be cathartic in a way, reframing something that once overwhelmed and terrified me. Anyways keep up the good work and look forward to hearing more in the future. Sincerely, Matt W.