Two Texts
A Podcast about the Bible
Every two weeks, from two different countries, the two hosts of the Two Texts podcast pick two biblical texts to talk about. Each episode we pick one text to talk about, which invariably leads to us talking about two texts and often many more.
Dr John Andrews and Dr David Harvey share a mutual fascination with the Bible. Simple yet complex; ancient yet relevant; challenging yet comforting. But one thing that fascinates them consistently is that, like a kaleidoscope, no matter how many times they look at it there is something new, fresh and exciting to talk about.
This podcast is designed for you regardless of how much or how little you've read the Bible. Grab a hot beverage, a notepad (or app), and a Bible, sit back, listen, enjoy, and learn to also become fascinated (or grow your fascination) with this exciting, compelling and mysterious book.
John and David are two friends who love teaching the Bible and have both been privileged enough to be able to spend their careers doing this - in colleges, universities, churches, homes and coffee shops. The two of them have spent extended periods of time as teaching staff and leadership in seminary and church contexts. John has regularly taught at David's church, and there was even a point where John was David's boss!
Nowadays David is a Priest and Pastor in Calgary, Canada, and John teaches and consults for churches in the UK and around the world. They're both married with children (John 3, David 1) and in John's case even grandchildren. In their down time you'll find them cooking, reading, running or watching football (but the one thing they don't agree on is which team to support).
If you want to get in touch with either of them about something in the podcast you can reach out on podcast@twotexts.com or by liking and following the Two Texts podcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you enjoy the podcast, we’d love it if you left a review or comment where you’re listening from – and if you really enjoyed it, why not share it with a friend?
Episodes
243 episodes
More Than Manna | Jesus and God's "Name" 6
In which John and David continue in John's Gospel's "I AM" sayings, as Jesus names himself the Bread of Life. We follow the crowd’s hunger, their confusion, and their forgetfulness, and we trace how manna, memory, and communion converge. Along ...
Better Bread | Jesus and God's "Name" 5
In which John and David explore Jesus' "Bread of Life" saying in the Gospel of John, noticing how Exodus imagery quietly shapes the scene. We trace how Moses, manna, and the wilderness are layered into Jesus’ words and the scene, and we e...
The God who "moves in" | Jesus and God's "Name" 4
In which John and David continue in the prologue of John's Gospel, tracing how John reframes Exodus through Jesus. From children of God to the tabernacle and the glory Moses longed to see, we explore how the whole story is retold in Christ. The...
Christ is not a "Clue" | Jesus and God's "Name" 3
In which John and David begin a continue their new series on the “I AM” sayings by returning to John’s prologue. We explore how the Gospel frames Jesus not as a clue to God, but as God’s own self-interpretation. From Genesis echoes to the limit...
The "Angel" of the Lord | Jesus and God's "Name" 2
In which John and David explore the mysterious “angel of the Lord” in Exodus 3, tracing how the messenger is also identified as more than just an angel, maybe much more! Following threads through Abraham, Hagar, Jacob, and Gideon, we ask whethe...
The "Name" in the Fire | Jesus and God's "Name" 1
In which John and David begin a new series on the “I AM” sayings in John’s Gospel, beginning by tracing them back to the burning bush of Exodus 3. We explore how Jesus’ words are rooted in the divine name, how the New Testament reads the Old, a...
Jonah Leaves us Answering | Jonah Beyond the Whale 29
In which John and David bring Jonah to a close by sitting with God’s final question. We reflect on divine mercy, human prejudice, and the unsettling grace that keeps everyone alive. Along the way, we consider God’s habit of asking questions, th...
"Should I Not Care?” Jonah’s Final Question | Jonah Beyond the Whale 28
In which John and David reflect on the final 39 words of Jonah and the question that ends the book. We explore the contrast between plant and city, mercy and justice, and why God’s unanswered question exposes our own hearts. Along the way, we c...
Jonah Under the Sun | Jonah Beyond the Whale 27
In which John and David turn from the gift of the plant to the discomfort of its removal. Reflecting on the worm, the scorching wind, and Jonah’s desire for death, they explore divine rebuke, trust, and the exposure of hidden evil. They ...
The Grace of a Plant | Jonah Beyond the Whale 26
In which John and David linger over Jonah’s plant and discover it is far more than a narrative oddity. Reading Jonah 4 alongside Genesis, the Feast of Booths, and the wider scriptural pattern of divine provision, they explore how God’s m...
East of Eden | Jonah Beyond the Whale 25
In which John and David linger with Jonah 4 and the strange mercy of the plant, the worm, and the wind. They explore God’s repeated acts of provision, the attempt to draw Jonah out of his anger, and the Eden-and-Exodus echoes of a God still try...
When Mercy Makes Us Angry | Jonah Beyond the Whale 24
In which John and David begin Jonah 4 and confront the shock of the prophet’s anger. They explore the collision between Nineveh’s repentance and Jonah’s rage, the kindling of ra‘ah within the man of God, and the unsettling question of ...
The God Who Turns | Jonah Beyond the Whale 23
In which John and David consider Jonah 3:10–4:1 and the unsettling language of turning, repentance, and evil. They trace shuv and ra’ah through Jeremiah and Exodus, explore God’s predictable mercy, and wrestle with Jonah’s ang...
From Throne to Ashes | Jonah Beyond the Whale 22
In which John and David return to Jonah 3 and ponder the king of Nineveh’s response. They trace the force of the word that strikes the king, explore sackcloth, fasting, and the language of turning (shuv), and reflect on a repe...
The Spirit Makes The Sermon | Jonah Beyond the Whale 21
In which John and David reflect some more on Jonah’s bewildering sermon, its response, and the mysterious work of the Spirit in both preaching and hearing. We explore humility in proclamation, the difference between talking and true preaching, ...
Frogs, Towers, and a Grumpy Prophet | Jonah Beyond the Whale 20
In which John and David explore the startling response to Jonah’s five-word sermon and consider how belief arises in surprising places. We ponder the mystery at the heart of Jonah 3, the unseen work of God, Tolkien’s tower, frogs in biology cla...
Jonah’s Unclear Sermon | Jonah Beyond the Whale 19
In which John and David explore Jonah’s five-word sermon, noticing how its brevity holds layers of meaning and ambiguity. We reflect on the tension between judgment and invitation, the dual possibilities within the word “overturned,” and...
A Sermon of Five Words | Jonah Beyond the Whale 18
In which John and David reflect on Jonah’s five-word sermon, the prophet’s half-hearted obedience, and the surprising repentance of Nineveh. We explore how the narrative exposes Israel’s own reluctance to hear God, and how—even through flawed p...
Nineveh and the God Who Comes Near | Jonah Beyond the Whale 17
In which John and David trace the divine symmetry between the great fish and the great city of Nineveh. Together they uncover how Jonah’s story reveals a God both cosmic and near — one who commands creation yet longs for relationship. They refl...
A Story Truer than it Seems | Jonah Beyond the Whale 16
In which John and David explore Jonah’s second calling and the grace woven into the story’s repetition. They reflect on Buechner’s and Tolkien’s ideas of myth, Hebrew wordplay that shifts God’s tone from 'against' to 'toward', and the layered s...
Prayer from the Depths | Jonah Beyond the Whale 15
In which John and David explore Jonah’s cry from the “belly of Sheol” and ask whether the prophet’s prayer describes death, near-death, or resurrection itself. We trace echoes of Psalms 16 and 139, connect Jonah’s deliverance to Jesus’ “sign of...
Not Faithless, Just Forgetful | Jonah Beyond the Whale 14
In which John and David reflect on Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish, exploring how it echoes the Psalms and reveals a God who always calls us home. We discuss honesty, faithfulness, and what it means to return to God even in darkness—r...
A Psalm from the Belly | Jonah Beyond the Whale 13
In which John and David explore Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the great fish. We explore its Psalm-like poetry, Jonah’s descent into death, and the layers of creation, flood, and exodus woven through his cry. Along the way, we ask what kind ...
Jonah’s Descent and God’s Design | Jonah Beyond the Whale 12
In which John and David explore Jonah’s descent into the deep and God’s appointment of the great fish. We trace the Hebrew term manah—God’s “ordination” of creation—to reveal divine order emerging from chaos. Along the way, we uncover ...
What Have You Done? | Jonah Beyond the Whale 11
In which John and David reflect on Jonah 1:7–17, exploring Jonah’s confession of faith and its irony against his rebellion. We trace echoes from Psalm 95, Genesis, and Exodus, uncovering how the sailors sound more righteous than the prophet. Th...