In this episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores Luke’s account of the resurrection as a carefully sequenced series of encounters unfolding within a single day: the women at the tomb, the road to Emmaus, Jesus’ appearance to the gathered disciples, and his ascension from Bethany.

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In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ shows how the Gospels shape resurrection differently, especially in Mark and Matthew.

The earliest version of Mark famously ends without any resurrection appearance of Jesus, leaving the reader-disciple standing before the empty tomb and invited to respond in Faith.

By contrast, Matthew expands the empty-tomb narrative that affirm Jesus’ divine authority and commission the disciples as witnesses.

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In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores the earliest account of the resurrection, found not in the Gospels but in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, and explores how Paul presents this tradition to a new, largely Gentile Christian community.

It explains why Paul emphasises the reliability and diversity of witnesses, including himself, rather than the vivid details of resurrection encounters, in order to establish both the truth of the resurrection and his authority as an apostle.

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In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how John portrays Jesus’ death as a deliberate fulfilment of Scripture, culminating in his final words, “It is accomplished,” as he surrenders his spirit.

Reprising John’s language of Jesus being “lifted up” throughout the Gospel, the Crucifixion is shown as a parodied enthronement that becomes a paradox: what looks like shameful humiliation is, in truth, the Son of Man’s exaltation and rightful kingship.

The pierced side, the flow of blood and water, and the careful burial by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus serve as both fulfilment of prophecy and trustworthy witness that Jesus truly died, completing the work that renews creation.

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In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ shows how St. John prepares readers for the Passion by tracing the Gospel’s recurring sacrificial imagery, above all Jesus as the Passover lamb, so that the crucifixion can be read as God’s saving work and true liberation.

John then elaborates the crucifixion through a series of highly visual, localised scenes, presenting Jesus as in full control and repeatedly framing events as the fulfilment of Scripture. Amid this liturgical and theological depth, the narrative also holds moments of striking tenderness and mutual love at the foot of the cross.

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In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ contrasts Matthew’s Passion narrative, which closely follows Mark, with Luke’s more expansive account that elaborates the crucifixion scene to foreground reconciliation with the Father, the forgiveness of sins, and the presence of Jesus’ faithful disciples among the witnesses.

Luke also foreshadows the coming destruction of Jerusalem, as Jesus speaks prophetically to the women on the road and shares in the city’s future suffering with a striking note of solidarity.

Dr John also explores the creative tensions in Luke’s theology of the cross, God’s saving plan unfolding through human violence, while centring Jesus’ prayer of forgiveness and the promise of paradise as signs that salvation is already being accomplished.

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In this episode, Dr John compares Mark and Matthew’s accounts of Jesus’ Crucifixion and burial, showing how the evangelists grapple with the apparent failure and scandal of the Cross.

By weaving in Isaiah’s suffering servant, the distress psalms, especially Psalm 22, the evangelists present Jesus’ death as the decisive moment of God’s saving work and the dawn of a new creation. Listen to the full episode now.

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In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ compares the two significantly different Gospel accounts of the Roman trial, with Luke focusing on the legal process and the distinctive episode of Jesus before Herod, while John centres the drama on an extended, searching dialogue between Jesus and Pilate.

Luke presents Jesus as repeatedly declared innocent by Roman and Jewish authorities, situating his trial within a wider theme of reconciliation and a divinely guided history, even as political pressure leads to a serious failure of justice. John, by contrast, frames the trial as a cosmic confrontation about kingship, truth, and authority, in which Jesus knowingly accepts being handed over, revealing that beneath human decisions and guilt, the events unfold according to the saving will of God.

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