# Why was Jesus so cryptic? Is divorce ever OK? Does Isaiah 53 predict Jesus? And which theologian is hardest to understand? Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-nt-wright-anything-911084/why-was-jesus-so-cryptic-is-divorce-ever-ok-does-isaiah-53-predict-jesus-and-which-theologian-is-hardest-to-understand Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-nt-wright-anything-911084/why-was-jesus-so-cryptic-is-divorce-ever-ok-does-isaiah-53-predict-jesus-and-which-theologian-is-hardest-to-understand.md Podcast: [Ask NT Wright Anything](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-nt-wright-anything-911084) Published: 2026-07-20T04:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR9740779065.mp3 Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR9740779065.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ask-nt-wright-anything-911084/episodes/why-was-jesus-so-cryptic-is-divorce-ever-ok-does-isaiah-53-predict-jesus-and-which-theologian-is-hardest-to-understand Duration seconds: 2496 ## Resource Why did Jesus often speak in riddles instead of plain language? What should Christians make of divorce in light of Jesus' teaching? And how should we understand Old Testament prophecies about Christ?In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird explore three challenging questions that sit at the intersection of biblical interpretation and pastoral wisdom.Tom explains why Jesus' teaching often appeared mysterious, showing how his parables confronted first-century expectations about God's kingdom rather than simply hiding the truth. He then offers a thoughtful and compassionate response to one of the most painful subjects Christians face today: divorce and remarriage. Finally, Tom explores Isaiah 53 and explains why biblical prophecy is far richer than a series of isolated predictions, revealing instead the larger story of God's purposes culminating in Jesus.Support & Subscribe👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and help keep the show going at www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate💡❓Got a question for Tom? Go to askntwright.com👉 Refer a friend to become a subscriber → They can get 10% off by clicking hereFollow usInstagram: https://instagram.com/premierunbelievableFacebook: https://facebook.com/premierunbelievableTik Tok: https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievableX: https://x.com/UnbelievableFE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ask-nt-wright-anything-911084/episodes/why-was-jesus-so-cryptic-is-divorce-ever-ok-does-isaiah-53-predict-jesus-and-which-theologian-is-hardest-to-understand/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-nt-wright-anything-911084/why-was-jesus-so-cryptic-is-divorce-ever-ok-does-isaiah-53-predict-jesus-and-which-theologian-is-hardest-to-understand.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.