Volume 14: The Mission of Jesus
It’s easy to think of the Bible as a collection of short stories, but each one makes up a greater story – one story of a God who created the universe and entrusted it to His human partners to care for it. They were unfaithful, and it fell back into chaos and sin. But God didn’t give up on His creation. He decided to redeem it, preparing the way through His covenant with Israel and finally by sending His son, Jesus, to become the cornerstone of it all through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. What would this mean for a people oppressed by the Roman Empire, and what does it mean for believers today? Follow the rabbi through the world of Jesus, hiking through the Galilee region, exploring the ruins of Rome, and kneeling on the stones of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as you discover how the gospel of Jesus confronts the gospel of Imperial Rome.
01. Capernaum: Jesus Binds the Evil One
Jesus left heaven to be born in a filthy shepherd’s stable, as if to say, “I’ll leave heaven to enter the brokenness of your world.” Much of His teaching ministry, though, took place in a very different sort of place: Capernaum, the home to some of the greatest Bible teachers in Jewish history. How will these brilliant scholars react to Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, and how will the enemy respond? Join Jesus and His disciples in Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee as He interprets the text for His first century hearers.
Scripture References: Acts 10:28, Job 9:2-8, Jonah 1:1-6, Mark 1:21-28, Mark 4:35-41, Matthew 4:12-16, Matthew 12:22-29, Matthew 14:25-33, Psalm 107:28-29
Locations: Capernaum, Israel, Sea of Galilee
02. Decapolis: The Other Side - Jesus and the Man from the Tombs
The majority of Jesus’ ministry was done in places like the town of Capernaum, among a people who loved to debate and discuss Torah in the synagogue. They didn’t always agree with each other, but their emphasis was on how to be faithful to God as their king because wherever God is served, the kingdom comes. But one day, after teaching in Capernaum, Jesus looked out across the Sea of Galilee and said to His disciples, “Let’s go to the other side.” Follow the steps of Jesus and the disciples as they enter the world of the Decapolis, a very different kind of kingdom with a very different kind of king.
Scripture References: Acts 10:15, Isaiah 65:1-99, Mark 4:35-41, Mark 5:1-20, Matthew 4:12-16, Matthew 8:28-34, Matthew 12:22-29
Locations: Horvat Susita (Hippos), Israel, Sea of Galilee
03. Crucifixion: The Coronation of a King
The Colosseum in Rome is famous for many reasons, not least of which because it was built by the spoils of war from the destruction of Jerusalem, the military defeat of the Jews. In the Roman world, it was assumed that if Caesar was able to defeat the Jewish people, then the gods of Rome must be greater than the God of the Jews. With this worldview in mind, what would happen when early believers in Jesus arrived in Rome and tried to explain to a very different culture that their Messiah had been arrested, sentenced, and executed by an agent of Rome? Follow the rabbi through the ruins of Rome as you unpack the crucifixion of Jesus through the eyes of a first century Roman audience.
Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 2:14, Acts 25:10-11, Luke 2:1, Mark 15:16-39, Matthew 27:51-53
Locations: Cinecitta Studios, Rome, Italy, Colosseum, Rome, Italy, Forum of Augustus, Rome, Italy, Jerusalem, Israel
04. Ascension: The King Takes His Throne
It was customary in the Roman world to consider the emperor a divine being. New emperors would claim this status because they believed that when the previous ruler died, he would ascend to heaven to be seated among the gods, making his successor “the son of a god” back on earth. What would happen when these ascension stories clash with the story of Jesus, who was crucified, resurrected, and then ascended to heaven Himself, to be seated at the right hand of God? Explore the empty tombs at Khirbet Midras and climb the Mount of Olives with the disciples as you discover what it meant for Jesus to rise from the dead and ascend to heaven.
Scripture References: Acts 1:1-99, Colossians 2:12, Daniel 7:1-14, Exodus 19:5-6, Luke 24:50-53, Matthew 27:51-53, Matthew 28:16-20
Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Mount of Olives, Israel
05. Pentecost: God Changed His Address
After His resurrection, Jesus spent about 40 days with His followers in Jerusalem and back in the Galilee region, where they had received much of their training. He explained that after His ascension to heaven, He would send them a Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who would no longer remain only in the temple but would now live within each one of them. For a people whose history and culture revolved around the worship of God at the temple, this was a revolutionary development. Join the disciples at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and unpack the significance of Pentecost in the context of God’s covenant with Israel.
Scripture References: 2 Chronicles 7:1, Acts 1:8, Exodus 19:5-6, Exodus 25:8, Luke 2:41-49, Mark 2:1-12, Mark 11:15-17, Matthew 5:34-35
Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel