The Gospels | Episode 18 | TBN
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The Gospels | Episode 18

Watch The Gospels | Episode 18
Drive Thru History: The Gospels
April 4, 2016
27:30

Drive Thru History: The Gospels

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The Gospels | Episode 18

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  • [mus
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  • [music
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  • [music]
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  • Dave Stotts: We just completed our journey through
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  • the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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  • We explored the awesome ministry of Jesus from the actual places
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  • where he lived and taught.
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  • We investigated his horrible crucifixion and
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  • his miraculous resurrection.
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  • In the end, we only had time to scratch the surface of the true
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  • identity and ultimate mission of Jesus.
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  • Therefore, since I'm the host, I get to do one more episode.
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  • It's called an epilogue.
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  • Mr. Webster tells us that an epilogue is a section at
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  • the end of a book or play that serves as a comment or
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  • a conclusion to what has happened.
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  • I'm going to use this episode to try and do that.
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  • [music]
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  • [music]
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  • [music]
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  • [music]
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  • [music]
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  • Dave: Over the course of this entire series of "Drive Thru
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  • History," we've mentioned ancient prophecies about a
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  • future Messiah that the gospels say were fulfilled in the life,
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  • ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
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  • Remarkably, scholars count hundreds of these prophecies in
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  • the Hebrew Scriptures, over 300 in fact.
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  • Even more remarkable, these predictions were made by
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  • multiple authors over the course of about
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  • a 1.000-year time period.
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  • When the resurrected Jesus was eating fish with his disciples
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  • on the Sea of Galilee, he reminded them of the things that
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  • had happened during his ministry.
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  • For the first time, Jesus opened their eyes to all the prophecies
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  • that had been fulfilled by him.
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  • "He said, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you:
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  • everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the
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  • law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms,'" Luke 24:44.
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  • Again, we're talking about Jesus being the fulfillment of over
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  • 300 prophecies without missing a single note.
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  • The odds of that happening by chance are zero.
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  • And so, for any person to fulfill them all, it would take
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  • their circumstances being divinely orchestrated.
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  • In fact, that is the claim of the gospels.
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  • Now, while many of the prophecies of the future Messiah
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  • were general in nature, some were very specific, like where
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  • the Messiah would be born and how he would die.
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  • The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham,
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  • of the tribe of Judah, of the house of David.
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  • He will be conceived by a virgin, born in Bethlehem, and
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  • taken to Egypt as a child.
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  • The Messiah will be heralded by the messenger of the Lord, and
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  • anointed by the Holy Spirit to minister in Galilee,
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  • perform miracles, and preach good news.
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  • He will cleanse the temple, enter Jerusalem as a king riding
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  • on a donkey, be rejected by the Jewish people, and betrayed by a
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  • friend for 30 pieces of silver.
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  • The Messiah will die a humiliating death, involving
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  • rejection, mocking, beating, the piercing of his hands
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  • and feet, and the piercing of his side.
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  • He will be crucified with thieves, and his executioners
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  • will cast lots for his clothing.
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  • They will give him gall and vinegar to drink, but unlike the
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  • other victims, none of his bones will be broken.
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  • In the end, he will be buried in a rich man's tomb, but will rise
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  • from the dead, and ascend into heaven.
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  • Incredibly, none of that story I just presented
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  • to you comes from the gospels.
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  • All of that is from the Hebrew Scriptures, written hundreds of
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  • years before Jesus was ever born.
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  • Perhaps more incredibly, we now have archaeological evidence
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  • that allows us to trust the credibility of those
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  • ancient prophecies like never before.
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  • [music]
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  • [music]
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  • Dave: The Dead Sea Scrolls have been called the greatest
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  • manuscript discovery in modern times.
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  • They were discovered near the Dead Sea between 1947 and 1956,
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  • in 11 caves in the hills above me.
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  • The discovery is comprised of hundreds of separate scrolls
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  • represented by tens of thousands of fragments, giving us an early
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  • glimpse at nearly every book of the Hebrew Scriptures, or what
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  • Christians call the Old Testament of the Bible.
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  • The Dead Sea Scrolls contain fragments of some of the most
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  • important Old Testament prophecies from books such as
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  • Genesis, Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Isaiah.
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  • And all of these fragments date to the time before Jesus.
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  • For example, the great Isaiah scroll is almost fully intact,
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  • all 66 chapters of Isaiah, containing some of the most
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  • dramatic prophecies of a coming Messiah.
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  • Based on various scientific methods, this scroll, now housed
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  • at the Shrine of the Book Museum in Jerusalem,
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  • dates to between 100 and 335 BC.
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  • This is such powerful evidence to me.
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  • The discoveries here at the caves of Qumran at the Dead Sea
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  • have revitalized and revolutionized our reading of
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  • the messianic prophecies.
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  • We now have dramatic proof that the key Old Testament prophecies
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  • telling of a future Messiah were written long before
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  • Jesus ever walked the earth.
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  • There was no manipulation of the text by the early disciples, as
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  • was claimed by many before this discovery.
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  • And there was no conspiracy by the Roman church hundreds of
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  • years later, as others have claimed.
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  • It just boils down to this.
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  • The evidence from archaeology points to the understanding that
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  • Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the requirements of the Messiah that
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  • were foretold many centuries before he was even born.
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  • [music]
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  • Dave: It seems many people follow political and religious
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  • leaders at different points in history, but often those
  • 00:08:22.090 --> 00:08:26.020
  • movements are temporary and riddled with human folly.
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  • What makes the followers of Jesus different?
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  • Why do so many people follow Jesus today?
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  • As we've discussed throughout this series, it seems to come
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  • down to the difference between the kingdoms of man
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  • and the kingdom of God.
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  • For a dramatic illustration, look what happened to the key
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  • political and religious figures in the gospels.
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  • Just a few years after the trial and crucifixion of Jesus,
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  • Pontius Pilate blocked a large group of Samaritans making a
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  • religious pilgrimage to Mount Gerizim in Samaria.
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  • Many died or were imprisoned, and the Samaritans complained to
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  • the Roman governor.
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  • Pilate was sent to Rome to explain his
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  • actions to Emperor Tiberius.
  • 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:23.020
  • However, by the time Pilate got to Rome,
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  • Tiberius had died under suspicious circumstances.
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  • Tiberius was replaced by Caligula, his adopted grandson.
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  • The 24-year-old Caligula ruled Rome for only 4 years before
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  • being stabbed to death in an assassination plot.
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  • Claudius followed Caligula.
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  • And Nero, who was infamous for his decadence, cruelty, and
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  • persecution of Christians, followed Claudius.
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  • Within a year of Tiberius's death,
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  • Pontius Pilate was also dead.
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  • Fourth-century historian Eusebius records that Pilate was
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  • forced to commit suicide, becoming, quote, "his own
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  • murderer and executioner."
  • 00:10:06.100 --> 00:10:09.260
  • With Pontius Pilate gone, Caiaphas, the Jewish high
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  • priest, lost his political connection to Rome.
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  • Caiaphas was soon replaced by his
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  • brother-in-law, and vanished into history.
  • 00:10:19.090 --> 00:10:23.100
  • The dates and circumstances of the death of Caiaphas are not
  • 00:10:23.110 --> 00:10:26.230
  • known, but incredibly, in 1990, the bones of Caiaphas were
  • 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:32.140
  • uncovered in a burial site in Jerusalem.
  • 00:10:32.150 --> 00:10:35.250
  • They were inside of this ornate limestone box, which is now
  • 00:10:35.260 --> 00:10:40.080
  • housed in the Israel Museum.
  • 00:10:40.090 --> 00:10:43.290
  • And what became of Herod's son Antipas, who had
  • 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:48.120
  • been part of the trial of Jesus?
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  • In 39 AD, his own nephew, Herod Agrippa,
  • 00:10:50.180 --> 00:10:54.180
  • hatched a plot to take him down.
  • 00:10:54.190 --> 00:10:57.090
  • Agrippa began spreading a wild story that Uncle Antipas was
  • 00:10:57.100 --> 00:11:01.190
  • plotting to assassinate Roman emperor Caligula.
  • 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:05.260
  • Caligula ordered that Herod Antipas be exiled.
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  • Antipas was sent to Gaul, which is present-day France.
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  • He died in obscurity, and he too was lost to history.
  • 00:11:14.160 --> 00:11:19.260
  • Thus, the territories of Judea, Galilee, and Peraea
  • 00:11:19.270 --> 00:11:24.040
  • were turned over to Herod Agrippa.
  • 00:11:24.050 --> 00:11:26.250
  • However, just after Passover in 44 AD, Agrippa died at Caesarea
  • 00:11:26.260 --> 00:11:33.060
  • Maritima, when he experienced heart and stomach pains during a
  • 00:11:33.070 --> 00:11:37.170
  • speech he gave for the Roman emperor Claudius.
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  • Agrippa's death is graphically described in the Bible in the
  • 00:11:42.050 --> 00:11:45.220
  • 12th chapter of the book of Acts.
  • 00:11:45.230 --> 00:11:50.290
  • As a dramatic contrast to the power hungry leaders in the
  • 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:54.180
  • kingdom of man, what became of some of Jesus' followers, the
  • 00:11:54.190 --> 00:11:59.060
  • servant leaders, in the kingdom of God?
  • 00:11:59.070 --> 00:12:02.260
  • Most of the disciples were simple
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  • tradesmen with little money.
  • 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.270
  • They were the local boys with no formal training.
  • 00:12:06.280 --> 00:12:10.200
  • But something lit them up to travel the
  • 00:12:10.210 --> 00:12:13.040
  • world, telling people about Jesus.
  • 00:12:13.050 --> 00:12:15.270
  • Something so transformed them that they spent the rest of
  • 00:12:15.280 --> 00:12:19.050
  • their lives telling anyone who would listen the gospel story.
  • 00:12:19.060 --> 00:12:23.110
  • And because the good news was so often a threat to the leaders
  • 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:27.180
  • who were in power, the disciples were often treated
  • 00:12:27.190 --> 00:12:31.030
  • just the way Jesus had promised.
  • 00:12:31.040 --> 00:12:33.220
  • That is to say they were loved by the
  • 00:12:33.230 --> 00:12:35.120
  • people, but feared by those in power.
  • 00:12:35.130 --> 00:12:39.260
  • Earlier in the gospels, as Jesus was leaving for his final trip
  • 00:12:39.270 --> 00:12:43.190
  • to Jerusalem, he said to his disciples and the crowd that was
  • 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:47.130
  • following him, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny
  • 00:12:47.140 --> 00:12:51.140
  • himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
  • 00:12:51.150 --> 00:12:56.010
  • And whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever
  • 00:12:56.020 --> 00:12:59.220
  • loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
  • 00:12:59.230 --> 00:13:05.080
  • What good is it for man to gain the whole world,
  • 00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:09.120
  • yet forfeit his soul?"
  • 00:13:09.130 --> 00:13:12.060
  • Mark 8:34 through 36. Jesus told it like it is.
  • 00:13:12.070 --> 00:13:19.060
  • There would be a cost to being a disciple of Jesus.
  • 00:13:19.070 --> 00:13:22.210
  • That cost might be the loss of luxury,
  • 00:13:22.220 --> 00:13:25.040
  • or the loss of friends, or even the loss of life.
  • 00:13:25.050 --> 00:13:30.100
  • Now, according to the kingdoms of man, success in life is
  • 00:13:30.110 --> 00:13:33.220
  • defined by gaining what the world has to offer.
  • 00:13:33.230 --> 00:13:37.070
  • We've all heard the phrase,
  • 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:38.220
  • "He who dies with the most toys wins."
  • 00:13:38.230 --> 00:13:41.240
  • But Jesus was blunt.
  • 00:13:41.250 --> 00:13:44.020
  • He taught the exact opposite in the kingdom of God.
  • 00:13:44.030 --> 00:13:47.090
  • He said that you can conquer the whole world,
  • 00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.270
  • and still lose out on what's most important.
  • 00:13:49.280 --> 00:13:54.170
  • This is what drove the disciples.
  • 00:13:54.180 --> 00:13:57.200
  • They had been transformed by the life of Jesus.
  • 00:13:57.210 --> 00:14:00.180
  • They believed his teaching and his commands.
  • 00:14:00.190 --> 00:14:03.200
  • And they knew that their reward was not of this world.
  • 00:14:03.210 --> 00:14:07.120
  • Their reward had eternal significance.
  • 00:14:07.130 --> 00:14:10.010
  • So, despite the cost, they were willing to leave their home and
  • 00:14:10.020 --> 00:14:13.250
  • travel the world to share the gospel message.
  • 00:14:13.260 --> 00:14:18.180
  • Within decades of the crucifixion of Jesus, his
  • 00:14:18.190 --> 00:14:21.080
  • closest followers went from disciples in hiding to bold
  • 00:14:21.090 --> 00:14:25.170
  • proclaimers of the gospel accounts.
  • 00:14:25.180 --> 00:14:28.180
  • None of them backed down, and many of them gave their lives
  • 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:31.150
  • for their eyewitness testimonies.
  • 00:14:31.160 --> 00:14:34.290
  • Because of their love for each other, their love for others,
  • 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:38.260
  • their sacrifices and their personal testimonies, the
  • 00:14:38.270 --> 00:14:42.000
  • Christian church gained a strong early following.
  • 00:14:42.010 --> 00:14:45.260
  • The four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were proclaimed
  • 00:14:45.270 --> 00:14:49.060
  • throughout the world.
  • 00:14:49.070 --> 00:14:51.090
  • And the four gospel writers became the most
  • 00:14:51.100 --> 00:14:53.210
  • widely read historians in history.
  • 00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:57.040
  • Dave: We're coming to the end of our journey
  • 00:15:07.110 --> 00:15:09.110
  • on "Drive Thru History: The Gospels."
  • 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:11.160
  • We've done our best to tell you the story of Jesus of Nazareth
  • 00:15:11.170 --> 00:15:14.180
  • as presented in the four gospels.
  • 00:15:14.190 --> 00:15:17.230
  • But I have to admit to you, doing a series like
  • 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:20.020
  • this can be a bit daunting.
  • 00:15:20.030 --> 00:15:22.190
  • Even with 9 hours of video, it's impossible
  • 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:25.170
  • to cover everything in the gospels.
  • 00:15:25.180 --> 00:15:29.020
  • But I hope your journey doesn't end here.
  • 00:15:29.030 --> 00:15:31.050
  • I hope we've inspired you to look further into
  • 00:15:31.060 --> 00:15:33.150
  • the life of this extraordinary man.
  • 00:15:33.160 --> 00:15:36.080
  • Now, at the very beginning of the first episode, we posed this
  • 00:15:36.090 --> 00:15:39.180
  • question to you: who do you say is the most
  • 00:15:39.190 --> 00:15:42.280
  • significant person to have ever lived?
  • 00:15:42.290 --> 00:15:45.170
  • Not many disagree that it's Jesus of Nazareth.
  • 00:15:45.180 --> 00:15:48.280
  • But just saying that he's significant doesn't mean much
  • 00:15:48.290 --> 00:15:52.030
  • unless he is who he claimed to be.
  • 00:15:52.040 --> 00:15:55.260
  • So, let's summarize our journey through the gospels.
  • 00:15:55.270 --> 00:16:00.070
  • Let's see if we can peg down the identity of Jesus of Nazareth.
  • 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:06.020
  • We established that Jesus was a real man, born into the very
  • 00:16:06.260 --> 00:16:10.100
  • real circumstances of first century Judea.
  • 00:16:10.110 --> 00:16:14.230
  • Herod the Great ruled the region as a proxy
  • 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:17.110
  • king for the Roman Empire.
  • 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.150
  • According to the genealogical records of the Hebrew people,
  • 00:16:19.160 --> 00:16:23.030
  • Jesus was a descendant of David, through
  • 00:16:23.040 --> 00:16:26.000
  • the line of Abraham, through the line of Shem.
  • 00:16:26.010 --> 00:16:29.060
  • This was important because ancient writings foretold that
  • 00:16:29.070 --> 00:16:31.260
  • the Messiah, the Savior, would come through this lineage.
  • 00:16:31.270 --> 00:16:37.230
  • According to the gospels, Jesus was born to Mary, a virgin,
  • 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:42.000
  • through a miraculous combination of
  • 00:16:42.010 --> 00:16:43.270
  • the physical and the spiritual.
  • 00:16:43.280 --> 00:16:46.130
  • This fulfilled an ancient prophecy, and allowed for Jesus
  • 00:16:46.140 --> 00:16:49.250
  • to be a perfect human being, genetically speaking.
  • 00:16:49.260 --> 00:16:54.050
  • The gospels go on to tell us that Jesus was born in the very
  • 00:16:54.060 --> 00:16:57.180
  • real city of Bethlehem, the birthplace
  • 00:16:57.190 --> 00:17:00.040
  • of King David some 1.000 years earlier.
  • 00:17:00.050 --> 00:17:04.010
  • This is important because his legal father, Joseph, was
  • 00:17:04.020 --> 00:17:08.150
  • required to register in his family's hometown
  • 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.240
  • as part of the Roman census.
  • 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:13.290
  • Joseph was from the house and line of David.
  • 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:18.110
  • Jesus was ultimately raised in Nazareth, a small village in the
  • 00:17:18.120 --> 00:17:22.020
  • region of Galilee, ruled by Herod Antipas,
  • 00:17:22.030 --> 00:17:25.170
  • the son of Herod the Great.
  • 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:27.200
  • It seems Jesus grew up as a normal Jewish boy, learning a
  • 00:17:27.210 --> 00:17:31.250
  • trade with his father and studying
  • 00:17:31.260 --> 00:17:33.260
  • Hebrew in the synagogue.
  • 00:17:33.270 --> 00:17:36.080
  • Luke tells us that by the time he was a teenager, Jesus was
  • 00:17:36.090 --> 00:17:39.150
  • known by his elders for special insight and wisdom.
  • 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:44.000
  • According to the Gospel of Luke, it was about 28 AD when Jesus
  • 00:17:44.010 --> 00:17:48.050
  • was baptized in the Jordan River by the
  • 00:17:48.060 --> 00:17:50.270
  • historical figure John the Baptizer.
  • 00:17:50.280 --> 00:17:54.200
  • John was the forerunner of the Messiah, proclaiming a baptism
  • 00:17:54.210 --> 00:17:58.290
  • of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and
  • 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:02.080
  • preparing the way of the Lord; Luke 3:3-4.
  • 00:18:02.090 --> 00:18:08.130
  • When John saw Jesus approach, Luke tells us he declared,
  • 00:18:08.140 --> 00:18:13.020
  • "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes
  • 00:18:13.030 --> 00:18:15.150
  • away the sin of the world!"
  • 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:17.180
  • John 1:29.
  • 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:20.120
  • After John baptized Jesus, the witnesses heard a voice from
  • 00:18:20.130 --> 00:18:24.230
  • heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I
  • 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:28.130
  • am well pleased," Matthew 3:17.
  • 00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:33.260
  • Luke's Gospel goes on to tell us that after his baptism, Jesus
  • 00:18:33.270 --> 00:18:37.220
  • spent 40 days alone, without food, in the Judean wilderness.
  • 00:18:37.230 --> 00:18:43.000
  • At the end of his seclusion, he was tempted by Satan
  • 00:18:43.010 --> 00:18:46.210
  • to see if he would abandon his mission.
  • 00:18:46.220 --> 00:18:49.240
  • Jesus ended the series of tests by saying, "You shall not put
  • 00:18:49.250 --> 00:18:54.160
  • the Lord your God to the test," Luke 4:12.
  • 00:18:54.170 --> 00:19:00.020
  • Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a
  • 00:19:00.030 --> 00:19:04.110
  • report about him went out through all the surrounding
  • 00:19:04.120 --> 00:19:06.210
  • country, Luke 4:17.
  • 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:09.140
  • Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the
  • 00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:13.080
  • Sabbath began to teach the people.
  • 00:19:13.090 --> 00:19:15.200
  • "They were amazed at his teaching because his
  • 00:19:15.210 --> 00:19:18.240
  • message had authority," Luke 4:31-32.
  • 00:19:18.250 --> 00:19:23.190
  • According to the gospels, Jesus also started performing
  • 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:26.210
  • miracles, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind,
  • 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:30.250
  • and allowing the lame to walk.
  • 00:19:30.260 --> 00:19:33.040
  • He even cast out demons.
  • 00:19:33.050 --> 00:19:36.200
  • The gospels tell us that Jesus established his ministry on the
  • 00:19:36.210 --> 00:19:40.050
  • shores of the Sea of Galilee, where he chose fishermen as his
  • 00:19:40.060 --> 00:19:43.290
  • first disciples: Peter, Andrew, John, and James.
  • 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:48.050
  • These men witnessed miracles over nature when Jesus filled
  • 00:19:48.060 --> 00:19:51.210
  • their nets with fish, calmed storms, and walked on water.
  • 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:56.080
  • They knew he was special, and dropped
  • 00:19:56.090 --> 00:19:58.140
  • everything to follow him.
  • 00:19:58.150 --> 00:20:01.220
  • Jesus continued to teach and heal the common people in the
  • 00:20:01.230 --> 00:20:04.270
  • villages and hillsides around the Sea of Galilee.
  • 00:20:04.280 --> 00:20:08.260
  • On one occasion, according to Matthew's Gospel, he delivered
  • 00:20:08.270 --> 00:20:11.240
  • his famous Sermon on the Mount, where he taught a number of
  • 00:20:11.250 --> 00:20:15.160
  • revolutionary ideas: love your enemies, give to the needy when
  • 00:20:15.170 --> 00:20:19.240
  • others aren't looking, judge yourself before judging others,
  • 00:20:19.250 --> 00:20:25.070
  • seek heavenly things rather than material things.
  • 00:20:25.080 --> 00:20:29.070
  • Jesus' followers continued to grow, which was perceived as a
  • 00:20:29.080 --> 00:20:32.230
  • direct threat to the political
  • 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:34.230
  • and religious leaders of the day.
  • 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:36.210
  • While the powerful elites focused on fear and control,
  • 00:20:36.220 --> 00:20:41.090
  • Jesus focused on love and forgiveness.
  • 00:20:41.100 --> 00:20:45.010
  • As a leader, he identified himself
  • 00:20:45.020 --> 00:20:47.110
  • as something dramatically different.
  • 00:20:47.120 --> 00:20:51.030
  • "I am the good shepherd.
  • 00:20:51.040 --> 00:20:53.080
  • The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
  • 00:20:53.090 --> 00:20:58.210
  • I am the bread of life.
  • 00:20:58.220 --> 00:21:00.260
  • Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes
  • 00:21:00.270 --> 00:21:04.050
  • in me will never be thirsty.
  • 00:21:04.060 --> 00:21:08.290
  • I am the light of the world.
  • 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:11.100
  • Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
  • 00:21:11.110 --> 00:21:14.200
  • but will have the light of life.
  • 00:21:14.210 --> 00:21:19.090
  • I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
  • 00:21:19.100 --> 00:21:22.120
  • No one comes to the Father except through me.
  • 00:21:22.130 --> 00:21:26.040
  • I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.
  • 00:21:29.090 --> 00:21:36.280
  • I am the resurrection and the life.
  • 00:21:36.290 --> 00:21:40.150
  • The one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and
  • 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:44.040
  • whoever lives by believing in me will never die."
  • 00:21:44.050 --> 00:21:49.050
  • These were powerful statements.
  • 00:21:49.060 --> 00:21:51.200
  • Jesus had to be more than just a radical teacher
  • 00:21:51.210 --> 00:21:54.060
  • or a religious prophet.
  • 00:21:54.070 --> 00:21:56.040
  • On a visit to Jerusalem, Jesus met a curious
  • 00:21:56.050 --> 00:21:58.260
  • Pharisee named Nicodemus.
  • 00:21:58.270 --> 00:22:02.150
  • Nicodemus asked a number of spiritual questions.
  • 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:05.290
  • Jesus ultimately answered him by saying, "For God so loved the
  • 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:10.020
  • world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
  • 00:22:10.030 --> 00:22:14.020
  • in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
  • 00:22:14.030 --> 00:22:20.260
  • Simon Peter walked with Jesus for at least 3 years.
  • 00:22:20.270 --> 00:22:25.110
  • He experienced his teaching, and he witnessed his miracles.
  • 00:22:25.120 --> 00:22:29.200
  • Near the end of his ministry, Matthew's Gospel tells us that
  • 00:22:29.210 --> 00:22:33.060
  • Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?"
  • 00:22:33.070 --> 00:22:37.130
  • Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,
  • 00:22:37.140 --> 00:22:40.000
  • the Son of the living God."
  • 00:22:40.010 --> 00:22:42.020
  • Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was
  • 00:22:42.030 --> 00:22:46.260
  • not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven,"
  • 00:22:46.270 --> 00:22:51.180
  • Matthew 16:15 through 17.
  • 00:22:51.190 --> 00:22:57.090
  • From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that
  • 00:22:57.100 --> 00:23:00.290
  • he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands
  • 00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:05.020
  • of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the
  • 00:23:05.030 --> 00:23:08.270
  • law, and that he must be killed, and on the third day be raised
  • 00:23:08.280 --> 00:23:13.160
  • to life, Matthew 16:21.
  • 00:23:13.170 --> 00:23:21.260
  • As we've learned in these last 18 episodes,
  • 00:23:21.270 --> 00:23:24.210
  • the gospels say that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah,
  • 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:28.250
  • the Savior of the world, the Son of God.
  • 00:23:28.260 --> 00:23:32.150
  • He was even put to death for making that claim.
  • 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:36.140
  • But the gospels also tell us that that ugly crucifixion was
  • 00:23:36.150 --> 00:23:39.260
  • planned in love from the beginning in order to
  • 00:23:39.270 --> 00:23:42.270
  • bring us back into a relationship with God.
  • 00:23:42.280 --> 00:23:46.150
  • You see, the Bible teaches us that we're sinners,
  • 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:49.110
  • that we're imperfect.
  • 00:23:49.120 --> 00:23:50.290
  • We're separated from God.
  • 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:52.240
  • It doesn't take much imagination to see that the world
  • 00:23:52.250 --> 00:23:56.010
  • today is not as it should be.
  • 00:23:56.020 --> 00:23:58.240
  • There are temptations, and sin, and evil everywhere you look.
  • 00:23:58.250 --> 00:24:04.100
  • The Bible describes the whole world as being
  • 00:24:04.110 --> 00:24:06.270
  • in bondage to corruption.
  • 00:24:06.280 --> 00:24:09.040
  • It can be summarized in one word: death.
  • 00:24:09.050 --> 00:24:13.100
  • But Christianity teaches us that Jesus went through death,
  • 00:24:13.110 --> 00:24:17.050
  • and came out the other side victorious.
  • 00:24:17.060 --> 00:24:20.020
  • His historical, physical resurrection
  • 00:24:20.030 --> 00:24:22.210
  • defeated sin and death.
  • 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:26.130
  • In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to
  • 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:30.030
  • you, whoever hears my word and believes
  • 00:24:30.040 --> 00:24:32.220
  • him who sent me has eternal life.
  • 00:24:32.230 --> 00:24:36.140
  • They do not come into judgment, but have
  • 00:24:36.150 --> 00:24:38.260
  • passed from death to life."
  • 00:24:38.270 --> 00:24:41.190
  • For anyone who believes sin and death are defeated, we are
  • 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.210
  • forgiven, we are brought back into a relationship
  • 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:48.280
  • with God, we are born again.
  • 00:24:48.290 --> 00:24:51.290
  • And in the end, we too will be raised to new life.
  • 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:55.200
  • In these last 18 episodes of the gospels, I have come face to
  • 00:24:55.210 --> 00:25:00.070
  • face with the glorious reminder that it's all real.
  • 00:25:00.080 --> 00:25:06.000
  • What will I do with that reminder?
  • 00:25:06.010 --> 00:25:09.040
  • What will you do?
  • 00:25:09.050 --> 00:25:11.030
  • After all, the greatest question that you will ever be asked was
  • 00:25:11.040 --> 00:25:15.080
  • the one that Jesus asked a Galilean fisherman named Peter,
  • 00:25:15.090 --> 00:25:20.090
  • "Who do you say that I am?" That answer is everything.
  • 00:25:20.100 --> 00:25:25.240
  • [music]
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