We talk about practical ways of getting to know Jesus even though we only have written accounts in the Gospels to work with. Just as we change when we know and love someone really well, knowing Jesus should change us too.
All sorts of terrifying images come to mind with the word hell! We build up a coherent picture that makes sense in the light of a moral God who has shown himself in the face of Jesus as full of grace and truth.
In this episode Dan chats with Professor Anna Whittaker about her expertise and how it relates to the Bible. There is plenty to learn from Jesus about stress and anxiety. He knows from experience of course, because he endured acute times of stress himself.
The first book of the New Testament is packed full of insight about Jesus, God, the problem with humanity and God's kingdom that Jesus announced. If you want to understand what the Bible and Christianity is really about, you can't go wrong starting with the gospel of Matthew.
There's so much that could be said about the record of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection so we focus this discussion on just one phrase that Jesus said on the cross. It's a heart wrenching moment, but what we think he meant is guided by who we think Jesus is. We explore the narrative, the Psalm in the background and end up with the reflections of the Apostle Paul and the conclusion of Matthew's gospel with the glory of the resurrection.
Who is Jesus? This gets to the heart of the gospel, so we think about what it means for Jesus to be Son of Man, Son of God, Son of David and Christ.
When Jesus says "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" what kind of kingdom is he talking about? Is heaven a location or something else? Dan and Laurence discover that the kingdom concept is deeply rooted in the message of Israel's ancient prophets while also carrying a timeless call to action.
John's gospel climaxes when a series of people come to belief in Jesus. What’s fascinating is the different stages of belief that each individual represents - from scepticism to an embracing conviction and everything in between.
Paul and Dan take another look into how the Bible narrative and the prophets intersect with history, this time focusing on the city of Tyre. Starting with a historical source that every Bible student should be familiar with, Asterix the Gaul, they take a deeper look at a short passage about the island fortress from the prophet Ezekiel.
Laurence and Dan continue their exploration of the Gospel of Matthew. This time they take a journey into the wilderness and, through the text of Matthew 4, they witness a strange encounter between the newly baptised Jesus and "the devil", the tempter, or satan. Who or what is this character? Is it a person or a being of some sort? As they explore the text they discover a number of 'flags' which indicate that all is not as it may seem at first sight. Intrigued?! Listen in to hear how their enquiries lead to a compelling explanation!