Stories from the Bible

We recap Jesus' teaching from chapter 12 about hypocrisy, materialism, fear and foolishness, and hear the stories from Luke 13. The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

A brief recap of Luke 11 and then we hear Jesus warn and encourage his followers about some important and kinda scary stuff. The link to the face-to-face storytelling I mention in the intro is here: https://youtu.be/eRvIPhGJUgA The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

We re-cap Luke chapter 10, and hear the stories from Luke chapter 11. In this chapter Jesus is judged by people who say he gets his power from the devil, and he's also judged by the religious leaders for not following their washing traditions. With penetrating insight Jesus demolishes every argument and totally discredits his opponents. The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

We re-cap Luke chapter 9, and hear the stories from Luke chapter 10. In this chapter Jesus helps a few different people who think they are right, but are actually missing the point.

Jesus - good and powerful, helper of the desperate, speaker of impossibly powerful words - who is he, really? In this episode we discuss Luke 8, and hear stories from Luke 9.

Hear how Jesus helps some desperate people in today's stories from Luke 8.

Last time Jesus looked up at his disciples and told them the truth about popularity, wealth and happiness. Which, if they have ears to understand what he is saying should flip their world upside down. He opens their eyes to eternal everlasting reality. He teaches them that the human experience is not as it seems. He teaches them to see and frame themselves and their experiences through God's eternal lens.

Last episode we heard how Jesus continued to move around northern Israel, making quite the impact with his astounding authority and outrageous statements. And Jesus certainly doesn't have the same impact on everyone. Some are afraid, some are awestruck, some are healed, some simply obey, and some are made very very angry. In today's story Jesus teaches his disciples a radically different way of viewing themselves and the world.

Last time we heard stories from the remainder of Luke chapter 4. We heard how Jesus re-entered civilisation, after completing 40 days alone in the desert and being tempted by the devil. He went to the region of Galilee, in the northern part of Israel, and was travelling around the different towns, preaching in local synagogues, and we're told that he was getting praised by all. Synagogues, by the way, were community buildings where Jews gathered for teaching and meeting. Then Jesus comes to the town, Nazareth, where he was brought up. He goes into the the local synagogue and reads words from the prophet Isaiah. Jesus tells the people listening that this prophecy is now fulfilled as they listen. The people in the Nazareth synagogue at first also speak well of Jesus, and then they start to say, hang on, we know this guy, isn't this Joseph's son? And then Jesus begins reading their thoughts. Things go from cosy to awkward to downright dangerous really quick. The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

After coming out of the water, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. He's there fasting for 40 days and during that time is tempted by the devil. It sounds a bit like a miniature re-enactment of the Exodus and Israel's desert wanderings. Unlike Israel who failed to trust God's words, Jesus never falters. The words from heaven when he was baptised were ‘you are my one dear son', and most of the devil's temptations revolve around trying to get Jesus to doubt that, saying things like, ‘if you are the son of God, turn these stones into bread'. Jesus is tempted to prove his identity for his own sake, instead of trusting God's clear declaration. But again and again Jesus shows that his heart is pure and true, and his trust in God's timing, and God's methods for proving his identity, is perfect. In today's story we hear what Jesus did next, including almost getting himself thrown off a cliff.

Last time we heard about an old priest, called Zechariah, and his childless wife, Elizabeth. And one day when Zechariah was doing his job in the temple, an angel came out of no-where, told him not to be afraid, said his prayers were being answered, and that his wife Elizabeth was finally going to have a baby. And this baby would make them, and lots of other people, very glad. The baby would be filled with the holy spirit and he would be the drumroll for, guess who? The Lord! That's right, after all these hundreds of years of waiting, God is finally going to show up. Hear more about how he entered the world and what happened next in this episode. The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

After King David's son Solomon, things went downhill for Israel. During those years prophets tell the people to keep waiting for God to keep the blessings promised to Abraham... They point the people to wait for God to rescue them from the oppression of sin and evil. They point the people to wait a time when God will forget their sins forever and will live permanently with them in a covenant of peace that can never be broken. And they remind the people to wait for the descendent of David who will secure these blessings for them, and become their King forever. The prophets didn't know exactly how or when God would send this deliverer. But they were given many little hints and clues. Isaiah prophesied the deliverer would be born to a virgin. Now how was that possible? Another said he would be born in the tiny insignificant town of Bethlehem where King David had come from. The Jews waited and waited and hundred of years passed. During that time empires rose and fell, and eventually the Roman Empire came to be. As the Jews waited, and suffered under the oppression of foreign armies, expectations grew. They longed for God to send his King marching in and give the Romans the boot and restore Israel to prominence and glory. No-one had any idea what God actually had planned.

After David's death, his son Solomon becomes king, and although Solomon is exceedingly wealthy and wise - in the end, he trusts in his own wisdom rather God's, and he chooses political comfort rather listening to God voice. From then on the kingdom of Israel declines. It weakens and divides into two parts - a northern and a southern kingdom. Over the next 400 years each Kingdom has it's own kings - most of these Kings lead the people to completely ignore God and his commands. Occasionally there are Kings in the Southern kingdom who are like David - they do trust God, they recognise that they've sinned, and they try to lead the people back to trusting God, but there's never lasting success. Things get so bad that God ejects them from the land, and his people are taken as prisoners to live in foreign places. If God's people are ever going to permanently experience life and peace, they are going to need a leader who is better than David. They need a King who is able to do something far greater than win them temporary peace from a few human bullies. The need a King to come and rescue them from their closest and most unconquerable enemy - sin itself. It's sin that keeps getting in the way of them receiving the blessings promised to Abraham. Without a permanent fix to sin, there's no permanent peace.

David, the shepherd boy chosen to be the next King of Israel, shows so much promise. He has remarkable trust in God, and God uses him to rescue the Israelites from their enemies the Philistines. But there remains an enemy more powerful and deadly which even David cannot conquer.

After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the next generation of Israelites had come to edge of the land of Canaan, as we heard last time. Moses was now dead, and Joshua was their new leader. We heard that Joshua secretly sent in two spies into the Canaanite city of Jericho, where they were protected by a resident of the city, a prostitute named Rahab. In due course, Joshua and the Israelites entered Canaan. Rahab was saved, but the city of Jericho fell. The fall of Jericho was so miraculous it could have only happened because the God of heaven and earth was indeed fighting for Israel, just as Rahab had so intelligently predicted. The story of what happened next is told in this episode... The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

Last story we heard the people were too afraid to enter the land of Canaan. They cried and carried on and said they wanted a new leader to take them back to Egypt. In response to this, God promised that none of that generation would enter the land.  Well 40 years passed and all that generation died. And Joshua became Israel's leader. This story tells what happened next... The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

God promised Abraham that his descendants would occupy the land of Canaan. But what if those descendants refuse to believe God can give it to them?

Last time we heard how Israel rejected God at the very mountain he had spoken to them from. How could God ever be in friendship with them? Picture of tabernacle High Priest garments The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

God has shown the Israelites his power to rescue them, protect them, provide for them. Surely they have enough evidence to trust and follow what he says? The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

The Israelites experienced God's spectacular provision of a way through the sea. But walking through the desert towards the land promised to Abraham is no picnic. Thirst and hunger hit, and they start to have regrets... The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go and they speedily left Egypt. But then he regretted it and chased them. Trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, the Israelites were terrified. There was no possible way of escape...

Last time we heard about the plague of hail that God sent on Egypt, and at the end of that story Pharaoh seemed to relent... however, he quickly changed his mind. God showed his power with two more plagues on the Egyptians, but still Pharaoh refused to let the people go. So God explained to Moses his plan for the tenth and final plague. This time there would be no distinction between Egyptians and Israelites, the only way to be safe was to listen very carefully God's instructions...

Last time we heard how God promised to give a man called Abraham many descendants, a land to dwell in, and that he and his name would be blessed. But there appeared to be a snag when Abraham's wife, Sarah, wasn't able to have kids. They waited and waited and eventually creatively took matters into their own hands (hear how that worked out in episode 3). Today's story fast-forwards a few hundred years to a time when some of God's promises to Abraham have come true - his descendants are truly numerous. However they are neither blessed nor living in their own land. Hear what God does in this episode.

In the previous episode we heard how Adam and Eve wanted to decide for themselves what was right and wrong. They thought they could find good for themselves apart from what God told them, but guess what? Their actions did not bring anything good. Things went from bad to worse for the human race. God could have justifiably left humanity in the mess they'd made for themselves - but he didn't. He made some promises to a certain man that one day things would be better. But trusting God to keep his promises wasn't easy, as we find out in this episode.

Last episode we heard how at the very beginning of everything God simply spoke, and his words brought the world and all it's creatures into existence. God was happy with everything he made and declared it all to be very good. But something obviously went wrong, because the world isn't like that anymore. This episode tells the story of how it all got messed up.

Did you know the different stories of the Bible fit together to make one big, connected story? Here, we start at the very beginning and hear how everything started off really great.