J Podcast: Recent Episodes
Rubo
The streets of Ephesus resound with shouts, cries, and the thunder of crowds running. A mob has formed, and a full-blown riot is under way!
It is the latter part of 50 C.E. The apostle Paul is in Corinth, a wealthy trade center that hosts a large population of Greeks, Romans, and Jews. Paul has not come here to buy or sell goods or to look for secular work.
Paul is greatly disturbed. He is in Athens, Greece, the center of learning where Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle once taught. Athens is a most religious city
The well-traveled road, built by skilled Roman engineers, cuts through the rugged mountains. Sounds along that road occasionally mingle —the braying of donkeys, the clatter of chariot wheels on thick flagstone, and the clamor of travelers of all sorts.
A group of women leave the city of Philippi in Macedonia. Before long, they reach the narrow river Gangites. As is their custom, they sit down at the river bank to pray to the God of Israel. Jehovah observes them.
As they make their way across the rugged terrain between towns, the apostle Paul looks thoughtfully at the young man walking beside him. His name is Timothy.
Suspense fills the air. The apostles and older men occupying this room in Jerusalem look at one another, sensing that they have reached a pivotal moment.
Paul and Barnabas have just returned to the Syrian city of Antioch from their first missionary tour. They are thrilled that Jehovah has “opened to the nations the door to faith.”
A man lame from birth leaps about with joy after two strangers heal him. People gasp in wonder, and a priest brings garlands for the two men whom the crowd believe to be gods.
It is an exciting day for the Antioch congregation. Of all the prophets and teachers here, Barnabas and Saul have been chosen by holy spirit to take the good news to faraway places.
With a resounding clang, the massive iron gate swings shut behind Peter. Shackled between two Roman guards, he is led off to his cell. He then endures long hours, perhaps days, of waiting to learn what is to be done with him.
The year is 36 C.E. The autumn sun warms Peter as he prays on the flat rooftop of a house near the sea in the harbor city of Joppa. He has been a guest in this home for some days now.
The grim travelers are approaching Damascus, where they intend to carry out an evil plan. They will tear the hated disciples of Jesus from their homes, bind them, humiliate them.
A wave of bitter persecution has struck, and Saul begins to “deal outrageously” with the congregation—an expression that in the original language describes brutal cruelty.
Stephen faces the court. In an imposing hall, likely near the temple in Jerusalem, 71 men are arranged in a large semicircle. This court, the Sanhedrin, sits today to judge Stephen.
The judges of the Sanhedrin are simmering with rage! The apostles of Jesus are standing trial before this high court.
The afternoon sun slants onto the milling crowd. Devout Jews and disciples of Christ are filing into the temple compound. Soon it will be “the hour of prayer.”
At about nine o’clock on this mild spring morning in 33 C.E., something happens that will be marveled at for centuries to come. Suddenly, there occurs from heaven “a noise just like that of a rushing stiff breeze.
To the apostles, the past weeks have been thrilling! The resurrection of Jesus lifted them from the depths of despair to the heights of joy.
A young Witness of Jehovah in Ghana, regards her school as her own preaching territory. She always has Bible-based literature in her schoolbag.
Eleven men stand together on a mountain. With great love and admiration, they look upon a 12th figure. He is human in form, but in fact he is the resurrected Jesus, once again the mightiest of Jehovah’s spirit sons.
“Look! The man!” With those words, the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate presents Jesus Christ to the angry mob gathered outside the governor’s palace at dawn on Passover of 33 C.E.
As he gathers his apostles in an upper room of a house in Jerusalem, Jesus knows that this is his last evening with them. The time is near for him to return to his Father.
Two blind men are sitting beside the road, just outside Jericho. They come there each day, find a place where crowds are likely to pass, and publicly ask for charity. This day, however, they are about to experience something that will dramatically change their life.
Jesus knows that the end of his earthly life is fast approaching. He has just a few weeks left, and there is still so much to do! He is preaching with his apostles in Perea, a region east of the Jordan River.
An aged man dips his pen in ink, his mind full of memories. His name is John, and he is the last living apostle of Jesus Christ.
The disciples traveling with Jesus have a rare privilege. They are learning directly from the Great Teacher. They get to hear his voice as he opens up the meaning of God’s Word and teaches them thrilling truths.
The Pharisees are filled with anger. Jesus is in the temple, teaching about his Father. Those listening are divided; many put faith in Jesus, while others want him arrested. Unable to contain their anger, the religious leaders dispatch officers to lay hold of Jesus.
It is early in Jesus’ ministry. Christ has returned to Nazareth, his hometown. His goal is to help the people draw a vital conclusion: He is the long-foretold Messiah! What evidence does he present?
A farmer faces a real challenge. Some months earlier, he plowed his fields and sowed seeds. He watched with great care as the first blades appeared, and he rejoiced as the plants matured.
They have been walking for hours. Jesus and his apostles are trekking northward, heading from Judea toward Galilee. The shortest route—a journey of about three days—takes them through Samaria.
The pressure is intense. Jesus has never before experienced such mental and emotional anguish. He is in the final hours of his life on earth.
The Bible says something amazing about Jesus: “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered; and after he had been made perfect he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him.”
It is a spring day in 31 C.E. Jesus Christ is near Capernaum, a bustling city on the northwest shores of the Sea of Galilee. Up on a mountain in the vicinity, Jesus has prayed in solitude the entire night.
A mob is coming after Jesus. Armed with swords and clubs and with soldiers among them, the men form a large crowd. As if guided by a single malevolent will, they move through the darkened streets of Jerusalem and across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives.
Have you ever been lost? You may recall an occasion when you were traveling to visit a friend or a relative and could not find the way. As you proceeded along an unfamiliar road, did you stop and ask someone for directions? Imagine how you would feel if, instead of just telling you which way to go, a benevolent individual said: “Just follow me. I will lead you there.” How relieved you would be!
Jerusalem is buzzing with excitement. A great man is coming! Outside the city, people gather along the road. They are eager to welcome this man, for some are saying that he is an heir of King David and the rightful Ruler of Israel.
With those words, Jesus Christ, in effect, beckons us to follow him. Are you responding to his call? Doing so will have a profound influence on your life.