John Tweedie - Salvation is of the Jews

December 19, 2025 | 28:40

Dr. John Tweedie hosts a biblically prophetic exploration of Israel, past, present and future.

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Israel: The Prophetic Connection | John Tweedie - Salvation is of the Jews | December 19, 2025
  • One day, jesus met a woman by a well.
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  • He was a stranger to her, although she may not have been
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  • A stranger to him.
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  • But in any case, in the course of their conversation,
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  • He said to her, salvation is of the jews.
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  • But what did he mean by that statement?
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  • And as their conversation continued,
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  • He revealed to her, of all people.
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  • But he was the long awaited promised messiah of israel. why?
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  • I explain in this episode
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  • Of the prophetic connection.
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  • Soft music
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  • We know from the new testament that most of
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  • Jesus ministry occurred around the sea of galilee
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  • And the communities by the sea, fishing communities.
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  • That's where he did most of his miracles.
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  • We know he did a couple of miracles in jerusalem,
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  • But most of the miracles occurred by the sea of galilee.
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  • But he also spoke to the crowds, and often up in the hillsides
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  • Overlooking the sea.
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  • But jesus also encountered individuals
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  • And changed their lives.
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  • One such encounter is found in john's gospel
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  • And in only in john's gospel, and it concerns a woman
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  • By a well.
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  • We know from the story that it was jacob's well in samaria,
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  • And the woman was a samaritan.
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  • Now to the jews of that day, the samaritans were second
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  • Class citizens.
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  • They had intermarried with other nations
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  • Beyond the boundaries of judaism and israel.
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  • And so the jews looked down at them
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  • As second class citizens.
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  • Now a jewish man
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  • Usually would not have spoken to a strange woman
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  • In a public setting, like a well.
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  • So when jesus asked this lady for a drink, she's taken back.
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  • She surprised, first of all, that i'm a jewish man,
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  • And she could tell he was jewish.
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  • By the way, he was dressed,
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  • That he would speak to her and ask of her for a drink,
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  • Because she quickly sees
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  • That he has nothing to draw the water with.
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  • Anyway.
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  • Then in the course of conversation, he says to her,
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  • If you knew who it is that asks you for a drink,
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  • You would have asked him,
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  • And he would have given you the living water
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  • That will burst forth into her everlasting life.
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  • And she immediately asked for some of this water.
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  • Now the conversation continues in interesting ways.
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  • But finally jesus says to her,
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  • Go and fetch your husband.
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  • And she says, i have no husband.
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  • And then he says to her, you've spoken the truth.
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  • For you've had five husbands.
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  • And the man with whom you're living is not your husband.
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  • And she immediately says, sir, i perceive
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  • That you're a prophet. in other words.
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  • Only a prophet could know this about my background.
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  • And there's more conversation, because as a samaritan,
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  • They worshiped in mount gerizim, which is actually above them.
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  • Jacob's well was in the shadow of mount gerizim.
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  • And so she said, this is the place we worship.
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  • But you jews worship in jerusalem.
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  • And then he says, well, neither in this place on mount gerizim
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  • Or at the temple in jerusalem is that where is the place
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  • To worship?
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  • For the time is now when people should worship
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  • God in spirit and in truth.
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  • The conversation continues
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  • And he just says to her, salvation is of the jews.
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  • Why does he say that?
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  • Because he is jewish and he is the means of that salvation.
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  • Now they talk some more.
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  • And finally she says to him, well, i know when messiah comes,
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  • He will teach us all things.
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  • Wait for it.
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  • Then he says to her, i who speak to you, and he,
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  • I am the promised messiah of israel.
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  • Well,
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  • The disciples come
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  • And they've gone into the village to buy food,
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  • Which is interesting, because jesus could do miracles,
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  • The multiplication of loaves and fishes.
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  • But in any case, in a practical sense,
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  • They return from buy food for the day and they're
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  • Surprised he's talking to this woman in the first place.
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  • But they don't question him.
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  • They just leave it alone.
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  • The story is that she leaves her water pot
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  • Where it is, and she runs into the village.
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  • And she says to the men of the village,
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  • Come and see a man, who knows all about me.
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  • And so they come.
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  • And it's a wonderful story of transformation.
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  • Her life is transformed and the lives of many of
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  • Those villagers are transformed as well.
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  • But what i want you to see is this.
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  • This was a woman with five husbands
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  • And living with someone who was not her husband.
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  • And of all the people in israel at that time,
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  • He chose to say to her, salvation's of the jews,
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  • Whose i am the means of salvation.
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  • Implicitly in what he said.
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  • But then he revealed to her that he was the long awaited
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  • Messiah of israel.
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  • And he didn't do that in jerusalem
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  • With the religious elite or the nobles of the city.
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  • He chose to reveal this to this woman by the well. now
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  • She must have been a desperate woman crying out to god.
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  • And in fact, if you read the early verses
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  • Of john chapter four, it simply says he,
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  • Jesus needed to go through samaria.
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  • I can find no other reason in the text other than he wanted
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  • To meet this woman where she was in her desperation,
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  • Perhaps in her weeping and her crying god, where are you?
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  • I'm at the end of my rope.
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  • I'm desperate for me.
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  • This woman could be any woman.
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  • Perhaps she's
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  • All women who've suffered abuse at the hands of men.
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  • But i want you to see that jesus, god
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  • The father saw her where she was in her desperation,
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  • Coming to the well at noon or the heat of the day
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  • To avoid being with the other women
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  • Who presumably had insulted her, perhaps even plucked out
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  • Her hair,
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  • But certainly made it very unpleasant for her
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  • To come in the cool of the day.
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  • When most people did their chores.
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  • I like to think of this as god reaching out to the individual
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  • Wherever they are and changing their life.
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  • Throughout history,
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  • Numerous civilizations have come and gone.
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  • While some have left lasting imprints as witness
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  • To future generations that they were once here.
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  • Others have vanished
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  • With barely a trace.
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  • Yet of all nations.
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  • One nation
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  • In particular has endured
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  • One which, according to the biblical account,
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  • Was created for eternal purposes.
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  • 4000 years ago,
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  • God spoke to one man, a man named abraham.
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  • God said to him, i will make you a great nation.
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  • And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
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  • From that defining moment in abraham's life.
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  • History records
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  • That abraham's descendants, the jews, known collectively
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  • As the nation of israel, have been on an amazing journey.
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  • And wherever they have gone, they have left a trail
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  • Of enduring love.
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  • So how did
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  • This jewish messiah, the descendant of abraham,
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  • Become a blessing to the nations of the earth?
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  • And how did a purely jewish story
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  • Become a message of salvation for the entire world?
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  • Jesus's disciples search the scriptures to understand
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  • Better the significance of jesus's death and resurrection.
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  • And what they found was jesus fulfilled the scriptures
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  • Both in his suffering as well as in his glorious resurrection.
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  • And once they became assured of that, once they understood
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  • Better the significance of the resurrection, its true
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  • Meaning, they were prepared to preach.
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  • And when they received the spirit,
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  • And were all fired up and ready to proclaim the resurrection,
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  • Then the church was born.
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  • Over time, the earliest believers in jesus
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  • Began to understand
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  • That he was much more than just a jewish king.
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  • That his message of salvation was for the whole world.
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  • Peter the apostle seems to have been
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  • The first among the disciples to understand this.
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  • As a result of a vision god gave him concerning non-jews.
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  • In truth,
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  • I perceive that god shows no partiality,
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  • But in every nation, whoever fears him
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  • And works righteousness is accepted by him.
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  • God anointed jesus of nazareth with the holy spirit
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  • And with power, who went about doing good
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  • And healing all who were oppressed by the devil.
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  • For god was with him.
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  • And we are witnesses of all things,
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  • Which he did both in the land of the jews and in jerusalem,
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  • Whom they killed by hanging on a tree.
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  • Him god raised up on the third day
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  • And showed him openly to him.
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  • All the prophets witness that through his name.
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  • Whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins.
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  • Jesus
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  • Message of hope was for whoever would believe in him
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  • And the salvation he offered through that belief.
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  • Be a jew or non-jew.
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  • All of humankind then had the potential
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  • To be reconciled to god by turning from sin
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  • And believing in jesus as savior and lord.
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  • This meant that by god's grace, even the most
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  • Unlikely of people could become followers of jesus,
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  • Including a man named saul of tarsus.
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  • Well, this man who became famous as the apostle paul
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  • Really was shout, or saul of the tribe of benjamin.
  • 00:11:05.634 --> 00:11:09.939
  • Through and through jewish, as he himself says, a pharisee
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  • In terms of his own affiliation, politically and religiously.
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  • A trained, rabbi
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  • Who sat at the feet of a famous rabbi named gamaliel
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  • And zealous for the law as many of his contemporaries.
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  • And you can see in his letters he understood the scriptures
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  • Very well,
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  • The way he interpreted them showed his jewish
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  • Training, his rabbinic training.
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  • And so this man is first and foremost a jewish
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  • Man, a hebrew of the hebrews.
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  • Saul of tarsus
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  • Was on the road
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  • To damascus in order to do everything he could in his power
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  • To, discourage, if not exterminate christian movement.
  • 00:11:47.777 --> 00:11:52.314
  • Paul saw christians as heretics, frankly.
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  • He saw them as misunderstanding.
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  • Torah misapplied it.
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  • He saw it as a dangerous movement.
  • 00:11:58.988 --> 00:12:00.656
  • And he saw it as hopelessly misguided
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  • Because they believe in jesus,
  • 00:12:03.425 --> 00:12:04.994
  • Who got this whole thing started and he was executed criminal.
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  • He certainly was not the messiah,
  • 00:12:08.898 --> 00:12:10.966
  • Because when the messiah comes, he'll conquer the romans,
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  • Not be conquered by them.
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  • Saul was opposed to the idea
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  • That an executed criminal could be the messiah of israel.
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  • He made it
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  • His righteous goal to put an end to this heretical movement
  • 00:12:24.547 --> 00:12:27.049
  • That claimed certain jews as its adherents.
  • 00:12:27.049 --> 00:12:30.085
  • Yet it was as saul journeyed
  • 00:12:30.686 --> 00:12:32.021
  • To damascus to quench what remained of the jesus movement
  • 00:12:32.021 --> 00:12:35.257
  • There, that his stated mission in life was radically changed.
  • 00:12:35.257 --> 00:12:49.572
  • As we've already seen in this episode,
  • 00:12:50.406 --> 00:12:53.108
  • Jesus spoke to the mass crowds, but he also encountered
  • 00:12:53.108 --> 00:12:56.879
  • Individuals whose lives were changed by him.
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  • We saw that
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  • In the story of the woman at the well that i shared earlier,
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  • But perhaps one of the most, profound encounters of all,
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  • In fact, it occurred no, while jesus was alive on earth.
  • 00:13:10.092 --> 00:13:14.530
  • But after he had risen, and ascended into heaven.
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  • And it involves a man named saul of tarsus.
  • 00:13:18.767 --> 00:13:22.705
  • Now, saul was a zealous jew.
  • 00:13:22.705 --> 00:13:25.574
  • He was a rabbinical scholar.
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  • He sat at the feet of the top rabbis of israel,
  • 00:13:27.243 --> 00:13:30.980
  • And he was so zealous
  • 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:32.648
  • That he had orders from the high priest in jerusalem.
  • 00:13:32.648 --> 00:13:36.151
  • Allowing him to go to damascus beyond israel
  • 00:13:36.151 --> 00:13:39.455
  • And find any of the way.
  • 00:13:39.455 --> 00:13:41.323
  • That's what they called the christians in the beginning.
  • 00:13:41.323 --> 00:13:43.559
  • And if he found them to arrest them and bring them
  • 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:46.795
  • Back to jerusalem, to saul was a man on a mission.
  • 00:13:46.795 --> 00:13:52.268
  • But on the way north to damascus, as it were,
  • 00:13:52.268 --> 00:13:56.171
  • He was confronted by the risen
  • 00:13:56.171 --> 00:13:59.975
  • Christ who appeared to him on the way.
  • 00:13:59.975 --> 00:14:04.146
  • And you can imagine the impact that that had on this zealous
  • 00:14:04.146 --> 00:14:08.284
  • Jew who was trying to stamp out christianity.
  • 00:14:08.284 --> 00:14:11.754
  • And now he's, confronted by the founder
  • 00:14:11.754 --> 00:14:14.723
  • Of christianity, the christ himself.
  • 00:14:14.723 --> 00:14:17.993
  • It is a wonderful story of a man chosen
  • 00:14:17.993 --> 00:14:21.130
  • And purpose for god the father's purposes.
  • 00:14:21.130 --> 00:14:24.967
  • We know this from the, the record of that encounter
  • 00:14:24.967 --> 00:14:29.171
  • That's found in acts chapter nine.
  • 00:14:29.171 --> 00:14:31.807
  • And god deliberately
  • 00:14:31.807 --> 00:14:34.710
  • Chose saul of tarsus, who became paul the apostle,
  • 00:14:34.710 --> 00:14:39.214
  • Perhaps the greatest apologist for the christian faith.
  • 00:14:39.214 --> 00:14:42.418
  • That there has ever been.
  • 00:14:42.985 --> 00:14:44.720
  • But it's interesting because paul is blind
  • 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:48.524
  • For a time, and then we find that he goes to damascus.
  • 00:14:48.524 --> 00:14:52.194
  • He's led by the hands, presumably,
  • 00:14:52.194 --> 00:14:54.396
  • And there is a christian servant there on a nice.
  • 00:14:54.396 --> 00:14:57.833
  • And god tells him to go and find this man.
  • 00:14:57.833 --> 00:15:00.669
  • You'll find him in a street called straight.
  • 00:15:00.669 --> 00:15:03.839
  • And i don't know,
  • 00:15:03.839 --> 00:15:05.107
  • Saul or paul is the last person he wants to meet
  • 00:15:06.041 --> 00:15:09.745
  • Because his reputation has preceded him.
  • 00:15:09.745 --> 00:15:12.247
  • And no nice knows.
  • 00:15:12.247 --> 00:15:13.248
  • He's come to the city of damascus looking for
  • 00:15:13.248 --> 00:15:16.285
  • Christians, people of the way.
  • 00:15:16.285 --> 00:15:19.288
  • But it's what god says to ananias that's so intriguing.
  • 00:15:19.288 --> 00:15:23.625
  • But the lord said to him, verse 15 of acts chapter nine,
  • 00:15:23.625 --> 00:15:28.197
  • Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name
  • 00:15:28.197 --> 00:15:32.768
  • Before gentiles, kings, and the children of israel.
  • 00:15:32.768 --> 00:15:37.339
  • For i will show him how many things
  • 00:15:37.339 --> 00:15:39.742
  • He must suffer for my name's sake.
  • 00:15:39.742 --> 00:15:43.645
  • The question of suffering is almost the other answered
  • 00:15:43.645 --> 00:15:47.082
  • Question in the world.
  • 00:15:47.082 --> 00:15:48.684
  • We all suffer, and we all wonder why.
  • 00:15:48.684 --> 00:15:51.787
  • And in those moments we wonder, where is god?
  • 00:15:51.787 --> 00:15:55.591
  • Now it's difficult to explain suffering,
  • 00:15:55.591 --> 00:15:58.327
  • But what i want you to see here is in this chapter,
  • 00:15:58.327 --> 00:16:01.597
  • God deliberately chose a man, saul of tarsus,
  • 00:16:01.597 --> 00:16:05.000
  • Who became paul the apostle,
  • 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:07.436
  • And that calling that choosing
  • 00:16:07.436 --> 00:16:10.506
  • Of that man involved suffering.
  • 00:16:10.506 --> 00:16:13.542
  • So somehow, in the grand scheme of things,
  • 00:16:13.542 --> 00:16:17.012
  • Suffering has its place, if only to mold us
  • 00:16:17.012 --> 00:16:20.816
  • And shape us for a tandem that is not of this world.
  • 00:16:20.816 --> 00:16:25.754
  • This same saul who became paul,
  • 00:16:26.388 --> 00:16:29.925
  • Has his name signature on 13 letters
  • 00:16:29.925 --> 00:16:34.063
  • Of the new testament, outlining christian doctrine.
  • 00:16:34.063 --> 00:16:37.833
  • How christian should live, believe, and practice must be.
  • 00:16:37.833 --> 00:16:42.204
  • But let's remember he was delivered, chosen
  • 00:16:43.105 --> 00:16:46.375
  • For the almighty god's sober
  • 00:16:46.975 --> 00:16:50.179
  • Purpose.
  • 00:16:50.179 --> 00:17:00.522
  • Our media today is filled with
  • 00:17:01.123 --> 00:17:02.858
  • Traveling reports and disturbing news everywhere you look.
  • 00:17:02.858 --> 00:17:06.028
  • It seems that the world is falling apart.
  • 00:17:06.028 --> 00:17:07.896
  • This could not be more true for the people of israel,
  • 00:17:07.896 --> 00:17:10.199
  • Facing threats of destruction from the neighboring countries,
  • 00:17:10.199 --> 00:17:13.068
  • And calls for sanctions against or around the world.
  • 00:17:13.068 --> 00:17:15.671
  • Israel must deal with the challenges
  • 00:17:15.671 --> 00:17:17.473
  • Few other countries will ever face,
  • 00:17:17.473 --> 00:17:19.308
  • Making it even more difficult to provide for her
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  • Most vulnerable citizens. yet
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  • 00:17:53.342 --> 00:18:10.559
  • When saul of tarsus
  • 00:18:11.026 --> 00:18:13.829
  • Encountered jesus on the road to damascus,
  • 00:18:13.829 --> 00:18:16.832
  • He went from being an opponent one opposed to jesus.
  • 00:18:16.832 --> 00:18:20.736
  • This movement to to an advocate for this movement.
  • 00:18:20.736 --> 00:18:23.772
  • He now embraced it.
  • 00:18:23.772 --> 00:18:25.207
  • He proclaimed jesus as the messiah, as the son of god.
  • 00:18:25.207 --> 00:18:29.645
  • He proclaimed him as israel's savior and redeemer
  • 00:18:29.645 --> 00:18:32.981
  • And a redeemer and savior of the gentile people.
  • 00:18:32.981 --> 00:18:35.918
  • Two he saw now in jesus the fulfillment
  • 00:18:35.918 --> 00:18:39.021
  • Of the prophecies and so he extolled his name
  • 00:18:39.021 --> 00:18:42.791
  • And proclaimed it everywhere he went.
  • 00:18:42.791 --> 00:18:45.827
  • When the risen jesus encountered this zealous jew,
  • 00:18:46.828 --> 00:18:50.132
  • His future was dramatically changed.
  • 00:18:50.132 --> 00:18:52.634
  • Although there were other missionaries
  • 00:18:52.634 --> 00:18:54.336
  • Who spread the message of jesus throughout the world,
  • 00:18:54.336 --> 00:18:57.573
  • The apostle paul would become the most famous among them.
  • 00:18:57.573 --> 00:19:00.842
  • Few ancient texts
  • 00:19:01.276 --> 00:19:02.844
  • Have influenced the course of human history
  • 00:19:02.844 --> 00:19:05.047
  • Quite like the letters of the apostle paul,
  • 00:19:05.047 --> 00:19:08.050
  • Writing under god's inspiration.
  • 00:19:08.050 --> 00:19:09.985
  • What paul wrote
  • 00:19:09.985 --> 00:19:11.119
  • Has a prominent place in the christian new testament.
  • 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:14.356
  • Today, he is recognized as the world's first
  • 00:19:14.356 --> 00:19:17.259
  • Christian theologian.
  • 00:19:17.259 --> 00:19:18.894
  • While his letters are considered to be the solid foundation
  • 00:19:18.894 --> 00:19:21.663
  • Upon which all christian doctrine has been established.
  • 00:19:21.663 --> 00:19:25.000
  • I think paul was a very significant missionary.
  • 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:27.436
  • He was not the only one. barnabas was a missionary.
  • 00:19:27.436 --> 00:19:30.105
  • Silas was another missionary.
  • 00:19:30.105 --> 00:19:31.873
  • Many others whose names we do not know.
  • 00:19:31.873 --> 00:19:34.309
  • Paul just happened to be a prolific letter writer.
  • 00:19:34.309 --> 00:19:37.613
  • He happened to be a very well schooled and well trained rabbi.
  • 00:19:37.613 --> 00:19:41.650
  • He understood the scriptures well.
  • 00:19:41.650 --> 00:19:43.752
  • I'm not surprised that we have a number of his letters
  • 00:19:43.752 --> 00:19:47.723
  • In this collection of writings.
  • 00:19:47.723 --> 00:19:49.358
  • We now call the new testament.
  • 00:19:49.358 --> 00:19:51.927
  • In his letters,
  • 00:19:52.294 --> 00:19:53.428
  • Paul addressed issues both in christian communities
  • 00:19:53.428 --> 00:19:56.098
  • That he founded as well in those already established.
  • 00:19:56.098 --> 00:20:00.335
  • It is through paul's letters that the beliefs, practices
  • 00:20:00.335 --> 00:20:03.472
  • And problems of the early church can be observed.
  • 00:20:03.472 --> 00:20:07.476
  • Where paul's letters are widely read.
  • 00:20:08.277 --> 00:20:10.646
  • Today, i've heard it said that perhaps the most significant
  • 00:20:10.646 --> 00:20:14.616
  • Letter ever written was paul's letter to the church at rome.
  • 00:20:14.616 --> 00:20:19.521
  • It has stimulated deep thinking, moments of renewal
  • 00:20:19.521 --> 00:20:22.891
  • And reformation, as stimulated the thinking of great,
  • 00:20:22.891 --> 00:20:27.629
  • Theologians and philosophers and writings.
  • 00:20:27.629 --> 00:20:30.866
  • Paul's letter to the romans was written towards the end
  • 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.536
  • Of his life.
  • 00:20:34.536 --> 00:20:35.804
  • It is recognized today as his great doctrinal treatise.
  • 00:20:35.804 --> 00:20:39.941
  • His understanding of the christian faith,
  • 00:20:39.941 --> 00:20:41.877
  • Written large for the church at rome.
  • 00:20:41.877 --> 00:20:44.513
  • But paul also writes of his challenge
  • 00:20:44.513 --> 00:20:46.515
  • To understand israel's place at the end of days
  • 00:20:46.515 --> 00:20:49.384
  • When the messianic age finally dawns.
  • 00:20:49.384 --> 00:20:52.554
  • What of those jews who have not accepted jesus as messiah?
  • 00:20:52.554 --> 00:20:55.691
  • This is paul's heart
  • 00:20:56.158 --> 00:20:58.226
  • And the heart of paul's struggle in romans,
  • 00:20:58.226 --> 00:21:01.163
  • For he explains that it is
  • 00:21:01.730 --> 00:21:03.131
  • Not through performing the works of torah
  • 00:21:03.131 --> 00:21:04.966
  • That anyone is made righteous in the eyes of god.
  • 00:21:04.966 --> 00:21:08.937
  • It is only through faith in jesus
  • 00:21:09.671 --> 00:21:11.506
  • That one can be reconciled to god.
  • 00:21:11.506 --> 00:21:15.010
  • Paul writes,
  • 00:21:15.344 --> 00:21:17.279
  • But god demonstrates his own love toward us in
  • 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:20.248
  • That while we were still sinners, christ died for us.
  • 00:21:20.248 --> 00:21:24.119
  • Much more then having now been justified by his blood,
  • 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:27.756
  • We shall be saved from wrath through him.
  • 00:21:27.756 --> 00:21:31.493
  • For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to god
  • 00:21:31.493 --> 00:21:34.496
  • Through the death of his son, much more
  • 00:21:34.496 --> 00:21:36.898
  • Having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
  • 00:21:36.898 --> 00:21:42.571
  • Christians began
  • 00:21:42.971 --> 00:21:44.106
  • To see divine purpose in jesus death and resurrection.
  • 00:21:44.106 --> 00:21:48.043
  • Although they clearly understood that jesus would one day
  • 00:21:48.043 --> 00:21:50.946
  • Return as israel's messiah and save israel
  • 00:21:50.946 --> 00:21:54.349
  • From her enemies, he was already the savior of the world.
  • 00:21:54.349 --> 00:21:58.653
  • This deck was the life changing message.
  • 00:21:59.488 --> 00:22:02.157
  • Paul now risked his life to proclaim.
  • 00:22:02.157 --> 00:22:13.835
  • As we saw earlier, the apostle paul
  • 00:22:14.603 --> 00:22:17.139
  • Had a very dramatic encounter with the risen christ.
  • 00:22:17.139 --> 00:22:21.109
  • And then we can follow his story through the book of acts.
  • 00:22:21.109 --> 00:22:25.080
  • And we find that paul goes on several missionary journeys
  • 00:22:25.080 --> 00:22:28.683
  • To the major cities and places of europe and in fact,
  • 00:22:28.683 --> 00:22:33.054
  • Asia minor, always preaching the truth about the christ,
  • 00:22:33.054 --> 00:22:37.659
  • Whose religion he tried to destroy.
  • 00:22:37.659 --> 00:22:42.030
  • But eventually, paul's critics, in the jewish community
  • 00:22:42.030 --> 00:22:46.601
  • Especially plot against him,
  • 00:22:46.601 --> 00:22:48.637
  • And we find that he ends up
  • 00:22:48.637 --> 00:22:49.971
  • In caesarea, maritime caesarea by the sea,
  • 00:22:49.971 --> 00:22:53.809
  • Which was a roman port city, in fact the capital of rome,
  • 00:22:53.809 --> 00:22:57.446
  • In the land of israel 2000 years ago.
  • 00:22:57.446 --> 00:23:01.349
  • And paul, it seems, was there for these two years.
  • 00:23:01.349 --> 00:23:04.786
  • And he was under trial.
  • 00:23:04.786 --> 00:23:07.155
  • And he was brought before two of the governors of that,
  • 00:23:07.155 --> 00:23:11.126
  • Region, that were there representing rome.
  • 00:23:11.126 --> 00:23:15.430
  • Eventually he's brought before king agrippa,
  • 00:23:15.430 --> 00:23:18.633
  • Who arrives in caesarea with pomp and ceremony,
  • 00:23:18.633 --> 00:23:23.839
  • And he also hears paul's story of conversion,
  • 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:27.943
  • Because everywhere paul,
  • 00:23:27.943 --> 00:23:28.844
  • Where he told the story of his conversion.
  • 00:23:28.844 --> 00:23:31.446
  • So even when he's under trial,
  • 00:23:31.446 --> 00:23:33.748
  • That's an opportunity for him to tell once again
  • 00:23:33.748 --> 00:23:36.818
  • How his life was transformed by the risen christ.
  • 00:23:36.818 --> 00:23:41.423
  • So somewhere along the way, i think, in fact,
  • 00:23:41.423 --> 00:23:43.859
  • We read in the story in the book of acts that the king saw paul
  • 00:23:43.859 --> 00:23:48.196
  • As innocent of all charges and was ready to release him.
  • 00:23:48.196 --> 00:23:52.834
  • But paul in that trial process had told them,
  • 00:23:52.834 --> 00:23:56.571
  • And in fact claimed that he was a roman citizen, from tarsus,
  • 00:23:56.571 --> 00:24:01.443
  • And that he had the right of a roman citizen to appear
  • 00:24:01.443 --> 00:24:05.146
  • Before caesar's judgment seat in the city of rome.
  • 00:24:05.146 --> 00:24:09.918
  • And because of that thing, agrippa,
  • 00:24:09.918 --> 00:24:12.020
  • Who would readily have released them, had him taken to rome.
  • 00:24:12.020 --> 00:24:16.258
  • Well, when paul got to rome,
  • 00:24:16.258 --> 00:24:18.793
  • He was the same christian apologist,
  • 00:24:18.793 --> 00:24:22.097
  • And we know from history that he died there, that
  • 00:24:22.097 --> 00:24:25.333
  • As far as we know, he was beheaded,
  • 00:24:25.333 --> 00:24:28.203
  • Became a martyr for the christian faith.
  • 00:24:28.203 --> 00:24:30.906
  • And he'd been a prisoner in rome for a while before that.
  • 00:24:30.906 --> 00:24:34.409
  • But before paul died,
  • 00:24:34.409 --> 00:24:37.379
  • He preached, and moral lives were transformed
  • 00:24:37.379 --> 00:24:41.316
  • Because of that conversion experience so much earlier,
  • 00:24:41.316 --> 00:24:45.487
  • He knew that christ had risen from the dead.
  • 00:24:45.487 --> 00:24:48.957
  • He knew that god, the almighty god, had called him
  • 00:24:48.957 --> 00:24:51.826
  • To preach this message to the nations.
  • 00:24:51.826 --> 00:24:54.329
  • As the apostle to the gentile.
  • 00:24:54.329 --> 00:24:57.232
  • And paul fulfilled his calling
  • 00:24:57.232 --> 00:25:00.569
  • At rome of all places, the higher of the roman empire.
  • 00:25:00.569 --> 00:25:05.640
  • Paul preached.
  • 00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:07.275
  • Jesus christ did
  • 00:25:07.275 --> 00:25:10.445
  • Risen coming again.
  • 00:25:10.445 --> 00:25:13.315
  • How many people?
  • 00:25:13.315 --> 00:25:24.759
  • Today, paul is recognized as the apostle
  • 00:25:25.627 --> 00:25:28.196
  • Who brought the salvation message of christ to rome.
  • 00:25:28.196 --> 00:25:31.366
  • But this would prove to be paul's most costly mission.
  • 00:25:31.366 --> 00:25:34.636
  • It cost him his life.
  • 00:25:34.636 --> 00:25:36.571
  • Paul was beheaded at rome in the mid first century ce,
  • 00:25:36.571 --> 00:25:40.442
  • But not before the message of jesus and his salvation
  • 00:25:40.442 --> 00:25:43.578
  • Had already taken root in roman hearts.
  • 00:25:43.578 --> 00:25:46.681
  • In time, people everywhere could find their salvation
  • 00:25:47.749 --> 00:25:50.952
  • Through that same
  • 00:25:50.952 --> 00:25:52.153
  • Jesus paul had so eloquently proclaimed among the gentiles.
  • 00:25:52.153 --> 00:25:56.024
  • Was this what god had intended when he told
  • 00:25:56.891 --> 00:25:59.427
  • Abraham that through his descendants,
  • 00:25:59.427 --> 00:26:01.162
  • The whole world would be blessed?
  • 00:26:01.162 --> 00:26:03.531
  • Was god's promise to abraham literally fulfilled
  • 00:26:03.531 --> 00:26:06.801
  • Through the crucifixion of jesus, and by paul's mission
  • 00:26:06.801 --> 00:26:09.838
  • To tell the world about how and why jesus died
  • 00:26:09.838 --> 00:26:13.041
  • In jerusalem.
  • 00:26:13.041 --> 00:26:16.077
  • Whatever may be said about jesus of nazareth,
  • 00:26:16.077 --> 00:26:19.247
  • No one can deny his jewishness.
  • 00:26:19.247 --> 00:26:22.117
  • He was and is jewish.
  • 00:26:22.117 --> 00:26:24.853
  • He taught the torah and lived by its precepts.
  • 00:26:24.853 --> 00:26:27.689
  • He attended synagogue on the sabbath day,
  • 00:26:27.689 --> 00:26:30.425
  • And when torah required it,
  • 00:26:30.425 --> 00:26:31.926
  • The religious festivals of jerusalem as well.
  • 00:26:31.926 --> 00:26:35.263
  • He taught his jewish followers to live exceedingly
  • 00:26:35.263 --> 00:26:37.799
  • Righteous lives according to the torah.
  • 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:40.635
  • He certainly fanned the flame of judaism
  • 00:26:40.635 --> 00:26:42.937
  • During his earthly life,
  • 00:26:42.937 --> 00:26:44.639
  • Through his death and resurrection.
  • 00:26:45.407 --> 00:26:47.709
  • He provided atonement for sin
  • 00:26:47.709 --> 00:26:49.844
  • And the means of eternal life in the presence of god.
  • 00:26:49.844 --> 00:26:53.448
  • He said he was, among other things, the light of the world.
  • 00:26:53.448 --> 00:26:57.552
  • If so, he was at the same time a jewish light to the world.
  • 00:26:57.552 --> 00:27:03.124
  • While the debate over jesus messianic claims continue
  • 00:27:03.124 --> 00:27:05.994
  • As before, you could deny the influence this one
  • 00:27:05.994 --> 00:27:09.731
  • Solitary jewish life has had on the course of history.
  • 00:27:09.731 --> 00:27:09.731