Bear Grylls: Behind the Story | Jesus: Refugee, Renegade, Redeemer

January 29, 2025 | S1:E6

The world’s most recognizable adventurer, Bear Grylls, embarks on a journey 2,000 years in the making, retracing the footsteps of Jesus in Israel. Each episode immerses viewers in the raw, untamed landscapes of the Holy Land while exploring the real story of the simple carpenter who changed the course of history. Using his signature survival skills, Bear dives into the life of the Refugee, Renegade, and Redeemer—Jesus of Nazareth.

#PersonalStory #Salvation #Faith #Israel #Bible #Gospel #Jesus #BibleHistory #Archaeology #Miracles #inActive #Redemption #Messiah #BearGrylls

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Jesus: Refugee, Renegade, Redeemer | Bear Grylls: Behind the Story | Jesus: Refugee, Renegade, Redeemer | January 29, 2025

Jesus refugee renegade redeemer with bear
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Grylls is brought to you by mercy ships.
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Mercy ships dot org. be
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Part of the adventure.
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Bear grylls: whoo!
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♪♪♪
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Bear grylls: i'm bear grylls and i've been
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To the highest point on the planet
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And i'm now here at the dead sea,
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At the lowest point in the entire world.
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Get ready for the "ultimate adventure."
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♪♪♪
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Bear: i'm in israel following the footsteps of a man
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Who changed the entire world forever:
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The refugee, the renegade, and the redeemer,
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Jesus of nazareth.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Bear: this is a journey in a part of the world
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That i've always wanted to do, to go back and actually walk
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In the footsteps of where this incredible figure of jesus
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Actually lived, actually breathed,
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Actually walked, and did all of those amazing things
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That we often hear about.
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I wanna get to know the real man.
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This is gonna be an adventure for me like no other.
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Bear: on most of my adventures, i try to give people a glimpse
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Of what goes on behind the scenes.
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Today, i'm taking you behind the story.
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You'll see more from the places i went,
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The people i met, and the miracles i encountered
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On this adventure that was 2000 years
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In the making.
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Let's find out why they call the jesus story,
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The greatest story ever told.
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Bear: below me is the holy land.
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Nowadays, it's called israel and a lot of it is wild:
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Huge desert mountains, fertile valleys,
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And then desolate salt lakes.
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It's considered a holy place for three
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Of the world's major religions and is home
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To a man who changed the course of history.
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He was a humble, poor builder and carpenter,
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A man called jesus of nazareth.
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Getting ready to go.
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I've been told that the best experiences in life,
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First of all, require a leap of faith.
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Okay, let's do this.
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♪♪♪
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Bear: okay, on the ground, motorbike's there.
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Time to get this adventure going.
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♪♪♪
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Bear: to understand who a person is,
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You have to know where they came from.
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The jesus story begins in the little town of bethlehem
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With a baby born beneath the stars.
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By the age of two, he had been worshiped
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As the messiah and targeted by a murderous king.
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After that, his family survived as refugees,
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Living in egypt amongst the desert pyramids.
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For centuries, the great prophets
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Had made wild predictions about the coming messiah.
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And yet the early years of jesus were surprisingly quiet.
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And then, all of a sudden, he shows up in a big way
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On the banks of a famous river in israel.
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And that's where i'm headed now to the jordan river
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Where jesus's mission on earth really begins.
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Bear: okay, just head downriver for a few miles and this river
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Is just spectacular.
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You can see why it's given life to so many people,
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So many communities, for thousands of years.
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Okay, there's our guy.
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Hey, israel.
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Bear: who better than a man named israel
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To walk me through this major turning point
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In the life of jesus?
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For about 30 years, jesus is living a quiet life
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In nazareth.
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But all that changes when he meets his cousin john
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In the jordan river.
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The eyewitness accounts are pretty dramatic.
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John dips his cousin in the water.
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But when jesus comes up, the entire atmosphere shifts.
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We're told the sky ripped open and people heard a voice booming
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From heaven, saying, "this is my son,
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In whom i am well pleased."
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And then a dove flew down and landed on jesus
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Like a sign of approval from god.
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Jesus was now a marked man.
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Bear: i have said sorry for my failings
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Many times every day, and every day still in my life
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Just quietly, i ask for help from the almighty.
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So i guess for like, wherever people are,
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You can show me what a baptism will go through
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And people can take it wherever they are in their life.
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♪♪♪
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Israel: i baptize him in the name
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Of the father, the son, and the holy spirit.
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♪♪♪
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Bear: there's something very powerful
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About that sense of water.
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You know, just before you go in, you're hot, you're dusty,
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You're covered in all the grime of the desert and life
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And the road.
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But when you go in, it's cool and it's refreshing
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And you come out and you shake all of that off
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And that's very symbolic, i feel that.
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All of us have made mistakes, screwed up, messed up.
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You can't earn that gift of a connection with your--
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With your father in heaven.
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You just go in and you ask and you come out
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And you're given it.
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♪♪♪
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Bear: and look, you've brought some,
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What's that, honey?
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Israel: i brought some honey and locusts.
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Bear: and some locusts? israel: yeah.
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Bear: so this is what-- this is what john would--.
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Israel: this is what john--. bear: they would live on.
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Israel: you know, you go in the desert,
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This is plenty in the desert, this and that.
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Bear: well, you're speaking my language.
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Bear: should we try one? israel: yeah, go for it.
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Bear: yeah, so locusts, come on.
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It's great survival food, great protein.
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Bear: locusts and honey might not sound
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Like a gourmet meal, but these crunchy critters
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Pack some serious protein.
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They're even a delicacy in many eastern countries.
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Until john the baptist emerged, they were better known
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As a pest or plague, but john took this threat
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And turned it into dinner.
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My kinda guy. but they're not that bad.
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They taste kinda like sunflower seeds,
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Only with six legs and five eyes.
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Bear: you know, the thing about honey
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Is it makes everything taste delicious.
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Yeah, and that was beautiful.
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Israel: oh, yeah.
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Bear: hm, well, you've given me so much in the water
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And on the land, i appreciate it.
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Israel: thank you. bear: thank you, brother.
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Israel: thank you so much.
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♪♪♪
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Bear: feeling refreshed and renewed
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From these sacred waters, i'm headed south to experience
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One of the wildest moments in the jesus story.
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After his baptism in the jordan, jesus had officially arrived
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On the scene.
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This is a moment the jews had been waiting for:
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Their messiah had come.
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In today's world, this is when you seize political power.
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But once again, jesus defies expectations.
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In the ultimate renegade move, he retreats from the limelight
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And spends 40 days in the judean wilderness,
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Completely alone.
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That's where i'm going next.
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Bear: okay, from here on, on foot.
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The judean wilderness is over 1500 square kilometers
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Of wild desert.
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Actually, in hebrew, it translates literally
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To the wild land and you can kinda see why.
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Water here is super scarce and the wildlife unforgiving.
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You've got wolves, you've got lynxes,
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Scorpions, vipers.
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You name it, this place is gonna test you.
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Bear: jesus came out here by himself.
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No food, only water, for 40 days.
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Talk about hardcore.
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But there's more.
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Towards the end of this trial, when jesus was no doubt
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At his weakest, he'd come face to face
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With his greatest adversary.
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For jesus, this wasn't just a test
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Of his physical endurance.
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It was a test of spiritual endurance.
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Jesus would need this type of fortitude
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For the path that lay ahead of him
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And i have a feeling i will too.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Bear: okay, it's a good spot to use a rope.
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Get down into this canyon.
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♪♪♪
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Bear: okay, get a harness on, get down there.
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♪♪♪
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Bear: water is extremely scarce out here,
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But this little pit might have what i'm looking for.
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♪♪♪
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Bear: oh, we found water.
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Look.
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That's 'cause it was slippy.
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Look, it's wetter, damper, here.
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A little bit there.
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Least you can do is just get your bandana
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And drench it and cool yourself and then just suck the moisture
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Out of that.
00:12:33.814 --> 00:12:35.749
And at least it's gonna filter it
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A little bit through the material.
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I mean, jesus probably did a bit of that,
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Just filtering water, squeezing it
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Through his clothes, through the cloth.
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[sucking water]
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It's not gonna be perfect, but it's gonna
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Do something, wow.
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And you can also see why jesus talks about water
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Being life-giving.
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Oh, just that is good.
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Okay, just keep moving.
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Bear: out here, you really appreciate
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How essential water is to survival.
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The body craves water.
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And according to jesus, so does the spirit.
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He once said, "let anyone who is thirsty come to me
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And drink."
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This came from a man who reportedly
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Turned water into wine.
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So many of the recorded miracles of jesus included water,
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From calming the storms to walking on seas.
00:13:42.649 --> 00:13:45.652
But one of my favorite applies to us all.
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Jesus taught that whoever so much as served a cup
00:13:48.221 --> 00:13:51.224
Of cool water to someone in need was actually giving it to god.
00:13:51.224 --> 00:13:55.829
It seems clear: water is life to the body and the spirit.
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Jesus once said, "foxes have holes
00:14:04.404 --> 00:14:06.940
And the birds have nests, but the son of man
00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:09.409
Has no place to lay his head."
00:14:09.409 --> 00:14:15.415
He would have looked for places to stay
00:14:15.415 --> 00:14:17.417
Just like this.
00:14:17.417 --> 00:14:19.185
This is certainly not how i'd imagined life
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For the son of god.
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Bear: this wouldn't be a bad place to shelter.
00:14:23.256 --> 00:14:26.493
Look, it goes all the way into the rock here.
00:14:26.493 --> 00:14:31.865
That's gonna give a little bit of protection.
00:14:31.865 --> 00:14:35.669
Jesus survived for 40 days without the food,
00:14:35.669 --> 00:14:38.972
But he definitely needed the shelter
00:14:38.972 --> 00:14:41.608
And definitely needed fluids.
00:14:41.608 --> 00:14:43.610
People find it hard being on their own
00:14:43.610 --> 00:14:45.378
For, like, an afternoon, you know,
00:14:45.378 --> 00:14:47.213
40 days out in the rock and thorns
00:14:47.213 --> 00:14:49.549
And harsh environment of this desert.
00:14:49.549 --> 00:14:56.690
Do you feel everything, all that fear,
00:14:56.690 --> 00:14:58.625
All that loneliness?
00:14:58.625 --> 00:15:02.495
My impression is jesus was much more human
00:15:02.495 --> 00:15:07.567
Than sometimes people make him out to be.
00:15:07.567 --> 00:15:16.576
Okay, enough yakking.
00:15:16.576 --> 00:15:19.179
I need a rest.
00:15:19.179 --> 00:15:21.514
Oh, everything hurts.
00:15:21.514 --> 00:15:27.320
Not a place to be on your own, really.
00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:30.724
Not for long.
00:15:30.724 --> 00:15:35.161
Bear: just being out here at night time,
00:15:35.161 --> 00:15:36.930
You feel the isolation.
00:15:36.930 --> 00:15:39.232
The wilderness reduces you to your most primitive needs.
00:15:39.232 --> 00:15:43.703
Jesus endured a literal wilderness,
00:15:43.703 --> 00:15:46.373
But in life, we all face seasons of drought,
00:15:46.373 --> 00:15:49.242
Loneliness, and lack.
00:15:49.242 --> 00:15:52.112
The wilderness is a place of just enough,
00:15:52.112 --> 00:15:55.348
Where our character is forged, where we must rely
00:15:55.348 --> 00:15:58.785
On our instincts and learn to trust in a higher power.
00:15:58.785 --> 00:16:03.089
This is where you find out who you really are.
00:16:03.089 --> 00:16:06.059
♪♪♪
00:16:06.059 --> 00:16:18.405
Bear: now, the sun is up.
00:16:12.766 --> 00:16:23.376
Try and follow the shade this side of the canyon
00:16:23.376 --> 00:16:25.812
While the sun's that way, before it gets too hot.
00:16:25.812 --> 00:16:35.121
Ugh.
00:16:35.121 --> 00:16:38.091
Okay, heading west.
00:16:38.091 --> 00:16:40.994
♪♪♪
00:16:40.994 --> 00:17:01.481
Bear: loo--bull snake!
00:16:46.399 --> 00:17:03.683
Look at this guy.
00:17:03.683 --> 00:17:07.487
Yeah, it's about the only other thing
00:17:07.487 --> 00:17:10.256
That would have been living out here with jesus
00:17:10.256 --> 00:17:12.926
Is a whole ton of snakes.
00:17:12.926 --> 00:17:17.964
It's a constrictor.
00:17:17.964 --> 00:17:19.499
He'll live off little rodents.
00:17:19.499 --> 00:17:22.802
He'll grab them, bite them, crush them, consume them.
00:17:22.802 --> 00:17:32.378
I wouldn't wanna spend 40 days with these
00:17:32.378 --> 00:17:36.549
As my only companions, that's for sure.
00:17:36.549 --> 00:17:42.055
Desert survival, not for the faint-hearted.
00:17:42.055 --> 00:17:50.330
Bear: jesus faced his share of enemies
00:17:50.330 --> 00:17:52.132
During his time on earth.
00:17:52.132 --> 00:17:54.033
But as the story goes, he confronted his greatest enemy
00:17:54.033 --> 00:17:57.370
In the wilderness: the tempter, the evil one.
00:17:57.370 --> 00:18:01.474
Jesus called him the father of lies, satan.
00:18:01.474 --> 00:18:05.478
He's often portrayed as a serpent: cunning, deadly,
00:18:05.478 --> 00:18:08.982
And ready to strike.
00:18:08.982 --> 00:18:11.017
The gospels tell us jesus faced three great temptations:
00:18:11.017 --> 00:18:15.488
The first, to satisfy his hunger by turning stones into bread.
00:18:15.488 --> 00:18:20.593
Next, to claim power over the earth
00:18:20.593 --> 00:18:23.196
By bowing down to satan.
00:18:23.196 --> 00:18:25.899
And finally, to prove his divinity
00:18:25.899 --> 00:18:28.768
By leaping off a cliff and summoning angels
00:18:28.768 --> 00:18:31.404
To catch him.
00:18:31.404 --> 00:18:33.006
Each temptation, jesus denied.
00:18:33.006 --> 00:18:36.176
Even here away from the eyes of the world,
00:18:36.176 --> 00:18:38.611
Jesus remained committed to lead a life free
00:18:38.611 --> 00:18:41.781
Of earthly ambition and that's where the tempter got him wrong.
00:18:41.781 --> 00:18:46.286
Jesus didn't come to conquer the world.
00:18:46.286 --> 00:18:48.855
He came to set it free.
00:18:48.855 --> 00:18:55.007
He came to set it free.
00:18:55.007 --> 00:19:00.234
Bear: jesus came out of this experience,
00:19:01.101 --> 00:19:03.204
Hardened, not just physically from the experience,
00:19:03.204 --> 00:19:07.308
The harsh desert, but also inside, spiritually,
00:19:07.308 --> 00:19:14.148
And his time of teaching and healing and all these things
00:19:14.148 --> 00:19:18.652
He was gonna do over the next three years
00:19:18.652 --> 00:19:22.189
Was about to begin.
00:19:22.189 --> 00:19:31.165
The one place you don't ever want a snake,
00:19:31.165 --> 00:19:35.502
Is crawling up your trouser leg.
00:19:35.502 --> 00:19:38.839
It's time to leave this snake, the temptations, behind.
00:19:38.839 --> 00:19:45.512
♪♪♪
00:19:45.512 --> 00:19:49.016
Bear: come on.
00:19:49.016 --> 00:19:51.185
♪♪♪
00:19:51.185 --> 00:20:00.861
Bear: okay, we're out of here.
00:20:00.861 --> 00:20:05.266
Bear: after his 40-day trial in the wilderness,
00:20:05.266 --> 00:20:07.868
Jesus set out on his world-changing mission.
00:20:07.868 --> 00:20:11.205
We've all heard the eyewitness stories.
00:20:11.205 --> 00:20:13.440
Thousands of people being fed with a handful of bread
00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:16.377
And a few fishes, blind eyes opening,
00:20:16.377 --> 00:20:19.346
The dead rising again, and jesus walking on water.
00:20:19.346 --> 00:20:23.884
All of this was said to have happened
00:20:23.884 --> 00:20:25.919
In a few small towns around the sea of galilee.
00:20:25.919 --> 00:20:29.590
♪♪♪
00:20:29.590 --> 00:20:37.798
Bear: mountains have always played such a big part
00:20:37.798 --> 00:20:40.934
In my life in, you know, different ways.
00:20:40.934 --> 00:20:43.704
And there's something about sometimes just getting away,
00:20:43.704 --> 00:20:47.441
Getting up high, getting that perspective.
00:20:47.441 --> 00:20:51.245
I don't know, i think it's primal, isn't it?
00:20:51.245 --> 00:20:53.547
It's in here in our hearts and i love it.
00:20:53.547 --> 00:20:56.483
But from here, you can see the whole of the galilee region
00:20:56.483 --> 00:21:01.388
And it's spectacular.
00:21:01.388 --> 00:21:03.123
You've got nazareth over there and then beyond that,
00:21:03.123 --> 00:21:06.794
The judean desert, and eventually
00:21:06.794 --> 00:21:09.129
Down to jerusalem.
00:21:09.129 --> 00:21:10.964
And this is where jesus spent so much of his time
00:21:10.964 --> 00:21:13.267
In this region, drawing people to him.
00:21:13.267 --> 00:21:17.438
And what he did and what he said
00:21:17.438 --> 00:21:19.273
And how he interacted with people
00:21:19.273 --> 00:21:21.075
And how he made people feel was about to set
00:21:21.075 --> 00:21:24.078
The world ablaze.
00:21:24.078 --> 00:21:27.414
Pretty committing take-off down there,
00:21:27.414 --> 00:21:29.850
Straight off the edge.
00:21:29.850 --> 00:21:31.452
But this is top of the mountain.
00:21:31.452 --> 00:21:33.187
Okay, get the parachute laid out.
00:21:33.187 --> 00:21:36.690
Harness on.
00:21:36.690 --> 00:21:38.792
♪♪♪
00:21:38.792 --> 00:21:57.378
Bear: whoo!
00:21:48.202 --> 00:21:59.947
♪♪♪
00:21:59.947 --> 00:22:14.962
Bear: the life of jesus was filled with mountain highs
00:22:06.387 --> 00:22:18.165
And valley lows.
00:22:18.165 --> 00:22:20.801
And if i'm following in his footsteps,
00:22:20.801 --> 00:22:23.237
I've got a lot of ground to cover.
00:22:23.237 --> 00:22:27.708
Though jesus didn't have an official headquarters,
00:22:27.708 --> 00:22:30.210
The sea of galilee is where some of the biggest events
00:22:30.210 --> 00:22:32.913
Take place.
00:22:32.913 --> 00:22:34.581
On one occasion, jesus's closest friends
00:22:34.581 --> 00:22:36.884
Are sailing when a violent storm breaks out.
00:22:36.884 --> 00:22:40.053
A mysterious figure approaches their boat,
00:22:40.053 --> 00:22:42.656
Walking amongst the wind and waves.
00:22:42.656 --> 00:22:45.192
At first, they think it's a ghost,
00:22:45.192 --> 00:22:47.661
Until a familiar voice calls out, "take courage.
00:22:47.661 --> 00:22:51.165
Don't be afraid."
00:22:51.165 --> 00:22:52.900
Peter is the first to recognize the voice.
00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:56.003
It's jesus, but instead of begging jesus
00:22:56.003 --> 00:22:59.072
To calm the storm, peter has the audacity
00:22:59.072 --> 00:23:02.176
To try walking on the water himself.
00:23:02.176 --> 00:23:05.279
For a moment, it works, until peter takes his eyes
00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:09.082
Off jesus and sinks beneath the waves.
00:23:09.082 --> 00:23:12.386
Jesus reaches down and rescues him.
00:23:12.386 --> 00:23:15.189
And in this moment, this band of friends
00:23:15.189 --> 00:23:17.458
Seem to recognize that jesus might just
00:23:17.458 --> 00:23:20.093
Be more than a mere man.
00:23:20.093 --> 00:23:25.032
Bear: so this thing's a surfboard hydrofoil.
00:23:25.966 --> 00:23:30.904
They say jesus could walk on water.
00:23:30.904 --> 00:23:33.774
I'm not sure i'm gonna be able to do that.
00:23:33.774 --> 00:23:35.642
This is about as close as it's gonna get.
00:23:35.642 --> 00:23:39.313
♪♪♪
00:23:39.313 --> 00:23:55.395
Bear: so the shores of galilee are a little further
00:23:47.988 --> 00:23:58.632
Down the lake.
00:23:58.632 --> 00:24:00.601
That's where i'm heading, a place called capernaum,
00:24:00.601 --> 00:24:03.470
Where a lot of the action took place with jesus
00:24:03.470 --> 00:24:06.273
Started to get wild.
00:24:06.273 --> 00:24:08.475
♪♪♪
00:24:08.475 --> 00:24:27.928
Bear: i've learned i can't walk on water
00:24:17.618 --> 00:24:30.464
And maybe like peter, sometimes i lack faith.
00:24:30.464 --> 00:24:35.302
Welcome to the human race.
00:24:35.302 --> 00:24:37.538
Okay, one more go, standing, and then we're getting ashore.
00:24:37.538 --> 00:24:41.942
♪♪♪
00:24:41.942 --> 00:24:46.980
Not sure i'm walking on water, more like swallowing
00:24:46.980 --> 00:24:50.517
More of the sea of galilee.
00:24:50.517 --> 00:24:55.355
Okay, heading into shore.
00:24:55.355 --> 00:24:58.392
♪♪♪
00:24:58.392 --> 00:25:04.998
Bear: centuries ago, capernaum was abandoned
00:25:04.998 --> 00:25:07.868
And its exact location was lost.
00:25:07.868 --> 00:25:10.804
But in the 1800s, archaeologists rediscovered the site
00:25:10.804 --> 00:25:14.541
And what a find.
00:25:14.541 --> 00:25:16.310
Today, you can walk amongst the ruins
00:25:16.310 --> 00:25:18.345
Of the synagogue where jesus taught,
00:25:18.345 --> 00:25:20.981
You can find the remains of the roman garrison,
00:25:20.981 --> 00:25:23.550
Which was most likely the home of the centurion
00:25:23.550 --> 00:25:26.186
Whose servant boy jesus healed.
00:25:26.186 --> 00:25:28.589
Even the home of peter, jesus's chief disciple,
00:25:28.589 --> 00:25:31.525
Has been discovered amongst these treasured ruins.
00:25:31.525 --> 00:25:43.737
Bear: look at this whole wall and so much of this landscape
00:25:44.938 --> 00:25:48.875
Is just littered with ruins that date back,
00:25:48.875 --> 00:25:53.447
Often to roman times when this was such
00:25:53.447 --> 00:25:57.451
A bustling place of trade and communities.
00:25:57.451 --> 00:26:06.393
It's pretty amazing.
00:26:06.393 --> 00:26:10.030
Bear: all around this region, archaeologists
00:26:10.030 --> 00:26:11.965
Are still uncovering places where jesus walked.
00:26:11.965 --> 00:26:15.435
My friend, dr. achia tavor, works at a site
00:26:15.435 --> 00:26:18.739
In the ancient city of chorizin, a place mentioned
00:26:18.739 --> 00:26:22.442
In the gospels.
00:26:22.442 --> 00:26:25.412
Achia tavor: this site is a special site,
00:26:25.412 --> 00:26:28.048
Both because we know that jesus preached here
00:26:28.048 --> 00:26:30.550
And we've got a nice village.
00:26:30.550 --> 00:26:33.286
We excavated and found the remnants
00:26:33.286 --> 00:26:35.956
Of what was the first century synagogue in which
00:26:35.956 --> 00:26:38.959
Jesus preached right here.
00:26:38.959 --> 00:26:41.161
This specific capstone here had a column beneath it.
00:26:41.161 --> 00:26:44.331
This was supporting the roof of that long-gone synagogue.
00:26:44.331 --> 00:26:48.068
And this specific item, you can actually say that--
00:26:48.068 --> 00:26:52.773
Heard jesus's words.
00:26:52.773 --> 00:26:55.175
Bear: amazing to think that jesus's voice echoed
00:26:55.175 --> 00:26:57.678
In this place.
00:26:57.678 --> 00:27:04.003
In this place.
00:27:04.003 --> 00:27:06.454
The neighboring town of bethsaida is where
00:27:07.355 --> 00:27:09.757
Jesus was known to have fed thousands of people
00:27:09.757 --> 00:27:12.760
With a handful of fish and bread.
00:27:12.760 --> 00:27:15.196
It's also the birthplace of three
00:27:15.196 --> 00:27:16.864
Of jesus's closest friends.
00:27:16.864 --> 00:27:19.967
Professor mordechai aviam is an expert at this site.
00:27:19.967 --> 00:27:24.872
Mordechai aviam: bethsaida is the homeplace of three
00:27:24.872 --> 00:27:27.208
Of jesus's apostles, as it is written
00:27:27.208 --> 00:27:30.111
In the new testament: peter, the most important one,
00:27:30.111 --> 00:27:34.282
Andrew his brother, and philip.
00:27:34.282 --> 00:27:36.484
They were all born in the village of bethsaida
00:27:36.484 --> 00:27:38.953
Which we identify right here.
00:27:38.953 --> 00:27:41.856
Here we are in a residential area.
00:27:41.856 --> 00:27:44.125
Those are excavations of one or two houses
00:27:44.125 --> 00:27:47.195
From the roman period.
00:27:47.195 --> 00:27:49.397
You can see the walls, you can see the rooms,
00:27:49.397 --> 00:27:51.899
These are from the 2nd and 3rd centuries ce,
00:27:51.899 --> 00:27:56.337
But below them, we excavated the foundations
00:27:56.337 --> 00:28:00.141
Of the 1st century, right down here.
00:28:00.141 --> 00:28:07.348
This level over here, this is the level
00:28:07.348 --> 00:28:10.218
Of the 1st century ce, the time of jesus.
00:28:10.218 --> 00:28:12.887
These are remains of the village from the time of peter, andrew,
00:28:12.887 --> 00:28:17.692
And philip, and we found here.
00:28:17.692 --> 00:28:20.328
We don't have yet the size of the village
00:28:20.328 --> 00:28:22.864
Because for that, you have to dig all around
00:28:22.864 --> 00:28:24.766
And to see how much it is spread in this area.
00:28:24.766 --> 00:28:28.703
But according to stories of the new testament,
00:28:28.703 --> 00:28:31.038
A few thousand people gathered to listen to jesus.
00:28:31.038 --> 00:28:37.078
Bear: something about feeling like that you're walking
00:28:37.078 --> 00:28:40.715
In places that jesus actually walked.
00:28:40.715 --> 00:28:44.418
You know, i'm not kind of-- i never feel like
00:28:44.418 --> 00:28:47.755
I've been a super devout person or anything like that,
00:28:47.755 --> 00:28:50.858
But actually being in the place where you think he walked
00:28:50.858 --> 00:28:54.395
Amongst these hills, it's hard to explain.
00:28:54.395 --> 00:29:03.871
Bear: most of my life, these jesus stories
00:29:03.871 --> 00:29:06.607
Have felt so far away.
00:29:06.607 --> 00:29:08.643
But being here, walking amongst the ruins
00:29:08.643 --> 00:29:11.779
On the very hillsides where jesus taught,
00:29:11.779 --> 00:29:13.948
It makes these stories feel so close and alive.
00:29:13.948 --> 00:29:17.552
♪♪♪
00:29:17.552 --> 00:29:24.992
Jesus spent most of his time around galilee, but some
00:29:24.992 --> 00:29:28.996
Of the biggest moments of his life and in history
00:29:28.996 --> 00:29:31.566
Took place in the paved city streets of jerusalem.
00:29:31.566 --> 00:29:35.570
This is where jesus earned his reputation
00:29:35.570 --> 00:29:38.072
As the ultimate renegade.
00:29:38.072 --> 00:29:40.942
Jerusalem is about 80 miles or 130 kilometers from galilee,
00:29:40.942 --> 00:29:45.513
Which would have been a week-long journey for jesus
00:29:45.513 --> 00:29:48.149
And his friends.
00:29:48.149 --> 00:29:49.817
But on a modern chariot like mine, it only takes me
00:29:49.817 --> 00:29:52.086
A few short hours.
00:29:52.086 --> 00:29:56.757
Jesus made some pretty dramatic appearances
00:29:56.757 --> 00:29:59.293
Within these city walls.
00:29:59.293 --> 00:30:01.829
At only 12 years old, he famously ditched his parents
00:30:01.829 --> 00:30:05.166
And schooled the religious leaders.
00:30:05.166 --> 00:30:07.935
As an adult, he flipped tables in the temple.
00:30:07.935 --> 00:30:11.505
He even called out some very powerful
00:30:11.505 --> 00:30:14.041
And very corrupt people.
00:30:14.041 --> 00:30:16.310
I would have loved to have seen that.
00:30:16.310 --> 00:30:18.946
One of my favorite stories was thought to be a myth
00:30:18.946 --> 00:30:22.049
Because historians could find no evidence
00:30:22.049 --> 00:30:24.452
Of a site that is only mentioned in the gospel of john.
00:30:24.452 --> 00:30:27.855
But all that changed when archaeologists
00:30:27.855 --> 00:30:30.491
Made a shocking discovery right here
00:30:30.491 --> 00:30:32.727
In the middle of jerusalem.
00:30:32.727 --> 00:30:34.629
It's a place we know as the pools of bethesda.
00:30:34.629 --> 00:30:39.066
As the story goes, these pools held mystical power
00:30:39.066 --> 00:30:42.703
And when an angel stirred the water,
00:30:42.703 --> 00:30:44.705
The first person to enter would be healed.
00:30:44.705 --> 00:30:47.842
That's where jesus finds a lame man.
00:30:47.842 --> 00:30:50.878
After decades of waiting for his miracle,
00:30:50.878 --> 00:30:53.381
Jesus healed him in an instant.
00:30:53.381 --> 00:30:57.885
I'm here to meet danny herman, an expert
00:30:57.885 --> 00:31:00.021
In first century history.
00:31:00.021 --> 00:31:02.356
Because of his love for bible archaeology,
00:31:02.356 --> 00:31:04.558
He's known to most as danny digger.
00:31:04.558 --> 00:31:06.360
Bear: hey, danny.
00:31:06.360 --> 00:31:07.762
Danny herman: hey, hey, what's up?
00:31:07.762 --> 00:31:09.196
Bear: yeah, what a great place.
00:31:09.196 --> 00:31:10.598
Danny: yes, this is one of the most fascinating
00:31:10.598 --> 00:31:12.667
Archaeological sites in jerusalem.
00:31:12.667 --> 00:31:15.436
Also links to the new testament in such a bright way.
00:31:15.436 --> 00:31:19.173
Bear: and was this like a formal religious place at all
00:31:19.173 --> 00:31:21.575
Or not?
00:31:21.575 --> 00:31:23.010
Danny: yes, first of all, in the days of jesus,
00:31:23.010 --> 00:31:24.912
It was related to sacrificial activity
00:31:24.912 --> 00:31:27.181
And purification.
00:31:27.181 --> 00:31:28.916
In pagan times, we are standing right now
00:31:28.916 --> 00:31:31.452
In an area that in late roman pagan times
00:31:31.452 --> 00:31:34.221
Was associated with pagan healing.
00:31:34.221 --> 00:31:36.624
They worshiped here asclepius, the pagan god of healing.
00:31:36.624 --> 00:31:39.760
Bear: at the time of jesus, rome ruled the world,
00:31:39.760 --> 00:31:43.297
And wherever the romans went, they brought their gods
00:31:43.297 --> 00:31:45.900
With them.
00:31:45.900 --> 00:31:47.468
Two thousand years ago, this site was dedicated
00:31:47.468 --> 00:31:49.770
To asclepius, son of apollo, the god of health and healing,
00:31:49.770 --> 00:31:53.941
Which makes this a wild place for jesus to show up.
00:31:53.941 --> 00:31:57.645
Bear: so, what, jesus would have come
00:31:57.645 --> 00:31:59.647
Over the mount of olives, down to here?
00:31:59.647 --> 00:32:03.884
Danny: yes, he was a native of the galilee
00:32:03.884 --> 00:32:05.886
But he came a few times to jerusalem
00:32:05.886 --> 00:32:08.489
According to the gospel of john.
00:32:08.489 --> 00:32:10.491
He, according to the text, sees a sick person.
00:32:10.491 --> 00:32:13.594
That sick person couldn't reach the water.
00:32:13.594 --> 00:32:15.896
It was going up and down.
00:32:15.896 --> 00:32:17.498
It was fluctuating for some reason.
00:32:17.498 --> 00:32:19.266
And each time the water was being stirred,
00:32:19.266 --> 00:32:21.569
According to the text, others ran first
00:32:21.569 --> 00:32:23.938
And got healed.
00:32:23.938 --> 00:32:25.606
So no one cared for him.
00:32:25.606 --> 00:32:27.441
So jesus performs the healing miracle
00:32:27.441 --> 00:32:29.777
And he heals him.
00:32:29.777 --> 00:32:31.479
Bear: for 38 years, this man had been unable to walk.
00:32:31.479 --> 00:32:34.648
He came to a pagan center for healing.
00:32:34.648 --> 00:32:37.151
Instead, he met the true healer.
00:32:37.151 --> 00:32:39.453
I like to imagine this as an epic showdown
00:32:39.453 --> 00:32:42.189
Between jesus, the son of the hebrew god,
00:32:42.189 --> 00:32:44.925
Versus asclepius, the son of apollo.
00:32:44.925 --> 00:32:47.695
But it's jesus who shows the real power.
00:32:47.695 --> 00:32:51.098
Bear: yeah, it's interesting that he goes to the places
00:32:51.098 --> 00:32:53.601
Of mercy, healing, regular people,
00:32:53.601 --> 00:32:58.005
Washing, cleansing.
00:32:58.005 --> 00:32:59.807
He's not-- he's not going
00:32:59.807 --> 00:33:01.475
To the kings in the temple.
00:33:01.475 --> 00:33:03.177
Danny: jesus is a social rebel and a miracle maker.
00:33:03.177 --> 00:33:06.380
Jesus goes to the paralytic, to the leper,
00:33:06.380 --> 00:33:09.717
To the prostitutes, to the taxmen.
00:33:09.717 --> 00:33:12.019
Everyone hated the people collecting tax
00:33:12.019 --> 00:33:14.021
And even he would address them, okay?
00:33:14.021 --> 00:33:16.791
And his repeated message is, "i come to help the sick,
00:33:16.791 --> 00:33:19.693
The needed."
00:33:19.693 --> 00:33:21.195
And this is one of the great places
00:33:21.195 --> 00:33:22.663
Where he demonstrates that.
00:33:22.663 --> 00:33:24.065
Bear: i like that.
00:33:24.065 --> 00:33:25.499
It's just like, this is the renegade in him,
00:33:25.499 --> 00:33:27.301
Turning everything on its head.
00:33:27.301 --> 00:33:29.170
Always loving, accepting, reaching out.
00:33:29.170 --> 00:33:32.039
You can sense this energy around him in his life
00:33:32.039 --> 00:33:35.976
Beginning to build now.
00:33:35.976 --> 00:33:38.679
Bear: the people seemed to love jesus,
00:33:38.679 --> 00:33:41.015
But he also made some powerful enemies.
00:33:41.015 --> 00:33:43.851
Remember when he flipped tables in the temple?
00:33:43.851 --> 00:33:46.654
Turns out this money-making operation
00:33:46.654 --> 00:33:48.823
Was run by the jewish high priest, caiaphas.
00:33:48.823 --> 00:33:52.193
I like to think of him as a religious mob boss
00:33:52.193 --> 00:33:55.696
And to him, jesus was the ultimate threat.
00:33:55.696 --> 00:33:58.866
So caiaphas had jesus arrested for breaking
00:33:58.866 --> 00:34:01.735
Jewish religious law, the penalty: death.
00:34:01.735 --> 00:34:05.773
But religious leaders couldn't carry out an execution.
00:34:05.773 --> 00:34:08.909
So that's where the roman governor
00:34:08.909 --> 00:34:11.112
Pontius pilate enters the story.
00:34:11.112 --> 00:34:13.948
Now i'm making my way to the historic location
00:34:13.948 --> 00:34:17.952
Where jesus faced the supreme roman authority
00:34:17.952 --> 00:34:21.522
In jerusalem.
00:34:21.522 --> 00:34:24.191
Bear: pilate had an impossible decision
00:34:24.191 --> 00:34:25.726
To make with jesus.
00:34:25.726 --> 00:34:27.128
Andrew ollerton: yeah, he did, and he wanted to get--
00:34:27.128 --> 00:34:28.562
He wanted to get rid of jesus without murdering him.
00:34:28.562 --> 00:34:30.531
Bear: i'm back with my good friend,
00:34:30.531 --> 00:34:32.466
Andrew ollerton, a theologian, pastor, and author.
00:34:32.466 --> 00:34:36.403
We're here at the church of the flagellation
00:34:36.403 --> 00:34:39.273
Where the jesus story takes a very dark turn.
00:34:39.273 --> 00:34:43.410
Andrew: i mean, this hasn't got all of the dangerous stuff
00:34:43.410 --> 00:34:45.212
On it, but you can imagine when you get a bit
00:34:45.212 --> 00:34:46.947
Of pig bone and some metal on the end of this,
00:34:46.947 --> 00:34:50.050
And then this is-- the person is strapped down
00:34:50.050 --> 00:34:51.752
So their back is exposed, they're taut,
00:34:51.752 --> 00:34:54.455
Powerless to defend themselves.
00:34:54.455 --> 00:34:56.290
Imagine the lashings with this, the bits digging in.
00:34:56.290 --> 00:34:58.893
You know, that's enough to properly destroy
00:34:58.893 --> 00:35:02.163
Someone's flesh, rip them up, shred them.
00:35:02.163 --> 00:35:04.565
Bear: and i guess pilate thought showing this broken jesus
00:35:04.565 --> 00:35:07.835
Would be enough.
00:35:07.835 --> 00:35:09.336
Andrew: but it wasn't enough, you know.
00:35:09.336 --> 00:35:10.838
For the jewish leaders, caiaphas, they were--
00:35:10.838 --> 00:35:13.307
They weren't just wanting-- gunning for blood,
00:35:13.307 --> 00:35:15.442
They wanted death.
00:35:15.442 --> 00:35:17.111
You know, they wanted him to be snuffed out completely.
00:35:17.111 --> 00:35:20.147
Bear: looking back 2000 years.
00:35:20.147 --> 00:35:22.116
I can't wrap my mind around this moment.
00:35:22.116 --> 00:35:24.618
In just a few days, the same crowds
00:35:24.618 --> 00:35:27.254
Who claimed jesus as their king, were now calling
00:35:27.254 --> 00:35:30.691
For his crucifixion.
00:35:30.691 --> 00:35:32.359
It just doesn't make sense.
00:35:32.359 --> 00:35:34.361
I think pilate must have felt the same way.
00:35:34.361 --> 00:35:37.131
Even his wife had been plagued by dreams that jesus
00:35:37.131 --> 00:35:40.367
Was an innocent man.
00:35:40.367 --> 00:35:42.670
But in the end, pilate let the mob decide for him.
00:35:42.670 --> 00:35:46.774
He offered them a choice.
00:35:46.774 --> 00:35:48.776
He could free jesus or free a murderer called barabbas.
00:35:48.776 --> 00:35:55.115
The people chose to free barabbas,
00:35:55.115 --> 00:35:58.886
And to jesus, they shouted, "crucify him."
00:35:58.886 --> 00:36:03.157
So pilate washed his hands of responsibility
00:36:03.157 --> 00:36:07.061
And surrendered jesus to his brutal roman guards.
00:36:07.061 --> 00:36:16.000
And surrendered jesus to his brutal roman guards.
00:36:16.000 --> 00:36:18.439
Andrew: you've probably heard the crown of thorns, you know,
00:36:19.640 --> 00:36:21.976
Something maybe even chunkier than this
00:36:21.976 --> 00:36:24.345
Was pressed down onto the skull of jesus.
00:36:24.345 --> 00:36:27.781
And then there's this huge wooden beam
00:36:27.781 --> 00:36:29.383
That you have to carry and--.
00:36:29.383 --> 00:36:31.018
Bear: the cross beam. andrew: the cross beam, yeah.
00:36:31.018 --> 00:36:32.886
Andrew: so they make him carry it,
00:36:32.886 --> 00:36:34.488
Part of the punishment, yeah.
00:36:34.488 --> 00:36:36.323
And this is-- this is in the heat of the day
00:36:36.323 --> 00:36:38.659
And it's probably about 800 meters to where
00:36:38.659 --> 00:36:41.195
He's actually crucified.
00:36:41.195 --> 00:36:42.630
Bear: that's a long way.
00:36:42.630 --> 00:36:44.031
Andrew: this beam alone may have weighed
00:36:44.031 --> 00:36:45.466
About 150 pounds, 70 kg.
00:36:45.466 --> 00:36:48.369
Bear: well, that's heavy.
00:36:48.369 --> 00:36:50.371
Well, it is, and i know you work out,
00:36:50.371 --> 00:36:51.872
But we've got, you know, an opportunity
00:36:51.872 --> 00:36:53.307
Just to see if you can lift it.
00:36:53.307 --> 00:36:54.875
Bear: really? andrew: yeah, come on.
00:36:54.875 --> 00:37:00.981
Bear: wow. andrew: yeah, that on your--.
00:37:00.981 --> 00:37:08.222
Bear: ack. wow.
00:37:08.222 --> 00:37:10.557
Andrew: yeah.
00:37:10.557 --> 00:37:14.528
Bear: oh boy.
00:37:14.528 --> 00:37:16.063
Andrew: eight hundred meters, you know?
00:37:16.063 --> 00:37:17.531
And you're in good shape. you've not been flogged.
00:37:17.531 --> 00:37:20.034
Bear: we've drunk water, we're well fed.
00:37:20.034 --> 00:37:22.102
I mean, imagine the state that jesus,
00:37:22.102 --> 00:37:24.071
The amount of blood he's lost.
00:37:24.071 --> 00:37:28.676
I'm not man enough to be able to--
00:37:28.676 --> 00:37:30.744
I'm no jesus, to be able to carry that 800 meters.
00:37:30.744 --> 00:37:33.247
But let's walk it.
00:37:33.247 --> 00:37:34.782
Andrew: the via dolorosa? okay, let's do it.
00:37:34.782 --> 00:37:38.852
Bear: jesus was a dead man walking.
00:37:38.852 --> 00:37:41.388
His path to crucifixion is called the via dolorosa,
00:37:41.388 --> 00:37:45.526
Which means the way of suffering.
00:37:45.526 --> 00:37:48.429
Being here, walking on the very same path
00:37:48.429 --> 00:37:51.231
Where jesus carried his cross, it feels heavy and sacred.
00:37:51.231 --> 00:37:57.371
Along this winding road are 14 stations,
00:37:57.371 --> 00:38:00.874
Each representing a key moment in jesus's journey to death,
00:38:00.874 --> 00:38:05.546
From the trial before pilate all the way to golgotha,
00:38:05.546 --> 00:38:10.417
The site of the horrific crucifixion,
00:38:10.417 --> 00:38:12.986
Death, and burial of jesus.
00:38:12.986 --> 00:38:16.323
By now, the people had known jesus
00:38:16.323 --> 00:38:18.559
As a refugee, an impoverished child
00:38:18.559 --> 00:38:21.295
Fleeing his homeland.
00:38:21.295 --> 00:38:23.130
They'd known him as a renegade, who defied religious
00:38:23.130 --> 00:38:25.899
And political powers.
00:38:25.899 --> 00:38:27.768
And in his death, he becomes a redeemer.
00:38:27.768 --> 00:38:31.772
His mission granted people freedom,
00:38:31.772 --> 00:38:34.174
Not from empires and governments,
00:38:34.174 --> 00:38:36.410
But from the forces that imprison us from within.
00:38:36.410 --> 00:38:41.915
So once again, i'm heading out of the city.
00:38:41.915 --> 00:38:44.651
I want to know what that dark terrible moment
00:38:44.651 --> 00:38:47.187
Was really like when jesus's body
00:38:47.187 --> 00:38:50.424
Was finally sealed inside that pitch black tomb.
00:38:50.424 --> 00:38:58.932
I'm back with my friend christine caine, this time
00:38:58.932 --> 00:39:02.102
In an empty cave.
00:39:02.102 --> 00:39:04.605
Jesus would have been buried in a place just like this.
00:39:04.605 --> 00:39:08.308
Bear: it's funny, i've spent so much of my time,
00:39:08.308 --> 00:39:10.978
You know, on adventures, surviving, often in caves
00:39:10.978 --> 00:39:13.313
And there's such a feel, isn't there, once you go in,
00:39:13.313 --> 00:39:16.316
You can't hear the outside world,
00:39:16.316 --> 00:39:17.818
It's cool, you know.
00:39:17.818 --> 00:39:19.386
But also i suppose for indigenous cultures,
00:39:19.386 --> 00:39:22.022
It was also a place of death.
00:39:22.022 --> 00:39:24.324
Christine caine: the deal is he was put in a cave like this
00:39:24.324 --> 00:39:26.693
With a stone put on the front of it
00:39:26.693 --> 00:39:29.296
That was at least two tons.
00:39:29.296 --> 00:39:31.398
And so this thing was sealed.
00:39:31.398 --> 00:39:34.067
Bear: so what, they would have laid
00:39:34.067 --> 00:39:35.636
The body of jesus in this cool tomb,
00:39:35.636 --> 00:39:37.538
Sealed that entrance with a two ton rock?
00:39:37.538 --> 00:39:40.040
Christine: two ton, at least.
00:39:40.040 --> 00:39:41.642
They made sure that they had guards
00:39:41.642 --> 00:39:43.210
And that that stone was rolled very securely
00:39:43.210 --> 00:39:46.413
In front of the tomb.
00:39:46.413 --> 00:39:48.348
Obviously, the religious people and the officials
00:39:48.348 --> 00:39:50.818
Didn't want anyone to try to take jesus
00:39:50.818 --> 00:39:53.821
Out of the cave.
00:39:53.821 --> 00:39:55.255
They wanted everyone to know, "oh, he is dead, dead."
00:39:55.255 --> 00:39:57.925
Bear: he's dead, he's buried, sealed, done.
00:39:57.925 --> 00:40:02.529
Christine: done-- imagine what everyone's feeling
00:40:02.529 --> 00:40:04.565
At this point.
00:40:04.565 --> 00:40:06.433
And we thought he might have been the messiah.
00:40:06.433 --> 00:40:08.402
We thought he might have overturned
00:40:08.402 --> 00:40:10.404
The roman empire.
00:40:10.404 --> 00:40:11.905
We thought he was our hope.
00:40:11.905 --> 00:40:13.674
And now he's dead, buried in a cave.
00:40:13.674 --> 00:40:16.009
Bear: so then what happens?
00:40:16.009 --> 00:40:17.711
Christine: there's in particular two women
00:40:17.711 --> 00:40:20.113
And they're the two marys.
00:40:20.113 --> 00:40:21.915
And this is where the story gets really wild
00:40:21.915 --> 00:40:24.751
Because they turn up.
00:40:24.751 --> 00:40:26.587
The stone, that two ton stone, has been moved,
00:40:26.587 --> 00:40:30.224
So the doorway is open.
00:40:30.224 --> 00:40:32.593
There is an angel sitting on top of the stone.
00:40:32.593 --> 00:40:36.697
Bright, bright, his clothes are shining bright light,
00:40:36.697 --> 00:40:40.868
And he's asking them, "why are you looking
00:40:40.868 --> 00:40:45.305
For the living amongst the dead?"
00:40:45.305 --> 00:40:47.608
And the women are absolutely freaking out.
00:40:47.608 --> 00:40:50.410
Bear: well, where we are in this cave,
00:40:50.410 --> 00:40:52.713
Down the end is a place of death.
00:40:52.713 --> 00:40:56.149
Should we go to the cave entrance?
00:40:56.149 --> 00:40:57.751
Christine: let's go.
00:40:57.751 --> 00:41:05.392
Bear: so, what, they turn up here
00:41:05.392 --> 00:41:07.227
And the stone is just gone?
00:41:07.227 --> 00:41:09.062
Christine: gone and there's an angel sitting on it.
00:41:09.062 --> 00:41:11.632
I mean, you gotta understand how supernatural this is,
00:41:11.632 --> 00:41:13.834
But not only is he not dead, you gotta laugh.
00:41:13.834 --> 00:41:17.271
He even folded, man, his grave clothes
00:41:17.271 --> 00:41:19.640
And folded them and left them in there
00:41:19.640 --> 00:41:21.808
And said, "peace out."
00:41:21.808 --> 00:41:23.610
Bear: but do you not think he could have, like,
00:41:23.610 --> 00:41:25.279
Been half dead on the cross and, like, buried, rested,
00:41:25.279 --> 00:41:29.616
Moved the rock out of the way, folded his clothes and gone?
00:41:29.616 --> 00:41:33.820
I mean, just being a cynic. well, why not?
00:41:33.820 --> 00:41:35.956
Christine: well, you know, it takes a heck of a lot
00:41:35.956 --> 00:41:38.025
More faith to believe that jesus wasn't dead.
00:41:38.025 --> 00:41:40.260
I mean, we are talking roman execution,
00:41:40.260 --> 00:41:43.764
Crucifixion, i mean, the most barbaric
00:41:43.764 --> 00:41:45.866
Form of execution ever in the history of humanity.
00:41:45.866 --> 00:41:49.336
There is not a possibility that jesus wasn't dead.
00:41:49.336 --> 00:41:52.506
Bear: i find it interesting that you say the first people
00:41:52.506 --> 00:41:55.142
That discovered this were two women.
00:41:55.142 --> 00:41:57.811
Christine: it--this is a big deal because,
00:41:57.811 --> 00:41:59.479
You know, back in those times, a woman's testimony
00:41:59.479 --> 00:42:02.816
Was never received in court.
00:42:02.816 --> 00:42:04.685
I mean, she had no rights.
00:42:04.685 --> 00:42:06.954
And totally, yeah, you couldn't have done it.
00:42:06.954 --> 00:42:09.690
So here we have the resurrection of jesus.
00:42:09.690 --> 00:42:12.893
This is what the whole christian faith
00:42:12.893 --> 00:42:14.328
Is based on.
00:42:14.328 --> 00:42:16.029
And he entrusts it to the testimony of women.
00:42:16.029 --> 00:42:19.399
I mean, this is wild.
00:42:19.399 --> 00:42:21.368
He totally empowered and dignified women.
00:42:21.368 --> 00:42:24.004
Bear: in a way, for me, that feels authentic
00:42:24.004 --> 00:42:26.640
Because it's like you-- it's not what you'd plan
00:42:26.640 --> 00:42:29.309
If you were trying to hoax it.
00:42:29.309 --> 00:42:31.845
Christine: well, that's what i think,
00:42:31.845 --> 00:42:33.480
Because it turns everything on its head because you think,
00:42:33.480 --> 00:42:35.382
"i wouldn't do that," but he did that.
00:42:35.382 --> 00:42:37.651
His first word, the resurrected jesus,
00:42:37.651 --> 00:42:40.387
Is, "woman."
00:42:40.387 --> 00:42:42.155
And then he's like, "mary."
00:42:42.155 --> 00:42:44.024
As soon as she hears her name with his voice, she knows
00:42:44.024 --> 00:42:47.494
That this thing's real.
00:42:47.494 --> 00:42:49.262
Bear: and who else did he then appear to?
00:42:49.262 --> 00:42:51.098
Christine: well, to the disciples, to peter,
00:42:51.098 --> 00:42:54.167
To 500 other people.
00:42:54.167 --> 00:42:56.069
Bear: five hundred?
00:42:56.069 --> 00:42:57.704
Christine: five hundred documented eyewitness accounts.
00:42:57.704 --> 00:42:59.940
Bear: there's something powerful about actually going inside
00:42:59.940 --> 00:43:03.877
This sort of place.
00:43:03.877 --> 00:43:05.445
It really is a place of death.
00:43:05.445 --> 00:43:07.180
It's cold, it's dark, it's where bodies
00:43:07.180 --> 00:43:09.850
Were left sealed to decompose.
00:43:09.850 --> 00:43:12.886
And in any other story, this is where stories end.
00:43:12.886 --> 00:43:19.026
But for me, what is so intriguing,
00:43:19.026 --> 00:43:20.861
So powerful, about this journey is that on this rare occasion,
00:43:20.861 --> 00:43:26.733
The tomb is actually just the beginning.
00:43:26.733 --> 00:43:33.440
Bear: the jesus story reaches its epic high point
00:43:33.440 --> 00:43:36.410
At the mount of olives.
00:43:36.410 --> 00:43:39.079
In a final show of divinity, jesus ascends into the heavens
00:43:39.079 --> 00:43:43.717
While his friends and followers watch.
00:43:43.717 --> 00:43:46.920
That's where he commissions them with a new mission:
00:43:46.920 --> 00:43:50.290
Go into all the world to tell his story,
00:43:50.290 --> 00:43:54.061
To share his love.
00:43:54.061 --> 00:43:55.996
He called this the good news.
00:43:55.996 --> 00:43:58.765
And to me, that's exactly what this is.
00:43:58.765 --> 00:44:03.670
The story of the great refugee, the renegade, and the redeemer:
00:44:03.670 --> 00:44:09.643
Jesus of nazareth.
00:44:09.643 --> 00:44:09.643

Bear Grylls: Behind the Story | Jesus: Refugee, Renegade, Redeemer

January 29, 2025 | S1:E6

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