Jesus in His Jewish Context | Exploring the World of the Gospels, the Kingdom of God, and the Roots of Early Christianity with Dr. Jeff Colburn

Before we can understand what Jesus said, we must understand the world in which He spoke.

In this episode, Dr. Jeff Colburn takes you inside the world of first-century Judaism under Roman rule — a world of empires and expectation, prophets and priests, oppression and hope.

Discover how political tension, Temple worship, and Jewish faith shaped the social landscape of the Gospels. Learn about the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Z...

What if understanding Jesus meant stepping into His world?

In this special introduction episode, Dr. Jeff Colburn welcomes you to Jesus in His Jewish Context and shares the vision behind the podcast.

You’ll discover why exploring the Jewish world of the first century—its history, Scripture, and everyday faith—opens up a richer understanding of Jesus’ message and the Gospels. Dr. Colburn explains how the podcast will bridge faith an...

What if understanding Jesus meant stepping into His world?

Jesus in His Jewish Context is a podcast that explores the Gospels through the lens of first-century Judaism — the world of the Temple, the prophets, and the Kingdom of God. Hosted by Dr. Jeff Colburn, a Bible scholar specializing in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, each episode bridges faith and history to help you see Jesus as His first disciples knew Him.

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In this episode, Angela and Jeff finish their discussion about what happens during the end times. They address the original question, "what is the rapture?" Angela shares what she learned of the end times and the rapture growing up in the church. Jeff shares the various interpretations of the end times and how some believe in the rapture while others don't.  Illustrations of the various interpretations are posted in the Safe Harbo...

This is the conclusion of the discussion from last week's episode (E12 - Experiencing the Church). In this week's episode, Angela and Jeff discuss how powerful giving our personal testimony about God is in attracting others to Jesus. Jeff shares his own experience on how he came to Christ. They conclude with what it means to make the decision to give your life to Jesus. Have questions about God? Want to be able to talk to someone...

In this episode, Angela and Jeff discuss their experience visiting a new church for an Easter service.  They share what they believe were the strengths and weaknesses of the service and how first time visitors may perceive them.  Angela and Jeff walk through their entire experience. Next week's episode will share the second half of this conversation. Topics Include:

• The parking lot before the service
• Meeting the Pastor
• Worship
...

Angela and Jeff received a question this week that causes them to explore what the Bible says about the End Times. In this episode, they discuss the Kingdom of God. Jeff shares:

• What Jesus taught of the Kingdom of God
• The stages of the Kingdom's arrival
• What is Today's Age
• What is the Age to Come
• What is the Millennium
• What did Jesus mean by "already," and "not yet."
• How believers experience the Kingdom today
• How believers will...

In this episode, Angela and Jeff discuss one of the two personal needs for our sense of self-worth. Our need for significance. People need their lives to have purpose, meaning, impact, and importance. They discuss how wrong beliefs influence our basic assumptions which lead to misguided goals that will not meet the need for significance. Failing to achieve these misguided goals have a negative impact on our self-worth and cause anx...

We are excited to announce that we are changing the name of the podcast. We are now Finding the Narrow Way podcast where we learn to live and love like Jesus. In this episode, Angela and Jeff discuss: What is the narrow way and how to find it Jesus' invitation to follow Him on the narrow way Characteristics of a Jesus follower How we are to live as Christians What it means to be obedient to God The importance of building a loving...

Angela and Jeff try something different this episode. Rather than focusing on a single topic, they provide short answers to several quick questions that they received from their audience.  - Do we really have free will? - Is Jesus the only way to salvation? - Was there a Holy Trinity before Jesus was born? - What does it mean that God created man in "our" image? - Who was Cain wife? If you have questions about this episode or any...

In this episode, Angela and Jeff respond to the questions, if God is love, why do some people suffer eternal damnation, won't all people be saved in the end, and what about people who never heard of Jesus? They discuss how God is a God of Justice as much as He is a God of Love. How there has to be atonement for our sins. And how God sent His Son to pay the penalty that we cannot pay ourselves. Basic Christianity by John Stott Eva...

In this episode, Angela and Dr. Jeff discuss the problem of evil and suffering. If God is good and all-powerful, why does He permit evil and suffering? Dr. Jeff explains the consequences of the Fall and man's rebellion against God. Book - Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis Book - Evangelism through the Local Church by Michael Green Book - Christianity for People Who Aren’t Christians by James White

If you have questions about this epis...

In this episode Angela and Dr. Jeff respond to the questions whether God has left this country and whether the church will return to being faith based and community focused and not some political tool. They discuss the state of Christianity and the church in America, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and how the church should adopt the core values defined by the early church in Acts 2:41-47. If you have questions about this...