Drive Thru History The Gospels

We open in Jerusalem and discuss the impact of Jesus over the last 2,000 years. We present the set-up for the arrival of Jesus in the context of Jewish and Roman history. We travel to Nazareth and present the four different Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We learn the importance of genealogies as they related to a promised Jewish Messiah.

We stay in Nazareth and investigate the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel delivered very special news to a virgin girl named Mary. We explore the concepts of angels, miracles, and the importance of the Virgin Birth.

We visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and take a look at the accounts of Jesus' birth and the accounts of shepherds in the fields nearby. We explore the journey of the "Wise Men" from the East, known as Magi, and the Star of Bethlehem that summoned them. We investigate the date for Jesus' birth and the importance of Christmas traditions throughout the centuries.

We delve into the world of Herod the Great at the time of Jesus' birth. We visit a number of archaeological sites in Israel built by Herod, including the massive Herodion about seven miles south of Jerusalem. We learn about the escape of Joseph, Mary and Jesus to Egypt. We travel to Jesus' hometown of Nazareth where he later grew up.

We start with the world of Jesus' youth after the death of Herod the Great. We delve into the Roman occupation and its impact on the Jewish people. We learn about John the Baptizer and his ministry of repentance in the wilderness. We experience the baptism of Jesus at the Jordan River and his testing in the Judean desert shortly thereafter.

Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to his hometown of Nazareth, where his own people ultimately rejected him. We travel with Jesus to the Sea of Galilee, where he later settled in Capernaum. We explore the ruins of the synagogue and the house of Peter at Capernaum, and we walk the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus called fishermen to be his first disciples.