In this episode, Jesus in Galilee Pt 4: Pagans of the Decapolis, Walking The Text Content Director Brad Nelson unpacks the pagans of the Decapolis. Much more than a buffer zone for Rome’s enemies on the Eastern frontier, this league of Hellenistic cities was created to showcase Greco-Roman thought and culture in the region. But the cultural crusading of the Decapolis masked a spiritual starvation for something more.
Hellenism had been moving East for hundreds of years, but it accelerated under the rule of Alexander the Great. Everywhere Alexander went, he embedded Greek culture in the language, religion, education, entertainment, and imagination of the people he conquered. But he didn’t force his culture on others. He compelled them with it. Hellenism didn’t inflict pain or fear. It inflicted pleasure, and it was profoundly sensual and alluring.
But the Gospels reveal a very different picture of the Decapolis. When Jesus crossed over to “the other side,” he encountered people who were spiritually hungry. Like Jesus, we too are called to influence the cultures we inhabit by being salt and light in a dark and decaying world. But influence is always a two-way street. By the end of Jesus in Galilee Pt 4: Pagans of the Decapolis you’ll be challenged to think deeply about “Who’s influencing who?” as you encounter the alluring cultures Jesus has sent you to influence.
To view the Discussion Questions for this episode, please go here bit.ly/jesusingalileept4
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