Discover Your Roots

Everything in this season traces back to one promise in Genesis. Episode three goes back to the beginning to read the Abrahamic covenant line by line, including what it says about the Promised Land, the descendants, and the blessing to all nations.

Jesse and Josiah work through Genesis 12, 15, and 17 together, from the ancient ritual where only God walks between the animals to a wrinkle in the Hebrew that still shapes this whole debate: why “offspring” shifts between one person and a whole nation. Then they follow the thread into Paul’s writing in Galatians and Ephesians, circumcision, and how Gentiles get grafted into a promise that was never originally theirs.

In this episode:

📜 The three things God actually promises Abraham: land, nationhood, and blessing

🌱 Why “offspring” means one person in some verses and a whole nation in others

🔥 The ancient covenant ritual in Genesis 15, and why God alone walks through it

🧱 How Ephesians 2 reframes circumcision as the “dividing wall” Christ breaks down

Resources and verses mentioned:

Genesis 12:1-3, 7

Genesis 15:7-21

Genesis 17:1-14

Genesis 28:14

Galatians 3:16

Ephesians 2:11-15

Acts 15, Acts 21

Learn more about Passages: https://passagesisrael.org/

This episode is sponsored by The Public Interest Fellowship (TPIF), a two-year fellowship for recent grads and young professionals in Washington, DC and New York, NY. https://publicinterestfellowship.org/programs/the-public-interest-fellowship-tpif/

Why do the end times divide Christians and Jews more than almost anything else, and does it have to? Episode two takes on eschatology, the history of dispensationalism, and what Christian Zionism actually has to do with either.

Jesse walks through his own journey away from end-times fixation and back again, the real story behind the Scofield Bible, and the three postures Christians tend to take toward the Jewish people: apocalyptic fixation, theological indifference, or what he calls covenantal solidarity. Along the way, they land on a Charles Spurgeon sermon on the Valley of Dry Bones, preached eight decades before Israel existed as a nation.

In this episode:

⏳What eschatology actually means, and why almost everyone has a theory even if they've never named it

📖 Where dispensationalism came from, and why it's not as tied to Christian Zionism as people assume

🦴Charles Spurgeon's sermon on Ezekiel 37, preached decades before 1948

🤝 The three ways Christians tend to approach the Jewish people, and which one Jesse thinks gets it right

Resources and verses mentioned:

- Ezekiel 37 (Valley of Dry Bones)

- Charles Spurgeon's sermon on Ezekiel 37, referenced in The Puritan Hope by Iain Murray

- Donald Lewis, The Origins of Christian Zionism

- Walter Russell Mead, The Arc of a Covenant

- Gerald McDermott, "The Reformed Tradition on Israel Is Diverse," The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/reformed-tradition-israel-diverse/

Learn more about Passages: https://passagesisrael.org/

This episode is sponsored by The Public Interest Fellowship (TPIF), a two-year fellowship for recent grads and young professionals in Washington, DC and New York, NY. https://publicinterestfellowship.org/programs/the-public-interest-fellowship-tpif/

Some people online are telling Christians that supporting Israel makes them a heretic. This season, we're sorting out whether that holds up, and episode one starts where it has to: agreeing on what the word 'Israel' even means.

Meet Jesse, SVP of Passages Latino, he has a backstory that shapes everything he brings to this conversation. He and Josiah open the Bible to work through what "Israel" actually means, the two categories the church has debated for two thousand years, and where that viral Tucker Carlson interview missed the point.

In this episode:

⛪️ The two kinds of "Israel" the church has argued about since the early church fathers

🎙️ Where the Tucker Carlson interview went wrong

🇮🇱 Why mixing up "the Jewish people" and "the Israeli government" derails most conversations about this

Resources and verses mentioned:

• Romans 9:6 - Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho - Origen, De Principiis
• "The Genome-Wide Structure of the Jewish People," Nature
• "Abraham's Children in the Genome Era," American Journal of Human Genetics

This episode is sponsored by The Public Interest Fellowship (TPIF), a two-year fellowship for recent grads and young professionals in Washington, DC and New York, NY. https://publicinterestfellowship.org/programs/the-public-interest-fellowship-tpif/

In Acts 10, Peter receives a vision in Joppa—a sheet lowered from heaven, filled with animals once considered unclean—and hears a command that changes everything: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” Moments later, Peter is summoned to Caesarea, the Roman seat of power, where Cornelius and his household become the first Gentiles to receive the gospel.

This story hits even deeper when you know the setting. Joppa is the ancient port where Jonah once ran from God’s call, and Peter’s hesitation echoes Jonah’s. Caesarea is filled with monuments to empire—yet it becomes the place where God makes clear that the gospel is for all people.

Join Avery Chenault and Dr. Eric Turner as they explore how geography, history, and culture bring Acts 10 to life—and what it means for us to see the world the way God does.

In Jesus’ final days, nearly every step happened within sight of the Temple Mount. From the Mount of Olives—where He entered Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna”—to the Garden of Gethsemane—where He prayed in agony and surrendered to the Father’s will—to Golgotha—where He was crucified and the temple curtain tore in two.

In this episode of Discover Your Roots, Avery Chenault is joined by Dr. Eric Turner to trace the geography of Holy Week and uncover why these locations matter. As Passover lambs were being sacrificed at the temple, Jesus—the true Passover Lamb—moved toward the cross as the final sacrifice, fulfilling prophecy and reshaping what “sacred space” truly means.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 21:1–11; Matthew 26:36–46; Matthew 27:32–54

What happened when Jesus cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem—and why does it still matter today?

In this episode of Discover Your Roots, we explore the Temple Mount, the center of Jewish worship during Jesus’ life. From overturned tables to Jesus’ declaration that God’s house should be a house of prayer for all nations, this powerful moment reveals God’s heart for true worship.

Host Avery Chenault is joined by Michael McAfee to uncover the history, geography, and spiritual significance of the Temple. From Mount Moriah and the Courts of the Gentiles to the Southern Steps and Pentecost, this episode shows how the Temple shaped Jesus’ ministry and points directly to His sacrifice.

Recommended Resources:

Holy Land Illustrated Bible: https://www.christianbook.com/csb-holy-land-illustrated-bible-hardcover/9781535997928/pd/997928?en=google&event=SHOP&kw=bibles-20-40%7C997928&p=1179710&utm_source=google&p=1234073&dv=c&cb_src=google&cb_typ=shopping&cb_cmp=20704420694&cb_adg=150161845570&cb_kyw=&utm_medium=shopping&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20704420694&gbraid=0AAAAAD_dTHakhXzJkbspWCx_WpYik6hWY&gclid=CjwKCAiAv5bMBhAIEiwAqP9GuNhdu6pZgvIreLSfEMi1aXLNsHSHdBLyk9EI9HSrtqJjxyVamwa01xoCM4sQAvD_BwE

Bible Map App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible-map/id1100364686

At Caesarea Philippi—a city filled with temples, idols, and imperial power—Jesus asked His disciples the most important question of all: “Who do you say that I am?” In this episode of Discover Your Roots, Avery Chenault is joined by pastor and professor Bobby Moss to explore how this striking setting deepens Peter’s confession and the foundation of the Church.

Set near the headwaters of the Jordan River and long associated with pagan worship and the “gates of hell,” Caesarea Philippi provides powerful context for Jesus’ declaration that nothing would prevail against His Church.

Step onto the Sea of Galilee—the setting of one of the most dramatic moments in Jesus’ ministry. In this episode of Discover Your Roots, Avery Chenault is joined by biblical scholar and pastor Jared Ulrich to explore the story of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:35–41.

Why were storms on the Sea of Galilee so sudden and dangerous? What made this lake uniquely prone to violent winds and waves? And how would Jesus’ command—“Peace, be still”—have sounded to first-century Jewish ears who believed only God had authority over the sea?

Together, Avery and Jared unpack the geography, history, and culture of Galilee, from ancient fishing boats and trade routes to the deep symbolic meaning of water and chaos in Scripture. As the disciples move from fear of the storm to awe of the One who calms it, this episode invites us to see how understanding the physical world of the Bible transforms a familiar story into a powerful revelation of who Jesus truly is.

What happened when Jesus preached His first sermon in Nazareth? Why did His hometown try to throw Him off a cliff? In this episode of Discover Your Roots, we explore Luke 4:16–30 from the breathtaking overlook of Mount Precipice.

Join host Avery Chenault and New Testament scholar Dr. Eric Turner as they stand above the Jezreel Valley to unpack one of the most dramatic moments in the Gospels. From Jesus reading Isaiah in the synagogue to the sudden shift from amazement to rage, this episode reveals how geography, culture, and biblical context deepen our understanding of Scripture.

Overlooking Mount Tabor, Mount Carmel, and Megiddo, Mount Precipice helps us see why Jesus’ words challenged expectations of the Messiah—and why His message of good news for all people sparked rejection.

What happens when a divided people are forced to choose—and heaven responds with fire?

In this episode of Discover Your Roots, host Avery Chenault journeys to Mount Carmel, the dramatic ridge where the prophet Elijah stood alone against 450 prophets of Baal and called down fire from heaven. Joined by biblical scholar Dr. Luke Bray, this episode brings the geography, history, and spiritual weight of 1 Kings 18 vividly to life.

You’ll explore why Mount Carmel was the perfect stage for this confrontation, how Israel’s spiritual compromise set the scene for Elijah’s bold challenge, and what it meant when God answered—not with words, but with consuming fire. From the meaning of Carmel as “God’s garden mountain” to the showdown that exposed false gods and turned hearts back to the Lord, this story is far more than a dramatic moment—it’s a call to faith without divided loyalty.

This is Scripture set in its original landscape, a story of fire, repentance, and renewal—still speaking powerfully to us today.

Recommended Resources:

The IVP Bible Background Commentary by Craig S. Keener

The Sacred Bridge: Carta's Atlas of the Biblical World

The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible by Michael S. Heiser

The Way of the Sea by Dr. Luke Bray (coming soon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CBN5ZVVG?ccs_id=0e311a9b-6598-4020-8138-efa22b117266)