Behind the Bible Verse: The Stories and History Behind Scripture

The Prodigal Son: Two Sons and a Party

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 19:06:28 GMT

A younger son asks for his inheritance early, leaves home, and spends it all in a distant country, until he is so hungry he envies the pigs he's been hired to feed. He heads home rehearsing an apology. His father sees him coming from far off, and runs.

We read Jesus's parable from Luke 15 in full, then step into its world: what it meant to ask for your share while your father still lived, why feeding pigs was the lowest a Jewish listener could imagine, why a grown man running would have startled the village, and the robe, ring and sandals that said more than any speech. We also meet the elder brother, standing outside the party, and look at how Rembrandt painted the scene near the end of his life. We close with one question to carry with you.

Scripture reading: Luke 15:11–32, from the World English Bible (British Edition), public domain.

Made with the assistance of AI, using an AI model of the host's voice.

Jonah: The Prophet Who Ran the Other Way

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 19:03:52 GMT

God tells Jonah to go east to Nineveh, the great city of Assyria. Jonah gets up and heads in exactly the opposite direction, buying passage on a ship bound for the far edge of the known world. Then the storm comes.

We read the first chapter of the Book of Jonah in full, then step into its world: why a prophet of Israel would dread Nineveh above any other city, the old port of Joppa, the sailors casting lots on deck, and the long history of a "great fish" that only later became a whale. We close with one question to carry with you.

Scripture reading: Jonah 1, from the World English Bible (British Edition), public domain.

Made with the assistance of AI, using an AI model of the host's voice.

Ruth: Where You Go, I Will Go

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 19:01:18 GMT

A famine, a move to a foreign land, and three funerals leave Naomi with nothing but two widowed daughters-in-law. When she sets out for home in Bethlehem, one of them, Ruth, refuses to leave her, and makes one of the most famous promises in the Bible.

We read the first chapter of the Book of Ruth in full, then step into its world: life in the time of the judges, the long, uneasy history between Israel and Moab, what it meant to be a widow with no sons, and why Bethlehem's barley harvest matters to how the story ends. We close with one question to carry with you.

Scripture reading: Ruth 1, from the World English Bible (British Edition), public domain.

Made with the assistance of AI, using an AI model of the host's voice.