Most of us learned the Lord’s Prayer before we understood what it was doing. It became a ritual, something recited rather than lived.

But when Jesus’ words are returned to their original world - the Jewish people under Roman rule, the long ache for redemption, the hope of a coming kingdom - the prayer opens up in ways most modern readers have never seen. It becomes less a mantra and more a mission.

In this conversation with Brad Gray and Brad Nelson of Walking the Text, we explore why context is not a luxury but a lifeline.

Jesus wasn’t offering a poetic devotional. He was giving His disciples a framework for partnering with God, joining the story that began in the Exodus, and learning to embody the kingdom He announced.

Every line reaches back to Israel’s history and forward to God’s future, shaping a people who would carry His reign into the world.

From the clash of kingdoms under Rome, to the Jewish practice of communal prayer, to the way the early disciples finally recognized the kingdom at Shavuot, this episode invites us to see the prayer not as ancient words but as a daily blueprint.

This is what it means to bring heaven here - to live as a people formed by the Father, trusting His provision, forgiving like He forgives, and resisting the powers that distort His world.

• Context is not extra; it’s everything. Jesus assumed His listeners knew the Jewish, historical, and literary world behind His words.
• The Lord’s Prayer sits at the “center of the center” of the Sermon on the Mount - Matthew’s way of spotlighting Jesus’ mission.
• Every phrase echoes the Exodus story and frames Jesus as the new Moses leading a new Exodus.
• “Daily bread” held layers: Israel’s wilderness manna, Rome’s grain system, and the hope of Messiah’s provision.
• Ancient Jewish prayer was communal, formational, and participatory - not merely expressive.
• Jesus’ kingdom message is not about escaping earth but joining God’s work of renewing it.
• Salvation isn’t the finish line; it’s the starting point for disciples who bring God’s reign into the world.

00:00 — Why Context Changes Everything 01:20 — What the Biblical Writers Assumed We Knew 04:20 — Discovering the Bible in “Technicolor” 06:15 — When the Lord’s Prayer Becomes Personal 09:00 — The Prayer’s Literary Center and the New Exodus 10:20 — Rome, Herod, and the Clash of Kingdoms 14:45 — Why the Disciples Needed to Be Taught to Pray 18:40 — What Jesus Is Really Forming Through This Prayer 21:00 — Kingdom, Salvation, and the Mission of Disciples 26:30 — The Phrase That Transformed Everything 29:00 — Why “For Thine Is the Kingdom…” Isn’t Original 31:50 — The Film, the Book, and the Global Project 38:00 — The Vision Behind Bringing Heaven Here

Explore more resources, teachings, and Israel study opportunities at https://thejewishroad.com.

To connect with Brad Gray and Brad Nelson, and to find the film The Lord’s Prayer and the book Bringing Heaven Here, visit https://thelordsprayer.com - your one-stop hub for the film, book, and upcoming series.

Can you question what Israel’s government is doing and still stand with Israel in a biblical way?

Many Christians feel trapped between blind support on one side and hostility on the other. In a noisy moment filled with slogans and hot takes, the conversation needs more covenant, not less.

In this episode we step back into the big story of Scripture to separate three things most people blur together: Israel’s government, the Jewish people, and God’s eternal covenant.

We look at the prophets, at Jesus, at Paul, and at the Gospel of John to see how the Bible itself models sharp internal critique without ever erasing God’s promises to Israel.

You will come away with a simple “compass” you can use before you tweet, preach, repost, or debate.

The goal is not to tell you what to think about every policy, but to help you think inside the covenant story of God, so that your words carry truth, humility, and hope for both Israel and the nations.

• The Bible gives a long history of covenant insiders critiquing Israel’s leaders while still honoring God’s choice of Israel.
• Nathan with David, Elijah with Ahab, the prophets, and Jesus in Jerusalem all confront sin to call Israel back, not to cancel the covenant.
• Romans 11 holds two truths together: regarding the gospel, Israel is an enemy; regarding election, they are beloved, and God’s calling is irrevocable.
• “The Jews” in John is better understood as “the Judeans” or specific authorities in conflict, not a timeless verdict on all Jewish people.
• Israel’s government is not the same as the Jewish people, and the people are not the same as the covenant; those distinctions really matter.
• Many Jewish people have real zeal for the God of Abraham, yet lack saving knowledge of Yeshua; our posture must be truth with tears, not contempt.
• A simple four-question “compass” can help you speak about Israel in ways that invite repentance, resist double standards, and refuse erasing language.

• 00:00 Plywood palace, welcome, and why this conversation matters
• 04:00 Can I critique Israel and not be anti-Semitic?
• 08:30 Nathan, Elijah, the prophets, and Jesus as covenant critics
• 18:00 Romans 11: enemies, beloved, and irrevocable calling
• 26:30 John’s “the Jews,” Dale Partridge, and dangerous generalizations
• 37:00 Government vs people vs covenant: three crucial distinctions
• 47:00 A four-question compass for faithful critique
• 54:00 Hanukkah teaser, ministry update, and invitation to partner

In a moment when many are either shouting at Israel or defending her without discernment, this episode offers a biblical path that refuses both contempt and confusion.

Listen in, explore more resources at thejewishroad.com, consider coming with us to Israel, and prayerfully ask if God is inviting you to be one of The Few who regularly support this work.

There’s a rising chorus of voices - some hostile, others simply misinformed - claiming that modern Jews aren’t the same people God called His own in Scripture.

In this episode, we sit down with Messianic teacher Mottel Baleston to dismantle the Khazar conspiracy and explore the deeper theological question behind it: Are the Jewish people of today truly the covenant people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Baleston traces the Jewish story through Scripture, history, and even modern genetics to show that God’s promises have never been revoked.

The Jewish people remain central to His plan of redemption, not as spiritual relics, but as living proof that God keeps His word.

This isn’t just about disproving bad history - it’s about recovering biblical clarity for the Church and real love for Israel.

• The Khazar theory is a debunked 20th-century myth rooted in antisemitism, not scholarship.
• Scripture defines Jewish identity through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - not conspiracy or culture.
• There have always been Jews in the Land of Israel - always.
• Modern DNA studies (Stanford & Wayne State) confirm genetic continuity with ancient Israel.
• The myth that “the Church replaced Israel” contradicts Romans 11, where Paul warns Gentile believers not to boast.
• Being “chosen” is not about superiority - it’s about responsibility to reveal God’s glory to the nations.
• Every believer has a calling: to reject antisemitism and stand with God’s eternal covenant people.

• 00:00 – Welcome & intro to Mottel Baleston
• 03:20 – The real question: Are modern Jews biblical Israel?
• 08:15 – Who is a Jew? Scripture’s definition
• 10:30 – The three Jewish diasporas: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi
• 18:40 – The rise of the Khazar myth
• 26:00 – DNA, history, and debunking conspiracy
• 36:00 – The spiritual roots of antisemitism
• 45:00 – God’s covenant faithfulness in Romans 11
• 48:30 – Where to learn more from Mottel Baleston

Explore more resources and join the journey at thejewishroad.com. Dive deeper into Mottel Baleston’s teaching at messiahnj.org or on YouTube by searching “Mottel Baleston”- and discover how God’s promises to Israel still shape our faith today.