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Luke: To Theophilus, from Luke. May grace and peace be yours. I write to you from Jerusalem where I continue my quest to chronicle the life of Jesus of Nazareth, whom we call the Christ. Since my last letter, I have been searching unsuccessfully for Mary, the mother of Jesus, who narrowly escaped harm at the hands of both the Romans and a band of warring Zealots. She has disappeared, and I pray to a safer place.

Meanwhile, I continue my inquiries around Jerusalem in the hope of finding other witnesses who knew and spoke with Jesus. Thus far, I’ve encountered mostly silence and closed doors. Jerusalem is a tense place. The skirmishes between the Romans and Zealots continue, though the Romans maintain the upper hand. The current governor, Gessius Florus, rules with an iron fist, flouting Roman authority while he personally exploits corruption in ways I never thought possible of a Roman leader. Bribes are commonplace. Justice is a mockery, and—come in!

Guest (Male): I'm sorry to trouble you, sir.

Luke: Ah, Innkeeper. If this is about the payment for the room, I was about to come and see you.

Guest (Male): Oh no, sir. It’s another matter altogether, altogether, sir. You are a doctor, yes?

Luke: Yes, I am.

Guest (Male): I knew it! I even said to my wife, “This is a learned man, a scholar, or or a doctor.” I said so!

Luke: What can I do for you?

Guest (Male): Well, there’s someone who’s been hurt behind the inn. Run over by a Roman Centurion on horseback, I don’t doubt. Please come to attend to him.

Luke: Yes, of course. I will collect my satchel and follow you straight away. Where is he?

Guest (Male): Down this alley, just around that corner.

Luke: You left him in an alley? Why didn’t you bring him in? What are you doing? Don’t linger, man, show me where he is.

Guest (Male): I can’t. You must go alone.

Luke: What?

Guest (Male): Good. That was easy. All right, boys, time up. And this time, make sure the bag over his head is secure. We don’t want any slip-ups after all that.

Dave Arnold: Hello, I'm Dave Arnold, producer for Focus on the Family Radio Theatre. In the first chapter of the Luke Reports, we heard how the physician Luke, hoping to save the life of his friend Paul, was commissioned by a Roman Senator to chronicle the life of Jesus of Nazareth. This meant traveling to Israel, where Luke encountered the oppressive Romans, violent rebels, elderly witnesses, and the stories surrounding two miraculous births.

And that was only the beginning of Luke’s dramatic quest, and as we’re about to hear, the many troubles and traps of first-century Jerusalem are about to catch him unawares. Join us in a moment as Focus on the Family Radio Theatre presents Chapter 2 of the Luke Reports, “A Time of Madness.”

Guest (Male): Classic adventure! The main event is a seven-lap contest between chariot and horse! I am the only person alive who can tell you the true fate of your mother and sister. I dare not endanger his life! Unforgettable drama! Stories that will touch your heart! Here, quick! There’s a child in here. A child? All alone in a place like this? Mercy on us! Who is she? I am Mary Lennox.

These audio dramas are available for you and your family to treasure for years to come. Produced by Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre, stories like Ben-Hur, Silas Marner, and the Secret Garden can be yours. For more information, the number is 1-800-A-FAMILY, or visit our website at radiotheatre.org. Focus on the Family Radio Theatre: Bring the adventure home!

Guest (Male): We have to go back to the basics. We have to go to the game plan that God gives people for tough cultural moments like this one.

That’s John Stonestreet from Truth Rising: The Study. In this powerful resource, we invite you to rediscover how godly hope, truth, identity, and calling can equip you to live boldly in your faith. Reconnect with God’s purpose, be equipped, be encouraged, live faithfully. Learn more at truthrising.com.

Luke: Oh, good heavens! My head feels like a Macedonian slave drum.

Hezekiah: Did you rest well?

Luke: You must be joking. Would you mind untying my hands? I would like to examine my injury.

Hezekiah: I don’t mind at all, as long as you promise to behave yourself.

Luke: Thank you. By what shall I promise? Are you loyal to heaven? To Rome? To the Temple?

Hezekiah: We are loyal to the idea that our land should be free from the Romans.

Luke: Ah, you are Zealots then.

Hezekiah: We are the Sicarii.

Luke: Oh, I’ve heard of you.

Hezekiah: And what have you heard?

Luke: You are a ruthless and brutal bunch.

Hezekiah: An exaggeration.

Luke: Well, not if my experience is a sampling. I have a bump the size of Damascus on the back of my head, thanks to you.

Hezekiah: I can see we’re not known for our gentleness. What else do you know of us?

Luke: I know that you are determined to cause as much trouble for the Romans and Roman-loving Jews as you can, and by any means possible.

Hezekiah: Diplomatically put.

Luke: Yes, or in other words, you’re thieves, barbarians, and assassins.

Hezekiah: We’re patriots.

Luke: If you say so.

Hezekiah: But you don’t agree with our goals.

Luke: If your goals are for freedom, true freedom, then yes, I am with you. But if your methods to attain that freedom involve terrorizing and butchering innocent people, then no, I am against you.

Hezekiah: You speak bravely considering your circumstances, and I respect that.

Luke: Well, that’s something, I suppose.

Hezekiah: But I do not respect a man like you who comes here with clean white hands, hands that have obviously never held a sword or battled for freedom, and passes judgment on us. How else are we to fight the Romans except with extreme actions? And those actions, like the broad brush of a broom, will sweep along everyone in its path, innocent or guilty.

Luke: Yes, that’s what people always say when they want to kill in the name of a cause. Look, what do you want with me? I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.

Hezekiah: Hezekiah. And you are Luke the physician.

Luke: Yes, I am.

Hezekiah: You’ve been wandering the streets, asking a lot of questions.

Luke: Not a lot of questions, Hezekiah. Only one. Where can I find those who know about Jesus of Nazareth?

Hezekiah: What’s your interest in him?

Luke: I am writing an account of his life in order to save the life of a friend of mine.

Hezekiah: What friend?

Luke: Paul. Once known as Saul of Tarsus.

Hezekiah: I know of him.

Luke: Well, he is in prison in Rome. There is a Senator there who believes an objective account of the words and works of Jesus will be of value in Paul’s defense. I’m here to provide that account.

Hezekiah: Well, that’s very interesting. Did you hear that, Judah?

Judah: Yes, I heard.

Hezekiah: This is Judah, my second-in-command. He brought you here.

Luke: Greetings. Though you’ll excuse me if I don’t get up, my head is still spinning from your invitation.

Hezekiah: So, what do you think, Judah?

Judah: I think he’s a Roman spy and we should kill him immediately.

Hezekiah: As I could have guessed. Why do you ask me? Because I value your opinion, of course. What did you find in his belongings? Anything to contradict what he said?

Judah: No, he carries herbs and vials of other things I couldn’t figure out. A lot of parchment, some with writing.

Hezekiah: What kind of writing?

Judah: Don’t mock me, you know I can’t read.

Hezekiah: That’s right. You see, doctor, Judah is the result of Roman rule. Those in his village who might have taught him to read, among many other things, were killed. Murdered by the Romans. What do you say to that?

Luke: If you’re expecting me to defend the Romans, then you’ve come to the wrong man. I am no more enjoined to their cause than I am to yours.

Hezekiah: Then you sit on a fence like the lily-livered coward I suspect you are.

Luke: You assume there are only two causes for which to fight. My cause is a different one.

Hezekiah: The cause of Jesus.

Luke: Correct.

Hezekiah: Then you have no cause at all. Jesus is dead. Killed by the Romans, just as they and their kind have killed all our teachers and prophets. You should understand, doctor, that some of us were followers.

Luke: Of Jesus?

Hezekiah: Some followed Jesus until his death. I, on the other hand, was a follower of John, the one they called the Baptizer.

Luke: Ah, I’ve been hoping to speak with followers of John.

Judah: I thought your story was about Jesus.

Luke: Well, I don’t see how you can write about Jesus without referring to the work of John. If you knew him, then perhaps you can help me.

Hezekiah: You’ll get no help from me, Roman.

Luke: I’m Greek, thank you.

Hezekiah: I’ll tell you a little about John, and why I considered him a greater man than Jesus was.

Luke: And I’d be interested to hear it.

Hezekiah: Unlike Jesus, John spoke out against our leaders, Herod Antipas in particular. John attacked corruption wherever he saw it. You’ll have to remember that it was somewhere around the 15th year of rule by Tiberius, the Roman Emperor. Pilate was the governor over Judea, Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee, and in the great Temple, Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. Oh, such a dull time, as if thick cobwebs had covered our notions of freedom. Nothing much had happened to stir up the people. No one challenged the Romans, at least no one of consequence.

And then suddenly there was a man traveling from town to town, what actually went from river to river. He seemed to appear from nowhere, from the wilderness, we were told. John, son of Zechariah.

John the Baptist: Repent! Turn from your sins and be baptized! Look to God for your forgiveness! Turn to God now!

Hezekiah: I was a young man then, and I remember the excitement everyone felt. Here was a prophet of God right in our own midst. Some even said he was described by Isaiah in our holy scriptures.

Luke: How so?

Judah: Oh, it’s been so long now. I’ll tell you what it was. Isaiah said, “He’s a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming. Make straight the road for him. Fill in the valleys and level the mountains. Straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places, and then all people will see the salvation of God.’”

Luke: Well remembered, Judah.

Judah: But you can’t read! How do you know the scriptures?

Hezekiah: From memory. I cannot read, but I remember what I’ve been told and what’s been said. And that passage of scripture from Isaiah was often quoted about John.

Luke: So the people believed in him?

Hezekiah: Who can say what the people truly believed? But they came to him, though I think many came because it was the popular thing to do. But John saw through that.

John the Baptist: You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming judgment of God? Show in your lives that you’ve turned from your sins and have returned to God!

Hezekiah: He spoke directly to anyone and everyone. “What shall we do?” they asked. I remember seeing tax collectors plead with him for help.

Luke: And what did John say to them?

John the Baptist: You ask me what you should do? Then I’ll tell you! Show how honest you are! Take nothing more than the Roman government requires you to take!

Hezekiah: I’ll tell you what was more amazing. Soldiers came to John for advice. Was John afraid? Not at all. He treated them no differently than anyone else.

John the Baptist: Stop abusing your authority by extorting money and accusing innocent people of things they didn’t do! Be content with what you have!

Luke: So you followed John because he was a radical teacher who wouldn’t take any nonsense from the people in charge, is that it?

Hezekiah: No, no, no, it was more than that. You see, John brought with him a great sense of expectancy. Suddenly we began to think, to hope, that he was the Messiah, the one who’d come to free us from the Romans. But he soon took care of that notion.

John the Baptist: Listen carefully. Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am. He is so much greater, in fact, that I’m not worthy to tie his sandals. I baptize in water with water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit with fire. With his winnowing fork, he is going to separate the chaff from the grain and clear the threshing floor. The grain will be preserved, but the chaff will be thrown into a never-ending fire.

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Luke: You mentioned that you admired John for speaking out against Herod Antipas.

Hezekiah: Oh yes, Antipas had done a lot of things to upset us, but John publicly criticized Antipas for the worst of it. Something we detested above all else.

Luke: What was it?

Hezekiah: Herod Antipas had married his brother’s wife.

Luke: Ah, yes, which he did in defiance of your laws.

Hezekiah: John cried out against it for the sin that it was. Oh, Antipas didn’t like that at all, nor did Herodias, his wife. But we loved John for taking a stand. Some of us were certain that these were the seeds of revolution we’d been waiting for. Then Jesus showed up and everyone trailed after him like sheep. It was disgusting to watch.

Luke: Yes, but I understand that John endorsed Jesus. Didn’t something happen?

Hezekiah: Yes, yes, I know what you’re going to say. I’ve heard the stories. But I was there the day Jesus came to John for baptism.

Luke: And?

Hezekiah: And unlike some, I won’t swear an oath to what happened.

Luke: Why not?

Hezekiah: Because it didn’t make sense. It didn’t then, it doesn’t now.

Luke: Tell me, Hezekiah, we don’t have time for this, do we? If we’re going to kill him, let’s get on with it.

Hezekiah: Be quiet, Judah. All right, doctor, I’ll tell you briefly what happened and you can make of it what you will. John was baptizing by the Jordan River as usual when suddenly a man approached. Those of us who followed John knew there was something significant about this man because of the way John reacted. He suddenly stopped what he was doing and waited for the man to come into the water. They spoke, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. And then John baptized the man. Someone said it was Jesus, and I knew later that it was. Anyway, after the baptism, Jesus was there praying. There was nothing unusual about that, many prayed. But then I saw—

Luke: What, Hezekiah? What did you see?

Hezekiah: A bird.

Luke: A bird?

Hezekiah: Yes, some said later it was a dove. I don’t know, I don’t remember clearly. It descended on Jesus. Yes, I thought at the time this is unusual. But then there was a loud, long roll of thunder. At least I thought it was thunder. I'm not sure what to call it since there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Some say it was more than thunder though.

Luke: How could it be more than thunder if you’re not even sure that it was thunder?

Hezekiah: Well, you’ll have to ask someone else. I refuse to subscribe to superstitions. See to it, Judah.

Judah: Yes, sir.

Hezekiah: Try to appreciate that we were so excited then, so hopeful and willing to believe anything wondrous. A clap of thunder then could become, well, something else.

Luke: But what do you believe now?

Hezekiah: I believe that strange birds and mysterious sounds haven’t set us free from the Romans. Well, Judah?

Judah: Word has come from the other camp. We may take our positions now.

Hezekiah: Excellent.

Judah: But what about him?

Hezekiah: Hmm, yes. What about him?

Luke: Tell me something, Hezekiah. Do you really believe that you and all your various factions can drive out the Roman army?

Hezekiah: Isolated, no. Unified, yes.

Luke: And how do you propose to unify all the different groups?

Hezekiah: With strong visionary leadership.

Luke: Whose leadership? Yours?

Hezekiah: Why not?

Luke: How do all the other leaders feel about that?

Hezekiah: I’ll persuade them.

Luke: If you live so long.

Hezekiah: I will outlive you if you’re not careful what you say. But to show you that I’m a reasonable man, and to give you a sample of what we’re capable of doing, I will help you.

Luke: You what? How?

Hezekiah: I will send you to someone else who can tell you about John and Jesus.

Judah: But Hezekiah!

Hezekiah: Oh, calm down, Judah. It’s not as if he knows anything. He can do us no harm. In fact, he might do us some good, whether he means to or not.

Luke: I am not interested in your plots and conspiracies.

Hezekiah: It’s just as well. But to get more information for your little chronicle, you must go to the residence of Gessius Florus.

Luke: You must be joking.

Hezekiah: Well, you have Roman credentials, it should be no problem. Or if you’re worried about that, simply go to the servant’s entrance and ask for Eunice. She’ll be able to tell you more.

Luke: Eunice was a follower of John and Jesus?

Hezekiah: Mm-hmm.

Luke: And she works for the Roman governor?

Hezekiah: She also worked for Herod Antipas, and Felix, and Festus. She has been invaluable to them, and us.

Luke: Ah, she is a spy for you.

Hezekiah: I’m saying only that she will be of help. But I suggest you find out what you can quickly, then leave Jerusalem and stay away. There are other factions who would not only see you as a threat because you carry Roman credentials, but because you’re a follower of Jesus.

Luke: Thank you for the advice.

Hezekiah: Judah, I want you to escort him, then come back to me immediately.

Judah: Escort him? I’d rather run a blade through him.

Hezekiah: At some other time. For now, I want you to obey me. Blindfold him and guide him through the sewers. Go up to the street and then walk together to the Governor’s house like two old friends. You can tell him about your experience with Jesus.

Judah: I’d rather not.

Hezekiah: And I would rather that you do. It’ll keep your mind off trouble. Do you understand?

Judah: Yes, sir. Well, come on, doctor. Mind the baskets to your left. Ah, yeah, thank you. All right, stop. I’ll take the blindfold off now.

Luke: Yes, again, thank you.

Judah: This way to the Governor’s house. Actually, it’s part of a palace that used to belong to the first Herod, the one some call Herod the Great. It’s in the upper city, as you’d expect. Hezekiah asked you to tell me about Jesus. Hezekiah is trying to embarrass me.

Luke: It embarrasses you to talk about Jesus?

Judah: I was a boy and easily swayed. I was one of the ones who chased after Jesus after the baptism. It was a mistake. I soon saw him for the charlatan he was.

Luke: A charlatan? What do you mean?

Judah: I’ll explain, but you won’t like it.

Luke: Well, I’m willing to hear anything as long as it’s the truth.

Judah: This is the truth, all right. After the baptism, Jesus went off into the desert for a while, to pray, I suppose. We waited and waited and then he came out. He seemed invigorated, as if he’d had a vision or something. Anyway, he began to preach on the hillsides, in the temples, anywhere he could. And in Galilee, he seemed to perform miracles. And he began to welcome the sick, the lame, the blind and deaf, anyone who came to him with an illness, and he healed them.

Luke: You saw these healings?

Judah: Yes, I did. And I thought, here is a true man of God, a prophet who may be even greater than John the Baptist. Surely he will herald in a new age. He will announce the coming of the Messiah who will free us from the Romans.

Luke: Go on.

Judah: Jesus was very popular. Then we arrived in Nazareth, which I learned was his boyhood home. Strangely enough, he preached but wouldn’t heal. It was as if his powers had gone. The people were confused, so many had heard about him, so many had come. I was confused and annoyed. I didn’t understand it at all.

Luke: Did you ask him about it?

Judah: Me? Talk to him directly? Not a chance. I was just a kid who followed him around. Anyway, as was his habit, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. As a gesture of honor, the teachers asked him to read the scriptures. The scroll that day was from Isaiah.

Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, to reveal sight to the blind, to free the oppressed from their oppressors, to proclaim that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Today this scripture is fulfilled right here before you.

Guest (Male): What is he saying? How can this be? Is he declaring himself to be—no! No, I dare not say it! But he’s one of us! He was Joseph’s son! There’s nothing special about him! Right! How dare you make yourself out to be better than we are! How dare—

Jesus: I know what’s in your hearts. You’re saying to yourselves, “Physician, heal yourself.” And some of you are thinking, “Prove yourself. Do here in your hometown the same things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” But the truth is, no prophet is accepted in that prophet’s hometown.

Guest (Male): What are you saying? Are you judging us? Is that it? Are you judging our faith, Joseph’s son?

Jesus: Remember this: there were many widows in Israel who needed help in the time of Elijah. The heavens were shut up three years and six months and there was a severe famine over all the land. Yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.

Guest (Male): You are judging us! Who do you think you are?

Jesus: There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman, who was Syrian.

Guest (Male): You’re saying that we’ve been rejected for our lack of faith? You insolent—the arrogance! Are you rejecting us, Joseph’s son? I’ve heard enough! Get him out of this holy place! Drag him out! Get out!

Judah: It was a full-fledged riot. I’d never seen anything like it. By the time they dragged Jesus out of the synagogue, the mob had decided to kill him. But you want to know something? I wanted to kill him myself.

Luke: Why?

Judah: He’d made himself out to be the Messiah. He’d said as much in the synagogue.

Luke: And you didn’t believe him.

Judah: Of course not! Are you mad? He was a mere carpenter from Nazareth. Everyone knew he was the son of Joseph and Mary, that was all. I could accept him as a teacher, even as a worker of miracles, but not as the Messiah. No, I was with the crowd, and even encouraged them on when someone suggested we throw Jesus off a cliff.

Luke: But the violence went that far?

Judah: It would have gone further than that if—

Luke: If what?

Judah: Well, there’s some confusion about it all.

Luke: Oh?

Judah: We got him to the edge of the cliff and then he got away.

Luke: Well, how? Did his followers rescue him?

Judah: No, he just seemed to slip through the crowd and disappear.

Luke: Let me get this straight. The crowd had pressed in all around him in order to throw him off the cliff.

Judah: Yes.

Luke: So there was the crowd on one side and the cliff on the other.

Judah: Yes.

Luke: But he slipped away.

Judah: There was a lot of confusion, like I said. I don’t know how he did it, but he got away.

Luke: And that didn’t impress you?

Judah: Not at all! He performed a trick of some sort, like the charlatan he was.

Luke: I see.

Judah: I told you I don’t like to talk about it. Little wonder when the events fly in the face of your good sense. That’s right. Now, what else can you tell me? No, I have nothing else to say to you. Anyway, we’re here, well near enough. Just follow this street straight on, you can’t miss it. Or do I need to hold your hand?

Luke: I think I can find my way. Thank you, Judah.

Judah: Just watch yourself, doctor.

Dave Arnold: Next time on Focus on the Family Radio Theatre, the Luke Reports continue.

Hezekiah: Where are we going? To Gessius Florus. You are a doctor from Rome. You must go to extremes to survive here. Is there a servant here named Eunice? I was told she could help me. Who would have told you such a thing?

Teacher, there is a Roman officer who has a slave he loves very much. The slave is sick, near to death. Take me to him.

Dave Arnold: The Luke Reports: A Time of Madness is a production of Focus on the Family. For Focus on the Family Radio Theatre, I'm Dave Arnold. Thanks for listening.