Introduction
I thought it only fitting, since we are going to study The Teacher, Jesus, that we should understand, at least a little bit, of the place and culture of His homeland. I am definitely not an authority on the subject, but I have been to The Holy Land on three separate occasions. I, like all other pilgrims before me, have walked there and wondered, did my Lord place his feet in the spot I am placing mine? Because of my experience of listening to the ‘Jewish guides impart their knowledge about the place and culture, reading about this, and reading The Word with new insight and appreciation, I have been filled with the wonders of a truly Holy Land and its importance. I hope that you will appreciate this information about The Teacher, as much as I have. The more we learn about Him, the more we will understand Him and what He teaches us. The following are quotes from Follow The Rabbi, That The World May Know Ministries. Used with written permission.
“Jesus was born, grew up, and spent his ministry among people who knew Scripture by memory, who debated its application with enthusiasm, and who loved God with all their hearts, all their souls and all their might (Deuteronomy 6:5). God prepared this environment carefully so that Jesus would have exactly the context he needed to present his message of the Kingdom of Heaven, and his followers would understand and join his new movement. He fit his world perfectly. Understanding this helps to understand the great faith and courage of his followers who left Galilee and went to the whole world to bring the good news. Their courage, their message, the methods they used, and their complete devotion to God and His Word were born in the religious communities in the Galilee.” End Quote from Follow The Rabbi
“The Mishnah describes the educational process for a young Jewish boy in Jesus’ time. At five years old (one is fit) for the Scripture, at ten years the Mishnah (oral Torah, interpretations) at thirteen for the fulfilling of the commandments, at fifteen the Talmud (making Rabbinic interpretations), at eighteen the bride-chamber, at twenty pursuing a vocation, at thirty for authority (able to teach others). This clearly describes the exceptional student for very few would become teachers but indicates the centrality of Scripture in the education in Galilee. It is interesting to compare Jesus life to this description. Though little is stated about his childhood we know that he grew in wisdom as a boy (Luke 2:52) and that he reached the fulfilling of the commandments indicated by ones first Passover at age twelve (Luke 2:41-42). He then learned a trade (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) and spent time with John the Baptist (Luke 3:21; John 3:22-26) and began his ministry at about thirty (Luke 3:23). This parallels the Mishnah explanation quite closely.” End Quote from Follow The Rabbi
I love finding treasures about The Teacher. A treasure is something of great value, and what could be more valuable than Jesus, and to become like him through relationship with him. Nothing is more valuable!
Our journey with The Teacher will takes us through the book of John. It is about believing and following and fulfilling your purpose in life. The purpose for your existence is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. In my Bibles Study titled The Disciple, we learned from Mary of Bethany how important it is to Stop (make yourself available to the Lord), Drop (place yourself at His feet) and Listen (to gain understanding) to Jesus. Prepare yourself to be with Jesus, as your teacher.
In preparation, begin to read the book of John. Place yourself at Jesus feet and listen to what He has to say to you.
Scripture to Ponder: John 1:23b “Make straight the way for the Lord.”
This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 6:20 pm and is filed under Bible Studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
C February 3rd, 2010 at 3:27 pm
I am thankful for your Bible study and look forward to it.