Tag: rabbi

How much Scripture did Jesus Know?

Barbara Weber

John 12:12-16 WEB

On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, [13] they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” [14] Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, [15] “Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.” [16] His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him.

I have always wondered how much of the Word Jesus knew. Did he know the minor prophets well enough to quote them? The scripture quoted in the above passage was from Zechariah 9:9. Or, was he merely flowing in the Spirit during his life? It was when Jesus rose from the dead that he began to teach the Word to his disciples (Luke 24:27) In verse 32 of Luke 24 the disciples are in wonder that their hearts were burning as Jesus taught them. It is clear in his resurrected state Jesus had a huge knowledge of the Word of God.

But that still doesn’t answer the question; how much of the Bible did Jesus know before he rose from the dead? To understand Jesus, it is essential to look at his family history. Jesus was born into a middle-class family. That means his family would have had the means to help Jesus pursue his knowledge of the Scripture. It was common for young men from prosperous families to seek to study with a Rabbi. Jesus’ family was most likely prosperous. Furthermore, there was a major building project going on during Jesus’ lifetime. Sepphoris was the capital of Galilee and was under ongoing construction during Jesus’ life. It is also a city in which Rabbinical families settled. It is very likely Jesus spent many years walking the 3.5 miles from Nazareth to Sepphoris to work with his father Joseph.

So what does it all mean? It means that growing up, Jesus was located near the capital of Galilee. He was from a family of financial means. He also had access to rabbinical teaching because of his family’s status. It is likely that Jesus was formally trained by a Rabbi and did indeed know the scripture. Moreover, his knowledge of the scripture seems to be greater than someone who had only gone to the synagogue to learn all they knew. It is almost certain that Jesus studied the Scripture formally.

Lord, please instill in me a desire to learn more about the Bible. I want to be a worker who knows how to handle the Word responsibly. Bless my study, Lord, and help me arrive at the truth. Please fulfill my heart’s desire to know more about you, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Discounted Jesus

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John 7:13-15 WEB

Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews. [14] But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. [15] The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never been educated?”

Surely the Father equipped Jesus for ministry. Jesus was from a family of tradesmen (Mark 6:3). He was from Galilee (John 7:52). More, he had a grasp of scripture that was uncommon. Jesus is recorded as quoting 23 different scriptures from the Old Testament. In addition, he referenced 17 stories from the Old Testament (1).

Jesus was almost certainly educated (2). However, the prejudice of those judging Jesus in the above passage caused them to assume he was unable to understand scripture. Ironically, the evidence he knew the Word of God was right in front of their eyes. They had heard him teach and preach (Mat 7:28) and still, they could not get beyond their prejudice (John 7:52).

The Judeans were disgusted by Galileans. Judeans were educated. Many of them probably studied with a rabbi. Consequently, they viewed tradesmen as having lower status. Even though Jesus was surely a brilliant craftsman, all they could see was he wasn’t like them. And for that, he was ridiculed as foolish (Mat 9:11, 34, 12:2, 14, 24.)

Jesus was also ridiculed for coming from Galilee. Judeans despise Galileans (3). They had their own accents, clothing styles, and values which offended Judeans. Practically all Pharisees were from Judea. Anyone from Galilee would be instantly recognized by their speech and clothes (Mark 14:69-70). And, due to prejudice, they were not chosen as disciples. The prejudice of the Pharisees had the power to divide the two people groups causing one to have a significant disadvantage.

Jesus did not let his demographics define him or his ministry. Being from Galilee, he would not be chosen to follow a rabbi. However, Jesus clearly wanted to serve God and he likely tried the path of the disciple. We cannot know for sure, but the evidence we have from his childhood reveals a deep hunger for the things of God (Luke 2:44-46). The path of a rabbi would be a normal path. For Judeans. Not Galileans. This surely gave the Lord compassion and mercy on those rejected for things out of their control.

Lord, please forgive me for pridefully comparing myself to others, especially those who are different than me. Forgive me for discounting people and help me see others as you see them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  1. (bit.ly/3tbQyx6)
  2. (bit.ly/3vrE3Af)
  3. (bit.ly/36Frln3)

#Jesus #Rabbi #God #Carpenter #Disciple #Galilee #Judea

Natural or Supernatural

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John 4:30-33 WEB

They went out of the city, and were coming to him. [31] In the meanwhile, the disciples urged him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” [32] But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” [33] The disciples therefore said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?”

The people of the Samaritan village were coming to Jesus. They believed the Samaritan woman when she asked, “Could this be the Messiah?” (John 7-29) Meanwhile, the disciples are worried about earthly matters. As such they are coaxing Jesus to eat. They may even feel that if he eats, he will come back to his senses and leave Samaria.

But Jesus isn’t going anywhere. He chides the disciples telling them he has food they know nothing about. Jesus is talking about doing the will of his Father, but the disciples are stuck thinking about the carnal issue of food. Even with Jesus sitting at the well, waiting to share the good news with the people that are coming to him, the disciples are too dull to understand something spiritual is happening.

The disciples discuss with each other, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Likewise, while the Samaritan woman is calling Jesus the Messiah, the disciples are calling him Rabbi, or teacher. This woman whom Jesus as much as called a harlot in the preceding verses, understands that something important is happening. But the disciples just see another embarrassing situation with Jesus.

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for being too embarrassed to share the gospel with the lost. Please forgive my judgments against people who are different from me.  Please bless me with the grace to understand when something supernatural is happening so that I do not uproot what you are doing in others’ lives. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Nathaniel’s Repentance

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John 1:46-49 WEB

Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” [47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” [48] Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” [49] Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”

Why was Nathanael so amazed that Jesus saw him under the fig tree? He was amazed because Jesus called him out for the sins of scoffing and laziness. Nathanael scoffed at Jesus because he was from Nazareth. Psalm 1 clearly defines scoffing as the worst level of sin. Psalm 1:1 NLT says, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.”

Notice how Jesus cuts right to the issue when he says, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”  I don’t think He said it as praise but was probably employing a tone of sarcasm. Scoffing is one of the sins that partners with laziness. So, Jesus cuts to the heart of Nathanael’s life issues. Proverbs 6:9 NLT says, “But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?” Essentially Jesus was calling Nathanael out for his sins of scoffing and laziness. His answer to Nathaniel brought conviction and revelation and led to Nathanael getting up and following the Lord.

Don’t be afraid of all the scoffers. Also, do not come into agreement with them. Your right behavior will also be a holy behavior because it paves the way for their repentance. We are not Jesus; we do not have the Spirit without measure. I would leave off the sarcasm. We do not want to scoff at or with scoffers but rather speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:15 NLT says, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

Lord Jesus, please reveal to me those areas of sin that I am ignoring or ignorant. I want to get up from all sin and follow you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Come, Follow Me

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John 1:43 WEB

On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

What does it mean to follow Jesus? When Jesus was in his role as a rabbi, it meant walking around Israel with Jesus and ministering to people. But, it also meant imitating Jesus and thinking as he does. We follow Jesus in our daily lives by adopting His philosophies and thinking. Then, we listen to the Holy Spirit and read the Bible.

The word says in Isaiah that we should go to the mountain of God. This is where we will learn His ways and walk His paths. (Is 2:3) The mountain is the place where God speaks to His people. If we are going to follow Jesus we must go to the mountain through prayer and worship. In this way, we can learn to hear and distinguish His voice. (Is 30:21)

We are also called to imitate Jesus and adopt His thinking. This is why we read the Bible. In the Old Testament are stories that reveal how God the Father responds to a variety of circumstances. In the Gospels are the thoughts, philosophies, and behaviors of Jesus. And finally, the remainder of the New Testament teaches us the benefits and responsibilities of being a Christian.

We are still called to follow Jesus. The tools we use are Spirit and Truth. The Holy Spirit speaks to us personally to direct our plans. And the Bible gives us the Truth we need to stand for God. With these tools, the Voice of God and the Word of God we can successfully follow Jesus.

Lord Jesus, please teach me to hear your voice and inspire me to read your word. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

The First Soul Winner

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John 1:39-42 WEB

He said to them, “Come, and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. [40] One of the two who heard John, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. [41] He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ). [42] He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).

I appreciate the story of Andrew. He was a Galilean which means that most rabbis would not be interested in having him as a disciple. This is because Galilee was the wrong area to be from if you wanted to pursue serving a rabbi. It was practically mandatory to be from Judea if you had aspirations to become a Pharisee. So, this passage starts by revealing John the Baptist had gone to Galilee to find some of his disciples.

More, though Jesus lived in Judea he went to John in Galilee to be baptized. Jesus went to the wrong place, to be baptized by the wrong person, to find the wrong disciples. And what did Andrew do when his teacher, John the Baptist, told him that Jesus was the Christ? He followed him. After Andrew saw where Jesus lived, he went straight out and brought his first soul to Christ. That means Peter was the first soul brought into the Kingdom by a believer. It also means Andrew was the first soul winner.

Lord Jesus, please bless me and help me bring others to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.