Defining Your Ministry, Part 1
Looking At How Jesus Ministered – Article From That The World May Know
The people of Galilee were the most religious Jews in the world in the time of
Jesus. This is quite contrary to the common view that the Galileans were simple,
uneducated peasants from an isolated area. This perspective is probably due to
the comments made in the Bible, which appear to belittle people from this area.
At the Shavuoth feast in the book of Acts for example, the people seem amazed
that the Galileans were capable of speaking in other languages. But this is certainly a bias against Galileans by the people of Judea and other countries due to the very strong and passionate religious commitments of the people of Galilee. Besides, the Galileans had more interaction with the world living on the “way of the sea” (the trade route, see Matt. 4:15) than the Jews of Jerusalem who were more isolated in the mountains.
The Galilean people were actually more educated in the Bible and its application than most Jews. More famous Jewish teachers come from Galilee than anywhere else in the world. They were known for their great reverence for Scripture and the passionate desire to be faithful to it. This translated into vibrant religious communities, devoted to strong families, their country, whose synagogues echoed the debate and discussions about keeping the Torah. They resisted the pagan influences of Hellenism far more than did their Judean counterparts. When the great revolt against the pagan Romans and their collaborators (66-74 AD) finally occurred, it began among the Galileans.
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 (Deut.
6:5). God prepared this environment carefully so that Jesus would have exactly the context he needed to present his message of Malchut Shemayim “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.
Education in Galilee
The Mishnah(1) 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). He then learned a trade (Matt. 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 description quite closely. It certainly demands a closer look at the education process in Galilee.
Schools were associated with the local synagogue in first century Galilee. Apparently each community would hire a teacher (respectfully called ‘rabbi’) for the school. While this teacher was responsible for the education of the village he had no special authority in the synagogue itself. Children began their study at age 4-5 in Beth Sefer (elementary school). Most scholars believe both boys and girls attended the class in the synagogue. The teaching focused primarily on the Torah, emphasizing both reading and writing Scripture. Large portions were memorized and it is likely that many students knew the entire Torah by memory by the time this level of education was finished. At this point most students (and certainly the girls) stayed at home to help with the family and in the case of boys to learn the family trade. It is at this point that a boy would participate in his first Passover in Jerusalem (a ceremony that probably forms the background of today’s bar mitzvah in orthodox Jewish families today.) Jesus’ excellent questions for the teachers in the temple at his first Passover indicate the study he had done.
The best students continued their study (while learning a trade) in Beth Midrash (secondary school) also taught by a rabbi of the community. Here they (along with the adults in the town) studied the prophets and the writings (3) in addition to Torah and began to learn the interpretations of the Oral Torah (4) to learn how to make their own applications and interpretations much like a catechism class might in some Churches today. Memorization continued to be important because most people did not have their own copy of the Scripture so
they either had to know it by heart or go to the synagogue to consult the village scroll. Memory was enhanced by reciting aloud, a practice still widely used in Middle Eastern education both Jewish and Muslim. Constant repetition was considered to be an essential element of learning (5).
A few (very few) of the most outstanding Beth Midrash students sought permission to study with a famous rabbi often leaving home to travel with him for a lengthy period of time. These students were called talmidim (talmid, s.) in Hebrew, which is translated disciple. There is much more to a talmid than what we call student. A student wants to know what the teacher knows for the grade, to complete the class or the degree or even out of respect for the teacher. A talmid wants to like the teacher, that is to become what the teacher is. That meant that students were passionately devoted to their rabbi and noted everything he did or said. This meant the rabbi’talmid relationship was a very intense and personal system of education. As the rabbi lived and taught his understanding of the Scripture his students (talmidim) listened and watched and imitated so as to become like him. Eventually they would become teachers passing on a lifestyle to their talmidim.
As a result, Galilee was a place of intense study of Scripture. People were knowledgeable about its content and the various applications made by their tradition. They were determined to live by it and to pass their faith and knowledge and lifestyle on to their children. It was into this world that Jesus came as a child and eventually a rabbi.
Jesus the Rabbi
The term rabbi in the time of Jesus did not necessarily refer to a specific office or occupation. That would be true only after the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed (70 AD). Rather, it was a word meaning ‘great one’ or ‘my master’ which was applied to many kinds of people in everyday speech. It clearly was used as a term of respect for one’s teacher as well even though the formal position of rabbi would come later. In one sense then, calling Jesus ‘Rabbi’ is an anachronism. In another sense the use of this term for him by the people his day is a measure of their great respect for him as a person and as a teacher and not just a reference to the activity of teaching he was engaged in.
Many people referred to Jesus as Rabbi. His disciples (Luke 7:40), lawyers (Matt. 22:35’36), ordinary people (Luke 12:13), the rich (Matt. 19:16), Pharisees (Luke 19:39), and Sadducees (Luke 20:27’28). Jesus fit the description of a first century rabbi especially one at the most advanced level’the one sought by talmidim.
He traveled from place to place with his disciples depending on the
hospitality of others (Luke
8:1’3) and often meeting in private homes (Luke
10:38’42)
In travel, rabbis would visit local synagogues because of the discussion of
Scripture that occurred regularly in these community centers (Matt.
4:23)
Rabbis used similar methods of interpreting Scripture. For example the great
teachers used a technique today called remez or hint, in which they used
part of a Scripture passage in discussion assuming their audience’s knowledge of
the Bible would allow them to deduce for themselves fuller meaning. Apparently
Jesus used this method often. When the children sang Hosanna to him in the
Temple and the Sadducees demanded Jesus quiet them he responded with a quote
from Psalm
8:2 ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.’ Their
anger at Jesus is better understood when you realize that the next phrase in the
Psalm adds the reason why children and infants would praise’because of the
enemies of God who would be silenced (Ps.
8:2). In other words the chief priests realized Jesus was implying they were
God’s enemies.
Another example is Jesus’ comments to Zacchaeus (Luke
19:1’10). Jesus said ‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was
lost.’ (Luke
19:10) The background to this statement is probably Ezekiel 34. God, angry
with the leaders of Israel for scattering and harming his flock (the people of
Israel) states the he himself will become the shepherd and will seek the lost
ones and deliver (save) them. Based on this the people of Jesus’ day understood
that the Messiah to come would ‘seek and save’ the lost. By using this phrase,
knowing the people knew the Scripture, Jesus said several things. To the people
he said ‘I am the Messiah and God no less.’ To the leaders (whose influence kept
Zacchaeus out of the crowd) he said ‘you have scattered and harmed God’s flock.’
To Zacchaeus he said ‘you are one of God’s lost sheep’he still loves
you.’
This technique indicated a brilliant understanding of Scripture and
incredible teaching skills on Jesus part. It also demonstrates the background
knowledge of Scripture the common people had.
Rabbis used similar teaching techniques like the use of parables. More than
3,500 parables from first century rabbis still exist and Jesus’ are among the
very best. He uses similar themes (landowner, king, and farmer) as well. (Matt.
13:3,34)
Jesus seems to be a type of rabbi believed to have s’mikhah or
authority to make new interpretations. Most of the teachers were Torah teachers
(teachers of the law) who could only teach accepted interpretations. Those with
authority (today ‘ordination’) could make new interpretations and pass legal
judgments. Crowds were amazed because Jesus taught with authority (Hebrew
s’mikhah, Greek exousia) not as their Torah teachers (Matt.
7:28’29). Jesus was questioned about his authority (Matt.
21:23’27). While this makes Jesus one of a small group of teachers he was
not the only one with authority.
Rabbis invited people to learn to keep the Torah. This was called taking ‘the
yoke of Torah’ or ‘the yoke of the kingdom of heaven’. Rabbi’s with
s’mikhah would have a new interpretation or yoke. Torah teachers would
teach the accepted interpretations or yoke of their community. Jesus invitation
to those who listened to many teachers and interpretations helps establish him
as a Rabbi would present an interpretation that was easy and light (to
understand not necessarily to do) (Matt.
13:11’30). As such, he was probably not speaking to unsaved people burdened
with sin but people unsure of the many interpretations they heard in the dynamic
religious debate in Galilee.
Fulfilling the Torah was the task of a first century rabbi. The technical
term for interpreting the Scripture so it would be obeyed correctly was
‘fulfill.’ To interpret Scripture incorrectly so it would not be obeyed
as God intended was to ‘destroy’ the Torah. Jesus uses these terms to describe
his task as well (Matt.
5:17’19). Contrary to what some think Jesus did not come to do away with
God’s Torah or Old Testament. He came to complete it and to show how to
correctly keep it. One of the ways Jesus interpreted the Torah was to stress
the importance of the right attitude of heart as well as the right action (Matt.
5:27’28).“Rabbi and Talmidim” Read the full article by visiting That The World May Know web site