When you are trying to get to know someone, you invest time and effort into getting to know them. You learn their background and their roots; where they are from, what kind of childhood they had, what makes them happy, and what makes them sad. Getting to know Jesus is no different. It takes time, and it takes effort. It doesn’t happen overnight or without resolve and determination. If you want to truly know Jesus, you must understand His background and His roots.

JEWISH ROOTS

Jesus was born a Jew and was immersed in the Jewish culture His entire life. To honestly know Jesus, we cannot separate Him from His Jewishness because it laid a foundation for His teaching and how He communicated with others. Philip Yancey said, “I can no more understand Jesus apart from his Jewishness than I can understand Gandhi apart from his Indianness. I need to go back, way back, and picture Jesus as a first-century Jew…” To picture Jesus as a first-century Jew, first, we need to know a few things about the Jewish culture.

Although the Bible gives little information about the childhood of Jesus, we have no reason to believe that His life was any different than a typical, first-century Jewish child. His education would have begun in the synagogue at around age 6. He would have learned Hebrew so that He could study scripture. His textbook would have been the Old Testament which the Jews call the Tanakh or Written Torah. He would also have learned the Oral Torah as it was passed down from generation to generation.

As was a Jewish custom, at age 12, during Passover, Jesus visited the Temple with His parents, where He spent time listening to the teachers and asking questions. Even as a boy, “everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” Luke 2:41-51 By the age of 12, a typical Jewish boy would either continue his studies at mid-rash (secondary school) or go to work. The New Testament remains silent about details of Jesus’ life between His Temple visit at 12 and the beginning of His public ministry at 30. We know that during these eighteen “silent” years, Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” Luke 2:52 The fact Jesus grew in wisdom and by the age of 30 was teaching in synagogues (Matthew 4:23, Matthew 9:35, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59) lends to the idea that during these “silent” years, He continued to study the scriptures, listen to teachers, and prepare himself for His Father’s work.

JEWISH SOIL

Not only is it important to understand the culture that Jesus grew up in, but it is also essential to understand the social and political climate that He lived in. Throughout the early first century, Israel was under harsh Roman rule. The more exacting the Roman rule became, the more the Jewish people cried out for their long-awaited Messiah. Jesus was born during this time and grew up in Nazareth, a small farming village in Galilee. Nazareth was considered what we in Oklahoma might call the “boondocks,” and just like today, there was a big city prejudice against small-town people, including Jesus. Disdain for Nazareth was shown in Nathanael’s response to Philip when he told him that he had found the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth: Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” John 1:46  The Jewish community expected a Messiah, but not from a hillbilly town like Nazareth. They were looking for a deliverer, someone like Moses, who, instead of delivering them from Egypt, would deliver them from Rome.

During the first century in Israel, there was no separation between church and state; the religious leaders were also the political leaders. Jesus constantly butted heads with two major religious and political groups: the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees were the party of the middle class who were very passionate about the Torah, both the written and the oral. You might say they were sticklers for the law.

The Sadducees were the other major party in Israel at the time of Jesus. They represented the wealthy ruling class, and many of them sat on the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. Many were also part of the priesthood that controlled the temple in Jerusalem. The Sadducees were power-hungry and often collaborated with Rome to maintain their power. As part of the Sanhedrin and the priesthood, the Sadducees were instrumental in bringing Jesus to trial and ultimately to His death.

As we study the teachings of Jesus, having a basic understanding of Jesus’ Jewish background helps us understand the context of His words and actions. Understanding where He was from, what environment He was in, and what opposition He faced helps us get one step closer to knowing the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible.

THINK ON THESE THINGS

*Jesus attended Jewish festivals, worshiped in the synagogue and temple, followed Jewish customs, and spoke in terms his fellow Jews would understand. How much do you know about the Jewish faith, Jewish customs, and Jewish holidays?

*Do you think the Christian Church could benefit from remembering Jewish Holidays? If so, how?

How do you think a better understanding of Jewish culture can help you understand the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible?

*The Jews were looking for a Messiah in the form of an earthly king, a powerful ruler. What kind of leader is our society looking for today? What are Christians looking for?

Prayer Focus: Lord, thank you for sending your son Jesus to this earth to live as we live, to feel as we feel, and to be vulnerable as we are vulnerable. Lord I ask that as I am studying Jesus and Your Word, you illuminate for me the scripture and its meaning so that I can know the real Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I pray Amen.

 *The Jesus I Never Knew Study Guide by Philip Yancey