Hello gioia~
Jesus? name was extremely common among Jews?much like Joe or Bob is
today in the U.S. (The Jews, who out of reverence rarely even spoke
God?s name, must have found the ?ordinary? name of this man claiming
to be God extremely irritating.)
Like most Jewish boys, Jesus was circumcised (Luke 2.21). He was
presented to God in the Jerusalem temple (Luke 2.22; Deuteronomy 18.4;
Exodus 13.2,12,15). A sacrifice was offered for him (Leviticus
12.2,6,8; Luke 2.22-24). He also worshiped in the synagogue and the
temple. Jesus tithed, fasted, and gave alms, just like most Jews, and
told others to do the same (although not with the legalism of some;
see Matthew 23:3 and 23:23) Jesus gave blessings at meals in
traditional Jewish fashion (Deuteronomy 8.10; Matthew 6.41; 26.26 and
Luke 24.30). Like a Jew, he did not ask for blessings for the food,
but for God. (The original Greek of the New Testament makes this
clear.)
We do not know exactly how Jesus spent most of his youth, although
some apocryphal texts try to fill in the blanks. Most likely, he was
raised like every other poor Jewish boy, beginning his study of the
Torah around age five. By age 12, the Bible shows Jesus in the temple
listening and asking questions (Luke 2:46). The style of teaching
during this era was for the teacher to ask questions and wait for
proper responses, which may explain why the Bible says, ?they were
astonished at his understanding and answers.? At 20, like most Jewish
men, Jesus probably got a job, and at 30 he no doubt entered ?one?s
full vigour,? as traditional texts put it. (5.21, Mishnah, Avot) We do
know that Jesus began his ministry at about age 30. In addition,
historically, a Jewish father could declare his 30 year old son
inheritor of all he had, or adopt a son to take his place. In the
Bible (Luke 3:22) this is exactly what God did with Jesus.
In fact, the main area where Jesus ?failed? the Jews was not so much
in his Jewishness, but in the fact that he did not fulfill the role of
Messiah the way Jews had come to expect. Traditions outside the Bible
suggested the Messiah would be a king, actively fighting oppression
and killing Jewish enemies. Jesus, however, was clearly not a worldly
king, and told his followers to ?turn the other cheek.? (He was not,
however, violence free, as a reading of the gospels will reveal.)
Nonetheless, he fulfilled the approximately four dozen Biblical
requirements for the Messiah. Briefly, those included: born of a
virgin; born in Bethlehem; of a particular ancestry through Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, the tribe of Judah, the house of David; he would be
betrayed; accused by false witnesses; would die in a particular way,
with pierced hands and feet; and would resurrect. (For more about
these prophecies, see ?Prophesies About the Messiah Fulfilled in Jesus
Christ,? Bible Study:
http://www.biblestudy.org/prophecy/prophecy-messiah.html and ?How Do
We Know Jesus Was The Messiah?? Christian Answers:
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-r004.html )
Interestingly, the Jewish resistance of Hellinization and Roman
religion brought about faction groups during Jesus? time. The Jews
were broken down into several groups, among them the Essenes
(pacifists who withdrew into desert caves to practice a legalistic
form of Judaism; they hoped their behavior would help bring forth the
Messiah), the Zealots (who believed in fighting the Romans and
throwing foreigners out of their cities; they were often terrorists),
Sanhedrins (who worked with the Romans to quell insurrections),
Sadduces (Hellenized, humanistic Jews), and Pharisees (somewhat on the
fence between collaborating with the Romans and believing in
separatism). In this environment, Jesus created yet another ?faction:?
his followers, later called Christians.
The very fact that Jesus was raised and behaved like a Jew probably
sent him to his death. The Jews believed any person claiming to be God
was blasphemous. If you take a look at Jesus? trial, you?ll find this
factor was all-important. For example: ?But He held his peace, and
answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him,
Art though the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am??
(Mark 14:61-62) New York judge Gaynor has said, ?It is plain from
each of the gospel narratives, that the alleged crime for which Jesus
was tried and convicted was blasphemy.? (p.90, ?Evidence That Demands
A Verdict? by Josh McDowell) When the high priest tears his garment,
he is signifying that he?s horrified by the blasphemy he sees. At that
moment, Jesus? Jewishness actively worked to help him fulfill his
mission on earth.
Although some Christian churches talk and think little about Jesus as
a Jew, there really is not a huge gulf between Jesus? Jewishness and
the fact that he?s the founder of Christianity. First, if one looks at
the Hebrew religion as it?s laid out in the Bible, one will find that
it is similar in many ways to Christianity. The main difference is, of
course, that Jesus takes the place of any priests, and is the only
sacrifice a person needs. In addition, Jesus? death and resurrection,
according to Christianity, means that many of the rituals found in the
Old Testament are no longer necessary.
In addition, it?s important to note that by far most of the early
converts to Christianity were Jewish. In fact, it was considered a
Jewish sect for some time after Jesus? death.
For further information on this topic, I highly recommend Philip
Yancey?s book ?The Jesus I Never Knew?
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/031021923X/qid=1081353406/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-5500146-2032652?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
) which takes a strong historical look at Jesus.
Another book that may be helpful is ?Evidence That Demands A Verdict?
by Josh McDowell (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0785243038/qid=1081353485/sr=8-2/ref=pd_ka_2/103-5500146-2032652?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
)
To read any Bible references online (in most translations), I
recommend Bible Gateway, found at: www.biblegateway.com
Finally, if any part of this is unclear, please don?t hesitate to
request a clarification before rating the Answer.
Warm regards,
Kriswrite
RESEARCH STRATEGY:
Researcher?s personal knowledge
Research within ?The Jesus I Never Knew? and ?Evidence That Demands A Verdict?
Google Search:
Jesus the Jew: ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Jesus+the+Jew
Jesus Messiah fulfilled:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Jesus+Messiah+fulfilled&btnG=Search |
