Jesus baptized...

What is interpretation?
Tell us about a great leader.
Tell us about your favorite teacher.
What was the job of a first century Rabbi?
Not a priest
not a scribe
more like a school teacher (there was no public schools so most young boys would be sent out to study under the local Rabbi but more about later)
They provided/taught an interpation of the Hebrew scriptures.


Jesus is often called Rabbi in the New Testament. That’s how He was perceived. And some of His teaching simply blossoms when we can begin to see Jesus as his contemporaries saw Him, a Rabbi.

Here’s the picture...
The primary focus of Judaism is on lifestyle and action not on head knowled or book learning.
The responsibility of a Rabbi was to teach an interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures. Hebrew Scriptures means what we know as the Old Testament, and it centered largely on the first five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Every Rabbi was associated with a particular interpretation or school, and his task was to pass on this interpretation of scripture to others. The teaching of a school or rabbi was called a “yoke.” So every rabbi was trained to pass on the “yoke” or the teaching of his school. Which he had learned from his Rabbi.
However, and this is a huge however, every now and again a Rabbi would come along with a new “yoke,” a new interpretation of the scriptures. This may not happen for several generations...

A Rabbi with this kind of authority would say things like:
“you have heard it said, but I tell you...”
Mat 5:21

So how would they know this teaching was legit?

Because it was so different it had to be tested first.
In order for a rabbi to teach a new “yoke” two other rabbis who had shimihah (authority) had to lay hands on him and publicly declare that they believed this Rabbi had shimihah and had a legitimate new “yoke” or teaching.


Mar 1:4
And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Mar 1:5
The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Mar 1:6
John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Mar 1:7
And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

Mar 1:8
I baptize you with [fn] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Mar 1:9
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

Mar 1:10
As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

Mar 1:11
And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."



In order to present a new teaching how many voices of approval does Jesus need?
Two
How many voices are there?

John the Baptist is one. He says:
“After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” John affirms ahead of time the new “yoke” of Jesus.

God is the other:
“And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Principal of first mention...
We have Jesus in the water and
The spirit descended “like a dove”
Where else do we see the spirit of god hovering over the water?


Gen 1:2
Now the earth was [fn] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.


Every first century Jew would immediately recognize what was going on here.
This Rabbi had a new teaching, a new yoke, a new way of living.
And his authority was being confirmed in a powerful and supernatural way!
And with this powerful confirmation of His authority to teach, Jesus has been given the authority to do what He is about to do.


Lets look at this authority thing in action as they would have saw it...












Mat 21:23
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"

Mat 21:24
Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Mat 21:25
John's baptism-where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'

Mat 21:26
But if we say, 'From men'-we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet."

Mat 21:27
So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Why do you think the religious leader were so spooked by Jesus question?
Where did John get his authority?

His father entered the holy of holies and received a word from god about John before he was even a thought in his parents mind
His father would have had to be an importatnt priest to even enter the holy of holies
This word was acompanied by a sign (his father became mute until John's birth)
His conception was a miricle
It is believed he was sent away to grow up in the desert with a radical tribe of religious zelots knowen as the essens

The religious folks would have been falling all over themselves to be the ones that gave John his athority.
But the Chief priest and the religious leaders don't know who gave John his authority!

John has all the marks of a prophet...

So couple this (Johns authority) with the whole spirit hovering, Gods voice from heaven thing.
The religious folks were pretty shaken up.

Dust

How Jewish children were taught the faith and how a rabbi selected his disciples?

The first formal teaching for a Jewish child began about age six and lasted until about age ten. It was called Bet Sefer which meant “House of the Book.” It probably took place at the local synagogue. During this period of time the students would memorize the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Yes, that’s right, memorize the first five books of the Bible, the Torah. Remember you couldn’t just go down to the local bookstore and buy a copy of the Torah. Most towns only had one copy and it was in the synagogue.

By age ten some of the students would show promise and others would not.

So around that age some of the students would leave the process and go into the family business or learn a trade.

The best students would go on to the next step called Bet Talmud which meant
“House of Learning.” During the next three or four years they would memorize the rest of
the Bible, all thirty-nine books, Genesis to Malachi.

At the end of this period more students would drop out, until only the best of the best were left.

These remaining students would begin to search for a rabbi who would accept them as disciples. When a student applied to a rabbi to become one of his disciples the rabbi would ask one essential
question. Can this student become like me? Can he put on my yoke?

If the rabbi thought the student could become like him he would say to the student, “Come, follow me,” and the student would become a disciple of that rabbi for life. Now, here’s the most important point. A rabbi would only ask someone to follow him if he thought that person could become like him.


Now, consider the second scripture. Jesus calls four fishermen to follow Him. What is He
doing? He is a rabbi calling His disciples. Why are these guys fishermen? Because no
other rabbi would accept them as disciples.

They were not the best of the best.

They were the ones who had washed out.

Yet, Jesus calls them to come with Him to change the world. And they do. They come and they change the world.

Who does Jesus call to be His disciples today? Everyone. What does this tell us? It tells us that He believes we can become like Him. We can put on His yoke, understand His teaching, and ultimately live our life like He would live it.

Rob Bell sums up this picture for himself. “I have been told that I need to believe in Jesus. Which is a good thing. But what I am learning is that Jesus believes in me. The rabbi thinks I can be like Him.”





Mat 4:12
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee.
John jesus cousin who baptised him
in prison
This appears tbe the sign for him to start...
“my time has not come...”


Mat 4:13
Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-

Mat 4:15
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-

Mat 4:16
the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." [fn]

Mat 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."



Mat 4:18
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

Mat 4:19
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Mat 4:20
At once they left their nets and followed him.

Mat 4:21
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,

Mat 4:22
and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.




Mar 2:14
As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.