Stringing Pearls
Well, friends, I'm certainly no expert in Judaism, and so for me, reading a book like this was very enlightening. And again, I hope that you will read it and be blessed by it as I was. I want to go back to chapter 3 today, which is called Stringing Pearls, and that refers to the way the rabbis would string together different passages from Scripture to explore some great truths.
Jesus and Scripture
Jesus was particularly good at this, and what is often missed by us Gentiles, because we often know our New Testament better than the Old, is how much of the New Testament would have instantly taken the listeners or readers back to the Old Testament. It gives us a new appreciation for Jesus' knowledge of Scripture and for the way Jesus could use the Old Testament to prove who he was.
For example, on page 37, the authors mention Jesus in Matthew 21:16, turning to the priests and teachers of the law who were upset at the loud noise Jesus had attracted as he came into Jerusalem. Jesus said to them, "Have you never read, 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" which is Psalm 8:2. But he didn't quote the whole verse. Those Jewish leaders would have instantly filled in the rest of that verse in their minds: "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." And so Jesus was almost teasing them with half of a scripture and letting them fill in the rest, which they already knew, to teach them.
Connecting Old Testament
Throughout his teaching, Jesus said things that would have brought people back to the Old Testament. Do you remember when Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive someone who sins against him (Matthew 18:22), and Jesus says "77 times"? Well, immediately that number would have taken the Jewish people back to Genesis 4, which says, "If Cain is avenged 7 times, then Lamech 77 times." That number would have instantly been connected in their minds, representing a kind of “over the top” amount.
Additionally, some of Jesus' titles about himself also refer back to the Old Testament, such as when he called himself the Good Shepherd. Immediately, his listeners would have thought of Psalm 23 and the fact that God is the Shepherd. It was a startling claim for Jesus to say that, and even more startling was his use of the phrase Son of Man. Some people say it was his humble way of connecting with humanity, and perhaps it was. But again, that was a direct link to the Book of Daniel. Daniel sees this amazing, exalted figure with great power called the Son of Man, who was worshipped by all the nations and peoples. And so for Jesus to call himself that again would have been startling.
Living as Disciples
Stringing pearls is what Jesus did. He would not just make up new things, but he would always refer back to the Scriptures to prove that he was who he was. Would you read the Bible with that in mind? Would you search for Jesus in the Old Testament? The Bible becomes thrilling when we start to read it this way, looking for Jesus all over the place because he's there.
And so I hope that these devotions have been useful to you. I want to close with a quote from the end of the book that says, "To the extent that Jewish customs and traditions draw us closer to our rabbi Jesus, changing us into more faithful and wiser disciples, we should do them." I think that's true. If some of these can deepen our faith and draw us nearer to him, then why not take them up in our own spiritual lives?
Go and get this book, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, or just do some YouTubing, and you'll find some fascinating discussions with the authors. God bless you, my friends, and see you at the Church of the Nazarene soon.
