Chapter 4

“The World Jesus

Lived In”

The Land Jesus Lived In: Palestine

• Palestine is one of several names for the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River with various adjoining lands. Many different definitions of the region have been used in the past three millennia.

 • Other English names for this

geographical region include: Canaan ,Land of Israel, Judea, Holy Land. The various names for the region are understood differently and are not identical in meaning.

Bethlehem Then: 0 AD

Bethlehem Now: 2011

Nazereth Then: 1 AD

Nazereth Now: 2011

Capernum Then: 30 AD

Capernum Now: 2011

Jeruselem Then: 30 AD

Jeruselem Now: 2011

• ? Name of Region in the North • Nazareth: where Jesus grew up• Rural mountainous country• Major trading routes with Roman

and Greek influence

• ? Name of Region in Central • Avoided by Jewish people when

traveling• These people were considered

heretics because they had intermarried with foreigners and worshiped at their own temple on Mount Gerizim instead of in Jeruselem.

• ? Name of Area in the South• Dry, arid land; Dead Sea to the east• ? Name of Capital city, Holy city

Name of Entire Area?

Palestine’s Politics

KING HEROD

AGUSTUS CAESAR

PONTIUS PILOT

In 63 BC the conquering Roman general Pompey marched into Jerusalem. His first stop was the Jew’s most sacred building, the temple. He walked straight into the

second court which was forbidden to gentiles and into the Holiest of Holies which was forbidden to all but the High Priest. He stood there and laughed at Israel’s God. This was a

foreshadowing of things to come for the people of Palestine.

• Perhaps you have heard the Latin phrase “Pax Romana” which could be translated “peace through Rome” or “Roman peace.” This was part of the Roman PR of the day. Rome’s promise was if the nations would just submit to Caesar, Rome would bring peace and prosperity to the whole world. 

However, Roman peace came through brute force and absolute domination. They had a military force so well trained and equipped that it struck fear into the hearts of other nations. Yet, Rome’s most feared instrument of intimidation was probably not the sword. It most likely was the Roman cross.  

• .

• Crucifixion was the most painful and humiliating death possible. It would often take five or more days for a person on a cross to die. Every minute of those days was filled with unimaginable pain. Yet, the cross was also humiliating. The victim was stripped bare—no nice loin cloth like in the movies. Then all who hated the condemned could parade in front of the cross and hurl insults upon their enemy. The gospels tell us they insulted Jesus in such a manner. It was not uncommon for the Romans to line the roads into a city with crosses bearing those who dared to oppose Caesar.

• Josephus mentions that the Romans crucified almost 10,000 people in Jerusalem alone during the many rebellions prior to AD 70, Some estimate the number of Jews that faced the cross in all of Palestine was as high as 200,000. 

 Roman brutality was a part of life in Jesus’ day. For example, the average Roman soldier had the right to conscript any individual to carry whatever needed moving for the distance of one mile. Failure to comply with any Roman demand was often met with a backhand across the face.

Roman brutality was not the greatest burden a common man in Palestine had to bear. Excessive taxes destroyed far more lives than the Roman sword. Even without a huge tax burden the average family in Palestine existed only slightly above the poverty level. Add high taxes, and many people went from making it to desperation.

• The people faced not only Roman taxes and tributes but also religious taxes and taxes imposed by Herod the Great and later his sons. Among the taxes paid were tributes and direct taxes such as land taxes and a head tax. There were also duties, sales taxes, and extra taxes on items such as salt. In addition there were taxes for the building and upkeep of the temple and various tithes. It is estimated that the tax burden on the common man was 30% or more. Not bad we might say, but these were sustenance farmers and the like. They were barely keeping their families fed and sheltered. Add to that a 30% tax load, and you have a recipe for disaster. Many of the small land owners could not pay their taxes. Fortunately, there were wealthy land owners who out of the goodness of their hearts would gladly pay the poor man’s taxes. However, the poor had to give up the title to their land and become indentured servants.

Land was everything to the people of Israel. The land they owned was the land of their fathers. It was God's promise to His people. Yet, many had to sell what amounted to their very identity to pay their debts. In the worst cases the progression was from land owner, to tenant or day laborer, and finally to indebted slavery or debtor's prison.

Failure to pay tributes and taxes often led to devastating consequences. The Romans would sometimes destroy an entire village for late payment either enslaving or killing all its inhabitants. When an individual could not pay his debts, he was often tortured. We have accounts of tax collectors first torturing the head of the household for non-payment. If he still did not pay, they would torture the man’s family while he watched.  It is easy to understand why tax collectors were considered the worst sinners of the day.

 

 The Romans brought with them not only excessive taxes and violence, but also paganism. The fact that the Romans worshipped multiple gods and even Caesar himself was an intolerable offence to the devout Jews of the day. Temples to foreign gods and to Caesar now inhabited the Promised Land. Although the Romans allowed the Jews to practice Judaism, they were forever encroaching upon the Jewish beliefs and practices.   

The Romans declared Herod the Great king of Judea in 40 BC.

It was the beginning of more misery for the people of God.

What do you know about him?

• The New Testament portrays Herod the Great as a ruthless tyrant who, on hearing from the Wise Men that a new king had been born in Bethlehem, killed all the male children under two years in that town. There is no other historical record of this incident, but given Herod's paranoia, it is quite possible that this event occurred

The Romans declared Herod the Great king of Judea in 40 BC. It was the beginning of more misery for the people of God. In the Jew's mind there were three criteria for judging whether a king was of God. 1.One was his relationship with the temple. A true king would set the temple aright or build the true temple of God.2. Another was that he would deal with the enemies of Israel and put them asunder. 3.Finally, a messiah/king would establish the kingdom of God in the land. Such ideas went way back to David and Solomon and were reinforced in the Maccabean revolt.

Herod the Great must have thought one out of three ain't bad. He set out to build the grandest temple of them all to give him his place in history and perhaps in the people's hearts. He began rebuilding the temple in 19 BC. Solomon’s temple took seven years to build. Herod’s grand design was not completed until AD 63. It was a project so monumental that it took over eighty years to finish.

There is considerable debate over the exact size of Herod's temple. The buildings within the temple were utterly amazing for their day. The inner structures of the temple complex were at least twice as large as they were in Solomon’s temple. Many walls were covered with solid gold. The best artists from all over the world contributed to the mighty structure. Only the finest materials were used. For example, the walls were made of a white limestone that made the structure appear as if it was glowing. It was said that if a person had not seen Herod’s temple, he had not yet seen a beautiful building.

Herod’s temple was magnificent in its spectacle and customs. However, beneath it all lay corruption, compromise, and greed. Rome was the seat of power in the first century world, and its influence reached even to the sacred courts of Israel’s most holy place. At one time Herod the Great had a large golden eagle placed over the main gate to the temple to pay homage to Rome. One could only imagine the horror this would cause in the Jews of the day. The Law of Moses strictly forbids any graven images, yet the king placed one over the very entrance to the temple. Moreover, Herod not only insulted the Jews with the Roman eagle, but he also placed other symbols associated with Rome in the temple’s various courts. It is no wonder that many of the Jews considered both Herod and those who ran the temple as illegitimate.

In first century Palestine there was no separation between church and state. The priests at the temple in Jerusalem not only officiated over the religious life of the Jews, they

were also rulers and judges.     

Political Palestine • Conquered by Rome in 63 BC, occupied at this time

• Agustus Caesar and Tiberius Caesar (his stepson) became Emperors

Herod • Ruled until shortly after Jesus’ birth as King• Rebuilt the Temple, but most know for his cruelity• After his death, Palestine was divided amoung his 3 sons: Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Philip

Archelaus • Ruled Samaria and Judea until Agustus Caesar replaced him with Pontius Pilot

Agustus Caesar

Herod Antipas • Ruled Galilee

Philip • Ruled east of Galilee

Palestine’s Religious Groups

PHARISEES

JEWISH

SADDUCEES• Religion respected by Romans. Did not have to serve in the Roman army…against their religion

• However, resented Roman rule and law

• Jewish tax collectors (publicans) were disliked. Romans allowed them to keep any money beyond their quota

GENTILES

• Non Jews

• Middle class Jews• Known for their love of

the Torah, seeking holiness

• Believed in angels and human resurrection

• Jesus scolded them for their external observances

rather than focusing on the spirit

• Preserved Jewish faith after the destruction of Jeruselem in 70 AD

• Wanted to add to the Law

• Jews who were wealthy, political leaders; mostly priests

• Worked closely with Rome

• Did not believe in the Resurrection or adding to the Law

• Did not believe in oral tradition, prophets

Sanhedrin• 71 Jewish men who

served on the Supreme council in Judea

• Chief High priest in charge of the-Caiaphas

During Jesus’ time

• The Pharisees considered themselves the guardians of the oral traditions that scholars developed over generations. The oral traditions interpreted the Law of Moses. For example, the Law said to keep the Sabbath. They were not to work on God’s holy day. Yet, what was work and what was not? The oral traditions filled in the details that Moses left out. For instance, how far could a person walk on the Sabbath without it being work? The interpreters decided that the distance was 2000 cubits which is about 2/3 of a mile. This was known as a Sabbath’s day journey. Where did they get that number? When the Hebrews carried the Ark of the Covenant in the wilderness, God commanded them to walk 2000 cubits behind the ark. They decided that was God’s way of telling them how far one could walk on the Sabbath.

Jesus Breaks Pharisee’s oral tradition.

• In John chapter nine Jesus healed a blind man by spiting on the ground, making mud, and then rubbing it in the man’s eyes. He then told the fellow to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. According to the Pharisees, Jesus broke the Sabbath not once but three times in healing this man. First, it was considered unlawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus broke this tradition often. In fact, if we read the gospels, we will see that His favorite day to heal was the Sabbath. Second, making the little bit of clay that Jesus put in the man’s eyes would have been considered work. (No, I am not joking.) Third, making the man walk to the pool of Siloam and back would be considered illegal as well. If we read John chapter eight, we see that Jesus was probably in the vicinity of the temple when he performed this miracle. A quick look at a map shows that the journey to the pool and back was well over 2000 cubits.

Jesus as the Torah

• The Pharisees had great zeal for God. The average Pharisee fasted two days a week and paid his tithes to the penny. Yet, their zeal for God did not lead them to God but away from God. They examined the Law to the smallest detail, but they entirely missed what the Law was saying. John tells us that Jesus was God’s word made manifest. In other words He was Torah in the flesh. Yet, the Pharisees stood in the presence of the perfect revelation of Torah, and they did not know Him. In fact, they wanted to kill Him. (To be fair, we cannot say this is true of all the Pharisees. In fact, some later became Jesus’ followers.)

• People had different ways of reacting to Roman occupation. The Sadducees thought it was best to try to get along with Rome. Why not? They were well off, and as long as they kept on Rome’s good side, they could live comfortable lives. The Sadducees opposed Jesus because they feared the people, and they feared Rome. The vast majority of the Jews did not share the Sadducees acceptance of Roman rule. They believed the Messiah would come, sword in hand, and drive the gentiles out of the Promised Land. Even though Jesus never spoke against Rome or advocated rebellion, the Sadducees shared the popular view of what the Messiah would be. Thus, in their minds, any messiah figure was a threat to their power.

•

Palestine’s Religious Groups

ZEALOTS

ESSENES

• Freedom fighters• Used violence to

overthrow Rome’s control in Palestine

• Men unhappy with how the Jewish faith was being lived

• Wanted a more pure life• Withdrew to the desert

The New Testament speaks little of the friction between Rome in the Jews. We do know that one of Jesus’ disciples was a zealot. The zealots favored armed rebellion against Rome. They believed that God would deliver Israel with the

sword. Their reasoning went back to the days of David. When there was a gentile problem, what did David do? He

got out his sword and dealt with it, and God was on his side. Surely, God would raise up a new Son of David who would

do the same.

It is interesting that one of Jesus’ disciples, Simon, was a zealot (Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13). Considering the fact that Jesus opposed violent rebellion against Rome, many

probably wondered why Jesus would choose such a fellow. The irony increases when we add the fact that Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors were very much in league with

Rome. There were probably no two groups of Jews in Palestine who hated each other more than the tax collectors and the zealots. Yet, Jesus chose one of each. Most people

probably would have been afraid that these two fellows would kill each other. The Lord wasn’t. He knew the

kingdom of God was more powerful than the hatred of men. The very fact Jesus chose two men so opposite in their

worldviews was a demonstration of its power.

• In Jesus’ day some people wanted to fight Rome. Others wanted to live with Rome. The Essenes chose isolation as their response to the crazy first century world. They formed a community on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. There the Essenes thought they could live as the true people of God. They rejected the Herods, the temple, and even the Pharisees as corrupt. In their mind, only they were true Israel. They would create a pure community from which the Messiah would come forth to redeem Israel (They actually believed God would send two messiahs, one a priest and the other a king). They, the sons of light, would be the ones he would use to reestablish Israel. The impure Jews as well as the gentiles were bound for destruction.

• The gospels do not mention the Essenes. The Romans destroyed the Essene community before converging on Jerusalem. Many scholars believe the Essenes were the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

. Some Priests did support rebellion against Rome, but those at the

highest levels were undoubtedly loyal to Rome.   We see evidence of this loyalty to and fear of Rome in the Gospels: 

• “Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.

• Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.

• If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.’”(John 11:45-48)

• “But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’

• Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’

• Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away.” (John 19:15-16) 

• Josephus recorded that the priesthood went so far as to authorize a daily sacrifice for Caesar in the temple. This was a source of continual angst for the Jews. In the final Roman/Jewish conflict the cessation of the daily sacrifice for Caesar was considered an act of war that helped lead to the destruction of Jerusalem.

• The priests lived lavish lifestyles while the average Jewish peasant struggled to survive. The temple taxes combined with taxes imposed by Herod and Rome were literally threatening the existence of the Jewish people. The people of the land were carrying a burden they could scarcely bear or tolerate. Palestine had become a powder keg waiting to ignite.

• The priesthood was undoubtedly jealous of Jesus’ popularity, but their main motivation for seeking to kill Jesus was fear.  When a new king came to power, he would set his version of the priesthood in place. All this talk of Jesus becoming the new king undoubtedly unnerved the priests in Jerusalem. If Jesus came to power, they thought they would be out of a job or killed. And the Romans did not take too kindly to unauthorized kings. In their opinion, Jesus was inviting the wrath of Rome.  They did not understand that Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world and his priesthood was not according to flesh and blood.

The Religionof Jesus: Jewish

Jewish Quarter -- Western Wall -- Orthodox Jewish Boy

Jewish Custom Christian Similarity

Mezuzah: A small case on the right door post of a house. Contained copy of the Shema. Touched before entering and leaving.

Holy Water Font

Shema: The Mezuzah contains the words of the "Shema Israel" (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) passage, in which God commands Jews to keep His words constantly in thier minds and in their hearts. This prayers is prayed in the morning and evening as well.

The Lord’s Prayer

Phylacteries: Small boxes men strap to their forehead that contains the Word of God

Priest vestments

Jewish Custom Christian Similarity

“Shalum”: Greeting that means “Peace”

“Peace be with you”

Synagogue: Where the Jews go to worship God

Our Church

Temple: Symbol of Jewish faith. Everyone who was able traveled to the Temple to celebrate the 3 major Feasts.

The Temple in Jeruselem was destroyed in 70 AD. The outer western wall is what was left standing…to this day.

Cathedral

“The Wailing Wall”: What is left of the Temple of Jerusalem

Traditional Jewish Food: Challah

When we feel hungry for a slice of bread, this is really our soul’s desire for its spiritual essence. Food feeds body and soul. When we take challah we are saying: basic bread helps me have the strength to serve my Creator;, I am spiritually nourished. Food is not

about simply keeping me alive. It is about helping me live for the purpose for which I was created.

Challah is a traditional Jewish bread eaten on Shabbat and Jewish holidays (except Passover, when leavened bread is not allowed). On Shabbat every Jew is commanded to eat three meals (one on Friday night and two on Saturday). In Judaism, a "meal" includes bread. Hence, Jews will traditionally eat challah at the beginning of their Shabbat meal. As with any other type of bread, the blessing "Baruch atah Adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz" is recited before the challah is eaten. Translated, it means "Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth."

“Man does not live on bread alone, but by the utterance of G-d’s mouth does man

live.” Devarim 8:3

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The dough is made with an especially large number of eggs, and sweetened with honey. The dough is traditionally cut into three rope-shaped pieces and then braided together before baking. An egg wash is applied to the dough to give a golden color after being baked. Poppy or sesame seeds are sprinkled on the bread before baking; the seeds represent manna that God gave to the Israelites to eat while they wandered in the

desert.

Major Jewish Feast Description

Passover Commemorates the Exodus. Seder, a special meal is eaten in which the story is retold

Pentecost Celebration of the 10 Commandments and give thanks for the harvest. On this feast, the Holy Spirit visited the Apostles.

Tabernacles/ Sukkot Recalls the time the Israelites lived in tents in the desert.

Other Feasts Description

Rosh Hashanna Jewish New Year; celebrated with prayer and a 10 day period of reflection. According to Jewish belief, throughout the year God judges all human beings, and by the time of Rosh Hashanah he decides whether they deserve to be inscribed in "The Book of Life" or not. Those who are inscribed in this book are rewarded with a new year of happiness. The bible instructs all Jews to celebrate these important days by blowing the ram's horn on Rosh Hashanah and by a series of prohibitions on Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur (the most sacred day except for the Sabbath)

“The Day of Atonement”. A period of fasting and repentance. It is forbidden to eat and drink, to wash, to use perfumes and lotions etc. During this day Jews meet in the synagogue and say prayers.

Hanukkah “Feast of Lights”; Recounts when the Jews and their temple were attacked by the Syrians, they fought for religious freedom and won. When the Temple was rededicated there was enough oil to last one day…but it lasted 8 days. Lighting the menorah symbolizes this.

Daily Life of a Jew

Sabbath • Holy day, day of rest, scrolls of the Torah read and preached.

House

• Rules determining if you were unclean or unfit for worship

Clothing

• Made of clay bricks and straw, one room, dirt floor• No windows, lit by an olive oil lamp• Mats for beds, table, spinning wheel

Laws

Education

• Long tunics tied with belts, sandals• Women’s faces are veiled• Camel hair coat

Meals

• If you are a boy you go to synagogue school where you learn to read and write by studing scripture• As a boy, you learn your father’s trade; as a girl you learn how to be a wife and mother

• You eat twice a day• Food: bread, honey, fish, cheese, fruits and vegetables

Language •Aramaic, however Hebrew is spoken and prayer and some Greek…which is the language of the land.

Salvation History: The story of God’s love for people. It tells how GodHas entered into history and carried out the divine plan to save all

People.

B.CBefore Christ

A.D“Anno Domini”In the Year of

Our lord

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