Introduction
As I began to consider what my next venture
in the world of Biblical study should be, I looked at the very first Bible
Study, Sunday school that I ever did. Though that study took a great deal
longer than this one will, the course material will be much of the same as we
study the world of Jesus, the people, the political undercurrents and his
influence and message on this hostile world for the Jew. Jesus had a profound
effect on his day and unlike any other single person in the history of the
world, Jesus is still influencing the world of our day. So we need to know more
about Him and His world. What was the principle message for the people of His
day and how has thought transformed our world. What injustice did He struggle
against that still may exist in our world today. What does it mean to truly
allow God to abide in us as Christ has proclaimed that we should do?
Jesus came into His day and time into a world
that was struggling on so many levels. First it was struggling with the day to
day issues required to survive, put food on the table and raise a family where
the mortality rate approached 50 % by the age of 5. Second there was oppression
from the Roman rule that held the Hebrew people to a tight check and claimed
12-15 % of their income. Third was an equally oppressive religious order that
required them to strict obedience to the rules of the order that by Jesus day
numbered near 4000 as well as claiming 10-15 % of the income as a tithe. Women
of that day were considered chattel (property) and had little or no rights.
Most of the people were looking for hope. It is into that world that Jesus
comes. With a message of love and radical living that was revolutionary to the
order of the day. That Jesus was a rebel in His first century world is a given.
That He was on a collision course with the order of His day and His death was
preordained is also a given. What all that would mean is still bringing
revolution to the world today.
So
let us meet Jesus.
Chapter One – People, Land, and Political Landscape
For us to really
understand Jesus, we need to understand the landscape that he lived in. Jesus
early life would have been full of sights that included great persecution of
the Jewish people, harsh living under Roman occupation and a history full of
strife for the nation called Israel.
The people of Israel
In Jesus day there
were estimated to be between 500,000 and 600,000 people who populated the land.
The average lifespan was between 40-45 years and an estimated 30 % never made
it past the age of 18. It was a very harsh environment indeed. Men outlived
women by almost ten years unlike our statistics today. But there is evidence
that those that did live beyond early life lived to an old age. In some ways
the people of Israel were not unlike the Eastern Shore of Virginia in that a
large percentage either worked the land or the sea including those who we would
call Shepherds. There were also trade people of many different crafts including
carpentry and merchants.
Most folks lived
in modest homes which would have included a number of rooms but privacy would
have been at a premium. Among the poor, a one or two room house would have been
the norm, while we have archeological evidence that a larger structure for
multiple families was often common. The family’s livestock would often be
housed under the same roof as the family so the place was generally quite
crowded. Walls would have been whitewashed stucco while homes in the hilly
regions were built into the landscape. Roofs were important not only to
protecting the family inside but also collecting rain water in a desert like
climate most of the year.
Most of the Hebrew
people of Jesus day were educated people in that they could read and write. The
language of Jesus day was Aramaic, (a mix of old Hebrew and Babylonian), though
anyone that would have to trade in any way most likely learned some form of
Greek. At an early age young boys would be schooled in the Torah. They would
learn how to read it and begin to understand it.
Bread was the
principle staple of the Hebrew meal, though those on the coast would often have
fish as part of their main meals. Hebrew people we believe ate really two meals
a day, a morning or mid-morning meal and then in the evening. Meals would
typically consist of what we might call a stew, with meat being a rarity. Those
whose jobs entailed dealing with farms or fishing would spend their early
mornings at their tasks.
Most people of
that day and time walked where they needed to go. Some might have donkeys and
only the rich would have horses to ride. Travel was dangerous especially among
the mountainous or hilly areas where travelers were often subject to robbers. Both
the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are below sea level, one at 630 feet and
the latter at 1200 feet. Taxation was a central issue for the people of Israel
with the Roman tax being around 12 -15 % of the value of the goods collected or
the estimated value of what the land could produce. Then there was a religious
tithe that was often ruthlessly collected which amounted to another 10-15 % of
the value of the work. So from the beginning it would be difficult to ever get
ahead. Young men who could not get to the point that they could ever secure the
money to buy a home remained single and often moved towards the larger cities
in search for work.
History
Some history is
important to help understand the political structure and climate of Israel by
the time Jesus comes on the scene. If we
trace the story through the Old Testament we know that Abraham came to this
area somewhere between 2900 BC and 2500 BC. They settled the land that God had
sent Abraham into. As we know the story we Abraham’s descendants worked the
land, probably fought battles as ruler ships changed until the time of Jacob
and his twelve sons. From there we find the Hebrew people in Egypt under
persecution and oppression and God sends one of their own, the step-brother if
you will to the Pharaoh that he deals with. What is interesting is the whole
archeological evidence that tends to support the exodus in the mid 1400’s BC
with Thutmose III in power. From there the people of Israel wander in the
wilderness for forty years under the leadership of Moses and then come back
into the land we call modern day Israel and Syria. There is increasing
archeological evidence to the real dynasties of David and Solomon. And the
Assyrians first and the Babylonians second conquer Israel and scatter the
people amongst the nations of the world of their days. During the Mede-Persian
period the people are allowed to return and the Temple of Solomon is rebuilt.
During Alexander’s
conquest of the Middle East, Israel again falls to a much stronger more
dominant force. Antiochus Epiphanes IV, son of Selencus who was a general under
Alexander and received a fourth of the Kingdom upon his death, ruled the land
around 167 BC. Antiochus was determined to eradicate all religious practices
except those Hellenistic Greek worship. This led to the Maccabean revolution in
and around that period. The Maccabees were successful and for a time, Israel is
under its own ruler ship ruled by the Hasmonean family. The eight-day Jewish celebration known as
Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second
century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews
had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. The
Hasmonean family established the Sanhedrin since we see that name first during
their rule. The Sanhedrin is the name given in the Mishnah to the
council of seventy-one Jewish sages who constituted the Supreme Court and
legislative body in Judea during the Roman period and for some time after that
period until around 350 AD.
The peace in
Israel did not last long for Rome came a conquering around 63 BC. Most accounts
indicate it was a fairly bloodless conquering and the rulers of Israel were
allowed to stay in charge under Roman rule. Herod the Great came to leadership
around 37 BC and dies around 4 BC.
The Political Climate
Under Roman rule,
the Hebrew people still had great control over the people of Israel. To
understand how that all worked we need to be introduced to the Priesthood of
Israel. The Sanhedrin made up of 71 of the most influential and educated of the
Hebrew people ruled on matters of Religious order. We make little distinction
here between self-rule and religious rule since the two are clearly clouded by
the time of Jesus. Herod is both ruler and oversees that the religious
leadership stays in line with Roman rule. Roman rule was overseen by a
provisional governor who received their post because of family connections or
political maneuvering. But that leaves us to the religious side.
Sadducees –
probably the oldest of the original orders, these are the people who primarily
wanted to get along. Life was good under Roman rule for those with influence. They
more often than not were affluent, well placed with family connections and
claimed their origin on Zadok, the High Priest appointed by Solomon. We would
probably see them as liberals, more connected to not raising waves whatever the
cost. Their principle beliefs included denying the authority of tradition,
doubted any scripture after the Mosaic Law, and did not believe in Angels or
the resurrection.
Pharisees – most
would identify the Pharisees as the religious leaders of Hebrew society. Their
equivalent would most likely be the Priests, Preachers and Lay preachers of today’s
world. They were however, religious zealots for the Law. They were also strict
about observing all the traditions and ceremonies that God had decreed
throughout the scriptures. Pharisees believed that a deeply religious life
included following all the laws established in the scriptures. It is thought
that they opposed Jesus even more deeply than the Sadducees since He often
broke the Law during healing and teaching ministries.
Scribes – were the
people who kept the sacred documents. They were the most educated on what the
documents had to say since they were the ones who transcribed them. They acted
as Lawyers when interpretation of the Law was in question.
Essenes – were a
religious cult at the time of Jesus. They had broken away believing that the
Hebrew leadership should stand up and fight Roman rule. The Essenes broke away
and went to live in tribal communities. Some commentaries indicate that they
may well have believed that God would send two Messiah’s, one to teach and one
to rule. The Essenes are believed to be the people who hid the Dead Sea
Scrolls.
Into this world, Jesus arrives.
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