Reading The Bible With Rabbi Jesus By Lois TverbergSample

Day One: Freshly Served

Have you ever tasted fresh pita bread made by the Bedouins? It’s chewy and hot, crispy in spots, and a little smoky from the open fire. Sure, you can buy bagged pita bread in your local grocery store, and its nutritional value will be the same. But the mouthwatering aroma of the original simply can’t be outdone. Similarly, the Bible’s ideas are best appreciated “freshly served” in their original Middle Eastern setting.

I grew up believing that the Bible was the inspired Word of God, but I found much of it more bewildering than inspiring. Twenty years ago, I discovered the importance of studying the Bible in its original Eastern, Jewish context, and I’ve been looking at Christ through that lens ever since.

Jesus interacted with a wide spectrum of people—Samaritans, Romans, Greeks—yet his Galilean upbringing and ministry were profoundly, deeply Jewish. Seeing him in this context sheds brilliant new light on his ministry, deepening our understanding of his words and opening us to truths we haven’t understood before.

Not everyone has time to learn ancient languages, historical details, and cultural ideas, but you’ll be surprised how every little bit of learning is helpful. It’s the same as with cooking. Not everyone can raise their own vegetables and cook from scratch, but adding even a few fresh herbs and local ingredients can liven up any meal. 

Consider that the first thing God did when he poured out his Spirit at Pentecost was make his disciples into translators. Translators need to be deeply fluent in two languages. They will tell you that, at a certain point, it feels like their brain is “split” between two different ways of thinking. To translate, they have to mentally leap between worlds and then bridge that gap for others. That’s what we need to do between the culture of the biblical world and our own. 

Learning to read the Bible from the Hebraic perspective of its first readers has been life-changing for me. I don’t think a day has gone by that some insight from the biblical world hasn’t made my reading more flavorful. I pray that you will find these discoveries about Jesus’ world to be rich and nourishing as well!

What do you find to be most confusing about Jesus’ teachings? How do you think your cultural background may be affecting your understanding of his words?