Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: Family is important

In Chapter 6 of Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg talks about the importance of family in a way I've never thought of before.

Being from the West, while family is important in my culture, it doesn't have the same focus and weight as in the East. Maybe it's because my country is less than 300 years old. My family's "memory" is really only goes back around 3-4 generations. 

But for those from the East, it's very different. 

In the West, we say, "I'm so and so and I do this job". We put our identities in what we do.

In the East, Tverberg says they say, "I am so and so, from the family of _____". Their identity is bound up in the identity of their family. Why? Because the family is what will last long after the individual passes away (p. 119). This is why it's so important for your family to have a good reputation, why honor and shame is so important, and why every action needs to be thought of in terms of what it means for the family name, not the individual. (Edited April 4, 2020: For more about this, check out the post on names in Near Eastern culture here).

This is also why it is so important for people to marry and have children, and why barrenness is a curse. And why when God says He will bless someone's name and family, it is so important. It means a great, lasting reputation.

But the coolest thing to me, is how in Romans, Paul says that Gentiles who accept Him are grafted into the family of God. We have that legacy, and are part of it—not because of birth, but because of grace. 

What do you think? How does our concept of identity change when we think in terms of family and relational status, instead of our profession? How does that impact our thinking of what it means to be part of the family of God?

Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: Words and the Meaning of Words

In Chapter 4 of Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg talks about understanding the depth and breadth of Hebrew words can really help in understanding what is being said.

An example she uses is found on page 64, where she says that the word for "work" is the same word for "worship", and the word for "listen" as "obey".

What I think is so interesting for that is the implied action involved in each of those words. Each have a "forward action", if you will. There's an assumption, almost, that if you are working, you are worshipping. And if you are listening, you need to obey.

She also talks about the words "remember" and "forget" also as having accompanying meanings—which makes sense. When God tells the Israelites, "I will remember you", He's not just saying that He'll think of them. It means He'll act on their behalf. "Forget" has the opposite connotation—it's not just an absence in the mind, but a removal.

How can the deeper meanings of these words have significance to us as we read the Bible in 2018?

Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: What does it mean to have a King?

In Chapter 3 of her book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg asks the question, "What does 'Christ' mean, anyway?"

When I first read that, I thought, Well, Messiah, of course. After all, that's what I was taught: Jesus the Messiah. "Christ" isn't a last name, but a title.

But as Tverberg explored the true meaning of Messiah (you really need to read this book!) and takes it so much deeper.

Through example after example, verse after verse, Tverberg proves that "Christ" means "God's chosen King"—something a first century reader would have understood.

This really got me thinking. What does it mean to live under a king? As an American, I come from a political system where every 4 years, I have the opportunity to vote for the leader of my country. Any leader cannot serve for more than 8 years (or 10, for special circumstances*). Even if I am not a fan of my current leader, I have a voice in choosing the next one, and I know that no matter what, he will be gone in a few years.

In the Western world, we glamorize the word "king". All the best stories have a king. In fact, it's not even the West that does this. Proof of this is the enormous international audience during both Prince William and Princess Kate's wedding in 2011 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding earlier this year. The numbers of people who watched were astronomical... one source even says 1.9 billion people watched Harry and Meghan's. 

But having a king, in some countries, might seem more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. After all, kings have absolute power. They can help their countries; or they can seriously hurt them. We see this time and time again throughout history. And maybe the hardest of all, they can do this for life. They don't lose their power after a few years.

I don't know what it means to live in a system where I don't have a vote and maybe won't see a change in power in my lifetime. I don't know what it means to pledge allegiance to a king in a practical sense. Yet, we talk about God as the King of Kings and we sing praise songs referring to Him as such. But do we, do I, really understand what that means?

First century readers did. They would have known immediately what the word "Messiah" meant, and what it could mean for them. This is why, when Peter made his declaration in Matthew 16 at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus shushed him. The time for him to be proclaimed as king wasn't ready.

What else can we, as 21st century readers in the Western, glean from this concept of having a king?

Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: WEIRD Filters

In her book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg writes about how American, European, and Australian readers we have WEIRD filters.

WEIRD doesn't mean bad or strange*. In fact, it's an acronym for:

• Western (they are Eastern)
• Educated (we think in abstractions and logic, they thought in pictures and parables)
• Industrialized (We focus on work outside of the home; they focus on growth and strength of family)
• Rich (easy access to food and housing)
• Democratic- in voting countries. (We focus on individual good versus the good of the community)

Tverberg shares an example I've never thought of before in her description for "Rich". She mentions the story of Luke 12:15-21, how the rich man built barns for his overflowing crops, in order to take care of him in the future. This makes sense to a modern, Western reader. But Tverberg points out that this would have shocked readers in the first century, because it means he didn't share his wealth with the community first. 

What does this example and the WEIRD filters show us about the difference in first-world life? How can it help us read the Bible differently?

*from pages 36-38

Update on September 24, 2018—check out this updated discussion here!

Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: Removing Western Filters

I started this series on Lois Tverberg's Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus talking about the idea of how it's easy for a reader to view Scripture through the lens of the 21st Century—and even a Western perspective.

On page 18, she quotes New Testament Scholar Kenneth E. Bailey, where he writes:

"The Bible is an Eastern book. We see it through the colored glasses of Western culture. Much is lost. We miss the subtleties of humor and many of the underlying assumptions. We do not understand the ingrained attitudes that illuminate a story or illustration... what likes between the lines, what is felt and not spoken, is of deepest significance..... It is my perception that for us as Westerners, the cultural distance "over" to the Middle East is greater than the distance 'back' to the first century. The cultural gulf between the West and the East is deeper and wider than the gulf between the first century (in the Middle East) and the contemporary conservative Middle Eastern village."

What does this mean for the modern, Western reader who wishes to follow Christ and live according to His Word? How can we learn the Jewish perspective and read with Eastern eyes?

Do you agree with this statement—that it is harder bridge to understanding the cultural differences between the East and West than to the mindset of someone 2000 years ago?

It's because of this that I've been embarking on this study. As a Western female in 2018, I do not want to miss even one drop of truth from the Bible because I don't understand a cultural nuance—even though I know that I have. I know I have these filters, so I am asking God to help me read with Eastern eyes.

Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: Removing Our Filters

Recently, I've been trying to peel back the filters of being a 21st century, American, female reader when reading the Bible. It's so easy for me to assume so much from my culture and worldview as I read the Bible. But what would it mean to read with Jewish eyes?

To this end, one of the books I read recently is Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus by Lois Tverberg.

Tverberg opens the book with statements supporting this view: "How can [non-Jewish] Christians be equipped to read the Bible from the Hebraic perspective of its first readers? What big-picture ideas do we need to understand?.... In the past few decades, we've been realizing that Jesus has been overly cast within Greco-Roman society to the neglect of His Jewish context. Jesus interacted with a wide spectrum of people—Samaritans, Romans, Greeks—and yet His Galilean upbringing and ministry were profoundly, deeply Jewish. While we find Paul preaching to Greek audiences, Jesus' words fit far better into Judaism than a Gentile context." (p. 11, emphasis and insertions mine).

This is what I want to discover, and I feel like this book is an excellent introduction into this topic. Care to dive in with me? In the next few posts, I'll explore just a few of the themes Tverberg focuses on. Stay tuned!

Quest for the Historical Apostles

I went to Toccoa Falls College, in Toccoa Falls, Ga, from 2005-2007. During that time, I completed my English degree and a minor in Bible (although, I didn't apply for the certificate to show the minor).

Anywho, when I found out that one of my former professors wrote a book, I had to check it out for myself!

Dr. W. Brian Shelton's book, Quest for the Historical Apostles, really intrigued me. I could see the immense research that went into such a topic, as Dr. Shelton explored the paths of each of the apostles from their journeys with Jesus, receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost through their ministries in faraway lands—and deaths for His' sake.

My favorite part of this book was how it was written: exactly as promised. Dr. Shelton takes the reader on a quest, much like the disciples themselves went on.

If you love Biblical history, this is a great book to check out.

The Zion Chronicles

The Zion Chronicles pick up with the Zion Covenant Series left off.

Except this time, the reader is taken to Israel in 1948, in the months leading up to Israel's independence.

image taken from here

Even though this 5-book series picks up roughly 9 years after the close of the Zion Covenant Series, Bodie and Brock Thoene connect the two extremely well. Even better, as you get farther and farther in, familiar characters pop up and take you along on their journeys.

You'll find yourself winding through the streets of Jerusalem, looking for ways into the kibbutz of the Old Quarter along with the characters. You'll root for them and for their freedom, all while exploring the unforgettable, ancient streets of Jerusalem... both above and below the surface of the earth.

Best of all, in my opinion, is the real hero of this series (other than God)—a shaggy dog named Shaul.

The Zion Covenant Series

I just finished re-reading the Zion Covenant Series by Bodie and Brock Thoene.

Set in pre-WWII, this series takes you throughout Germany, Austria, Prague, France, Belgium, Spain, the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom, Israel, and even California. It's an adventure of incredible proportions, set in the heartbreaking and explosive era of Hitler's rise to power and Nazism.

image from here

Through Elisa and Murphy, Theo and Karin, Thomas, Rachel, Archie, Otto, Leah and Shimon, and so many, many more, the reader is given just a small glimpse of what life was like during that time. The detail is so rich, you can almost hear Elisa's violin and Leah's cello, Vittorio, play their symphonies, the clackety-clack of Murphy's keys as he typed up his stories.... and the silence bred by terror as the world turned upside down and inside out, never to be the same again. 

The writers will take you from the screaming of a madman, through the secret messages carried by instrument and finally, played over the airways, to the cries of an infant, helpless, as he is hidden in plain sight as his family is taken away to Auschwitz—and then taken across many borders until finally reaching his grandfather in Israel.... which is where Theones' next series picks up. 

For lovers of historical fiction in WWII, this series is a must. 

The Restoration Chronicles

Lynn Austin has another Biblical fiction series that I love. This one is only 3 books, and it's called the Restoration Chronicles.

This series is set in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, when King Cyrus of Babylon allows a return to Jerusalem, and for the city and walls to be rebuilt. 

What was so fascinating to me about this series was how it made the 2nd Exodus so real to me. It's easy to read as a reader in the 21st century and miss the time that passes, not only between books, but between chapters and verses. The Israelites were in captivity in Babylon for 70 years.

That is a long time. In fact, God through Jeremiah pretty much said that in Jeremiah 29:5, when he told the Israelites to plant gardens, build homes, and settle down. Even with the promise of being brought back to Jerusalem a few verses later (Jeremiah 29:11-14), they knew it would be a while. 

70 years means that the children who were taken into captivity are now elderly. Many might have died. It means that only few of the Israelites alive remember Jerusalem and what life was like there.

And that's what I love so much about this series. Lynn Austin made it so real. In this story, there's a multi-generational family. The patriarch, Iddo, cannot wait to return to Jerusalem. He has so many beautiful memories of it from his youth, and he longs for his true home. But his family doesn't really feel the same way. His wife would willingly go with him, except that his children (who are grown and have families of their own) do not. For Iddo and his wife to leave would mean possibly leaving their family forever. His wife cannot bear the thought of not being near her children and grandchildren. 

Babylon is what they know. They understand the culture and the way of life. They even know the practical things, like where to buy the best food, how to navigate the city, and how to live successfully as captives in Babylon. This was their home, even though it wasn't supposed to be... and they can't remember their true home. They've grown comfortable in captivity, comfortable with the wealth and depravity of Babylon. Jerusalem represents a decimated city where life will be difficult, far from home... and in the case of this family, far from their loved ones.

If you love historical fiction, don't miss this series! It will give a new perspective on what it meant for the Israelites to return to Jerusalem.

Chronicles of the Kings Series

A few years ago, a new trend hit the bookshelves of Christian bookstores: Biblical fiction. Meaning, a fictional re-telling of a well-known story from the Bible.

While not to be taken solely as truth alone, these stories can help set the stage and scene for stories in the Bible. 

Two of my favorite series' from this time period are by the same author, Lynn Austin.

The first one, is the Chronicles of the Kings series. This 5-volume series follows the storyline of King Hezekiah, a king that I honestly didn't know much about (outside from the miracle of the shadows going backwards as proof of his recovery). 

You are exploring the world of ancient Jerusalem, and the challenges, conflicts, and triumphs of that time period. You meet Isaiah, Hezekiah, and many other prominent characters from the Old Testament. 

The amount of detail that Lynn Austin using in writing this story, creating the setting, and really placing the reader in this time period is incredible. I highly recommend this series for any reader who loves historical fiction. (Honestly, that's really not me, as I only enjoy specific time periods), but this series was so incredible that I can't wait to read it again!

The Advocate

I'm currently re-reading an amazing book: The Advocate by Randy Singer.

Set in the time of the ancient Roman Empire, its story follows a character from Rome, to Rhodes, to Israel, and back to Rome. It gives a brilliant depiction of the culture, practices, places, and people of its time.

You'll stroll through the Roman Forum and sit in the Colosseum, then head south to Caesarea and Jerusalem during the most important Passover there ever was. You'll see familiar people—Seneca and Pontius Pilate, Joseph of Arimethea, Paul, Luke, and so many more—even Jesus.

If you love historical fiction, I 100% recommend this book!

Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers

I can't talk about ancient Rome without talking about my favorite historical fiction series: The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.

This series not only entertains but also comes with powerful lessons of forgiveness, grace, and faith. There is so much to learn and enjoy from each aspect of the story, but for me, the character of Hadassah is one of the most incredible (and challenging) I've ever read. The reader finds themselves immersed first in Roman-ravaged Judea, then finally in Rome, Ephesus, and even Germania. Honestly, while the 3rd book contains a lot of references for the first 2 books and repeating characters, it can almost stand alone. I often just re-read books 1 and 2 because they are my favorites. 

From the roar of the games to the wilds of Germania, you'll go on the most incredible adventure and hopefully be encouraged in your faith as well. This series, (or at least books 1-2), are a "must read" to me.

Click here to find it on Amazon!