The following is an excerpt from a book we've read and re-read since we've discovered it. It's called When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson.
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A JEWISH CUSTOM
It was the custom of a Jewish father to take his son to the city square when he reached manhood. He would announce to the city that his son was equal to himself in all business affairs, meaning when they dealt with the son they were dealing with the father. In doing so, he would announce to the whole city, "This is my much loved son, in whom I am well pleased."
At the water baptism of Jesus, when He was 30 years old, the prophet John the Baptist pronounced that Jesus was "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29. The Holy Spirit came upon Him, clothing Him in power, enabling Him to carry out His purpose. Then the Father spoke from Heaven, "This is My much loved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matt 3:17
In that moment, both the Father and the Holy Spirit affirmed the primary purpose embraced by the Son of God was to reveal and carry on the Father's business. Jesus declared the specifics of that role in His first sermon: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke 4:18-19. Jesus' life illustrated what that pronouncement was all about —bringing salvation to the spirit, soul, and body of man, thus destroying the works of the devil. (see: 1 John 3:8) This was an expression of a kingdom that is ever increasing,(see:Isaiah 9:7) and continually unfolding.
pg 99 from Chapter 9
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We have discovered that there is as much, if not more, in the Bible in between the lines. What do I mean by that? Simply that whole divisions in the church have formed because of doctrine based on a few scriptures. Context is the key to understanding what is written. It really opens up when examined through the eyes of the Hebrew culture and the times of when these words were written. We have all been raised under a Greek mindset, that which exalts man and his wisdom, knowledge and power. The Hebrew mindset always exalts God not man and the entire Bible was written by Hebrews.
What any theologian or historian of Jesus' day will tell you is, the Hebrew culture was under assault even then. There was a power structure more influenced by Hellenistic Jews or those who were already indoctrinated into the Greek beliefs and mindsets, the Sadducees and Pharisees from the Sanhedrin. When that was happening, the relationship between man and God became all about the letter of the Mosaic law and less about viewing God as a person. He became an idol to worship, to make sacrifice to, to just not upset by doing wrong and there was no love or grace any longer. That is why Jesus came when He did.
This excerpt is just one example of how we read things in the scriptures but don't always understand what it meant then and now. We really need, more than ever, to return to the Jewish roots of the Bible. After all, Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi who never renounced His Judaism.
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