Jesus the Jewish Rabbi
Understanding What He Taught by Knowing What He Was
How do we know Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi? People called him rabbi, he gathered disciples and taught them in the tradition of the rabbis of the day. He taught his disciples to pray, to preach and to teach just as other rabbis taught their disciples. He was born of a Jewish mother, Miriam.
Jesus Was a Rabbi?
Jesus acted like a rabbi, he was called rabbi, a title given to a teacher or master of disciples, and he was treated as a rabbi. He was, in the eyes of those around him, a rabbi. (See Matt 26:25, Mark 9:5 the Greek word translated Master is rabbi, Mark 11:21 John 1:38,49, 3:2, 9:2)
When asked by a detractor “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus responded “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Matt 22:36-37)
The greatest is quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4. It is the beginning of the Shema, and is probably one of the most widely known portions of scripture in Judaism. Tractate Berakhot of the Talmud outlines the requirements and exceptions of praying the Shema during daily prayer.
Not the Lone Rabbi
Jesus was not unique in his traveling teaching. There were itinerant rabbis before, during and after his time as Dina Teitelbaum discusses in her online article On The Road Again! The Traveling Rabbis. Lois A. Tverberg PhD of the En Gedi Resource Center in her article Jesus’ Habit Of Hinting recounts, “Rabbis in Jesus' day traveled from village to village and many townsfolk would come out to listen to them”.
How Much Opposition Did He Face?
To understand Jesus and his teachings in context with his surroundings, one must search farther back than the origins of Christianity. Jesus didn’t originate his teachings, they are found in the Hebrew Scriptures. The people around him were charged by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:20 that a false prophet was to die. Had they believed he taught contrary to the Scriptures, the people would have stoned him to death. (See Acts 6:10 and ch.7)
The New Testament records how Jesus taught in the synagogues (Mark 3:1, 6:2). Since there were thousands following him as shown in Mark 14:21, he was apparently well received by many. Had the synagogue leaders been vehemently opposed to his teachings they would have flogged him after he taught as they did Paul, who recounts in 2 Corinthians11:24 how he “five times received forty lashes save one.” This was in compliance with the instructions for stripes in Deuteronomy 25:1-3 which allows for forty stripes.
Paul submitted to the synagogue leader’s authority and received his correction so he could continue teaching in the synagogues. The New Testament records how Jesus went from town to town teaching in their synagogues, but there is no record he was sentenced to lashes until just prior to his execution.
A Term of Respect and Reverence
The term rabbi was given to those teachers who were respected enough that disciples followed them wherever they went and learned at their feet. Disciples were often called to leave home and family to follow their rabbi. As Stephen Wylen observes in The Jews in the Time of Jesus, Paulist Press, NY, 1996, Rabbis taught their disciples the scriptures and the ‘traditions of the fathers’. An important difference between Jesus and other rabbis; instead of teaching the ‘traditions of the fathers’, he taught the will of His Father.
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