Listening to the Jewish Jesus: How a first-century Rabbi still speaks to us today, is the new book by long-term Prophecy Today reviewer and Editorial Board member Paul Luckraft. PT quizzed the author about his study.

PT: What is the background to your new book?

Paul – Listening to the Jewish Jesus is based upon years of study and hundreds of hours of sharing the material contained within it in various groups and settings. Learning from the pioneering research and expertise of those already teaching and writing in this area was inspirational to my personal journey, and passing on what I had gleaned became one of the most enjoyable aspects of my own teaching.

It was also one that was particularly appreciated by others. Those I taught often asked me where they could read about all this, and my answer was always, ‘I haven’t written the book yet!’ Such interest and hunger to know more eventually encouraged me to collect these lessons together in one convenient place, and now, at last, the book is out!

PT: How did you go about compiling it?

Paul – The original format of this material was that of notes to aid interactive teaching. Turning these into chapters of a book was not a straightforward task. My approach was to produce a series of short talks first and then use these to put together the written version. I felt comfortable with this method as it was one I was familiar with from writing my first book, The Wall and the Word (published by Malcolm Down Publishing earlier this year). This process seemed to work well here also, with the pleasing result that all the material was now together in a single volume.

PT: What is the theme of the book?

Paul – In Listening to the Jewish Jesus, we explore the Hebraic nature of the teaching of Jesus and show how a first-century rabbi spoke to other Jews of the time, in particular how he taught his disciples. This is the main feature of the opening chapters in Part One. We also ask what this means for us today.

We need a better grasp of the Hebraisms within the gospels if we are to fully understand what Jesus is saying to us.

Within Jesus’ teaching, we find much that is puzzling. In Parts Two to Four, various aspects of this are considered. For instance, Jesus used many Hebraic idioms or colloquialisms. An idiom is an expression in common use in one language that makes no sense in a different language if translated literally. It has its own special meaning which someone outside the culture or who is not a native speaker will find difficult to understand. We need a better grasp of the Hebraisms within the gospels if we are to fully understand what Jesus is saying to us.

PT: So the focus is on the Gospels?

Paul – Primarily. But we must also remember that Jesus often referred to his own scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. Sometimes these references are clear to us, but at other times they are more obscure. Jesus dropped hints, provided clues and made allusions which Jewish listeners would readily pick up but which the rest of us can miss, especially if we don’t read the Old Testament regularly or commit it to memory as Jews of the time did. This means we often fail to see things that are significant in the words of Jesus. We need to find these and unpack the depths of their meaning.

So you believe it’s important to provide a historical context for the teachings of Jesus?

Paul – It’s essential. In the gospels we encounter aspects of first-century Judaism with which we are unlikely to be familiar. It was a religious world with its own culture, very different from ours in many ways. As modern western readers, we have to come to terms with this if we are to understand the context in which Jesus ministered and spoke.

PT: How comprehensive is your study?

Paul – In all the above areas, as degree of help is needed, and hopefully that is what this book provides. We don’t cover every word of Jesus. That is neither possible nor necessary. After all, not everything Jesus said is mysterious or cryptic. We focus on the main passages where an explanation of some kind is helpful.

first-century Judaism ... was a religious world with its own culture, very different from ours in many ways

But while this book may not be totally comprehensive, it does cover a lot of ground. Some chapters are based upon a single passage, or occasionally just one verse. Others take you on a tour of several parts of scripture. Clearly the gospels feature a great deal but so do portions of the Old Testament.

PT: Who in particular is the book aimed at?

Paul – One aim of this book is to help those who teach the Bible, providing a resource which will equip them to explain the scriptures more accurately. Even those writers and teachers who do acknowledge that Jesus was Jewish still find it difficult at times to interpret what he said. 

But perhaps its larger purpose is to act as a companion to the Bible reading of all who want to learn from Jesus. If that is you, be prepared to work through each chapter with an open Bible at hand, ready to think through what you are learning. If some of the teaching is already familiar to you, then treat this book like a storeroom where you find new treasures as well as old (Matt. 13:52).

PT: Can you sum up the essence of your thoughts?

Paul – The record of Scripture clearly shows that from birth to death Jesus lived as a Jewish man among Jews. This aspect of our Lord’s identity is now generally accepted in the field of biblical studies, and is becoming more widely recognised within the main streams of Christianity.

Those who acknowledge his Jewishness find themselves understanding and appreciating Jesus in fresh and deeper ways.

Those who acknowledge his Jewishness find themselves understanding and appreciating Jesus in fresh and deeper ways. Personally, I have discovered that this illumination shines through most clearly when we listen carefully to what the Jewish Jesus actually said, not what we think he said.

PT: How does your book compare with popular titles on a similar theme, such as ‘Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus’ by Tverberg and Spangler, and ‘Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes’ by Kenneth Bailey?

Paul - I acknowledge both these books in the recommended further reading list at the back of my book. Being written up from talks and interactive teaching, Listening to the Jewish Jesus is perhaps more focussed towards the ordinary Bible reader and student. Bailey is much more academic in his approach, full of good stuff, but perhaps more useful for preachers or theology students writing essays.

My starting point is in what Jesus actually said when he 'opened his mouth and spoke', explaining more awkward texts and passages rather than all the necessary background. Despite some overlap with Tverbeg (and Spangler) - whose book is also very readable and covers a lot of aspects of the Jewish Jesus generally, and his world - I think the way I have set things out is distinctive, and each chapter features certain key texts which I think makes it a companion to Bible reading.

Listening to the Jewish Jesus is perhaps more focussed towards the ordinary Bible reader and student

Any concluding remarks?

Paul – I am grateful to Clifford Hill for providing the foreword to this book. His commendations made all the hard work worthwhile, especially his opening remarks: ‘Listening to the Jewish Jesus will be high up on the list of essential reading for serious students of biblical hermeneutics, but its unique value lies in its readability for non-scholarly Christians who want to know more about the life and teaching of Jesus.'

Listening to the Jewish Jesus - How a first-century rabbi still speaks to us today is published by Malcolm Down Publishing, and is available from the publisher for £12.99 (plus p&p).