Scripture: Luke 4:15
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
Thought for the Day: The line, “Jesus taught in the synagogues,” may sound surprising to some, but Jesus was Jewish. And though he was an itinerant preacher, he was drawn to the synagogues of the towns he visited. It is thought that most of the towns in Galilee had a synagogue. These were gathering places for the Jewish community, and it was almost always found in a prominent place within the town. Outside the modest building was usually found a mikveh, a ceremonial bath where individuals could symbolically wash themselves. Inside the building there were benches against three of the walls. These benches were for important community people, while common folks sat on the floor. There was often a platform from where the speaker would offer reflections on the scripture reading. The prized possession of the synagogue would be the scrolls on which the scriptures were written. Some of these might have been in Hebrew, but at the time of Jesus, a growing number of them would have been in Greek (the translation called the Septuagint or LXX). We have too often Christianized Jesus to the point that we forget his Jewishness. This is one of the reasons I am enjoying Dr. Amy-Jill Levine’s study, short stories of Jesus.
Prayer: The Jesus of history is also my contemporary. O Gracious God, Jesus was a gift to the world, and his living presence remains a gift to us this day. Let us look to who he was for the purpose of discovering who he is. Amen.
STUDY CONTINUES
Chapter Two
