Did Jesus actually claim to be the Messiah and Son of God, or was the idea dreamed up by his fawning followers?
Yes he did, and in a very Jewish way. So Jewish, in fact, that Gentiles have mostly overlooked his powerful claims.
A few weeks ago shared a talk about this in Indianapolis. The audio is at this link.
I also wrote about this in my book Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus.
Becky Brown says
Hello, I will be leading the women from our church in a Bible study on the book of Acts. The study we’re using describes how scriptures from Ezekiel were always read on the Jewish holiday of Pentecost. I had never heard that! Can you tell me more about that? I know Pentecost was a regular Jewish holiday long before it marked the time where the Holy Spirit was given to believers, just wanted to know more about it. Is it likely that Ezekiel was being read that very day of Pentecost in Jerusalem? Thank you for your help and insight.
Sean says
I am interested how you developed this concept of walking in the dust of the rabbi, Jesus. This is the same thing I have found in the teaching of Rob Bell who was influenced by Ray Vander Laan.
Lois Tverberg says
The phrase was one that Ray Vander Laan heard when he attended classes in a Yeshiva many years ago. The “dust” idea has been picked up and preached widely by others, including Bell. One pastor wrote a blog saying that it was an urban legend, so I wrote the following response that details its origins and meaning.
Covered in the Dust of Your Rabbi: An Urban Legend?