Our Rabbi Jesus

A Seriously Great New Book

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I don’t write many book reviews, but I wanted to share a new book that I’m really enjoying. It’s Seriously Dangerous Religion, (Baylor, 2014) by Iain Provan, Old Testament professor at Regent College. The subtitle is “What the Old Testament Really Says and Why it Matters.” In it he traces out the biblical story as […]

Top 10 Articles of 2014 at OurRabbiJesus.com

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Drumroll… Here are the top 10 articles and posts of 2014 on the OurRabbiJesus.com website: 1. Mr. Spock’s God: The Mistake of Western Theology The idea that emotions are irrational and unnatural arose from Greco-Roman philosophy. Many of our problems with God come from this unbiblical idea. 2. Does God Want Us to Fear Him? […]

Advent & Hanukkah – The Most Hebraic Time of Year

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Many Christians right now are preparing for Christmas. Jews, on the other hand, are in the middle of the 8-day celebration of Hanukkah. For most, the two holidays seem to have little in common. But this is actually a wonderful time of year to consider Jesus in his Hebraic context. During Hanukkah, Jews celebrate their […]

Jesus, the Metaphorical Theologian – Ken Bailey

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Ken Bailey has written a number of fascinating books on Jesus in his Middle Eastern context. In his introduction to Finding the Lost Cultural Keys to Luke 15 (Concordia, 1992), he explains a key difference between how Westerners think and communicate and how Jesus did. Westerners primarily communicate in concepts, but Middle Easterners communicate in […]

In the West, Man is Big and God is Far Away

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I’m always fascinated by the question of what we need to know, culturally, to understand our Bibles better. So I enjoyed the essay at this link by James Kugel, a Jewish biblical scholar, about a fundamental disconnect between the worldview of the Bible and of our Western world today. It’s from an essay on Psalm […]

The Messianic King … Your Thoughts?

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The title “Christ” or “Messiah” refers to God’s “anointed one.” Overall, the prophetic imagery is that of a king, although prophets and priests were anointed too. (For more, see What does “Christ” Actually Mean?) In our modern world it’s hard to grasp what awe and worship kings inspired, and why Israel desired one so much. […]

Those Spicy, Savory Hebrew Words

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Have you noticed the latest food trend? Growing numbers of people are into artisanal foods. They love organic cheeses and heirloom vegetables, farmer’s markets and food co-ops. They want to eat slow food, not fast food. It takes more time and effort, but it’s worth it, they say. You know what? I’m into artisanal Bible […]

Gossip — I am Nobody’s Friend

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Lashon hara is the Hebrew phrase for the “evil tongue” and it refers to gossip, slander and all sorts of malicious speech. It was a source of great concern to rabbis down through the centuries, including Jesus. Below is a poem about gossip that is very wise.     Nobody’s Friend My name is Gossip. […]