Here they are! The top ten new articles of 2013 on Our Rabbi Jesus…
10. The Reality of Disciples and Rabbis – How did discipleship work in the first century? A look at the system of rabbinic education as Jesus knew it.
9. Be a Bridge, Not an Island – Many Christians who discover their Jewish roots find themselves repelling others rather than attracting them. Here I share a motto that explains the approach that I take.
8. The Meaning of Life, According to Jesus – As much as we long for happiness, what really drives us, fundamentally, is finding purpose in our lives. This was exactly what Jesus preached about, and not about finding one’s own “personal” meaning, but God’s ultimate purpose for life in this world.
7. “Believe in Christ” It’s Not What You Think – What do we need to believe to be saved? What if we can’t be perfectly sure of the absolute accuracy of every biblical document that has been preserved? The New Testament actually answers this dilemma, but not quite the way you might think.
6. Test Your “Jesus Theories” in the Book of Acts – How can we know how the words of Jesus actually sounded to his original audience? A great place to look for answers is in the book of Acts.
5. The Wisdom of Hebrew Words – I love Hebrew words. I can’t count the number of times that learning one has deepened my understanding of not just one Bible passage, but many.
4. Why the Daniel Plan Might Make you Fat – You may have about Rick Warren’s new weight-loss program, The Daniel Plan. But can I let you in on a little secret? Daniel’s original diet plan actually made them fat.
3. Discipleship: What Sheep Can Teach Us – God’s goal isn’t simply that people believe the right things, but that they become disciples of Christ. Shepherding in Israel is an apt metaphor for this.
2. Learn About the Life of a Shepherd – Shepherding is everywhere in the Bible, but most moderners don’t know much about how it worked. Here are some resources for learning more.
1. What’s So Wrong with Mixing Wool & Linen? – Most Christians would agree that the levitical law that wins the prize for weird is Deuteronomy 22:11: “Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.” Why on earth did God make such an odd prohibition?
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Darin Osborne says
I need some advice. I debate biblical/religious issues with a deep-thinking skeptic. He uses some of those “hard-to-swallow” laws from the Torah to dispute the Bible. I use the historical-context argument to explain those laws pertaining to slavery, etc. Do have any more suggestions on how I can plant seeds in this young man’s heart and mind?
Lois Tverberg says
Darin – Glad you’re grappling with the hard questions with other people. I agree with your historical approach, but I don’t have a book I can just hand you. The most cogent discussions I’ve heard about the ancient law codes have been by conservative Jewish Bible scholars. I never hear them take the defensive attitude that many Christians often have. I shared some of my favorite Jewish Bible sources in this blog post. I discussed some of these issues about the Torah in Sitting in the Feet on pages 145-161.
Darin Osborne says
Lois~
Thanks for the reply. I went with RVL to Israel this past Fall and he wanted to know why I was so familiar with Rabbinical thought. I, of course, gave you much of the credit. I will be using your book “Listening to the Language of the Bible” starting this week in my Sunday School class.