Upon returning to Nazareth Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. He was given the honor of giving the sermon. Jesus read from Isaiah 64. The reader would stand to read the scriptures, then sit on the "Moses Seat" to expound and explain their meaning. Imagine the surprise to the Nazareth synagogue when Jesus read Isaiah 61 regarding the mission of the Messiah, and then declared, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears"(Luke 4:16-21).
The interesting thing is that the people were all attentive and respectful of Jesus until He declared Himself the Messiah. They showed their doubt, but did not become angry until he told them that he would not do the same works in Nazareth that he had done in Capernaum (where he had a house). No doubt Jesus was raised a good Son of the Commandment and made synagogue worship part of His routine. And we read Jesus taught in the synagogues on Sabbath after Sabbath. It was there that He taught the sermons on Manna and the Bread of Life. Why was He always given the position of honor at the synagogues? Could it be that He was really a Rabbi? Here's what I think:
Jesus was a carpenter's son. It is commonly believed that Jesus made His living by practicing the trade taught to Him by Joseph. But for a Rabbi this would not have been out of line with the customs of that world. Many Rabbis worked at common trades and earned their bread in that way.
"Rabbi" or Master (John 1:38) was an office of social respect, a title of prestige which was highly honored by the Jews. If a man was a "Rabbi" he was entitled to the choice seats at religious and social gatherings. And this is where Jesus would reach the people and declare the gospel unto them. When questioned by the High Priest he declared that He had openly taught "in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort." (John 18:19-20) He went where the people were. He taught them in the ways that they knew.
We get a first hint of Jesus' intention of moving into the office of Rabbi when He was twelve years old. He went to the temple and spent three days discussing the Law with the Elders of Israel. After the third day His mother found Him in the Temple still speaking to the priests and teachers. He said, "Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49 NKJV) But they understood not the saying. His Father's business was teaching and instructing. His wisdom and understanding superseded the Elders of Israel. Modern scholars believe Jesus must have been a trained Pharisee for He moves with familiarity through the sayings and teachings of Hillel and Shammai, the two great houses of learning in Jesus' time.
Jesus was all-knowing, therefore He would know as much as the trained teachers of His day. But consider this: A Rabbi had to not only be well versed in the scriptures and the Talmud; he had to be ordained as a Rabbi. The practice of ordination in its Mosaic form ceased in Palestine in the second half of the 4th century (A.D.) when the Judaean academies were closed (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol.18, p.978). The Jewish leaders would have condemned Jesus if He took the honor without the ordination. Furthermore, to comply with the rabbinical requirements, He waited until His thirtieth year before He began His ministry. He started His ministry by cleansing (baptism), fasting and gathering disciples, as a good Rabbi should. Jesus never denied he was a Rabbi. Peter (Mark 9:5; 11:21), Judas (Matthew 26:25, 49), Nathanael (John 1:49), and the other disciples (John 1:38; 4:31; 9:2; 11:8) called Him Rabbi with no word of correction. The masses called Him "Rabbi" (John 6:25); and for conclusive proof, even Nicodemus, a Pharisee, acknowledged Jesus as "Rabbi" (John 3:1-2).
I believe Jesus was truly a Rabbi. He taught His disciples to obey the requirements of the law, because the rabbis "sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do" (Matthew 23:2-3). With the ordination to officially be a Rabbi, Jesus could teach the gospel principles wherever he was led to do so, upon the mountainside, in the synagogues, and even in the Temple. And no man could say other. So the leaders of Judea planned to quiet Him another way.
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