Jesus the Rabbi
John 11:7-10
Series: In the Steps of the Rabbi
Dr. Burnie R. Burnside

Deuteronomy 6:4-8:

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads."

Hosea 2:19-20:

"I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the LORD."

Phylacteries were considered to be an outward sign of the love that exists between God and his people.

I. In order to fully understand Jesus as Messiah and Redeemer, we must also understand Jesus as a Jewish Rabbi.

A. Two thousand years ago, God, in the person of Jesus, chose to enter this world and become a Jewish Rabbi.

John 11:7-10: "Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."

B. Rabbi literally means "my master."
C. Jesus entered history at a time when people were hungry to know how to live for God.
D. Because of their continuing oppression by the Romans the Jewish people cried out to God daily, begging for a Messiah to deliver them.
E. Study of the Scripture: Torah is Hebrew for "teaching" or "instruction." It refers to the first five books of the Bible, also called the Pentateuch.
F. The "Oral Torah" consists of a commentary of explanations and interpretations of the laws given to Moses in the Pentateuch (Written Torah).
G. There really are few thrills greater than digging deep into the Scriptures and discovering fresh insight from the Word of God.

II. Rabbinic scholars spent many years in study and traveled as itinerant teachers from community to community, explaining the Scriptures and telling parables.

A. It may surprise you to learn that the rabbis thought that study, not prayer, was the highest form of worship.
B. What we really need is a serious dedication to full communication with God involving fervent prayer and disciplined study of God's Word.
C. We are not called to be parrots, unquestioningly repeating whatever we learn. Instead we are to exercise wisdom and discernment, continually seeking understanding and grounding our beliefs within the context of God's Word.

III. Rabbi as Redeemer: The Jewish people longed for a Messiah, a deliverer, who would be like Moses.

A. Moses was revered not only as Israel's great deliverer but also as Israel's great teacher who brought them God's Word.
B. Jesus also brought God's word to earth. In fact, he was God's Word incarnate.
C. Along with instructing the crowds, a rabbi's greatest goal was to raise up disciples who would carry on his teaching.

1. A rabbi's most important emphasis was on moral character.
2. The mission of a rabbi was to become a living example of what it means to apply God's Word to one's life.

What better way for God to teach people to be like him than to walk the earth as a rabbi? We often focus on Jesus' mission on the cross to save us from our sins. It is also critical for us to grasp the importance of his mission as a rabbi. His goal was to raise up disciples who would become like him.