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The Chosen, a series on the life of Jesus, is so well done! If you haven’t seen it yet, you can click on the link to the right to watch it. The stories about Jesus from the Bible are well-portrayed in this entertaining series. It’s a great show but looking a bit deeper at some concepts relevant to the Hebraic faith makes it even more rich and even educational!

If you haven’t read my posts on other episodes, you can find them here.

*Caution: Spoilers ahead!*

The Rock

This episode is entitled “The Rock On Which It Is Built”. This is because it features Simon, also called Peter. Jesus says to him after he agrees to follow Jesus, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Whether Jesus meant that he was “the rock” or that Simon Peter was the rock is debated among Christian denominations but what is clear is that Jesus’s church will not be overpowered by the “gates of Hades”! And we can see in Revelation that this is true and that our Messiah will be victorious in the end!

The Sea of Galilee

Most of this episode takes place at the Sea of Galilee. Although these scenes are filmed in Utah, the Gailiee is a beautiful area in Israel where Jesus spent much of his ministry. This region is mentioned many times in the Bible – 68 to 72 times, depending on translation.

Galilee was part of the Roman Empire in Jesus’s time. Nazareth, one o the main cities in Galilee, was where Jesus lived as he was growing up. Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding (see this in Episode 5), is in Galilee. Galilee was also where his disciples resided as well as where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

Zebedee

Zebedee appears a few times in this episode. He’s the father of James and John and is a fisherman by trade. His wife (James and John’s mother) was named Salome and details in the Bible point to their family being quite wealthy (Mark 1:20, Luke 5:4, John 18:15).

In the opening scene, where Simon is in the boat with the Roman soldiers, the fishing bobber they find bears the Hebrew letter zayin (ז). Simon looks knowingly at the bobber, suggesting to the audience that he knows who it belongs to. We can only conclude the zayin stands for Zebedee as we later see the same bobber put on the table by Simon in the pub while Simon and Zebedee are talking.

Gergesa Shore

In this same pub scene, right before Simon puts the telltale bobber on the table, Simon says to Zebedee “You fished the Gergesa Shore last night”.

Gergesa was an area on the Eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. This area wasn’t inhabited by Jews and Jewish people of this time didn’t spend much time there. It’s thought to be the place Jesus healed the demon-possesed men by sending the demons into a herd of pigs, as it’s probably the region called “the Gerasenes” in Mark 5:1.

I’m assuming this wasn’t Zebedee’s usual fishing place, since he appeared quite surprised when Simon mentioned it. The Eastern side of the Sea, where Gergesa was, has high cliffs and is more steep than on the Western side, near Capernaum. It would be easier to put a boat in on the Western side, making it a more likely spot for fishermen. Perhaps, as far as this story goes, Zebedee fished on the opposite side of the lake than he normally does to be undetected by Roman soldiers.

Matthew’s Dog

At the end of the conversation between Matthew and Dominus, Matthew says that his dog guards his tax collection booth while he’s gone. At this, Quintus laughs mockingly and says in a patronizing tone “Oh, Matthew, you are a priceless treasure. Of course you have a dog.”

Now this means nothing to us in the context of our culture. Of course we have dogs! While pets may be a normal thing in our culture, dogs were not kept the same way in Bible times. Dogs were used for hunting and herding (Isaiah 56:11, Job 30:1) and to compare someone to a dog was an insult (Deut. 23:18, Prov. 26:11, 2 Sam. 9:8, and others). It’s assumed that dogs were scavengers in those days and ran in packs that caused them to be dangerous.

The fact that Matthew had a dog as a pet was probably very peculiar, however, since Scripture doesn’t mention that Matthew had a dog, this is just a creative addition to Matthew’s character on the part of the creators of The Chosen. It does fit his character well since he would have been quite lonely as his family and his people would have considered him a trader.

Miracles

When Nicodemus and Shimon are talking with the Sanhedrin about John the Baptist, they discuss how he called them snakes and how he doesn’t answer to the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus says he’d heard of a wild man in Jerusalem who went to the king’s court with a message of evils done by Herod Antipas and his family. Here, he’s referring to Matthew 14:1-12 and Mark 6:17-29, which says that John had confronted Herod (who claimed to be Jewish) about his marriage to his brother’s wife.

It’s against the command given in the Torah to marry your sister-in-law (Lev. 18:16), unless your brother has died without children. In that case, it would be under the Law of Levirate marriage (Deut. 25:5-6) to marry her to carry on your deceased brother’s line. But Herod had divorced his previous wife to marry his living brother’s wife, therefore disobeying the Law. When John called him out on it, Herod imprisoned and later had John beheaded.

Right before he adjourns the meeting, Nicodemus asks “Do they say he performs miracles?”. This is significant because Nicodemus (and those he’s talking to) knew the coming Messiah would fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah about him that said he would heal people and perform miracles.

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah.

Isaiah 35:5-6

Isaiah 29:8 has a similar prophecy as well. These men knew that if miracles were being performed, they were to pay attention, as this man could be the Messiah.

Of course, we see Jesus perform all of the miracles in this prophecy in the Bible. In the Book of Matthew, John later hears rumors of the miracles Jesus was doing and asks people to find Jesus and ask him if he’s the one they were waiting for. Jesus refers to Isaiah 35 in his response, confirming that he is the Messiah indeed (Matt. 11:2-5).

In the very last scene of this episode, Nicodemus visits John the Baptist in prison. He asks again about miracles – this time asking John about Jesus. Nicodemus knows what the Scriptures said about the Messiah and is looking for the signs that he has arrived. He’s doing just what we should be – watching and waiting for our Messiah and continually studying the Bible while we wait.

Simon’s Sick Mother-in-Law

Simon’s wife, Eden, tells Simon that Eema (her mother) is sick and has to stay with them. Those of you who are Bible savvy know what’s about to happen. You’ll find out in Episode 8 but you don’t have to wait until then. Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:30-31, and Luke 4:38-39 all contain this short but awesome story!

Breaking a Commandment to Save a Life

During their heated conversation, Simon excuses his fishing on Shabbat by saying “You can break a commandment to save a life”. Jesus also refers to this concept in the Bible, when, in Matthew 12:1-6, he and his disciples were picking grain on the Sabbath. The Pharisees confronted him, accusing them of breaking the Law.

Picking grain by hand on the Sabbath was not a law made by God but one made by man. This was one of the “fences” the rabbis made around the Law to make sure it wasn’t broken and to provide direction to their people on how to live out the Law in everyday life. But Jesus then gave two examples of broken laws that God had given.

Jesus brought up when King David and his men were hungry and ate the showbread in the Temple, which was supposed to be only for the priests to eat. He also brought up that the priests break the Sabbath by working in the Temple. And a few verses later, he asks who wouldn’t rescue a sheep that fell in a pit on the Sabbath.

So, was Jesus telling people it was okay to break the Law? No. He was, however, saying that there are occasionally times that the Law must be broken – to save a life or to serve God. This is the reasoning Simon was referring to.

The Lamb of God

Andrew frantically tells his brother Simon he saw John the Baptist point at Jesus and call him “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (from John 1:29,36).  How did Simon know that meant they referred to the Messiah?

During Passover, as well as other situations and times of the year, unblemished lambs were sacrificed for sin and for other types of offerings as well. Simon, Andrew, and others in John’s audience would have been familiar with the comparison of Jesus to these lambs. Calling Jesus the “Lamb of God” indicated that he was the “lamb” or sacrifice provided by God to stand in our place. This is similar to the ram provided by God when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac. The ram was sent to be in Isaac’s place like Jesus, the “lamb” was sent take ours.

Parables

On the shore of the Galilee, Jesus is telling the people the Parable of the Sower. Jesus taught using parables so those with hearts open to what God had to say to them would understand and those without would not (Matt. 13:13). He also said he taught in this way in order to fulfill the prophecy in Psalms 78:2 – “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old…”.

Parables were typically a Hebraic way of teaching. Although there were many teachers at that time and in that area, only the Jewish teachers taught in parables and not the Greek.

The Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:3-9, 18-24) shows us that God’s message stays the same. What determines whether fruit is produced from our faith is the condition of our hearts, not God or His Word. And, like the seeds sown on the rocky soil or among the thorns, we must let God’s Word take root in our life. And from there, our faith must grow and mature. We must not just be placated that we’ve received salvation but work out that salvation (Phil. 2:12), growing from a newborn baby Christian into a mature adult Believer and even continuing to grow from there!

In the parable of the fisherman, Jesus said that the evil and the righteous would be separated.  This reminds that, although our works are not what saves us, our actions do matter! If our hearts are in the relationship they should be with God, our actions will match our beliefs.

Simon, Son of Jonah

After Jesus asks Simon to follow him, he calls him Simon, Son of Jonah. In Hebrew (and Aramaic), it’s Shimon Bar Yonah (literally Simon son [of] Jonah) (Matt 16:17).

Why Jesus says this at this point is not clear. Maybe Jesus was just emphasizing his point, similar to when a mother calls her child by both his first and last name when she’s very serious. Maybe he’s distinguishing between Simons, since the other Simon (called Simon the Zealot) is possibly present. And maybe it’s because Simon had just declared who Jesus was – the Son of Man – and Jesus then declared who Simon was – the son of Jonah.

But maybe it’s more than that. Maybe Jesus is pointing out that Simon recognizing who Jesus was was a revelation from God – one that Simon couldn’t have achieved from his earthly father. The whole verse is “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Jesus could also be referring to a few chapters ago (12), when he was talking about the prophet Jonah and how Nineveh eventually repented at Jonah’s warning to them. I’m not sure which of these it is but I’m sure it’s significant in some way!

I love how we’re really getting to know each of the characters at this point in the series. Although it’s a work of fiction, it does put faces to those we read about in the Bible, even our Savior! Read about episode 5: The Wedding Gift here.

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There are a few foundational ideas that make up the basics of the Hebrew Roots perspective – Jesus didn’t abolish the Law (Matt 5:17), Christians are grafted into the faith (Romans 11), and the Law is a blessing and given for our benefit (Romans 7:12 and others).  Once you see and understand these concepts, you won’t be able to un-see them!  These are fundamental concepts throughout the Old and New Testament and understanding them will be a blessing to your faith-walk and provide much in the way of biblical context.

As we Hebrew Roots Christians understand the Torah (or Law) as being a righteous and good thing, we also understand that it does not save us.  Our salvation comes from grace alone through the sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah.  We’re to rejoice in the Law because God gave it for our benefit.  Following it allows us to live the way God intended and it sets us apart from the world.  Imagine how humankind would be living if we didn’t have any instruction from God! 

The Law Remains

One of the key foundations of the Hebrew Roots perspective comes from the teaching of Jesus himself during the Sermon on the Mount.  This is the only recorded sermon that Jesus gave, and it’s very powerful. 

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus clarifies:

¹⁷ Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  ¹⁹ Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 5:17-19 (NASB)

The Law that Jesus is speaking of is the Torah given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.  Jesus is reminding everyone that the Torah is not being abolished, at least not until heaven and earth is gone.  The Greek for the word fulfill in verse 17 is pleroo. If you look up the definition of pleroo in the Strong’s Concordance, you’ll see that it means something a little different than how it’s commonly translated. 

When someone fulfills their duty, it generally means they’re done. For example, when Azeem fulfills his vow at the end of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, it means he’s done, and can now relax and return home.  But the definition of pleroo is different.  Its meanings include “to make full”, “to fill up”, “to consummate”, or “to complete”.  

These definitions are all quite different then what we typically understand as “fulfill”.  None of the definitions of pleroo means to “end” and this is important to understand.  Using the word fulfill in verse 17 does a disservice to Christians and provides a source of error among believers because many people interpret fulfill to mean the same as end or abolish.  This causes many to interpret this verse as “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to abolish” which is certainly not correct. 

It is much better to use the word complete in this context as in “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to complete.” You can see that this is much more consistent with the rest of Jesus’s teaching.

In context, Jesus then continues in his Sermon on the Mount where he doesn’t abolish the Law, but affirms it.  Not only does the Law say not to murder, but this includes not being angry with your brother as well (Matt 5:21-22).  The Law says you are not to commit adultery, and Jesus explains that this includes lusting wrongly after a woman. (Matt 5:27-28).  By affirming the Law of Moses, Jesus is not abolishing the Law, but completing it, just as he said in Matt 5:17.

These teachings by Jesus are some of the primary reasons why many who embrace the Hebrew Roots perspective question the doctrine of abolition of the Law.  Looking back on Verse 19 above and we will notice the warning Jesus provides against teaching disobedience to the law:

¹⁹ Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 5:19 (NASB)

In fact, a few chapters later, Jesus offers a second warning against practicing disobedience to the law. In (Matthew 7:21-23) it is written:

²¹ Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Matt 7:21-23 (NASB)

Jesus was certainly not a fan of disobeying the Torah, which makes sense as he was a Jewish Rabbi, along with being the Son of the God who established the Law for us. 

As a Christian, this should make you pause for a moment and think about what this means to the Christian faith.  If we take Jesus at his word, and he didn’t abolish the law, then our walk needs to look a lot different.

Christians are Grafted in

The second concept that’s profound to the Hebrew Roots Movement, and Christians in general, comes from the teachings of the Apostle Paul.  We Christians are Gentiles, so many denominations assume that means we have different rules than Jewish believers, like Jesus and Paul.  Paul clears this up in Romans 11 where he explains that Gentiles are grafted into the faith like a wild olive tree grafted into a cultivated olive tree.  We are not a separate tree, we’re grafted into the tree that exists, therefore inheriting the promises that God has made to biblical Israel.   

¹⁶ If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.  ¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,  ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 

Romans 11:16-18

Paul understood that Christians were not of a separate religion, but that both Jews and Gentiles were one in Messiah.   I think it is translated best in the Complete Jewish Bible:

²⁷ because as many of you as were immersed into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah, in whom ²⁸ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one. ²⁹ Also, if you belong to the Messiah, you are seed of Avraham and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:27-29 (CJB)

Read our article on being grafted in to find out more details about Paul’s teaching.

The Torah (AKA the Law)

Have you ever asked yourself why God gave us the Law?  Was the Law just a collection of rules that made life unnecessarily hard for everyone, showing us we can never live up to God’s expectations, or was it instructions from God Himself as to how people can live a righteous life?  The Hebrew Roots perspective affirms the latter and we try to understand and embrace the Law as a holy and righteous gift from God.  If you read through the bible with an understanding that the Law is a gift from God and those who have it are blessed, then it can really change the meaning of the verses.  Some supporting verses are below.

In Romans 7:7-12 Paul explains that the function of the Torah is to inform us what sin is.  Because the Torah says “Thou shalt not covet,” Paul then understands what greed is.  However, Paul found that sin held more power after knowing the commandments.  He explained that the law that was intended to bring him life was instead bringing him death because of the powerful pull of sin.  If it’s difficult to understand the powerful pull of sin, count yourself blessed then go pick up a newspaper.  You’ll quickly see both the draw and effect sin has on all of us.

Paul then concludes with the following:

¹² So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Romans 7:12 (NASB)

Sin is bad, but the Torah is good.

Some further supporting verses are below:

²⁴ So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. ²⁵ It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.

Deut 6:24-25

²⁸ Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Deut 12:28

²⁶ See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:  ²⁷ the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today;  ²⁸ and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

Deut 11:26-28

⁷ You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

Lev 20:7

³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

1 John 5:3

Defining Sin

One of the differences that Hebrew Roots Christians have is how we define sin.  I find it interesting that in all the years I’ve been a Christian I’ve never seen sin defined.  Torah means direction, instruction, or law.  Sin on the other hand means to miss the mark or do something incorrectly.  If there’s a way of living that’s wrong, we should strive to know what’s a right, or righteous, way to live.  It’ll be extremely valuable for us to make a quick list of what is sin and what is not.  We need to know specifically what’s prohibited for us, otherwise we Christians end up doing whatever we feel. 

For example, is gossip an actual sin, and if so, why?  How about sexual immorality?  Different Christian denominations will answer this question differently.  In fact, there is a fast growing group that believes all commandments have been done away with, and every act that a Christian may want to do is acceptable.

The book of 1 John explains succinctly what sin is:

⁴ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3:4

And lawlessness is when we don’t follow the commandments written in the Law.  Why don’t we?  Well, we often don’t even know what’s written in the Law.  At some point scholars of the Old testament counted the commandments that God handed down and found 613 of them.  Some are for women, some for men, many are for priests and courts, and some are only valid when there’s a functioning Temple in Jerusalem.  613 commandments is a lot more than I ever thought there was, but many of them you’ll find familiar.

Here are a few Laws you likely agree with, but may not have known them to be actual commands:

Do not Gossip

¹⁶ ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people…

Lev 19:16a

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

¹⁸ …but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.

Lev 19:18b

Do not be superstitious or engage in Astrology

²⁶ ‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying.

Lev 19:26

Or how about these?

Do not stand by if someone’s life is in danger.

¹⁶  …and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD. 

Lev 19:16b

Do not kill a murderer before he stands trial

¹² … the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial.

Num 35:12b

Immoral Sexual relations are Forbidden

5 You are to observe my laws and rulings; if a person does them, he will have life through them; I am ADONAI. 6 “‘None of you is to approach anyone who is a close relative in order to have sexual relations; I am ADONAI…

(continues through the rest of Leviticus 18)

Lev 18:5-30 (CJB)

One thing’s for sure, if you follow these commandments of God, you’ll certainly look different from the world – set apart – and what Christian doesn’t want that?

Again, as Christians, we understand that we’re not saved through obedience to the Law, but through the sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah and our faith in him.  Even so, it is right for us to follow God’s commandments.

Understanding that the Law is still in effect, that Christians are grafted into the faith, and that the Law is a blessing given for our benefit will greatly strengthen your faith.  The Law is so often mentioned in the bible, yet we easily forget how central it is to our faith.  It’s what sets us apart and makes us different from the world. 

If these perspectives are new to you (as it was for me for many years) or if you’re convicted to dig deeper into these concepts, here are a few resources you may find helpful.

Messianic Judaism 101 – This is a 6 part series put on by Rabbi Hershberg from Beth Yeshua International. If you like forwardness and conviction, you will enjoy these sermons.

Old Testament Bible Studies – From Tom Bradford’s Torah Class. This will provide more insightful information about the Old Testament then you will find anywhere.

New Testament Bible Studies – Also from Tom Bradford’s Torah Class. This is an amazing study, and you will learn so much.