West Umc Podcast

As our knowledge of Jesus grows, we learn to see his life and teachings with new perspectives. New light of many different hues and shades is shed on his teachings and the lessons we apply to our lives. We experience new freedom as we learn to see the different shades of Divine Love. Of the approximate 90 times Jesus is addressed directly in the New Testament, roughly 60 refer to him as “teacher,” “rabbi,” “great one,” or “master” (like a “schoolmaster”). What do those terms mean?When it was originally written, the word “Rabbi” did NOT mean “Jewish clergyperson”. Nor did that term appear in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). It was JUST coming into existence as a term for use during Jesus’ time. It meant “one who bore spiritual authority”. To be a rabbi in the first century meant to be a teacher who was crafting a new approach to Hebrew texts, traditions, and interpretations. And as a rabbi, Jesus was a radical revolutionary. He challenged their norms. Teachers have “rules” that they live by. Jesus was no