A Snow Drift and Astonishing Questions

Let me tell you two stories.

The first is of a young man who was born and raised in a foreign nation. This young man moved back to Jerusalem with his family and an intense passion to hear the Text. He was very poor and worked as a day labor to support his family. Every day he would climb up onto the temple courtyard wall to listen to the greatest teachers in Israel talk about the word of God. You see, there was a cover charge to get in to listen that he couldn't afford.

He was there, sitting on the wall everyday intensely listening to the teachers. One day while it was snowing, he was sittings and focused in on the discourse below. He was so focused that the snow piled up around him and he passed out from the called. On of the attendants noticed him on the wall and informed the teachers. They climbed up, pulled him down, and placed him in front of a fire to warm him up. The teachers were so impressed with his determination to learn that they decided to take him as a disciple.

This guy had such passion and angst to learn the Word that he could become a great teacher like them.

This young man continued to study and learn and grow up to become one of the greatest rabbis and leaders even to this day in the history of Israel.1

 

The next young man was born just after the last man died just several days journey outside of Jerusalem. When he was twelve years old, his family went up to Jerusalem for Passover. When the festival was over, his parents returned, but the boy remained in Jerusalem. They didn't realize this; supposing that he was somewhere in the caravan. They spent a whole day on the road before beginning to search for him among their relatives and friends. Failing to find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. On the third day they found him - he was sitting in the temple court among the rabbis, not only was he listening to them but questioning them; and everyone who heard him was astonished at his insight and his responses.2

 

This two stories are both eerily familiar.

 

The first, of a boy who came from a far away place to sit and listen to the rabbis teach. The second, of a boy who came from a far away place to sit and not only listen to the rabbis teach but also asked questions and gave astonishing responses.

 

The author telling the story of the second boy was writing to a man who was the high priest shortly after the second boy died.3 Surely the high priest would have been familiar with the stories and teachings of the first man. Could the author have been making the following comparison?

 

The first boy went on to become on of the greatest rabbis and leaders

The second boy will be like the first in the way he lives and teaches but much greater

The story of this man is worth listening to

The first man later stressed the importance of studying the teachings of the great Jewish rabbis as well as the Word of God itself.

Could studying the teachings and beliefs and thoughts and words and culture of Jesus's contemporaries make the words and teachings of Jesus more rich, more meaningful, and make more sense?

Could we learn something new?
Could we discover answers to tough questions that few people dare ask?
Could we answer some questions but in the process discover more that we never though of?
Could that fuel the passion and the drive to really get to know and love God?
Could this process of discovery and question and discovery make our walk with God and each other more meaningful, more purposeful, more interesting?

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
 

1. The Life and Teachings of Hillel Yitzhak Buxbaum. 1994

2. Luke 3:41-47. JNT. 1989
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophilus_(biblical)