OT overview, Judaism & Jesus
Q: I am new to the Bible and Christianity. I haven't found a church yet, and need some help:
The Bible says that’s while visiting the temple in Jerusalem at age twelve, Jesus became separated from his parents and was inadvertently left behind. Upon returning to Jerusalem three days later, his worried parents found him at the temple listening to the teachers and amazing those around him with his understanding.
What was the temple for? What were they teaching back then? If Jesus was still a kid what religion was being practiced and how did people already know about God?
A: They knew about God because Adam and Eve taught their children and people knew forever since. Plus we have Creation that is called "Natural Revelation". If we were in a far flung tribe somewhere and had no idea about God, a person would wonder who made it all and God would send a missionary to that person and people. Today in the West [and many countries who interact with the West] people can see God made the world... and science [btw all modern founding fathers of Science were Christian] shows the amazing design to the tiniest detail. So anyone who is not blind and anyone with access to the Bible and to science can clearly see that there is a divine Creator.
So 1. Adam and Eve told their Kids, God even spoke to Cain and others in the OT. 2. "Natural Revelation". 3. By the Law written on our Hearts. Humans were made perfect in the image of God. They were righteous, [like God but were created beings made by Him who could choose to sin]. So even though Adam sinned and thru his seed we all became sinners, a lot of God's design is still written in us. Like computer code (as example). So we know we are to do right yet we do wrong (we are broken) and our conscience tells us we do wrong, but we can as rebellious wicked people choose to ignore the conscience and sear it [Scripture explains this further]. 4. "Special Revelation". A. God gave Israel the Law and 10 Commandments were part of that. That Law pointed to the perfect unchanging Holiness of God. It shows his perfect character and nature, and shows us how very far from [that] we are. He is perfect, we are sinners. B. Scripture; 66 books of OT & NT are also the Special Revelation from God. God spoke or used Prophets to reveal something to people for those then and all humans in the future, and God had those who were the keepers of these oracles to protect them. God protected and preserved them over all time - and today we have them in one book called the Bible [thank God for the Christians who invented the printing Press and the myrtered Reformers who printed them out one page at a time to get the Bible into many peoples hands]. So people lived History, history was written and the people read and studied it. That which was lived out in Bible times is what was written in Scripture. From Creation to Eden to Jesus and the Apostles. And God closed this Revelation in AD 96 with the book of Revelation (of Jesus Christ) which ends telling us about the end and eternity.
So this is how the Jews or people of Israel knew about God. And is how we know about God. Because of Christians who shared the Gospel & Bible from then till now - as it has traveled globally.
Your second question was about what were they taught. Which was slightly noted above. They were taught what the Jews call the Law, which were the 5 books of Moses, the Prophets, the Psalms& Proverbs, and other books of History which we call the OT. These were revealed over time. So they only had what they had until more was revealed by God and it ended in Malachi the last OT book. Technically the OT ends at Jesus death and the NT begins at the resurrection, but because the Jews only accepted the OT books - the Bible was sectioned into 2 parts. The second part is about the Messiah Revealed, so thats why part 2 starts in the Gospels (with Matthew). But in Jesus time they had the full OT.
There was 400 years of silence after Malachi ended the OT. And that is when those who ruled Israel [it was a theocracy which means it was ruled by the religion], the rulers had added excessive and very burdensome laws and rules on the people, and took things out of context to teach what they wanted to. They began quoting rabbi teachers in the Temple and synagogues "above" the word of God. They quoted other rabbis in what they taught instead of quoting the Scriptures [God's word]. Rabbis and religious leaders were puffed up, self righteous, attention seekers, who cared about fame, power and money. They didnt care about righteousness or obeying God. They wanted to appear more religious than others and made a show of it in outward appearances. They put extreme burdens on the people so it was very difficult to live, and worse... they would permanently throw people out of the Temple. Temple was required by God to give sacrifices as a covering for their sin forgiveness until Jesus came, so they abused their power and the people and so they lived in fear. If they were thrown out they couldnt learn about God's Word and couldn't do sacrifices God required. They lived in fear that they would be damned [so fearfully they had to obey these wicked rulers and temple leaders]. Does this make sense? Most of those in power were evil and like Satan could care less about peoples salvation. But the people cared about their salvation. It was spiritual abuse they endured in Israel under Judaism of that day.
But Jesus came at the right time in History as planned by God to do the redemptive work, and during his 3 years ministry he 'rebuked' and exposed the religious leaders "who made others twice the sons of Hell as they are", and [they] also tried to keep people from God. And He pointed out their apostacy, and taught truth to mass numbers of people across Israel. The leaders power & way of life was threatened and is one reason they sought to kill Jesus. Another is because they wanted a Messiah to free them from Roman rule so they could have free reign to rule Israel how they wanted to (but God put Rome over them to prevent their evil going to further extremes and because it was the right time in history for the Messiah). The leaders werent looking for or wanting a savior from sins, they wanted Rome out of Israel. The other reason they hated him is because he constantly revealed himself as God and spoke of his equality with God. [If they couldnt rule Israel they didnt want anyone one else ruling it - not even God].
For clarity- Jesus is God from eternity. God is a trinity. The Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit are 3 persons of the Godhead called God. God's name is YHWH and is called I AM. It means the eternal ever living one. The Word is Jesus. Jesus wasnt called Jesus until he took on human flesh and became human. Not just human. God is always God. So he is 100% God and 100% human. Humans have a soul and body. God is spirit and put on human flesh.
Jesus was not born thru Adams seed, but through Mary. Thus he was the 2nd Adam. A sinless perfect one. As God he couldnt sin but as human he could be tempted. As a child he learned what was taught in Scripture in the Temple. He grew as a child and learned as humans do. Back then they only learned at Temple [and boys apprenticed their fathers job to have a job as an adult; he was a carpenter]. Jesus learned perfectly what was taught and "knew things" because he is God. (You will need to read and study Scripture to understand that much better). This is why as a boy he amazed the teachers and leaders in the Temple with what he comprehended "at that young age".
At this time, a year later, at age 13 Jesus would be considered an adult in Israel. I am not sure when that bartmitzvah celebration began as a thing [maybe after Jesus era idk I would need to check Scripture]. The point here is he learned Scripture and later would teach it [and truth] "correctly" to the Jewish people.
There is few info about Jesus youth because that isnt the important part God wants us to know. What we do know is what God wanted us to know and the focus of Scripture is on the ministry of Jesus from age 30 to 33 (and the death, burial, resurrection, ascension to Heaven and what is revealed in NT about His return and believers eternity with Him).
Note. Adam sinned in Eden by disobeying God and that brought instant spiritual separation between him and God. He died spiritually. He also would die physically too, because the wages of sin is death. Consequences.
This is a summary of the Bible: in the OT God promised to defeat death, in the NT he tells us how he did it.
Here are some verses about Jesus. Which the OT pointed to.
John 1: 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Matthew 5: 17 Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Romans 10: 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Romans 3: 19-31 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. 31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
Jeremiah 31: 31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.
Hebrews 10 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.
Col. 2: 16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Hebrews 8: 5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
Hebrews 9: 22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Luke 24: 44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
John 14: 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
John 8: 29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
John 6: 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
See the Hebrews 8 section? It was important to share because all of the shadows and rituals and feasts, and sacrifices from Eden to Moses and from Moses thru the Nation of Israel were to point to Jesus. It was all pointing to the Messiah. There were many prior to Jesus day (probably until shortly after Malachi the last OT book was lived out) who looked towards future to the Messiah and had faith. Then came 400 years of silence from God and during that time the Jews turned the faith into an apostate one. They added laws God never gave, burdened the people greatly, twisted Scripture, and by Jesus time had only desired a Messiah to free them from Roman rule not from their sins. The Messiah was promised to forgive sins. He was going to be the perfect Lamb, sacrificed for all people (the people who believe). Today we look back to the cross as who the Messiah is has been revealed. Salvation was the same in the OT as in NT.
Here is the Gospel which tells us sinners why & how to be saved [made right with God]. Jesus called it being born again. He said in Mark 1:15 "Repent & Believe the Gospel".
This may be a good help to you as a jet tour through the OT to help it connect to the NT:
*Saving Faith of the OT:
Jesus in the OT & prophecies fulfilled
Hope this helps you to speed through a few things about the OT and their fulfillment in the NT.
A final note of importance is Jesus fulfilled the OT Law in our place. We believers "by the new nature" (having the righteousness of Christ now) live out the Law of Christ which means by nature we love God and other humans [fellow image brearers of God]. Thus in spirit we are living out the Law. But we are not legalistically trying to keep the Law like unsaved religious Jews did. The Law we follow really isnt the 10 Commandments [given to Israel] but the moral Law God has always had written on our hearts. We were spiritually dead and trapped in the sin nature so we were unable to live out the righteousness of that moral law... until we get saved. I hope that makes sense.
What Jesus redeemed believers from
* return back to this page once you read these link info👆 👇
Understanding the Law of Christ
Why Christians dont follow everything in the Bible
Why Christians (who are not under Israels law) do not keep the Sabbath commandment.
I hope this helped. The OT takes up the largest amount of pages in the Bible and there is a lot to go through, but this [contents here incl link material] should've given you a helpful rundown or "jet tour" through the Bible in connection with the Old Testament to help answer your questions.
Here are other resources to help you grow in faith as a redeemed one. It is for new and growing believers, to help them mature in the faith. Browse thru the 8 pages briefly, and I hope it blesses you in the coming weeks and months as you go through it.
There is a section in there to help you find a bible based Christian church. So, once you obey the Gospel, go find a church to join, and determine to go to Sunday school and worship service every week. And - remember to read the Bible daily. It is very important to a believers daily life and out faith. There is a section in there too to help you read the Bible and has related helps to help you do that.
God bless
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