This week's video brings the history of the Zealots closer to Jesus' ministry.

We explore some of the political events - leading up to the time of Jesus' birth - in the region of Galilee that involved the zealots and set the stage for the movement in the first century.

​We briefly explore the city of Sepphoris which was the administrative center of Galilee and how this city intersects with the zealots and with Jesus' upbringing.

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Josephus Quotes on the Zealots

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​Today's lesson begins a short series that focuses on the Zealots and the Zealot movement in first-century Israel.
 
The headquarters for the Zealot movement was located in a city near the Sea of Galilee called Gamla (see the links below to read more about Gamla).
 
Jesus continually interacts with the Zealots or those whose thinking had been influenced by the Zealots. He even has a disciple named Simon called "the Zealot" (see Mark 3:18).
 
Raising our awareness of the Zealots will help us understand the actions of many of the disciples and those who wanted to make Jesus their king.

Class Handout:

Zealot Historical Timeline:

Resources:

Bargil Pixner - Paths of the Messiah

Gamla - Wiki

Gamla - Jewish Virtual Library

Judah the Galilean - Jewish Virtual Library

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The number three carries significant meaning in the Biblical narrative, Judaism, and Christianity.

This lesson explores the significance of the number three and its inference toward a spiritual journey toward restoration.

braham, Moses, Joshua, and Jesus have a "three" or "third day" associated with their spiritual journey.

This lesson will help raise your awareness of how this number is used throughout scripture.

Class Handout

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The stories of Jesus feeding the 5000 and the 4000 are full of details that help us understand the overall message of what the miracles are telling us - that Jesus is the "bread" for the whole world.

Each story contains a different set of numbers. The details of the numbers are essential for us to understand the overall message as they apply to the audience that is specific to each miracle.

Join us as we compare these two events as told in the Gospel of Mark. Feeding of 5000 - Mark 6:30-44. Feeding of 4000 - Mark 8:1-10.

Class Handout

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This week we begin a two-part mini-series on Jesus' feeding miracles - the Feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6:30-44) and the Feeding of the 4000 (Mark 8:1-9).

Our first step is to look at two aspects of Biblical studies: reading narrative and High-Context communication. 

The majority of the Bible is written in narrative form. Narrative is a very powerful way of communicating information because we - as the reader - participate in the discovery process. When we discover the answer ourselves through a process of revelation, the end result can be transformative. 

One difficulty modern westerners have when reading narrative is that it is written in a "high-context" communication style. We will review the differences between "low-context" and "high-context" communication, which can help us gain a proper perspective as we approach the Biblical text. 

Finally, since both feeding miracles are written in narrative form, we will begin our exploration of what these stories mean and how the fine details of the narration communicate that meaning. 

Class Handout

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