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BACKGROUND FOR THIS EPISODE

(In Order of Appearance)

NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • These students of the law would have been scribes.  Some made a profession of it and never went beyond.  Scribe in Greek is grammateis reflecting their work copying the law onto scrolls.  Scribe in Hebrew is sophrim reflecting the sophist or philosophic nature of their work.
  • Doctor of Law and Lawyer were the highest attainments of scribes.  The nomikoi was a professor of theology.  The nono-didaskaloi was more of a judge.  Both qualified to be part of the Sanhedrin governing body of the Jewish religion and politics.
  • Matthew 2:4-5 – He gathered all of the most important priests and teachers of the law from the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. 5They answered him, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, because this was written by the prophet Micah:
  • Matthew 2:19-23 – After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream in Egypt. 20The angel said, “Get ready! Take along the little child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. The people who were trying to kill the little child have died.” 21So, Joseph got ready. He took along the little child and his mother and entered the land of Israel. 22Joseph heard that Herod Archelaus was ruling over Judea, instead of his father, Herod the Great. Joseph was afraid to go back there. But, in a dream, God told him to leave for the area of Galilee. 23So, he went and lived in a town called Nazareth, so that what God had said through the prophets would come true:
  • Historically, by this time, King Herod had murdered his grandfather-in-law, his brother-in-law, his wife, and two sons because he thought they were trying to take over his kingship over Palestine.
  • Acts 22:3 -I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I grew up in this city of Jerusalem. I was a student of Gamaliel.b He carefully taught me everything about the law of our ancestors. I was very serious about serving God, the same as all of you here today. 
  • Galatians 1:14 – In the Jewish faith, I was becoming a leader, doing better than most Jews my own age. I tried harder than anyone else to follow the traditions which came from my ancestors.
  • Luke 2:41-42, 47 – Every year, Jesus’ parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.i 42When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem to the feast, as they always did…Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and wise answers. 
  • Matthew 23:15 – “It will be horrible for you, O teachers of the law and Pharisees. You hypocrites! You travel all over the worldf to make just one convert. And when you convert him, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are! 
  • Luke 2:52 – Jesus grew taller and continued to learn more and more. People liked him, and he pleased God.
  • The Sanhedrin began with Moses and became the 70-member ruling body of the Jews, both religiously and politically.   
  • Acts 26:9-10 – Even I thought that I must do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10And in Jerusalem I did persecute the holy people. The most important priests gave me authority to put many of these people in jail. When they were being killed, I voted for it. 
  • Galatians 1:14 – In the Jewish faith, I was becoming a leader, doing better than most Jews my own age. I tried harder than anyone else to follow the traditions which came from my ancestors.
  • Mark 7:1-13 – Some teachers of the law and some Pharisees came from Jerusalem to get together with Jesus. 2They saw that some of Jesus’ followers were eating loaves of bread with unholy (that is, unwashed) hands. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jewish people won’t eat unless they wash their hands with a ceremony. They carefully obey the old rules of the elders. 4They won’t eat anything from the marketplace, unless they wash it. They have received many other rules which they must obey regarding washing cups, pots, and copper bowls.) 5The Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why are your followers breaking the old rules of the elders? They are eating bread with unholy hands!” 6Jesus said to them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you hypocrites!a As it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. 7It does no good for them to worship Me. They teach rules made by men, not God!’ (Isaiah 29:13) 8You have forgotten about God’s command and you are obeying the old rules of men.” 9Jesus continued to speak to them, “You have a clever way of rejecting God’s command, so that you may keep your traditions. 10Moses said, ‘You must honor your father and your mother.’ (Exodus 20:12) and, ‘The person who curses his father or his mother must die.’ (Exodus 21:17) 11But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘It is Corban’ (This means: ‘Whatever you might have gotten from me to help you is a gift to God.’) 12then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother. 13You are taking away the authority of God’s teaching by using the traditions you have received. And you are doing many other things like this.”
  • Matthew 2:16 – When Herod realized that the wise men had made a fool out of him, he was very angry. He ordered his men to kill all the little boys in and around the town of Bethlehem—the boys who were two years old or younger (the exact time which Herod had figured out from the wise men). 
  • Luke 10:28-37 – 28Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live forever.” 29But the man wanted to make himself look good. So, he said to Jesus, “But . . . who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus understood what the man meant. So, Jesus said, “A man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Some bandits surrounded him. They tore off his clothes and beat him up. Then they left him lying there on the ground. He was almost dead. 31By chance, a Jewish priest was going down that same road. When the priest saw the man, he walked on by. 32Next, a Levitej came to that spot, too. The Levite saw him, but he also just walked on by. 33A Samaritank man was traveling down that road. He came to the place where the man was lying. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him. 34The Samaritan man went to him and poured olive oil and winel on his wounds. Then he bandaged the man’s wounds. The Samaritan man had a pack animal. He put the man on it and took him to a lodging place where he took care of him. 35The next day, the Samaritan man brought out two silver coins and gave them to the person who worked at the lodge. The Samaritan man said, ‘Take care of this man. If you spend any more money on him than this, I will pay you back when I return.’ ” 36Then Jesus said, “Which one of these three men do you think was a real neighbor to the one who was hurt by the thieves?” 37The teacher of the law answered, “The one who showed mercy to him.”
  • Luke 2:2-6 – 2This was the first registration.b It occurred while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3Each person traveled to be registered in the town where he was born. 4So, Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went up to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This was known as David’s town. Joseph went there, because he was from the family of David. Joseph was a direct descendant. 5Joseph registered with Mary, because she was engaged to marry him. (Mary was now pregnant.)c 6While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby. 
  • Mark 12:35-37 – While Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courtyard, he asked, “How can the teachers of the law claim that the Messiah is the son of David? 36By the power of the Holy Spirit, David himself said: ‘The Lord God said to my Lord, “Sit at My right side until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’e (Psalms 110:1) 37David himself calls the Messiah ‘Lord’! So, how can the Messiah be the son of David?” A large crowd was gladly listening to Jesus. 
  • Matthew 23:1-8 – Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his followers. 2He said, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat of authority. 3Therefore, do everything they tell you. Do what they say, but don’t do as they do, because they say one thing and do another. 4They bind heavy loads and put them on people’s shoulders, but they don’t want to lift a finger to help move them. 5Everything they do, they do so that people will notice them. They show off their phylacteriesa and they make their tasselsb long. 6They like to have the best seats at the dinners and the most important seats in the synagogues.c 7They like the greetings of respect which people give them in the marketplaces. They like for people to call them, ‘Rabbi.’d 8You should not be called ‘Rabbi,’ because there is only one teacher for you. You are all brothers.  9On earth, you should not be called ‘Father,’ because you have only one Father—the heavenly Father. 10You should not be called, ‘Leader’ because the Messiah is your only Leader. 11The most important one among you will be your servant. 12Every person who acts as though he is important will be made ashamed, but every person who truly humbles himself will be made important.”
  • Acts 24:1-9 – Five days later, Ananias went down to the city of Caesarea. Ananias was the high priest. He also brought some of the older Jewish leaders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They went to Caesarea to make charges against Paul before the governor. 2Paul was called into the meeting, and Tertullus began to make his charges. Tertullus said, “Our people have enjoyed much peace, because you are a wise reformer,a 3Most Excellent Felix, we are very thankful to accept these things from you, always and in every place. 4But, I don’t want to use any more of your time. So I will say only a few words. Please be patient. 5This man Paul is a troublemaker. He stirs up trouble among the Jews everywhere in the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazareneb sect. 6He was also trying to make the temple unclean when we stopped him. 7 c  8You yourself can decide whether all of our charges are true or not. Ask him some questions!” 9The other Jews agreed. They said, “These things are really true!”
OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • I Kings 6:7-10 – The stones were preparedn at the same spot where they were cut out of the ground. These stones were the only ones used to build the temple. So, there was no noise from hammers, axes, or any other iron tools at the temple site. 8The entrance to the bottom rooms built alongside the temple was on the south side. From there, stairs went up to the rooms of the second floor. And from there, they went on up to the rooms of the third floor. 9Solomon put a roof on the temple. It was made from wooden beams and cedar boards. So, he finished building the temple. 10He also finished building the bottom floor that was beside the temple. It was 7½ feet high. It was attached to the temple by the cedar beams.
  • Ezekiel 40:1-4 – 1It was the 25th year after we had been taken away as captives. It was at the beginning of the year,a on the 10th day of the month.b It was in the 14th year after Jerusalem was destroyed.c On that very same day, the power of Yahweh was upon me. He brought me to Jerusalem. 2In the visions from God,d He brought me into the land of Israel.e He put me down on a very high mountain.f On the south side of the mountain there were some buildings that looked like a city. 3God took me closer. I saw an angelg who looked as if he were made of bronze. He was standing near one of the temple gateway complexes. He had a cord made of linen and a poleh in his hand. Both were used for measuring.i 4The angel said to me, “O human being,j look with your eyes and hear with your ears. Pay close attention to everything that I’m about to show you. That is why you’ve been brought here. Tell the people of Israelk everything you see.”l
  • II Samuel 7:12-13 – “ ‘ “Your days will come to an end, and you will die. But, at that time, I will make one of your sons to be the next king. 13He will build a templeg for Me. And, I will make his kingdom strong forever!h 
  • Micah 5:2 [PREDICTED 735 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – But you, O Bethlehem-Ephrathah,e though you are the least important among the leading towns of Judah,fa Leader will come out of you, O Bethlehem!g He will become the Ruler over Israel for Me.h His comings forth have been from of oldi —from the days of eternity.”
  • Daniel 9:25 [PREDICTED 530 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] 
  • Click here for details of Daniel’s astounding prediction in 530 BC of the exact century and exact year the Messiah would begin preaching.
  • Numbers 11:16-17
  • This later became known as the supreme council or the Sanhedrin.
  • Isaiah 9:6 [PREDICTED 700 YEARS BEFORE JESUS]
  • Numbers 15:38-39 – “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them this: ‘Sew for yourselves tasselso on the cornersp of your clothes.q Put a blue thread in each one of these tassels at the corners.r Wear them from now on. 39You will have these tassels to look at. They will remind you of all of the Always-Present One’s commands. Then you will practice them. And, if you go astray,s then you will not follow what your bodies want or what your eye wishes for. 
  • Scribes made hand-written copies of the Old Testament Law of Moses.  They also made copies of the official traditions of the Jewish religion.

OTHER JESUS QUOTES IN THIS EPISODE

RABBI SOLOMON GANZFRIED
  • CODE OF JEWISH LAW, VOL. I, pg. 26-34 – ….The first garment which a male must put on, is the tallit katan (the small four-fringed garment, commonly known as the arba kanfoth, four-cornered), for one is not allowed to walk even as much as four cubits without having a fringed garment on.  But as his hands are still unwashed, he may not say the benediction on putting it on.
  • CODE OF JEWISH LAW, VOL. I, pg. 125-127 – Before eating bread over which the benediction Hamotzi is said, one must wash his hands first.  If the bread is no less than the size of an egg, he must say the benediction for washing hands….The water used for washing the hands must be poured out of a vessel that is perfect, having neither a hole nor a crack….After washing both hands, we rub them together and then raise them upward….then, before drying them, we recite the benediction….Before washing the hands, we must examine them to make sure that there is no coating on them, as that would be an obstruction between the hands and the water.

 

SPECIAL CHARACTERS APPEARING IN OTHER EPISODES

Season 8, Star Song, “Celestial Secrets & Star Search “

Season 8, Star Song, “Lost in Wonder