I’m glad you asked.
Jesus, real name: Yeshua, was a man born to a Jewish mother and father, was raised as a Jew, had a bar mitzvah around 12 years old (coming of age, becoming a “son of the commandments”). He was trained by Joseph as a carpenter, but become a Rabbi, or a teacher of the Torah (Hebrew Scriptures) – what Christians irreverently refer to as the “old” testament. He chose 12 disciples, as was the custom of Rabbis in those days.
So quick recap of my recap: Yeshua was a teacher of the “Old” testament. That was what he came from heaven to earth to do. He could have done or been anyone. And he chose to be a teacher of the Torah.
Maybe this would be a good time to think about why Christians don’t study the “old” testament very much. Ok.. enough – moving on…
Yeshua not only taught the Torah, he kept it. Perfectly. He was often questioned about his practices in keeping of Torah.. why was he questioned so hard on this? Because he was a rabbi. And as a Rabbi, he was a teacher of Torah, and thus an authority, and other sects of Judaism had a problem with how he kept Shabbat while healing people, and allowing his disciples to rub wheat chaff and eat it on Shabbat (both of these acts were considered work by them, although neither is forbidden by the Torah).
The thing which they wanted to stone him for, however, was when he claimed to be the son of man.
He taught his disciples how to keep Torah. That is literally what his sermons were about. And when His disciples became “apostles”, they were too busy studying the Torah to feed the widows, so they appointed a group of 7 men to do that so they could focus on studying the “Old” Testament. (Acts 6:2-7 (this is only in part – please read in con “It is not pleasing for us to leave the word of God to attend tables… therefore pick out 7 men of good repute… But we will devote ourselves to the ministry of the word.”
NKJV – Acts 6:2-7 (full quote)
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
