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Do you wonder what the original hearers
were thinking as they listened to Jesus? For a better understanding
about the world to which Jesus was sent, come to Talmud Tuesday.
Pastor Bill Rindy of First Lutheran
Church in Fargo, North Dakota issued the above invitation
to his congregation and shares the following story:
Over 350 people in our congregation
have completed the two-year Crossways
study, with 100 more just beginning the series this fall,
journeying through all 66 books of the Bible via this in-depth
survey course. (Crossways is the most comprehensive course
from Crossways International, designed for adults and mature
youth who want to work through the Scriptures in detail.)
In addition, I invited people in our
congregation to read the book Everyman’s
Talmud (by Abraham Cohen and available through Crossways
International) as a summer study class with me every Tuesday
at noon , complemented with pizza or bag lunches. I had hoped
for a dozen interested adults – and I got thirty-six,
most of whom had been through the Crossways Bible study course.
Our Talmud Tuesday class was a cross-learning
experience that transcended many disciplines. We connected
the Talmud (ancient Jewish writings on civil and religious
law codes) with the Old and New Testaments as studied in our
Crossways class, which we then connected with Sunday morning
worship service readings. Crossways transparencies provided
for visual comparisons that lent clarity and understanding.
How much is our Christian faith rooted
in the Jewish traditions? How does the Talmud tie in with
the biblical story? In our sessions we looked at New Testament
quotes side-by-side with the Talmud and found startling connections.
It was empowering! It was an eye-opener!
I now have a better grip on who Jesus’
audience was, and on why He said what He did! It helped
me better understand how we can’t hear the Living Word
(Jesus) if we are locked into reading the written Word as
if it appeared in a context-less vacuum. Only by grasping
the remarkable impact of Jesus’ words in the context
of His time do we come to fully appreciate how Jesus’
message is indeed timeless – and that He is here and
now!
For more on Crossways,
click here.
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us with your questions (& pictures!) and tell us about
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and resources. |
