I’ve heard it said that to understand the Gospel you don’t have to be Jewish, but it helps! Books have been written about all the Old Testament details and prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus, and all of these things have Jewish contexts. The more you understand these contexts, the more wondrous and intricate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus becomes!
For example, yesterday in Sunday School we were talking about the arrest and trial of Jesus. The teacher pointed out that Jesus was inspected three times religiously and three times legally. The Jewish religious leaders inspected Jesus, mock trial though it was, and couldn’t find anything wrong with Him religiously. They had to make something up. Pilate inspected Jesus, and he couldn’t find anything wrong with Him legally. Pilate tried all he could to set Jesus free. That Jesus was inspected is important, because Jesus is pictured in the Passover lamb in the Old Testament. The Passover lamb had to be inspected to be sure it was perfect before it could be sacrificed. The inspections proved Jesus was perfect, so He could be sacrificed for our sins.
It’s a small detail in the grand scheme of things and can be easily missed if you aren’t looking, but there are hundreds of small details like this all over Jesus’ life! If you take the time to look and study, you will find that God has woven quite the intricate tapestry of redemption!
More on Bible study:
Studying On Your Own
Studying the Bible
Biblical Languages and Bible Study
Growing in Bible Study