Being intentional with God’s Word is essential to living a deep and meaningful life. In the biblical period, God’s people were called to not only dig into the Scriptures but also to have an ongoing discussion with their friends and family about them. Formany of us, our time with God’s Word often stops with reading it and we miss out on the critical responsibility of discussion. In this episode, we explore why it’s so crucial to be intentional about our relationship with the Bible so that it permeates every facet of our lives.

• What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?
• In calling Jesus, “rabbi” instead of “Lord” in Matthew 26, Judas was essentially telling Jesus, “I respect you as a teacher, but you don’t get to tell me how to live my life.” What are some of the ways we can be guilty of this same thing?
• How does translating the word Torah as “God’s teachings and instructions for life” instead of “law” change your understanding and appreciation of the Hebrew Scriptures?
• Having listened to the episode, how would you describe the difference between the Torah, the Mishnah, and the Talmud? Why is it important to know about this Jewish Literature?
• How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

• Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg – Chapters 1 and 2 
• New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus by David Bivin – Chapters 2 and 6
• The Jewish People in the First Century edited by Shmuel Safrai and Menahem Stern – Chapter 19
• Everyman’s Talmud by Abraham Cohen – a great book that lays out the major teachings of the rabbinic sages 
• Meet the Rabbis by Brad Young – an excellent read that sets Jesus’s teachings within the world of the rabbis