Judea

We're not the Belgians in the Congo.

We're Jews from Judea.

That's where we come from, Judea.

We're sitting right now in Judea, Jerusalem, the capital of Judea and Samaria.

Well, they split into two kingdoms after that.

So right after we get this, you know, understanding that, well, we're supposed to have this West, you know, shared Western values.

After this, Jesus went round in Galilee.

He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him.

But when the Jewish festival of tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, Leave Galilee and go to Judea so that your disciples there may see the works you do.

No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.

Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.

Caiaphas and Pilate were in power together for 10 years, so they must have had quite a teamwork going on.

Judea, including Jerusalem, was nominally governed by Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect, but actually the daily rule of Jerusalem took place at the hand of the high priest Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin council, made up mostly of Sadducees, and those are the rich guys compared to the Pharisees.

The first century Jerusalem, the high priest was Caiaphas ruling the people of God, the potter's clay, but some of the clay was miry, mucky, dirty.

A part of the potter's clay, the people of God who turned muddy.

But when you look at the context of the book of Hebrews, first of all, who's it written to? It's written to Hebrews.

And what's the argument? What's the point? Well, there are followers of Jesus who are Jews living in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Judea and Israel who are still going to the temple and participating in offering sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins.

And the writer of Hebrew is saying, you know, you don't need to do this anymore.

This is something that Jesus did once on the cross, and there's impossible for him to get up on the cross again and have a new repentance.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is, being interpreted, with us is our God.

and when joseph arose from his sleep he did as the angel of the lord commanded him and took his wife and knew her not until she brought forth her first-born son and in those days there went forth a decree from augustus caesar that all the people of his dominion should be enrolled this first enrollment was while quinerius was governor of syria and every man went to be enrolled in his city and joseph went up also from nazareth a city in galilee to judea to the city of david which is called bethlehem for he was of the house of david and of his tribe with mary his betrothed she being with child to be enrolled there and while she was there the days for her being delivered were accomplished and she brought forth her first-born son and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them where they were staying and there were in that region shepherds abiding keeping their flock in the watch of the night and behold the angel of god came unto them and the glory of the lord shone upon them and they were greatly terrified and the angel said unto them And this is a sign for you.

Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

and there appeared with the angels suddenly many heavenly forces praising god and saying praise be to god in the highest and on the earth peace and good hope to men and when the angels departed from them to heaven the shepherds spake to one another and said we will go to bethlehem and see this word which hath been as the lord made known unto us and they came with haste and found mary and joseph and the babe laid in a manger and when they saw they reported the word which was spoken to them about the child and all that heard wondered at the description which the shepherds described to them but mary kept these sayings and discriminated them in her heart and those shepherds returned magnifying and praising god for all that they had seen and heard according as it was described unto them and when eight days were fulfilled that the child should be circumcised his name was called jesus being that by which he was called by the angel before the conception in the womb And when the days of their purification, according to the law of Moses, were completed, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him before the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male opening the womb shall be called the holy thing of the Lord.

And Herod the king heard, and he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And he gathered all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and asked them in what place the Messiah should be born.

they said in bethlehem of judea thus it is written in the prophet thou also bethlehem of judah art not contemptible among the kings of judah from thee shall go forth a king and he shall be a shepherd to my people israel then herod called the magi secretly and inquired of them the time at which the star appeared to them and he sent them to bethlehem and said unto them go and search about the child diligently and when ye have found him come and make known to me that i also may go and worship him and they when they heard the king departed and lo the star which they had seen in the east went before them until it came and stood above the place where the child was and when they beheld the star they rejoiced with very great joy and they entered the house and beheld the child with mary his mother and fell down worshipping him and opened their saddle-bags and offered to him offerings gold and myrrh and frankincense And they saw in a dream that they should not return to Herod, and they traveled by another way in going to their country.

And when they had departed, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, and said unto him, Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I speak to thee.

So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

And then he said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea.

But Rabbi, they said, a short while ago, the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back? Jesus answered, are there not 12 hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light.

It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.

Now, Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John.

Although, in fact, it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.

So he left Judea and went back.

Now remember, I'm going to pause for a minute.

...

so it's not just happening to the people in Judea.

Yeah, that's right.

It's happening across the empire.

Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days and then said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea.

But Rabbi, they said a short while ago, the Jews were the Jews there.

OK, gotcha.