Jesus’ Reference to Folklore and Historical Events

Throughout his life, Jesus was a member of his culture. Though His message was unique, He brought it to the people, Jews and Gentiles, using methods and language consistent with His role as a first-century Jewish rabbi who was also a citizen of a Roman controlled country…. Thus Jesus’ ministry was carried out according to the structures God had set in place with His people Israel. (Ray VanderLaan)^[28]

Introduction

Jesus was a first-century Jewish rabbi, a master communicator, to whom both the religious and non-religious alike flocked. Addressed as “rabbi” by multiple and diverse groups, he taught within the construct of many rabbis of his day—out in the open as well as in the Temple and synagogues, interacting with different audiences in various geographical and social locations. The religious Jews in his audience knew the Scriptures well, but Jesus also used illustrations that were familiar to all, regardless of religious backgrounds. The population of first-century Israel was characterized by many distinct cultures interacting on a daily basis. This cultural interplay is clearly depicted in Jesus’ references to commonly known fables of his day in Matthew 7:15, Luke 4:23, Luke 7:24 (cf. Matt. 11:7) and Luke 7:32 (cf. Matt. 11:17).^[29] We also see the mastery of Jesus’ teaching in his allusions to historical events in Luke 14:28 and Luke 19:11. Focusing on these different occurrences will enrich our insight into the selected passages of Jesus’ teaching. Investigating the underlying influences behind Jesus’ words facilitates a better understanding of their meaning in the context of the first century. Consequently, today’s followers will be challenged to communicate the message of the Gospel in a cross-cultural manner. This article will address Jesus’ use of non-religious illustrations, specifically folklore and current events.

Bibliography

• Aesop’s Fables. Translated by Laura Gibbs. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
• Flavius, Josephus. The Complete Works of Josephus. Translated by William Whiston and commentary by Paul. L. Maier. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999.
• Flusser, David. Jesus. 3rd ed. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 2001.
• Herodotus: The Histories. Translated by Robin Waterfield. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998.
• Horsley, Richard A. “Jesus and Galilee: The Contingencies of a Renewal Movement.” In., Galilee through the Centuries: Confluence of Culture, ed. Eric M. Meyers, 63. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1999.
• Jacobs, Joseph. “Aesop’s Fables Among the Jews,” in JewishEncyclopedia.com, 1906 (November 24, 2004).
• Jonsson, Jakob. Humor and Irony in the New Testament: Illuminated by Parallels in Talmud and Midrash. Leiden: Brill, 1985.
• Lachs, Samuel T. A Rabbinic Commentary on the New Testament. New Jersey: KTAV, 1987.
• Strange, James F. “Sepphoris,” Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6 vols. Edited by David Noel Freedman. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1992. 5:1090.
• _______. “Tiberias,” Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6 vols. Edited by David Noel Freedman. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1992. 6:547.
• Thoma, Clemens. A Christian Theology of Judaism. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1980.
• VanderLaan, Ray. Echoes of His Presence: Stories of the Messiah from the People of His Day. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1996.
• Wilder, Amos N. Early Christian Rhetoric. London: SCM Press Ltd., 1964.
• Young, Brad. The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998.

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• ^[1] Jakob Jonsson, Humor and Irony in the New Testament: Illuminated by Parallels in Talmud and Midrash (Leiden: Brill, 1985), 198. ↩
• ^[2] Matt. 4:24-25. ↩
• ^[3] Clemens Thoma, A Christian Theology of Judaism (New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1980), 114. ↩
• ^[4] Born in the sixth century B.C.E., Aesop is referenced as a historical figure in Herodotus’ The Histories, 2:134. ↩
• ^[5] Joseph Jacobs, “Aesop’s Fables Among the Jews,” in JewishEncyclopedia.com, 1906 (November 24, 2004). Over thirty fables are found in the midrashic and Talmudic literature, and of those, twelve have parallels in Greek and Indian sources. ↩
• ^[6] Brad Young, The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 16. ↩
• ^[7] Ibid., 19. ↩
• ^[8] Ibid., 18. Examples of this technique can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, b. Kam. 60^b, “The Man with Two Wives,” compared to the Aesop fable, “The Middle Aged Man with Two Mistresses,” and Gen. Rab. 64:10, “Dr. Heron’s Fee,” compared with the fable, “The Heron and the Lion.” Compare also Aesop’s Fable 66, “The Stomach and the Body,” with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:14-26. ↩
• ^[9] Aesop’s Fables, trans., Laura Gibbs (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), Fable 321. ↩
• ^[10] Aesop, Fable 308. ↩
• ^[11] S.T. Lachs, A Rabbinic Commentary on the New Testament (New Jersey: KTAV, 1987), 56. ↩
• ^[12] Luke 7:24-25. ↩
• ^[13] Aesop, Fable 202. ↩
• ^[14] David Flusser, Jesus (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 2001), 51-52. ↩
• ^[15] Aesop, Fable 290. ↩
• ^[16] Herodotus, The Histories 1.141. ↩
• ^[17] Lachs, 297. In Luke 13:1-4, Jesus responds directly to two events mentioned and known by the crowd. One, the Galileans who were killed by Pilate while sacrificing in the Temple and two, the incident in which the tower of Siloam fell and killed eighteen persons. Although these two events are not recorded in any other source, the historical accuracy is very probable in light of the brutality of Pilate and the extravagant building projects in Jerusalem. ↩
• ^[18] Richard A. Horsley, “Jesus and Galilee: The Contingencies of a Renewal Movement,” in Galilee through the Centuries (ed. Eric M. Meyers; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1999), 63. ↩
• ^[19] James F. Strange, “Sepphoris” and “Tiberias,” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6 vols. (ed. David Noel Freedman; New York: Doubleday, 1992), 5:1090 and 6:547. ↩
• ^[20] Josephus Flavius, The Complete Works of Josephus, edited by William Whiston and commentary by Paul. L. Maier (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), Antiq. 18.5.109-114. ↩
• ^[21] Ibid., Antiq. 18.5.116-117. ↩
• ^[22] Luke 19:12, 14, 15, 27. ↩
• ^[23] Josephus, Antiq. 17.8-9. ↩
• ^[24] Ibid., Antiq. 17.13.344. ↩
• ^[25] Interpretation or commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures. ↩
• ^[26] Amos N. Wilder, Early Christian Rhetoric (London: SCM Press Ltd., 1964), 88. ↩
• ^[27] Ibid., 12. ↩
• ^[28] Ray VanderLaan, Echoes of His Presence: Stories of the Messiah from the People of His Day (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1996), vii. ↩
• ^[29] Unless otherwise indicated all Bible references in this paper are to the New International Version (NIV) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1984). ↩