קָרָא    qara – to call, proclaim.

(Strong’s Hebrew 7121)

Calling someone by their name,

or summoning them, is “Likro”

Can also be found in Scripture..

More importantly… Did we answer??

And what did we say??

The Father is the one who draws us to Himself.  John 6:34-71 (verse 37)

Every one the Father would give to Me will come to Me.

The Father/Avinu/Abba is the one who draws us to Himself

and NO ONE can come unless the Father draws them.

He chooses us and calls us.

Is this why some of our friends and family members will not change or believe? (Verse 65)

John 15:16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [and I have placed and purposefully planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.

Psalm 139:16 . KJ21. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet … All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence.

Is this why Many are CALLED but few are CHOSEN? (Matthew 22:14)

‘All the Jews had first been called; then all the Gentiles; many were they who obeyed not the call; and of those who did come in, many were not of the inner election, of those, that is, whose life and character were worthy of the call to follow Him.’

In the Hebraic thinking, ‘BELIEVE’, is not simple agreement, or mental assent, it requires a change in behavior – action.

Verse 65 God has not called them..??

So is it predestination??

Even as He chose us, in Him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be Holy and blameless before Him.

In love, He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ/Messiah Yeshua, according to Eph. 1:4,5

For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He also called; those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

…Rom 8:29,30

What God has for us to do while we are here is ordained by Him. 

We are CALLED out of darkness into the light, the light of the revealed knowledge of the Son of God who gave His life for us.

CALLED out of the world’s system, to ‘come out from among them and be ye separate’.

CALLED to be ‘changed from glory to glory’.

CALLED to follow Yeshua/Jesus and walk in His Way which is Truth and Life.

CALLED to be a witness of that WAY, TRUTH and LIFE by how it has changed us so that others will see Him.

CALLED to be a Holy people set-apart unto good works to fulfill His will on the earth.

CALLED to preach the gospel/the truth of the good news His message of Malchut Shemayim –‘The kingdom of heaven’ and to MAKE DISCIPLES, to heal the sick and cast out demons in His Name. 

Our new life is progressive – salvation is continual; ‘be-being saved’. Salvation is being born again from above by His Holy Spirit, however it’s not an end in itself; rather it’s a beginning of a process. His working in us. To will and ro work after His good pleasure.

Matthew 4:18-22 … Immediately they left their nets and followed him. … Immediately they left the boat and their father and the family business, their livlihood and WAY of LIFE …. and followed Him.

There is more to the concept of the CALLING, other than the choosing and recruiting of the 12 disciples.

Interestingly, further research shows information contrary to what we may have thought concerning the people of Galilee being simple and uneducated fishermen in an isolated village. The reality of the world at the time of Yeshua/Jesus, records Galilean Jews were actually more educated in the Bible and its application than most. They were known for their great reverence for the Scriptures and their passionate desire to be faithful and committed to their faith.

Famous teachers came from Galilee more than anywhere else in the world.

Due to the location noted in Matt 4:15 on ‘the way of the sea’, (a trade route), they would have had more opportunity to meet foreigners, whereas in Jerusalem where the comments were made, was in the mountains.

In the book of Acts during Shavuoth, people seemed amazed that the Galileans were capable of speaking in other languages. These comments appear to belittle them and it gives an inaccurate perspective for the people in Judea no doubt were biased against them.

The people of Gallilee resisted the pagan influences of Hellenism and when the great revolt started against the pagan Romans and their collaborators in 66-74 AD, it began among the Galileans.

It was by perfect design that Yeshua/Jesus would fit His world perfectly and the environment to which Yeshua/Jesus was born, grew up, and spent His ministry was among people who knew Scripture by memory, and as who debated its application with enthusiasm, and according to might (Deut. 6:5). People who loved God with all their hearts, all their souls and all their might.

Here Yeshua/Jesus would have exactly the context He needed to present His message of Malchut Shemayim/ The kingdom of heaven, and His followers would have had no problem understanding His message or joining Him.

The Mishnah gives an enlightening description of Yeshua/Jesus’s day and of His education as a young Jewish boy.

(The Mishnah contains rabbinic interpretations of Scripture written down during the second century AD. Jewish scholars believe it contains the oral traditions present during the 1st century BC to 1st century AD and therefore would reflect what was true during Jesus’ lifetime.)

At five years old [one is fit] for the Scripture, at ten years the Mishnah (oral Torah, interpretations) at thirteen for the fulfilling of the commandments, at fifteen the Talmud (making Rabbinic interpretations), at eighteen the bride-chamber, at twenty pursuing a vocation,

at thirty for authority (able to teach others).

This clearly describes the exceptional student, for very few would become teachers but indicates the centrality of Scripture in the education in Galilee.

This parallels the Mishnah description quite closely.

Not much is stated about His childhood, we know that He “grew in wisdom” as a boy; (Luke 2:52) and that He reached the “fulfilling of the commandments”; indicated by ones first Passover at age twelve and amazing the rabbis in the Temple by His insight of the scripture. (Luke 2:41- 47).

He then learned a trade (Matt. 13:55, Mark 6:3) and spent time with John the Baptist (Luke 3:21; John 3:22-26) and began His ministry at about age thirty. (Luke 3:23).

In first century Galilee Schools were associated with the local synagogue each community would hire a teacher for the school. (respectfully called Rabbi).

Children began their study at age 4-5 in Beth Sefer (elementary school). Most scholars believe both boys and girls attended the class in the synagogue.

The teaching focused primarily on the Torah, emphasizing both reading and writing Scripture.

Large portions were memorized and it is likely that many students knew the entire Torah by memory by the time this level of education was finished!

At this point most students (and certainly the girls) stayed at home to help with the family and in the case of boys to learn the family trade.

It is at this point that a boy would participate in his first Passover in Jerusalem; (a ceremony that probably forms the background of today’s bar mitzvah in orthodox Jewish families today.) Yeshua/Jesus’ excellent questions for the teachers in the temple at His first Passover indicate the study He had done.

The best students continued their study (while learning a trade) in Beth Midrash (secondary school) also taught by a rabbi of the community. Here they (along with the adults in the town) studied the prophets and the writings in addition to Torah and began to learn the interpretations of the Oral Torah to learn how to make their own applications and interpretations much like a catechism class might in some Churches today.

Memorization continued to be important because most people did not have their own copy of the Scripture. so they either had to know it by heart or go to the synagogue to consult the village scroll. Memory was enhanced by reciting aloud, a practice still widely used in Middle Eastern education both Jewish and Muslim. Constant repetition was considered to be an essential element of learning.

Just a very few of the most outstanding Beth Midrash students sought permission to study with a famous rabbi; often leaving home to travel with him for a long period of time. These students were called talmidim, (talmid’s) in Hebrew, which translates as disciple. There is much more to a talmid than who we call a student.

A student wants to know what the teacher knows for the grade, to complete the class or the degree or even out of respect for the teacher.

A talmid wants to be like the teacher, that is to become what the teacher is.

That meant that students were passionately devoted to their rabbi and noted everything he did or said. This meant the rabbi-talmid relationship was a very intense and personal system of education. As the rabbi lived and taught his understanding of the Scripture his students (talmidim) listened and watched and imitated so as to become like him. Eventually they would become teachers passing on a lifestyle to their talmidim.

Because of this, Galilee was a place of intense study of Scripture. People were knowledgeable about its content and the various applications made by their tradition. They were determined to live by it and to pass their faith and knowledge and lifestyle on to their children. It was into this world that Yeshua/Jesus came as a child and eventually a rabbi.

Many people referred to Jesus as Rabbi and He certainly fitted the description of a first century rabbi especially one at the most advanced level, the one sought by talmidim. It was a word meaning “great one” or “my master” which was applied to many kinds of people in everyday speech. The use of this term for Him by the people of His day, is a measure of their great respect for Him as a person and as a teacher; and not just a reference to the activity of teaching He was engaged in.

Rabbis used similar methods of interpreting Scripture. For example the great teachers used a technique today called remez or hint, in which they used part of a Scripture passage in discussion assuming their audience’s knowledge of the Bible would allow them to deduce for themselves fuller meaning.

Click link for more on Remez

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-rules-of-pardes/

Apparently Yeshua/Jesus used this method often.

Contrary to what some think Yeshua/Jesus did not come to do away with God’s Torah or Old Testament. He came to complete it and to show how to correctly keep it. Also to point out that much of what had been added by the Pharisees and Scribes was the letter of the law and did not engender life, calling them ‘religious traditions of men’ and referred to in 1Tim 4:1 as doctrines of demons because they confused man’s traditions with God’s commandments, adding to His Word.

These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’” 10 Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.…

One of the ways Jesus interpreted the Torah was to stress the importance of the right attitude of heart as well as the right action done in love (Matt. 5:27-28)

This is why His followers were completely devoted to God and His Word.

And it helps us to understand their great faith and courage, born in the godly communities in the Galilee; which enabled them to leave their homes and take the good news to the world and fulfill their CALLING.

A Disciple is a Talmidim

The decision to follow a rabbi as a talmid meant total commitment in the first century as it does today. Since a talmid was totally devoted to becoming like the rabbi he would have spent his entire time listening and observing the teacher to know how to understand the Scripture and how to put it into practice.

Yeshua/Jesus describes His relationship to His disciples in exactly this way (Matt. 10:24-25; Luke 6:40) He chose them to be with Him (Mark 3:13-19) so they could be like Him (John 13:15)

Most students sought out the rabbis they wished to follow. This happened to Yeshua/Jesus on occasion. (Mark 5:19; Luke 9:57).

There were a few exceptional rabbis who were famous for seeking out their own students.

If a student wanted to study with a rabbi he would ask if he might “follow” the rabbi.

The rabbi would consider the students potential to become like him and whether he would make the commitment necessary.

It is likely most students were turned away.

Some of course were invited to “follow me”. This indicated the rabbi believed the potential talmid had the ability and commitment to become like him.

It would be a remarkable affirmation of the confidence the teacher had in the student.

This makes so much more sense when we read of their immediate reaction to leave everything and follow Him when He called them.

They knew It was an honor and they did not hesitate!

They were CALLED and He had CHOSEN them!!!

Again without an understanding of the Hebrew culture and how they lived we are left with more questions than answers;

and why its so helpful to return to the very real roots of our faith and to examine,

what it is that we really do believe???……..

The Conclusion Coming in Part Two

Shalom!

PLEASE Don’t leave this page without making that decision – time is running out. Don’t miss the day of your visitation!

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…Don’t put it off one more moment…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

You are now Born Again by the Holy Spirit of the Living God and you are part of the ever growing family of believers. You will never be the same again!